THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

Vol. 22, No. 1 • January 2018

INSTRUCTIONS
ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

ABOUT THIS ISSUE [4]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Banners [5]
1 God Training His People to Worship and Partake of Him and to Live a
Holy, Clean, and Rejoicing Life [7]
2 Taking Christ as the Burnt Offering for God’s Satisfaction and
Expression [35]
3 The Continual Burnt Offering—a Living Sacrifice [71]
4 The Vision and Enjoyment of the Meal Offering [101]
5 Eating Christ as the Meal Offering to Become the Reproduction of
Christ for the Fulfillment of God’s Purpose [131]
6 The Revelation, Appreciation, and Application of Christ as Our Sin
Offering [159]
7 The Reality of the Sin Offering, the Bronze Serpent, and the Destruction
of the Devil [185]
8 Taking Christ as Our Trespass Offering for God’s Purpose [211]
9 Appreciating Christ as the Reality of the Trespass Offering [247]
10 Christ as the Peace between God and God’s People for Their
Co-enjoyment in Fellowship to Have the Vital-group Church Life
and to Consummate in the New Jerusalem as the Ultimate Peace
Offering [273]
11 Experiencing Christ as the Peace Offering for the Body of Christ [305]
12 Enjoying Christ as the Reality of the Peace Offering at the Lord’s
Table to Present the Total Picture of God’s Economy [331]
REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS [357]
 INSTRUCTIONS
Tap or click on a message or chapter number on the table of contents
page to jump to that outline of that chapter in the epublication.
Tap or click on a chapter outline title to jump to the beginning of the
message in that chapter.
To return to the index page, tap or click on the “Home” icon, or tap or
click on the book name at the top of the page.
Page numbers from the latest print edition of this publication have been
placed in the text within brackets and are set in grey type (e.g., [136] ). In
all cases, bracketed page numbers precede their respective text spans.
Users can reach a specific page of the print edition by searching for the
bracketed page number. Make sure “Entire document” is selected in the
search options and that the Range is set to “Top to Bottom”.
LSM epublications have hyperlinks to the Holy Bible Recovery Version
(sold separately). If the reader has a copy of the “Holy Bible Recovery
Version.pdb” file in the same folder as the epublication, Scripture
references in the epublication will link to the specific passage in the
Holy Bible Recovery Version. Tap or click on the Scripture reference in
the epublication to reach the specific passage.
To return to the epublication from the Holy Bible Recovery Version, tap
or click on the “Back” arrow.
 ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
The Ministry of the Word (ISSN 1938-1921) is published monthly by
Living Stream Ministry, 2431 W. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations and footnotes are taken
from the Recovery Version, published by Living Stream Ministry.
The Ministry of the Word is a monthly publication of Living Stream
Ministry dedicated to the continuation of the ministry of Watchman Nee
and Witness Lee. Each issue includes the printed messages from a recent
conference or training held by Living Stream Ministry.
This magazine is intended for the fellowship and supply of the churches
under the ministry in the Lord’s recovery. It is not intended to be
disseminated to the public at large.
The Ministry of the Word is available either by subscription through our
“direct mail service” or by direct order. Please direct all inquiries to:
Book Section
Living Stream Ministry
P.O. Box 2121
Anaheim, CA 92814
Letters to the editor are welcome. Those considered for publication must
include the writer’s name and address and may be edited for the sake of
space and/or clarity. Correspondence may be sent to the following:
The Ministry of the Word
P.O. Box 2121
Anaheim, CA 92814
www.lsm.org
 [4]

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

This issue of The Ministry of the Word contains a complete record of the
twelve messages given during the semiannual training held December 25
through 30, 2017, in Anaheim, California, as the first part of the
crystallization-study of Leviticus. The banners in the following section
embody and summarize the crucial truths and main burdens in these twelve
messages.
These training messages are being published immediately following the
training in order that they might benefit the saints participating in the many
video trainings that are held throughout the earth.
The Reports and Announcements section contains “An Update
concerning Europe” and “An Update concerning the Publication of The
Collected Works of Witness Lee.” Also included is information concerning
upcoming conferences and trainings hosted by Living Stream Ministry and
a website link for information related to similar events in Europe.
 [5]

BANNERS

1. Through His speaking in the Tent of Meeting, God trained His

people to worship and partake of Him and to live a holy, clean, and
rejoicing life.
2. We need to realize that we are not absolutely for God and that in
ourselves we cannot be absolutely for God, and then we need to take
Christ as our burnt offering—the One who lived a life that is
absolutely for God.
3. By exercising our spirit to touch the Spirit consolidated in the Word,
we are constituted with Jesus, and the human living of Jesus becomes
our human living.
4. Christ is the peace offering between God and God’s people for their
co-enjoyment in fellowship to have the vital-group church life, to
have the Lord’s table meeting, and to consummate in the New
Jerusalem as the ultimate peace offering.
 [7]

Outline of the Messages

for the Semiannual Training
December 25-30, 2017

GENERAL SUBJECT:
CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

God Training His People

to Worship and Partake of Him
and to Live a Holy, Clean, and Rejoicing Life
(Message 1)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 1—25

I. In Leviticus God was in the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and

spoke in the Tent of Meeting—1:1; 27:34:
A. The entire book of Leviticus is a record of God’s speaking in the
tabernacle, which is a building—1:1.
B. God’s speaking today is in His tabernacle, and this tabernacle is
the church—John 1:14; 14:2; 1 Tim. 3:15:
1. According to the principle of the typology, God speaks in the
church as His tabernacle; this Tent of Meeting is the oracle,
the place of God’s speaking—Lev. 1:1.
2. The preciousness of the tabernacle was God’s speaking;
today the preciousness of the church is the speaking God and
God’s speaking—27:34.
II. God trained His people to worship and partake of Him through the
offerings and the priesthood—chs. 1—10:
A. Christ is the reality of the offerings—John 1:29:
1. The burnt offering, which was wholly for God’s satisfaction,
typifies Christ as God’s pleasure and satisfaction, the One
whose living on earth was absolutely for God—Lev. 1:3;
Num. 28:2-3; John 7:16-18.
2. The meal offering typifies Christ in His perfect humanity as
food for God and for those who have fellowship with God
and serve Him—Lev. 2:1, 4; John 7:46; 18:38; 19:4, 6. [8]
 3. The peace offering typifies Christ as the Peacemaker, the One
who became the peace and the fellowship between us and
God by dying for us, enabling us to enjoy Christ with God
and to have fellowship with God in Christ for our mutual
satisfaction with God—Lev. 3:1; Eph. 2:14-15; John 12:1-3;
20:21.
4. The sin offering typifies Christ as the One who was made sin
for us and who died on the cross to deal with the sinful nature
of our fallen being—Lev. 4:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3; John
1:29; 3:14.
5. The trespass offering typifies Christ as the One who bore our
sins in His own body and was judged by God on the cross to
deal with our sinful deeds that we might be forgiven in our
sinful conduct—Lev. 5:6; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; Isa. 53:5-6,
10-11; John 4:15-18.
6. The wave offering typifies Christ as the resurrected One in
love—Lev. 7:30; 10:15.
7. The heave offering typifies the powerful Christ in ascension
and exaltation—7:32; Exo. 29:27; Eph. 1:21.
8. The drink offering typifies Christ, the One poured out as wine
before God for His satisfaction and also the One who
saturates us with Himself as heavenly wine to be poured out
for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction—Lev. 23:13; Exo.
29:40; Num. 28:7-10; Isa. 53:12; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Judg.
9:13.
B. We need to experience Christ as the reality of the
offerings—John 1:29; 16:13; 1 John 5:6:
1. The offerings solve our problems and bridge the gap between
us and God—John 14:6.
2. The offerings are good for us to enjoy God, to be mingled
with God, and to have God assimilated into our being to
become our constituent—Gal. 4:19; Eph. 3:17; Col. 3:10-11.
3. The offerings are the way for us to enter into God and
become part of the divine-human incorporation—John 14:6,
20.
4. The offerings are not only sacrifices to solve our problems
but also presents to God for His enjoyment—Num. 28:2. [9]
C. God’s people were trained to worship and partake of God
through the priests, who typify Christ as God’s Priest offering
Himself to God for us—Lev. 1:5-8; 2:2; 3:2; 4:5, 10; 5:8; Heb.
5:5-6; 9:14, 26; 10:10.
 D. According to the record in the holy Word, the reality of the
universe is Christ as the tabernacle and the offerings—John 1:14,
29; 14:6:
1. As the God-man, Christ is the tabernacle to be the dwelling
place for God and man, and He is the offerings for man to
enter into God—1:14; 14:20, 23; 1:29.
2. Christ, who is the reality of the tabernacle and the offerings,
is the reality and content of the universe—vv. 14, 17b.
3. Through Christ as the offerings, we can dwell in God, and
God can dwell in us; this is the reality of the universe and the
content of the Bible—15:4a.
4. Christ as the tabernacle brings God to man, and Christ as the
offerings brings man to God so that man may be united,
mingled, and incorporated with God—1:14, 29.
III. God trained His people to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life:
A. God charged His people to have a holy living according to His
holy nature—Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; Exo. 19:6; 22:31;
Deut. 14:2; 26:19; 28:9:
1. Being holy because God is holy signifies walking according
to God’s holiness, living a holy life—Lev. 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet.
1:15; 2 Pet. 3:11.
2. Leviticus reveals that in order to live a holy life, we must put
off the old life and put on the new (cf. Eph. 4:17—5:21); God
charged the people of Israel to put off the former Egyptian
conduct (Lev. 18:3a) and not to walk in the statutes of the
Canaanites (v. 3b).
3. The mutual enjoyment between God and His people separates
His people unto Himself from everything other than Him,
making them a holy nation—Exo. 19:6.
4. Before the foundation of the world, God chose us to be
holy—Eph. 1:4:
a. Holy means not only sanctified, separated unto God, but
also different, distinct, from everything that is common.
[10]
b. Only God is different, distinct, from all things; hence, He
is holy; holiness is His nature.
c. He makes us holy by imparting Himself, the Holy One,
into our being so that our whole being is permeated and
saturated with His holy nature—1 Thes. 5:23.
d. For us to be holy is to partake of God’s nature and to
have our whole being permeated with God Himself—2
 Pet. 1:4.
B. In Leviticus 12—15 God trained His people to live a clean life:
1. Chapter 12 shows us the cleansing from the human impurity
by birth, and chapters 13 and 14 speak of being cleansed
from leprosy.
2. Chapter 15 reveals that we need to be cleansed from all
unclean discharges from the human being; anything
discharged from our being, including our words, is unclean.
3. We need the cross of Christ to end our old life and the
resurrection of Christ to give us a new beginning—Rom. 6:6;
Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:17.
4. We also need the water of life, which is the washing,
cleansing Spirit of life embodied in the word—Eph. 5:26.
C. God trained the people of Israel to live a rejoicing life, a happy
life—Phil. 4:4:
1. The weekly Sabbath was the principal denotation of all the
annual feasts; these feasts were a Sabbath, which was for
God’s redeemed people to rest with God and with one
another—Lev. 23:1-3.
2. The monthly new moon feast signifies that we can experience
a new beginning in Christ as our joy and enjoyment with light
in darkness—Num. 10:10; 28:11-15.
3. The Feast of the Passover typifies Christ as our Passover for
our initial and foundational salvation—a time of
rejoicing—Lev. 23:4-5; Exo. 12:2-14; 1 Cor. 5:7.
4. The Feast of Unleavened Bread typifies the entire course of
our Christian life without sin—Lev. 23:6-8; Exo. 12:15-20.
5. The Feast of Firstfruits typifies the resurrected Christ for our
enjoyment as a feast in His resurrection—Lev. 23:9-14; 1
Cor. 15:20. [11]
6. The Feast of Pentecost typifies the enjoyment of the
outpouring of the Spirit for the formation of the church—Lev.
23:15-22.
7. The Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets typifies God’s calling
together of His scattered people—vv. 23-25; Matt. 24:30-31.
8. The Feast of Expiation typifies the enjoyment for the whole
house of Israel after they will be gathered together by
God—Lev. 23:26-32; Rom. 11:25-27; Zech. 12:10-14.
9. The Feast of Tabernacles typifies the enjoyment of the age of
restoration to be fulfilled in the millennium—Lev. 23:33-44;
Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4, 6.
 10. The Sabbath year typifies Christ as our rest in full—Lev.
25:1-7, 18-22.
11. The jubilee, the Pentecostal year, typifies Christ as our full
release, rest, and joy by His redeeming back what we have
lost in our rights and have sold in ourselves—vv. 8-17.
D. The book of Leviticus shows us what kind of God our God is; our
God wants us to be “Hallelujah people,” who rejoice in the Lord
always—Phil. 4:4.

[12]

MESSAGE ONE

GOD TRAINING HIS PEOPLE

TO WORSHIP AND PARTAKE OF HIM
AND TO LIVE A HOLY, CLEAN, AND REJOICING LIFE
Prayer: O Lord Jesus, You are the Word that was in the beginning with
God, the Word that is God Himself. You are the definition, expression, and
speaking of God. Thank You, Lord, that as the Word, You became flesh
and tabernacled among us, full of grace and reality. Lord, when You came,
reality came. We are now meeting with You, through You, and in You. In a
sense, we are also meeting as You, since You are the reality of the
tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
Lord, thank You for coming to bring God to us. We had no way to come
to God, but we thank You that You came as the Lamb of God to take away
the sin of the world and that as the Lamb, You are the reality of all the
offerings. We begin this training by applying You in reality as offering
after offering. Lord, You are the burnt offering, the only One who is for
God. We admit that we cannot be for God. We are not for God, but You
have solved this problem by being for God for us. We corporately offer
You as the burnt offering. Lord, we apply You as the meal offering, as
food for God and food for us. We admit that our humanity is fallen, but we
have You as the resurrected humanity. Lord, we thank You that You are
the sin offering and the trespass offering. When You died on the cross, sin
was condemned, and You bore our sins in Your body. How could we not
but thank You from the depths of our being for being made sin for us and
for dying in our place? Dear Lord, You are the Peacemaker, and You are
the peace offering. Lord, we pray that as a result of this training, all these
offerings will become realities to us.
With You as the firstborn Son taking the lead, we turn our prayers to our
Father. Father, when Your Son was here on earth, He spoke these words
that we could never forget: “An hour is coming, and it is now, when the
true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the
Father also seeks such to worship Him.” We ask respectfully, how [13]
much longer will we make You wait? Thank You for Your patience, Your
forbearance, Your kindness, and Your mercy. We pray that as an issue of
this training, You will have true worshippers throughout this earth who
bring Christ as the reality to You Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day.
Lord, we admit that even our prayer is very limited, but have mercy on
us to hear what we cannot say and to respond to what we cannot express,
because our deep longing is that the desire of Your heart would at last be
fulfilled on the earth. With this in view, open the heavens, open the Word,
open our eyes, and open our hearts to see a vision that we have never seen
before. Lord, train us. We are here in the Tent of Meeting. Train us to
worship, to partake, to be holy, to be clean, and to be a rejoicing people.
Lord, make all of us truly happy in Jesus. Bring us into a realm of
rejoicing, enjoyment, and feasting that we have never imagined. Thank
You, Lord, for redeeming us from the prison of Satan in the world. You
commanded the enemy to release us so that we may hold a feast unto You,
and now we are here in a separated place holding a feast unto You with
joy, love, praise, and thanksgiving. Amen and Amen!
The title of this message is “God Training His People to Worship and
Partake of Him and to Live a Holy, Clean, and Rejoicing Life.” The
Scripture Reading is Leviticus 1 through 25. Perhaps after hearing all the
messages in this training, each day we could read a chapter of Leviticus
with the footnotes in order to get an overall picture of this book. The title
of this message is also the subject of the first banner, which reads,
“Through His speaking in the Tent of Meeting, God trained His people to
worship and partake of Him and to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life.”
The outline for this message is actually one colossal crystal. It is a
crystallization of nearly the entire book of Leviticus. All the messages in
this issue of The Ministry of the Word are related to the subject of this first
message, which presents a panoramic view of the book of Leviticus. There
is a substantial word at the beginning of each major section touching on the
intrinsic significance of that section. Entering into each of these major
sections requires that we grasp the intrinsic significance of each matter
through both the outline points and the sharing. The Lord is blessing us
with a new vista through these messages and opening the book of Leviticus
to us in a new way. May we be in awe and amazed by what is here.
Leviticus is a book on all that God has done in Christ for our enjoyment.
[14]

IN LEVITICUS GOD BEING IN THE TABERNACLE,

THE TENT OF MEETING, AND SPEAKING IN THE TENT OF MEETING

In Leviticus God was in the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and spoke
in the Tent of Meeting (1:1; 27:34). When God came to dwell among His
people, as we see in the beginning of Leviticus, He spoke to them out of
the Tent of Meeting (1:1). The entire book of Leviticus consists of God’s
speaking out of the Tent of Meeting, and this speaking was His training of
His people.
The first matter here is God’s training of His people. In Exodus 25:8
Jehovah said to Moses, “Let them make a sanctuary for Me that I may
dwell in their midst.” God commanded that a sanctuary, the tabernacle, the
Tent of Meeting, be built on the earth according to the pattern that He
would prescribe. God did this because His intention was to enter into that
sanctuary and dwell in the midst of His people.
God cannot deny what He is. He is holy, He is righteous, He is pure, He
is light, and He is love. Now He is coming to dwell in the midst of His
people, and that requires a great deal of training by God directly so that His
people would know how to be with Him. Consider how you might feel if
you were living together in the same house with Peter, Paul, John,
Watchman Nee, and Witness Lee. You are what you are, and they are what
they are. Most of us would sense an immense disparity, or difference,
between us and these housemates. You might feel uneasy, not knowing
what to do or how to behave. That is a hypothetical example, but in reality
we are speaking about God living in the center of our community. In order
to be delivered from our natural way of doing things and in order to be
equipped and qualified to do things in a proper way, we need to be trained.
In Leviticus God was speaking to a multitude of people who had grown
up in Egypt. What was the extent of their understanding of God at that
time? God had redeemed them for the sake of His own name. He chose
them to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests (Exo. 19:6). Actually, the
children of Israel had no choice in the matter; they were saved from Egypt
by God’s sovereign action. The training that God provided in Leviticus
was not voluntary. God came into their midst, and through Moses He
began speaking words of training regarding Himself. He trained them to
worship Him, partake of Him, be holy as He is holy, live a clean life, and
ultimately live a happy, rejoicing life. To be equipped to live such a life
was the goal. God’s people needed to be trained concerning [15] how they
should relate to the Tent of Meeting, where God dwelt in their midst.
The following passages are verses from Leviticus that point to the need
of training. Leviticus 26:11-12 says, “I will set My tabernacle among you;
and My soul will not abhor you. And I will walk among you and be your
God, and you will be My people.” We need to be trained so that we
correspond to God.
Leviticus 19:30 says, “You shall keep My Sabbaths and revere My
sanctuary; I am Jehovah.” His sanctuary, the Tent of Meeting, is the
church. How do you think God feels on any given Lord’s Day when we are
gathered for the Lord’s table and approximately forty percent of the saints
in a locality habitually arrive late? Have we considered how God feels? It
is an act of disrespect both to Christ and to the church for us to arrive late
to the Lord’s table meeting. I emphasize that I speak of being habitually
late; anyone among us may be circumstantially late. Therefore, we need to
be trained to have a proper regard for the sanctuary, that is, the meetings of
God and His people.
Leviticus 17:8-9 says, “You shall say to them, Anyone of the house of
Israel or of the sojourners who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt
offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of
Meeting to sacrifice it to Jehovah, that man shall be cut off from his
people.” This is a word of training on what we can enjoy of Christ at home
and what we can enjoy of Christ only in the church meeting.
Leviticus 18:2-4 is a crucial portion that says, “I am Jehovah your God.
You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt; and
you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you,
nor shall you walk in their statutes. You shall observe My ordinances, and
you shall keep My statutes to walk in them; I am Jehovah your God.” God
said, “I am Jehovah” in the beginning of this portion and again at the end;
by this reiteration, God seemed to be saying, “You must realize who I am
and who is here in your midst. It is I, Jehovah, who am in your midst
training you.”
It may seem that God’s training is simply a list of requirements. It may
appear that way, but actually, God is ready to apply the universal,
all-inclusive, inexhaustible Christ as everything to God and everything to
us. God has an indescribably wonderful provision for us. Every aspect of
our fallen condition has been addressed by Christ as the offerings. The
need to contact God has been taken care of by Christ as the Priest. There is
a provision for our unclean nature to be washed and purified. In [16]
training us, God wants to supply us with everything we need of Himself so
that we can match Him. In Exodus a major portion is devoted to training.
In Numbers and Deuteronomy there are also portions given to training.
Leviticus, however, is in particular a book of training, and the central
thought in this book of training is that the universal, all-inclusive,
inexhaustible Christ is everything to God and everything to God’s people.

The Entire Book of Leviticus Being a Record

of God’s Speaking in the Tabernacle, Which Is a Building
The entire book of Leviticus is a record of God’s speaking in the
tabernacle, which is a building (1:1).

God’s Speaking Today Being in His Tabernacle,

and This Tabernacle Being the Church

According to the Principle of the Typology,

God Speaking in the Church as His Tabernacle;
This Tent of Meeting Being the Oracle,
the Place of God’s Speaking
God’s speaking today is in His tabernacle, and this tabernacle is the
church (John 1:14; 14:2; 1 Tim. 3:15). According to the principle of the
typology, God speaks in the church as His tabernacle; this Tent of Meeting
is the oracle, the place of God’s speaking (Lev. 1:1). When we are
assembled together as the church, we have the practicality of the Tent of
Meeting, with God in Christ as the Spirit to be God’s speaking among us.
As we are meeting, the living God has a word to speak to each one of us.
Since He is God, He can train all of us at the same time, knowing each one
of our cases. He is very good at being God and very good at training us. If
we have a cleansed, circumcised, opened, and anointed ear, we will hear
the Spirit’s speaking as He speaks in the Tent of Meeting. Therefore, the
Tent of Meeting is the oracle, the place of God’s speaking.

The Preciousness of the Tabernacle Being God’s Speaking;

Today the Preciousness of the Church
 Being the Speaking God and God’s Speaking
The preciousness of the tabernacle was God’s speaking; today the
preciousness of the church is the speaking God and God’s speaking
(27:34). [17]

GOD TRAINING HIS PEOPLE TO WORSHIP AND PARTAKE OF HIM

THROUGH THE OFFERINGS AND THE PRIESTHOOD

God trained His people to worship and partake of Him through the
offerings and the priesthood (chs. 1—10). In this section, we need a
particular unveiling of the intrinsic significance of the matters of worship
and partaking. The points in this section of this message outline highlight
the main significances of the offerings; the succeeding messages will
unlock them in greater detail.

The Intrinsic Significance of Worship

May the Lord unveil to us the intrinsic significance of the matter of
worship. In Matthew 2:11, after the Lord Jesus was born and no longer in
the manger but in a house, the magi found Him, fell down before Him, and
worshipped Him. Several times in Matthew and John, while the Lord was a
man in the flesh, He was worshipped. We may say that in those incidents
there was a kind of objective yet genuine worship. In addition to that kind
of genuine worship, there are religious concepts of what should happen
when we worship God.
John 4:23-24 says, “An hour is coming, and it is now, when the true
worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the
Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.” These verses make it
clear that the Father is still seeking true worshippers. The worship
described in these verses is a subjective worship in the divine dispensing.
This is the kind of worship that is the expression of our eating and drinking
of Christ and of our having Christ wrought into our being.
Particularly in the Lord’s Day meeting, after we have partaken of the
Lord’s table, there should be a substantial time for worshipping the Father
in spirit and truthfulness. In the matter of worshipping the Father in spirit, I
believe we have made significant progress. In the matter of worshipping
the Father in truthfulness, however, I believe we have made very little
progress. To worship in truthfulness means that the divine reality of the
processed and consummated Triune God has been wrought into our being
experientially to become our genuineness and sincerity. Our knowledge is
fragmented, and only the Lord knows the entire situation. However, our
worship to the Father often consists mainly of singing a hymn and
declaring some stanzas from the hymn to the Father. I am deeply touched
when I see a saint actually worshipping the Father out of something of the
Christ that has been wrought into his or her [18] being. What would happen
if we exercised not merely to read from the hymns but to praise the Lord
and worship the Father according to what has been wrought into us? I am
not suggesting that we should not read from the hymnal but that there is
something further with respect to worshipping the Father in truthfulness,
worshipping out of what He has wrought into us of Christ.
Brother Lee’s book How to Meet is a record of the first training, at least
in English, that Brother Lee gave on worshipping the Lord (The Collected
Works of Witness Lee, 1969, vol. 1, pp. 97-317). God has laws in the
spiritual realm, just as He has laws in the physical realm. The laws in the
spiritual realm are stricter than those in the physical realm. The following
portions give an example of one of these spiritual laws—that at the feasts
we must not appear before God empty-handed. These are words of
training. Deuteronomy 16:16-17 says, “Three times a year all your males
shall appear before Jehovah your God in the place which He will choose: at
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of
Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before Jehovah empty-handed;
each man shall give as he is able to give, according to the blessing of
Jehovah your God, which He has given you.” We also see this law in
Exodus 23:15 and 34:20, where God commanded His people not to appear
before Him empty. I feel that I must be faithful, to the Lord and faithful to
the saints, to share my feeling that week after week, many of us come
before God empty. I do not think the Father is angry; He does not express
that kind of feeling. I just sense that He is not satisfied, not pleased, and
not rejoicing. In some meetings we may sing a hymn to the Father, and as
soon as the hymn is over, the meeting is shifted to the introduction of
visitors, without allowing time for the adequate worship of the Father.
Therefore, in the matter of worship, we are in desperate need of being
trained according to God’s spiritual laws.
God is not the only person who seeks worship. I say this to emphasize
how crucial the matter of worship is. There is another being in the
universe, the enemy, who wants to be worshipped. The devil tempted the
Lord Jesus by showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory
(Matt. 4:8) and saying, “All these will I give You if You will fall down and
worship me” (v. 9). Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is
written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you
serve’” (v. 10). Perhaps not too far in the future, a leader in Europe will
rise up. After he is assassinated and resuscitated, he will be manifested as
Antichrist. He will worship the dragon, Satan, and will demand that [19] he
himself also be worshipped (Rev. 13:4). The false prophet will require the
whole earth to worship the image of Antichrist (vv. 12, 15).
At the end of this age, there will be a battle raging over the matter of
worship. While this is taking place, an angel will appear to announce an
eternal gospel, saying, “Fear God and give Him the glory...; worship Him”
(14:7). The overcomers in Revelation 20:4 bear the particular characteristic
of being “those who had not worshipped the beast nor his image.”
Therefore, we need to be thoroughly trained in the matter of worship. We
need the Lord to thoroughly gain our being so that we would be absolute in
this matter and so that there would not be in our heart or in our possession
any object of worship other than God Himself.

The Intrinsic Significance of Partaking of God

May the Lord also unveil to us the intrinsic significance of partaking.
This is a simple word, but we will receive revelation by having an intrinsic
view of it. The word partaking has a threefold definition. First, to partake
is “to take part in or experience something along with others.” Therefore,
to partake is to be in a corporate situation where everyone together is
sharing in something. For example, we are partaking together in this
training. Second, to partake is “to have a portion for your enjoyment, such
as food.” For example, you may go to a salad bar and select your portion of
food. You are partaking of that salad. Third, to partake is “to possess or
share a certain nature or attribute.” Therefore, to partake of God is to
partake of His nature, to share His nature and attributes, to the extent that
they can be shared.
There are verses related to different levels of partaking. Leviticus
instructs the priests to partake of the meal offering as their portion (cf.
6:17). This indicates that the Lord wants us to partake of Him as the meal
offering corporately. Similarly, according to 1 Corinthians 10:17, which
speaks of the one bread, which represents the one Body, we all partake of
the one bread by eating of it.
First Corinthians 10:21 shows us the absoluteness of partaking: “You
cannot drink the Lord’s cup and the demons’ cup; you cannot partake of
the Lord’s table and of the demons’ table.” I remember Brother Lee
testifying once of his experience on a Saturday evening at home. He was
stirred up and even restless in his spirit, pacing around his house and
asking the Lord, “What are the saints doing tonight?” We dare not partake
of the demons’ table on Saturday night and then come to partake [20] of the
Lord’s table on the Lord’s Day, because to partake is to identify ourselves
with something and to be one with that thing.
Hebrews 12:10 through 14 shows that we must be sanctified by
partaking of the Father’s holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
We may pray sincerely, “Come, Lord Jesus.” However, to pray that the
Lord would come requires that we are ready to see Him. Without partaking
of God’s holiness, no one can see the Lord. Hebrews 6:4 says that we are
partakers of the Holy Spirit, and 2 Peter 1:4 reveals that we are partakers of
the divine nature. For us to partake of Him in all these ways requires
training.

Christ Being the Reality of the Offerings

The Burnt Offering, Which Was Wholly for God’s Satisfaction,

Typifying Christ as God’s Pleasure and Satisfaction,
the One Whose Living on Earth Was Absolutely for God
Christ is the reality of the offerings (John 1:29). The burnt offering,
which was wholly for God’s satisfaction, typifies Christ as God’s pleasure
and satisfaction, the One whose living on earth was absolutely for God
(Lev. 1:3; Num. 28:2-3; John 7:16-18).

The Meal Offering Typifying Christ in His Perfect Humanity

as Food for God and for Those Who Have Fellowship
with God and Serve Him
The meal offering typifies Christ in His perfect humanity as food for
God and for those who have fellowship with God and serve Him (Lev. 2:1,
4; John 7:46; 18:38; 19:4, 6).

The Peace Offering Typifying Christ as the Peacemaker,

the One Who Became the Peace and the Fellowship between Us
and God by Dying for Us, Enabling Us to Enjoy Christ
with God and to Have Fellowship with God in Christ
 for Our Mutual Satisfaction with God
The peace offering typifies Christ as the Peacemaker, the One who
became the peace and the fellowship between us and God by dying for us,
enabling us to enjoy Christ with God and to have fellowship with God in
Christ for our mutual satisfaction with God (Lev. 3:1; Eph. 2:14-15; John
12:1-3; 20:21). [21]

The Sin Offering Typifying Christ as the One

Who Was Made Sin for Us and Who Died on the Cross
to Deal with the Sinful Nature of Our Fallen Being
The sin offering typifies Christ as the One who was made sin for us and
who died on the cross to deal with the sinful nature of our fallen being
(Lev. 4:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3; John 1:29; 3:14).

The Trespass Offering Typifying Christ as the One

Who Bore Our Sins in His Own Body and Was Judged by God
on the Cross to Deal with Our Sinful Deeds
That We Might Be Forgiven in Our Sinful Conduct
The trespass offering typifies Christ as the One who bore our sins in His
own body and was judged by God on the cross to deal with our sinful
deeds that we might be forgiven in our sinful conduct (Lev. 5:6; 1 Pet.
2:24; 3:18; Isa. 53:5-6, 10-11; John 4:15-18).

The Wave Offering Typifying Christ

as the Resurrected One in Love
The wave offering typifies Christ as the resurrected One in love (Lev.
7:30; 10:15).

The Heave Offering Typifying the Powerful Christ

in Ascension and Exaltation
The heave offering typifies the powerful Christ in ascension and
exaltation (7:32; Exo. 29:27; Eph. 1:21).

The Drink Offering Typifying Christ,

 the One Poured Out as Wine before God for His Satisfaction
and Also the One Who Saturates Us with Himself
as Heavenly Wine to Be Poured Out
for God’s Enjoyment and Satisfaction
The drink offering typifies Christ, the One poured out as wine before
God for His satisfaction and also the One who saturates us with Himself as
heavenly wine to be poured out for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction (Lev.
23:13; Exo. 29:40; Num. 28:7-10; Isa. 53:12; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Judg.
9:13). Paul ended his course as one who had become a drink offering. In
Philippians 2:17 he was already experiencing this and said, “Even if I am
being poured out as a drink offering upon the [22] sacrifice and service of
your faith, I rejoice, and I rejoice together with you all.” In 2 Timothy 4:6,
at the end of his ministry, Paul said, “I am already being poured out, and
the time of my departure is at hand.” This is the way a faithful God-man
ends his course; he had been constituted with all the preceding seven
offerings, climaxing in his becoming a poured-out drink offering. The
drink offering brings cheer to God and cheer to man; hence, at this point all
are in ecstasy—God, the apostle, and the saints. Philippians 2:17 and 18
express this sentiment: “I rejoice, and I rejoice together with you all. And
in like manner you also rejoice, and you rejoice together with me.” The
Philippians rejoiced in Paul’s being poured out. This was a result of their
partaking of the new wine, giving them ecstatic delight in the Lord to
experience Christ in such a way.

Our Needing to Experience Christ

as the Reality of the Offerings

The Offerings Solving Our Problems

and Bridging the Gap between Us and God
We need to experience Christ as the reality of the offerings (John 1:29;
16:13; 1 John 5:6). The offerings solve our problems and bridge the gap
between us and God (John 14:6). Our God is amazing in His wisdom. He
created us for Himself. The enemy then did much to damage us. As a
result, sin came in, and we became those who are only for ourselves; this is
our problem. Nevertheless, God has come in to nullify the works of the
devil by providing us with Christ as the burnt offering. When we lay our
hands on Him, we become one with Him. Now in Christ, the absolute One
as the burnt offering, each one of us can declare, “I am for God.” The same
is true for every aspect of our humanity. The enemy damaged us, but God
used that damage as an opportunity to display the all-sufficiency of His
Christ. It is as if God said, “I present Christ to you as the meal offering.
Just eat Him, partake of Him, enjoy Him, and let Him reconstitute you.” It
is the same with the sin offering, the trespass offering, and all the other
offerings. Hence, the offerings solve all the problems and bridge the gap
between us and God. When we begin to experience Christ as the offerings,
we will be able to stand before God in Christ and say, “All my problems
have been solved. There is no gap between me and God.”
All our problems with God are solved by Christ as the offerings. This
[23] is God’s provision for us so that there is no gap, no distance, between
us and Him. The Lord came as the tabernacle, the enterable God, and then
He became the offerings by which we can enter into God. Today God
wants to train us to experience these offerings so that we can be freed from
all our problems and so that the gap between us and God will disappear.

