The Upper Room Discourse - Hated but Helped

John 15:18-27

In his classic book, The Holiness of God, R. C. Sproul underscores the central theme of our passage this week with a powerful story. He writes:

“A well-known professional golfer was playing in a tournament with President Gerald Ford, fellow pro Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was over one of the other pros on the tour asked, ‘Hey, what was it like playing with the President and Billy Graham?’ The pro said with disgust, ‘I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!’ With that he headed for the practice tee. His friend followed, and after the golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket of golf balls, he asked, ‘Was Billy a little rough on you out there?’ The pro sighed and said with embarrassment, ‘No, he didn’t even mention religion.’

‘Astonishingly, Billy Graham had said nothing about God, Jesus, or religion, yet the pro stomped away after the game accusing Billy of trying to ram religion down his throat.’ What had happened? Simply this: The evangelist had so reflected Christ-likeness that his presence brought the same feeling to the pro as experienced by Isaiah [the prophet]. He knew he was ‘lost, a man of unclean lips, and living among a people of unclean lips.’ In the life of Billy Graham, the lost pro had sensed the presence of our Holy God.”

The pro wasn't frustrated with Billy; he was frustrated with his own conscience being exposed by a "holy" presence. Jesus said,

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ 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” (John 15:18-19).

What does it mean to be ‘hated by the world’? What does it mean to be of ‘the world’? Join us this week as we continue our Upper Room series with a message titled “Hated but Helped” from John 15:18-27.

By His Grace,

Pastor Wayne