The divine nature and the mystery doctrine are out of place in the cosmos; John 15:20; 17:14; 1Pe 4:3.

Title: The divine nature and the mystery doctrine are out of place in the cosmos; John 15:20; 17:14; 1PE 4:3.

 

John 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

 

The first reason the world hates the believer priest who is in the plan of God - they hated Christ and therefore hated grace.

 

John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

 

The second reason is because the believer priest in the plan of God no longer belongs to the world.

 

When we trusted Christ, we moved into a new spiritual position: we are now "in Christ" and "out of the world." To be sure, we are in the world physically, but not of the world spiritually. Now that we are "partakers of the heavenly calling" (HEB 3:1) we are no longer interested in the treasures or pleasures of sin in this world.

 

HEB 3:1

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

 

This does not mean that we are isolated from reality or insulated from the world's needs, so "heavenly minded that we are no earthly good." Rather, it means that we look at the things of earth from heaven's point of view.

 

The believer should look at the things of earth from heaven’s point of view.

 

The world system functions on the basis of conformity. As long as a person follows the fads and fashions and accepts the values of the world, he or she will "get along." But the Christian refuses to be "conformed to this world" (ROM 12:2).

 

ROM 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

The believer is a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17) and the new creature no longer wants to live the "old life" (1 Peter 4:1-4).

 

1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

 

1 Peter 4:2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

 

 

1 Peter 4:3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.

 

1 Peter 4:4 And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you;

 

1 Peter 4:5 but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

 

The new creature or divine nature has a divine calling to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13-16).

 

Matt 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

 

Matt 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

 

Matt 5:15 "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.

 

 

 

Matt 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 

However, a dark world does not want light and a decaying world does not want salt! So be it. We keep right on reflecting the person and the grace of Christ to the world.

 

In other words, the believer is not just "out of step"; he is out of place! (See John 17:14,16, and 1 John 4:5.)

 

John 17:14 "I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 

John 17:15 "I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

 

John 17:16 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 

1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

 

1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

 

1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

 

1 John 4:5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

 

1 John 4:6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 

The third reason is that the slave is not greater than his master.

 

John 15:20 "Remember [call to mind from the erected structure of doctrine] the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

 

The reason you call doctrine to mind is to apply it to the situation.

And the situation will always be ready for you; the question is are you ready for it?

 

 

Matt 10:24

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

 

He is the Master; we are the servants. He is greater than we are, so He must receive the praise and glory. But the world will not give Him praise and glory! The world hates Him, and therefore the world must hate us.

 

If with all of His greatness and perfection, Jesus does not escape persecution, what hope is there for us with our imperfections?

 

But it is encouraging to know that when God's people are persecuted, our Lord enters into their suffering, for He is the Head of the body and we are the members.

 

Acts 9:4

and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

 

Matt 25:45

Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.

 

The Lord takes this personal. We are his bride, His brethren, His sheep, His royal family after all and deliverance is in the doctrine that you are recalling and the vengeance of the afflicted are in His strong arm.

 

If we attempt revenge or any form of fighting back with mental, verbal, or physical means then we lose and the discipline from God must be turned on us and away from our persecutors.

 

Anything that the enemy can do to us has already been done to Jesus Christ, and He is "with us" as we suffer since He has already executed the same plan that He left behind for us as a legacy.

 

HEB 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

 

Then He makes the application:

“if” is a 1^st class condition; “they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you [and they have].”

 

“persecuted” - diw,kw[dioko] = to persecute or to put pressure on, and it refers to certain points of time which are all gathered into one entirety.

 

Jesus was not persecuted every minute but there were times when the pressure was on. The future tense, “they will also persecute you,” means that they are not a target yet. As long as Christ is on the earth He is the target, but He says that in the future they will be.

 

In the Church-age every believer is now the target of pressure or persecution by the cosmic system at certain points of time.

 

Pressure on an object will reveal its strength and purity or its flaws and weaknesses.

 

Diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth. It’s formed from heat and pressure at 100 feet below the earth’s mantle. It’s carbon just like a lump of coal or the graphite in a pencil or a water purifier.

 

It takes 1.5 million psi and 3600 degrees F to turn coal into diamond. Once in diamond form the substance can stand up to a great amount of heat and pressure.

 

And then we have the wonderful alternative from the RFOG who are also positive towards the word of God.

 

if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.