March 24, 2025

🌿 Living Water Vineyard Devotion

Tuesday — 12 Days Until Resurrection Sunday

“Why the World Hates”

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📖 John 15:18–19 (NLT)

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

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🔹 Opening

One of my favorite experiences as a follower of Jesus has been traveling as a missionary.

I’ve had the privilege of going to Africa… Europe… Germany… Japan… China.

And every time you travel internationally, there’s one thing you cannot forget:

👉 Your passport.

It doesn’t matter how much you prepare…

It doesn’t matter how excited you are…

If you don’t have that passport—you’re not getting in.

And every time I’ve held that passport, it’s been a reminder of something deeper:

👉 This is not my home.

I may be in another country…

I may learn the language…

I may begin to understand the culture…

But I’m still a visitor.

I don’t belong there.

Some of my heroes of the faith—Tim and Khristine—have been missionaries in Japan for over 40 years.

They speak the language.

They understand the culture.

They carry the mannerisms.

And yet, when people meet them, it still surprises them…

Because even after all these years:

👉 They’re not from there.

And the apostle Paul says that’s exactly what it’s like to follow Jesus:

📖 Philippians 3:20 (NIV)

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

That means:

👉 You are not primarily a citizen of this world.

👉 You are a citizen of heaven.

And that changes everything.

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🔹 Why the World Hates

Jesus says:

👉 “The world is going to hate you.”

Why?

Because there are two completely different cultures:

• The culture of this world

• The culture of heaven

Jesus taught us to pray:

📖 Matthew 6:10

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We are called to live heaven’s culture on earth.

And when those two cultures collide…

There is tension.

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🔹 What Does “Hate” Mean?

This isn’t just emotion.

It means:

• rejection

• resistance

• opposition

It’s what happens when truth confronts something in us…

…and we push back.

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🔹 It All Goes Back to the Beginning

📖 Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning, God…”

God defines truth.

God defines what is right and wrong.

But in the Garden:

📖 Genesis 3:5 — “You will be like God…”

The temptation wasn’t just knowledge.

It was control.

👉 “I will decide what’s right.”

And that same mindset is alive today.

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🔹 The World Says vs. The Gospel Says

The world says:

👉 “Follow your heart.”

👉 “Do what feels right.”

👉 “Live your truth.”

The gospel says:

📖 Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He will direct your paths.”

Two completely different ways to live.

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🔹 A Real-Life Scenario

Imagine a man—married, with kids.

Marriage gets hard.

He feels distant.

Then he meets someone at work who understands him.

The world says:

“You deserve to be happy.”

“Follow your heart.”

And it sounds right.

But the gospel says:

📖 “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)

📖 “Honor marriage.” (Hebrews 13:4)

📖 “Deny yourself…” (Luke 9:23)

And I’ve seen this as a pastor…

When someone follows feelings over truth:

• families break

• children are wounded

• trust is destroyed

Not because they wanted evil…

But because they believed:

👉 “I get to decide what’s right.”

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🔹 The Sin of Self

📖 Romans 3:12 — “All have turned away…”

At the center of sin is this:

👉 Self on the throne.

“My truth.”

“My desires.”

“My way.”

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🔹 The Trap

📖 John 8:34

“Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

We think we’re choosing freedom…

But we’re stepping into bondage.

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🔹 Why the World Pushes Back

When you begin to live differently…

When you say:

👉 “I trust God more than my feelings”

Your life becomes different.

And sometimes, your life becomes a mirror.

And not everyone wants to look into that mirror.

So the response is:

👉 resistance

👉 rejection

👉 even hatred

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🔹 The Hard Truth

This is why the gospel is offensive.

It says:

• You are not in charge

• You are accountable

• You must repent (Acts 3:19)

• You must believe (Mark 1:15)

Repent means:

👉 Turn from your way…

👉 and trust God’s way.

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🔹 But This Is Also Good News

📖 Ephesians 2:8–9

God doesn’t just confront us.

He rescues us.

He offers:

• forgiveness

• restoration

• new life

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🔹 Bringing It Back

When Jesus says:

👉 “The world will hate you…”

It’s because you’re living as a citizen of heaven.

And just like your passport reminds you:

👉 “This is not home…”

Your life should reflect:

👉 “I belong somewhere else.”

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🔹 Encouragement

📖 John 1:14 — Jesus came full of grace and truth.

We live both.

We love deeply.

We stand in truth.

And when there’s resistance…

👉 we are walking the same road Jesus walked.

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🔹 Closing Thought

The gospel is offensive because it says:

👉 “You are not God.”

But it is freeing because it says:

👉 “You don’t have to be.”

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🙏 Prayer

Jesus,

Thank You that our citizenship is in heaven.

Help us to live differently in this world.

Give us courage to stand on truth.

Teach us to walk in love and grace.

Remind us—we belong to You.

Amen.

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🔹 Reflection Questions

1. Where am I living more like the world than the kingdom of heaven?

2. What area of my life is God calling me to surrender?

3. How can I represent Jesus this week as a citizen of heaven?