Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (2)
Message Nine
Ministering to the Lord to Enjoy Him as the Hidden Manna, the Budding Rod, and the Law of Life
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok…shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to present to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah. It is they who will enter My sanctuary, and it is they who will come near to My table to minister to Me, and they will keep My charge—Ezek. 44:15-16
Word of Appetizer
Dear Brothers and Sister, do you know what’s the difference between the ministry to the house and the ministry to the Lord?
In God’s eyes, not only is there the ministry to the house; there is also a better ministry, the ministry to the Lord. God has only one goal: to have men who belong absolutely to “Me”; in other words, He wants us to be before “My” presence and minister to “Me”; God’s unique goal is not in so many things; rather, it is in “Me”; To minister to the Lord does not mean that we neglect the house; those who minister to the Lord will also preach the gospel to save sinners and help the brothers and sisters to make progress, but their one goal is to be for the Lord, and their focus is the Lord Himself; they treasure men absolutely for the Lord’s sake.
Spiritual Burden
God has only one goal: to have men who belong absolutely to “Me”; in other words, He wants us to be before “My” presence and minister to “Me”; God’s unique goal is not in so many things; rather, it is in “Me”.
If we want to minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we must spend time before the Lord and pray more; To pray is to stand before God; it is to seek His will before Him in order to be saved from the sin of presumption.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to present to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah. It is they who will enter My sanctuary, and it is they who will come near to My table to minister to Me, and they will keep My charge”.
After the second veil, a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having…the Ark of the Covenant covered about everywhere with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant.
The Experience of Life
when there is no distance between us and the Lord, we enjoy Christ in the most intimate and hidden way; this is the enjoyment of the hidden manna, the hidden portion of Christ.
While the divine life grows in us, the law of life functions to shape us, to conform us, to the image of Christ as the firstborn Son of God
Practice and Application
If we want to minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we must spend time before the Lord and pray more; we need to draw near to Him, stand before Him, and wait for His will.
Those who ministered to the Lord had to be clothed with linen material, not with woolen garments or with anything that caused sweat; everyone ministering to the Lord must do a work that causes no sweat, a work without human effort and fleshly strength.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
they shall minister in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house and ministering in the house. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.– Ezek. 44:11
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok…shall come near to Me to minister to Me…– 15
Ministry to The House and The Ministry to The Lord (1)
• In God’s eyes, not only is there the ministry to the house; there is also a better ministry, the ministry to the Lord.
• God has only one goal: to have men who belong absolutely to“Me”; in other words, He wants us to be before “My” presence and minister to “Me” ;
• To minister to the Lord does not mean that we neglect the house; those who minister to the Lord will also preach the gospel to save sinners and help the brothers and sisters to make progress, but their one goal is to be for the Lord, and their focus is the Lord Himself; they treasure men absolutely for the Lord’s sake.
• If we want to minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we must spend time before the Lord and pray more; To pray is to stand before God (Ezek. 44:15); it is to seek His will before Him in order to be saved from the sin of presumption.
Key Verses (2)
…and they shall stand before Me to present to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah.– Ezek. 44:15
And when they enter the gates of the inner court they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool will come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court and inside it. They shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.– 17-18
Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers….And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.– Acts 13:1-2
Ministry to The House and The Ministry to The Lord (1)
•Those who ministered to the Lord had to present to Him the fat and the blood; the blood is for God’s holiness and righteousness, and the fat is for God’s glory.
•Those who ministered to the Lord had to be clothed with linen material, not with woolen garments or with anything that caused sweat.Linen garments signify a daily living and walk in the life-giving Spirit by the life of Christ; Woolen garments would cause the priests to sweat, a sign of fallen man laboring under God’s curse, without God’s blessing, by his own energy and strength.
•Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers….And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
Key Verses (3)
“After the second veil, a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar and the Ark of the Covenant covered about everywhere with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant” —Heb. 9:3-4:
The hidden manna, the budding rod
• The hidden manna is the portion of Christ that we enjoy in the presence of God when there is no distance between us and Him; all the distance between us and the Lord must be eliminated.
• The budding rod signifies that Christ, the resurrected One, should be our life, our living, and the resurrection life within us and that this life should bud, blossom, and bear fruit to Maturity; The principle to every service lies in the budding rod; resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God.
• The tablets of the covenant, which are the tablets of the law, signify the law of the divine life, which is the spontaneous power, automatic function, innate ability, and divine capacity of the divine life.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 To minister to the Lord and to minister to the house is very different.( Ezek. 44:11;15)
(Please illustrate the difference between these two kinds of ministering: to minister to the Lord and to minister to the house)
T2 To minister to the Lord does not mean that you neglect the house. ( Ezek. 44:11;15)
(Please illustrate that those who minister to the Lord will also preach the gospel to save sinners and help the brothers and sisters to make progress, but their one goal is to be for the Lord, and their focus is the Lord Himself)
D2
T1 Whatever we do in the Lord’s service should be for the Lord’s sake(2 Cor. 4:5)
(Please illustrate by examples that in the Lord’s work there are areas that are appealing and attractive to our flesh because they are solely for the pleasure and glory of our self)
T2 The basis for the ministry to the Lord, is to draw near to the Lord (Ezek. 44:15)
(Please illustrate that no one can minister to Him without drawing near to Him. No one can minister to the Lord without approaching Him in prayer.)
D3
T1 Those who ministered to the Lord had to be clothed with linen material(Ezek. 44:17-18)
(Why those who ministered to the Lord had to be clothed not with woolen garments or with anything that caused sweat)
T2 The work that causes sweat is the work that comes out of human effort without
the blessing from God the Father(Matt. 11:28-30)
(Please illustrate that how we can accomplish the most amount of work with the least amount of strength)
D4
T1 the unique principle for the work of the New Testament. (Acts 13:1-2)
（ [Acts 13:1-2 illustrates] the work of the Holy Spirit can only be revealed at the time of ministering to the Lord. ）
T2 To minister to the Lord is not to forsake all the work on the outside. (Ezek. 44:16)
(Please illustrate that all the work on the outside should be based on our ministry to the Lord.)
D5
T1 The eating of spiritual food altogether depends upon the distance between us and the Lord(Ezek. 1:22;26)
(Please illustrate according to your experience that if you want to enjoy the hidden manna, there must be no distance between you and God.)
T2 Enjoy Christ in the most intimate and hidden way(Ezek. 1:22;26)
(Please illustrate according to your personal experience that what is the enjoyment of the hidden manna)
D6
T1 The budding rod is related to the building up of God’s people(Num. 17:8)
(Please illustrate that what the budding rod signifies)
T2 The principle to every service lies in the budding rod. (Num. 17:8)
(Please illustrate that resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God)
