Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Three
Christ as the Son of Man Walking in the Midst of the Golden Lampstands
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
Rev. 1:13 And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
I. In order to see the vision of Christ as the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands, we must be the Lord’s overcoming messengers, those who are in our spirit on the ground of the church as fellow partakers in the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance in Jesus—Rev. 1:9-13, 20: (Monday)
A. There are four characteristics of our meeting on the genuine ground of oneness, the place God has chosen—cf. Deut. 12:5.
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B. We are fellow partakers in the kingdom in Jesus; the kingdom is the church life, in which the faithful believers live for their growth in life and transformation in life—Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 3:7; 2 Cor. 3:18. (Tuesday)
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II. Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle” (Rev. 1:13), to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish them in His divinity: (Wednesday)
A. Christ takes care of the churches in His humanity as the Son of Man to cherish them—Rev. 1:13a.
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B. Christ takes care of the churches in His divinity with His divine love, signified by the golden girdle on His breasts, to nourish the churches—Rev. 1:13b. (Thursday)
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III. The Lord’s seven eyes are like a flame of fire for watching, observing, searching, judging by enlightening, and infusing—Rev. 1:14b; 5:6; Dan. 10:6: (Friday)
A. Christ’s eyes are for God’s move and operation on earth, since seven is the number for completion in God’s move—Rev. 1:14b.
B. The Lord’s eyes being like a flame of fire is mainly for His judgment—Dan. 7:9-10; Rev. 2:18; 19:11-12.
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IV. Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the churches; because the leading ones are in His right hand, there is no need for them to shrink back; Christ truly takes the responsibility for His testimony—Rev. 1:16a, 20. (Saturday)
V. Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—v. 18b:
A. Death is a collector, and Hades is a keeper, but Christ nullified death on the cross and overcame Hades in His resurrection—2 Tim. 1:10; Acts 2:24.
B. As long as we give the Lord the ground, the opportunity, and the way to move and act among us by exercising to deny the self, take up the cross, and lose our soul-life, death and Hades will be under His control—Matt. 16:18, 21-26.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus—Rev. 1:9.
And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And His head and hair were as white as white wool, as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters—vv. 13-15.
Word of Appetizer
How can we see the vision of Christ as the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands? What is the purpose of the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands?
To see the vision of Christ as the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands, we must be the Lord’s overcoming messengers, those who are on the ground of the church, in our spirit, and are fellow partakers in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.
Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle,” cherishing the churches in His humanity and nourishing the churches in His divinity.
Spiritual Burden
To see the vision of Christ as the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands, we must be the Lord’s overcoming messengers, those who are on the ground of the church, in our spirit, and are fellow partakers in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.
Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle,” cherishing the churches in His humanity and nourishing the churches in His divinity; to partake of His move and enjoy His care, we must be in the church.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The Lord’s heavenly ancientness is portrayed by His head and His hair being as white as white wool, as snow. The Lord’s seven eyes are like a flame of fire for watching, observing, searching, judging by enlightening, and transfusing.
The Lord’s feet are like shining bronze, as if having been fired in a furnace, signifying His perfect and bright walk, which qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment; the Lord’s voice is like the sound of many waters, which is a tumultuous sound, the voice of the Almighty God, both solemn and imposing.
Out of Christ’s mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword, which is His discerning, judging, and slaying word for dealing with negative persons, things, and matters.
Christ’s countenance is like the sun shining in its power for the judging enlightenment to bring in the kingdom.
The Experience of Life
Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle,” cherishing the churches in His humanity and nourishing the churches in His divinity.
Christ as the Son of Man takes care of the churches in His humanity to cherish the churches; the Lord’s presence brings a tender, warm atmosphere that cherishes our whole being, giving us rest, comfort, healing, cleansing, and encouragement.
Christ takes care of the churches in His divinity with the divine love, signified by the golden girdle at His breasts, to nourish the churches; as the walking Christ, He knows the situation of every church; as the speaking Spirit, He trims the lampstands and fills them with the fresh oil, the supply of The Spirit.
Practice and Application
To see the vision of Christ as the Son of Man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands, we must be the Lord’s overcoming messengers, those who are on the ground of the church, in our spirit, and are fellow partakers in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.
In the meeting for the worship of God, we must exercise our spirit and do everything in the spirit; when we worship God, we must genuinely apply the cross of Christ, signified by the altar, to reject the flesh, the self, and the natural life, and worship God solely by Christ.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The People of God Should Always Be One (Eph. 4:3; Matt. 18:20)
(Briefly describing at least four ways in which Deuteronomy 12 corresponds with the revelation in the New Testament.)
T2 The Entrance to the Church Is the Cross (1 Cor. 2:2)
(What does it mean to experience the cross?)
Day 2
T1 Revelation Is for Those Who Suffer Tribulation “in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9; Acts 14:22)
(Please illustrate what it means for us to partake of the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance “in Jesus”?)
T2 Partaking of the Persecution in Jesus Is to Partake of the Kingdom (Rom. 14:17)
(Please illustrate that the proper church life is the kingdom life.)
Day 3
T1 Christ as the Son of Man, the High Priest, Cares for the Churches as the Lampstands (Rev. 1:13; Eph. 5:29)
(Please illustrate that on the one hand, Christ in His humanity cherishes the churches; on the other hand, He in His divinity nourishes the churches.)
T2 Christ Cares for the Lampstands by Trimming the Wicks of the Lamps (Exo. 25:38; 30:7)
(Illustrating with an example that the charred part of the wick signifies things not according to God’s purpose that need to be cut away.)
Day 4
T1 Christ the High Priest in His Divinity Nourishes the Churches with His Divine Love (Rev. 1:13)
(Please illustrate that Christ’s divinity as the divine power nourishes the churches in many ways.)
T2 The Lord Cherishes the Church through the Atmosphere Produced by His Overshadowing Presence (Rev. 1:13; Eph. 5:29)
(Please illustrate from experience that no matter how enjoyable the fellowship in your home is, the atmosphere there is not as cherishing as it is in a church meeting.)
Day 5
T1 “His Eyes Were Like a Flame of Fire” for His Inspecting and Searching (Rev. 1:14-15)
(Please illustrate the difference between “the eyes of Christ” in Song of Songs 5:12 and “His eyes” in Revelation.)
T2 When the Lord Comes to Possess the Earth through Judgment, His Feet Will Be like Pillars of Fire (Rev. 10:1)
(Please illustrate that Christ’s perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to execute the divine judgment.)
Day 6
T1 The Messengers Are the Spiritual Ones in the Churches, Bearing the Responsibility of “the Testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:16)
(Why is it that in Revelation there is no mention of the elders in the church, only the messengers?)
T2 Out of His Mouth Proceeded a Sharp Two-edged Sword (Rev. 1:16; Heb. 4:12)
(Please illustrate from experience that if the Lord speaks to you, His word is mostly a word of judgment.)
