In This World You’ll Have Trouble

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Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 1-12)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 13-26)

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8:40 Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

Good morning chapel family.
And you guys are looking good and sounding good today. You feeling good today? Right. Very, very glad to hear that.
Hey, if you don't know me, my name is Joshua Sergy. I'm the executive pastor here at the chapel. And uh if you don't know this, I was hired back in February.
And since then, I've been doing this traveling back and forth from Texas, here for a couple of weeks, there for a couple of weeks, flying and and doing the whole traveling thing. I'm very happy to announce that that season is now over. The travel chapter is done.
Yep. It was great, but I'm glad it's over.

Uh, but yeah, guys, after a quick 26-hour car ride, my family arrived in New Jersey full-time a couple weeks ago, and we are just so happy to be here. So glad that we don't have to be apart anymore and do all of the traveling stuff. And, you know, I really, really just have to take a moment uh just to express a a huge amount of gratitude to the community, to the chapel family here. So many of you guys have been so encouraging, so supportive. People were dropping by trying to help us settle in, bringing by food, and just being awesome in like a hundred different ways. And all of those things were incredibly helpful, but I also know that many of you have been praying for us in our transition. So, we want to express um an equal amount of gratitude there. So, thank you guys so much for being so welcoming to me and my family uh during this time. You guys have been absolutely wonderful. Um, so as we're going through this this changing of seasons in our household in the Sergy home, there's like a lot of new there's a lot of new stuff. New uh new home, new place, new people. All of these things are changing for us. But in that change, we do our best to remind ourselves that we serve a God who doesn't change, right? Like the Jesus of Texas is the same Jesus of New Jersey and the same Jesus of everywhere else. Like we serve a God who doesn't change. So we are constantly trying to remind ourselves of that in this season. And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. The Bible teaches us. And that's who we serve and that's who we're here to worship today. Amen.
Okay. Well, speaking of why we're here today, I'm pretty sure I have a sermon to preach. So, I should probably get to that at some point uh this morning. So, if you're new to the chapel or you're just jumping in with us, we have been uh on an adventure through the book of John for like several weeks now. Um and at this point in the narrative, we see the walls beginning to close in on Jesus and the disciples. Their ministry has upset the social and religious order of things. And Jesus knows it. And the disciples are really starting to feel it. And I think it's important that we do our best to kind of feel that too, to understand what was going on at the time and in the original audience, what they were uh feeling and experiencing. So just imagine for a second that you're one of them, that you have dropped your nets and followed him, and you're seeing all of this ministry taking place firsthand. You see it all happening. And there's a few speed bumps, but for the most part, it's working.
And here's the thing, they they've they've made these huge sacrifices, but they are seeing the fruits of this ministry happen. And all of a sudden, they begin to hear Jesus start making
some pretty ominous hints about some drastic change that's on the horizon.
They start to hear Jesus say things like where I am going you cannot follow.
They start to hear Jesus saying things like one of you will betray me. I tried not to look at anyone directly when I said that. Jesus also said the prince of this world is coming. It's the devil by the way.  So, there's this very dramatic tone shift that takes place for the disciples. And guys, they they had to have been freaking out. I would be. But Jesus doesn't just leave them in this place of panic. Jesus is like the ultimate pastor that ever could be. So, of course, he comes alongside. He ministers, encourages, and equips them.
Jesus goes well out of his way to give them what they need to move forward.
Now, speaking of awesome pastors, last week, Pastor Dave took us through chapter 15. That's like the super famous um I am the vine, you are the branches lesson. And what Jesus is saying there is, if you just stay connected to me, you'll have everything you'll ever need.
Jesus is getting in front of the disciples and saying like, "Guys, you, me right here. Look at me. I got you and I got this." And we're going to see Jesus do a lot more of that kind of thing in the rest of chapter 15 and 16 today.
So, um, guys, the the text that we have to go through today is, uh, so long that we don't have enough time to read it all. So, I'm going to begin reading it in a second, but there's going to be one or two jumps. So, please hang in there and track with me as I read. And we're going to start in John chapter 15 verse 18. It reads, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to this world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world. But I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the
world hates you." Remember what I told you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name. For they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, then they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my father as well. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they hated both me and my father. But this is to fulfill what is written in the law. They hated me without reason.
When the advocate comes whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me, and you must also testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
All of this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue. In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. And we're going to jump ahead to verse 31 here.
Do you now believe? Jesus replied. A time is coming, in fact, has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me alone, yet I am not alone. for my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. We finished off
on verse uh verse 33. So guys, uh that's a lot of text and we have a lot to digest today, but just to begin, I'd like us for to for us to grab a hold of two pieces of the scripture that we just went over. The first one is this is why the world hates you.
The second one, they will treat you this way because of my name. Now, let's be
clear here. When Jesus says the world, he's not referring to like the planet Earth, like the actual rock that we're standing on right now. Jesus is more referring to the people in the world.
And maybe to be even more specific, he's referring to an initiative of iindividuals and groups who actively oppose God. Now, Jesus is saying this for a reason. That existed in his time
for sure. And I think we can all agree that that exists in our time, too, right? We all have consciousness and the internet. It's not difficult to find an angry atheist online or maybe even in your daily life who would be more than happy to argue with you and talk about how foolish and intolerant you are for believing what the Bible teaches. It's not too hard to find that today. But the angry atheist neighbor or family member is really just the tip of the iceberg because we know that there are more serious and more impactful oppositions out there to God in this world, more organized ones. You know, for instance, I was just reading um that our neighbors to the north in Canada recently passed the um anti- oh, I'm going to get it wrong if I don't say it. the Combating Hate Act is what they call it, where it
removed a religious exemption from what the government might consider to be offensive speech. So if the government, for whatever reason, at any time, as I understand it, believes that what a church is saying or preaching or even reading from the Bible, they can bring actual legal prosecution against whoever they choose for that. This is a a very scary thought if you ask me as I stand on the stage at a church and I also think it's somewhat ironic that they call it the combating hate act especially in the context of what we're
talking about today. Um another example is you know I've mentioned this before but I've spent a great deal of time out in the mission field and one of the places that uh I'd visited many times and done a good deal of ministry in is the country of Turkey. Uh Turkey, if you
don't know, is a Muslim country. Uh it's not like illegal to do church there, but they sure do make it hard. So almost 90,000 mosques in Turkey, probably more.
There's fewer than 200 functional uh Protestant churches there. It's not illegal to do church, but they make it hard. You know, in uh one of our our last trips there, uh we found ourselves uh in uh this place.

