Crystallization Study of Leviticus (2) - 12

Message Title: the Processed Triune God, His Work, And the Result of His Work

in our human concept, we may think it will be very good that the book of Leviticus ends at chapter 25, the jubilee. However, God's speaking continues to chapter 26. 

Leviticus 26:1 You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you raise up for yourselves a graven image or a pillar, nor shall you place a stone figure in your land to bow down to it; for I am Jehovah your God.

Leviticus 26:2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am Jehovah.

chapter 26 can be seen in three sections. verse 1 and 2 in the beginning shows us three crystals concerning: God; the work of God and our honoring it; the issue of God's work -  bringing forth the church. then from verse 3 to verse 13 speaks about the blessings on those who are obedient in regard to these three matters. then from verse 14 through verse 16 speak about a series of very severe forms of chastisement as a warning. 

it is quite interesting to see that the word of warning immediately fowllows the matter of jubilee, which indicates that we should not be too excited concerning the jubilee. this reminds us that, if we just stay in the excitement and do not heed the warning, we will lose everything. so we need a sober mind to consider the situation. we are in the jubilee, but if we seek something other than God, we may lose the enjoyment of the jubilee. 

II. We should not have idols; this signifies that besides God we should have no other goals that we are seeking after, so that we may not lose the position to enjoy our divine inheritance.

the jubilee has brought us back to God in our divine inheritance. we do not want to lose the position of enjoying it. With the grace of God operating withi us, we should be able to say, "You are my only goal. I live to You. I live by You. I live for Your purpose."

A. God Himself must be our unique goal; as God's children, we should not seek anything other than Him.

Psalms 73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but You? And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth.

Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.

just like the psalmist, we should also be able to say this in faith, that we have no one else in the heaven, and nothing else we desore pm the earth. as humans still living on the earth, we do still have some practical human goals we need to fulfil, our study, our work, our marriage, family,etc. these are human goals for our existence, but God's requirement is that He would be our unique goal. 

B. Idols refer to the heretical substitutes for the true God.

an idol is anything that repleaces God. as children of God, we should guard ourselves from heretical substitues and from all vain replacements for the true God. the God we have today, is no longer an objective and outward God. our God in His economy has passed through the process, to become God to us in a more experiential way. today, He is the wonderful Spirit in our spirit. we can experience Him. we can enjoy Him, not just know Him. 

D. the Spirit is the consummation of the processed Triune God. 

John 7:39 But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

before the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected, the consummated Spirit was "not yet". the Lord Jesus went through death and resurrection, and then He became the life giving Spirit. the Spirit of God was already in the Old Testament age, but the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit was not yet, until the glorification of Jesus. today, the Spirit includes all the elements of the Lord's process. all that we need is contained in the Spirit. we may have no idea what we need when we call the name of the Lord. but the Lord knows more clearly than we know, so He comes to be what we need. we simply open our being to Him and let Him be whatever He knows that we need, and we will experience Him moment by moment. the Spirit wants to dispense Himself into us all the time. 

III. We should keep God's Sabbaths; this signifies that we should know that the work of God was done entirely by Himself that we might enjoy it, and that there is no need for us to do any work.

A. we need to learn to receive, regard, respect, and enjoy what God has doen and not try to do something for ourselves. 

it is easy for us to try to be an overcomer. but God wants us to stop trying to do something. we have Him, as the overcoming One within us. so why do we still try to overcome? why not just stop our trying and allow the Overcoming One to overcome within us. 

B. we need to know what the Triune God has done for us and highly regard the work of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

in the life-study of the New Testament, Conclusion Messages, in the section on the work of God, there are at least 58 aspects; in the section on the work of Christ, there are at least 104 aspects; and in the section of the work of the Spirit, there are at least 103 aspects. Thus, there is a total of at least 265 aspects of the work of the Triune God, included in this publication. 

1. the work of the Father includes:

a. choosing the believers before the foundation of the world. 