The Offerings Being Good for Us to Enjoy God,

to Be Mingled with God, and to Have God Assimilated
into Our Being to Become Our Constituent
The offerings are good for us to enjoy God, to be mingled with God, and
to have God assimilated into our being to become our constituent (Gal.
4:19; Eph. 3:17; Col. 3:10-11). When we eat the meal offering, a portion of
the peace offering, or certain portions of the sin offering that signify the
redemptive life, this eating does something to our being. All that we need
to do is eat, masticate, digest, and assimilate, and we will be
constitutionally changed forever.

The Offerings Being the Way for Us to Enter into God

and Become Part of the Divine-human Incorporation
The offerings are the way for us to enter into God and become part of
the divine-human incorporation (John 14:6, 20). The tabernacle is a sign of
the divine and human incorporation. In John 14 the Son is in the Father; we
are in the Son and, through Him, in the Father also; and the Father is in the
Son as the Spirit. Hence, the Triune God is in us, and we share a mutual
abode. Today we are living in this mutual dwelling place, and whenever we
have a failure, there is a solution for our failure. When that solution is
applied, the enemy is put to shame, we are humbled, and God is happy that
we have recovered our fellowship with Him through Christ as the
offerings.

The Offerings Being Not Only Sacrifices to Solve Our Problems

but Also Presents to God for His Enjoyment
The offerings are not only sacrifices to solve our problems but also
presents to God for His enjoyment (Num. 28:2). Humanly speaking, it is a
delight to select a present for someone according to your knowledge of that
person. You may select an item that you know the other person appreciates,
needs, or likes and then give the item as a surprise gift to him or her. In a
similar sense, the offerings can become our presents to [24] God. The Father
desires to train us to worship Him with a present. In principle, such a
present may be to stand before the Father after the Lord’s table and say,
“Father, I worship You in the humanity of Your beloved Son; I worship
You with the constitution of the resurrected humanity of Jesus. I offer to
You not only Christ in Himself but also Christ wrought into me as a
present of love. Thank You for sending Your Son in the likeness of the
flesh of sin and concerning sin. Father, as one of Your many sons with the
firstborn Son, I wish to present Your Son to You as experienced by me.”
After such a worship of the Father, there will be a sense of deep
satisfaction.
I can remember when, for me, Mondays were the best day of the work
week, in contrast to the experience of my co-workers. In those days we
practiced having the Lord’s table meeting in the evening, and we often left
the meeting with a deep sense of God’s satisfaction, which flowed over
into the next day. I believe that God was happy and joyful with such
worship. Nevertheless, we are not going back to that time; rather, we are
going on to a glorious future.

God’s People Having Been Trained to Worship

and Partake of God through the Priests, Who Typify Christ
as God’s Priest Offering Himself to God for Us
God’s people were trained to worship and partake of God through the
priests, who typify Christ as God’s Priest offering Himself to God for us
(Lev. 1:5-8; 2:2; 3:2; 4:5, 10; 5:8; Heb. 5:5-6; 9:14, 26; 10:10).

According to the Record in the Holy Word,

 the Reality of the Universe Being Christ
as the Tabernacle and the Offerings
According to the record in the holy Word, the reality of the universe is
Christ as the tabernacle and the offerings (John 1:14, 29; 14:6). As the
God-man, Christ is the tabernacle to be the dwelling place for God and
man, and He is the offerings for man to enter into God (1:14; 14:20, 23;
1:29). Christ, who is the reality of the tabernacle and the offerings, is the
reality and content of the universe (vv. 14, 17b). Through Christ as the
offerings, we can dwell in God, and God can dwell in us; this is the reality
of the universe and the content of the Bible (15:4a). Christ as the tabernacle
brings God to man, and Christ as the offerings brings man to God so that
man may be united, mingled, and incorporated with God (1:14, 29). [25]
What a statement that the reality of the universe is Christ as the
tabernacle and the offerings! This statement is based on various portions in
The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of
John. The universe in and of itself is a shell. To have only the shell is as
meaningless as having a physical body with no spirit or soul. The meaning
of the universe and its true content is Christ as the tabernacle. This
tabernacle is the Father’s house in John 14, the mutual dwelling place that
will ultimately become the New Jerusalem. This is the meaning of the
universe, this is the reason it exists, and this is its content. There will need
to be a new heaven and new earth in order to contain this reality. The
meaning of the universe is also Christ as the reality of the offerings. The
Lord made it clear when He established His table that He would not drink
of the fruit of the vine until He drinks it new with the disciples in His
Father’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29). The Lord’s words indicate that His table
will continue in some form in the kingdom age. In the New Jerusalem for
eternity, our Husband is the Lamb, the redeeming God. Regarding this
One, Brother Lee helped us to see that there will be some kind of Lord’s
table meeting as an eternal remembrance of Him. Thus, when we enter into
Christ as the reality of the tabernacle and through Christ as the reality of
the offerings, we touch the meaning of the universe. Apart from this
reality, everything is vain; apart from this, our human life is vain.

GOD TRAINING HIS PEOPLE TO LIVE

A HOLY, CLEAN, AND REJOICING LIFE

God trained His people to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life. There are
some crucial verses in Leviticus regarding God training His people to live
such a life. Leviticus 11:44 and 45 say, “I am Jehovah your God. Sanctify
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy...For I am Jehovah, who
brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God; you shall therefore
be holy, for I am holy.” In chapter 20, verses 7 and 8 say, “Sanctify
yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Jehovah your God...I am
Jehovah who sanctifies you.” Verse 24 says, “I am Jehovah your God, who
has separated you from the peoples.” Verse 26 says, “You shall be holy to
Me, because I Jehovah am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples
to be Mine.” In chapter 22, verses 32 and 33 say, “You shall not profane
My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel; I am
Jehovah who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to
be your God; I am Jehovah.” [26]
There are similar verses in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:14 says,
“Pursue...sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord.” We
know from Ephesians 1:4 that we were chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world “to be holy.” This means that we have no choice
concerning the matter. Moreover, the New Jerusalem is called the holy
city, indicating that it is our destiny to be holy (Rev. 21:2). Much of the
New Testament presents clear teaching concerning our being sanctified,
our partaking of God’s holiness. Whether or not we desire to be holy, being
holy is our destiny, for the God who dwells in our midst is holy, and His
commandment is that we be holy as He is holy. He seemed to say to the
Israelites, “I sanctified you. I do not want you to be like the Egyptians or
the Canaanites.” In a similar manner, He would say to the young people
today, “I do not want your mind to be according to the mind of this age. I
do not want you to think of male and female in the way the world does. I
want you to have My mind, My view, My thinking. I shed My blood to
separate you, to sanctify you, to bring you to Myself, and I will train you
how to be saturated, permeated, and constituted with Me.”

God Charging His People to Have a Holy Living

according to His Holy Nature

Being Holy Because God Is Holy

Signifying Walking according to God’s Holiness,
Living a Holy Life
God charged His people to have a holy living according to His holy
nature (Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; Exo. 19:6; 22:31; Deut. 14:2; 26:19;
28:9). Being holy because God is holy signifies walking according to
God’s holiness, living a holy life (Lev. 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet. 1:15; 2 Pet. 3:11).

Leviticus Revealing That in Order to Live a Holy Life,

Our Having to Put Off the Old Life and Put On the New;
God Charging the People of Israel to Put Off
the Former Egyptian Conduct and Not to Walk
in the Statutes of the Canaanites
Leviticus reveals that in order to live a holy life, we must put off the old
life and put on the new (cf. Eph. 4:17—5:21); God charged the people of
Israel to put off the former Egyptian conduct (Lev. 18:3a) and not to walk
in the statutes of the Canaanites (v. 3b). [27]

The Mutual Enjoyment between God

and His People Separating His People unto Himself
from Everything other than Him, Making Them a Holy Nation
The mutual enjoyment between God and His people separates His
people unto Himself from everything other than Him, making them a holy
nation (Exo. 19:6).

Before the Foundation of the World,

God Choosing Us to Be Holy
Before the foundation of the world, God chose us to be holy (Eph. 1:4).
Holy means not only sanctified, separated unto God, but also different,
distinct, from everything that is common. Only God is different, distinct,
from all things; hence, He is holy; holiness is His nature. He makes us holy
by imparting Himself, the Holy One, into our being so that our whole being
is permeated and saturated with His holy nature (1 Thes. 5:23). For us to be
holy is for us to partake of God’s nature and to have our whole being
permeated with God Himself (2 Pet. 1:4). Thus, to be holy is to be the same
as God in nature. The fact that we were chosen to be holy before the
foundation of the world indicates that the high peak of the divine revelation
was not an afterthought; it was in God before the foundation of the world.

In Leviticus 12—15
 God Training His People to Live a Clean Life
In Leviticus 12—15 God trained His people to live a clean life.

Being Cleansed to Match God

In Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, an entire message is devoted to
the matter of cleansing (vol. 1, ch. 7). There are three stages of God’s
cleansing us—at the time of redemption, at the time of salvation, and after
being saved (Lev. 16:15-17; Acts 15:9; 1 John 3:3). It is significant that
after his great sin, David prayed in Psalm 51:2, “Wash me thoroughly from
my iniquity, / And from my sin cleanse me.” We have all prayed for
forgiveness, but we may not have been trained to realize that we need to
pray for cleansing. In Psalm 51:10 David prayed, “Create in me a clean
heart, O God.”
There are many verses on our being cleansed to match God, because He
is aware of our uncleanness. We have the uncleanness that comes [28] from
touching things that are unclean, the uncleanness of the defilement from
our sins, and at a deeper level, the uncleanness of our natural being.
Leviticus 15 speaks of the discharges from the human body, all of which
are unclean, signifying that everything that issues from our natural life is
unclean. If we consider how many filthy, defiling words are spoken on the
Internet day by day, we will realize that it is full of uncleanness. We need
to have a realization of our uncleanness so that we are ready to receive the
Lord’s provision to cleanse us. According to Isaiah, the outward result of
God’s cleansing is that we become “as white as snow” (1:18). Our being
will be so clean before God that it will appear as though it has never been
defiled. Thus, we will be thoroughly cleansed.
We must see our need for cleansing. Proverbs 20:9 says, “Who can say,
I have made my heart clean; / I am pure from my sin?” Isaiah 6:5 says, “I
am a man of unclean lips, / And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I
dwell.” Next, we need to realize the three stages of being cleansed. First,
the Lord accomplished redemption as a purifying work in the universe.
Then when we were saved, this purifying work of redemption was applied
to us through the blood. Following this, we experience the cleansing in life
by the washing of the divine life.
Hebrews 9:22 says, “Almost all things are purified by blood,” and 1:3
says that the Lord, “having made purification of sins, sat down.” Thus, for
redemption, the Lord had to not only die for our sins; He also had to make
purification of sins. Then at the time of our salvation the Lord’s blood was
a fountain for sin. Zechariah 13:1 says, “There will be an opened
fountain...for sin and for impurity,” meaning that there is a fountain opened
for the washing of sin and uncleanness. When we received the Lord, we
were washed in the blood of the Lamb. Hymns, #1007 asks, “Are you
washed in the blood, / In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? / Are your
garments spotless? Are they white as snow? / Are you washed in the blood
of the Lamb?” We can respond by singing, “We are washed in the blood, /
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb. / All our garments are spotless;
they are white as snow. / We are washed in the blood of the Lamb.”
Regarding the cleansing of the blood at the time of our salvation,
Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more will the blood of Christ...purify our
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Right now, the God
who is training us desires to purify our conscience by the blood of Christ.
Then concerning the cleansing of life, Acts 15:9 speaks of “cleansing
their hearts by faith.” The cleansing here is not by the blood but by the [29]
inward washing of the Spirit of life. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul describes the
unclean state of the believers before they were saved. Verses 9 through 11
say, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be led astray; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the covetous, not
drunkards, not revilers, not the rapacious will inherit the kingdom of God.
And these things were some of you; but you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and
in the Spirit of our God.” No matter what you were, brothers and sisters,
you have been washed by the Spirit, by the divine life. Hence, Titus 3:5
speaks of “the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy
Spirit.”
Right now, in His heavenly ministry, Christ is fulfilling Ephesians 5. He
will present to Himself a glorious church as His beautiful bride (vv. 26-27).
Verse 26 says that He is cleansing her by “the washing of the water in the
word.” By such cleansing, He will fulfill Song of Songs 4:7, which says,
“You are altogether beautiful, my love, / And there is no blemish in you”
(cf. Eph. 5:27). Thus, as the Lord is ministering, He desires to wash His
entire recovery, including all the churches and all the saints. This is
altogether precious. The water of life washes us constitutionally so that
every defect, scar, wound, wrinkle, and everything contrary to the glorious
expression of God is washed away. This is on God’s side.
On our side, we need to heed 2 Corinthians 7:1, which says, “Let us
cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and of spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.” Moreover, we have for our daily living the
promise in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous
to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He does
not merely forgive us and leave us defiled; He also cleanses us. Verse 7
says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.” If
we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus His Son is continually cleansing us
from every sin.

Leviticus 12 Showing Us the Cleansing from

the Human Impurity by Birth, and Chapters 13 and 14
Speaking of Being Cleansed from Leprosy
Leviticus 12 shows us the cleansing from the human impurity by birth,
and chapters 13 and 14 speak of being cleansed from leprosy. [30]

Chapter 15 Revealing That We Need to Be Cleansed

from All Unclean Discharges from the Human Being;
Anything Discharged from Our Being,
Including Our Words, Being Unclean
Chapter 15 reveals that we need to be cleansed from all unclean
discharges from the human being; anything discharged from our being,
including our words, is unclean.

Our Needing the Cross of Christ

to End Our Old Life and the Resurrection of Christ
to Give Us a New Beginning
We need the cross of Christ to end our old life and the resurrection of
Christ to give us a new beginning (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor.
5:17).

Our Also Needing the Water of Life,

Which Is the Washing, Cleansing Spirit
of Life Embodied in the Word
We also need the water of life, which is the washing, cleansing Spirit of
life embodied in the word (Eph. 5:26).

God Training the People of Israel

to Live a Rejoicing Life, a Happy Life
God trained the people of Israel to live a rejoicing life, a happy life (Phil.
4:4). To rejoice is to allow our joy to be expressed; it is to express the joy
that is in us. In the type of the children of Israel, such rejoicing occurred
especially at the feasts, which were times of rejoicing. A rejoicing life is a
life of enjoying God in Christ as everything. Thus, rejoicing comes from
enjoyment. God wants His people to be happy with Him in His presence.
This is the direction in which the book of Leviticus is moving—toward the
feasts, the jubilee, to announce liberation, recovery, a return to your
allotted portion of the all-inclusive Christ, and the release from all
bondage. Oh, sound the trumpet of jubilee, come to feast after feast, and be
happy with God and before Him!
In chapter 7 of The Indwelling Christ in the Canon of the New
Testament, Brother Lee speaks concerning “the law of rejoicing”:
More than thirty years ago I was deep in trial. I remembered the
verse that said we must rejoice in the Lord. I was [31] suffering
very much, so I really needed to rejoice. But how could I rejoice?
I tried to rejoice again and again, but I simply could not do it.
Now I understand. To rejoice is not an act; it is a law. If we try to
rejoice, that is just an act. It will never work. But if we keep the
principle of the spiritual law, spontaneously we will be rejoicing.
Rejoicing is a law that belongs to the Spirit of life, and the Spirit
of life is nothing less than Christ as the life-giving Spirit. Christ
Himself is the Spirit of life, and within Him there is such a law.
(The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1973–1974, vol. 1, p. 572)
Through his trial, Brother Lee learned that rejoicing is not an act but a law,
a law that belongs to the Spirit of life. Hence, in the Spirit of life there is
the law of rejoicing, and when we touch the Spirit of life, the law of
rejoicing is activated. No matter what our situation may be outwardly, deep
within, this law works. This law is in the Spirit of life, and this Spirit is
nothing less than Christ as the life-giving Spirit. Brother Lee continues,
When I tried to rejoice more than thirty years ago in that
situation, I failed. But now I have learned to call on the Lord. “O
Lord Jesus. O Lord Jesus. O Lord Jesus.” After calling for a few
minutes, it is easy to rejoice, for the rejoicing One lives within
 me. That is the law. When we call upon the name of the Lord
Jesus, we touch Him, and He is the Spirit of life. Within Him
there is the law of rejoicing. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord that there
is such a law within us! (p. 572)
According to our brother’s experience, what we need to do is call on the
name of the Lord. After calling on the Lord, it will be easy to rejoice, for
the rejoicing One lives within us. When we call on the name of the Lord,
we touch Him as the Spirit of life, and within Him as the Spirit of life is the
law of rejoicing. Hence, by calling on His name, we are released. I am tired
of trying to make myself happy or spontaneous. I cannot do it or be it, but I
am certain that I can genuinely call, “O Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus! O Lord
Jesus!” and touch Him as the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit of life. In this
Spirit there is the law of rejoicing, and by touching Him, He as the
rejoicing One rejoices in us. Hence, Paul says to rejoice in the Lord (Phil.
3:1). Praise the Lord that there is such a law within us!
A special time of rejoicing is at the feasts. To hold a feast is to come to
God and enjoy God with God. This was God’s intention when He sent
Moses to Pharaoh, saying, “Let My people go that they may hold a feast
[32] to Me in the wilderness” (Exo. 5:1). God was not happy to see His
people as slaves in Egypt; He heard their cry and mourning and was
delivering them to bring them into an incredible happiness. He seemed to
be saying, “They will hold a feast unto Me, with Me, in Me, and to Me.
They will touch Me as the happy God, and I will make them a happy
people. We will rejoice together.” All these feasts require meeting,
assembling, and eating.
Thus, we see that in the book of Leviticus, God was training the people
of Israel to live a rejoicing life, a happy life.

The Weekly Sabbath

Being the Principal Denotation of All the Annual Feasts;
These Feasts Being a Sabbath,
Which Was for God’s Redeemed People
to Rest with God and with One Another
The weekly Sabbath was the principal denotation of all the annual feasts;
these feasts were a Sabbath, which was for God’s redeemed people to rest
with God and with one another (Lev. 23:1-3).
 The Monthly New Moon Feast Signifying
That We Can Experience a New Beginning in Christ
as Our Joy and Enjoyment with Light in Darkness
The monthly new moon feast signifies that we can experience a new
beginning in Christ as our joy and enjoyment with light in darkness (Num.
10:10; 28:11-15).

The Feast of the Passover Typifying Christ as Our Passover

for Our Initial and Foundational Salvation—
a Time of Rejoicing
The Feast of the Passover typifies Christ as our Passover for our initial
and foundational salvation—a time of rejoicing (Lev. 23:4-5; Exo. 12:2-14;
1 Cor. 5:7).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread Typifying the Entire Course

of Our Christian Life without Sin
The Feast of Unleavened Bread typifies the entire course of our
Christian life without sin (Lev. 23:6-8; Exo. 12:15-20). [33]

The Feast of Firstfruits Typifying the Resurrected Christ

for Our Enjoyment as a Feast in His Resurrection
The Feast of Firstfruits typifies the resurrected Christ for our enjoyment
as a feast in His resurrection (Lev. 23:9-14; 1 Cor. 15:20).

The Feast of Pentecost Typifying the Enjoyment of

the Outpouring of the Spirit for the Formation of the Church
The Feast of Pentecost typifies the enjoyment of the outpouring of the
Spirit for the formation of the church (Lev. 23:15-22).

The Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets Typifying

God’s Calling Together of His Scattered People
The Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets typifies God’s calling together of
His scattered people (vv. 23-25; Matt. 24:30-31).

The Feast of Expiation Typifying

the Enjoyment for the Whole House of Israel
After They Will Be Gathered Together by God
The Feast of Expiation typifies the enjoyment for the whole house of
Israel after they will be gathered together by God (Lev. 23:26-32; Rom.
11:25-27; Zech. 12:10-14).

The Feast of Tabernacles Typifying the Enjoyment

of the Age of Restoration to Be Fulfilled in the Millennium
The Feast of Tabernacles typifies the enjoyment of the age of restoration
to be fulfilled in the millennium (Lev. 23:33-44; Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4, 6).

The Sabbath Year Typifying Christ

as Our Rest in Full
The Sabbath year typifies Christ as our rest in full (Lev. 25:1-7, 18-22).

The Jubilee, the Pentecostal Year, Typifying Christ

as Our Full Release, Rest, and Joy
by His Redeeming Back What We Have Lost in Our Rights
and Have Sold in Ourselves
The jubilee, the Pentecostal year, typifies Christ as our full release, [34]
rest, and joy by His redeeming back what we have lost in our rights and
have sold in ourselves (vv. 8-17).

The Book of Leviticus Showing Us

What Kind of God Our God Is;
Our God Wanting Us to Be “Hallelujah People,”
Who Rejoice in the Lord Always
The book of Leviticus shows us what kind of God our God is; our God
wants us to be “Hallelujah people,” who rejoice in the Lord always (Phil.
4:4). Praise the Lord! Our rejoicing based on our enjoyment will cease
being a moody, fleeting activity. God is here to train us to worship Him in
reality, partake of Him in His nature, and be holy as He is holy by being
saturated with Him. He will train us to be clean by washing us objectively
with the blood and cleansing us thoroughly with His life. God is going to
make us a rejoicing people by filling us with joy and enabling us to release
our joy. No matter what kind of disposition you have, this is your year of
jubilee. God will release you from the prison of your self so that you
rejoice in the Lord in His training you to have a feast of joy. We are the
“Hallelujah” people. Hence, let us praise the Lord, thank Him, and tell Him
that we are willing to be trained for this.—R. K.
 [35]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Taking Christ as the Burnt Offering

for God’s Satisfaction and Expression
(Message 2)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 1:1-17; 6:8-13; Num. 28:2-3; John 4:23-24;

5:30; 6:38; 8:29; Rev. 21:18-21

I. The burnt offering (Lev. 1:1-17; 6:8-13), which was wholly for
God’s satisfaction, as food for God, signifies Christ as God’s
pleasure and satisfaction, as the One whose living on earth was
absolutely for God (1:3; Num. 28:2-3; John 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; Heb.
10:5-10):
A. As the burnt offering, Christ was brought to the slaughter—Isa.
53:7; Matt. 27:31; Phil. 2:8.
B. As the burnt offering, Christ was slaughtered—Lev. 1:5a; Luke
23:21; Acts 2:23.
C. As the burnt offering, Christ was skinned, stripped of the outward
appearance of His human virtues—Lev. 1:6a; Matt. 11:19; Mark
3:22; John 8:48; 10:20; Matt. 26:65; 27:28, 35; Psa. 22:18.
D. As the burnt offering, Christ was cut into pieces—Lev. 1:6b;
Mark 15:29-32; Luke 23:35-39; Psa. 22:16-17.
E. Christ’s experience in being wisdom is signified by the head of
the burnt offering—Lev. 1:8; Luke 2:40, 52; Mark 9:40; Matt.
12:30; 21:23-27; 22:15-22, 34-40.
F. Christ’s experience in being God’s delight is signified by the fat
of the burnt offering—Lev. 1:8-9; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Isa. 42:1;
Matt. 12:18; John 6:38; 8:29; 7:16-18.
G. Christ’s experience in the inward parts of His being is signified
by the inward parts of the burnt offering—Lev. 1:9; Luke 2:49;
John 2:17; Matt. 26:39; Isa. 53:12; 42:4; Mark 2:8.
H. Christ’s experience in His walk is signified by the legs of the
burnt offering—Lev. 1:9; Luke 24:19; John 8:46; 10:30; 8:29;
16:32; Luke 23:46; John 14:30b. [36]
I. Christ’s experience of being kept by the Holy Spirit from
defilement is signified by the legs and the inward parts of the
burnt offering being washed—Lev. 1:9, 13a; Luke 4:1; Heb.
 7:26.
II. The more we enjoy Christ as our burnt offering, the more we realize
how sinful we are; then we can take Him as our sin offering more
deeply than ever (Lev. 6:25), and this causes us to enjoy Him more as
the burnt offering (16:3, 5).
III. By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering, we are joined to
Him, and He and we become one—1:4:
A. In such a union, such an identification, all our weaknesses,
defects, and faults are taken on by Him, and all His virtues
become ours—2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 2:20.
B. By such a union, Christ becomes one with us and lives in us,
repeating in us the life that He lived on earth, the life of the burnt
offering—6:17.
IV. We need to take Christ as our burnt offering daily (Lev. 1:2-4;
6:12-13; Num. 28:3-4; cf. 2 Tim. 2:6) so that we may experience
Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering, not imitating Christ
outwardly but living Him in our daily life—2 Cor. 5:14-15; Phil.
1:19-21; Acts 27:22-25; 28:3-9; 1 Cor. 1:9:
A. We need to experience Christ in His being brought to the
slaughter—Phil. 3:10; Gal. 6:17; 1 Cor. 11:1; Acts 21:30-36.
B. We need to experience Christ in His being slaughtered—2 Cor.
4:7-13, 16-18.
C. We need to experience Christ in His being skinned—Acts 24:5-6;
2 Cor. 6:8; 12:15-18; Matt. 5:11.
D. We need to experience Christ in His being cut to pieces—1 Cor.
4:12-13.
E. We need to experience Christ in His wisdom—1:24, 30; 2:7; Col.
1:28; 2 Chron. 1:10.
F. We need to experience Christ in His being a delight to
God—Lev. 1:16b; Psa. 20:3; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:4-8; Gal. 1:10;
Rom. 14:17-18.
G. We need to experience Christ in the inward parts of His
being—Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:16b; Rom. 8:6; Phil. 1:8; 2 Cor. 11:10;
1 Cor. 16:24.
H. We need to experience Christ in His walk—Matt. 11:29; Eph.
4:20; 1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Pet. 2:21; Rom. 8:4. [37]
I. We need to experience Christ in His being kept by the Holy
Spirit from defilement—1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5; John 7:38-39; cf.
Dan. 1:8.
V. The more we take Christ as our burnt offering, the more the outward
expression of His beauty is ascribed to us for His magnification (Lev.
 7:8; Psa. 90:17; Exo. 28:2; Phil. 1:20), and the more we enjoy Christ
as our enveloping power to cover, protect, and preserve us (4:13; 2
Cor. 12:9).
VI. We need to worship the Father with Christ as the burnt offering for
God’s satisfaction—Lev. 1:3, 9b; Num. 28:2-3; John 4:23-24:
A. God wants us to worship Him with Christ as the reality of the
offerings; the offerings are for pleasing God and making Him
happy—vv. 23-24; cf. Heb. 10:5-10.
B. God is hungry and needs food; the offerings are God’s
food—Num. 28:2-3:
1. One of the main purposes of the offerings is that they are
food for God.
2. The burnt offering is God’s food so that He may enjoy it and
be satisfied, and only He is allowed to eat it—Lev. 1:9b.
C. The burnt offering is for God’s satisfaction to fulfill His
desire—Num. 28:2:
1. The burnt offering denotes Christ’s being absolute for God’s
satisfaction—John 6:38.
2. Proper worship is a matter of satisfying God with Christ as
the burnt offering—1 Pet. 2:5; John 4:34; 5:30; 8:29.
3. The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” denotes
something that is ascending; this ascending refers to
Christ—Lev. 1:3, 10, 14:
a. The only thing that can ascend to God from earth is the
life lived by Christ, for He is the unique person to live a
life that is absolutely for God—John 6:38.
b. As the burnt offering, Christ is absolutely for living a life
that can satisfy God in full—8:29:
(1) By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering,
we are joined to Him—Lev. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:17.
(2) As Christ lives in us, He repeats in us the life He lived
on earth, the life of the burnt offering—Gal. 2:20. [38]
4. The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” literally
mean “savor of rest or satisfaction,” that is, a savor giving
satisfaction to God—Lev. 1:9:
a. A satisfying fragrance is a savor that brings satisfaction,
peace, and rest; such a satisfying fragrance is an
enjoyment to God.
b. When we worship the Father with Christ as the reality of
the burnt offering, a fragrance well pleasing to God will
ascend to Him for His satisfaction—John 4:23-24.
 c. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet
acceptance to us; this is the significance of the burnt
offering.
VII. We are being reduced to ashes to become the New Jerusalem for
God’s expression—Lev. 1:16; 6:10-11; Psa. 20:3; 1 Cor. 3:12a; Rev.
3:12; 21:2, 10-11, 18-21:
A. The burnt offering indicates that we have a heart that is absolute
for God in this age—Rom. 12:1-2.
B. The ashes signify Christ reduced to nothing—Mark 9:12; Isa.
53:3:
1. The Lord’s desire is that all the believers in Christ be reduced
to ashes.
2. Since we are one with the Christ who has been reduced to
ashes, we also are reduced to ashes, that is, reduced to
nothing, to zero—1 Cor. 1:28; 2 Cor. 12:11.
3. The more we are identified with Christ in His death, the more
we will realize that we have become a heap of ashes.
4. When we become ashes, we are no longer a natural person;
instead, we are a person who has been crucified, terminated,
burned—Gal. 2:20a.
C. The ashes are a sign of God’s acceptance of the burnt
offering—Psa. 20:3:
1. For God to accept the burnt offering is for Him to turn it to
ashes.
2. For God to accept the burnt offering also means that He
accepts it as fat, something that is sweet and pleasing to Him.
D. Putting the ashes at the east side of the altar, the side of the
sunrise, is an allusion to resurrection—Lev. 1:16; John 11:25;
Phil. 3:10-11; 2 Cor. 1:9: [39]
1. With Christ as the burnt offering, the ashes are not the
end—they are the beginning—Mark 9:31.
2. The ashes mean that Christ has been put to death, but the east
signifies resurrection.
3. The more we are reduced to ashes in Christ, the more we will
be put to the east, and on the east we will have the assurance
that the sun will rise and that we will experience the sunrise
of resurrection—Phil. 3:10-11.
E. Eventually, the ashes will become the New Jerusalem—Rev.
3:12; 21:2, 10:
1. Christ’s death brings us to an end; that is, it reduces us to
ashes.
 2. Christ’s death brings in resurrection, and in resurrection the
ashes become precious materials for God’s building—1 Cor.
3:9b, 12a.
3. When we are reduced to ashes, we are brought into the
transformation of the Triune God—Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 3:18.
4. The precious materials for the building of the New Jerusalem
come from the transformation of the ashes—Rev. 21:18-21.
F. The result of our being a burnt offering will be something that
carries out God’s economy—1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 3:9; 1:10.

[40]

MESSAGE TWO

TAKING CHRIST AS THE BURNT OFFERING

FOR GOD’S SATISFACTION AND EXPRESSION
The book of Leviticus is a book of training, and in this training, the
Trainer is God. He is training us how to worship Him, how to partake of
Him, and how to live in Him, to live in His house, and to live with His
people. What a wonderful training this is!
Concerning the burnt offering, Leviticus 1:1-13 says,
Then Jehovah called to Moses and spoke to him out of the Tent
of Meeting, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to
them, When any one of you presents an offering to Jehovah, you
shall present your offering from the cattle, of the herd or of the
flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall
present it, a male without blemish; he shall present it at the
entrance of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before
Jehovah. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt
offering, and it shall be accepted for him, to make expiation for
him. And he shall slaughter the young bull before Jehovah; and
Aaron’s sons the priests shall present the blood and sprinkle the
blood on and around the altar that is at the entrance of the Tent of
Meeting. And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its
pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar
and arrange the wood in order on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the
priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat in order on
the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar; but its inward
 parts and its legs he shall wash with water. Then the priest shall
burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by
fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah. And if his offering is from
the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he
shall present it, a male without blemish. And he shall slaughter it
on the side [41] of the altar northward before Jehovah, and
Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood on and around the
altar. And he shall cut it into its pieces with its head and its fat,
and the priest shall arrange them in order on the wood that is on
the fire which is on the altar; but the inward parts and the legs he
shall wash with water. Then the priest shall present the whole and
burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a
satisfying fragrance to Jehovah.
This message is entitled “Taking Christ as the Burnt Offering for God’s
Satisfaction and Expression.” Taking Christ as the burnt offering means
that we are not the burnt offering. We do not offer ourselves as the burnt
offering, nor do we offer our experiences as the burnt offering. We offer
Christ as the burnt offering, and this offering becomes a satisfaction to
God. However, if we look at the last word of this title, we can see that this
offering becomes not only a satisfaction to God; it also issues in God’s
expression. As we consider the message outline, we must keep in mind that
the result of our enjoyment of Christ as the burnt offering is both God’s
satisfaction and God’s expression.
This message presents a full portrait of the burnt offering, and it is
constructed in a particular sequence. The first major section is a description
of Christ Himself as the reality of the burnt offering; it tells us who Christ
is as the burnt offering. The next three major sections unveil our
experience of Christ as the burnt offering. The remaining three major
sections reveal the expression that issues out of our partaking of Christ as
the burnt offering.