Yep, that place. It's pretty unremarkable looking building uh with a cross on the front of it. But what this place is is uh Resurrection Church in Ismir, Turkey. Um it was uh operated for over 20 years by this guy uh Andrew Brunson. He is an American evangelical pastor. Uh, as I said, spent 20 years there building a small but very faithful congregation. Uh, one day in 2016, Brunson was arrested by Turkish authorities, thrownin jail without cause and without warning. His entire first year of imprisonment, he had no formal charges brought against him. The guy spent over a year in a jail cell with 20 people. And that cell was designed for eight people. It's a real Turkish prison kind of story. It was uh a major international incident. Maybe a few of you remember this in the news. It took all kinds of negotiating back and forth and it wasn't resolved until the president of the United States himself uh inserted himself into the situation.

Now, through the Lord's protection, uh, Pastor Brunson is, uh, back with his family in North Carolina and his church lives on. Praise the Lord for that.
Now, with with these three examples, we've got the the social pressure from an angry atheist. We've got activist legislation here in the West making it seemingly illegal to read from the Bible. In some places we see a Islamic state in the east bringing its own brand of persecution and prosecution. And these are just a few examples. There's an an endless supply of them to choose from. Unfortunately, I wish it was hard for me to come up with them.
But those worldly examples is only one side of the coin. One of the things that Jesus mentioned, and I I I brought this up a minute ago, is that this opposition is organized, that have a prince of this world.
There's a spiritual side of this coin.
This world in rebellion isn't just worldly, it's also spiritual. And that spiritual battle seeks to harass, torment, obstruct, and ultimately
condemn as many souls as possible in the end. Now, this kind of sounds like woo woo spooky stuff, but you cannot be a biblebelieving Christian and deny that this is the truth. Let's take a look at 1 Peter 5'8 and 9. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in faith because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. This should sound familiar to us.
throughout the world undergoing the same kind of sufferings. What we should start to see come together here is guys, trouble will come.
It's guaranteed. It's guaranteed for Resurrection Church. And one last thing uh uh about them at Resurrection. That first photo you saw, yellow church in the daytime was was pretty unremarkable.
I snapped that photo as we were arriving in the middle of the afternoon. After we got there, we met the pastors and learned all about their ministry and the amazing ways that God had worked through them uh throughout Brunson's incarceration and then in a subsequent time after his release was really incredible experience. Our team that night, we conducted services and we preached to give their pastor a uh well-deserved uh night off. After uh our service there and the fellowship uh when we walked out night had fallen and I have to tell you this that once the sun goes down in that neighborhood in Ismir it becomes a very very different place. I snapped this photo uh as we left for the night.
So on the left we can see uh the unassuming church and to the right we see looming over it a Freddy Krueger and devil themed nightclub.
The photo is striking and chilling. Uh it's creepy, right? It's even more creepy to be there. But as someone who has uh done significant ministry in this area of the world, um I hate to say it, but it is a spiritual battleground kind of place. And I think what we see in this photo is only an illustration of what is going on beneath the surface and above the surface in this case. Guys, we have to be reminded that the struggle we face is not against flesh and blood.
And they will treat you this way because of my name is what Jesus says. So please
pray for our brothers and sisters at resurrection in Ismir if you can.
So, after seeing the uh Freddy Krueger devil photo and hearing all of this, it kind of could leave us in a pretty like dismal spot, like I already preached this once, but I still have like kind of like a heaviness in my chest knowing that like we're confronted with this battle everywhere around us.
You know, you might be listening to me thinking like, "Okay, great. Just what I always wanted. The world hates me.
Great. There's a lion out there, the devil who seeks to devour me. That's uplifting.
There's Islamic states looking to throw me in a dungeon for doing what exactly what it is that we're doing here today.
