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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. If you want to find out if you're hated or not, just dare to say what Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." Say that and see how it works out.

On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how we are to keep bearing witness to Christ regardless of the cost. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, "Why They Hate Us."

Jack Graham: We've been in the upper room with Jesus in John chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and a prayer to seal it in chapter 17. We have the final words of Jesus to his disciples, his chosen. He is preparing them and us because he would say that these words are not only for these 11 disciples. Judas exits the room to go betray the Lord, but the 11 who remain. He says, "Not only to you but to all who will follow me after you and believe the word and the gospel that I give."

Jesus, after the Passover supper together, they get up, they leave, and they begin a walk, his journey to the cross as they walk to a garden where Jesus would kneel and pray and sweat drops of blood and surrender his will to the will of the Father to die on the cross and then to rise again.

As they're walking in verse 17, John 15, here's what the Lord said: "These things I command you so that you will love one another. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

"Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

"And if he had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, the sin of rejection and unbelief. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also." Jesus says because he's co-equal, co-eternal with God and the Spirit. He says, "You hate me, if you hate me, you hate God."

And verse 24 closes. He said, "If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause."

Clearly, this is a sobering, serious passage of scripture. It is riveting and revealing as to what we are to expect as followers of Jesus. Because when you choose to follow Christ and you are chosen by his grace to follow him, then now you put your life on the line. You are now giving your life up to follow Jesus. You are, in effect, risking your life as a follower of Jesus. Yes, when you become a follower of Jesus, you put your life with him on the line.

Years and years ago, in the second and third century, a man by the name of Tertullian, a writer, Christian, said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Well said, Tertullian. Because what happens when someone dies for their faith, gives their life in martyrdom or persecution for Christ, then it inspires others to be courageous. It inspires others to believe. Fear is contagious, but so is faith. And fearless faith is especially courageous.

And so I believe that what is happening now in the world and in the culture around us, that these martyrdoms, these deaths of Christians around the world, this is like rocket fuel setting ablaze the church's flame. Thousands of Christians, especially young believers, are coming to Christ or coming back to Christ in these days. We're seeing revival on college campuses and in some churches, and these young people are now wanting to impact their world with the gospel of Christ, all inspired by someone's death. Many are returning to the church for the first time.

And the devil is not happy about this. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. So he rises up to defeat the church. And my goal is to strengthen you in your faith that we all will courageously and compassionately live to tell the gospel of Jesus Christ. But in order to do that, we have to understand something about the world in which we're living.

What in the world is a Christian? Well, Jesus tells us here. If you're taking notes, the first passage says that we are chosen out of the world. That's what Jesus said in verse 19. Do you see it there? He says, "I chose you. You are not of this world. If you were of this world, the world would love this world. You'd be a part of this world. But now you're no longer in this world because I have chosen you."

And therefore, we are not living for this world any longer. We are not of the world when we become followers of Jesus. We are citizens of heaven, living on earth as citizens of heaven. We are saved out of this hell-bent generation going nowhere. When Peter preached the gospel on the Day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, he preached Christ crucified, risen, coming again. Christ is King, Christ is Lord.

And many were convicted of their sin and wanted to know what it meant to be a Christian, what it meant to be saved. And Peter told them what it meant to be saved, and many believed. Three thousand on that first day, men most likely only, plus the women and children. It was a multitude that came to Christ. And it says there in that passage in Acts chapter 2, with many other words, this is the same man who cowered when he was warming his hands at the fires of the enemies of Jesus before Christ was crucified.

Same man who denied him three times. Now he's standing full of the Spirit, boldly, courageously preaching Christ. And it says, with many other words, he said, "Save yourselves from this crooked and perverse and corrupt untoward generation." That word "untoward" is a King James version, and it really means save yourself from this generation, corrupt and untoward. It means save yourself, get out of this generation that is going nowhere except to judgment. And so he saved us out of this world.

Now, let's define the world. When Jesus talks about the world, clearly, this is not the world he was talking about in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son," the people in this world. He's clearly not talking about the physical planet, the earth, the world. So when he's talking about the world, the word is used throughout the New Testament is "cosmos." Same word for cosmetics.

The cosmos is putting things in an arrangement, in an order, getting things together, the cosmos. So when you put on your cosmetics, you're getting your face in order. And so that's the word, cosmos. And he says this world is a cosmos. It is a dominion of darkness. It is ruled by Satan. Jesus would tell us in the 16th chapter, verse 11, that Satan is the ruler of this world. The Bible tells us that he's the god of this age.