THE BURNT OFFERING, WHICH WAS WHOLLY

FOR GOD’S SATISFACTION, AS FOOD FOR GOD,
SIGNIFYING CHRIST AS GOD’S PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION,
AS THE ONE WHOSE LIVING ON EARTH WAS ABSOLUTELY FOR
GOD

The burnt offering (vv. 1-17; 6:8-13), which was wholly for God’s
satisfaction, as food for God, signifies Christ as God’s pleasure and
satisfaction, as the One whose living on earth was absolutely for God (1:3;
Num. 28:2-3; John 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; Heb. 10:5-10). This first major point
presents the basic definition of the burnt offering. God considers the burnt
offering as His food. The burnt offering, as food for God, was wholly for
God’s satisfaction.
This offering signifies Christ as the One whose living on earth was
absolutely for God and was God’s pleasure and satisfaction. As such, [42]
the burnt offering is very much related to Christ’s human living, to the kind
of life He lived on the earth. When we touch this matter of the burnt
offering, whether we are referring to Christ as the reality of the burnt
offering or to our experience of Christ, we are touching the matter of a
living. That is why these messages must be a training that touches our
living.
What kind of life did Christ live on the earth? As we all know, it was
excellent, it was marvelous, and it was so wonderful that it is indescribable.
However, there is one outstanding characteristic of the life of the Lord
Jesus on the earth, and that is that He lived a life absolutely for the will of
God. We can see this in John 5:30, where the Lord said, “I can do nothing
from Myself; as I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not
seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” In John 6:38 the Lord
said, “I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will
of Him who sent Me,” and in John 8:29 He said, “He who sent Me is with
Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to
Him.” Being absolute for God is to be absolutely for the will of God, as
opposed to being for our own will. This was the human living of the Lord
Jesus as the burnt offering. He lived a life absolutely for the will of God,
and at the very end of that life, His prayer in Gethsemane was a microcosm
of His entire living as the burnt offering: “Father...not My will, but Yours
be done” (Luke 22:42; cf. Matt. 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36). This is how He
lived His entire human life; from beginning to end, He lived to do the will
of God.
Hebrews 10:5-10 speaks of Christ as the burnt offering in a very
particular way:
Therefore, coming into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and
offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for
Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You did not delight.
Then I said, Behold, I have come (in the roll of the book it is
written concerning Me) to do Your will, O God.” Saying above,
“Sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You did not desire nor delight in” (which are offered according to
 the law), He then has said, “Behold, I have come to do Your
will.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second,
by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.
In these verses we can see the living of Christ as the burnt offering. The [43]
outstanding characteristic of His living was that He never did His own
will; He always did the Father’s will. This means that He always rejected
His own will to do the Father’s will (vv. 7, 9).
Hebrews 10:6-10 mentions two kinds of offerings—burnt offerings and
sacrifices for sin (vv. 6, 8)—and also speaks of the will of God (vv. 7,
9-10). The will of God referred to in these verses is not the will of God in
the general sense; rather, it is a specific matter in God’s will. Here God’s
will is the replacement of all the Old Testament offerings with Christ. We
must apply this to everything we touch and enjoy in these messages. All
the types portrayed by all the Old Testament offerings have been replaced
by one unique offering in the New Testament—“the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ” (v. 10). It was God’s will that Jesus Christ—the wonderful,
all-inclusive One—would become the all-inclusive provision for every one
of us, replacing all the Old Testament offerings. We no longer need all the
Old Testament offerings; we just need to offer this One!
Now we need to progress to the specific details of how this burnt
offering was offered. How this burnt offering was offered is very
significant.

As the Burnt Offering,

Christ Being Brought to the Slaughter
As the burnt offering, Christ was brought to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7;
Matt. 27:31; Phil. 2:8). The first point is not that Christ was slaughtered but
that He was brought, or led, to the slaughter and that He offered no
resistance. Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed, and it was He who was
afflicted, / Yet He did not open His mouth; / Like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter / And like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, / So He did
not open His mouth.”
Christ was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like
a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that is dumb before its
shearers, He did not open His mouth. Even if the message ended with this
point, we would all be very clear that we are not the burnt offering. We
cannot even do the very first thing that is required—to not resist being led
to the slaughter. Matthew 27:31 says that they “led Him away to crucify
Him,” and Philippians 2:8 says that He was “obedient even unto death, and
that the death of a cross.” He was absolutely obedient to the will of God. It
was God’s will that He would die for redemption, and He offered no
resistance. [44]

As the Burnt Offering,

Christ Being Slaughtered
As the burnt offering, Christ was slaughtered (Lev. 1:5a; Luke 23:21;
Acts 2:23). As we know, after being led to the slaughter, He was actually
slaughtered; He was crucified.

As the Burnt Offering, Christ Being Skinned,

Stripped of the Outward Appearance
of His Human Virtues
As the burnt offering, Christ was skinned, stripped of the outward
appearance of His human virtues (Lev. 1:6a; Matt. 11:19; Mark 3:22; John
8:48; 10:20; Matt. 26:65; 27:28, 35; Psa. 22:18). The verses from Leviticus
1, which we read at the beginning of this message, say that the burnt
offering was skinned (v. 6). Before it was offered, the offering was
skinned. The entire burnt offering was to be burnt and offered to God with
the exception of the skin. This unveils another experience of Christ in His
human living; as the burnt offering, He was skinned. What is the
significance of being skinned? To be skinned is to be spoken evil of, to be
defamed, to be spoken of derisively.
Matthew 11:19 says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking; and
they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.” They called the Lord Jesus a glutton and a
drunkard. In Mark 3:22 the scribes said, “By the ruler of the demons He
casts out the demons,” and in John 8:48 the Jews said, “You are a
Samaritan and have a demon.” The Lord Jesus was not a Samaritan; their
calling Him one was just a way to speak to Him in a despising way,
because the Jews despised the Samaritans. Moreover, they said that He was
demon-possessed. In John 10:20 many said, “He has a demon and is insane.
Why do you listen to Him?” They said that He had a demon and that He
was insane. Then in Matthew 26:65 the high priest said, “He has
blasphemed!” They called the Lord Jesus a blasphemer. Such false and evil
speakings were the skinning that the Lord Jesus experienced as the burnt
offering. By the time the Lord went to the cross, all the skin had been torn
away from Him by this kind of speaking. He fully fulfilled the type of the
burnt offering in His human living; He was completely skinned before He
was cut into pieces.

As the Burnt Offering, Christ Being Cut into Pieces

As the burnt offering, Christ was cut into pieces (Lev. 1:6b; Mark
15:29-32; Luke 23:35-39; Psa. 22:16-17). [45] After the burnt offering was
skinned, it was cut into pieces. The Lord Jesus did not remain whole;
rather, He was willing to be cut into all kinds of pieces. This cutting was
not only by His opposers; He was cut by His parents, by His siblings, and
even by His disciples. Often the cutting that He received at the hands of
His disciples seemed much worse than the cutting from the opposers. John
7:5 says, “Not even His brothers believed into Him.” Even His own
siblings did not believe into Him, despite their living with Him in the same
house. This too was a kind of cutting.
Even while He was on the cross, He was still being cut. Mark 15:29-31
says, “Those who were passing by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads
and saying, Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,
save Yourself and come down from the cross! Likewise also the chief
priests with the scribes mocked Him with one another and said, He saved
others; Himself He cannot save” (cf. Luke 23:35-38; Matt. 27:37-43). It
was not enough that they crucified Him; they also mocked Him while He
was on the cross. Even one of the criminals who were crucified with Him
cut Him (Luke 23:39). This was the Lord Jesus as the burnt offering being
cut into pieces. His human life was a life of being skinned and cut into
pieces, but praise the Lord, that was not the entirety of His human living.

Christ’s Experience in Being Wisdom

Being Signified by the Head of the Burnt Offering
Christ’s experience in being wisdom is signified by the head of the burnt
offering (Lev. 1:8; Luke 2:40, 52; Mark 9:40; Matt. 12:30; 21:23-27;
22:15-22, 34-40). There was never a person who was so wise as the Lord
Jesus. His wisdom was expressed so many times in His speaking that it is
hard to choose just one or two examples. Every word that came out of His
mouth was a word of wisdom; there was not one unwise word that came
out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus. One case of the Lord being wisdom is
in His speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:15-22. Verses 15 and 16
say,
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might
ensnare Him in His words. And they sent to Him their disciples
with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are true
and that You teach the way of God in truth and do not fear
anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. [46]
Of course, the disciples of the Pharisees did not mean any of what they
said; it was merely part of their subtle way of speaking to try to trap the
Lord. They thought that by speaking in this way they were going to trick
the Lord. In verse 17 they continued,
Tell us therefore, What do You think? Is it lawful to give tribute
to Caesar, or not?
They thought that they had asked the Lord an impossible question,
reasoning that if He said yes, He would have a big problem with the Jews,
and if He said no, He would have a problem with Caesar. In this situation
the Lord displayed His being wisdom in getting out of their trap. Verses 18
through 22 say,
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, Why do you tempt Me,
hypocrites? Show Me the coin for the tribute. And they brought
to Him a denarius. And He said to them, Whose is this image and
inscription? They said, Caesar’s. Then He said to them, Render
then the things that are Caesar’s to Caesar and the things that are
God’s to God. And when they heard this, they marveled. And
they left Him and went away.
What wisdom! This wisdom actually began to develop and to be
manifested when He was quite young. Luke 2 tells us that in His childhood
Jesus was “filled with wisdom” (v. 40) and that He “advanced in wisdom
and stature” (v. 52). This was Christ being wisdom as signified by the head
of the burnt offering.

Christ’s Experience in Being God’s Delight

Being Signified by the Fat of the Burnt Offering
Christ’s experience in being God’s delight is signified by the fat of the
burnt offering (Lev. 1:8-9; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Isa. 42:1; Matt. 12:18; John
6:38; 8:29; 7:16-18). Another of the parts of the burnt offering specifically
identified in Leviticus 1 was the fat (vv. 8-9). This is because the fat, when
it was burned, produced a very fragrant, satisfying aroma. What is the
significance of the fat? The fat is the experience of Christ in His human
living being God’s delight. God enjoys and is very much satisfied by the
fragrant aroma produced by the experience of Christ in His human living.
We see this in John 8:29: “He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me
alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” The human
living of the Lord Jesus was always pleasing to God. What a human living!
That God enjoyed the Lord Jesus’ human living so much can be seen in His
speaking from the heavens that Christ [47] was the Chosen One, the
Beloved, and His delight (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 9:35; cf.
Isa. 42:1; Matt. 12:18). God delights in the human living of Christ, yet
there is still more to Christ as the burnt offering. What a Christ we have!

Christ’s Experience in the Inward Parts of His Being,

Signified by the Inward Parts of the Burnt Offering
Christ’s experience in the inward parts of His being is signified by the
inward parts of the burnt offering (Lev. 1:9; Luke 2:49; John 2:17; Matt.
26:39; Isa. 53:12; 42:4; Mark 2:8). Leviticus 1 tells us specifically that the
inward parts of the burnt offering were removed, washed with water, and
placed in order on the fire (vv. 8-9). What are those inward parts of Christ
as the burnt offering? He has the same kind of inward parts that we have,
but His inward parts are not like our inward parts.
Luke 2:49 says, “He said to them, Why is it that you were seeking Me?
Did you not know that I must be in the things of My Father?” This verse
refers to when the Lord was a twelve-year-old boy, and His parents
returned to Jerusalem to find Him in the temple amazing the teachers with
His understanding and His answers (v. 47). His mind was occupied with
God’s thoughts, with God’s goal, with God’s wishes, and with God’s
economy, even as a twelve-year-old boy. These were what was on His
mind; His mind was occupied by what occupied the mind of God.
Then in John 2, after the Lord drove the moneychangers out of the
temple, His Father’s house, “His disciples remembered that it was written,
‘The zeal of Your house shall devour Me’” (vv. 14-17). This reveals to us
His emotion. It is God’s house that stirs up the inner being of Christ. Many
common or even worldly things can stir up our emotions and our inner
being, but it was the zeal of God’s house that occupied and stirred up the
feeling in the emotion of Christ in His human living.
Matthew 26:39 concerns the inward part of Christ’s will. This verse
says, “Going forward a little, He fell on His face and prayed, saying, My
Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as
You will.” The Son’s will was absolutely submissive to the will of God the
Father. However, we should not think that it was an easy or simple matter
for Him to deny His human will. No, He did so with a great struggle, just
as we do. Hebrews 5:7-8 says that it was with “strong crying and tears”
that He “learned obedience” to the Father’s will through the things which
He suffered. It was not a simple thing for Christ as the burnt offering to
deny His human will and absolutely submit to the will of God, [48] but He
did it. Hallelujah! He did the Father’s will every time throughout His entire
human living, all the way to His death on the cross.
We can see another inward part in Isaiah 53:12: “Therefore I will divide
to Him a portion with the Great, / And He will divide the spoil with the
Strong; / Because He poured out His life unto death / And was numbered
with the transgressors, / Yet He alone bore the sin of many / And
interceded for the transgressors.” The life poured out in this verse is the
soul-life, and the inward part unveiled here is Christ’s soul. He was willing
to deny His soul-life throughout His entire human living. This is another
very great aspect of the human living of Christ as the burnt offering.
Then in Isaiah 42:4 the inward part that we see is Christ’s heart. This
verse says, “He will not faint, nor will He be discouraged, / Until He has
established justice in the earth; / And the coastlands will wait for His
instruction.” His heart was never discouraged or downcast. This is another
characteristic of His inward parts.
Now we come to the inward part of His spirit. Mark 2:8 says,
“Immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning
this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about
these things in your hearts?”
In these verses we can see all the inward parts of Jesus Christ as the
burnt offering in His human living. How lovely and how attractive He is!
No wonder God delights in this wonderful person. There is nothing amiss
in any of His inward parts. Everything is for God—every cell, every
molecule, every atom of His being is for God. There is nothing in Him that
is not wholly for God.

Christ’s Experience in His Walk

Being Signified by the Legs of the Burnt Offering
Christ’s experience in His walk is signified by the legs of the burnt
offering (Lev. 1:9; Luke 24:19; John 8:46; 10:30; 8:29; 16:32; Luke 23:46;
John 14:30b). The legs are specifically identified in the offering of the
burnt offering, and they signify the Lord Jesus’ walk, His way of life.

Christ’s Experience of Being Kept

by the Holy Spirit from Defilement
Being Signified by the Legs and the Inward Parts
of the Burnt Offering Being Washed
Christ’s experience of being kept by the Holy Spirit from defilement [49]
is signified by the legs and the inward parts of the burnt offering being
washed (Lev. 1:9, 13a; Luke 4:1; Heb. 7:26). The legs and all the inward
parts of the burnt offering were washed with water. This signifies that there
was nothing defiling in either the outward walk or the inner being of
Christ. In His walk, in His living, there was absolutely no sin, no
defilement, and inwardly, there were no defiling thoughts in His mind or
defiling feelings in His emotion. He was fully kept from any defilement by
the Holy Spirit. What a human living! Only He could be qualified to be the
burnt offering. Because no one else has such a living and no one else has
ever had such a living, no one else could be qualified to be our burnt
offering.

THE MORE WE ENJOY CHRIST AS OUR BURNT OFFERING,

THE MORE OUR REALIZING HOW SINFUL WE ARE;
THEN OUR BEING ABLE TO TAKE HIM AS OUR SIN OFFERING
MORE DEEPLY THAN EVER, AND THIS CAUSING US
TO ENJOY HIM MORE AS THE BURNT OFFERING

The more we enjoy Christ as our burnt offering, the more we realize how
sinful we are; then we can take Him as our sin offering more deeply than
ever (Lev. 6:25), and this causes us to enjoy Him more as the burnt offering
(16:3, 5). In this point we make a turn from focusing on Christ objectively
as our burnt offering to our experiencing Christ as the burnt offering.
Although this section is quite short, it is very striking.
Leviticus 6:25 says, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the
law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered
the sin offering shall be slaughtered before Jehovah; it is most holy.” In
both the book of Leviticus and in our spiritual experience, there is a very
close connection and an intrinsic relationship between the burnt offering
and the sin offering.
 In the section on the sin offering in Leviticus 4, the altar is repeatedly
called the altar of burnt offering (vv. 7, 10, 18, 25, 30, 34), not the altar of
sin offering. In fact, the altar where all the offerings were offered was
called the altar of burnt offering. All the offerings were based on the burnt
offering and took place on the altar of burnt offering, and in this sense all
the offerings were burnt offerings. However, we can see this matter most
clearly with the sin offering because these two offerings are mentioned
together repeatedly, just as they are in Hebrews 10:5-10, where the only
two offerings mentioned are the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin.
This signifies first that Christ can be all the offerings [50] to us because He
is the burnt offering. Christ can be our sin offering because He is the burnt
offering. We again should consider His human living. If He did not live
such a human life as the burnt offering, there would be no way for Him to
be qualified to be our sin offering. However, because He lived a life of the
burnt offering, He is also qualified to be our sin offering.
When we begin to enjoy Christ experientially as the burnt offering and
to enter into the experience of His human life, both we ourselves and our
living are exposed, and we see how deeply sinful we are. We discover that
even the things that we thought were for God are not pure. We may have
thought that we were very zealous for God, but we are not; in fact, our zeal
has sin in it. We may have thought that we were so absolute for God, but
we are not, because our absoluteness has sin in it. We may have thought
that we loved the Lord very much, but we do not, especially not when
compared to this wonderful One who is the burnt offering. When we look
at Him, it seems that our entire inner being is put under a microscope, and
we find out that there is nothing in us for God. Even in those things that we
thought were for God, there is nothing for Him.
Peter, James, and John are good examples of this. No one can say that
Peter was not zealous. In describing Peter, one has to at least admit that he
was zealous. However, his zeal was full of pride. In Matthew 26:33 he
said, “If all will be stumbled because of You, I will never be stumbled.”
Here he seemed to say to the Lord, “Even if all the other brothers forsake
You, do not worry; I will not forsake You, because I am better than all of
them.” James and John seemed to be very absolute, so absolute as to be
called “Sons of Thunder” by the Lord (Mark 3:17), and yet their
absoluteness was full of ambition. In Matthew 20:21 and Mark 10:37 they
asked the Lord to grant them to sit, one on His right and one on His left, in
His glory, when He came into His kingdom. Neither Peter nor James nor
John matched the Lord in His human living as the burnt offering.
 We are the same, so when we see who Christ is as the burnt offering, we
realize our true condition, and then we have a much deeper appreciation of
Christ as our sin offering. Thus, we take Christ as our sin offering more
deeply, and we are brought back to enjoy Him even more as our burnt
offering.

BY LAYING OUR HANDS ON CHRIST AS OUR BURNT OFFERING,

OUR BEING JOINED TO HIM, AND HE AND WE BECOMING ONE

By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering, we are joined to [51]
Him, and He and we become one (Lev. 1:4). The offerer was required to
put his hand on the head of the burnt offering. Footnote 1 on verse 4 says,
The laying on of hands signifies not substitution but
identification, union (Acts 13:3 and footnote 2). By laying our
hands on Christ as our offering, we are joined to Him, and He and
we become one. In such a union all our weaknesses, defects, and
faults are taken on by Him, and all His virtues become ours. This
requires us to exercise our spirit through the proper prayer so that
we may be one with Him in an experiential way (cf. 1 Cor. 6:17
and footnotes). When we lay our hands on Christ through prayer,
the life-giving Spirit, who is the very Christ on whom we lay our
hands (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:6, 17), will immediately move and
work within us to live in us a life that is a repetition of the life
that Christ lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering.
The offerer put his hand on the head of the burnt offering. By doing so, the
offerer and the offering were identified with each other.
However, this is merely the type; it is not the reality. We live today in
the New Testament age; we live in the age of reality, not in the age of the
types. A type is a picture, an illustration, and every kind of picture, every
kind of illustration, falls short of the reality. All the types in the Old
Testament fall short of the reality in the New Testament. To demonstrate
this, let us consider the New Testament reality of the type of laying our
hands on the head of the burnt offering and the shortcomings of the type.
Today, in our laying our hands on Christ, in our becoming one with Christ,
and in our dying with Christ, we do not actually lay our physical hands on
Christ, but this reality can be illustrated by the type in this way. However
in reality, when we put our hands on Christ, they never leave Him. There is
no way to fully illustrate this identification, joining, and grafting with this
type, but it is the reality that we experience today.
 It is important to realize that when we are joined to Christ, it is not a
symbolic joining. When we are joined to Christ, it is an organic joining. So
when we say, “Lord, I lay my hands on You as my burnt offering,” we
should not think about it objectively. Our praying in this way is not our
merely touching Him and stepping away. Rather, it is our being joined to
Him organically. When we say that we become one with Him as the burnt
offering, it is not a symbolic oneness; it is an organic oneness. [52]
Likewise, when we say that His death is counted as our death, this is not
symbolic either. We died with Him (Rom. 6:8; Col. 2:20; 3:3). When the
burnt offering was slain, when Christ was crucified, we were crucified
(Gal. 2:20). This is true in the reality of the burnt offering.
Our union with Him is not symbolic. We enjoy this union, we
experience this union, and we enter into the freshness of this union
whenever we exercise our spirit to pray. We have been joined to the Lord
(1 Cor. 6:17). Whether we are enjoying this fact at a particular moment or
not, the reality is that we still have been joined to the Lord. Moreover,
when we were joined to the Lord, we were grafted into Him (Rom. 11:24).
Likewise, according to Romans 6:3-4, when we were baptized in water, our
entering into the water was our being baptized into the death of Christ, and
our coming up out of the water was our entering into the reality of Christ’s
resurrection, which is in the Spirit. The water of baptism is physical, but it
signifies the Spirit. When we get immersed in water, the reality of Christ’s
death is there, and when we come up out of the water, the reality of
Christ’s resurrection is there. The symbol of a person being baptized in
physical water is not the real baptism, but there is something real behind it.
The reality is that through baptism we enter into an organic union with
Christ and are grafted into Him.
Grafting is the very best picture of our organic union with Christ
because in grafting we can see our union with Christ and our mingling with
Christ. When we first call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we are joined to
Him; we become one spirit with Him. Then as soon as we are joined,
mingling begins to happen. It is just like when a branch is grafted into a
tree. First, it is joined to the tree, and then as soon as it is joined to the tree,
the elements that are in the tree start to flow into the branch and to
reconstitute the branch through the process of mingling, causing them to
grow together. Romans 6:5 says, “If we have grown together with Him in
the likeness of His death, indeed we will also be in the likeness of His
resurrection.” This growing together is the grafting, and once we grow
together with the Lord for a long time and sufficient mingling has taken
place, His living becomes our living. This is just like the branch and the
tree, having been grafted together, becoming one organic entity.
We must labor on this matter because it is very important to our
understanding of the next section of the outline. We must realize that our
union with Christ as the burnt offering is an organic union. We are not
symbolically one with Him; we are one with Him in reality. [53]

In Such a Union, Such an Identification,

All Our Weaknesses, Defects, and Faults
Being Taken On by Him,
and All His Virtues Becoming Ours
In such a union, such an identification, all our weaknesses, defects, and
faults are taken on by Him, and all His virtues become ours (2 Cor. 5:21;
Gal. 2:20). This actually happens! It is astounding! We lay our hands on
Him, we are joined to Him, and all our failures, all our sins, all our
weaknesses, and all our defects transfer from us to Him. Simultaneously,
all His righteousness, all His holiness, and all His beautiful human living
as the burnt offering are transferred to us and are being mingled with us.
The more we are in this union, the more this transfer is going on. Once
again, this is not symbolic. We are not being symbolically mingled with
Christ; we actually are being mingled with Christ as the real burnt offering.
We have been joined to Him, we are now being mingled with Him, and
when we are fully mingled with Him, we will be fully one with Him. The
best verse to show this is 2 Corinthians 5:21, which says, “Him who did
not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” This is related to the portion in the first
message concerning the word partaking. One of the three definitions of
partaking that we saw in the first message is that the attributes of the
person become yours. Actually, partaking eventually means becoming. An
example of this is found in 2 Peter 1:4, which refers to our having become
“partakers of the divine nature.” In this verse to partake of the divine nature
is to become God in nature.
The same thing happens with regard to the burnt offering. We already
possess all the wonderful aspects of Christ described in the first section of
this message—all His attributes as the burnt offering. Because we have
been joined to Christ, every one of those aspects of what Christ is and of
what we are not, we now have. In the same way, all those things that we
are, which do not match Him and which we should not be, He takes upon
Himself. We do not need to worry about Christ; He will not be affected by
our faults, our weaknesses, our shortcomings—they will not diminish Him
at all. However, His attributes will strengthen us, they will enrich us, they
will empower us, and they will reconstitute us. Oh, what a union!
Hallelujah for this organic union! This is our marvelous, organic union
with Christ. [54]

By Such a Union,
Christ Becoming One with Us and Living in Us,
Repeating in Us the Life That He Lived on Earth,
the Life of the Burnt Offering
By such a union, Christ becomes one with us and lives in us, repeating
in us the life that He lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering (Gal.
6:17). We need to make sure that we understand this statement correctly.
We do not repeat Christ’s living—we cannot. Instead, Christ lives in us,
and He repeats His living in us. He as the burnt offering repeats in us the
living that is described in the four Gospels. Paul’s life was such a
duplication of Christ. Paul experienced this. He is a very good example of
a person who experienced Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering.
Paul sometimes created new expressions when he described his
experience. No one had ever heard certain words that he used, because
these terms described experiences that no one had had before. Brother Lee
also sometimes coined new terms. We do not ordinarily talk about living
another person, but Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Paul
was saying that he lived Christ. We may say that this was Paul’s
description of his experience of Christ as the reality of the burnt offering.

NEEDING TO TAKE CHRIST AS OUR BURNT OFFERING DAILY

SO THAT WE MAY EXPERIENCE CHRIST
IN HIS EXPERIENCES AS THE BURNT OFFERING,
NOT IMITATING CHRIST OUTWARDLY
BUT LIVING HIM IN OUR DAILY LIFE

We need to take Christ as our burnt offering daily (Lev. 1:2-4; 6:12-13;
Num. 28:3-4; cf. 2 Tim. 2:6) so that we may experience Christ in His
experiences as the burnt offering, not imitating Christ outwardly but living
Him in our daily life (2 Cor. 5:14-15; Phil. 1:19-21; Acts 27:22-25; 28:3-9;
1 Cor. 1:9). Experience Christ in His experiences is a particular expression
that can be found in the footnotes on Leviticus 1 (v. 9, footnote 1) and in
the Life-study of Leviticus (msgs. 7—10). Before we came into the Lord’s
recovery, we probably never heard the expression living Christ. Others do
not use this expression because they do not have the experience of Christ
as the burnt offering. It is possible for us to experience Christ in His
experiences as the burnt offering because of our union with Christ. If we
did not have an actual, real, organic union with Christ, we could not
experience Christ in His experiences; we could [55] have only our own
experiences. However, once we are joined to Christ, His history becomes
our history. Footnote 1 on Leviticus 1:4 says, “By laying our hands on
Christ as our offering, we are joined to Him, and He and we become one.
In such a union all our weaknesses, defects, and faults are taken on by
Him, and all His virtues become ours.” This is wonderful! This is what
happened when we were joined to Christ. Hence, it is now possible for us
to experience Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering.
This is what Paul was talking about in Philippians 3:10, which says, “To
know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death.” We need to pay attention to the
word His in this verse. Here we can see how Paul experienced Christ in His
experiences as the burnt offering. Acts 28 describes a particular experience
that Paul had of Christ as the burnt offering. Verses 3 through 9 say,
When Paul had collected a bundle of sticks and put them on the
fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened onto his
hand. And when the natives saw the snake hanging from his
hand, they said to one another, Undoubtedly this man is a
murderer, whom, though he has been brought safely out of the
sea, Justice has not allowed to live. However he shook off the
snake into the fire and suffered no harm; and they expected that
he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they
had waited for a long time and beheld nothing unusual happening
to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. Now
in the vicinity of that place were the lands of the leading man of
the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and gave us
hospitality three days in a friendly way. And the father of Publius
was lying down sick with fever and dysentery. Paul went in to
him, and having prayed and laid his hands on him, healed him.
And when this happened, the rest also in the island who had
sicknesses came to him and were healed.
The footnote on verse 9 says,
On the sea in the storm, the Lord had made the apostle not only
 the owner of his fellow voyagers (27:24) but also their
life-guarantor and comforter (27:22, 25). Now, on the land in
peace, the Lord made him furthermore not only a magical
attraction in the eyes of the superstitious people (28:3-6) [56] but
also a healer and a joy to them (vv. 8-9). All during the apostle’s
long and unfortunate imprisonment-voyage, the Lord kept the
apostle in His ascendancy and enabled him to live a life far
beyond the realm of anxiety. This life was fully dignified, with
the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most
excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one that the
Lord Himself had lived on the earth years before. This was Jesus
living again on the earth in His divinely enriched humanity! This
was the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man, who
lived in the Gospels, continuing to live in the Acts through one of
His many members!
In Paul’s living we can see the Lord repeating the life that He had lived on
earth.
We also can see this with Stephen. When Stephen was being stoned, he
said exactly the same thing that the Lord Jesus said when He was being
crucified (7:59-60; Luke 23:46, 34). When Stephen was being stoned, he
did not stop to consider what the Lord said on the cross so that he could
quote it. Instead, the Christ in Stephen repeated in him the life that He had
lived on the earth. Similarly, Christ in Paul repeated in Paul the life that He
had lived on the earth, and we need to see that the Christ in us will repeat
in us the life of the burnt offering that He lived on the earth.
We are going to experience every one of the things that we saw earlier in
this message concerning what Christ is as the burnt offering. Before we
enthusiastically say Amen to this, we need to remember what these
experiences are. First, we will be led to the slaughter. Then we will be
slaughtered, skinned, and cut into pieces. We then will be completely
burned and become a pile of ashes. This may not sound wonderful to us,
but it is wonderful because it is to experience Christ in His experiences.
We should not be afraid of this. The enemy is the only one who needs to be
afraid of this.

Needing to Experience Christ

in His Being Brought to the Slaughter
We need to experience Christ in His being brought to the slaughter (Phil.
3:10; Gal. 6:17; 1 Cor. 11:1; Acts 21:30-36). Paul truly experienced this.
Every place Paul went, it seems that something terrible happened, such as
riots, fightings, stonings, beatings, and shipwrecks (cf. 2 Cor. 7:5; 11:25).
It seems that these things happened to Paul more than to anyone [57] else.
Everywhere he went, he was led to the slaughter. He knew that he was
being led to the slaughter, but he was living Christ. He went along with it
because Christ was living in him.

Needing to Experience Christ in His Being Slaughtered

We need to experience Christ in His being slaughtered (4:7-13, 16-18).
Paul experienced this also. He speaks of this kind of experience in 2
Corinthians 4:7-10: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the
excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us. We are pressed
on every side but not constricted; unable to find a way out but not utterly
without a way out; persecuted but not abandoned; cast down but not
destroyed; always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus
that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” Paul does not
say, “Always being put to death,” but rather, “Always bearing about...the
putting to death of Jesus.” Paul’s death did not mean anything, and our
death does not mean anything. However, the death of Jesus means
everything. This is the experience that Paul had. He entered into the
experience that Christ had.
In ourselves we are not willing to be slaughtered. This unwillingness is
often manifested in our daily life. Perhaps our wife says something that we
do not like. Instead of being slaughtered, we “slaughter” her. Our kids may
do something that we do not like. Instead of being slaughtered, we say
something out from our self. If the elders say something in the meeting that
we do not like, instead of being slaughtered, we murmur. Therefore, we
need Christ. If we quarrel with our husband, our wife, our children, the
leading brothers, the saints with whom we serve, our gospel partner in the
training, or our roommate, this means that we do not want to be
slaughtered. However, Paul experienced Christ in His experience of being
slaughtered.

Needing to Experience Christ in His Being Skinned

We need to experience Christ in His being skinned (Acts 24:5-6; 2 Cor.
6:8; 12:15-18; Matt. 5:11). No one wants to be skinned. Physically, we do
not want to part with even the smallest piece of skin. We are not willing to
give up any of our skin, because we need it. Nevertheless, spiritually
speaking, we need to experience Christ in His being skinned. There will be
an evil report about you, which may not be true. There will be evil and
unfair things spoken about you. When such things happen, you may defend
yourself, but Christ would not. He did not even open His mouth. [58]
When I was a young serving one, a brother reported to the elders that I
had said a particular thing, which I had not said. I received a phone call
from the elders, and they said that they would like to talk to me. I went to
meet with them, and they said that it had been reported that I said a
particular thing. I replied that I had never said that, but before I could finish
speaking, a brother said, “Stop defending yourself.” I said, “Oh, I was not
really defending myself. I was just trying to clarify that it did not actually
happen.” I was totally in the realm of right and wrong. The brother told me,
“Brother, you are going to have to learn how to experience the cross, and
the cross does not care if something is reasonable or fair.” Because I was
very young at that time, I had no idea what he meant. I left there in tears,
and when I went to the Lord, I realized that the brother was exactly right. I
was justifying myself and resisting the cross. I was factually correct, but
that did not matter; I still was not living Christ. Instead, I was living
myself, defending myself, and justifying myself. What I needed was to
experience Christ as the burnt offering.
If we are in the church life long enough, we will be skinned. Our wife
may skin us, and the leading brothers may skin us. If we resist and fight it,
it is going to be very painful. But if we experience Christ in His
experiences as the burnt offering, it will be something very sweet. People
who truly know the cross say that it is sweet. A. B. Simpson wrote, “It is so
sweet to die with Christ” (Hymns, #482). Here is a little secret for our
experience: If a suffering is painful and not sweet, it is our suffering and
not the suffering of Christ. It is our death and not the death of Christ.

Needing to Experience Christ in His Being Cut to Pieces

We need to experience Christ in His being cut to pieces (1 Cor. 4:12-13).
No one wants to be cut to pieces, but there is a positive side to this. When
the priest who offered the burnt offering cut the burnt offering, he
separated all the pieces and all the inward parts. It takes knowledge and
skill to dissect an animal or to cut a whole animal to pieces as a butcher
might do. Spiritually, this means that one who experiences Christ in His
being been cut to pieces has a very deep, thorough, and intimate
knowledge of Christ. The thought of being cut to pieces may not be
pleasant, but having a deep, intimate, and thorough knowledge of Christ is
wonderful. This is what we will have when we experience Christ in His
experiences of being cut to pieces. Paul had such a deep and intimate
knowledge and experience of Christ. [59]

Needing to Experience Christ in His Wisdom

We need to experience Christ in His wisdom (1:24, 30; 2:7; Col. 1:28; 2
Chron. 1:10). This is to experience “the head” of Christ. It takes much
wisdom to live the human life. It takes wisdom to be a husband, a father, a
wife, a mother, and a saint in the church life. It takes wisdom to shepherd
others. Everything requires wisdom, which we do not have.
In 2 Chronicles 1:10 Solomon prayed, “Give me wisdom and
knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can
judge this great people of Yours?” He prayed in type to experience Christ
as the head of the burnt offering.
First Corinthians 1:30 says, “Of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who
became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and
redemption.” We are in the burnt offering. We are in Christ Jesus, so now
we are partaking of all His attributes, including His wisdom, righteousness,
holiness, sanctification, and redemption.

