“We Esteemed Him Not”
May 12, 2016
The church of Jesus Christ will not come to Him of their own free will and initiative. We will all first kill the Lord’s prophets sent to us and refuse to come to Christ.
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Indeed as we quickly learn when dragged to the Truth, we don’t choose Him, He chooses us (Joh 15:16). Flesh hates the real Jesus Christ and His doctrines. The Scriptures speak clearly of Christ not being esteemed by men and being a stumbling block and a rock of offense. Those that know Christ and are part of the true Body will have an appreciation for the fiery trials we are enduring simply for standing with Christ. It is a battle and a war we must overcome and endure to the very end.
1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
To “know” Jesus Christ and His Father is to have ETERNAL LIFE now.
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
And coming to know the Lord only comes by being dragged out of our worldly and carnal ways of life by living through the great judgments of the Lord.
Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
Exo 6:7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
We won’t believe the report (doctrines) of Christ until this arm of the Lord is revealed to us by the chastening and scourging of His grace. This is the “revelation” of Jesus Christ to each of us in our own time and it comes when we can read, hear and keep (i.e. live through) the judgments of the Lord.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand
Being persecuted and rejected for the sake of righteousness and standing for the Truth is very painful for our flesh. Being crucified with Christ is this process. We, like our Lord, will endure great sufferings as our flesh and old way of living is taken away from us little by little. What this process has taught me is that nobody esteems the real Jesus and His Christ. The audacity of some people to call themselves the Elect of God is truly a rock of offense to those that are carnally minded.
Isa 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary (for the Elect); but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Both the deceived and the deceiver are Christ’s (Job 12:16). Yet that same Word that snares us in darkness will also grind us to powder (be a gin) in the day of the Lord.
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
To those few the Lord has chosen, the Body is a true sanctuary of peace but to those He has only called, Christ and the Christ “is, was and will be” a stone of stumbling and very offensive for the people that call themselves the people of God. They and all men must first be snared by false doctrines and spend their appointed times in the snare of the harlot separated from knowing Christ.
Isa 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
1Pe 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
The few chosen out of these many called are the chosen generation, the true priests of Christ that the Lord is transforming in this age and dragging into His marvelous Light.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar (redeemed) people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light
The marvelous light is coming to know Christ and partaking of the wedding feast and drinking the true living waters of eternal life. Jesus was not bemoaning the Jews lack of exercise of free will to choose HIM; because He knew they were blind and could not believe even if they had wanted to believe. The fact we are told they could not believe adds to our understanding that they could not come to Him.
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
So we too will believe not, be yet carnal and not know the day of visitation of Christ. Jesus Christ will stand right in front of us and we will recognize Him not and we will despise and reject Him just like the outward Jews (the religious people of every age) do in every age.
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
The Non Attraction of Christ
The Jesus that is attractive to our carnal minds and to our flesh is another jesus. It is the “jesus” invented by carnally minded men to seek gain for their supposed godliness. We all do this in some way shape or form. We are to separate from those that bring this other jesus and learn to be content, knowing Jesus Christ truly does have the whole world in His Hands.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
The false jesus blesses flesh and brings prosperity or outward comfort of some kind. Who does not want their flesh blessed? Yet contrary to these Babylonian lies, when Christ comes He is bent on destruction of the flesh as that is how the new man is brought forth.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred (destroyed) in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
The long haired handsome Jesus of western society is not the true Jesus. We don’t know what He looked like but we are told Christ had no desirable traits to the flesh that we would naturally seek after Him.
Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
We do not esteem Jesus Christ when we are yet carnal and outside the faith. In our natural carnal state, we despise the real Jesus Christ. The body of Christ, which is “Christ”, is similarly despised by all men and especially those in Babylon that consider themselves spiritual. People will be offended and repulsed at Christ in us and our audacity to call ourselves the sons and daughters of the living God.
The carnally minded will seek to kill the man child that is coming forth from the ashes of our old man. This whole process is set up to make us theater or a real spectacle unto the world. The pride of man will take great offense at Christ in us and will be unable to look past our marred and sinful appearance in these weak vessels of clay.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonished at thee; his (Christ’s) appearance was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Who do you think you are, you are just Joseph the carpenter’s son we will hear. But know their rejection of us is actually Christ in us as the Lord tells us what to expect.
Luk 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
The Lord chooses the chief of sinners, oh wretched man that we are to be His Body. He does not choose those who need no repentance and think they are not in need of a physician.
