The All-Inclusive Christ as Revealed in Matthew
Message One
The Up-to-date, Instant, and Living Vision of the Heavenly Christ as the Living Star
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Matt. 2:2 Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him.
Dan. 12:3 And those who have insight will shine like the shining of the heavenly expanse, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars, forever and ever.
I. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him” (Matt. 2:2); this was the fulfillment of Numbers 24:17, which says, “There shall come forth a Star out of Jacob”; this Star refers to Christ—Matt. 2:2; Num. 24:17: (Monday)
A. The magi did not say, “We saw a star,” or “We saw the star,” but “We saw His star”; the Star is the heavenly Christ—Matt. 2:2.
B. When Christ came the first time, He appeared openly as a star, but when He comes the second time, He will be the morning star (Rev. 2:28; 22:16) to His overcomers, who watch for His coming; to all others Christ will later appear as the sun (Mal. 4:2; cf. Matt. 13:43).
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II. Matthew 2:1-12 reveals that to find Christ is a living matter; it is not a matter of mere doctrinal knowledge of the Bible—Matt. 2:1-12: (Tuesday)
A. The star is the living revelation, the living vision, not the old and dead doctrinal knowledge of the Scriptures, not the dead knowledge of Micah 5:2; what we need today is not merely Bible knowledge but the heavenly vision, the up-to-date, instant vision, the living vision, the vision that human concepts can never teach—Micah 5:2.
B. Even if we have the knowledge of the Scriptures, we still need the instant, up-to-date, living star to lead us to the very street and the very house where Jesus is—Matt. 2:9-11.
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C. After the magi were corrected by the Scriptures (2:4-6), they went to Bethlehem (vv. 8-9), and the star appeared to them again and led them to the place where Christ was, “and when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (v. 10). (Wednesday)
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III. Christ’s faithful followers are shining and living stars, those who follow Christ as the shining and living star to be His duplication—Dan. 12:3; cf. Gen. 22:17: (Thursday)
A. The living stars give heed to the prophetic word of the Scriptures “as to a lamp shining in a dark place” so that Christ as the morning star rises in their hearts day by day; if we give heed to the word in the Bible, we will have His rising in our hearts to shine in the darkness of apostasy where we are today, before His actual appearing as the morning star—2 Pet. 1:19; John 6:63; Rev. 2:28.
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B. The living stars are typified by the stars that were established on the fourth day of God’s restoration with His further creation, in which they rule by their shining; where there is shining, there is ruling for the growth of life—Gen. 1:14-19. (Friday)
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C. May the Lord be merciful to us that we may always be kept in the right way to meet the Lord, to worship Him, and to offer our love to Him; may the Lord make us all like the magi, following the living star to find and make new discoveries of Christ in order to become His duplication as the living stars—cf. Eph. 5:8-9; Jer. 15:16a. (Saturday)
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him—Matt. 2:2.
And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts—2 Pet. 1:19.
And those who have insight will shine like the shining of the heavenly expanse, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars, forever and ever—Dan. 12:3.
Word of Appetizer
Please explain how Matthew 2:1-12 reveals that finding Christ is a living matter and not merely a matter of scriptural, doctrinal knowledge.
It is not effective to merely hold the Bible and read Micah 5:2, which says that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. We may have the Bible, yet we may have lost the heavenly star. The star is a living revelation, a living vision, not the old and dead doctrinal knowledge of the Scriptures, not the dead knowledge of Micah 5:2. What we need today is not merely the knowledge of the Bible but a heavenly vision, a present, instant, and living vision that can never be taught by human concepts.
Spiritual Burden
What we need today is the present, instant, living vision of the heavenly Christ as the living star.
May the Lord have mercy on us that we would always be kept on the right track to meet the Lord, worship Him, and offer our love to Him. May the Lord make us all like these magi, who followed the living star to find Christ and have new discoveries of Him so that we may become His reproductions as the many living stars.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, magi came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him” (Matt. 2:2). This was the fulfillment of the word in Numbers 24:17, which says, “A star shall come forth out of Jacob.” This star refers to Christ.
Matthew 2:1-12 reveals that finding Christ is a living matter and not merely a matter of scriptural, doctrinal knowledge. seek God with a pure heart, our reward will be that we shall see God.
The Experience of Life
No matter how “scriptural” we are, if we lose the Lord’s presence, we are altogether wrong. The way to find and follow the Lord in the New Testament is to continually remain in His secret presence.
It is an easy matter to store up some scriptural knowledge, but if we would have living guidance, we must live in an intimate relationship with the Lord. We must be one with Him.
The living stars are the messengers of the churches. They enjoy and experience the pneumatic Christ as the messenger of God and as the fresh message from God, enabling them to dispense the fresh and present Christ into God’s people for the testimony of Jesus.
Practice and Application
The faithful followers of Christ are the shining, living stars, who follow Christ as the shining star to become His reproductions.
The living stars are those who bless God’s people. The more we praise the Lord for God’s people and speak of them positively in faith, the more we will place ourselves under God’s blessing.
The living stars give heed to the prophetic word of the Scripture “as to a lamp shining in a dark place,” so that Christ as the morning star may rise in their hearts day by day.
The living stars are those who have “great resolutions in heart” and “great searchings of heart.” They are lovers of God who, like the stars, fight “from their courses” with God against His enemy so that they may be “like the sun when it rises in its might.”
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 We Saw His Star When It Rose (Matt. 2:2; Num. 24:17)
(Please illustrate that the Jews had the Bible concerning Christ and knew where He would be born, but the astrologers saw the star of Christ.)
T2 The Jewish Religionists Had the Bible, but the Astrologers Had a Living Vision—the Star in Heaven (Matt. 2:2)
(Please illustrate that this shining star, far away from all divine things, appeared to some gentiles in a foreign land.)
Day 2
T1 The Book of the Bible Was in the Hands of the Jews, but the Star Was Shown to the Pagans (Matt. 2:4-6)
(Please illustrate that we may have the Bible, but we may have missed the star.)
T2 That Star Was a Living Revelation, a Living Vision (Matt. 2:4-6)
(Please illustrate that what we need today is not merely the knowledge of the Bible but a heavenly vision, a present vision, a living vision.)
Day 3
T1 We Must Leave Religion (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:10)
(Please illustrate that as soon as the astrologers entered into religion, they lost the star; but when they left religion, the star appeared to them again.)
T2 Not by the Knowledge of the Bible Alone, but by the Living Star (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:10)
(Please illustrate how we can find Christ and serve Him.)
Day 4
T1 At the Beginning of the New Testament, the Star Was Outside of Religion, but at the End of the New Testament, the Stars Are Inside the Churches (Rev. 1:20)
(Please illustrate what two related things we see concerning the star in Matthew 2 and in Revelation, the last book of the Bible.)
T2 The Stars Are Those Who Shine in the Darkness and Turn People from the Wrong Way to the Right Way (Dan. 12:3)
(What does it mean to be a star?)
Day 5
T1 This Star Comes from the Living Word (2 Pet. 1:19)
(Please illustrate that we must not just read the Bible; we must pay attention to the word of the prophets until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.)
T2 The Shining of the Lord Jesus on the Mountaintop Was the Coming of the Kingdom (Matt. 17:1-2)
(Please illustrate that the kingdom is the spreading of the Lord Jesus by shining upon you.)
Day 6
T1 In the Dark Night, We Need to Function like the Stars (Matt. 13:43; Jude 13)
(Please illustrate that we should be stars, but not wandering stars.)
T2 Do Not Be Wandering Stars, nor Follow Wandering Stars (Jude 13)
(Please illustrate how we can recognize wandering stars.)