Needing to Experience Christ in His Being a Delight to God

We need to experience Christ in His being a delight to God (Lev. 1:16b;
Psa. 20:3; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:4-8; Gal. 1:10; Rom. 14:17-18). The fat of
the burnt offering signifies Christ being a delight to God. We need to
experience the burning of the fat. Psalm 20:3 says, “May He remember all
your meal offerings / And accept your burnt offering.” For the fat to be
burned means that God has accepted it. Thus, we experience God’s
acceptance. Paul experienced this. In 2 Corinthians 5:9 he says, “Therefore
also we are determined, whether at home or abroad, to gain the honor of
being well pleasing to Him.” Paul experienced the burning of the fat; he
knew that God had accepted him. Thus, 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “Even as
we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we
speak, not as pleasing men but God, who proves our hearts.” God approved
Paul. Paul offered the fat on the altar, and God accepted him.

Needing to Experience Christ

 in the Inward Parts of His Being
We need to experience Christ in the inward parts of His being (Phil. 2:5;
1 Cor. 2:16b; Rom. 8:6; Phil. 1:8; 2 Cor. 11:10; 1 Cor. 16:24). We know
that it is possible for us to experience Christ in the inward parts of His
being because Paul did it. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus.” We need to let the mind of Christ as the
burnt offering be in us through our enjoyment of our organic [60] union
with Christ. The inward parts refer to the same mind that was in Christ
Jesus.
Philippians 1:8 says, “God is my witness how I long after you all in the
inward parts of Christ Jesus.” In our inward parts we do not have love for
all the saints, but in the inward parts of Christ there is love for every single
saint. Thus, Paul longed after all the saints not in his own inward parts but
in the inward parts of Christ Jesus.

Needing to Experience Christ in His Walk

We need to experience Christ in His walk (Matt. 11:29; Eph. 4:20; 1
Cor. 11:1; 1 Pet. 2:21; Rom. 8:4). Ephesians 4:20 says, “You did not so
learn Christ.” Verse 21 speaks of the reality that is in Jesus. This reality is
the actual condition of the human living of the Lord Jesus as the burnt
offering, which He lived out in the four Gospels. The reality that is in Jesus
is the Christ whom we need to learn. Christ is inwardly our life and
outwardly our pattern. There is a life within us and a pattern outside of us,
and we are being conformed to this mold. Our mold is the life that the Lord
lived in the Gospels. Now He is living within us as life, repeating the life
that He lived in the Gospels and conforming us to the mold of the burnt
offering. He is repeating the life of the burnt offering in us to produce a
reproduction of Himself as the burnt offering.

Needing to Experience Christ

in His Being Kept by the Holy Spirit from Defilement
We need to experience Christ in His being kept by the Holy Spirit from
defilement (1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5; John 7:38-39; cf. Dan. 1:8). Christ was
washed by the Spirit in His inward parts and in His outward actions, that is,
in His living and in His walk. The striking point in Daniel 1:8 is that
Daniel was very careful concerning what he took into his being. The food
that he and his friends chose to eat signifies the spiritual diet. We are kept
from defilement by the washing of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus lived exactly this kind of life, a life kept from defilement
by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 7:15 says, “He will eat curds and honey until he
knows how to refuse evil and choose good.” This indicates that He took
care of what He ate. He ate only God the Father—nothing else. He ate
curds and honey, which signify the grace and the love of the Father. John
6:57 reveals the secret of the God-man living of the Lord Jesus. He said,
“As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he
who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” In other words, what [61]
produced the God-man living of the Lord Jesus, the living of the burnt
offering, was what He ate. He did not take in defiling things. This is a good
word especially for the young people among us. If we take in defiling
things, our living will surely not be a living that is a reproduction of
Christ’s living. If we take in defiling things, He will have no way to
reproduce His life in us, which He desires to do. Both the Lord Jesus and
Daniel lived this way by not defiling themselves with the unclean food and
drink. We need to let Him live and reproduce a life in us that is careful to
not be defiled.

THE MORE WE TAKE CHRIST AS OUR BURNT OFFERING,

THE MORE THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF HIS BEAUTY
BEING ASCRIBED TO US FOR HIS MAGNIFICATION,
AND THE MORE OUR ENJOYING CHRIST
AS OUR ENVELOPING POWER
TO COVER, PROTECT, AND PRESERVE US

The more we take Christ as our burnt offering, the more the outward
expression of His beauty is ascribed to us for His magnification (Lev. 7:8;
Psa. 90:17; Exo. 28:2; Phil. 1:20), and the more we enjoy Christ as our
enveloping power to cover, protect, and preserve us (4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9).
This point concerns expression and is related to the skin of the burnt
offering. Leviticus 7:8 says, “The priest who presents anyone’s burnt
offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering
which he has presented.” For the priest to have for himself the skin
signifies having Christ as his covering, his expression. When others look at
us, they see our skin because our skin is covering us. For the priest who
presents the burnt offering, the skin of the burnt offering becomes his skin,
which means that he is covered by and expresses Christ as the burnt
offering. When Christ becomes our covering as the burnt offering, He
tabernacles over us as our power and our grace. He becomes our garments,
even our skin. It is wonderful that Christ can be our skin and our
expression.

NEEDING TO WORSHIP THE FATHER

WITH CHRIST AS THE BURNT OFFERING
FOR GOD’S SATISFACTION

We need to worship the Father with Christ as the burnt offering for
God’s satisfaction (Lev. 1:3, 9b; Num. 28:2-3; John 4:23-24). There is a
very intrinsic connection between the type of the offerings in the Old
Testament and the meetings of the church, especially the Lord’s table [62]
meeting. We need to worship the Father with Christ. This is what comes
out of our experiencing Christ in His experiences. The first thing that
happens is that the skin of Christ becomes ours; the skin of Christ covers
us, and it becomes our outward expression. Then when we offer Christ to
God, God sees Christ, the expression of Christ, and He is happy because
we are worshipping God the Father with the Christ whom we have
experienced, not merely with the Christ we have been taught about. When
we offer the reality of the burnt offering in the church meetings, we are not
offering ourselves or our experiences; instead, we are offering Christ as the
burnt offering with our experience of His experiences.
A striking point regarding the burnt offering is that there were different
kinds of burnt offerings with different sizes. In Leviticus 1 there is the
burnt offering that was a bull; this was a very large burnt offering (vv. 5-9).
This chapter goes on to talk about other kinds of burnt offerings. The burnt
offering could be a sheep, a goat, turtledoves, or young pigeons (vv.
10-17). This does not signify that Christ has different sizes. There is only
one size of Christ—He is infinite. Christ comes in one size—universally
large. However, our experience, apprehension, enjoyment, and appreciation
of Christ varies quite much. Our experience of Christ could be a small
dove, or it could be a large bull, as it was with the apostle Paul. Christ is
the same, but our experiences of Him as the burnt offering will vary.
Consequently, what we offer to God will vary. We see this in the Lord’s
table meeting. The older I get, the more I appreciate the saints who are
even older. I love to listen to the prayers of these older and more
experienced saints. I enjoy the big burnt offering that they are able to offer.
I do not despise the “little birds” that the young people offer. I also have
offered many “pigeons” in my life. Nevertheless, I want my appreciation,
apprehension, and experience of Christ as the burnt offering to grow so that
when I praise the Lord in the Lord’s table meeting, something more of
Christ could be offered to God for His satisfaction.

God Wanting Us to Worship Him with Christ

as the Reality of the Offerings;
the Offerings Being for Pleasing God
and Making Him Happy
God wants us to worship Him with Christ as the reality of the offerings;
the offerings are for pleasing God and making Him happy (John 4:23-24;
cf. Heb. 10:5-10). [63]

God Being Hungry and Needing Food;

the Offerings Being God’s Food

One of the Main Purposes of the Offerings

Being That They Are Food for God
God is hungry and needs food; the offerings are God’s food (Num.
28:2-3). One of the main purposes of the offerings is that they are food for
God.

The Burnt Offering Being God’s Food

So That He May Enjoy It
and Be Satisfied,
and Only He Being Allowed to Eat It
The burnt offering is God’s food so that He may enjoy it and be
satisfied, and only He is allowed to eat it (Lev. 1:9b). With the other
offerings, like the meal offering, God eats a part, and we eat a part.
However, with the burnt offering God eats the whole thing. The entire
burnt offering is for God.

The Burnt Offering Being for God’s Satisfaction

to Fulfill His Desire

The Burnt Offering Denoting

Christ’s Being Absolute for God’s Satisfaction
 The burnt offering is for God’s satisfaction to fulfill His desire (Num.
28:2). The burnt offering denotes Christ’s being absolute for God’s
satisfaction (John 6:38).
When we consider what it means to experience Christ as the burnt
offering, we may first think of consecration. However, the word
consecration does not appear in the outline of this message. When we use
the word consecration, we often understand it to mean that we are offering
ourselves. Our concept is very limited when it comes to Christ as the burnt
offering, and it is easy for us to misunderstand by thinking that we need to
offer ourselves to God. It is true that our consecration is related to the burnt
offering, but according to the points in this message, we should have a
much deeper understanding. To consecrate ourselves to the Lord actually
means to experience Christ as the burnt offering and allow Him to repeat
His life in us. [64]

Proper Worship Being a Matter of Satisfying God

with Christ as the Burnt Offering
Proper worship is a matter of satisfying God with Christ as the burnt
offering (1 Pet. 2:5; John 4:34; 5:30; 8:29).

The Hebrew Word Translated “Burnt Offering”

Denoting Something That Is Ascending;
This Ascending Referring to Christ

The Only Thing That Can Ascend to God from Earth

Being the Life Lived by Christ, for He Is the Unique Person
to Live a Life That Is Absolutely for God
The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” denotes something that is
ascending; this ascending refers to Christ (Lev. 1:3, 10, 14). The only thing
that can ascend to God from earth is the life lived by Christ, for He is the
unique person to live a life that is absolutely for God (John 6:38).

As the Burnt Offering, Christ Being Absolutely for Living a Life

That Can Satisfy God in Full

By Laying Our Hands on Christ as Our Burnt Offering,

 Our Being Joined to Him

As the burnt offering, Christ is absolutely for living a life that can satisfy
God in full (8:29). By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering, we
are joined to Him (Lev. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:17). We are joined to Him
organically.

As Christ Lives in Us, His Repeating in Us the Life He Lived on Earth,

the Life of the Burnt Offering

As Christ lives in us, He repeats in us the life He lived on earth, the life
of the burnt offering (Gal. 2:20).

The Hebrew Words Translated “Satisfying Fragrance”

Literally Meaning “Savor of Rest or Satisfaction,”
That Is, a Savor Giving Satisfaction to God

A Satisfying Fragrance Being a Savor

That Brings Satisfaction, Peace, and Rest;
Such a Satisfying Fragrance Being an Enjoyment to God
The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” literally mean [65]
“savor of rest or satisfaction,” that is, a savor giving satisfaction to God
(Lev. 1:9). A satisfying fragrance is a savor that brings satisfaction, peace,
and rest; such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God. Our Lord’s
table meetings should be an enjoyment to God.

When We Worship the Father

with Christ as the Reality of the Burnt Offering,
a Fragrance Well Pleasing to God
Ascending to Him for His Satisfaction
When we worship the Father with Christ as the reality of the burnt
offering, a fragrance well pleasing to God will ascend to Him for His
satisfaction (John 4:23-24).

Since God Is Satisfied,

His Rendering His Sweet Acceptance to Us;
 This Being the Significance of the Burnt Offering
Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to us; this is
the significance of the burnt offering. The fire that consumed the burnt
offering did not originate from the earth. The priests did not light that fire;
instead, the fire came from God, from the heavens (Lev. 9:24; cf. 10:1 and
footnote 2). Therefore, for the fire to come and consume the burnt offering
means that God is satisfied and happy with the offering, that He likes the
present, the gift, of Christ that we offer to Him.

BEING REDUCED TO ASHES

TO BECOME THE NEW JERUSALEM FOR GOD’S EXPRESSION
We are being reduced to ashes to become the New Jerusalem for God’s
expression (1:16; 6:10-11; Psa. 20:3; 1 Cor. 3:12a; Rev. 3:12; 21:2, 10-11,
18-21). The ashes of the burnt offering become the New Jerusalem. Hence,
the burnt offering concerns the corporate and ultimate expression of God.
First, there is the skin, which is the expression of those who offer and
experience Christ. Then there is the worship to the Father, which is a
corporate expression of that experience. Finally, there is the New
Jerusalem, which is the ultimate expression of Christ as the burnt offering
wrought into us.
Let us consider how this happens. The New Jerusalem is composed
mainly of gold, pearl, and precious stones, which are gems. Gems are not
created materials but transformed materials. Gems start out as another kind
of rock. In the crust of the earth, where gems are formed, there is [66] a kind
of rock called metamorphic rock. Metamorphosis is the anglicized form of
the Greek word translated “transformation” in the New Testament. The
ashes of the burnt offering are transformed into the precious stones that
become the New Jerusalem. Just as with the formation of gems, there are
three main things that are involved in transformation—heat, pressure, and a
long period of time. These three things are what will produce a gem out of
an ordinary rock. It requires intense heat and pressure over a long time for
a piece of metamorphic rock to become a gem. This is a picture of the
transformation that occurs through God’s organic salvation. The following
points are what we experience when we start to experience Christ in His
experiences as the burnt offering.

The Burnt Offering Indicating That We Have a Heart

 That Is Absolute for God in This Age
The burnt offering indicates that we have a heart that is absolute for God
in this age (Rom. 12:1-2). We are not conformed to this age and will not be
defiled by this age, because we want to be transformed.

The Ashes Signifying Christ Reduced to Nothing

The ashes signify Christ reduced to nothing (Mark 9:12; Isa. 53:3). This
is something that worldly people do not understand, but it is our destiny.
Our destiny is to become ashes—to be reduced to nothing. The pile of
ashes left after the burnt offering was consumed indicated that God was
very happy and satisfied with the offering. Eventually, these ashes become
the New Jerusalem.

The Lord’s Desire

Being That All the Believers in Christ
Be Reduced to Ashes
The Lord’s desire is that all the believers in Christ be reduced to ashes.

Since We Are One with the Christ

Who Has Been Reduced to Ashes,
Our Also Being Reduced to Ashes, That Is,
Reduced to Nothing, to Zero
Since we are one with the Christ who has been reduced to ashes, we also
are reduced to ashes, that is, reduced to nothing, to zero (1 Cor. 1:28; 2
Cor. 12:11). [67]

The More We Are Identified with Christ in His Death,

the More Our Realizing That We Have Become a Heap of Ashes
The more we are identified with Christ in His death, the more we will
realize that we have become a heap of ashes.

When We Become Ashes,

Our Being No Longer a Natural Person;
Instead, Our Being a Person
 Who Has Been Crucified, Terminated, Burned
When we become ashes, we are no longer a natural person; instead, we
are a person who has been crucified, terminated, burned (Gal. 2:20a).

The Ashes Being a Sign

of God’s Acceptance of the Burnt Offering

For God to Accept the Burnt Offering

Being for Him to Turn It to Ashes
The ashes are a sign of God’s acceptance of the burnt offering (Psa.
20:3). For God to accept the burnt offering is for Him to turn it to ashes.

For God to Accept the Burnt Offering

Also Meaning That He Accepts It as Fat,
Something That Is Sweet and Pleasing to Him
For God to accept the burnt offering also means that He accepts it as fat,
something that is sweet and pleasing to Him. The ashes of the burnt
offering are referred to as the (fatty) ashes of the sacrifices in Strong’s
Concordance (footnote on 36:8).

Putting the Ashes at the East Side of the Altar,

the Side of the Sunrise, Being an Allusion to Resurrection
Putting the ashes at the east side of the altar, the side of the sunrise, is an
allusion to resurrection (Lev. 1:16; John 11:25; Phil. 3:10-11; 2 Cor. 1:9).
It is in the resurrection of Christ that transformation takes place.

With Christ as the Burnt Offering,

the Ashes Being Not the End—
Their Being the Beginning
With Christ as the burnt offering, the ashes are not the end—they are the
beginning (Mark 9:31). [68]

The Ashes Meaning That Christ Has Been Put to Death,

 but the East Signifying Resurrection
The ashes mean that Christ has been put to death, but the east signifies
resurrection.

The More We Are Reduced to Ashes in Christ,

the More Our Being Put to the East,
and on the East Our Having the Assurance
That the Sun Will Rise and That We Will Experience
the Sunrise of Resurrection
The more we are reduced to ashes in Christ, the more we will be put to
the east, and on the east we will have the assurance that the sun will rise
and that we will experience the sunrise of resurrection (Phil. 3:10-11).

Eventually, the Ashes Becoming the New Jerusalem

Christ’s Death Bringing Us to an End;

That Is, It Reducing Us to Ashes
Eventually, the ashes will become the New Jerusalem (Rev. 3:12; 21:2,
10). Christ’s death brings us to an end; that is, it reduces us to ashes.

Christ’s Death Bringing in Resurrection,

and in Resurrection the Ashes
Becoming Precious Materials for God’s Building
Christ’s death brings in resurrection, and in resurrection the ashes
become precious materials for God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9b, 12a). It is in
resurrection that this transformation takes place, producing the materials
for the New Jerusalem.

When We Are Reduced to Ashes,

Our Being Brought into the Transformation of the Triune God
When we are reduced to ashes, we are brought into the transformation of
the Triune God (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 3:18).
 The Precious Materials for the Building of the New Jerusalem
Coming from the Transformation of the Ashes
The precious materials for the building of the New Jerusalem come from
the transformation of the ashes (Rev. 21:18-21). [69]

The Result of Our Being a Burnt Offering

Being Something That Carries Out God’s Economy
The result of our being a burnt offering will be something that carries
out God’s economy (1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 3:9; 1:10). In fact, it carries out the
ultimate goal of God’s economy, which is to have the New Jerusalem.
When others look at us and see ashes, they think that we are wasting our
life.
Others may consider it a waste of time for a college graduate to come to
the full-time training instead of trying to make money. In their eyes the
only thing that happens in the training is that we are burned and become
ashes. After the labor of earning an academic degree, coming to the
training seems to the world to be a total waste. To serve the Lord full time
after the training seems to be an even bigger waste. The world sees ashes,
but we see the New Jerusalem—we see Christ living in us, being formed in
us, repeating His life in us, taking us through the experiences of
transformation, and causing us to become the New Jerusalem.—M. R.
 [71]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

The Continual Burnt Offering—

a Living Sacrifice
(Message 3)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 1:3-4, 8-9; 6:9, 12a, 13; Heb. 12:29; Rom.
12:1

I. The burnt offering typifies Christ not mainly in His redeeming man
from sin but in His living a life that is absolutely for God and in His
being the life that enables God’s people to have such a living—Lev.
1:3; John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 7:18; 2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:19-20:
A. In Leviticus the first offering that is mentioned is not the sin
offering or the trespass offering but the burnt offering—1:3:
1. We need Christ first as our burnt offering because our first
situation before God, our first problem related to God, is not
a matter of trespasses but of not being for God:
a. God created us to be His expression and His
representation—Gen. 1:26.
b. God created us that we might be for Him; He did not
create us for ourselves, but as fallen human beings, we
live for ourselves, not for Him.
2. The burnt offering means that as those who were created by
God for the purpose of expressing and representing Him, we
should be for nothing other than God—vv. 27-28; cf. Psa.
73:25; Mark 12:30.
3. We need to realize that we are not absolutely for God and
that in ourselves we cannot be absolutely for God, and then
we need to take Christ as our burnt offering—Lev. 1:3-4:
a. Christ as our burnt offering is completely for God,
absolutely for God—John 4:34; 5:30; Heb. 10:8-10.
b. Whatever the Lord Jesus was, whatever He spoke, and
whatever He did was absolutely for God—John 6:38;
5:17, 36, 43; 8:28; 10:25; 12:49-50.
B. John 7 reveals that Christ was fully qualified to be the burnt
offering: [72]
1. As One who lived a restricted life—a life restricted from
 doing things for the self—the Lord sought the glory of God
for God’s satisfaction—vv. 3-9, 18.
2. In verses 16 through 18 we see that the Lord Jesus did not
seek His own glory in that He did not speak from Himself;
He sought the glory of the One who sent Him.
3. John 7 reveals that the Lord Jesus was a person restricted by
God, that He was of God, that He was sent by God and came
from God, and that He did not speak His own words but
spoke God—v. 18; 12:49-50.
4. When the Lord spoke God’s word, God was expressed
through His speaking; God came forth from Him through His
speaking—7:17-18.
5. In John 7 we see that the Lord Jesus is the reality of the burnt
offering, for He lived a life that was restricted by God and
wholly for God.
II. The Divine Trinity is revealed in the type of the burnt offering—Lev.
1:3, 8-9:
A. The crucial items revealing the Divine Trinity in verses 3, 8, and
9 are the burnt offering, the Tent of Meeting, Jehovah, the priest,
the fire, and the water.
B. The burnt offering typifies Christ as the food for God’s
satisfaction—v. 3.
C. The Tent of Meeting typifies Christ the Son as the place of
offering—vv. 1, 3:
1. The offerings were offered at the entrance of the Tent of
Meeting; in order for an offering to be legitimate, it could not
be offered anywhere else.
2. In order to offer anything to God, we must take Christ as the
ground of our offering.
D. In Leviticus 1, because Christ the Son is offered to Jehovah,
Jehovah refers to the Father as the Receiver of the offering—v. 3.
E. In verses 8 and 9 the priest who served the offering typifies
Christ the Son as the serving One—our great High Priest and a
Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek—Heb.
4:14-15; 5:5-6; 7:17.
F. As typified by the burnt offering, the Tent of Meeting, and the
priest, Christ the Son is simultaneously the offering, the [73] place
of the offering, and the One who serves the offering—Lev. 1:3,
8.
G. The fire signifies God as the accepting agent—vv. 8-9:
1. Fire consumes and devours; God accepted the offering by
 burning it.
2. The fire that burned the burnt offering was God Himself; it
was God’s mouth—Heb. 12:29.
3. The burning of the burnt offering was the divine
eating—Num. 28:2.
H. The water that washed the inward parts and legs of the burnt
offering signifies the Spirit as the washing agent; Christ’s inward
parts and His daily walk were continually being washed by the
Holy Spirit to keep Him from being defiled by His contact with
earthly things—Lev. 1:9; John 7:38-39.
I. In Leviticus 1:3, 8, and 9 we see that the entire Divine Trinity is
involved in the burnt offering.
III. Today in our Christian life and church life, there is a need for the
continual burnt offering—vv. 3-4, 8-9; 6:9, 12a, 13:
A. God’s people were required to offer the burnt offering every day,
not only in the morning but also in the evening; on every
Sabbath, at the beginning of every month, and during every
festival, special burnt offerings were required—Num.
28:3—29:40.
B. Due to the requirements regarding the burnt offering, the bronze
altar was specifically called “the altar of burnt offering”—Exo.
30:28; 38:1.
C. The burnt offering was the continual offering, and the fire for the
burnt offering was to burn unceasingly; it had to burn day and
night—Lev. 6:9, 12a, 13:
1. “The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all
night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept
burning on it”—v. 9:
a. “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it must
not go out”—v. 12a.
b. “Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it
shall not go out”—v. 13.
2. All night until the morning signifies that a burnt offering
should remain in the place of burning through the dark night
of this age until the morning, until the Lord Jesus comes
again—v. 9; 2 Pet. 1:19; Mal. 4:2. [74]
3. The continual burning of the fire on the altar signifies that
God as the holy fire in the universe is always ready to receive
(burn) what is offered to Him as food, and that God’s desire
to accept what is offered to Him never ceases—Lev. 6:9b,
12a, 13; Heb. 12:29.
 D. The type of the burnt offering shows us that we need to have a
life of the continual burnt offering, a life with fire burning on the
altar all day long—Lev. 6:12a, 13.
IV. To live a life of the continual burnt offering is to be a living
sacrifice—Rom. 12:1:
A. The burnt offering is a type of our consecration, of our offering
ourselves to God as a living sacrifice; the meaning of
consecration is to offer ourselves to God as a living
sacrifice—Lev. 1:3-4, 8-9; 6:9, 12a, 13; Rom. 12:1.
B. The daily burnt offering in the Old Testament typifies that, in the
New Testament, we who belong to God should offer ourselves
daily to God—Num. 28:3-8.
C. The sacrifice in Romans 12:1 is living because it has life through
resurrection—6:4-5:
1. To be a living sacrifice means that we constantly offer
ourselves to the Lord.
2. We offer ourselves to the Lord continually, and the Lord can
use us continually.
D. This sacrifice is holy because, positionally, it has been separated
to God by the blood of Christ from the world and from all
persons, matters, and things that are common; and because,
dispositionally, the natural life and the old creation have been
sanctified and transformed by the Holy Spirit with God’s life and
God’s holy nature for God’s satisfaction; thus, this sacrifice is
well pleasing to God—12:1.
E. In verse 1 the bodies are plural, but the sacrifice is singular:
1. Although many bodies are presented, they become one
sacrifice, implying that, although we are many, our service in
the Body of Christ should not be many individual services,
separated and unrelated.
2. All our service should constitute one whole service, and this
service must be unique because it is the service of the one
Body in Christ—vv. 4-5. [75]
3. The church life as a whole is a burnt offering for the
satisfaction of God.
4. The believers live in the Body of Christ by presenting their
bodies as a living sacrifice; to have the Body life we need to
present our bodies to the Lord and to His Body—vv. 1, 4-5.
V. All our service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of
burnt offering—v. 11; Lev. 9:24; 16:12-13; 6:13; cf. 10:1-2:
A. God wanted the service of the children of Israel to be based on
 this fire—6:13.
B. The service that we render to God in the church life must
originate with the fire on the altar of burnt offering, and our
service must come out of the burning of God’s fire and be the
issue of this fire—Exo. 3:2, 4, 6; Rom. 12:1, 11.

[76]

MESSAGE THREE

THE CONTINUAL BURNT OFFERING—

A LIVING SACRIFICE
This message is the second message concerning the burnt offering.
Message 2 provided a wonderful and marvelous presentation of all the
significances of the burnt offering. In this message we will consider the
practical application of the burnt offering in our daily life and church life
according to the teaching in the New Testament. The title of this message
is “The Continual Burnt Offering—a Living Sacrifice.”

THE BURNT OFFERING TYPIFYING CHRIST NOT MAINLY

IN HIS REDEEMING MAN FROM SIN BUT IN HIS LIVING A LIFE
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY FOR GOD AND IN HIS BEING THE LIFE
THAT ENABLES GOD’S PEOPLE TO HAVE SUCH A LIVING

The burnt offering typifies Christ not mainly in His redeeming man from
sin but in His living a life that is absolutely for God and in His being the
life that enables God’s people to have such a living (Lev. 1:3; John 5:19,
30; 6:38; 7:18; 2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:19-20). Often our concept of the
offerings, which are sacrifices we present to God, is that they are related to
our problems. We think that we need to offer sacrifices to God because of
our sins. However, the first offering presented in Leviticus—the burnt
offering—typifies Christ not mainly in His redeeming man from sin but in
His living a life that is absolutely for God. We are more concerned with
taking care of our problem of sin. If we were writing the book of Leviticus,
we probably would have begun with the sin offering or the trespass
offering because these offerings are more relevant to us. We are often more
conscious of our sin and our trespasses. However, the first offering
revealed in Leviticus is not the sin offering or the trespass offering but the
burnt offering. In the revelation of the burnt offering, we see the type of
Christ in living an absolute and perfect life. Leviticus 1:3 says, “If his
offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall present it, a male
without blemish.” Christ is perfect and absolute. He has no blemish or
shortcoming. The first offering in Leviticus is the burnt offering, and it
presents Christ not mainly as the One who redeemed us [77] from our sins
but as the absolute One who lived a life that satisfied God’s need and
whose life enables God’s people to also live in the same way.

In Leviticus the First Offering That Is Mentioned

Being Not the Sin Offering or the Trespass Offering
but the Burnt Offering

Needing Christ First as Our Burnt Offering

Because Our First Situation before God, Our First Problem
Related to God, Is Not a Matter of Trespasses
but of Not Being for God
In Leviticus the first offering that is mentioned is not the sin offering or
the trespass offering but the burnt offering (1:3). We need Christ first as
our burnt offering because our first situation before God, our first problem
related to God, is not a matter of trespasses but of not being for God. This
is a great light. As sinners, we are very conscious of our failures,
trespasses, and sins. This shows that we do not view the offerings from
God’s perspective. In a message entitled “Man’s First Sin,” Brother Nee
shows that man’s first unique sin was not his failure to obey, his
indulgence in the flesh, or his committing wrongdoings. Man’s first sin
was in his being wrong with God (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee,
vol. 8, pp. 25-35). That message enlightened me to see that man removed
himself from the proper position that he had before God. Man became
wrong with God, and this was the source of all other sins. Man’s first sin
was not his wrongdoings but his not being right with God. This is why in
Leviticus the first offering God presents is not the sin offering or the
trespass offering but the burnt offering. We need Christ as our burnt
offering in order to have a life that is right with God, to have a life that is
absolute and perfect before God.

God Creating Us to Be
His Expression and His Representation
 God created us to be His expression and His representation (Gen. 1:26).

God Creating Us That We Might Be for Him;

His Not Creating Us for Ourselves, but as Fallen Human Beings,
Our Living for Ourselves, Not for Him
God created us that we might be for Him; He did not create us for [78]
ourselves, but as fallen human beings, we live for ourselves, not for Him. I
believe we all are impressed with Genesis 1:26, which says, “God said, Let
Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the
cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon
the earth.” May this verse be always with us. This refers to God’s intention
in man’s creation. What is shown at creation is even more crucial than
what happened in redemption, because in creation we can see God’s
original intention. This verse clearly reveals that in His original intention
God made man in His own image according to His own likeness. We were
made in God’s image for the expression of God, and we were given the
dominion of God to be the representation of God. Man was not meant to
live for himself. Man was created to live for God, even to live God. God
did not create another god, and He did not create mankind. Rather, He
created man after His own kind, that is, God’s kind. Man was created in
God’s image. This shows that God created man with the intention that man
would express and represent Him. It is not right that man would live for
anything else. Due to the fall, sin came in; man became distracted and was
seduced by Satan, and man partook of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. Since then, man began to live for himself and no longer live for
God. The man God had created became mankind, a fallen mankind. God
did not create mankind. God created a man after His own kind. God
created us that we might be for Him.

The Burnt Offering Meaning That

as Those Who Were Created by God
for the Purpose of Expressing and Representing Him,
We Should Be for Nothing Other Than God
The burnt offering means that as those who were created by God for the
purpose of expressing and representing Him, we should be for nothing
other than God (vv. 27-28; cf. Psa. 73:25; Mark 12:30). As fallen human
beings, we live for ourselves. We get an education for ourselves, marry for
ourselves, have children for ourselves, and develop a career for ourselves.
We are not speaking simply of doing sinful things for ourselves, such as
gambling. No, fallen man also does many good things for himself. Every
person in the world lives for himself under Satan’s instigation. Who lives
for God? Do we raise our children for God? Do we enter into a career for
God? We need to thank the Lord that He [79] made a provision for us. Due
to the fall we all have become self-centered, self-seeking, and
self-purposing persons. We live and do everything for ourselves. But God
made the provision of the burnt offering. The burnt offering means that, as
those who were created by God for the purpose of expressing and
representing Him, we should be for nothing other than God.

Needing to Realize That We Are Not Absolutely for God

and That in Ourselves We Cannot Be Absolutely for God, and
Then Our Needing to Take Christ as Our Burnt Offering
We need to realize that we are not absolutely for God and that in
ourselves we cannot be absolutely for God, and then we need to take Christ
as our burnt offering (Lev. 1:3-4). We are not absolute, and we cannot be
absolute. Praise the Lord for God’s provision of the burnt offering! There
is One who is absolutely for God. We need to take Christ as our burnt
offering.

Christ as Our Burnt Offering

Being Completely for God, Absolutely for God
Christ as our burnt offering is completely for God, absolutely for God
(John 4:34; 5:30; Heb. 10:8-10).

Whatever the Lord Jesus Was, Whatever He Spoke,

and Whatever He Did Being Absolutely for God
Whatever the Lord Jesus was, whatever He spoke, and whatever He did
was absolutely for God (John 6:38; 5:17, 36, 43; 8:28; 10:25; 12:49-50).
How wonderful that in this universe there is such a One who lived a life
that was absolutely for God! Christ came not just to die for man’s sins, to
take care of our problems, or to redeem us so that we would not come
under God’s judgment. That was not the main purpose. Christ came to the
earth to live a life that is absolutely and perfectly for God. While all of
fallen mankind was living for themselves, Christ was living absolutely for
God.
In the reference verses we can see Christ’s living being absolutely for
God. In John 6:38 the Lord said, “I have come down from heaven not to do
My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” He came to do the will of
the Father who sent Him. In 5:43 He said, “I have come in the name of My
Father, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you
will receive him.” When Jesus came, He did not [80] come in His own
name; He came in the Father’s name. In 8:28 Jesus said, “When you lift up
the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing from
Myself, but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things.” There is
One who could boldly say, “I do nothing from Myself; as My Father has
taught Me, I speak these things.” Then in 12:49-50 He declared, “I have not
spoken from Myself; but the Father who sent Me, He Himself has given
Me commandment, what to say and what to speak. And I know that His
commandment is eternal life. The things therefore that I speak, even as the
Father has said to Me, so I speak.” The incarnated God on earth lived
absolutely for God. Christ is the true burnt offering. He is without blemish
and without spot. Although all fallen human beings are for themselves,
God made this provision for us to have such a perfect, spotless Lamb as
our burnt offering so that we can lay our hands on Him and be identified
with Him.

