The Enjoyment of Christ
And Our Growth in Life Unto Maturity
Message Six
The Joy Set before Christ
and the Joy Set before Us
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Heb. 12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.
Rev. 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
Word of Appetizer
What is “the joy set before us”?
The joy set before us is the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming for His bride, who has made herself ready.
When we are eager to be the bride, Christ will receive His satisfaction. Not only will Christ be satisfied, but we also will be satisfied. Revelation 19:7 says, “Let us rejoice and exult.” In principle, a bride is the most pleasant and happy person.
Spiritual Burden
The joy set before us is the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming for His bride, who has made herself ready—the maturity of the bride, the building of the bride, the righteousness of the bride, the beauty of the bride, and the bride being a warrior to defeat God’s enemy.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
For the joy set before Him, Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, “endured the cross, despising the shame”.
The joy set before us is the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming for His bride, who has made herself ready.
“The joy of Jehovah is your strength”.
The Experience of Life
As our subjective righteousness, Christ is the One dwelling in us to live for us a life that can be justified by God and that is always acceptable to God.
“The joy of Jehovah is your strength”; it is not a matter of our having strength; His joy upholds us. The Lord’s joy has nothing to do with circumstances; He rejoiced in God’s will; there was joy in knowing and doing God’s will.
Practice and Application
The Christ whom we live out and who is expressed through us in our daily living as our surpassing righteousness; The wedding garment—Christ lived out of us as our daily righteousness qualifies us not only to attend the wedding but also to join the army. Spiritual warfare is a matter of the Body; we are a corporate army fighting the battle for God’s interest on earth.
We should not try to copy the Lord but receive the joy of the Lord. We can have the joy of the Lord; His joy will be our strength. Through the mercy and grace of God, may we all be able to maintain our joy by the joy of the Lord as our strength.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The blood was for redemption, and the water was for the impartation of life (John 19:34; Heb. 1:12)
(Please illustrate that Christ offered once of Himself that has accomplished the taking away of sins.）
T2 In His death Christ not only bore our sins but even became sin for us (Heb. 9:28; John 1:29)
(Please illustrate that the difference in meaning between “sin” in Hebrews 9:28 and John 1:29.)
Day 2
T1 We must see that while Christ was on the cross, God was working (Col. 2:13-15)
(Please illustrate that as Christ was being crucified, both God and Christ were working.）
T2 The economy of God’s salvation (Col. 2:13-15)
(Please illustrate Paul’s concept in Colossians 2:13-15.)
Day 3
T1 The overcomers are not separate individuals but a corporate bride (Rev. 19:7; Eph. 2:21-22)
(Please illustrate that the overcomers are not only mature in life but also built together as one bride.）
T2 We need to see that only the church as the golden lampstand can be the bride of Christ (Rev. 1:20)
(Please illustrate with experiences that whether we are at home with our family or in the church meetings with the brothers and sisters, we all need to live out Christ.)
Day 4
T1 The fine linen is the Christ expressed in our daily life (1 Cor. 1:30; Rev. 19:8)
(Please illustrate the difference between the righteousness we received for our salvation and the righteousnesses of the overcoming saints.）
T2 According to the revelation of the Scriptures, the believers need two garments (Luke 15:22; Matt. 22:11-12)
(Please illustrate the difference between the robe that was put on the prodigal son in Luke 15:22 and the wedding garment in Matthew 22:11-12.)
Day 5
T1 When the bride has been prepared, Christ will come as the Bridegroom (Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 19:8)
(Please illustrate how we can connect Revelation 19 with Ephesians 5.）
T2 The church as Christ’s bride must be beautiful (Eph. 5:25-27)
(Please illustrate that the church is being beautified by partaking of Christ, by digesting Christ, and by assimilating Christ.)
Day 6
T1 The church is both the bride to Christ and the warrior who fights with Him (Eph. 6:17-18; Rev. 19:14)
(Please illustrate that as the bride, we must be beautiful, as the warrior, we must be equipped to fight against God’s enemy.）
T2 The overcoming saints have two garments, one for salvation and the other for reward (1 Cor. 1:30; Rev. 19:8)
(Please illustrate that the second garment qualifies us not only to attend the wedding but also to join the army.)
