Bearing The Reproach Of Christ

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October 9, 2005  A.D.

Bearing The Reproach Of ChristMoving on through the fantastic and deep epistle of First Peter, Pastor Landis is now teaching some required knowledge for those who are saved. That is: suffering and rejection are completely normal reactions by the lost to the cataclysmic renewal that has taken place in the lives of believers in Jesus The Messiah. Listen and grow in this rather peculiar property of one who is saved.

Old Testament Scripture Reading: Psalms 69:1 – 9  (NASB)
Psa 69:1  (A Psalm of David.) Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life.

Psa 69:2  I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.

Psa 69:3  I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Psa 69:4  Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

Psa 69:5  O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from Thee.

Psa 69:6  May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; May those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

Psa 69:7  Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face.

Psa 69:8  I have become estranged from my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s sons.

Psa 69:9  For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, And the  reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me.
New Testament Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:10 – 19  (NASB)
1 Pet 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Pet 4:11 Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Pet 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
1 Pet 4:13  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
1 Pet 4:14  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
1 Pet 4:15  By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
1 Pet 4:16  but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.
1 Pet 4:17  For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1 Pet 4:18  AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?
1 Pet 4:19  Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
Transforming Power Statements:


#1) Being born of the Holy Spirit causes the most radical changes in the lives of the saved to the point that Scripture teaches that the old life is dead and that all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Due to this radical metamorphosis the worldview of the saints of God are growing increasingly more out of sync with the ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil; Here-in lies the conflict.


#2) The Bible has always taught that those who seek to maintain or develop a relationship with the Only TRUE GOD, are always afflicted, therefore we are in great company and this should produce extreme joy and cause for rejoicing when properly understood.


#3) Believers should not think it is a strange thing if they are being persecuted, or afflicted for the cause of Christ. It is in this way that bear one another’s burdens and share in the sufferings of The Christ.                                                                                                                                        
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