John 7 Revealing That Christ Was Fully Qualified

to Be the Burnt Offering

As One Who Lived a Restricted Life—

a Life Restricted from Doing Things for the Self—
the Lord Seeking the Glory of God
for God’s Satisfaction
John 7 reveals that Christ was fully qualified to be the burnt offering. As
One who lived a restricted life—a life restricted from doing things for the
self—the Lord sought the glory of God for God’s satisfaction (vv. 3-9, 18).
Among the cases in the Gospel of John revealing that Christ came to be life
to meet man’s need, the case in chapter 7 is one of the more difficult ones
to understand. Verses 3 through 6 say,
His brothers therefore said to Him, Depart from here and go into
Judea, so that Your disciples also may behold Your works which
 You are doing; for no one does anything in secret and himself
seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, manifest
Yourself to the world. For not even His brothers believed into
Him. Jesus therefore said to them, My time has not yet come, but
your time is always ready.
As the One who lived absolutely for God, Christ the first God-man lived a
restricted life. It was as if He were saying, “Your time is always ready, but
My time is not yet come. I am restricted. You can do whatever you want at
any time you want, but I cannot, because the Father has not [81] released
Me. I cannot just go because I want to go. If the Father has not sent Me, I
cannot go.” One of the main characteristics of not living for oneself is the
willingness to be restricted. Are we willing to be restricted? We need to be
impressed that Jesus was the infinite God. As God, He cannot be restricted.
He is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent. He can do anything that He
wants. Yet, as a God-man, He subjected Himself to be the burnt offering,
being willing to be restricted to the uttermost. He lived this restricted life
on earth. In verses 7 through 9 the Lord went on to say,
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify
concerning it, that its works are evil. You go up to the feast; I am
not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet been
fulfilled. And having said these things to them, He remained in
Galilee.
Suppose we have the desire to go to a place, but some brothers suggest that
we should wait. However, we may love to go to that place and cannot wait
because we want to do something there. This shows that we are not willing
to be restricted, that we are living a life for our own preferences, interests,
and choices. The first God-man, who was a burnt offering by living
absolutely for God, subjected Himself absolutely to being restricted.
Restriction is the main characteristic of one who lives not for himself but
for God.

In Verses 16 through 18 Our Seeing That

the Lord Jesus Did Not Seek His Own Glory
in That He Did Not Speak from Himself;
His Seeking the Glory of the One Who Sent Him
In verses 16 through 18 we see that the Lord Jesus did not seek His own
glory in that He did not speak from Himself; He sought the glory of the
One who sent Him. Brother Lee says,
 In carrying out God’s New Testament ministry, the Lord Jesus
told us that He never did anything out of Himself (John 5:19), He
did not do His own work (4:34; 17:4), He did not speak His own
word (14:10, 24), He did everything not by His own will (5:30),
and He did not seek His own glory (7:18). (The Collected Works
of Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 1: The
Ministry of the New Testament,” p. 39)
Is there such a one on the earth today? Do we know of such a one who [82]
lives this way? The Lord Jesus did not do anything out of Himself, did not
do His own work, did not speak His own words, did not do His own will,
and did not seek His own glory. This is the standard of the New Testament
ministry. This is the ministry of the first God-man as our burnt offering.

John 7 Revealing That the Lord Jesus

Was a Person Restricted by God, That He Was of God,
That He Was Sent by God and Came from God,
and That He Did Not Speak
His Own Words but Spoke God
John 7 reveals that the Lord Jesus was a person restricted by God, that
He was of God, that He was sent by God and came from God, and that He
did not speak His own words but spoke God (v. 18; 12:49-50).

When the Lord Spoke God’s Word,

God Being Expressed through His Speaking;
God Coming Forth from Him through His Speaking
When the Lord spoke God’s word, God was expressed through His
speaking; God came forth from Him through His speaking (7:17-18).

In John 7 Our Seeing That

the Lord Jesus Is the Reality of the Burnt Offering,
for He Lived a Life That Was Restricted by God
and Wholly for God
In John 7 we see that the Lord Jesus is the reality of the burnt offering,
for He lived a life that was restricted by God and wholly for God. We
praise the Lord that we have such a burnt offering! We are not absolute and
cannot be absolute, but the Lord Jesus is the absolute One. He is qualified
to be our burnt offering, and we can be identified with Him.

THE DIVINE TRINITY BEING REVEALED IN THE TYPE

OF THE BURNT OFFERING

The Divine Trinity is revealed in the type of the burnt offering (Lev. 1:3,
8-9). In the Bible the Triune God is revealed for our experience and
enjoyment, and He is dispensing Himself into us for us to partake of Him.
Hence, it is very meaningful to see that the Divine Trinity is fully involved
with the five basic offerings. In fact, the Divine Trinity is the [83] basic
structure, element, and every aspect of the five basic offerings. We see how
the Triune God is the working One as the accepting Father, the serving
Son, and the mingling Spirit. In these offerings we see the Triune God. The
Triune God is the element of the offering and the functioning agent of
these offerings in order to bring us into the full enjoyment of the divine
riches of the Divine Trinity. It is wonderful to see that the Divine Trinity,
who is not for theological debate but for our participation in all His divine
riches, is fully involved in the type of the burnt offering.

The Crucial Items Revealing

the Divine Trinity in Verses 3, 8, and 9
Being the Burnt Offering, the Tent of Meeting, Jehovah,
the Priest, the Fire, and the Water
The crucial items revealing the Divine Trinity in verses 3, 8, and 9 are
the burnt offering, the Tent of Meeting, Jehovah, the priest, the fire, and the
water.

The Burnt Offering Typifying Christ

as the Food for God’s Satisfaction
The burnt offering typifies Christ as the food for God’s satisfaction (v.
3). Christ is the true burnt offering. He is the food that satisfies God.

The Tent of Meeting Typifying Christ the Son

as the Place of Offering
The Tent of Meeting typifies Christ the Son as the place of offering (vv.
1, 3). The tabernacle is a type of Christ. He is the reality of the Tent of
Meeting. He is the place where we meet. We are gathered into Him.

The Offerings Being Offered

at the Entrance of the Tent of Meeting;
in Order for an Offering to Be Legitimate,
It Not Being Able to Be Offered Anywhere Else
The offerings were offered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; in
order for an offering to be legitimate, it could not be offered anywhere else.
We have to bring our offering to the Tent of Meeting. We have to offer
Christ in Christ. We cannot offer the burnt offering anywhere else or in
ourselves. [84]

In Order to Offer Anything to God,

Our Having to Take Christ
as the Ground of Our Offering
In order to offer anything to God, we must take Christ as the ground of
our offering.

In Leviticus 1, Because Christ the Son

Is Offered to Jehovah, Jehovah Referring to the Father
as the Receiver of the Offering
In Leviticus 1, because Christ the Son is offered to Jehovah, Jehovah
refers to the Father as the Receiver of the offering (v. 3).

In Verses 8 and 9 the Priest Who Served the Offering

Typifying Christ the Son as the Serving One—
Our Great High Priest and a Priest Forever
according to the Order of Melchizedek
In verses 8 and 9 the priest who served the offering typifies Christ the
Son as the serving One—our great High Priest and a Priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 4:14-15; 5:5-6; 7:17).

As Typified by the Burnt Offering,

 the Tent of Meeting, and the Priest, Christ the Son Being
Simultaneously the Offering, the Place of the Offering,
and the One Who Serves the Offering
As typified by the burnt offering, the Tent of Meeting, and the priest,
Christ the Son is simultaneously the offering, the place of the offering, and
the One who serves the offering (Lev. 1:3, 8). Christ is the offering itself,
Christ is the offering place where the offerings are brought, and Christ is
also the Priest who offers the offering. Praise the Lord for our all-inclusive
Christ! He is the offering, the place where the offering is made, and also
the One who offers.

The Fire Signifying God as the Accepting Agent

Fire Consuming and Devouring;

God Accepting the Offering by Burning It
The fire signifies God as the accepting agent (vv. 8-9). Fire consumes
and devours; God accepted the offering by burning it. [85]

The Fire That Burned the Burnt Offering

Being God Himself; Its Being God’s Mouth
The fire that burned the burnt offering was God Himself; it was God’s
mouth (Heb. 12:29). God eats by burning. The fire is God’s mouth. When
the fire consumes the offering, that is God’s mouth taking in the offering as
food.

The Burning of the Burnt Offering

Being the Divine Eating
The burning of the burnt offering was the divine eating (Num. 28:2).
God wants to eat. We may say that God needs to be fed. He eats by
burning all the offerings that are being presented to Him. The fire actually
is God Himself as the consuming fire. Thus, we see that fire signifies God
as the accepting agent.

The Water That Washed the Inward Parts

and Legs of the Burnt Offering Signifying
 the Spirit as the Washing Agent; Christ’s Inward Parts
and His Daily Walk Continually Being Washed
by the Holy Spirit to Keep Him from Being Defiled
by His Contact with Earthly Things
The water that washed the inward parts and legs of the burnt offering
signifies the Spirit as the washing agent; Christ’s inward parts and His
daily walk were continually being washed by the Holy Spirit to keep Him
from being defiled by His contact with earthly things (Lev. 1:9; John
7:38-39).

In Leviticus 1:3, 8, and 9 Our Seeing That

the Entire Divine Trinity Is Involved in the Burnt Offering
In Leviticus 1:3, 8, and 9 we see that the entire Divine Trinity is
involved in the burnt offering. When we come to enjoy Christ as the burnt
offering, we must realize that the burnt offering involves not merely Christ
but the entire Divine Trinity. By partaking of Christ as the wonderful burnt
offering, we can enter into all the divine riches of the Divine Trinity.

TODAY IN OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE,

THERE BEING A NEED FOR THE CONTINUAL BURNT OFFERING

Today in our Christian life and church life, there is a need for the
continual burnt offering (vv. 3-4, 8-9; 6:9, 12a, 13). In this section we [86]
come to the burden and focus of this message. We have seen the many
significances of the burnt offering. Now we need to consider how we apply
this revelation according to the New Testament teaching. According to the
law of the burnt offering, the burnt offering needs to be offered continually.
Leviticus 6:9, 12, and 13 say,
Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt
offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all
night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept
burning on it...The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it
must not go out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every
morning, and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it and
shall burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Fire shall be kept
burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
The burnt offering was not to be offered once every so often; rather, the
burnt offering must be offered continually. The fire of the burnt offering
should never go out.
Although strictly speaking, we cannot say that the burnt offering is our
consecration, we may say that our consecration is intimately related to the
matter of the burnt offering. In Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8 we see the
process of Moses’ sanctifying and consecrating Aaron and his sons into the
priesthood. Moses was charged to offer a bull, two rams, and some
unleavened bread. The bull was for the sin offering (v. 2). The first ram
was called the ram of the burnt offering, which was slain and offered
entirely to God for God’s satisfaction (vv. 18-21).
The second ram was called the ram of consecration. The offering of the
ram of consecration was very particular. First, the blood from this ram was
placed on the lobe of Aaron’s and his sons’ right ear, on the right thumb of
their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot (vv. 22-24). This
implies that their ears for their hearing, their hands for their working, and
their feet for their walking were wholly sanctified and set apart. However,
this was still not sufficient for their consecration. Leviticus 8:25-28 says,
He took the fat, that is, the fat tail and all the fat that was on the
inward parts, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys
and their fat, and the right thigh; and from the basket of
unleavened bread that was before Jehovah, he took one
unleavened cake and one cake of oiled bread and one wafer, and
placed them on the fat portions and on the [87] right thigh. And he
put all these in the palms of Aaron and in the palms of his sons,
and he waved them as a wave offering before Jehovah. And
Moses took them from their palms and burned them on the altar
upon the burnt offering. They were an offering of consecration
for a satisfying fragrance; it was an offering by fire to Jehovah.
Their waving the parts of the ram of consecration with the unleavened
bread was their consecration. Then the wave offering was put on the altar
upon the wood to be burnt for God’s satisfaction. This is the offering of
consecration.
Our application of the burnt offering involves consecration. Leviticus
6:9 says, “This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be
on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the
altar shall be kept burning on it.” We should never allow the fire to cease.
The fire came from heaven to burn the sacrifice. The priests were also
charged to add wood to the altar to sustain the fire. In our Christian life and
our church life today there is a need of a continual burnt offering. Our
consecration needs to be continuous. The fire that is burning on this burnt
offering altar should never go out. We should not merely consecrate
ourselves to the Lord when we are saved. That consecration is no longer
fresh. We should not even have a monthly consecration. We need to have a
fresh consecration daily. Our consecration should not be merely occasional
when we have the desire to consecrate or when we are encouraged in our
Christian life. We need to consecrate ourselves whether we are encouraged
or discouraged, whether we feel victorious or defeated. The burnt offering
needs to be continual. Our consecration should not be an activity; our
consecration must be a living. If we feel good, we need to consecrate. If we
do not feel good, we should still consecrate.

God’s People Being Required to Offer the Burnt Offering

Every Day, Not Only in the Morning but Also in the Evening;
on Every Sabbath, at the Beginning of Every Month,
and during Every Festival,
Special Burnt Offerings Being Required
God’s people were required to offer the burnt offering every day, not
only in the morning but also in the evening; on every Sabbath, at the
beginning of every month, and during every festival, special burnt
offerings were required (Num. 28:3—29:40). By the Lord’s mercy and [88]
grace, I can testify that throughout my fifty-plus years as a Christian in the
church life, every morning I have renewed my consecration to the Lord. It
is not that I am something special or that I have always felt ready to do so.
I simply have felt compelled to renew my consecration every morning.
That being said, I must also confess that I have not done so every evening.
In Numbers, however, we see that the charge is not only to offer the burnt
offering to God every morning but also every evening (28:4). In the
morning time, as we are about to begin our day with many things before us,
we may feel compelled to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. However, at
the end of the day, when everything is done, sometimes we may just go to
bed. We forget to offer our burnt offering again. At such times, when
everything is done and completed, we still must learn to offer our burnt
offering. In the day, we may feel better, but at night, sometimes we may
not feel as well. It does not matter. Morning and evening, we must offer
our burnt offering.
Not only must we offer burnt offerings every morning and every
evening, we must also offer special burnt offerings every Sabbath (every
week), at the beginning of every month, and during every festival. God
needs food from us every day, every week, every month, every year, and
on every special occasion. We must offer the burnt offering to God on a
continual basis, and for special occasions, we must make special burnt
offerings.
Brother Nee charged that on the Lord’s Day we need to offer ourselves
in a fresh way to the Lord before coming to the Lord’s table meeting. If we
would offer ourselves every Lord’s Day morning before we come to the
meeting, we would not be late to the meeting. We would surely want to
bring something of Christ to the meeting to exhibit or to offer as praise. I
am very much burdened, as are the other brothers, that the Lord would
revive and rekindle a spirit of consecration among us. The burnt offering
should not be something we merely study or about which we learn the
significances. It must be our continual experience every day, morning and
evening. I fully believe that if every Lord’s Day we would consecrate
ourselves to the Lord, especially with a fresh consecration, we will come to
the meetings differently.

Due to the Requirements Regarding the Burnt Offering,

the Bronze Altar Being Specifically Called
“the Altar of Burnt Offering”
Due to the requirements regarding the burnt offering, the bronze [89] altar
was specifically called “the altar of burnt offering” (Exo. 30:28; 38:1).
Although all the other offerings were offered there, the bronze altar was
specifically called the altar of burnt offering, that is, an altar for satisfying
God.

The Burnt Offering Being the Continual Offering,

and the Fire for the Burnt Offering Needing
to Burn Unceasingly; It Having to Burn Day and Night
The burnt offering was the continual offering, and the fire for the burnt
offering was to burn unceasingly; it had to burn day and night (Lev. 6:9,
12a, 13).

“The Burnt Offering Shall Be on the Hearth on the Altar

All Night until the Morning, and
the Fire of the Altar Shall Be Kept Burning on It”
 Leviticus 6:9 says, “The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar
all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on
it.” Verse 12a says, “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it
must not go out,” and verse 13 says, “Fire shall be kept burning on the altar
continually; it shall not go out.” Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot let the
fire go out. We must keep this fire burning all the time.

All Night until the Morning Signifying

That a Burnt Offering Should Remain in the Place of Burning
through the Dark Night of This Age until the Morning,
until the Lord Jesus Comes Again
All night until the morning signifies that a burnt offering should remain
in the place of burning through the dark night of this age until the morning,
until the Lord Jesus comes again (v. 9; 2 Pet. 1:19; Mal. 4:2). Our offering
of ourselves to the Lord should not be conditional or for only a certain
period of time. We must allow ourselves to be placed on the hearth through
the dark night of this age until the morning. During the dark night we must
remain in the position of the burnt offering until the Lord comes back.
Many things happen during this period of the dark night, many good things
but also many bad, evil, and negative things. What are we to do? We must,
as the burnt offering did, remain on the altar until our Lord returns. This is
our position. [90]

The Continual Burning of the Fire on the Altar

Signifying That God as the Holy Fire in the Universe
Is Always Ready to Receive (Burn) What Is Offered to Him
as Food, and That God’s Desire to Accept
What Is Offered to Him Never Ceases
The continual burning of the fire on the altar signifies that God as the
holy fire in the universe is always ready to receive (burn) what is offered to
Him as food, and that God’s desire to accept what is offered to Him never
ceases (Lev. 6:9b, 12a, 13; Heb. 12:29). This fire is always ready to
consume what we offer to Him. Sometimes we may feel that we are not in
a good condition. We may feel that we are weak or that we are not this or
that. We may feel that we are not qualified to consecrate ourselves to the
Lord. Brother Lee once said that even when our consecration is not that
complete or genuine, we must still consecrate. God is ready to consume
what we offer. Those who grew up in the church life may remember that
when they were junior-high-school students at a conference or a retreat,
they consecrated themselves to the Lord. Some after consecrating may
have then gone back into the world. Some may have left for the next
twelve years, but God never forgot their consecration. God consumed that
consecration. Later such ones may testify that while in graduate school,
God remembered their consecration and reminded them, saying, “Didn’t
you consecrate yourself to Me in that particular conference?”
The fire is there continuously, ready to consume and ready to burn.
Thus, when it comes to consecration, we should not look at our condition.
We should not consider ourselves, whether we are qualified or not. None
of us is qualified. Only He is qualified. He is the real consecration, the real
burnt offering. Strictly speaking, when we consecrate ourselves to the
Lord, we are not offering ourselves; rather, we are simply laying our hands
on Christ. Often in the morning when I consecrate myself to the Lord, I
say, “Lord, what do I have to consecrate to You? What goodness do I
have? I do not have anything.” Then the Lord always reminds me to lay my
hands on Him as the burnt offering. He is the absolute and perfect One. In
Him and through Him I can be accepted. Hence, I consecrate myself by
laying my hands on Him to identify with Him, not by offering to God what
I can do or what I have. I consecrate by laying my hands on Him so that in
Him and through Him I can be accepted. [91]

The Type of the Burnt Offering Showing Us

That We Need to Have a Life of the Continual Burnt Offering,
a Life with Fire Burning on the Altar All Day Long
The type of the burnt offering shows us that we need to have a life of the
continual burnt offering, a life with fire burning on the altar all day long
(Lev. 6:12a, 13). Brother Nee says,
Fire is from the Lord. The Lord casts this fire on earth. This fire
is also the gospel. It enables us to serve, to withstand persecution,
and even to sacrifice our lives. On the personal side, fire depends
absolutely on our consecration. The amount of consecration we
offer on the altar determines the intensity of the fire. If
consecration is lacking, the fire will not come. Therefore, we
cannot hold back anything in our consecration.
Consecration, in turn, comes from light. We consecrate to God
according to the light we have received. We can only consecrate
 according to what we have received, according to what our
spiritual eyes can see. The light we see comes from our
fellowship with God. Through constant fellowship, God shines on
us and grants us revelation. When we are under His shining, we
see His demand and consecrate ourselves to Him voluntarily.
Then God sends down His fire to take up our consecration.
Hence, fire comes from God and is communicated to us through
consecration; we do not light the fire ourselves. This is the fire on
the altar. Once the sacrifice is on the altar, the fire comes.
Consecration is not a one-time act, but a continual act. In the
beginning we do not know what we should consecrate. Gradually,
we receive more light, and we consecrate more, and our
consecration becomes more absolute. The stronger our
consecration is, the greater is the fire on the altar. Consecration
follows shining. The amount of shining we receive determines the
degree of consecration we render. Our consecration must match
the light that God has given us.
No one should seek for fire. As long as we have enough
consecration and as long as we have enough friction, we will
have the fire. (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 61,
pp. 26-27) [92]
So strictly speaking, we do not need to seek for fire or to ask God to give
us fire. Instead, we must increase our consecration.
Along with the burnt offering, the priests were asked to add wood to the
fire morning and evening. What does it mean to add wood? The burnt
offering is Christ. He is the true burnt offering that is put on the altar, and
this burnt offering is laid on the wood. The wood is us. The fire is from the
heavens. We are not allowed to create fire or manufacture fire. The fire
must come down from the heavens. So according to the type, Christ is on
the altar as the burnt offering sitting on the wood. On God’s side, the fire
comes from Him, but on our side, we must lay down the wood. Then we
put the burnt offering on the hearth.
Dear brothers and sisters, once the offering is placed on the altar, we
cannot simply say, “Well, let God burn us.” Christ is the burnt offering. He
is wonderful, absolute, and He satisfies God. However, what does this have
to do with us? What is our portion? Our portion is to add wood; that is, we
must stir up our spirit. Romans 12:11 says, “Do not be slothful in zeal, but
be burning in spirit, serving the Lord.” Many times when we come to the
meetings, we do not feel like exercising our spirit. We do not feel like we
are ready to say something or do something. At such times, what do we
do? Do we sit back and wait for fire to come down from the heavens? Or
do we add more wood? At such times, we should offer ourselves, saying,
“Lord, I will not leave this meeting empty or be in this meeting in a vain
way. I want to exercise my spirit. Even when I do not feel that I have
anything or am in the right condition, I want to add wood to the altar.”
Christ as the burnt offering sits on the wood that the fire burns. Adding
wood is very much related to the exercise of our spirit. If we do not
exercise our spirit, how can God move and work?

TO LIVE A LIFE
OF THE CONTINUAL BURNT OFFERING
BEING TO BE A LIVING SACRIFICE

To live the life of the continual burnt offering is to be a living sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 says, “I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the
compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well
pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.” This verse describes
the New Testament teaching regarding how to experience the continual
burnt offering. [93]

The Burnt Offering Being a Type

of Our Consecration, of Our Offering Ourselves to God
as a Living Sacrifice; the Meaning of Consecration
Being to Offer Ourselves to God
as a Living Sacrifice
The burnt offering is a type of our consecration, of our offering
ourselves to God as a living sacrifice; the meaning of consecration is to
offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (Lev. 1:3-4, 8-9; 6:9, 12a, 13;
Rom. 12:1). To be a sacrifice means that we are willing to become nothing.
We are willing to lose everything. Paul in Romans 12 exhorts us by the
compassions of God to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. When we put
something on the altar as a sacrifice, our right to it is over. We no longer
have control. It is on the altar to be burnt up. Hence, to be a sacrifice means
to allow God to have full control, to have full right. Once we are a
sacrifice, we cannot dictate to God regarding how much to take or how
much to use. Whether He uses us or not is up to Him.
Stanza 3 of Hymns, #403, a hymn adapted by Watchman Nee, expresses
this:

Every moment, every member,

Girded, waiting Thy command;
Underneath the yoke to labor
Or be laid aside as planned.
When restricted in pursuing,
No disquiet will beset;
Underneath Thy faithful dealing
Not a murmur or regret.

I love this hymn. Whether or not God uses us is up to Him. Regrettably,

some of us may still hold the wrong concept of consecration, thinking that
we consecrate ourselves to God to do something, such as migrate to a
certain place, read the entire Bible in a certain number of months, or bring
one person to the Lord each year. Instead of consecration, this is merely an
expression of our devotion or our making a vow. Real consecration is to
surrender ourselves completely.
As mentioned earlier, Leviticus 8 speaks of the consecration of the
priests. To be consecrated was for Aaron and his sons to fill their hands
with the offering. The offering was to be placed in their hands. In fact, the
word consecration literally means “filling (of hands)” (Lev. 7:37, footnote
1), that is, “to fill one’s hands.” Our hands should be filled [94] with Christ,
not with our determination to do this or that for God. Our need is to have
our hands filled with Christ as the burnt offering. Many of us may still
have the concept that to consecrate is to commit ourselves to do something
for God. However, in our consecration the only commitment is to commit
to God to let Him do whatever He wants. This is what it means to be
consecrated and to be a sacrifice.
Sacrifice was the last word of ministry that Brother Lee spoke before he
passed away. Among the many things that he could have said, he only said
the word sacrifice. His whole life was a life of sacrifice. This should be a
pattern to us. When we say that we experience Christ as the continual burnt
offering, that we consecrate ourselves to the Lord, this does not mean that
we are endeavoring to do something for the Lord. Rather, it means that we
want to offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice to allow Him to do
whatever He pleases.

The Daily Burnt Offering in the Old Testament

 Typifying That, in the New Testament, We Who Belong to God
Should Offer Ourselves Daily to God
The daily burnt offering in the Old Testament typifies that, in the New
Testament, we who belong to God should offer ourselves daily to God
(Num. 28:3-8). Saints, would you offer yourselves daily to God? When I
look back on my own Christian life, I feel that this has been a preserving
element to me. By renewing my consecration to the Lord every day, not
determining to do anything but just turning my life over to the Lord, I have
been preserved. I would surely encourage you, every day, in the morning to
say, “Thank You, Lord, for this day. Again, I offer You as the burnt
offering.” Also in the evening, when the work is done, we can say, “Lord, I
am still an unprofitable slave; I have done what I could. At the end of the
day, Lord, You are the true burnt offering.” If you would do this, dear
saints, you will be preserved and strengthened, and God will have a way in
you.

The Sacrifice in Romans 12:1 Being Living

Because It Has Life through Resurrection
The sacrifice in Romans 12:1 is living because it has life through
resurrection (6:4-5). All sacrifices must to be put to death; however, in this
verse the sacrifice is called “a living sacrifice,” because after termination,
there is germination. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “I am crucified with
Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in [95] me.”
He then continues the verse by saying, “And the life which I now live in
the flesh I live in faith.” This is the living sacrifice. On the one hand, we
have been terminated, having been crucified with Christ. On the other
hand, we now live another life.

To Be a Living Sacrifice Meaning

That We Constantly Offer Ourselves to the Lord
To be a living sacrifice means that we constantly offer ourselves to the
Lord.

Our Offering Ourselves to the Lord Continually,

and the Lord Being Able to Use Us Continually
We offer ourselves to the Lord continually, and the Lord can use us
continually. We should not consecrate just once a year, once a month, or
even once a week. We must consecrate ourselves continually. Consecration
consists mainly of two matters: God’s right and our love. God has the
absolute right over us. He bought us with a price. We are not our own. We
have no right to say, “I want to consecrate today,” or “I do not want to
consecrate today.” We have no right. We do not belong to ourselves.
However, consecration is also a matter of love. In Exodus 21:5 the servant
says, “I love my master...I will not go out free.” The Lord has drawn us
with His love. If we see these two matters, we will realize consecration is
not an incidental matter, depending on our feeling. Consecration must be
constant and continual. We must always be standing in the position of
consecration.

This Sacrifice Being Holy Because, Positionally,

It Has Been Separated to God by the Blood of Christ
from the World and from All Persons, Matters, and Things
That Are Common; and Because, Dispositionally,
the Natural Life and the Old Creation
Have Been Sanctified and Transformed by the Holy Spirit
with God’s Life and God’s Holy Nature for God’s Satisfaction;
Thus, This Sacrifice Being Well Pleasing to God
This sacrifice is holy because, positionally, it has been separated to God
by the blood of Christ from the world and from all persons, matters, and
things that are common; and because, dispositionally, the natural life and
the old creation have been sanctified and transformed by the [96] Holy
Spirit with God’s life and God’s holy nature for God’s satisfaction; thus,
this sacrifice is well pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1).
If we are consecrating ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice, there
should be a mark on us. There should be a mark of separation on us,
indicating what is of God and what is not of God. These days I am quite
burdened for our young working saints, our next generation. We are living
in a world that is advancing speedily. With all the technological advances,
it seems that the line between what is of the world and what is not of the
world has been blurred. It is not that clear anymore. For example, nearly
everyone uses cell phones, tablets, and computers. What is considered to
be worldly, and what is considered not to be worldly? Probably thirty years
ago we would have said, “Oh, these laptops and tablets are so worldly.”
We might have even burned them. In prior decades, we did this as a
clearance of our worldly past. Some brought their stereo sets and some
brought their TV sets, and they smashed them and burned them. We did
not want to have anything to do with such things. Today would we want to
burn all our cell phones and tablets?
I see our younger generation growing up. Many are struggling with how
to raise their children and how to strike a so-called balance between their
church life, family life, and career. I am sure that the world is demanding
much more of you now than it did of us thirty years ago. However, in this
changing world, where everything is introduced in such a subtle way, how
do we live a life of a continual burnt offering? How do we have a mark of
separation upon us? When worldly people see how we use our cell phones,
do they recognize that we are Christians, or are we the same as they are? I
am not here to indict anyone; only the Lord knows. Today we are living in
an evil age, and it is becoming more and more evil. However, here we are,
learning to experience the continual burnt offering, that is, learning to
consecrate ourselves to God constantly and continually.
How do we adjust and balance our life? The only way is to consecrate
ourselves absolutely. It does not mean that we throw away our cell phones
and our computers. Rather, we must pass through the gate of consecration.
I am concerned that many of the younger generation, growing up in these
last twenty years or so, do not know how crucial consecration is to God’s
testimony today. If there is not a thorough experience of consecration in
our lives, we will struggle and fight with the world and with how to strike a
balance. I always tell the young [97] people, “Take Christ as your center.
When you have Christ as your center, then everything will be balanced. Do
not try to balance everything first. Take Christ as your center first. Seek
first His kingdom and His righteousness. Then whatever you do and
whatever you have will be balanced.”

In Verse 1 the Bodies Being Plural,

but the Sacrifice Being Singular
In verse 1 the bodies are plural, but the sacrifice is singular. When Paul
mentions consecration, he is very definite. He is touching the matter of our
bodies. This afternoon we have not only four thousand hearts present; we
also have four thousand bodies. Our consecration should be practical and
definite. However, what is even more meaningful is that although there are
many bodies, there is only one living sacrifice.
 Although Many Bodies Are Presented,
Their Becoming One Sacrifice, Implying That,
Although We Are Many, Our Service in the Body of Christ
Should Not Be Many Individual Services,
Separated and Unrelated
Although many bodies are presented, they become one sacrifice,
implying that, although we are many, our service in the Body of Christ
should not be many individual services, separated and unrelated.

All Our Service Needing

to Constitute One Whole Service,
and This Service Needing to Be Unique Because
It Is the Service of the One Body in Christ
All our service should constitute one whole service, and this service
must be unique because it is the service of the one Body in Christ (vv. 4-5).
We know the goal of our consecration is to serve God. But how do we
serve God? We serve Him not individually, independently, but together in
the Body. Although many physical bodies may be present, there is only
one living sacrifice. Strictly speaking, consecration is not an individual
matter but a corporate matter. In Leviticus 8 consecration is related to the
priesthood. Although individually we must have a personal transaction
with God to give ourselves to the Lord, that consecration must be
connected to the consecration of the whole Body of Christ. We are not
consecrating ourselves to God to do something [98] for Him, such as to go
out to preach the gospel, to move to a certain place, or to do a work for
God by ourselves. Our consecration needs to be part of a corporate
consecration. God does not care that much for our individual consecration.
What He cares for is a corporate living sacrifice.

The Church Life as a Whole Being a Burnt Offering

for the Satisfaction of God
The church life as a whole is a burnt offering for the satisfaction of God.

The Believers Living in the Body of Christ

 by Presenting Their Bodies as a Living Sacrifice;
to Have the Body Life Our Needing to Present Our Bodies
to the Lord and to His Body
The believers live in the Body of Christ by presenting their bodies as a
living sacrifice; to have the Body life we need to present our bodies to the
Lord and to His Body (Rom. 12:1, 4-5). Even in our coming to the
meetings, the Lord first has to bring our bodies there. It is not good enough
to say, “I stand with you in spirit,” yet not show up for four weeks. We
need to have our bodies in the meetings. We need our mouth to be
exercising and praising the Lord. We need our bodies to be serving and
functioning. The New Testament is very definite when it comes to the
matter of consecration, and it is always with the view of the Body life. Our
consecration is never just a matter of “me and God.” It is always with a
view of the Body of Christ.

ALL OUR SERVICE TO GOD NEEDING TO BE BASED

ON THE FIRE FROM THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING

All our service to God must be based on the fire from the altar of burnt
offering (v. 11; Lev. 9:24; 16:12-13; 6:13; cf. 10:1-2). The service to God
in the Old Testament was initiated by the fire from the heavens. According
to Leviticus 9, even after all aspects of the service were ready—the
priesthood, the offerings, and the wood—the service could not begin until
fire came down from the heavens. The fire coming down to consume the
burnt offering initiated the priestly service. In the same way, dear brothers
and sisters, for us to serve God, there must be the fire from the heavens
coming down upon the altar of the burnt offering. [99]

God Wanting the Service of the Children of Israel

to Be Based on This Fire
God wanted the service of the children of Israel to be based on this fire
(6:13).

