… to rescue us from the present evil age …
Summary: Being rescued suggests a person is removed from harm’s way. In today’s passage we find out that being rescued also can involve being protected from harm while still being near harm.
Have you ever prayed, “Dear God, please rescue us from this evil age!”? It feels like this might be a common prayer these days.
Paul tells us that the rescue has already happened, but if that is true, why doesn’t it feel that way? Instead, it feels like the world hates us.
There is a reason why that it feels that way. The world does hate us. Jesus himself said so.
“If you belonged to the 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.” (John 15:19)
“Great.” (Sarcasm intended!)
If we belong to the world, we get lots of love from the world, but we are headed to hell (Revelation 12:9). If we belong to Jesus, we are rescued from hell (Acts 4:11-12), but the world hates us.
Then Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
So the situation is this:
We have to stay in this broken world, and because we have been “chosen out of the world,” the world hates us.
Hmmm …
It is all becoming clear.
The reason the world feels like an “evil age” is because it is evil. Because we are chosen by God and know his Son, Jesus, the world feels evil, too. The “rescue” Paul mentions is not a rescue from the world but rather a rescue from the world’s fate. While we are still here, God the Father and Jesus Christ give us grace and peace, in addition to forgiveness for our sins. These gifts make all the difference! Resting in the forgiveness of God and the grace and peace of God, we are protected from the evil one. We might still be in the world, but the “evil age” loses its power over us.
When we look at God’s Word that way, we really are rescued from this present evil age.
Application: Praise God and thank the Lord Jesus for being rescued!
Food for Thought: As Christians, how are we to respond when the world hates us, and why is this important?
In Matthew 5: 10 – 12, Jesus says: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
Looking to our eternal hope can help us navigate the trials of this world. It keeps things in perspective.
1 Peter 1: 3 – 6: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Romans 8: 18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Brother,
Your words this morning bring to mind Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus says:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
From a worldly perspective, persecutions sound horrible. Yet, when we are in Christ this “yoke is easy” and the “burden is light.”
As Christians, how are we to respond when the world hates us, and why is this important?
It is important to clarify what is meant by the word world, otherwise some might find seemingly opposing passages.
We are to hate the world (the evil and sin) and love the world (the lost sinners in the world). I believe you were talking more about the second definition, so the rest will focus on this.
When people hate us, we are given a few options: take it and don’t complain. This is only a special or righteous act of you didn’t start be deserving whatever is coming at you. If you went out of your way to provoke people or did something deserving of punishment, then learn from your actions. If you are being hated just for being a Christian, or because you answered a question genuinely, or refuse to compromise because scripture tells us not to, then you would be in the right to complain, but it also won’t accomplish anything.
Option 2: praise God. Some might consider this provoking, since you’re already in trouble because of your beliefs. But, God’s promises aren’t any less true because someone got mad at you.
Option 3: bide your time and share the gospel with the haters. This isn’t shoving it in their face, it’s waiting until they have curiosity breaking through the hate. Their response still may not be immediate, but the curiousity is what will make them remember it. So many examples of preaching to the people you least expect in the Bible and in missionary stories. Hint: option 1 and 2 tend to foster curiousity after a time.
Option 4: not really optional, but pray for those hating you. Whether things got physical or just emotional, they need someone intervening for them with the Almighty. Not just for them to change, but genuinely thinking about their concerns, their needs, and their families.
I’m sure there is more, but I have to get going now.
Thank you, Angela!
I think you wrapped it up well with “pray for those hating you.” Well said!!
Good devotion this morning. Rich’s response is very spot on. I had a lot of thoughts about the devotion this morning, but ultimately they all led me to one place. As Christians, as those who love and serve Christ, the world will hate us because they question the existence and character of God. God, being the almighty God, full of grace and mercy, true to the Living Word that is also Him, suffers the questioning, and even the hatred, exercising His grace, to allow for repentance and redemption. The living example of this is in Christ’s life, and the suffering He endured. There were those who repented because of what they saw in the life of Jesus. If the world presents us hatred, and we respond in love, it may open the door to truth and repentance. For believers, the hatred that the world gives us brings us closer to God, closer to each other, and fortifies our faith all together in God if we choose to respond in love.
Thank you, Chris!
Interesting how Romans 8:28 comes into play —
“the hatred that the world gives us brings us closer to God, closer to each other, and fortifies our faith all together in God if we choose to respond in love.”
12-08-2023, As Christians, how are we to respond when the world hates us, and why is this important?
Great meditation responses this morning.
As believers, my wife and I are called and empowered to live spiritually separated from this world and are increasingly more dependent on our Lord for His peace as we see the worlds rapidly increasing rebellion against Him. All is well and I find myself feeling sorry for those drawn into these ungodly beliefs, anger toward those promoting them, and alert to opportunities to minister to those I come into contact with questioning what is right and what is wrong..
Seeking spiritual growth, our time in Bible studies have increased, and we spend an increasing amount of time assisting less mature, weaker believers in our church wherever we can. Lunches where we can have fellowship outside the church. Rides to or from church as they are needed, and time on the phone with others having difficulties has increased. Plenty of work to be done.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Thank you, Ron.
The Philippians passage is a perfect way to bring these comments and meditation all together.
Thanks!
As Christians, how are we to respond when the world hates us, and why is this important?
A thought of a passage comes to my mind somewhere in Matthew and in Luke 6:29 about turning the other cheek.
Like my beautiful wife was pointing out that we should pray for them and strive to show them who Jesus is. We shouldn’t join them encourage their actions or try to get revenge for wrongdoings or sin against you/others, that judgment is for the Lord. ( I’m not perfect I’m a sinner I’ve tried to seek revenge in the past and I’m sure I would if someone harmed someone I care about. I would agree that revenge is for the Lord and its a blessing to be a tool use by the Lord to do His will. )
Thanks Tim!
Yes … “turn the other cheek” is what Jesus did when the Roman soldiers struck him in the face and tore the flesh off his back with a whip.
Jesus, of all people, the man who can walk on water, still the storm, wither the fig tree with a word, could have simply said “stop!” and it would have stopped. He could have said “freeze!” and they would have frozen in place, been covered in ice, and never moved again. He could have said “fire!” and they would have all gone up in smoke instantly.
Instead, he prayed, “Father, your will be done.”
Reading through the Old Testament it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the wars, the blood, the fighting and the judgments of God that are recorded there. Now we are in a different season, a different part of the story. Instead of fighting, we turn to Jesus, and we love God above all else.