{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Soul Revival Church Podcast","title":"When the world hates you","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2607,"description":"\"I hate these moths.\" \"I hate that guy.\" \"I hate you, Mom!\"\nWe use the word \"hate\" casually these days, it's flippant, attached to immediate emotions. But when Jesus uses the word \"hate\" in John 15, He's talking about something far deeper and far more serious than Michael Scott hating Toby from The Office.\nWhy does the world hate Jesus? And why will it hate us?\nThe answer isn't comfortable, but it's essential: Jesus is divisive. Not because He's aggressive, vindictive, or engaging in rage-inducing clickbait. He's divisive because He's the light of the world. And when light exposes darkness, people don't always respond well.\n\nFrom the very beginning, before creation itself, Jesus has been divisive. \"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it\" (John 1:5). Following Jesus is a choice between light and darkness. There's no middle ground. You're either with Him or against Him.\nBecause Jesus divides, He also exposes us for who we really are, fallen humans desperately in need of a Saviour. \"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin\" (v. 22). The light exposes those living in darkness.\nBut here's the shocking part: We've been chosen by the divisive Son of God to be divisive ourselves. Just as Jesus is divisive, so are His followers. It comes with the territory of being a Christian.\nJoel shows what worldly hate looks like, and then contrasts it with the spiritual disgust Jesus describes. The hatred Jesus talks about isn't just dislike or frustration. It's eternal separation from the Father.\nBut there's hope. Jesus hasn't left us alone. He's given us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth who testifies about Jesus and empowers us to be witnesses. The same Spirit who convicts the world of sin dwells in every believer.\nYet Jesus is clear: If they persecuted Him, they'll persecute us. You might be labeled a bigot, ridiculed at work, kicked out of friendship groups, or worse....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/VbbeNx8dwFPBwwsJaPIEyucZZMK5J4MD4n5mvpDSfco/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83YjZk/MmMyOGIyMDc1YjMw/NDQyZGZhNTJjMWU0/MmRmZS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}