The Service That We Render to God

in the Church Life Needing to Originate with the Fire
on the Altar of Burnt Offering, and Our Service Needing
to Come out of the Burning of God’s Fire
 and Be the Issue of This Fire
The service that we render to God in the church life must originate with
the fire on the altar of burnt offering, and our service must come out of the
burning of God’s fire and be the issue of this fire (Exo. 3:2, 4, 6; Rom.
12:1, 11). We praise the Lord that it was the fire that sent Brother Lee to
America to bring the recovery here. It is the fire burning with so many
servants of God that has spread the Word of God everywhere. Today the
Lord’s recovery is spreading, but it cannot be spread by our zeal, our
planning, or our arrangement. We need to pray, “Lord, may Your fire
descend. We are here; we offer ourselves.” We must increase the wood, the
burning, the fire, the consecration. Where there is consecration, the fire
will descend to burn. Only this can constitute God’s service.
When Moses was forty years old, he was zealous in himself to do
something for God’s people. God did not honor that zeal. Rather, Moses
had to wait for another forty years. After Moses was totally discouraged
with himself, God appeared to him as the fire in the burning thornbush to
call him. This is the holy service. Dear saints, our experience of the burnt
offering must result in a practical consecration that will lead us in a service
that is acceptable and pleasing to God. He does not want us to have any
service that originates out of our own fire. Such fire is considered strange
fire and issues in death. The fire must be from the heavens. However, for
the fire to come down, we must have our consecration ready. When we are
consecrated, God is ready to consume. When the fire burns, the issue will
be the service.—J. L.
 [101]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

The Vision and Enjoyment of the Meal Offering

(Message 4)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 2:1-16; 6:14-23; John 6:57, 63; 12:24; 1 Cor.
10:17

I. The meal offering typifies Christ in His God-man living—Lev.

2:1-16:
A. Fine flour, the main element of the meal offering, signifies
Christ’s humanity, which is fine, perfect, tender, balanced, and
right in every way, with no excess and no deficiency; this
signifies the beauty and excellence of Christ’s human living and
daily walk—v. 1; John 18:38; 19:4, 6b; Luke 2:40; 23:14; Isa.
53:3.
B. The oil of the meal offering signifies the Spirit of God as the
divine element of Christ—Lev. 2:1; Luke 1:35; 3:22; 4:18; Heb.
1:9.
C. The mingling of fine flour with the oil in the meal offering
signifies that Christ’s humanity is mingled with the Holy Spirit
and that His human nature is mingled with God’s divine nature,
making Him a God-man, possessing the divine nature and the
human nature distinctly, without a third nature being
produced—Lev. 2:4-5; Matt. 1:18, 20.
D. The frankincense in the meal offering signifies the fragrance of
Christ in His resurrection; that the frankincense was put on the
fine flour signifies that Christ’s humanity bears the aroma of His
resurrection—Lev. 2:1-2; cf. Matt. 2:11; 11:20-30; Luke 10:21:
1. As portrayed in the four Gospels, Christ lived a life in His
humanity mingled with His divinity and expressing
resurrection out from His sufferings—cf. John 18:4-8;
19:26-27a.
2. Christ’s Spirit-filled and resurrection-saturated living was a
satisfying fragrance to God, giving God rest, peace, joy,
enjoyment, and full satisfaction—Lev. 2:2; Luke 4:1; John
11:25; Matt. 3:17; 17:5. [102]
E. Salt, with which the meal offering was seasoned, signifies the
 death, or the cross, of Christ; salt functions to season, kill germs,
and preserve—Lev. 2:13:
1. The Lord Jesus always lived a life of being salted, a life
under the cross—Mark 10:38; John 12:24; Luke 12:49-50.
2. Even before He was actually crucified, Christ daily lived a
crucified life, denying Himself and His natural life and living
the Father’s life in resurrection—John 6:38; 7:6, 16-18; cf.
Gal. 2:20.
3. The basic factor of God’s covenant is the cross, the
crucifixion of Christ, signified by salt; it is by the cross that
God’s covenant is preserved to be an everlasting
covenant—cf. Heb. 13:20.
F. That the meal offering was without leaven signifies that in Christ
there is no sin or any negative thing—Lev. 2:4-5, 11a; 2 Cor.
5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22; Luke 23:14; cf. 1 Cor. 5:6-8.
G. That the meal offering was without honey signifies that in Christ
there is no natural affection or natural goodness—Lev. 2:11b;
Matt. 10:34-39; 12:46-50; Mark 10:18.
II. The meal offering typifies our Christian life as a duplication of
Christ’s God-man living—Lev. 2:4; Psa. 92:10; 1 Pet. 2:21; Rom.
8:2-3, 11, 13:
A. If we eat Christ as the meal offering, we will become what we eat
and live by what we eat—John 6:57, 63; 1 Cor. 10:17; Phil.
1:19-21a.
B. By exercising our spirit to touch the Spirit consolidated in the
Word, we eat the human life and living of Jesus, we are
constituted with Jesus, and the human living of Jesus becomes
our human living (Eph. 6:17-18; Jer. 15:16; Eph. 5:26; Gal. 6:17)
with the following characteristics of His divinely enriched
humanity:
1. The humanity of Jesus fulfills all righteousness—Matt.
3:13-15.
2. The humanity of Jesus has no resting place—8:20.
3. The humanity of Jesus is lowly in heart—11:29.
4. The humanity of Jesus loves the weak ones—12:19-20.
5. The humanity of Jesus is flexible—17:27.
6. The humanity of Jesus serves others—Mark 10:45; 1:35; see
footnote 1 on verse 10. [103]
7. The humanity of Jesus cherishes people—Luke 4:16-22;
7:34; 19:1-10.
8. The humanity of Jesus is orderly, not sloppy—Mark 6:39-40;
 John 6:12.
9. The humanity of Jesus is limited by time—7:6.
10. The humanity of Jesus is unique—v. 46.
11. The humanity of Jesus knows when to weep—11:33, 35.
12. The humanity of Jesus is humble—13:4-5.
III. The meal offering typifies the church life as the corporate living by
the perfected God-men—12:24; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:24; Gal. 2:20; Phil.
1:21a:
A. Christ’s life and our individual Christian life issue in a
totality—the church life as a corporate meal offering—Lev.
2:1-2, 4; 1 Cor. 12:12, 24; 10:17.
B. The meal-offering church life is seen in 1 Corinthians:
1. Christ is the man given to us by God—1:2, 9, 30.
2. Paul’s charge to the Corinthians—“Be a man” (16:13,
lit.)—means that we should have the high, uplifted humanity
of Jesus (9:26-27; 13:4-7).
3. The church life is a life of humanity oiled by and with the
Spirit and joined to the Spirit—2:4, 12; 3:16; 6:17.
4. The grace of God which we are enjoying today is the
resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit—15:10, 45b:
a. We must die with Christ to self daily so that we may live
with Christ to God daily—vv. 31, 36; John 12:24-26.
b. We must demonstrate the reality of resurrection by being
one with God and having God with us in the status in
which we were called—1 Cor. 7:24, 21-22a, 10-13.
c. We must labor not by our natural life and natural ability
but by the Lord as our resurrection life and
power—15:10, 58.
5. We must enjoy the crucified Christ as the solution to all the
problems in the church—1:9, 18, 22-23a; cf. Mark
15:31-32a.
6. We must enjoy Christ as our unleavened banquet—1 Cor.
5:6b-8.
7. In the church life the natural life must be killed by the salt, by
the cross of Christ—15:10; 12:31; 13:8a; 2 Cor. 5:16. [104]
8. God desires that every local church be a meal offering to
satisfy Him and fully supply the saints day by day; this means
that we will eat our church life, for the church life will be our
daily supply.
IV. We need to see the law of the meal offering (Lev. 6:14-23); the laws
of the offerings are the ordinances and regulations regarding the
enjoyment of Christ as the offerings; since the reality of the offerings
is Christ, the laws of the offerings correspond to the law of the life of
Christ, which is the law of the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2); these laws
indicate that even in the enjoyment of Christ we should not be
lawless but should be regulated by the law of life—cf. 1 Cor.
9:26-27; 11:17, 27-29; Gal. 6:15-16; Phil. 3:13-16:
A. Before Jehovah signifies that the meal offering is offered to God
in His presence, and before the altar signifies that the meal
offering is offered in relation to the redemption of Christ on the
cross, the altar being a type of the cross—Lev. 6:14; cf. Heb.
13:10.
B. Part of the flour and oil and all of the frankincense of the meal
offering were God’s food (Lev. 2:2, 9, 16); this signifies that a
considerable portion of Christ’s excellent, perfect, Spirit-filled,
and resurrection-saturated living is offered to God as food for His
enjoyment; this portion is so satisfying to God that it becomes a
memorial (6:15); the remainder of the offering, consisting of fine
flour and oil but no frankincense, was food for the serving priests
(2:3, 10):
1. Whereas the burnt offering is God’s food for His satisfaction
(Num. 28:2), the meal offering is our food for our
satisfaction, a portion also being shared with God; proper
worship is a matter of satisfying God with Christ as the burnt
offering and of being satisfied with Christ as the meal
offering and sharing this satisfaction with God (Lev. 2:2; cf.
John 4:24).
2. All meal offerings were offered by fire on the altar (Lev.
2:4-9), signifying that Christ in His humanity offered to God
as food has gone through the testing fire (Rev. 1:15); the fire
in Leviticus 2 signifies the consuming God (Heb. 12:29), not
for judgment but for acceptance; the consuming of the meal
offering by fire signifies that God has accepted Christ as His
satisfying food (Lev. 2:2). [105]
C. The meal offering is not common food; it is food only for those
believers in the church life who are actual and practical priests,
serving God in the priesthood of the gospel—6:14-16; Rom. 1:9;
15:16; 1 Pet. 2:9.
D. Eating the priests’ portion of the meal offering without leaven in
a holy place signifies that we enjoy Christ as the life supply for
our service without sin (leaven) in a separated, sanctified realm;
since the Tent of Meeting typifies the church, eating the meal
 offering in the court of the Tent of Meeting signifies that Christ
should be enjoyed as our life supply in the sphere of the church
life—Lev. 6:16.
E. Not baking the meal offering with leaven signifies that our
laboring on Christ to partake of Him as our life supply must be
without sin—v. 17.
F. The law of the meal offering refers us to the sin offering and the
trespass offering, signifying that if we would enjoy Christ as our
life supply, we need to deal with the sin in our fallen nature and
with the sins (trespasses) in our conduct—v. 17; 4:3.
G. Those who partake of Christ as the life supply should be strong in
the divine life (males) and also should be God’s serving ones,
God’s priests (sons of Aaron)—6:18.
H. The offering of a meal offering by Aaron and his sons on the day
when Aaron was anointed signifies that the enjoyment of Christ
as the life supply is related to the priestly service—v. 20.
I. The tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a continual meal offering,
half in the morning and half in the evening, signifies that the top
portion, the tenth part, of the enjoyment of Christ should be for
God, and that this kind of enjoyment of Christ should continue in
our priestly service—v. 20.

[106]

MESSAGE FOUR

THE VISION AND ENJOYMENT OF THE MEAL OFFERING

OUR NEED TO SEE CHRIST

In this message we want to see the vision and enjoyment of the meal
offering. Before we begin to study this matter, however, we need to see
Christ. We need an enlarged, expanded, and extensive vision of Christ. We
are studying the book of Leviticus in order to see vision upon vision of
who Christ is.
When we stress the importance of vision, some may wonder how vision
relates to our experience of Christ. We can explain this with an illustration.
One time my family was staying at a farmhouse in western Kansas, which
is one of the flattest places on earth. One day I took my little boy out into a
field and asked him to look around. I turned him in one direction and asked
him to tell me what he saw. “Nothing,” he said. Then I turned him in
another direction and asked him again to tell me what he saw. Again, he
answered that he saw nothing. No matter which way I turned him, he said
that he saw nothing. Although he said that he saw nothing, in actuality a
beautiful ocean of wheat was spread out before us. When I explained and
described this to him, then he was impressed. The divine and mystical
realm is like this. In the divine and mystical realm the Christ that we see is
the Christ that we get. Genesis 13 reveals this. In verse 14 Jehovah said to
Abram, “Now lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are,
northward and southward and eastward and westward.” Jehovah turned
Abram in every direction and told him to look. Then Jehovah said to him,
“All the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed forever” (v.
15). The land signifies Christ. This shows that the Christ we see is the
Christ that God gives to us, the Christ that we gain. In verse 17 Jehovah
said, “Rise up; walk through the land according to its length and its
breadth, for I will give it to you.” First, we see Christ, and then we rise up
and walk in Him (cf. Col. 2:6). We walk in the Christ that we see. Thus, we
need to see more and more of Christ.

THE THREE ASPECTS OF THE NEW REVIVAL

In this message we want to see Christ as the meal offering. The meal
[107] offering typifies three things: Christ in His God-man living, our
Christian life as a duplication of Christ’s God-man living, and the church
life as the corporate living by the perfected God-men. Before we get into
the three aspects of the meal offering, however, we need to remember that
the new revival also has three aspects. We want to be the Lord’s bride who
turns this age from the age of the church to the age of the kingdom of a
thousand years, but in order to do this, we need a new revival. This new
revival has three aspects.

The Highest Peak of the Divine Revelation

The first aspect of the new revival is the highest peak of the divine
revelation. This highest peak of the divine revelation is the vision of
eternity. We can view the highest peak of the divine revelation from many
aspects, but in this message we want to view it from the angle of the meal
offering. The highest peak of the divine revelation is the mingling of God
with man for the oneness of the Body of Christ. This mingling of God with
man for the oneness of the Body of Christ is the central matter in the Bible
and in our Christian life. In Experiencing the Mingling of God with Man
for the Oneness of the Body of Christ, Brother Lee says that the oneness is
like a thermometer (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1963, vol. 1, p.
392). When we serve together practically, the oneness among us is like a
thermometer that tells us how much we are really living in the mingling of
God with man. Do we have the oneness among us? The oneness checks
how much we are in the mingling of God with man to be the same as God
in life and nature, but not in the Godhead, for the building up of the Body
of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem. This is the highest peak of the
divine revelation, which is the first aspect of the new revival.

The God-man Living

The second aspect of the new revival is the God-man living. This is the
life of eternity. The highest peak of the divine revelation is the vision of
eternity, and the God-man living is the life of eternity. The reason that this
message on the meal offering is so important is that the vision of the
God-man living is typified by the meal offering. In The Practical Points
concerning Blending, Brother Lee defines the God-man living: The
God-man living is “the mingling living in the eternal union of the
regenerated, transformed, glorified tripartite God-men with the Triune God
in the resurrection of Christ” (p. 37). The word mingling indicates that this
living is not complete; it is still going on with us right [108] now. We are
being mingled with the Triune God, and we have a mingling living.

Shepherding according to God

The third aspect of the new revival is shepherding according to God in
order to cherish and nourish others for ministering God into them. This is
the work of eternity. We shepherd others according to God’s nature, way,
desire, and preference to cherish them and nourish them so that we can
minister God into them. To shepherd others in this way is our work, the
work of eternity.

THE MEAL OFFERING

TYPIFYING CHRIST IN HIS GOD-MAN LIVING

The meal offering typifies Christ in His God-man living (Lev. 2:1-16).
Verses 1 through 5 say,
When anyone presents an offering of a meal offering to Jehovah,
his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil on it and
 put frankincense on it. Then he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the
priests, and he shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and
of its oil with all its frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as
its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire, a satisfying
fragrance to Jehovah. And what is left of the meal offering shall
be Aaron’s and his sons’; it is a thing most holy of Jehovah’s
offerings by fire. And when you present an offering of a meal
offering baked in the oven, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened
cakes mingled with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
And if your offering is a meal offering baked on a flat plate, it
shall be of fine flour mingled with oil, unleavened.
According to verse 4, the meal offering was baked in the oven.

Fine Flour, the Main Element of the Meal Offering,

Signifying Christ’s Humanity,
Which Is Fine, Perfect, Tender, Balanced,
and Right in Every Way, with No Excess and No Deficiency;
This Signifying the Beauty and Excellence
of Christ’s Human Living and Daily Walk
Fine flour, the main element of the meal offering, signifies Christ’s
humanity, which is fine, perfect, tender, balanced, and right in every way,
[109] with no excess and no deficiency; this signifies the beauty and
excellence of Christ’s human living and daily walk (v. 1; John 18:38; 19:4,
6b; Luke 2:40; 23:14; Isa. 53:3). Starting with this point, we will begin to
see the ingredients of Christ as the meal offering. What are Christ’s
ingredients? The main element of the meal offering is Christ’s humanity.
This humanity is fine, perfect, tender, balanced, and right in every way. Is
our humanity like this apart from Christ? Our humanity is not fine, perfect,
tender, balanced, or right in every way. We are rough and imbalanced.
Actually, we are not right in any way. However, we praise the Lord that
there is a God-man who lives in us. He is fine, perfect, tender, balanced,
and right in every way, and He has no excess and no deficiency. This
signifies the beauty and excellence of Christ’s human living and daily
walk.
When Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, examined the Lord, he said
three times, “I find no fault in Him” (John 18:38; 19:4, 6b). Even an
unbeliever such as Pilate found absolutely no fault in the Lord. If we were
to stand before Pilate, he would find many faults in us. However, he could
not find any fault in Christ. In Matthew 27:12 and 14 we can see that when
Pilate examined and questioned the Lord, Christ did not say anything to
vindicate Himself. He did not say a word. Verse 14 says that Pilate
“marveled greatly” that Christ did not say anything. If we had been there
before Pilate, we would have said many things to defend ourselves. We are
really good at vindicating ourselves. One time I was assigned to pick a
brother up from the airport during an elders’ training, so I missed dinner.
After the evening meeting, the sisters fixed me a meal. While I was eating
it, I felt someone slap me on the back. I turned around and saw that it was
Brother Lee. Inwardly, I said, “O Lord.” Then I said to Brother Lee, “I am
eating this meal at such a late hour because I had to pick up a brother at the
airport, and I missed my dinner. This is why I am eating a meal at 9:30 at
night.” Brother Lee had not even asked me anything about why I was
eating dinner so late. As he left the meeting hall, he laughed and said, “I
am glad to see that you have vindicated yourself, Brother Ed.” I was so
exposed. We are good at vindicating ourselves, but Christ did not vindicate
Himself. Because the Lord did not say even one word when examined by
Pilate, Pilate marveled greatly.
Luke 2:40 gives us a description of the Lord when He was growing up.
Luke writes, “The little child grew and became strong, being filled with
wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” Whenever I think of Christ,
I marvel. He was the best young person in the universe. He was strong in
spirit and was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was [110] upon
Him. We do not have any junior-high-age young people like this; we have
to nourish and cherish them so that they can enjoy such a Christ.

The Oil of the Meal Offering Signifying the Spirit of God

as the Divine Element of Christ
The oil of the meal offering signifies the Spirit of God as the divine
element of Christ (Lev. 2:1; Luke 1:35; 3:22; 4:18; Heb. 1:9). Christ had
the Spirit both essentially and economically. Regarding the Lord’s birth,
Matthew 1:20 says, “That which has been begotten in her is of the Holy
Spirit.” Something was begotten in Mary. Sometimes we may think of the
incarnation as happening when Christ came out of Mary’s womb, but the
incarnation took place inside of her womb. The incarnation of the
Man-Savior was the conception of the Man-Savior. When He was
conceived in the womb of Mary, that was His incarnation. At that time He
was filled with the Holy Spirit essentially. In addition, not only was He
filled with the Holy Spirit essentially for the Spirit to be His essence, but
also He was filled with the Spirit economically. The Spirit was poured out
upon Him. Both aspects of the filling of the Spirit are typified by the meal
offering. The meal offering is fine flour mingled with oil, and this meal
offering also had oil poured out upon it. Luke 3:22 says that when the Lord
was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove upon
Him. Furthermore, Luke 4:18 is a record of the Lord reading from the book
of Isaiah and applying this word to Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to
the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed” (cf. v. 21).
Hebrews speaks of the Lord being anointed: “You have loved
righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has
anointed You with the oil of exultant joy above Your partners” (1:9). We
are the partners of Christ, and we share with Him in the oil of exultant joy.

The Mingling of Fine Flour with the Oil in the Meal Offering
Signifying That Christ’s Humanity Is Mingled
with the Holy Spirit and That His Human Nature
Is Mingled with God’s Divine Nature, Making Him a God-man,
Possessing the Divine Nature and the Human Nature Distinctly,
without a Third Nature Being Produced
The mingling of fine flour with the oil in the meal offering signifies [111]
that Christ’s humanity is mingled with the Holy Spirit and that His human
nature is mingled with God’s divine nature, making Him a God-man,
possessing the divine nature and the human nature distinctly, without a
third nature being produced (Lev. 2:4-5; Matt. 1:18, 20).

The Frankincense in the Meal Offering

Signifying the Fragrance of Christ in His Resurrection;
That the Frankincense Was Put on the Fine Flour
Signifying That Christ’s Humanity Bears the Aroma
of His Resurrection
The frankincense in the meal offering signifies the fragrance of Christ in
His resurrection; that the frankincense was put on the fine flour signifies
that Christ’s humanity bears the aroma of His resurrection (Lev. 2:1-2; cf.
Matt. 2:11; 11:20-30; Luke 10:21). We can see this in Matthew 11:20-30.
Verses 20 through 24 say,
 Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His works
of power took place, because they did not repent: Woe to you,
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the works of power
which took place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to
you, It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who have been
exalted to heaven, to Hades you will be brought down. For if the
works of power which took place in you had taken place in
Sodom, it would have remained until today. But I say to you that
it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of
judgment than for you.
All these cities rejected the Lord. It is difficult to imagine that the complete
God and the perfect man—the mingling of God and man—was there and
that these cities rejected Him. If you were rejected in this way, what would
your reaction be? In verses 25 through 26 we can see the Lord’s response:
At that time Jesus answered and said, I extol You, Father, Lord of
heaven and of earth, because You have hidden these things from
the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes,
Father, for thus it has been well-pleasing in Your sight.
Verse 25 says that “Jesus answered.” Whom did He answer? He answered
[112] the Father. Footnote 1 on this verse says, “While the Lord was
rebuking the cities, He fellowshipped with the Father.” We do not know
what the Father said to Him, but we know that Jesus was in fellowship with
the Father and that He answered the Father. He also extolled the Father. To
extol is to praise with acknowledgment. Although the Lord had been
rejected by all those cities, He was still praising the Father. This is the
fragrance of Christ’s resurrection. Then, according to verses 28 through 30,
the Lord said,
Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light.
The yoke in these verses is the Father’s will, and the burden is the work to
carry out the Father’s will. The Lord’s yoke is easy, and His burden is
light. If we think that things are difficult and heavy, this means that we
have the wrong yoke upon us. It means that we have our will upon us and
not the Father’s will. We need to take the Father’s yoke, His will, upon us,
because His yoke is easy; and His burden, the work to carry out His will, is
light.

As Portrayed in the Four Gospels,

Christ Living a Life
in His Humanity Mingled with His Divinity
and Expressing Resurrection
out from His Sufferings
As portrayed in the four Gospels, Christ lived a life in His humanity
mingled with His divinity and expressing resurrection out from His
sufferings (cf. John 18:4-8; 19:26-27a). John 18:4-8 describes what
happened in the garden when Jesus was betrayed. These verses say,
Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon
Him, went forth and said to them, Whom do you seek? They
answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. He said to them, I am. And
Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
When therefore He said to them, I am, they drew back and fell to
the ground. Then again He asked them, Whom do you seek? And
they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus answered, I told you that I
am; if therefore you seek Me, let these go away.
The Lord told those who had come to arrest Him to allow everyone else
[113] who was with Him to go away. This is the fragrance of resurrection.
We might have said, “All these people are with me, and I need them to stay
with me.” The Lord did not do this. He told them to let everyone else go
away.
When we look at the accounts of the Lord’s crucifixion, we can see the
fragrance of His resurrection even while He was being crucified. John
19:26-27 says,
Then Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved
standing by, said to His mother, Woman, behold, your son. Then
He said to the disciple, Behold, your mother. And from that hour
the disciple took her into his own home.
These verses show that John and Mary had a life in union with Christ. This
is how John could be Mary’s son and how Mary could be John’s mother. A
centurion who was standing by was so struck by the things that Jesus said
on the cross and by the things that happened during the crucifixion that he
said, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54b). These verses show
the fragrance of the Lord’s resurrection in the midst of His sufferings.
 Christ’s Spirit-filled
and Resurrection-saturated Living
Being a Satisfying Fragrance to God,
Giving God Rest, Peace, Joy,
Enjoyment, and Full Satisfaction
Christ’s Spirit-filled and resurrection-saturated living was a satisfying
fragrance to God, giving God rest, peace, joy, enjoyment, and full
satisfaction (Lev. 2:2; Luke 4:1; John 11:25; Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Christ had
a Spirit-filled and resurrection-saturated living. This utterance is
wonderful. Surely, we want this kind of living. Leviticus 2:2 says that the
memorial portion was offered to God as a satisfying fragrance. When the
Lord was baptized, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My Son, the
Beloved, in whom I have found My delight” (Matt. 3:17). This shows that
the Son is the Father’s delight. When the Lord was on the Mount of
Transfiguration, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out
of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him!” (Mark
9:7). We are here to hear the Lord. Verse 8 then says that “they no longer
saw anyone, but Jesus only with them.” I love these two words—Jesus
only. The Lord’s recovery is these two words. [114]

Salt, with Which the Meal Offering Was Seasoned,

Signifying the Death, or the Cross, of Christ;
Salt Functioning to Season, Kill Germs, and Preserve

The Lord Jesus Always Living a Life of Being Salted,

a Life under the Cross
Salt, with which the meal offering was seasoned, signifies the death, or
the cross, of Christ; salt functions to season, kill germs, and preserve (Lev.
2:13). The Lord Jesus always lived a life of being salted, a life under the
cross (Mark 10:38; John 12:24; Luke 12:49-50). Even before the Lord
went to the physical cross, He lived a life under the cross. He died to
Himself, rejected Himself, and lived by the Father’s life. The Lord said in
Luke 12:49-50, “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish that
it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how
I am pressed until it is accomplished!” The baptism in these verses is the
baptism of His death, and the fire that the Lord came to cast on the earth
signifies His divinity with His divine life. His death was a fire-releasing
death. The fire of His life was cast on the earth when He died and was
resurrected. Footnote 1 on verse 49 says that this fire is “the impulse of the
spiritual life.” The word impulse means “impelling force.” The fire of His
life that was cast into our spirit became the impelling force of our Christian
life and church life. This fire is burning on the whole earth. Regardless of
how we feel, there is fire burning within us. Praise the Lord that He came
to cast fire on the earth.
Who would have considered several decades ago that one day this fire
would be burning in the former Soviet Union? To me, this is still one of the
greatest miracles. When we were growing up, the threat of nuclear war and
the tension surrounding nuclear weapons were so great that we had to do
drills in elementary school. The brothers who grew up in Russia may have
had a similar experience. Our teachers would say to us, “A bomb is
coming. Get under your desks.” Later, I thought about how crazy this was.
What would these drills have mattered in the event of nuclear war? If there
was a real nuclear bomb, everyone would have been incinerated, whether
they were under their desks or on top of their desks. Humanly speaking,
having passed through this period of history, it was a great miracle to see
the Berlin Wall come down, to see brothers and sisters in the Soviet Union
preaching the gospel, and to see so many churches being raised up in
Russia and the former Soviet Union. This was the result of the fire of the
Lord’s life in that part of the world. [115]
When Brother Dick Taylor and I went to Russia in 1993, we preached
the gospel on a street called No God Street in a building called The Society
for the Blind. We declared that Jesus is God and that Jesus opens the eyes
of the blind. Since that time they have changed the name of the street. This
is the fire of God’s life-releasing death.

Even Before He Was Actually Crucified,

Christ Daily Living a Crucified Life,
Denying Himself and His Natural Life
and Living the Father’s Life in Resurrection
Even before He was actually crucified, Christ daily lived a crucified life,
denying Himself and His natural life and living the Father’s life in
resurrection (John 6:38; 7:6, 16-18; cf. Gal. 2:20). These verses in John
reveal this. John 6:38 says, “I have come down from heaven not to do My
own will but the will of Him who sent Me,” and John 7:6 says, “Jesus
therefore said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always
ready.” The Lord did the Father’s will, and He was under the Father’s
timetable. He was restricted by time.

The Basic Factor of God’s Covenant Being the Cross,

the Crucifixion of Christ, Signified by Salt;
Its Being by the Cross
That God’s Covenant Is Preserved
to Be an Everlasting Covenant
The basic factor of God’s covenant is the cross, the crucifixion of Christ,
signified by salt; it is by the cross that God’s covenant is preserved to be an
everlasting covenant (cf. Heb. 13:20).

That the Meal Offering Was without Leaven

Signifying That in Christ
There Is No Sin or Any Negative Thing
That the meal offering was without leaven signifies that in Christ there is
no sin or any negative thing (Lev. 2:4-5, 11a; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet.
2:22; Luke 23:14; cf. 1 Cor. 5:6-8). Praise the Lord that in Christ there is
no sin or negative thing and that this Christ is in our spirit. The Lord said in
John 14:30, “I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the
world is coming, and in Me he has nothing.” This means that he has no
ground, no chance, no hope, and no possibility in anything. In “Me” the
ruler of this world has nothing. Where is [116] this “Me” today? This “Me”
is in our spirit. When we are in our spirit, we are in this “Me,” and in this
“Me” the ruler of this world has nothing. This means that he has no ground,
no chance, no hope, and no possibility in anything with us as long as we
remain in our spirit in Him.

That the Meal Offering Was without Honey

Signifying That in Christ
There Is No Natural Affection
or Natural Goodness
That the meal offering was without honey signifies that in Christ there is
no natural affection or natural goodness (Lev. 2:11b; Matt. 10:34-39;
12:46-50; Mark 10:18). The churches went through a turmoil in 1988, and
this turmoil was caused by three factors that we need to learn from. One
factor was unfulfilled ambition, which is leaven. Another factor was
unforgiven offenses. People had offenses that had built up for years, and
these offenses eventually burst out at the time of the turmoil. A third factor
was natural affection. Some of those involved were very gifted, prominent
brothers among us. It was difficult to believe that they could rebel against
the recovery. Because there was a natural affection among these saints, the
fermentation of that rebellion spread from one person to the next. Hence,
the rebellion was due to these three factors: unfulfilled ambition,
unforgiven offenses, and natural affection. However, in Christ there is no
natural affection, no natural goodness.
Matthew 10:34-39 says,
Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have
not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set men
at variance: a man against his father, and a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a
man’s enemies will be those of his household. He who loves
father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves
son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who does
not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He
who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life
for My sake shall find it.
Verse 35 speaks of “a man against his father.” I can still remember my
relationship with my physical father, who is with the Lord now. When I
was saved and came into the church life, my father was not yet saved. My
[117] father said that I was different and that all I did was read the Bible. At
that time there was a variance between me and my father; it was like a
sword. My father and I were very close, but by the Lord’s mercy I was able
to remain faithful to the Lord.
One time I took my father to the brothers’ house to eat. I was praying
that the Lord would cover my father and be with the brothers. The brothers
were Jesusly human with my father. He was so touched that he told my
mother, “These people are shining.” Although my father was an
unbeliever, he saw the shining faces of the brothers. Later, we were having
a reaping meeting, and the brothers asked me to give a word, so I shared.
Before the meeting my father asked me what I was doing that evening, and
I told him that I was going to share something about the gospel. My father
came to the gospel meeting and was sitting in the center. As I was sharing,
there were tears in his eyes. Afterward, I told a brother about my father’s
experience in that meeting. The brother encouraged me to lead my father to
the Lord. Soon after, I took out The Mystery of Human Life, and my father
prayed with me to receive the Lord.
This experience shows that we need to remain faithful to the Lord. No
matter what our natural relationships are, nothing should be above our
relationship with Christ. Then we may bring those ones to Christ.
Matthew 12:46-47 says,
While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother
and His brothers stood outside seeking to speak to Him. And
someone said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers
are standing outside seeking to speak to You.
If we had been in such a situation, we might have said, “Hold it, I am going
out to speak to my mother and my brothers,” but the Lord did not do this.
Verses 48 through 50 say,
But He answered and said to him who spoke to Him, Who is My
mother, and who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand
toward His disciples, He said, Behold, My mother and My
brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in the
heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother.
These verses indicate that there was no natural relationship between the
Lord and His family members. The verses also indicate that if we do the
will of the Father, we are a brother to help the Lord, a sister who
sympathizes with Him, and a mother who tenderly cares for Him. We
become the Lord’s true brother, sister, and mother. [118]

THE MEAL OFFERING TYPIFYING OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE

AS A DUPLICATION OF CHRIST’S GOD-MAN LIVING
The meal offering typifies our Christian life as a duplication of Christ’s
God-man living (Lev. 2:4; Psa. 92:10; 1 Pet. 2:21; Rom. 8:2-3, 11, 13).
Psalm 92:10 says, “You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; / I am
anointed with fresh oil.” I would encourage you to pray-read this verse, to
make this verse your prayer. The horn in this verse signifies fighting
strength for fighting against the enemy. In the second part of this verse, the
meaning in Hebrew for the word anointed is literally “mingled”; hence, it
may be rendered, “I am mingled with fresh oil.” Every day we need to
pray, “Lord, mingle me with fresh oil. Even in this meeting, Lord, mingle
me with fresh oil.” This is to have our whole being invigorated and
strengthened with the freshness of the Spirit. We are oiled with the Spirit,
saturated with the Spirit, soaked with the Spirit, permeated with the Spirit,
and poured upon by the Spirit.
In The Glorious Vision and the Way of the Cross there are two chapters
entitled, “The Humanity of One Who Serves the Lord” (The Collected
Works of Witness Lee, 1989, vol. 1, pp. 451-470). In these chapters there
are seven items that describe the humanity of one who serves the Lord:
extraordinary love, boundless forbearance, unparalleled faithfulness,
absolute humility, utmost purity, supreme holiness and righteousness, and
brightness and uprightness. We need to have these seven characteristics.
These are the characteristics of Christ. He is the One who lives in us, so we
need to enjoy Him by being mingled with Him every day.
If we are going to be mingled with the Lord day by day, we have to take
care of the following matters. First, we must love the Lord and His
appearing. To love the Lord’s appearing is to love His second coming (2
Tim. 4:8), but we also need to love His appearing to us day by day. We see
this in Acts 26:16, where the Lord told Paul, “I have appeared to you for
this purpose, to appoints you as a minister and a witness both of the things
in which you have seen Me and of the things in which I will appear to
you.” As this verse indicates, the Lord is appearing to us constantly. He is
appearing to us in this training, meeting by meeting, fellowship by
fellowship, and morning by morning. We love the Lord, and we love His
appearing.
The rebellion that we passed through in 1988 was the background of
Brother Lee’s sharing in The Glorious Vision and the Way of the Cross on
safeguarding our humanity through loving the Lord. Because of that
rebellion, some of the saints lost their proper humanity. But when we [119]
maintain our love for the Lord, we are kept in the realm of having Christ as
our humanity. Our humanity is safeguarded by the restraint of His
affection; that is, the love of Christ constrains us. If we do not love the
Lord, Brother Lee says that we are “liable to do anything and everything”
(The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1989, vol. 1, p. 467). If we are not
constrained by the affection of His love, we are liable to do anything. Do
not think that we are better than the ones who left the recovery. We are
here by the Lord’s mercy. We have been kept in the realm of having Christ
as our humanity because, by the Lord’s mercy, we are here loving the
Lord, and our humanity has been safeguarded by the restraint of His
affection.
We can see this in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, which speaks of the “‘things
which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up
in man’s heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’
But to us God has revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches
all things, even the depths of God.” When we love God, we get all the
things that eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come
up in man’s heart. We enjoy Christ as the deep things of God. The opposite
of this is found in 1 Corinthians 16:22, which says, “If anyone does not
love the Lord, let him be accursed!” If we love the Lord, we enjoy Christ
as the deep things of God. If we do not love the Lord, we are under a curse.
The footnote on the word accursed in this verse says,
Gk. anathema, meaning a thing or person accursed; that is, set
apart, devoted, to woe. Our loving God makes us those who are
blessed of God to share the divine blessings that He has ordained
and prepared for us, which are beyond our apprehension (2:9).
Our not loving the Lord makes us those who are accursed, set
apart to a curse. What a warning!
We do not want to be accursed. Rather, we want to be in the law of
rejoicing and in the law of life, which is the law of loving the Lord. Hence,
to be mingled with the Lord day by day, we have to take the first matter,
which is to love the Lord and His appearing.
The second matter is that we must have a fresh consecration to the Lord
every day. This matter was covered in Message 3 in a wonderful way.
Third, we must eat Jesus in the word; we must eat Jesus in the word every
day. The fourth matter is that we must walk by the Spirit of reality in our
spirit.
The fifth matter is that we must live in the blending life in the entire
Body of Christ. Blending tempers, mingles, harmonizes, and adjusts us.
[120] We have to live in the blending life of the entire Body of Christ.
When we come together, especially during the annual feasts, we enjoy the
blending life of the entire Body of Christ. How can we be blended? We
have to do everything through the cross and by the Spirit to dispense Christ
to one another for the sake of the Body of Christ. That is how we are
blended together. When we are about to do something, we should always
stop to fellowship with the ones with whom we are working. This is very
practical. We should not go ahead and do something on our own but should
stop to fellowship. This fellowship will blend, temper, mingle, harmonize,
and adjust us. Many times we fail because we do not stop to fellowship.
Sixth, we must minister the Spirit to others. Judges 9:9 refers to the olive
tree with the oil; the oil of the olive tree honors both God and men. This
verse signifies that when we live and walk by the Spirit, we honor God,
and when we minister the Spirit, we honor men. Verse 13 refers to the vine
tree; the wine of the vine tree cheers God and men. The wine signifies the
life of God and the love of God. When we enjoy Christ as the life of God
and the love of God, and then we minister Christ as the life of God and the
love of God to others, we make God and men happy. We cheer God and
men.
The seventh matter is that we must serve by the Spirit of God, having no
confidence in the flesh. This is seen in Philippians 3:3.
The final matter is that we must let our forbearance be known to all men.
This is seen in Philippians 4:5. In The Experience and Growth in Life, there
is a message on the divine attributes becoming our human virtues through
four aspects of Christ in the four chapters of Philippians (The Collected
Works of Witness Lee, 1989, vol. 3, ch. 14). In Philippians 1 it is by the
bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (v. 19), in Philippians 2 it is
by the inner-operating God (v. 13), in Philippians 3 it is by the power of
Christ’s resurrection (v. 10), and in Philippians 4 it is by the Christ who
empowers us from within (v. 13).
If we take care of these eight matters, we will be mingled with the Lord
day by day.