The devil is orchestrating a global conspiracy to take me down.
What is it exactly that I signed up for?
Again, this part was not in the brochure with the smiling people in it walking into church.
I'm just a guy who swings a hammer all day. And you expect me to go out there and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. I'm just a college student. I'm just somebody's mom who works at the bank. I'm not trying to fight roaring, devouring lions.
And guys, the picture is creepy and the reality of that, like yes, it is intimidating and it is true. But brothers and sisters, we have to remember this that while that is true, that's not the only thing that's true.
As we advance through today's text, we see Jesus ministering to and reassuring the disciples and equipping them. And I want you to know this and this is super important that he is doing the same thing for you right now.
Jesus through his living word is ministering to you, reassuring you the same thing that he was reassuring the disciples about. I got this. Me and you.
Stay connected to me. Eyes on me is what Jesus is trying to get through to you.
He tells us how he does it. When the advocate comes whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me, and you must also testify, for you have been with me since the beginning.
All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. Jesus knows it's scary, but he's got it. And he doesn't leave us to fight the spiritual battle alone.
He makes this promise that the Holy Spirit is coming to be with us. And here's the thing, he's not just coming to be with us. The Holy Spirit doesn't show up like, "Okay, I'm here." And he's not just here to fight alongside of us in some type of a peer role.
The Holy Spirit is here to lead the way.
When he comes, he will prove to the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. Again, a couple verses later, when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
Jesus even tells us how the spirit works. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
Holy Spirit will lead the way. He will lead us in spiritual battle.
And guys, from these passages, we learn that he testifies, he convicts, he guides, and he glorifies Christ. All of those are important, but I think the last one is extra special that the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ.
That is the Holy Spirit's main weapon, main function. And it should be our main function also. to bring glory to the name of Jesus. And here's the thing, if you are a believer and you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit never stops doing that ministry in you.
Always on, always drawing you, always pulling you like gravity towards the glory of Jesus Christ.
We should all want that. But here's the thing. There is one small catch. In order to receive this, you have to receive this. You have to let him. We have to accept the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
And here's the most amazing thing. When you do as the Holy Spirit testifies, we testify also. As the Holy Spirit convicts, we preach God's holiness.
And as the Holy Spirit leads to truth, we proclaim the truth of God's word.
And all of this, guys, all of this brings glory to the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is to come.
Speaking of him, that's Jesus, by the way.
We advance to the end of chapter 16 and we see Jes Jesus doing more straight shooting with the disciples. He finishes with this. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart. I have overcome the world.
And guys, there's other things that we can take heart in. As if that's not good enough.
The world doesn't really hate you.
To the world, you're just unevolved and old-fashioned.
The Canadian Parliament, I think that's who makes laws there, doesn't really hate the church or the Bible. To them, that's just a building in an old book.
The Turkish Islamic State even doesn't hate Andrew Brunson. He's just another infidel with a big mouth. But guys, those institutions, those individuals do, however, hate the things that those people and places represent. This is why the world hates you. They will treat you this way because of my name, is what Jesus says. And guys, this should give us kind of like a a strange type of freedom. Like it's not personal. The seen world and the unseen world doesn't come against us because of like specifically who we are.
So, as you go on to live and love and minister to others in your life, it's very similar to as if you showed up in Time Square about two weeks ago wearing a San Antonio Spurs jersey.
The people down there don't care who you are, but they would care about who you represent, right?