Luk 5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luk 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Those in Christ will be falsely accused of teaching it is okay to sin for sharing these truths of God’s plans for the ages. We by no means go slack on our sins but one has to realize anyone who truly is in Christ will have come to know what they are in the flesh as Paul wrote. The strange ways of the Lord is to use our own wickedness to correct us (Jer 2:19).
1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
It is those who think they need no repentance and already know God who will reject Christ in us. The Lord does not call the noble to His wedding feast in the Body, here is who He calls.
Luk 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
The true gospel and what we can expect in coming to Christ is the opposite of the false peace and safety message. That lie is shattered when Christ appears to us suddenly in the darkness of our strong delusion. He comes with a sword to make war and bring division by cutting off our old way of life. This is again why we are dragged there and none of us would ever willingly choose Christ.
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
We would never ever willingly come to and walk into a furnace of affliction!!!!
Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Thankfully the Lord does indeed drag us; He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us to still waters and in rest. The Lord is perfectly capable of fishing for men to build His Body. It is not big deal for Him to turn the hearts of men, mere pieces of clay in His hands.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me drag him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Pro 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will
The little flock of Christ is made to be a spectacle, theater, to those in the world within and without. That is the fire that tries us, the furnace of affliction given to the sons of God. Christ and His Body, THE CHRIST indeed look like fools to the carnal minded.
1Co 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
1Co 4:10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
The verses which speak of Christ speak not only of Jesus Christ THE LORD but they also apply to Christ which is His Elect, the little flock HE has chosen. Jesus builds His church, HE CHOOSES who is His Body and who is not. God’s Elect is “The Christ” and all of these prophecies apply to us in due season. The apostate churches men are very appealing to the carnal eye and our lusts and carnal way of life.
Pro 7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
The many good works that get done and the outward changes in many people’s lives are real wonderful things. Yet these are also known as lying signs and wonders (2 The 2:9) because they hide the Truth from us and keep the beast comfortably sitting on the throne of our hearts while we await our day of judgment.
The Foolishness of God is Wiser Than Men
Who the LORD chooses and puts into His Body is those the world would never believe He would pick. God’s wisdom confounds the wisdom of the wise in the flesh.
1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
And the Lord picks a few from every nation, tongue and tribe each bringing a part of what is needed to the Christ. Uniquely we fit together to make a BODY which is complete and has all it needs.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is (the) Christ.
I had someone once tell me “those people are weird just look at them” when looking down upon God’s Elect, the little flock, that is the Body of Christ. Those that know the other jesus do not believe that Jesus Christ could be rejected and hated of all men, but that is exactly what must be. These prophecies are about CHRIST, both the head and the body. The Body of Christ is also Christ and will like our Lord be crucified and rise again on the third day.
Mar 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again
The longer we abide in the fire of Truth, we should come to appreciate what being a living sacrifice means (Rom 12:1, Col 1:24). It is a whole lot more than cleaning up the outside of our cups and stopping our drinking, cussing and smoking. The Lord does not generally choose the noble, the esteemed, the great orators or anyone that is looked up to in this world and esteemed of men. He picks people like Moses, a man who stuttered, got angry and killed someone. He picks David, the least likely of Jessie’s sons as Samuel the prophet thought. This story tells us a lot of how the Lord chooses those that confounds our carnal way of thinking. Samuel was thinking carnally and thought for sure the Lord would choose the grown sons who were outwardly strong and had good looks. But that is not the Lord’s way at all.
1Sa 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Flesh does not inherit the kingdom of God, only the new man does. And in great symbolism, all seven of Jesse’s older sons were rejected.
1Sa 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, the LORD hath not chosen these.
Only the eighth, the new man, will be the Lord’s anointed. That was David in type and shadow. The Lord does not choose whom we think He chooses to be His Elect. And there are a lot fewer chosen than anyone would even imagine as many are called but few are chosen is the hidden message in all the parables of Jesus Christ. Even fewer are to be found faithful.
Even Saul of Tarsus’s story shows us who God chooses. The Lord chooses those who at first think they serve the Lord in their zeal but do not even yet know Him. He chooses the very ones who will first persecute the Church of Christ and oppose His doctrines (Act 22:7-8). Paul like David was not esteemed in the outward appearance when compared to the noble ones the world esteems.
2Co 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
2Co 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
The Lord hides His Truths and does things His ways which are far different than the ways of this world and the carnally minded (Isa 55:8-9). Paul, like all of God’s Elect, ARE chosen vessels that will bear the name Christ and suffer for His Name.
Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
We will live by every word in our appointed times. I have been Saul of Tarsus and now I am Paul being persecuted for the cross of Christ, being called a fool and made a spectacle unto the world.