If We Eat Christ as the Meal Offering,

Our Becoming What We Eat
and Living by What We Eat
If we eat Christ as the meal offering, we will become what we eat and
live by what we eat (John 6:57, 63; 1 Cor. 10:17; Phil. 1:19-21a). We [121]
will live because of Christ. He will be our sustaining, energizing,
empowering, and supplying factor for us to live Him.

By Exercising Our Spirit

to Touch the Spirit Consolidated in the Word,
Our Eating the Human Life and Living of Jesus,
Our Being Constituted with Jesus,
and the Human Living of Jesus
Becoming Our Human Living
with the Following Characteristics
of His Divinely Enriched Humanity
 By exercising our spirit to touch the Spirit consolidated in the Word, we
eat the human life and living of Jesus, we are constituted with Jesus, and
the human living of Jesus becomes our human living (Eph. 6:17-18; Jer.
15:16; Eph. 5:26; Gal. 6:17) with the following characteristics of His
divinely enriched humanity. It is a miracle that we can eat the human life
of Jesus. We can eat the human living of Jesus by touching the Spirit
consolidated in the Word. In this way we are constituted with Jesus, and
the human living of Jesus becomes our human living with the following
characteristics of His divinely enriched humanity.

The Humanity of Jesus

Fulfilling All Righteousness
The humanity of Jesus fulfills all righteousness (Matt. 3:13-15). When
the Lord went to be baptized by John, “ John tried to prevent Him, saying,
It is I who have need of being baptized by You, and You come to me? But
Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it for now, for it is fitting for us in
this way to fulfill all righteousness” (vv. 14-15). The Lord was declaring
that, as a man, He wanted to be righteous, to be right with God by living,
working, and doing things in the way that God had ordained. God had
ordained baptism; thus, as a man, the Lord had to be baptized. As a man,
the Lord had the likeness of the flesh of sin although He did not have the
sin of the flesh. Through His baptism He was declaring to the whole
universe that, as a man in the flesh, He was worthy of nothing but death
and burial. He would not use His flesh to carry out His ministry. He would
not live by His natural life but by the Father’s life.
If each of those graduating from the full-time training has the realization
that he or she is a man in the flesh worthy of nothing but death [122] and
burial, then the training has succeeded. They may think that they are worse
than when they began the training, but this is because they have received
more light during the training to see that they are persons in the flesh
worthy of nothing but death and burial.
The Lord Jesus was also right with God and man by entering into the
ministry of the age. At the time John the Baptist had the ministry of the
age. To be in the center of what God was doing at that time, that is, to enter
into the ministry of that age, people had to be baptized by John. The Lord
Jesus did not tell John to step aside; rather, He entered into John’s ministry.
By entering into the ministry of that age, the Lord fulfilled all
righteousness with God.
 The Humanity of Jesus Having No Resting Place
The humanity of Jesus has no resting place (8:20). Matthew 8:20 says,
“The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of
Man has nowhere to lay His head.” The Son of Man had no resting place.
Our resting place is the Triune God; He is our home. Christ is our home.
Once during a plane flight, a flight attendant asked me where I lived. I
thought for a minute and said, “My home is Christ.” She was a believer,
and she responded, “Praise the Lord.”

The Humanity of Jesus Being Lowly in Heart

The humanity of Jesus is lowly in heart (11:29). Jesus had no
self-esteem. He did not want to do anything for Himself, and He did not
expect to gain something for Himself.

The Humanity of Jesus Loving the Weak Ones

The humanity of Jesus loves the weak ones (12:19-20). If we are weak
ones, then we are qualified to be loved by the Lord Jesus. Matthew 12:20
says, “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not
quench until He brings forth justice unto victory.” Reeds were used to
make musical instruments. When a reed was bruised, people would break it
because it could no longer give a musical sound. Sometimes we cannot
give a musical sound in the meeting, but the Lord does not break us.
Instead, He takes care of us; He cherishes us and nourishes us. Sometimes
we are like smoking flax; we do not produce any shining light. We testify,
and it is as if people are waving the smoke away. But the Lord does not
quench us or put us aside. He cherishes us and nourishes us so that we will
shine brightly. [123]

The Humanity of Jesus Being Flexible

The humanity of Jesus is flexible (17:27). The account in Matthew
17:24-27 reveals the Lord’s flexibility:
And when they came to Capernaum, those who take up the
temple tax came to Peter and said, Does not your Teacher pay the
temple tax? He said, Yes. And when he came into the house,
Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From
 whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from
their sons or from strangers? And when he said, From strangers,
Jesus said to him, So then the sons are free. But that we do not
stumble them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish
that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a
stater; take that and give it to them for Me and you.
Not only did the Lord pay a tax that He did not have to pay, but He paid
Peter’s tax as well. However, to train Peter, He made him go fishing first.
We do not know how long it took for Peter to catch that fish, but we can
imagine him thinking about the big mistake he had made while he was
waiting for the fish. Footnote 1 on verse 27 says that “Peter was no doubt
troubled that he had to go fishing and wait for a fish to appear with a
stater.”
I can testify on behalf of Brother Lee that he was a very flexible person.
When I was much younger, I would walk Brother Lee up to the front of the
meetings. Before one training meeting, we were walking to the front. There
were many young people standing near the front, and I had to help Brother
Lee weave through all these young people so that he could reach his chair.
Inwardly, I was murmuring and complaining because of this situation.
After we sat down, Brother Lee asked what these young people were doing
in the front. They had memorized one of Brother Lee’s footnotes and were
reciting it. Brother Lee thought that this was wonderful, so he told me to go
downstairs and get a copy of the New Testament Recovery Version for
each of them. This was Brother Lee sending me “fishing.”

The Humanity of Jesus Serving Others

The humanity of Jesus serves others (Mark 10:45; 1:35; see footnote 1
on verse 10). Mark 10:45 says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve.” We should always remember that we are happiest [124] when
we are one with the Son of Man to serve. We should not think, “Why
aren’t the saints serving me? Why aren’t the saints taking care of me?” I
did this once myself. When I first came into the church life, all the saints
invited me over. Then I got married, and it seemed that the saints were no
longer inviting me over. I wondered what was wrong. The Lord said to me,
“You are not a baby anymore; why don’t you have the saints over?” My
wife and I then began having the saints over. My wife learned to be a very
good cook by our having the saints over.
The point here is that the humanity of Jesus serves others. If we serve
others, we will be perfected. My wife and I were perfected by serving
others.

The Humanity of Jesus Cherishing People

The humanity of Jesus cherishes people (Luke 4:16-22; 7:34; 19:1-10).
The Lord Jesus was called a friend of tax collectors and sinners (7:34). He
cherishes people. In Luke 19 the Lord cherished Zaccheus. A big crowd
was following the Lord, but when the Lord saw Zaccheus in the tree, He
said, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay in your
house” (v. 5). Zaccheus hurried down, rejoicing (v. 6). The crowd
murmured when they saw this, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a
sinful man” (v. 7). Praise the Lord that He lodges with sinful people! He is
a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Zaccheus had a full repentance.
Verse 10 concludes this account: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to
save that which is lost.”

The Humanity of Jesus Being Orderly, Not Sloppy

The humanity of Jesus is orderly, not sloppy (Mark 6:39-40; John 6:12).
When Jesus fed the five thousand men, He ordered the disciples to have all
the people recline by companies on the green grass. They sat down in
groups by hundreds and by fifties. The word groups in Mark 6:40 means
“garden plot by garden plot.” John 6:12 says, “When they were filled, He
said to His disciples, Gather the broken pieces left over that nothing may
be lost.” The Lord did not want to leave a mess; He was orderly, not
sloppy. If we want to be disciples, we need to learn how to serve
practically.

The Humanity of Jesus Being Limited by Time

The humanity of Jesus is limited by time (7:6). [125]

The Humanity of Jesus Being Unique

The humanity of Jesus is unique (v. 46). In John 7, when the chief
priests and Pharisees asked the attendants why they did not arrest Jesus, the
attendants answered, “Never has a man spoken as this man has” (v. 46).
Jesus was unique.
 The Humanity of Jesus Knowing When to Weep
The humanity of Jesus knows when to weep (11:33, 35).

The Humanity of Jesus Being Humble

The humanity of Jesus is humble (13:4-5).

THE MEAL OFFERING TYPIFYING THE CHURCH LIFE

AS THE CORPORATE LIVING BY THE PERFECTED GOD-MEN

Christ’s Life and Our Individual Christian Life

Issuing in a Totality—
the Church Life as a Corporate Meal Offering
The meal offering typifies the church life as the corporate living by the
perfected God-men (12:24; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:24; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21a).
Christ’s life and our individual Christian life issue in a totality—the church
life as a corporate meal offering (Lev. 2:1-2, 4; 1 Cor. 12:12, 24; 10:17).

The Meal-offering Church Life Being Seen in 1 Corinthians

Christ Being the Man Given to Us by God

The meal-offering church life is seen in 1 Corinthians. Christ is the man
given to us by God (1:2, 9, 30).

Paul’s Charge to the Corinthians—

“Be a Man”—Meaning That We Should Have
the High, Uplifted Humanity of Jesus
Paul’s charge to the Corinthians—“Be a man” (16:13, lit.)—means that
we should have the high, uplifted humanity of Jesus (9:26-27; 13:4-7).

The Church Life Being a Life of Humanity

Oiled by and with the Spirit and Joined to the Spirit
 The church life is a life of humanity oiled by and with the Spirit and
joined to the Spirit (2:4, 12; 3:16; 6:17). [126]

The Grace of God Which We Are Enjoying Today

Being the Resurrected Christ as the Life-giving Spirit
The grace of God which we are enjoying today is the resurrected Christ
as the life-giving Spirit (15:10, 45b). We must die with Christ to self daily
so that we may live with Christ to God daily (vv. 31, 36; John 12:24-26).
We must demonstrate the reality of resurrection by being one with God and
having God with us in the status in which we were called (1 Cor. 7:24,
21-22a, 10-13). We must labor not by our natural life and natural ability
but by the Lord as our resurrection life and power (15:10, 58).

Our Having to Enjoy the Crucified Christ

as the Solution to All the Problems in the Church
We must enjoy the crucified Christ as the solution to all the problems in
the church (1:9, 18, 22-23a; cf. Mark 15:31-32a). When we eat and enjoy
the meal offering, we take in all its ingredients. We enjoy Christ who is the
fine flour mingled with oil, the frankincense (the aroma of His
resurrection), and the salt (the effectiveness and power of His death). All
these elements get into us. We enjoy the crucified Christ. Hence, the
enjoyment of Christ solves all the problems in the church life. When we are
enjoying the Lord, we do not have any problems. But when we are not
enjoying the Lord, there are all kinds of problems. We need to give
ourselves to enjoy the Lord.

Our Having to Enjoy Christ

as Our Unleavened Banquet
We must enjoy Christ as our unleavened banquet (1 Cor. 5:6b-8).

In the Church Life

the Natural Life Having to Be Killed by the Salt,
by the Cross of Christ
In the church life the natural life must be killed by the salt, by the cross
of Christ (15:10; 12:31; 13:8a; 2 Cor. 5:16). In 2 Corinthians 5:16 Paul
says, “So then we, from now on, know no one according to the flesh; even
though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know
Him so no longer.” In the church life we should not know anyone
according to the flesh; we should know everyone according to the spirit.
The natural life is killed by the salt. [127]

God Desiring That Every Local Church Be a Meal Offering

to Satisfy Him and Fully Supply the Saints Day by Day;
This Meaning That We Will Eat Our Church Life,
for the Church Life Will Be Our Daily Supply
God desires that every local church be a meal offering to satisfy Him
and fully supply the saints day by day; this means that we will eat our
church life, for the church life will be our daily supply.

OUR NEEDING TO SEE THE LAW OF THE MEAL OFFERING

We need to see the law of the meal offering (Lev. 6:14-23); the laws of
the offerings are the ordinances and regulations regarding the enjoyment of
Christ as the offerings; since the reality of the offerings is Christ, the laws
of the offerings correspond to the law of the life of Christ, which is the law
of the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2); these laws indicate that even in the
enjoyment of Christ we should not be lawless but should be regulated by
the law of life (cf. 1 Cor. 9:26-27; 11:17, 27-29; Gal. 6:15-16; Phil.
3:13-16).

Before Jehovah Signifying That the Meal Offering

Is Offered to God in His Presence,
and Before the Altar Signifying That the Meal Offering
Is Offered in Relation to the Redemption
of Christ on the Cross, the Altar Being a Type of the Cross
Before Jehovah signifies that the meal offering is offered to God in His
presence, and before the altar signifies that the meal offering is offered in
relation to the redemption of Christ on the cross, the altar being a type of
the cross (Lev. 6:14; cf. Heb. 13:10).

Part of the Flour and Oil and All of the Frankincense

 of the Meal Offering Being God’s Food
Part of the flour and oil and all of the frankincense of the meal offering
were God’s food (Lev. 2:2, 9, 16); this signifies that a considerable portion
of Christ’s excellent, perfect, Spirit-filled, and resurrection-saturated living
is offered to God as food for His enjoyment; this portion is so satisfying to
God that it becomes a memorial (6:15); the remainder of the offering,
consisting of fine flour and oil but no frankincense, was food for the
serving priests (2:3, 10).
Whereas the burnt offering is God’s food for His satisfaction (Num.
28:2), the meal offering is our food for our satisfaction, a portion also [128]
being shared with God; proper worship is a matter of satisfying God with
Christ as the burnt offering and of being satisfied with Christ as the meal
offering and sharing this satisfaction with God (Lev. 2:2; cf. John 4:24).
All meal offerings were offered by fire on the altar (Lev. 2:4-9), signifying
that Christ in His humanity offered to God as food has gone through the
testing fire (Rev. 1:15); the fire in Leviticus 2 signifies the consuming God
(Heb. 12:29), not for judgment but for acceptance; the consuming of the
meal offering by fire signifies that God has accepted Christ as His
satisfying food (Lev. 2:2).

The Meal Offering Not Being Common Food;

Its Being Food Only for Those Believers in the Church Life
Who Are Actual and Practical Priests,
Serving God in the Priesthood of the Gospel
The meal offering is not common food; it is food only for those believers
in the church life who are actual and practical priests, serving God in the
priesthood of the gospel (6:14-16; Rom. 1:9; 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:9).

Eating the Priests’ Portion of the Meal Offering

without Leaven in a Holy Place Signifying
That We Enjoy Christ as the Life Supply for Our Service
without Sin (Leaven) in a Separated, Sanctified Realm;
Since the Tent of Meeting Typifies the Church,
Eating the Meal Offering in the Court of the Tent of Meeting
Signifying That Christ Should Be Enjoyed
as Our Life Supply in the Sphere of the Church Life
 Eating the priests’ portion of the meal offering without leaven in a holy
place signifies that we enjoy Christ as the life supply for our service
without sin (leaven) in a separated, sanctified realm; since the Tent of
Meeting typifies the church, eating the meal offering in the court of the
Tent of Meeting signifies that Christ should be enjoyed as our life supply
in the sphere of the church life (Lev. 6:16).

Not Baking the Meal Offering with Leaven

Signifying That Our Laboring on Christ
to Partake of Him as Our Life Supply Must Be without Sin
Not baking the meal offering with leaven signifies that our laboring on
Christ to partake of Him as our life supply must be without sin (v. 17). [129]

The Law of the Meal Offering Referring Us

to the Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering,
Signifying That If We Would Enjoy Christ as Our Life Supply,
We Need to Deal with the Sin in Our Fallen Nature
and with the Sins (Trespasses) in Our Conduct
The law of the meal offering refers us to the sin offering and the trespass
offering, signifying that if we would enjoy Christ as our life supply, we
need to deal with the sin in our fallen nature and with the sins (trespasses)
in our conduct (v. 17; 4:3).

Those Who Partake of Christ as the Life Supply

Needing to Be Strong in the Divine Life (Males)
and Also Needing to Be God’s Serving Ones,
God’s Priests (Sons of Aaron)
Those who partake of Christ as the life supply should be strong in the
divine life (males) and also should be God’s serving ones, God’s priests
(sons of Aaron) (6:18).

The Offering of a Meal Offering by Aaron and His Sons

on the Day When Aaron Was Anointed
Signifying That the Enjoyment of Christ as the Life Supply
 Is Related to the Priestly Service
The offering of a meal offering by Aaron and his sons on the day when
Aaron was anointed signifies that the enjoyment of Christ as the life supply
is related to the priestly service (v. 20).

The Tenth of an Ephah of Fine Flour

for a Continual Meal Offering,
Half in the Morning and Half in the Evening,
Signifying That the Top Portion, the Tenth Part,
of the Enjoyment of Christ Should Be for God,
and That This Kind of Enjoyment of Christ
Should Continue in Our Priestly Service
The tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a continual meal offering, half in
the morning and half in the evening, signifies that the top portion, the tenth
part, of the enjoyment of Christ should be for God, and that this kind of
enjoyment of Christ should continue in our priestly service (v. 20).—E. M.
 [131]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Eating Christ as the Meal Offering

to Become the Reproduction of Christ
for the Fulfillment of God’s Purpose
(Message 5)

Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:26-27; Lev. 2:1-16; Luke 1:31-32, 35; 2:11

I. The meal offering typifies Christ in His humanity as food for God
and especially for those who have fellowship with God and serve
Him—Lev. 2:1.
II. We need to eat Christ as our meal offering so that He can live again
on the earth through us in His divinely enriched humanity—v. 3;
John 6:57, 63:
A. By eating Christ as our meal offering, we become the
reproduction, duplication, and enlargement of Christ as the meal
offering—an offering composed of humanity oiled with divinity
in resurrection through Christ’s death and without leaven or
honey—Lev. 2:1-16.
B. By eating Christ as our meal offering, we can live and magnify
Him, the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man who
lived in the Gospels—Luke 1:35; 3:22; 4:1, 18a; 23:14.
III. The Gospel of Luke unveils the God-man living of the Lord Jesus,
the Man-Savior as typified by the meal offering—Lev. 2:1-16:
A. In the Gospel of Luke we see the kind of man that God intended
to have in Genesis 1 and 2—Luke 8:39; Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7, 9:
1. God’s purpose is to have a corporate God-man in order to
express Him and represent Him—1:26-27; Luke 1:68-69,
78-79.
2. The incarnation of Christ is closely related to God’s purpose
in His creation of man—Rev. 4:11; Eph. 1:9; 3:11; Gen.
1:26-27; John 1:14; Luke 1:35.
3. The Lord Jesus, the God-man, is a composition of the divine
essence with all the divine attributes and the human essence
with all the human virtues—vv. 35, 75; 2:40, 52. [132]
4. The conception of the Savior was God’s incarnation (the
 mingling of God and man as typified by the meal offering),
constituted not only by the divine power but also of the
divine essence added to the human essence, thus producing
the God-man of two natures—divinity and humanity—Lev.
2:4-5; John 1:14; Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35:
a. The Man-Savior is a genuine man with the real human
nature and the perfect human virtues for the qualification
to be man’s Savior—1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:14; cf. John 19:5.
b. He is also the complete God with the true divine nature
and the excellent divine attributes to empower and ensure
His ability to save man—Col. 2:9; 1 John 1:7; Acts
20:28.
c. When He was on earth, the Man-Savior lived a life that
was the mingling of the divine attributes and the human
virtues; this is the highest standard of morality—Luke
2:40, 52.
d. Christ expressed in His humanity the bountiful God in
His rich attributes through His aromatic virtues, by which
He attracted and captivated people, not by living His
human life in the flesh but by living His divine life in
resurrection—Matt. 4:18-22; 19:13-15; Mark 16:7; Luke
8:1-3.
e. The divine nature with its attributes was expressed in the
Lord’s human nature with its virtues; thus, the living of
the Lord Jesus was humanly divine and divinely
human—1:26-35; 2:7-16, 34-35, 40, 52.
B. The Gospel of Luke unveils the ministry of the Man-Savior in
His human virtues with His divine attributes—7:1-17, 36-50;
10:25-37; 15:11-32; 23:42-43.
C. As revealed in the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Jesus had the highest
standard of morality—1:31-32, 35, 68-69, 78-79:
1. The highest standard of morality is the standard of life
required by God—a life in which the divine attributes are
expressed in the human virtues—Matt. 5:48.
2. The highest standard of morality is the living of the One—the
Lord Jesus Christ as the Man-Savior—whose life was [133] a
composition of God with the divine attributes and man with
the human virtues—Luke 1:35.
3. A living where the human life is filled with the divine life and
where the human virtues are strengthened and enriched by the
divine attributes is what we call the highest standard of
 morality—6:35; 7:36-50.
4. God is expressed in the living that is according to the highest
standard of morality—5:12-16.
IV. By partaking of Christ as the meal offering, we become the
reproduction of Christ—the church as a corporate meal
offering—Lev. 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 12:12; 10:17:
A. Romans 8 reveals that, as believers in Christ, we should be a
duplication of Christ as the meal offering; we should be a copy, a
reproduction, of Christ and thus be the same as He is—vv. 3, 2,
13, 11.
B. If we eat Christ as the meal offering, we will be constituted with
Christ and thereby become the enlargement of Christ as the meal
offering—the church as the corporate Christ, the corporate meal
offering—Lev. 2:3; 1 Cor. 12:12; 10:17.
C. The meal offering, which is our daily supply, is not merely Christ
but Christ with the church life—1:30, 2, 9:
1. Our hunger is satisfied not only by Christ but also by the
church life; therefore, we should feed not only on Christ but
also on the church life.
2. We eat the meal offering not only in the first form as
flour—the individual Christ; we also eat the meal offering in
the second form as a cake—the corporate Christ, the
church—John 6:57b; 1 Cor. 12:12; 1:2.
D. We need to be blended together into one Body by living the
meal-offering church life—12:24:
1. The flour meal offering signifies both the individual Christ
and the individual Christian; the cake meal offering signifies
the corporate Christ, Christ with His Body, the church—Lev.
2:4; 1 Cor. 12:12; 10:17.
2. The meal offering is a type of the blending for the fulfillment
of God’s economy—Lev. 2:4; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:24; John
12:24:
a. In order to be blended in the Body life, the meal-offering
church life, we have to go through the cross [134] and be
by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of
the Body of Christ.
b. Fellowship blends us; that is, it tempers, adjusts,
harmonizes, and mingles us, causing us to lose our
distinctions and saving us from leaving the impress of our
personality upon the church’s life and work so that Christ
can be all and in all—cf. Col. 3:10-11.
V. By partaking of Christ as the meal offering, we may possess the
humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s recovery, for the spiritual warfare,
and for the kingdom of God—2 Tim. 2:19—3:14; 2 Cor. 10:1-5;
Rev. 1:9; Rom. 14:17:
A. We need the humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s recovery—2 Tim.
2:19—3:14:
1. Because of the degradation of the church and the corruption
of society, we are in a situation that requires the Lord’s
humanity for His recovery:
a. In order to have the Lord’s recovery in such a degraded
time, we need a proper humanity.
b. In order to stand up in this degraded age, what we need is
not mainly the divine power but the humanity of
Jesus—2:24-25.
c. The Lord is doing a recovery work in which He needs a
people who take Him as their humanity—3:10-12.
2. In the midst of the degradation of the church and the
corruption of society, we are here for the Lord’s recovery,
and for this we need the humanity of Jesus to fulfill God’s
purpose—1:9.
B. We need the humanity of Jesus for the spiritual warfare—2 Cor.
10:1-5:
1. The spiritual warfare between the enemy and the saints is
mainly dependent upon the humanity of Jesus—Gen. 3:15; 1
Cor. 15:47; Heb. 2:14.
2. For the church to fight the spiritual warfare, we all need the
proper humanity—Eph. 5:17—6:13.
3. To fight the battle against the enemy, we must exercise the
humanity of Jesus—2 Cor. 10:1.
4. In ourselves we do not have the proper humanity, but we
have Christ within us, and His humanity is the proper
humanity for the spiritual warfare—Col. 1:27; 1 John 4:4.
[135]
C. We need the humanity of Jesus for the kingdom of God—Rev.
1:9; Rom. 14:17:
1. For God to have a kingdom on the earth, there is the need for
His redeemed and regenerated people to possess the
humanity of Jesus and to have the proper human virtues—1
Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5.
2. When we have the humanity of Jesus, we will not only be in
the kingdom of God—we will be the kingdom of God—Rom.
 14:17.
3. The overcomers become qualified to reign with Christ by
having the humanity of Jesus worked into them—Rev. 20:4,
6.

[136]

MESSAGE FIVE

EATING CHRIST AS THE MEAL OFFERING

TO BECOME THE REPRODUCTION OF CHRIST
FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PURPOSE
These messages may appear somewhat simple, but the significance of
the points in them is profound. In our study of the message outlines, we
need to spend time to dive into the depths of these revelations so that they
can be internalized and constituted into our being.
This message is a continuation of Message 4 concerning the meal
offering. In Message 4 we saw a complete view of the meal offering
typifying the God-man living of Christ, typifying our Christian life as the
duplication of Christ’s God-man living, and typifying the church life as the
corporate meal offering. The title of this message is “Eating Christ as the
Meal Offering to Become the Reproduction of Christ for the Fulfillment of
God’s Purpose.” When we see the phrase eating Christ as the meal offering
in the title, we should not be quick to conclude that this message is about
how to eat Jesus. The burden that we will emphasize in this message is not
a superficial matter but something profound, deep, and high concerning the
reproduction of Christ. The eating of Christ as the meal offering issues in
the reproduction of Christ. Even the matter of eating Christ does not
merely imply pray-reading and calling on the name of the Lord. We will
consider the matter of eating, but the burden in this message is our
realization that God’s goal in making the provision of the meal offering is
for us to eat Him and partake of Him with a view to our becoming His
reproduction. This touches the eternal purpose of God.
In the heart of God there is the divine thought of being reproduced. We
need to know, from the entire Bible, God’s divine thought of reproducing
Himself. The word reproduction is not in the Bible, yet the thought of
reproduction is clearly revealed in the Bible. In Genesis, after God created
the heavens and the earth, His archangel rebelled, corrupting and
destroying everything. God had to come in to restore, to reconstruct, all the
devastation. In His restoration through the six days of creation, God [137]
restored the plant life and the animal life. There were the plants, the cattle,
the fish in the sea, and the birds in the air. Ten times in Genesis 1:1-25 we
are told that God brought forth various forms of life—plants, birds, sea
creatures, cattle, and the creeping things—each according to its own kind.
God saw everything that He had created and said that it was good. Then in
the midst of the sixth day, there was a conference among the Godhead. As
a result of this council held among the three of the Godhead, God said,
Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds
of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every
creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. (v. 26)
The word man in Hebrew is adam, which means “red clay.” After God
created all the plant life and animal life according to their kind, God then
said, “Let Us make adam, red clay, in Our image, according to Our
likeness.” The man that God formed was a lump of red clay made in His
image. In His creation of man, God was producing His own kind. In God’s
original intention there was not mankind; there was only Godkind. Man
was adam, red clay. God wanted to make this red clay in His own image.
These red clay figures were made in the image of God for the expression of
God and for the representation of God. They were to be a duplication, a
reproduction, of God. After God made man, both male and female, God
blessed them and told them to be fruitful and to multiply. God expected
that this red clay with His image, which was just a duplication and a
reproduction of Himself, would be multiplied to replenish the whole earth.
At the time of creation the red-clay man had only the outward form and
likeness of God. Man did not yet have the life of God. God brought Adam
and Eve before the tree of life, intending to dispense His life into them. At
that time man was altogether neutral. However, before God was able to
dispense His life into this man, Satan came in and seduced man to partake
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby injected his
poison into man. As a result, these red-clay creatures—Adam and
Eve—who were made in God’s image outwardly, now possessed the evil
nature of Satan. Instead of becoming God’s duplication, they became fallen
mankind. In the New Testament the Lord Jesus pointed out that fallen men
were of their father, the devil (John 8:44). Likewise, 1 John 3:10 speaks of
the “children of the devil.” As fallen men, we are [138] the reproduction of
the devil. Sadly, God could not obtain His reproduction after the creation
of man. His plan to reproduce Himself was not completed due to Satan’s
interruption, but God could never forget His intention. In Genesis 3:15 He
promised that the seed of the woman would come; this seed would bruise
the head of the serpent, and the serpent would bruise His heel. Eventually,
the seed of the woman would come to fulfill and to complete what God had
intended.
It took four thousand years for that promise to be fulfilled, and it was
fulfilled by God Himself coming to be a man. What God had originally
intended in Genesis 1 was then, at least in the first stage, fulfilled by Christ
coming as the incarnation of God. Christ came to be that man, who is the
image of God (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). Christ not only has the image of God;
He is the image of God and possesses the life of God. He is that man who
is the very reproduction of God. While on the earth, He told His disciples,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground
and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
Christ was indicating that He was that unique grain and that He was going
to fall into the earth and die so that many grains would be produced. All
those many grains as His reproduction would look exactly like the original
grain. The reproduction of the Lord Jesus was carried out in this way. He
did not come merely to be a Savior to die for man’s sins and to redeem and
deliver them from God’s condemnation. He came to be that unique grain to
die in order to reproduce Himself in millions and millions of His believers
as the many grains. Furthermore, He has blended these grains together so
that they would become the one loaf, the church, the Body of Christ (1
Cor. 12:24).
This matter is further developed in the Epistles, especially by the apostle
Paul. For example, in Romans 8:28-29, Paul reveals that God’s purpose in
calling us and in saving us is so that we may be conformed to the image of
the firstborn Son of God. In Colossians 3:4 Paul says, “When Christ our
life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.” It is
God’s desire and intention to gain a reproduction of Himself. God’s
pleasure and happiness is to have Himself reproduced for His expression
throughout the universe. Jesus Christ came to produce the many grains.
Now we are blended together to be the one loaf. We are in the process of
being conformed to the same image as the firstborn Son of God.
In Revelation 21 we see that the light of the New Jerusalem is like jasper
(v. 11). The wall of the city is of jasper (v. 18). The first foundation [139] of
the city is also jasper (v. 19). Moreover, the very God sitting on the throne
is like jasper in appearance (4:3). When we look at the New Jerusalem, we
see that God, the wall, the foundation of the wall, and the light of the city
are all jasper. The whole city is jasper. Therefore, at the end of the Bible
we see that God has been reproduced, enlarged, and expanded. At such a
point, God and His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed elect bear the
same appearance and expression.
Have you ever thought that human beings bear God’s resemblance?
Brother Lee once gave a message entitled “The Resemblance of God and
Man in Their Images and Likenesses” (Life-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles,
pp. 85-89). God resembles man; man resembles God. God made the red
clay in His image and according to His likeness to be His duplication, His
reproduction. This is what we have at the end of the Bible as the
consummation of the entire divine revelation. This is the highest peak of all
the divine truths in the Bible. This is also the highest gospel. This is the
totality of all the visions and all the revelations in the Bible. God is being
reproduced in His people. He is God yet man, and we are man yet God. We
have become God’s reproduction; we are the same as God, and He is the
same as us. This is God’s eternal desire and His good pleasure.
This vision must control us. If we see this, we will understand why there
is the meal offering. The meal offering is not merely something for us to
eat and be satisfied with. We know that the burnt offering must be wholly
offered to God and be completely burned up. We cannot share in any part
of the burnt offering. However, we can partake of the meal offering. When
we talk about eating, we are not merely speaking about something for our
own enjoyment and satisfaction. We need to consider the matter of eating
in relation to God’s gaining a reproduction. We become what we eat.
Eating Christ is not just a matter of being satisfied and supplied; eating is a
matter of becoming the reproduction of Christ.
We must be clear concerning the reproduction of Christ, and it should
become a controlling vision to us, because this is the subject of the entire
Bible. Brother Lee called this “the ‘diamond’ in the ‘box’ of the Bible”
(Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, p. 204). For God to gain the reproduction of
Christ is the crystallization of the entire Bible. In order for God to gain this
reproduction, He will not take the way of an assembly line, in which all the
reproductions are mechanically manufactured according to a prototype.
God could have created many clay figures, but He did not. Instead, God
made one man, and He charged Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply
and to replenish the earth. God’s way is [140] a way of life. God does not
take the mechanical or organizational way but the organic way. Moreover,
God gains the reproduction of Christ through the mingling of the divine
nature with the human nature. The divine nature with the divine essence
and the divine attributes mingled with the human nature with the human
essence and the human virtues brings forth such a reproduction. It is
through this organic process, through the mingling of divinity with
humanity, and by the practical way of eating that we can become such a
reproduction of God organically. We can eat Jesus as the meal offering.
We must realize that our eating of Jesus is not merely for our enjoyment
and our satisfaction but so that we may become His reproduction. Only in
this way can God’s eternal purpose be fulfilled.

