GENERAL SUBJECT
CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF DEUTERONOMY
Message Nine
Enjoying Christ with God on the Ground of Oneness
Scripture Reading: Deut. 12:5, 8, 11, 13-14, 17-18, 21, 26-27; Psa. 48:2, 11-12; 80:17-19
I. Deuteronomy 12 reveals the enjoyment of Christ with God at the unique place of God's choice for the keeping of the oneness of God's people——vv. 5-8, 11-14, 17-18, 21, 26-27; 14:22-23; 16:16; cf. 1 Cor. 10:6, 11; Rom. 15:4:
A. The children of Israel were not allowed to worship God and enjoy the offerings they presented to God in the place of their choice (Deut. 12:8, 13, 17); they were to worship God in the place of His choice, the place where His name, His habitation, and His altar were (vv. 5-6), by bringing their tithes, offerings, and sacrifices to Him there (vv. 5, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26-27; 14:22-23; 15:19-20; 16:16).
B. The place of God's unique choice for His worship in Deuteronomy 12 signifies our meeting on the ground of locality for the expression of the one Body in practicality (signified by Jerusalem) and for the reality of the one Body in actuality (signified by Zion within Jerusalem)——Psa. 48:2; 50:2; Rev. 1:11; 2:7.
C. The revelation in the New Testament concerning the worship of God corresponds to the revelation in Deuteronomy 12 in the following ways:
1. The people of God should always be one; there should be no divisions among them——Psa. 133; John 17:11, 21-23; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3.
2. The unique name into which God's people should gather is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the reality of which name is the Spirit; to be designated by any other name is to be denominated, divided; this is spiritual fornication——Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 1:12; 12:3; Rev. 3:8.
3. In the New Testament God's habitation, His dwelling place, is particularly located in our mingled spirit, our human spirit regenerated and indwelt by the divine Spirit; in our meeting for the worship of God, we must exercise our spirit and do everything in our spirit——Eph. 2:22; John 4:21-24; 1 Cor. 14:15.
4. In our worship of God we must have the genuine application of the cross of Christ, signified by the altar, by rejecting the flesh, the self, and the natural life and worshipping God with Christ and Christ alone——Psa. 43:4a; Matt. 16:24; Gal. 2:20.
5. The place that God has chosen for His worship is a place full of the enjoyment of the riches of Christ and a place full of rejoicing——Deut. 12:7, 12, 18; 14:23; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 4:4; 1 Cor. 14:3, 4b, 26, 31.
D. Wherever we may be, we should be gathered into the Lord's name, in our spirit, and with the cross; if we all do this, we all will meet in the same place, although we meet in different localities; this one place is the ground of the unique oneness——Deut. 12:5-6; Jer. 32:39:
1. Apparently, we are divided by geography, for we meet in separate cities all over the world on the scriptural ground of locality——the practice of having one church for one city, one city with only one church——Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rev. 1:11.
2. Actually, in spite of geographical separation, we all meet in the same place——in the name of the Lord Jesus, in our mingled spirit, and with the cross; this is the oneness, and this is the ground for the proper worship of God:
a. Many Christians are divided by their preferences; in the Lord's recovery we must not be for our preference but for the Lord's presence as the Spirit of reality, the reality of His name——Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 1:10; Exo. 33:14.
b. The fulfillment of the type in Deuteronomy 12 is not a matter of a geographical place but a matter of our spirit—— John 4:21-24.
c. At the entrance of the church there is the cross, and in order to meet as the church, we must experience the cross for the crucifying of the self, for the overthrowing of "reasonings and every high thing rising up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5), and for the exalting of Christ alone so that He may be all and in all for God's expression and the unique testimony of oneness——Matt. 16:24; 1 Cor. 2:2; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Col. 1:10, 18b; 3:10-11.
II. The unique ground of Jerusalem, the place where the temple as God's dwelling place was built on Mount Zion, typifies the unique ground of God's choice, the ground of oneness——Deut. 12:5; 2 Chron. 6:5-6; Ezra 1:2-3:
A. In the ancient time all the Israelites came together three times a year at Jerusalem; it was by this unique place of worship to God, Jerusalem, that the oneness of His people was kept for generations——Deut. 12:5; 16:16.
B. In the New Testament the proper ground of oneness ordained by God is the unique ground of one church for one locality——Rev. 1:11:
1. The church is constituted of the universal God, but it exists on earth in many localities; in nature the church is universal in God, but in practice the church is local in a definite place, such as "the church of God which is in Corinth"——1 Cor. 1:2:
a. The church of God means that the church is not only possessed by God but has God as its nature and essence, which are divine, general, universal, and eternal——v. 2a.
b. The church…which is in Corinth refers to a church in a city, remaining in a definite locality and taking it as its standing, ground, and jurisdiction for its administration in business affairs, which is physical, particular, local, and temporal in time——v. 2b.