And when you come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, when you repent of your sins, you see, when you repent, you're going in one direction. You're like a lemming, just going to destruction. You're a part of a generation going nowhere. But you come to faith in Christ. You come to the gospel. You hear the gospel, and you see the cross. And by faith you receive Christ. That's repentance. You turn from your old way, your old life, and now you're living in a brand new direction.

This is what happens when God in Christ chooses us, picks us out of all the people of the world. He chooses you and welcomes you into his family. And when we come into the family of God, we have a new direction in our life. We're going in a brand new direction. We even have a new disposition. Salvation is not behavior modification. It's so much more than that, but it does change our behavior. We get a new direction, a new disposition, a new destiny.

We were on our way to hell, now we're on our way to heaven. We have a new destiny in Christ. We have a new mindset, the way we think. We have new morality, the way we live our lives. We have a new mouth. We don't talk the way we used to talk. We don't live the way we used to live. Why? Because Jesus changes everything. We now are transferred, transformed into the kingdom of light. In Colossians 1:13, a great verse, that we have been rescued from the kingdom, the domain of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved son.

So Satan is enraged about this. Did you know that? If you've been chosen and called out by God, you've left the world and the domain of death that he lives in, then he is enraged. Why? Because he hates God. He hates Jesus. He hates the Holy Spirit. He hates the Bible. He hates truth. He hates gospel-preaching, Christ-exalting churches that preach Jesus saves. Satan hates everything about you now.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "Why They Hate Us." Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, "Why They Hate Us."

Jack Graham: Jesus is not saying everyone in the world or of the world hates you. They may or may not. But in fact, many do because they're a part of this world system, this anti-God, anti-Christ. The spirit of the Antichrist, the Bible says, is already in the world. And if you want to find out if you're hated or not, if you want to escalate the hostility against you in your life, just dare to say what Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." Say that and see how it works out in the world.

The hostility will be on. The world calls good evil and evil good. So when we call something sin by its first name and call something evil, the world hates that. So we are hated because we are not of this world. And secondly, therefore, we are hated because we are now cursed by the world. The world hates Jesus. They hated him then, they hate him now. The pure and perfect, sinless Savior, hated from the beginning. Herod hated him, tried to kill him.

His hometown Nazareth hated him, tried to throw him off a cliff and take him out early, and it just wasn't his time; he walked right through them. The religious system hated him for the things he said and the things that he claimed. The world hated Jesus then, and they hate him now. They killed him. And I'm convinced that if Jesus were here today in the flesh, the same world that crucified Jesus then would crucify him again.

So expect resistance. But remember resistance, which creates friction, propels you forward. And Jesus said that this cursing, this judgment of Christians, this persecution, this is a prophecy, it's a prediction that he made. And of course, it happened just as he said. And so you shouldn't be surprised when people mock you as a Christian, if they do, if they misunderstand you. The fact is if you have never felt the heat because of your faith in Christ or face the flak of your Christian faith, maybe it's because your faith is not all that visible.

But Jesus didn't call us to blend in; he called us to stand out. "Profess me before men," he said. Maybe you're a secret disciple and that's why no one ever says anything to object about you. Maybe you never talk about the Lord, but I'm just here to challenge you. If you are a Christian, get ready for the resistance, but keep shining. Keep standing. Keep sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

And how am I going to do that? The Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus said, "I'm going to give you the Holy Spirit who testifies of me. And when you stand before the courts, when you stand, you get in trouble because of your faith, the Holy Spirit is going to give you the words to say." Why does the world hate us? Well, the world hates us because of what it doesn't understand. The natural man, Paul said, does not receive the things of the Spirit.

The world doesn't understand you. They can't comprehend why you have this joy, why you have this peace that is indescribable, why you love like you love. The world can't understand a life centered in Christ and not centered in self. The world doesn't get you. And the world believes all kinds of crazy things. The world says follow your heart, but Jesus says follow me. The world says believe in yourself, but Jesus said believe in me.

The world says discover yourself, but Jesus says deny yourself. The world says be true to yourself, be true to you, you be you, but Jesus says be true to me. So we reject the vain philosophies of the world, and so they don't get it. We're hated by the world because the gospel confronts sin. Before there's good news, you've got to know the bad news. And the bad news is that all have sinned, and the world doesn't like to hear about sin.

The Christ-rejecting world doesn't want to hear the bad news. They don't want to hear that they're sinners, that they're depraved at the core. Most people believe that human beings are basically good. That's not what the Bible teaches. Bible teaches we are sinful to the core. Then the world hates us because the gospel light exposes the darkness. When the light comes, then the darkness is exposed. So this is why they curse us.