The little flock of Jesus Christ (Luk 12:32) is a sect that has always been spoken evil about.
Act 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.
2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Being Crucified With Christ
The preaching of the cross and the need for us to go to the cross and die is indeed foolishness to the carnal mind. But to those given the precious gift of faith, it is the power of God unto salvation.
1Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Despite the sufferings we must endure, the Disciples of Christ are blessed beyond imagination in the spirit. We are the firstfruits unto salvation, the very first ones the Lord has appeared to in order to bring judgment now in this age (1 Pe 4:17, 1 Cor 11:31). We are truly blessed when we are persecuted for standing with Christ and for His doctrines.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
As the prophets of the Lord we are given honor but not in our own house and kin. As Jesus’s family did not receive him at first so shall it be with The Christ.
Mar 6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
If we are not willing (made willing) to take up this cross and give up our life and stand for the doctrines of Jesus Christ; we will have no part in ruling and reigning with Him in the ages to come. We must make our calling and election sure (1 Pe 1:10). These verses tell us of the price we will be required to pay.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
To be found worthy, we have to lose our old carnal and worldly way of life. Being “In Christ” will have you rejected and hated of all men and your enemies will be of your own household. Yet this is the Lord’s way of preparing us to be merciful rulers and judges by having lots of practice in forgiving others and being forgiven ourselves. All we have to do is claim to be a son of God and not keep their days, times, and seasons like Jesus did not and the professing church and world at large will turn hard against us. As it happened to Jesus, so shall it happen to His Body.
Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
As Christ is formed in each of us, we in turn will suffer and be rejected of all men just like our Lord. Jesus Christ never will be attractive to the flesh and its lustful ways. The enmity of the flesh vs the spirit will ensure offense is taken for the growing Christ within us. Jesus Christ smells of death to those that walk after the flesh but to us being saved, He is the savor of life.
2Co 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2Co 2:16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life….
We will be mocked and spit upon and told if we are the son of God to come down off this cross. Yet we know what the Lord is doing and that to every son He chooses, He scourges as the way of remaking us into His image. Lord willing, we will endure it.
Mar 15:30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”
Mar 15:31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
But our Lord knew what He was doing and so will we as His Christ. We will stay on our cross knowing that we must die to be raised into newness of life. We must look to that living sacrifice to be saved (Joh 3:14).
Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass (copper, i.e. flesh) , he lived
The pain and affliction is greater than we can bear in the flesh with the supernatural strengthening of the Lord and the comfort of Christ. The angels of the Lord, the Body of Christ, will be there to hold us up and give strength and pray in agreement with the prayer of Jesus Christ.
Luk 22:42 saying, Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.
The true Elect of God are in training now for our roles as kings and priest in the future. We will be the instrument of rule and of salvation to all men in the Millennium and the Lake of Fire through which all of mankind will be saved.
Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.
We are being made into sons of God and are learning the longsuffering and merciful ways of our Father in heaven. This way we can be the instruments of mercy as it is thru us the Lord does His work.
Isa 60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Like our Lord, when speaking Truth to the carnally minded, we will be rejected and falsely accused of exalting ourselves. We must learn to be like our Lord when responding to the inevitable rejection and hatred of all men for simply claiming we are Sons of God and part of the Body of Christ. As He is so are we in this world (1 Joh 4:17) applies to us being rejected and hated of all men and bearing the same reproach our Lord endured (Herb 13:13).
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
The gift of faith and the accompanying ears to hear comes with suffering.
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake
We have a great calling and we have been appointed to suffer and we must finish the race set before us. We are to be not conformed to this world and its lustful and sinful ways. Ambassadors of Christ do not engage in the affairs of the land they are sent to be an ambassador.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is a narrow way and I hope if anything this study has reminded you of our unique calling and that it comes with a high price of being rejected and us called to suffer. The true communion of Jesus Christ is to be in the fellowship of believers. This is where we eat and drink at the altar of the Lord.
1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful
We once did not esteem the true Jesus Christ and yet the Lord forgave us and showed us mercy. We will also weep like Christ wept when we are rejected in our attempts to share the truth of God’s Word with those blinded, some of our same household. Those who reject us will not know the time of His visitation and like us before them will not be able to discern the sign of the times. Lord willing, we will have the same response to our persecution and rejection as Jesus Christ. We will bear this burden and will forgive them for their ignorance.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Questions and comments are welcome. You can also email me directly at peterjwilson56@gmail.com and I will respond to all sincere inquiries.
Your Brother in Christ, PETE