Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Four
The Lion-Lamb
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
And one of the elders said to me, Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals. And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sits upon the throne—Rev. 5:5-7.
Word of Appetizer
The book of Revelation is a picture of Jesus Christ, portraying and describing what this Jesus is.
In the book of Revelation, we should see only one person—Jesus Christ—because this book is the revelation and unveiling of Jesus Christ. The main character in Revelation is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In Revelation 5:5-10 we see that we can experience and enjoy Christ as the Lion-Lamb. Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who has overcome and defeated Satan, the enemy who rebelled against God, and He is the redeeming Lamb, who has taken away the sin of fallen man; thereby He has removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God’s will, with the result that He is worthy to open the scroll concerning God’s economy.
Spiritual Burden
In the entire universe, no one is worthy to open the mystery of God’s economy except Christ, the overcoming Lion and the redeeming Lamb.
He is the overcoming Lion who defeated Satan for God; He is the redeeming Lamb who took away sin for us; only Christ is qualified to open and carry out the mystery of God’s economy; we need to realize that Christ is worthy to open the seven seals of the secret of God’s economy; the Lord’s worthiness in this matter is universal and immeasurable; Christ is worthy of our praise and even of our entire life.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The book of Revelation is a picture of Jesus Christ; all twenty-two chapters are a picture portraying and describing this Jesus.
“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome.”
“And I saw in the midst of the throne…a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
The Experience of Life
Revelation 1:4 speaks of “the seven Spirits who are before His throne”; today we need to see and experience the sevenfold Spirit, the intensified Spirit, the recovering Spirit.
In Revelation 1:4-5, The Spirit is included; grace and peace are also dispensed to the churches from The Spirit; this indicates that for God’s move, The Spirit is desperately needed to counteract the degradation of the church.
Practice and Application
“And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain and have purchased for God by Your blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
In the entire universe, no one is worthy to open the mystery of God’s economy except Christ, the overcoming Lion and the redeeming Lamb; He is the overcoming Lion who defeated Satan for God; He is the redeeming Lamb who took away sin for us; Christ is worthy of our praise and even of our entire life.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Living the life of Christ is calm, tranquil, peaceful, and quiet (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that the first aspect of the expression of living the life of Christ is forbearance.)
T2 Living Christ means forbearance but without anxiety (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that forbearance is the totality of a proper Christian life.)
Day 2
T1 The Greek word for forbearance means not only being content with less than what we are due but also having sweet reasonableness (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that forbearance is all-inclusive because it contains all Christian virtues.)
T2 Forbearance is the Christ we actually experience (Phil. 1:21, 4:5).
(Please illustrate that all our failures and frustrations in the Christian life are due to our lack of forbearance.)
Day 3
T1 A forbearing person is one who always fits in, whose behavior is always suitable (Phil. 1:19-20).
(Please illustrate that forbearance also includes peace, meekness, and tenderness.)
T2 The human life of the Lord Jesus was full of forbearance (Phil. 1:19-20).
(Please illustrate that using the example of how the Lord Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus illustrates that the Lord’s life is the best explanation of forbearance.)
Day 4
T1 Prayer is general, having worship and fellowship as its essence; petition is special, being for particular needs. (Phil. 4:6-7).
(Please illustrate that when we pray and make petitions, both should be accompanied by thanks to the Lord.)
T2 Believing that our environment is appointed by God (Phil. 4:6-7).
(Please illustrate that if we want to live a life free of anxiety, we must realize that all our experiences, whether good or bad, are appointed by God.)
Day 5
T1 Six aspects that regulate the life of living Christ (Phil. 4:8-9).
(Please illustrate that out of many Christian virtues, what six did Paul select as the regulating aspects?)
T2 All human virtues are created by God (Phil. 4:8-9).
(Please illustrate that our human virtues are created vessels to contain divine virtues, just as a glove is made in the image of a hand to contain a hand.)
Day 6
T1 When we teach people how to do things, we mainly teach them the secret (Phil. 4:11-13).
(Please illustrate that Paul not only learned the secret; he had been initiated and learned certain basic principles.)
T2 The basic principles of church life are entirely different from the basic principles of the world (Phil. 4:11-13).
(Please illustrate that what are the basic principles of the church—the Body of Christ?)