So, as you move forward in life wearing your Jesus jersey, know that you will have opposition. There will be trouble and there will be problems.
In fact, a well-lived Christian life guarantees it. If we just read what we read today, you'll find that it is baked into the cookies. So, when you have problems, when you have necessary conflict for the cause of glorifying the name of Jesus, rejoice.
If you are taking flack, you are over the target.
Now, I'm not saying that you should run down to work and get fired tomorrow. Be smart. Be wise. Be kind.
But also be bold. Testify in the mighty name of Jesus.
Receive and accept and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And brothers and sisters, above all, glorify Christ in all things.
And here's another piece of small freedom for you. Like you're not responsible for the outcome. You're there to do what you are there to do.
The Holy Spirit convicts. The Holy Spirit leads to truth. We do what we do. And the rest is up to him.
When trouble comes, he will work through you. He'll also work in you. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produce p produces per perseverance. I'll get it out. Let perseverance finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James chapter 1, let him do his work and you do yours.
And while that is happening, take heart in knowing that you are being led by the one who overcame the world.
Jesus Christ, the one who led a sinless life, the one whose love overcame sin
for all humanity on the cross, the one who rose again.
The one whose death and resurrection allow us to be one and to be justified with a holy God. And if I deliver that message with kindness, compassion, clarity, and accuracy, and I have problems over it, well, then so be it.
I am a disciple of the one who overcame the world, and you should be, too.
Like Julie mentioned earlier, it's baptism day and it is time to do that.
I'd like to invite the worship team back out to lead us. Um now, if you haven't been baptized, this could be your moment. If God's called you, if if you feel led to take this step forward in faith today, uh this could be your opportunity. This is your opportunity. 

Um, we like to make very sure that people know what they're saying yes to around here. So, there is a team of elders and pastors out in this side hallway who can guide you through this decision and uh maybe help you understand a little bit more about what the Bible teaches on baptism. Um, but if today's your day, please do not delay.

And uh like the old hymn says, I have decided to follow Jesus. The world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back. Let's pray for the baptism. Uh dear Lord, we're so grateful uh to take part in this process with you uh to be your instruments through this uh act of baptism. Lord, I just ask that you bring exactly the right people forward to take this step towards you, God. Uh and Lord, I pray that you open our spiritual eyes to see you at work and see the miracle uh that is about to take place on this stage. We're humbled and honored to have a small part in that and we pray it all in Jesus name. Amen.