2. Without the universal aspect, the church is void of content; without the local aspect, it is impossible for the church to have any expression and practice; the record concerning the establishment of the church in its locality is consistent throughout the New Testament——Acts 8:1; 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11.
III. The church life on the ground of oneness is today's Jerusalem; within the church life there must be a group of overcomers, and these overcomers are today's Zion——Psa. 48:2, 11-12:
A. As the highlight and beauty of the holy city Jerusalem, Zion typifies the overcomers as the high peak, the center, the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, the beauty, and the reality of the church——20:2; 53:6a; 87:2.
B. The overcomers as Zion are the reality of the Body of Christ and consummate the building up of the Body in the local churches to bring in the consummated holy city, New Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies as God's dwelling place, in eternity——Rev. 21:1-3, 16, 22.
C. The church life is the right place for us to be an overcomer, but this does not mean that as long as we are in the church life, we are an overcomer; it is one thing to be in the church life, but it is another thing to be an overcomer——2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 20-21.
IV. In order to be today's overcomers, we must enjoy Christ with God on the ground of oneness for the exhibition of Christ, the building of the church, and the preparation of Christ's bride—— Matt. 16:18; Rev. 19:7:
A. The children of Israel could enjoy the rich produce of the good land in two ways:
1. The common, private way was to enjoy it as a common portion at any time, in any place, and with anyone——Deut. 12:15.
2. The special, corporate way was to enjoy the top portion, the firstfruits and the firstlings, with all the Israelites at the appointed feasts and in the unique place chosen by God—— vv. 5, 8, 11, 13-14, 17-18, 21, 26-27; 14:22-23; 15:19-20; 16:16-17.
B. Likewise, the enjoyment of Christ by His believers is of two aspects:
1. The common, private aspect is to enjoy Christ as our God-allotted portion at every time and in every place——Col. 1:12; 1 Cor. 1:2, 9; Eph. 6:18; 1 Thes. 5:16-18; Rom. 10:12-13.
2. The special, corporate aspect is to enjoy the top portion of Christ in the meetings of the proper church life on the unique ground of oneness, the place chosen by God——1 Cor. 14:3, 4b, 26, 31.
C. We need to live a life of laboring upon Christ, a life of enjoying Christ personally so that we may enjoy Him together collectively for the building up of the Body of Christ as the house of God for God's expression and as the kingdom of God for God's dominion—— 3:16; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 14:17-18:
1. God's will is for us to enjoy Christ; we must seek to enjoy Christ and experience Him in every situation——Heb. 10:5-10; Phil. 3:7-14; 4:5-8.
2. Christ is rich beyond measure, but the church today is groveling in poverty because the Lord's children are indolent——Prov. 6:6-11; 24:30-34; 26:14; Matt. 25:26, 30; cf. 1 Cor. 15:58.
3. We must labor on Christ, our good land, so that we may reap some produce of His riches to bring to the church meeting and offer; thus, the meeting will be an exhibition of Christ in His riches and will be a mutual enjoyment of Christ shared by all the attendants before God and with God for the building up of the saints and the church——Col. 2:6-7; 1 Cor. 1:9; 14:3, 31.
4. Whenever we come to the meetings to worship the Lord, we should not come with our hands empty; we must come with our hands full of the produce of Christ——v. 26; Deut. 16:15-17.
5. We meet together to have an exhibition of the Christ upon whom we have labored, the Christ whom we have experienced and enjoyed——14:22-23.
V. In order to be today's overcomers, we must maintain the ground of oneness, God's unique choice, without elevating anything other than Christ; in the Lord's recovery we elevate Christ and Christ alone——Col. 1:18b; Rev. 2:4; 2 Cor. 4:5; 10:5:
A. Before the children of Israel could have the full enjoyment of the riches of the good land, they had to utterly destroy the heathen places of worship, the idols, and the names of the idols "on the high mountains and on the hills and under every flourishing tree" (Deut. 12:2); the high mountains and hills signify the exaltation of something other than Christ, and the flourishing trees signify things that are beautiful and attractive——vv. 1-3, 5; 1 Kings 11:7-8; 12:26-31; Num. 33:52.
B. The intrinsic reason for the desolation and degradation of God's people is that Christ is not exalted by them; they do not give Him the preeminence, the first place, in everything——Psa. 80:1, 3, 7, 15-19; 74:1.
C. The way to be restored from desolation is to exalt Christ; the enjoyment of Christ with God on the ground of oneness can be maintained and preserved only when Christ is properly appreciated and exalted by God's people.