Hebrews 13:13
"Let us (now then as believers) go forth therefore unto him without (or outside where we'll become the reproached because of our trusting of Christ, that is to say our faith is in Christ and God alone) the camp, (or outside the city walls) bearing his reproach."
Before we continue allow me to take you to 1 Peter 4:14 to hear what Peter has to say about this “bearing of His reproach”. As many in religion or the religious world don't want to hear about our having anything to do with reproach or of suffering for our faith in God and His Christ. Religion wants nothing to do with God's way but all to do with the easy gospel of the broad way or as Paul calls it "the other gospel" which Jesus said would lead them to destruction and so it shall in His time not ours. As we sit under God during the enigma of the interim between the first and second coming of God's judgment and Christ's return. Remember that we're to be a living witness of God in Christ's activities within us as Christocentric ones. Set apart from the world, a house of God's occupation, by faith. Now 1 Peter 4:14 and we'll pick it up at verse 10-18 to get the flow:
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (14) If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Now have you noticed that I did not interject any thought or opinion here because I choose to allow the scripture speak for itself, it is plain as can be.
Now, present day Christendom has almost glorified the cross, haven’t they? They’ve glorified it. They’ve all but taken away the enigma and the shame and the reproach of the cross. But oh, it was a place of horrible shame and reproach. All the sin (Religion) of the world, all the filth of mankind’s sin was laid on Christ as He hung on that cross, and we are to comprehend it. For mans religion was judged there as well. How you may ask, 'was our forms of religion there judged.' Through the hands of those who laid theirs on Jesus. Yes, the Hebrews ie...Judaism as its leadership and then the Romans or gentiles as they judged Him who is the righteous one as guilty of their own sin nature and its related religion. There isn’t a man alive that can understand all that took place at that cross. You and I can comprehend it by the spirit only. When God reckoned all the sin and religions of mankind as having been placed on the sin-bearer. We're to be part of that reproach, we share in it and receive the benefits of it as our allotment. By the cutting way of the flesh of the evil heart in which ie...sin and religion were imposed on us at the moment of disobedience or rebellion by Adam and woman. Where we acquired the sin or evil character of the evil one and became son's or children of Satan.
Now listen, we only have a vague notion of sin and religion, for we can’t fathom the depths of it like God does. And yet, He laid it all on Christ, and so it became a place of horrible, horrible reproach. Nothing glamorous about it whatsoever, nothing. And yet it’s in that place of reproach that God poured out, not only His wrath, but also His what? Mercy! See, that’s why I maintain it’s no longer mandatory for us to pray the so called "sinners prayer – God be merciful to me a sinner." Hey, that’s already done. Why ask for something that’s done? It becomes ridiculous. God poured out His mercy on the instrument of destruction. All of heaven’s mercy was poured out to compensate for the wrath of God; and for us to come back and say, "Oh God, be merciful to me." Hey, it’s ridiculous, it’s already done. But that is the way of religion, it denies God His due. And so we say, if you’re going to cry out for mercy, then you’re telling God, He didn’t, but yes He did. So His mercy has already been accomplished and so there is the admonition, the unbelief, the lawlessness which is religion in practice. That is why Christ revealed mans number as 6-6-6 in Revelation as there are many anti-christ's in the world as there are many denominations, cults, and other forms of religion. But only one that stands out as an inter personal relationship between God and man through Christ Jesus. Now then in verse 13 again, so "let us go out and bear that reproach that He bore."
Christianity has never been popular; you know that. From the very onset of Paul’s apostleship it was almost a guaranteed step leading to persecution. Can you comprehend that, as I go back and look at Paul’s early believers who came out of paganism and the religion of Judaism with all of there lust and all of its sexuality and all of its immorality, they turned their back on all of that and stepped into God’s saving Grace; but at the same time, they stepped right into the jaws of persecution. For those stuck in or by religion have carried on a warfare against the knowledge of God in Christ unbeknown to them. It’s amazing that they, the early Hebrew-Christians and Gentile-Christians withstood it. The Thessalonians were the epitome of all that, and that’s why Paul wrote to them first - that they were withstanding the pressures of persecution as new believers, as Christ-ones. Now most of us have been raised up in it, we’ve been told that we're Christians all our life and so we've been led to believe. But if persecution comes, I imagine most of us will be able to withstand it. Or can we? If we have NOT the Son we are none of His, if we have NOT the witness of Christ in us, I don’t think all of us would, but allot of us can. But even for us, it’s something we don’t like to think about. But in the early days of Christianity, it was a guaranteed step out of that which held them, religion, into persecution. It was a place of reproach. How many believers today would be willing to do that? Very few. Why? Because they've not believed nor received Him, they've followed the doctrines of men in the many forms of religion and not learned of Him or sought Him for who He is. Now verse 14.
Hebrews 13:14a
"For here (in this earth, in this life) have we no continuing city,…"
We’re just here for a little while, we’re just passing through; we’re strangers. We’re not even citizens of this planet or the world order ie...governments and religions. I just happened to hear them (the news stations) quote our president, and he claimed to be a citizen of this world. Well, so be it, but I’m glad I’m not in his shoes. I’m not a citizen of this world. The Bible says, I’m a citizen of heaven, and every true believer is. Our citizenship, Paul says, is already in heaven. Paul said, that we're already seated with Christ in the heavens of heavens.[paraphrased] So we can’t be looking for a continuing city on this earth. Now Abraham didn't, we saw that back in chapter 11. Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. Enoch visited it and described it as one of his visions in agreement with John's Revelation account.
Abraham was of both the earthly and spiritual (which he with his son's saw as in a shadowy type of which they could not speak) promises, and yet he will yet one day experience those promises. As he and those of the first resurrection [early harvest] or those of the captivity were taken into heaven by Christ as shown elsewhere in this study. But for us, our citizenship is in heaven which is the city which even he looked for and his sons and those who went before him. We’re looking for that which is heavenly. Where our citizenship is and we’re just strangers here. You remember, I always use something different instead of the Great Commission (going out into all the world and baptizing people). I like the one a lot better that Paul gives in II Corinthians 5:20. What is it?
2Corithians 5:20-21
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Why is this so? Because of this:
2Corithians 5:14-19
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their (our) trespasses unto them (us); and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
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