John 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
23  He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24  If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

Jesus continued reminding the disciples what was ahead for them. This is also true for all faithful followers of God. Those who oppose the truth will attack the messenger, but the messenger needs to understand the real attack is against Jesus Christ. True churches do not invent truth. They do not make up their own rules. There are religious groups that forbid the use of rubber-tired equipment for vehicles. That has no basis in truth. There are others that will suggest that a beard is sin. That is also not Biblical. There are many man-made and foolish and yes evil ideas out there.
True churches have rules. They follow God’s commands. Those commands are not a burden to the saints. They are liberating. They are a burden to the lost because they are lost. That is what Jesus tells us.
Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father. We know that while He was on earth, the Jewish leaders demonstrated that they neither knew God the Father, nor did they accept Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. When you deny the truth, you cannot know the truth. Their hatred for God had blinded them against the truth.
In verse 22 Jesus reminded the disciples and us that people are not ignorant of the facts. The Jews of Jesus’ day were privileged to witness the mighty power of God in the person of Jesus Christ. They saw the many miracles. They heard the truth being proclaimed. They chose to reject the facts, but they were not ignorant of the facts. Those who have lived since the time of Christ will also not be able to use ignorance as an excuse. In Romans 1 Paul was directed to remind us:

Romans 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The lost will not stand at the great white throne judgment and accuse Jesus of not telling them the truth. Their wickedness will be revealed and they will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. Very sobering words.
No saint will stand at the judgment seat of Christ and declare that they did not know the facts. There will be saints saved though as by fire. They will miss out on rewards and that will be their lot for all eternity. The time to listen and obey is now.
Jesus came and He declared the truth. He quoted often from the Old Testament prophets. He warned of the sin of Lot’s wife. He warned of the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. He reminded people of the truth of Noah’s flood and the disaster that faced all those who rejected God’s truth then and who will reject it now and in the future.
If someone could truly declare ignorance, they could not be accused of sin. However, the truth was declared by Jesus Christ. It was recorded by holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. God has preserved His Word perfectly, in spite of the many attacks from the devil and his followers. The King James Bible is still available at a very reasonable price today. Jesus also promised to build His church upon Himself. Since His coming there have been true churches established and there will be true churches on this earth until the rapture takes place. The Bible is clear in reminding us that we need to be a part of a true local church.
I listened to a short talk by Jordan Peterson this week. He is a lost man who is very confused because of his continued rejection of God and His Word. I listen to him occasionally because he has admitted that he is searching and his searching is bringing him to tears. More important than his searching is the fact that God is drawing him to the truth. However, like so many others, Jordan Peterson is an accurate portrayal of the apostle Paul’s words in I Corinthians:

I Corinthians 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

His type are also described well in the following verses:

II Timothy 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Jordan Peterson addressed the churches in his talk. He stated that churches are guilty of ignoring the needs of young men and others. He stated that churches need to get out of social action and into caring about people. He is right on that. He then went on to state that churches need to invite young men and others into their churches and get them involved. He said churches should demand more from people that come. He said they should tell them how to dress.
It is true that a true church will have standards. It is impossible to expect lost people to meet those standards. Lost people need to come and they need to be under the convicting power of the Word of God and they need to be saved. A true church does not put lost people to work just so they can feel good about themselves. True Christianity is not about the individual. True Christianity is about glorifying God. When a person truly gets saved, they will glorify God. They will see the importance of worshipping the true God and exalting Him. They will know a peace that passeth all understanding.
It is truly sad that there are so many people just like Jordan Peterson. They are too “intelligent” for their own good. They have “made” themselves and they have bought into the lies of the devil. They refuse to accept the absolute truth of God’s Word. In that state, they cannot be saved.
Jesus went on to remind the disciples that any person that hates Jesus Christ also hates God the Father. You cannot declare love for God the Father and deny the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are cults like the J.W.’s that scream out their hatred for God and for Jesus Christ. Yet there are gullible people who follow those false religions.

James 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

There are many others who are equally guilty as the J.W.’s. It is not enough to give mental assent to believing in God. It is not enough to give mental or verbal assent to believing in Jesus Christ. We have already seen that true belief involves the change of heart and mind that enables the recipient of true faith to humble himself to obedience to God’s commandments.
Thousands of people are in grave danger of hell because they give verbal and mental assent, but they reject God’s truth in their hearts. They are religious, but they are religiously lost. They have no hope because they hate the only One Who can provide hope for them.
In verse 24 Jesus again reminded the disciples and us that the evidence for His deity and for His declaration of being Saviour and Lord, is overwhelming. No one can copycat what Jesus Christ did. There are false teachers today who claim to be doing miracles in Jesus’ name, but they are frauds. The Bible tells us that the antichrist will do “lying signs and wonders.” That is what the false religionists are doing today. Many people are drawn to these lying signs and wonders. Many will be drawn to them when the antichrist arrives as well.
The apostles were given the power to do signs and wonders. They healed people and they cast out devils. However, they could not save a single soul. They were given the power to do signs and wonders to authenticate their message. Today we do not need signs and wonders because we have the completed Scriptures and we can examine all that a person says by the Word of God. Lost people will be deceived because they are lost.
Saved people can be deceived because they do not follow God’s commands. They miss out on blessings now and they will as well for all eternity.
Jesus warned again that the condemnation many are living under is that they hated both Him and His Father. That is a very foolish thing to do. Don’t follow men like Jordan Peterson. Follow the truth. Humble yourself and get saved and get into a true church. Submit to God’s authority and follow His way.
Pastor Bartel