Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Nine
The Lamb Whom the Overcoming Firstfruits Follow
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Rev. 14:4 These are they who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
I. Revelation 14:1-5 reveals Christ as the Lamb whom the overcoming firstfruits follow—Rev. 14:1-5: (Monday, Tuesday)
A. The firstfruits are the living overcomers, who will be the first ripe ones in God’s field; hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb—Rev. 14:4b.
B. The Bible reveals two aspects of the rapture: the rapture of the overcomers before the great tribulation and the rapture of the majority of the believers at the end of the great tribulation—Matt. 24:40-41; Luke 21:36; Rev. 3:10; 1 Thes. 4:15-17; Rev. 12:5; 14:1.
C. The firstfruits are the earliest among God’s crop to reach maturity—Heb. 5:14—6:1; 1 Cor. 2:6; Eph. 4:13; Phil. 3:15.
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II. In order for us to follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruits, we must walk with God by faith to escape death and obtain the testimony of being well pleasing to God—Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5-6: (Wednesday, Thursday)
A. To walk with God is not to override God, not to be presumptuous, not to do things according to our own concept and desire, not to do things according to the current of the age, and not to do anything without God—cf. Psa. 19:12-13; Josh. 9:14b; Luke 24:15.
B. To walk with God is to take Him as our center and everything, to live and do things according to God and with God, according to His revelation and leading, and to do everything with Him—Rom. 8:4, 13-14; Gal. 2:2a; 2 Cor. 5:14-15.
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III. In order for us to follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruits, we must be faithful in service in the Lord’s commission to give God as food to the members of His household so that we may win Christ as our reward in the coming kingdom—Matt. 24:45-51: (Friday)
A. God has set faithful and prudent slaves over His household as household administrators, stewards, channels of supply, to give His people food at the proper time—Matt. 24:45; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 3:2; 1 Cor. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:10; Phil. 1:25.
B. Give them food refers to ministering the word of God and Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church; Christ as the life-giving Spirit is our food, embodied and realized in the word of life—John 6:57, 63, 68; Acts 5:20.
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C. To say in our heart that our Master delays is to love the present evil age and not to love the Lord’s appearing—Matt. 24:48; 2 Tim. 4:8, 10; cf. Acts 26:16. (Saturday)
D. To beat our fellow slaves is to mistreat our fellow believers—Matt. 24:49a; 18:3-7; Acts 9:4.
E. To eat and drink with the drunken is to keep company with worldly people, who are drunk with worldly things—Matt. 24:49b; cf. Eph. 5:18.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
These are they who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb—Rev. 14:4.
By faith Enoch was translated so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation he obtained the testimony that he had been well pleasing to God—Heb. 11:5.
Word of Appetizer
What does Revelation 14:1-5 reveal to us? What is the firstfruit? How can we follow the Lamb and go on to maturity?
Revelation 14:1-5 reveals that Christ is the Lamb followed by the overcoming firstfruit. The firstfruit are the living overcomers who are ripened first in God’s field; hence, they will be reaped before the harvest of the crop as the firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must walk with God by faith to escape death and obtain the testimony of being well pleasing to God.
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must faithfully serve in the Lord’s commission to dispense God as food to His household.
Spiritual Burden
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must walk with God by faith to escape death and obtain the testimony of being well pleasing to God.
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must faithfully serve in the Lord’s commission to dispense God as food to His household, so that in the coming kingdom we may win Christ as our reward.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Revelation 14:1-5 reveals that Christ is the Lamb followed by the overcoming firstfruit.
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must walk with God by faith to escape death and obtain the testimony of being well pleasing to God.
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must faithfully serve in the Lord’s commission to dispense God as food to His household, so that in the coming kingdom we may win Christ as our reward.
The Experience of Life
To walk with God means that we live not by what we are or what we can do but by the incorruptible life, which is Christ Himself.
To walk with God is to be in habitual fellowship with God, to be in constant contact with the Lord, and to be under His continual infusion.
To walk with God implies denying the self and all that is of the self so that we may be one with Him; it implies that we give ourselves to Him and are willing to be subdued by Him and allow Him to lead us.
To walk with God is to walk by faith; to have faith that God is implies that we are not; He must be the only One, the unique One, in all things, and we must be nothing in all things.
Practice and Application
To follow the Lamb and go on to maturity to become the firstfruit, we must faithfully serve in the Lord’s commission to dispense God as food to His household, so that in the coming kingdom we may win Christ as our reward.
To enjoy the Lord as our spiritual food so that we may be able to feed others, we must pray over and muse on His word, tasting and enjoying it by careful consideration; we must give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
We must not lord it over our fellow believers but serve them as slaves, feeding them with the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit.
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?)