As a result over the years through the centuries, millions of Christians have died for their faith. Right now in the world, 100 million Christians around the world are under threat of death and persecution. Jesus said it would happen. The message of Christ and the Bible invites ridicule, scorn, and even violence to those who do not believe. Jesus said they hated me, they're going to hate you.

In the midst of all this, we cannot be afraid and we must not be ashamed. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. This is the purpose, the mission of our church. This is the mission of PowerPoint is to preach the gospel and to keep going and never stop. This is why I keep going every single day.

Because I get up with a passion for God's purpose and call upon my life to lead the church, to fulfill the Great Commission, to reach, as we pray, a billion people in this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're not going to compromise in order to be applauded or approved. So what if the world hates you? You've got Jesus.

And so what are we going to do? We're going to keep doing what we do. We're going to keep overcoming evil with good, Romans 12:21. We're going to keep protecting the lives of the innocent and the unborn, saving babies. We'll keep doing that. We will call God's people, you and me, all of us, to purity and holiness and godliness in our generation. We will raise up a new generation of young people, boys and girls, that are going to take the gospel in places we may never go.

We will speak truth and love. We will take this gospel of Jesus Christ to every person we can around the earth because the last thing, and I close, we are called out of the world. We are, the old saying is, we are in the world but we're not of the world. So we're chosen out of the world, we are cursed by the world, the system, the people that hate us. But we are called into the world. What is the world? What's our response to all this hate? What are we to do? We're not going to give hate for hate.

Jesus said love your enemies. So we're going to love those who hate us by God's grace. How? God's Spirit who gives us love. God's Spirit who gives us the power to go. He said in Acts 1:8, "You are my witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You are my witnesses." And a witness is someone who simply tells what he's seen, heard, or known. The Bible takes us there on this word "witness" to the courtroom.

And we're testifying. We're a witness on the stand. And who's on trial? Jesus is on trial. The same question that Pilate asked so long ago, "What will you do with Jesus who is called the Christ?" And we are called to be witnesses. The word "witness" is also, it comes from the word which can also mean martyr. So if you're a witness, you're a martyr for Christ even no matter what it means. Again, your life is on the line. And you have been given his love.

And we witness. The question is what kind of witness are we? Some professing Christians, unfortunately, do more harm than good. I pray that we will all be good witnesses. But remember he said you will be witnesses unto me, about me. We do a lot of things, but we're not witnessing just because we're doing good deeds or doing good works or saving babies or helping the poor or supporting Israel or getting together in Bible studies, hanging out together in the church.

All those things are good things, really good things. But our witness is about Jesus. And if you're not talking about Jesus, you're not really witnessing. The world is our mission field. If we love the world like Jesus loves the world, then we wouldn't love the things of this world. James tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. So much is riding on this.

The scripture says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how will they hear unless someone tells them? This is Romans 10. And how will they call upon whom they have not heard? How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the gospel. And so God has called us out of the world that we should not be of this world and even be cursed by this world, that we would go back into this world and share the gospel with the world. And that's the only thing we should be doing in this world, the main thing we should be about in this world until Jesus comes. We are witnesses of these things.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "Why They Hate Us." Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789.

Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Here's the question you're really facing this week, whether you realize it or not. Are you willing to be inconvenienced for Jesus? Not martyred, not necessarily persecuted in some dramatic way, just inconvenienced. Willing to have an awkward conversation, willing to let someone know where you actually stand instead of staying quiet to keep the peace. Because that's usually where it starts.

Long before anyone faces real hostility for their faith, they face the small test first. The moment at work, at the family dinner, in the group chat where staying comfortable and staying silent would be so much easier than saying what you actually believe. Most of us fail that test a hundred times before we ever face a bigger one.

So I want to challenge you, not to go looking for a fight, not to be harsh or combative. That's not what Jesus modeled, and it's not what wins anyone over. But to stop shrinking, stop editing yourself down to something safer and smaller than what you actually believe. The world doesn't need more Christians blending in; it needs people willing to be seen even when being seen costs something. Think about somebody in your life right now who needs to hear the truth about Jesus but you've held back because you didn't want the tension.

This week, don't hold back. Say something. Send the text. Have the conversation. It doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to be honest. You were not chosen out of this world to hide in it. You were chosen to shine in it, even when, especially when, it costs you something. So don't shrink back. Stand up, speak up, and trust that the same God who called you out is the same God who will carry you through whatever standing up costs you.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Just text SEPTEMBER to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about overcoming our trials and tribulations. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.