Ephesians 1:4 Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

b. predestinating the believers unto sonship

Ephesians 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

c. sending His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin

Romans 8:3 For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

d. coming in the Son and working within the Son

e. passing through death in the Son

f. raising up Christ from the dead

Acts 2:24 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it.

g. seating Christ in the heavenlies, subjecting all things under His feet, and giving Him to be Head over all things to the church

Epesians 1:20 Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,

Ephesians 1:21 Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come;

Ephesians 1:22 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

h. calling, forgiving, justifying, reconciling, receiving, regenerating, washing, sanctifying, and glorifying the believers

i. sending forth the Spirit of His Son into the believers' hearts.

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father!

j. causing all things to work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His purpose

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

k. crushing Satan under the believers' feet

Romans 16:20 Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

l. bringing many believers into glory

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

2. the work of Christ includes:

a. bringing God into man and making God one with man

b. serving people

Matthew 20:28 Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

c. sowing the seed of the kingdom

d. undoing the works of the devil

1 John 3:8 He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

e. as the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

f. destroying the devil, who has the might of death

Hebrews 2:14 since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himslf in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil,

g. rebuilding God's temple, making it a corporate one

h. becoming the life-giving Spirit

1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul''; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.

i. as the Lord, exercising His sovereignty over all for the accomplishment of the divine economy

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified.

j. building the church

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

k. as our High Priest accoriding to the order of Melchizedek, interceding for us 

l. as the Ruler of the kings of the earth, ruling the whole world that the gospel may spread and the church may be produced

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood

3. the work of the Spirit includes:

a. convicting the world

b. regenerating the believers

c. supplying the believers with His bountiful supply

Philippians 1:19 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

d. sanctifying the believers

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,

e. transforming the believers

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.

f. guiding the believers into all the reality

John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality; for He will not speak from Himself, but what He hears He will speak; and He will declare to you the things that are coming.

g. pouring out God's love in the believers' hearts

Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

h. anointing the believers

i. being the oneness of the Body of Christ

j. speaking to the churches

IV. we need to reverence God's sanctuary; this signifies that we should regard with reverence all that God is and has accomplished in Christ as God's dwelling, embodiment, and expression and in the church as the enlargement of Christ for God's dwelling and eternal manifestation.

the meaning of the word "reverence" means: "to treat with deep respect"; or "profound, adoring, awed respect". the main throught with the word "reverence" is that there is a deep regard. this matter is precious; God's sanctuary is worthy of the highest honor. 

it is easy for us to say that "we reverence the local church where we are." but practically, if we really have the proper regards to the church, why are we still habitually late for the Lord's table meeting every week? we are not talking about being late seldom, because we all will have special circumstance out of our control. but if the case is that we are always late week by week, how will you feel, how will the Lord feel? the Lord's table was enacted by His own blood. in Luke 22:19, the Lord said, "This is My body which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1. first, we have the processed Triune God and His work for our rest, and then, as the result of His work, we have the church as the expression and the enlargement of Christ. 

so our goal should be the processed and consummated Triune God. everydatm we should be to conract Him, to receive His dispensing, to open our being, to be saturated with Him, and saved in life in order to reign in life, live Him, let Him flow, and minister Him to others. then with this vision of God's completed work governing our being, we will rest in it, not passively resting, but receive what God has accomplished with an exercised spirit. 

with such a view, two simple prayers really help. one is a prayer inquiring of the Lord, " Lord, what is in Your heart concerning me? Please do whatever is in Your heart concerning me." the other prayer is, "Lord, grant me today's portion of grace."

2. "And let them make a sanctuary for Me that I may dwell in their midst." - Exodus 25:8

God's goal is for Him to gain a dwelling place. this should also become our goal. we must still do all kinds of human things to live normally in this age, like students, working ones, serving ones. but our living is for God's goal, for Him to gain the dwelling place, His sanctuary, for Him to gain His Bride, the counterpart. 

3. the church is God's house, the dwelling place of God.

V. Seeing the vision of the processed Triune God with His work and the result of His work will constitute us into obedient ones who will receive God's blessing.

Acts 26:19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

we believe that we will take this way by having God as our goal, honoring the work of the Triune God and resting in it, and reverencing the church as the sanctuary of God. God will constitute us with Christ as our obedience so that we will be the obedient ones.