THE MEAL OFFERING TYPIFYING

CHRIST IN HIS HUMANITY AS FOOD FOR GOD
AND ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE
WHO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND SERVE HIM

The meal offering typifies Christ in His humanity as food for God and
especially for those who have fellowship with God and serve Him (Lev.
2:1). Praise the Lord that we have a share in the meal offering! The burnt
offering had to be wholly burned up for God, but with the meal offering
there is a portion for God and a portion also for the serving ones.

NEEDING TO EAT CHRIST AS OUR MEAL OFFERING

SO THAT HE CAN LIVE AGAIN ON THE EARTH
THROUGH US IN HIS DIVINELY ENRICHED HUMANITY

We need to eat Christ as our meal offering so that He can live again on
the earth through us in His divinely enriched humanity (v. 3; John 6:57,
63). Jesus came as the incarnation and embodiment of the Triune God. He
came to live the Father. As the burnt offering, He came not just for the
purpose of accomplishing redemption but also to live because of the
Father. In John 6:57 He said, “As the living Father has sent Me and I live
because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of
Me.” The Lord Jesus did everything for the Father, by the Father, through
the Father, and in the Father. He could have come directly as the Savior to
die instantly on the cross in order to shed His blood for us, but instead, He
passed through a journey of thirty-three and a half years, beginning with
conception and passing through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
until His death on the cross. His thirty-three and a half years of human life
on the earth was for living out a [141] God-yet-man life and a man-yet-God
life. Although He had the human life, He did not live by that life; rather,
He lived by the divine life, expressing the divine attributes in His human
virtues. After thirty-three and a half years, He was crucified and
resurrected; through this process He, as the unique grain, produced many
grains.
He expects all the believers to be exactly like Him. We should never
forget that we are not merely sinners saved by grace; we are little
“Jesuses.” We are all God-men. We need to daily remind ourselves that we
are not merely men but God-men. You are not just a redeemed sinner. You
are a God-man. After Jesus died and resurrected, He reproduced Himself in
many God-men, who are human beings and yet have God living within
them, mingling with them, and becoming one with them.
In Message 2 we read the footnote on Acts 28:9, concerning Jesus living
again on the earth through Paul while he passed through turmoils,
persecution, stormy seas, despising, rejection, oppositions, and attacks.
Nevertheless, this servant of the Lord lived the most excellent life. This
was Jesus living again in His excellent, virtuous, aromatic, and divinely
enriched humanity. Today in the Lord’s recovery and at the end of this age,
the Lord must have a corporate reproduction of this excellent, aromatic,
virtuous God-man living, the living that is the mingling of God and man.

By Eating Christ as Our Meal Offering,

Our Becoming the Reproduction, Duplication,
and Enlargement of Christ as the Meal Offering—
an Offering Composed of Humanity Oiled with Divinity
in Resurrection through Christ’s Death
and without Leaven or Honey
By eating Christ as our meal offering, we become the reproduction,
duplication, and enlargement of Christ as the meal offering—an offering
composed of humanity oiled with divinity in resurrection through Christ’s
death and without leaven or honey (Lev. 2:1-16). In Message 4 we saw the
elements that constitute the meal offering. The meal offering is made of
fine flour, signifying Christ’s humanity; oil, which signifies the Spirit as
the divine element of Christ; frankincense, signifying resurrection; and salt,
which signifies the death of Christ. The meal offering cannot be made with
any kind of leaven, which signifies corruption or anything negative, or with
honey, signifying natural affection or natural goodness. [142]

By Eating Christ as Our Meal Offering,

Our Being Able to Live and Magnify Him,
the Wonderful, Excellent, and Mysterious God-man
 Who Lived in the Gospels
By eating Christ as our meal offering, we can live and magnify Him, the
wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man who lived in the Gospels
(Luke 1:35; 3:22; 4:1, 18a; 23:14). In John 6:55 the Lord said, “My flesh is
true food, and My blood is true drink.” People were stumbled by what He
said because His word was hard (vv. 60-61). They may have thought,
“How can we eat Him? How can we drink His blood?” As a result, many
disciples left Him (v. 66). In verse 63 the Lord said, “It is the Spirit who
gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you
are spirit and are life.” In other words, He was saying, “When I talk to you
about eating My flesh and drinking My blood, I am not speaking about
eating My physical flesh. Even if you could eat it, that would profit you
nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. He
who eats Me, he shall live because of Me.” When we eat Jesus, we have to
eat His word. We have to eat the word that is spirit and the word that is
life.
There are at least three steps in the process of eating. First, we must
receive the food; that is, we must open our mouth and take in the food. We
do not eat by staring at our food. If we are served a piece of steak, we
cannot eat it by merely staring at it; we must open our mouth to take it in.
However, the process of eating is not completed by taking in that piece of
steak. We must let that piece of steak be digested in us. After it is digested,
that piece of meat will be assimilated into our being. The process of eating
is completed only after the food has been received, digested, and
assimilated.
How do we eat Jesus as the meal offering? This meal offering is the
God-man living exhibited by Jesus in His earthly life. We must see this,
and we must be thoroughly impressed, convinced, and infused with the
God-man living of Jesus. With such a view, we must first open our being to
receive Him into us. This is why we need to exercise our spirit to pray the
Lord’s word back to Him. This is for our receiving.
However, receiving His words alone is not enough. In order to go on to
digest His words, we must say Amen to Him. When this God-man was
opposed, He did not defend Himself or try to vindicate Himself. Suppose
we have just finished pray-reading some verses in the morning, [143] and
when we come out to the dining table, our spouse complains about our
having spent so much time. At this juncture, we may feel that our spouse
does not understand, and we may want to defend ourselves by claiming
that we were enjoying the Lord. Earlier, we were receiving God’s word,
but now we are defending and justifying ourselves. If, instead, we were to
say Amen, we would allow the food that we just ate to be digested in us. If
we begin to argue with our spouse, it would be as if we spit out the food
we had just eaten. Our saying Amen allows for digestion and assimilation,
the absorption, to occur. By saying Amen, we accept the Lord’s
arrangement, and we agree with what He has measured to us. We must
learn to apply this principle in many areas of our daily life. The process of
eating is thus completed. We eat the human life of Jesus by first seeing
such a model, then opening our being to receive Him, and then saying
Amen to Him in all our situations to apply Him in our environment. By
this, we allow Him to reach every part of our inner being. This is what we
mean by eating Christ as our meal offering.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE UNVEILING

THE GOD-MAN LIVING OF THE LORD JESUS,
THE MAN-SAVIOR AS TYPIFIED BY THE MEAL OFFERING

In the Gospel of Luke

Our Seeing the Kind of Man
That God Intended to Have in Genesis 1 and 2
The Gospel of Luke unveils the God-man living of the Lord Jesus, the
Man-Savior as typified by the meal offering (Lev. 2:1-16). In the Gospel of
Luke we see the kind of man that God intended to have in Genesis 1 and 2
(Luke 8:39; Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7, 9).

God’s Purpose Being

to Have a Corporate God-man
in Order to Express Him and Represent Him
God’s purpose is to have a corporate God-man in order to express Him
and represent Him (1:26-27; Luke 1:68-69, 78-79). According to God’s
original intention for His reproduction, God created red clay in His image
to become the reproduction of His kind. What the first man, Adam, failed
to do, the second man came to fulfill. God’s purpose is to have a corporate
God-man. When God made Adam, His intention was not just to have
individual Adams but to have a corporate God-man. [144]

The Incarnation of Christ Being Closely Related

 to God’s Purpose in His Creation of Man
The incarnation of Christ is closely related to God’s purpose in His
creation of man (Rev. 4:11; Eph. 1:9; 3:11; Gen. 1:26-27; John 1:14; Luke
1:35). Revelation 4:11 says, “You have created all things, and because of
Your will they were, and were created.” God created everything, not just
for the sake of filling the void but for His will. His will is to gain a
reproduction of Himself. God created everything for this goal. The
incarnation of Christ is closely related to God’s purpose in His creation of
man. God Himself came four thousand years after He had created Adam,
the one who failed to be that reproduction. Jesus came to be incarnated as a
man. He put on the red clay; He put on physical flesh. In that flesh was
divinity mingled with humanity. For the first time in human history there
was an outwardly normal human being who was living, dwelling, and
mingling with the glorious God. He was the first God-man. Praise the
Lord!
God intended that Adam would be the first God-man, but Adam failed.
Christ in His incarnation was the Word become flesh; He came in the
likeness of fallen humanity. He put on flesh and blood and was just like us,
yet without sin. He is the wonderful, mysterious, and marvelous Person. He
is both God and man. In Luke 1:35 an angel came to Mary to announce the
good news, saying, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the holy thing which is
born will be called the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and
overshadowed her with the power of the Most High, resulting in the Son of
God being born in her. Matthew 1:20 says, “While he pondered these
things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that
which has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
The holy thing which is born in Luke 1:35 and that which has been
begotten in Matthew 1:20 do not refer to the delivery but to the conception.
The begetting, the birth, of Jesus actually took place within Mary at the
time of conception, before the delivery. This is surely very mysterious and
profound. The first God-man was conceived of the Holy Spirit. His source
was the Holy Spirit. Something holy was born in Mary. In that human
virgin something divine and holy was born. God was within Mary’s womb
for nine months. Eventually, she delivered the Lord Jesus. [145] He had a
“genuine human birth, which was according to the law of God’s creation of
man” (Luke 2:7, footnote 1). Through her He picked up the human nature
and the human essence, but the source of His conception was altogether
divine because it was of the Holy Spirit. This is the incarnation of Christ.

The Lord Jesus, the God-man, Being a Composition

of the Divine Essence with All the Divine Attributes
and the Human Essence with All the Human Virtues
The Lord Jesus, the God-man, is a composition of the divine essence
with all the divine attributes and the human essence with all the human
virtues (1:35, 75; 2:40, 52). I hope that in our study all of us would pick up
the terms used in this statement: There are the divine life with the divine
nature and the divine essence with the divine attributes. Moreover, there
are also the human life with the human nature and the human essence with
the human virtues. All of these are now mingled together in the wonderful
God-man. Never before in human history was there such a One, but now
the divine life with the divine nature and the divine attributes have been
mingled together with the human life with the human nature and the human
virtues in the wonderful God-man—Jesus Christ.

The Conception of the Savior Being God’s Incarnation

(the Mingling of God and Man as Typified by the Meal Offering),
Constituted Not Only by the Divine Power
but Also of the Divine Essence Added to the Human Essence,
Thus Producing the God-man of Two Natures—
Divinity and Humanity
The conception of the Savior was God’s incarnation (the mingling of
God and man as typified by the meal offering), constituted not only by the
divine power but also of the divine essence added to the human essence,
thus producing the God-man of two natures—divinity and humanity (Lev.
2:4-5; John 1:14; Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). The meal offering is the
conception of the Savior, that is, God incarnated to be constituted not only
by the divine power but also of the divine essence added to the human
essence, thus producing a God-man of two natures—divinity and
humanity. Praise the Lord for this wonderful God-man of two natures, the
divine nature and the human nature. Divinity and humanity are mingled
together in this person to become the genuine meal offering. [146]
Jesus’ conception was completely different from that of His cousin, John
the Baptist. John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit, even from his
mother’s womb (v. 15). Moreover, his conception was miraculous,
involving God’s divine power to enable his parents to bring him forth as
the Lord’s forerunner. We need to see, however, that there is a big
difference between the conception of John the Baptist and that of Jesus
Christ, the God-man. John the Baptist’s conception was the result of God’s
power applied to man in a miraculous way. John the Baptist was filled with
the Holy Spirit outwardly. However, the God-man Jesus was conceived of
the Holy Spirit. He was not merely brought forth by the divine power; He
was conceived of the divine essence. Within Mary’s womb, the divine
nature with the divine essence was constituted into Him and was His very
constituent. The angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35). Concerning
the phrase will overshadow you, footnote 2 says that this was “like the
overshadowing of the cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5)
and over the tabernacle (Exo. 40:34, 38).” This footnote goes on to say,
According to this verse, it seems that the Holy Spirit would be
only upon Mary as the power for her to conceive the holy child.
However, Matthew 1:18 and 20 tell us that Mary “was found to
be with child of the Holy Spirit,” and that “that which has been
begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.” This indicates that the
divine essence out of the Holy Spirit had been begotten in Mary’s
womb before she delivered the child Jesus. Such a conception of
the Holy Spirit in the human virgin, accomplished with the divine
and human essences, constituted a mingling of the divine nature
with the human nature, which produced a God-man, One who is
both the complete God and the perfect man, possessing the divine
nature and the human nature distinctly, without a third nature
being produced. This is the most wonderful and most excellent
person of Jesus, who is Jehovah the Savior.
The conception of John the Baptist was strikingly different in
essence from that of Jesus the Savior. The conception of the
Baptist was God’s miracle, accomplished with the overage human
essence, merely by the divine power without the involvement of
the divine essence. This resulted in the bringing forth of a mere
man who was filled with the [147] Spirit of God (v. 15) but who
lacked the nature of God. The conception of the Savior was
God’s incarnation (John 1:14), constituted not only by the divine
power but also of the divine essence added to the human essence,
thus producing the God-man of two natures—divinity and
humanity. Through this, God joined Himself to humanity that He
might be manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) and might be a
 Man-Savior (2:11).
I encourage you to carefully read and study this footnote.

The Man-Savior Being a Genuine Man

with the Real Human Nature and the Perfect Human Virtues
for the Qualification to Be Man’s Savior
The Man-Savior is a genuine man with the real human nature and the
perfect human virtues for the qualification to be man’s Savior (1 Tim. 2:5;
Heb. 2:14; cf. John 19:5). He is a genuine man. In fact, He is the man! In
John 19:5, Pilate said, “Behold, the man!” Jesus is the perfect, genuine man
with a real human nature and perfect human virtues.

His Being Also the Complete God

with the True Divine Nature and the Excellent Divine Attributes
to Empower and Ensure His Ability to Save Man
He is also the complete God with the true divine nature and the excellent
divine attributes to empower and ensure His ability to save man (Col. 2:9;
1 John 1:7; Acts 20:28). He is a perfect man, and He is the complete God.
He has the true divine nature with the excellent divine attributes. First John
1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every
sin.” The blood of Jesus is still cleansing us. It is still effective today,
because it is the blood of Jesus, God’s Son. Jesus is a man, but He is also
God. His divinity ensures the eternal efficacy of His blood.

When He Was on Earth, the Man-Savior Living a Life That Was

the Mingling of the Divine Attributes and the Human Virtues;
This Being the Highest Standard of Morality
When He was on earth, the Man-Savior lived a life that was the mingling
of the divine attributes and the human virtues; this is the highest standard
of morality (Luke 2:40, 52). When Brother Lee gave the messages [148] in
the Life-study of Luke, he used a particular term—the highest standard of
morality. At that time, I had no clue what he was talking about. I was
familiar with morality, but this was something higher than morality. In his
ministry Brother Lee used this particular expression to define, to express,
an exceptional living. Even a high human morality cannot compare to such
a morality, so he called it the highest standard of morality. This is not just
to be a person who is moral, good, kind, and right. It is far more; it is in
another realm.

Christ Expressing in His Humanity the Bountiful God

in His Rich Attributes through His Aromatic Virtues,
by Which He Attracted and Captivated People,
Not by Living His Human Life in the Flesh
but by Living His Divine Life in Resurrection
Christ expressed in His humanity the bountiful God in His rich attributes
through His aromatic virtues, by which He attracted and captivated people,
not by living His human life in the flesh but by living His divine life in
resurrection (Matt. 4:18-22; 19:13-15; Mark 16:7; Luke 8:1-3). Although
Christ was living His human life in the flesh, He did not live by His human
life. He lived by the divine life in resurrection. This made Him so
attractive. Outwardly, He did not have a beautiful countenance. Isaiah 53:3
says concerning Him, “He was despised and forsaken of men, / A man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief; / And like one from whom men hide
their faces, / He was despised; and we did not esteem Him.” Nevertheless,
when He went to the seashore and called some fishermen, saying, “Come
after Me,” they were attracted, “and immediately leaving the nets, they
followed Him” (Mark 1:17-18). If one of us were to try going out into the
streets and telling people, “Hey, come follow me,” I doubt that anyone
would follow. That people followed the Lord indicates that there was
something about this carpenter’s son that was indescribably attractive.
Moreover, He did not attract only one or two. Twelve disciples were drawn
by Him and followed Him, as well as large crowds of other people.

The Divine Nature with Its Attributes

Being Expressed in the Lord’s Human Nature with Its Virtues;
Thus, the Living of the Lord Jesus
Being Humanly Divine and Divinely Human
The divine nature with its attributes was expressed in the Lord’s [149]
human nature with its virtues; thus, the living of the Lord Jesus was
humanly divine and divinely human (Luke 1:26-35; 2:7-16, 34-35, 40, 52).
Luke 1 and 2 reveal that Jesus was not common, even as a child. At His
birth the magi came to worship Him (Matt. 2:1-12). He was not a common
child, for He was God.

The Gospel of Luke

Unveiling the Ministry of the Man-Savior
in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes
The Gospel of Luke unveils the ministry of the Man-Savior in His
human virtues with His divine attributes (7:1-17, 36-50; 10:25-37;
15:11-32; 23:42-43). Luke 7:1-10 speaks of the case of the Lord healing
the centurion’s slave. In 7:11-17 the Lord showed pity to the weeping
widow by raising up her only son. Verses 36 through 50 present a record of
Jesus entering into a Pharisee’s house and how a sinful woman came to
Him with an alabaster flask of ointment and began washing His feet with
her tears and wiping them with her hair and anointing them. Everyone was
upset because Jesus had allowed the sinful woman to do this to Him. Yet
Jesus was full of compassion and love toward her; rather than rebuking her,
He expressed not only His kind, compassionate humanity but also, through
that humanity, the fragrance of divinity, forgiving her of all her sins. Luke
10:25-37 is the record of the story of the good Samaritan, and in Luke
15:11-32 there is the parable concerning the prodigal son. Finally, Luke
23:39-43 speaks of the robbers who were crucified with Him. One of the
robbers was blaspheming Him, but the other was trying to defend Him. To
the latter the Lord said, “Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in
Paradise” (v. 43). If you read the Gospel of Luke again with this view, you
will see a wonderful person. It is difficult to know how to describe Him.
Apparently, He is just a man, but He exhibited something so excellent and
divine that both attracted people and ministered to them.

As Revealed in the Gospel of Luke,

the Lord Jesus Having the Highest Standard of Morality

The Highest Standard of Morality

Being the Standard of Life Required by God—
a Life in Which the Divine Attributes Are Expressed
in the Human Virtues
As revealed in the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Jesus had the highest [150]
standard of morality (1:31-32, 35, 68-69, 78-79). The highest standard of
morality is the standard of life required by God—a life in which the divine
attributes are expressed in the human virtues (Matt. 5:48). The highest
standard of morality is not just the standard of a good, kind, and right
person; it is that of a person living a life that expresses the divine attributes
in the human virtues.

The Highest Standard of Morality Being the Living of the One—

the Lord Jesus Christ as the Man-Savior—
Whose Life Was a Composition of God with the Divine Attributes
and Man with the Human Virtues
The highest standard of morality is the living of the One—the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Man-Savior—whose life was a composition of God with the
divine attributes and man with the human virtues (Luke 1:35).

A Living Where the Human Life Is Filled with the Divine Life
and Where the Human Virtues Are Strengthened
and Enriched by the Divine Attributes
Being What We Call the Highest Standard of Morality
A living where the human life is filled with the divine life and where the
human virtues are strengthened and enriched by the divine attributes is
what we call the highest standard of morality (6:35; 7:36-50). The highest
standard of morality is not merely to be human or even to be absolutely
good, right, and kind. Rather, it is something indescribable, something that
goes beyond what is right, legitimate, and proper. Luke 6:35 says, “Love
your enemies, and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind
to the unthankful and evil.” The One who lived out the highest standard of
morality went beyond what was legitimate, what was expected, and even
that which would measure up to the highest human standards. This One is
our meal offering.

God Being Expressed in the Living

That Is according to the Highest Standard of Morality
God is expressed in the living that is according to the highest standard of
morality (Luke 5:12-16). Verses 12 through 16 say,
While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of
leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged
 Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can [151] cleanse me.
And stretching out His hand, He touched him, saying, I am
willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him. And
He charged him to tell no one: But go away, show yourself to the
priest, and offer the gift for your cleansing, even as Moses
directed, for a testimony to them. But the word concerning Him
spread abroad all the more, and great crowds came together to
hear Him and to be healed from their infirmities. But He Himself
often withdrew in the wilderness and prayed.
I love this case. The leper came to the Lord and asked if He was willing to
cleanse him. The Lord Jesus then stretched out His hand, touched him, and
said, “I am willing; be cleansed!” Probably no one had touched this man in
a very long time. The touch was followed by His powerful word. He
simply said, “Be cleansed!” and that was enough. Sometimes when we are
sick, we might say, “I’m sick; don’t touch me!” However, in this passage
there was a leprous person, and the Lord purposely touched him. He did
not just say, “Be cleansed.” His touching the leper was a mark of the
highest standard of morality, expressing a love and compassion that is
beyond expectation and beyond what is required. His words, be cleansed,
expressed the divine attributes flowing out through a man full of
compassion, who in His humanity would touch even a leper. The leper
might have said, “No one has dared to touch me for a long time; now here
is a lowly man who dares to touch me.” This was God being lived out and
expressed through the wonderful God-man as the highest standard of
morality.

BY PARTAKING OF CHRIST AS THE MEAL OFFERING,

OUR BECOMING THE REPRODUCTION OF CHRIST—
THE CHURCH AS A CORPORATE MEAL OFFERING

Romans 8 Revealing That, as Believers in Christ,

We Should Be a Duplication of Christ as the Meal Offering;
Our Needing to Be a Copy, a Reproduction, of Christ
and Thus Be the Same as He Is
By partaking of Christ as the meal offering, we become the reproduction
of Christ—the church as a corporate meal offering (Lev. 2:1-4; 1 Cor.
12:12; 10:17). Romans 8 reveals that, as believers in Christ, we should be a
duplication of Christ as the meal offering; we should be a copy, a
reproduction, of Christ and thus be the same as He is (vv. 3, 2, 13, 11).
Romans 8 reveals to us the operation of the indwelling Christ [152] as the
law of the Spirit of life to conform us to the image of the firstborn Son of
God. In verse 3 we see that Christ came in the flesh as a man. In verse 2 the
Spirit of life represents divinity. Verse 13 speaks of putting to death the
practices of the body by the Spirit. Verse 11 speaks of Christ being raised
from the dead, indicating resurrection. Through these verses, Romans 8
presents the meal offering in view of the goal of our being conformed to
the firstborn Son of God.

If We Eat Christ as the Meal Offering,

Our Being Constituted with Christ
and Thereby Becoming the Enlargement of Christ
as the Meal Offering—
the Church as the Corporate Christ,
the Corporate Meal Offering
If we eat Christ as the meal offering, we will be constituted with Christ
and thereby become the enlargement of Christ as the meal offering—the
church as the corporate Christ, the corporate meal offering (Lev. 2:3; 1
Cor. 12:12; 10:17). As we eat Christ, we become a corporate meal offering.

The Meal Offering, Which Is Our Daily Supply,

Being Not Merely Christ but Christ with the Church Life
The meal offering, which is our daily supply, is not merely Christ but
Christ with the church life (1:30, 2, 9). Our hunger is satisfied not only by
Christ but also by the church life; therefore, we should feed not only on
Christ but also on the church life. We eat the meal offering not only in the
first form as flour—the individual Christ; we also eat the meal offering in
the second form as a cake—the corporate Christ, the church (John 6:57b; 1
Cor. 12:12; 1:2).
In my being I have a deep Amen to this word. I feed on Christ, but I also
feed on the church life. I cannot live without the church life. Christ is a
supply to me, but the church life is just as much of a supply to me. Christ
and the church cannot be separated. Christ and the church, the corporate
Christ, is a great corporate meal offering to us. No one can say, “As long as
I enjoy Christ, everything will be okay.” We cannot run off by ourselves
and expect that as long as we pray to God, read our Bible, and enjoy
Christ, we will be okay. We must be with the church. Wherever I go, there
must be the church life. Christ and the church as the corporate Christ is the
corporate meal offering for our daily supply. [153]

Our Needing to Be Blended Together into One Body

by Living the Meal-offering Church Life
We need to be blended together into one Body by living the
meal-offering church life (12:24). Praise the Lord for blending! We call
nearly every international conference or training a blending because we all
come together to be blended. The blending is indeed the best experience of
the meal offering. The meal offering shows what real blending is. The meal
offering consists of fine flour, oil, frankincense, and salt; these ingredients
are all blended together. We need to treasure blending more than ever
before. We are the meal offering. Christ is our meal offering as the
wonderful first God-man, but now He has been reproduced in all of us.
When we gather together for a conference or training, we do not come
together as representatives from different churches or different countries;
rather, we come together as the ingredients that are then blended together
to be one loaf.

The Flour Meal Offering Signifying

Both the Individual Christ and the Individual Christian;
the Cake Meal Offering Signifying the Corporate Christ,
Christ with His Body, the Church
The flour meal offering signifies both the individual Christ and the
individual Christian; the cake meal offering signifies the corporate Christ,
Christ with His Body, the church (Lev. 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:12; 10:17). First
Corinthians 10:17 says, “Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many
are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.” The unique grain
produced the many grains, and these many grains are now blended together
to form one bread, one loaf. This is the corporate meal offering, the church.

The Meal Offering Being a Type of the Blending

for the Fulfillment of God’s Economy

In Order to Be Blended in the Body Life,

the Meal-offering Church Life, Our Needing to Go
 through the Cross and Be by the Spirit, Dispensing Christ
to Others for the Sake of the Body of Christ
The meal offering is a type of the blending for the fulfillment of God’s
economy (Lev. 2:4; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:24; John 12:24). In order to be
blended in the Body life, the meal-offering church life, we have to go [154]
through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the
sake of the Body of Christ. We must take care of these four items: going
through the cross, being by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others, and
doing all for the sake of the Body of Christ. In every kind of blending,
there should be these four elements. Blending is not just our having a good
time together, singing some songs, and having a nice picnic. Rather,
blending must first involve our going through the cross. Also, the Spirit
must be present, and we must minister Christ to one another. Finally, the
result should be not merely that some people are more excited or refreshed
but the Body. We should have the sense of the Body being strengthened
and enriched. Everything must be done for the Body of Christ.

Fellowship Blending Us; That Is, It Tempering, Adjusting,

Harmonizing, and Mingling Us, Causing Us
to Lose Our Distinctions and Saving Us from Leaving
the Impress of Our Personality upon the Church’s Life and Work
So That Christ Can Be All and in All
Fellowship blends us; that is, it tempers, adjusts, harmonizes, and
mingles us, causing us to lose our distinctions and saving us from leaving
the impress of our personality upon the church’s life and work so that
Christ can be all and in all (cf. Col. 3:10-11). We praise the Lord that in
these days we are still learning to blend. Brother Lee passed away twenty
years ago, and we are still learning to blend. All the co-workers are
blending. We are blending between the East and the West and among many
of the different countries. Many times this blending has limited and
restricted us to live the God-man life. This is wonderful. In the blending we
are not so free to do whatever we want. Rather, many times the fellowship
stops us, tempers us, adjusts us, harmonizes us, and protects us. The result
is that we become more of a loaf, or a cake, for the enjoyment of God and
man. I am so happy to be blending with all the brothers and all the
co-workers. In these days we are learning to blend together regardless of
language, race, or nationality.
 BY PARTAKING OF CHRIST AS THE MEAL OFFERING,
OUR POSSESSING THE HUMANITY OF JESUS
FOR THE LORD’S RECOVERY, FOR THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE,
AND FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Our Needing the Humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s Recovery

By partaking of Christ as the meal offering, we may possess the [155]
humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s recovery, for the spiritual warfare, and for
the kingdom of God (2 Tim. 2:19—3:14; 2 Cor. 10:1-5; Rev. 1:9; Rom.
14:17). We need the humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s recovery (2 Tim.
2:19—3:14). In 2 Timothy 3:1-4 the apostle Paul says, “In the last days
difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boasters, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control,
savage, not lovers of good, traitors, reckless, blinded with pride, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God.” What we are witnessing in our society
is exactly what is described here in these verses. As far as the world is
concerned, it is corrupted and it is becoming more corrupted day by day.
In the midst of such degradation and corruption, the Lord is raising us up
to be His recovery. Praise the Lord for the Lord’s recovery! We are not
going along with this downward trend. May the Lord strengthen His
recovery so that we would be able to stand as an anti-testimony, as a pillar,
in the midst of the downward tide of this age. In such a situation we are not
involved with politics, with the worldly arrangements. We must stand with
the uplifted humanity of Jesus for the Lord’s recovery. Society needs this.
The United States, Germany, and China need this. All the countries of the
earth need this.

Because of the Degradation of the Church

and the Corruption of Society, Our Being in a Situation
That Requires the Lord’s Humanity for His Recovery

In Order to Have the Lord’s Recovery in Such a Degraded Time,

Our Needing a Proper Humanity
Because of the degradation of the church and the corruption of society,
we are in a situation that requires the Lord’s humanity for His recovery. In
order to have the Lord’s recovery in such a degraded time, we need a
proper humanity. The proper humanity here refers to the divinely enriched
humanity, the God-man humanity.

In Order to Stand Up in This Degraded Age,

What We Need Being Not Mainly the Divine Power
but the Humanity of Jesus
In order to stand up in this degraded age, what we need is not mainly the
divine power but the humanity of Jesus (2:24-25). [156]

The Lord Doing a Recovery Work

in Which He Needs a People
Who Take Him as Their Humanity
The Lord is doing a recovery work in which He needs a people who take
Him as their humanity (3:10-12).

In the Midst of the Degradation of the Church

and the Corruption of Society,
Our Being Here for the Lord’s Recovery,
and for This Our Needing the Humanity of Jesus
to Fulfill God’s Purpose
In the midst of the degradation of the church and the corruption of
society, we are here for the Lord’s recovery, and for this we need the
humanity of Jesus to fulfill God’s purpose (1:9). Only the Lord’s humanity
can fulfill this commission; we in the Lord’s recovery must be the Lord’s
testimony in this dark age.

Our Needing the Humanity of Jesus

for the Spiritual Warfare

The Spiritual Warfare

between the Enemy and the Saints
Being Mainly Dependent upon the Humanity of Jesus
We need the humanity of Jesus for the spiritual warfare (2 Cor. 10:1-5).
The spiritual warfare between the enemy and the saints is mainly
dependent upon the humanity of Jesus (Gen. 3:15; 1 Cor. 15:47; Heb.
2:14). Many of us may have the concept that to fight the spiritual warfare,
we need to be more spiritual and more powerful. In the garden of Eden,
when God came to judge the serpent, He told the serpent that the seed of
the woman would bruise his head. It is the human seed that bruises the
head of the serpent. When the first God-man came, there was spiritual
warfare in the wilderness as the tempter tried to tempt the God-man. In all
three temptations Jesus stood in the position of man. He quoted the
Scriptures, saying, “Man shall not live on bread alone” (Matt. 4:4); “You
shall not test the Lord your God” (v. 7); and “You shall worship the Lord
your God, and Him only shall you serve” (v. 10). Jesus stood in the
position of man to fight against the devil. We do not need power in an
outward way. We need the uplifted, proper humanity of Jesus to fight
against the enemy. [157]

For the Church to Fight the Spiritual Warfare,

All Needing the Proper Humanity
For the church to fight the spiritual warfare, we all need the proper
humanity (Eph. 5:17—6:13). In Ephesians 6 Paul speaks of fighting the
spiritual warfare. However, before that he had a long discussion about all
the human relationships—between husbands and wives, fathers and
children, and slaves and masters. We all must be properly related in our
humanity; then we will be ready to fight the spiritual warfare.

To Fight the Battle against the Enemy,

Our Having to Exercise the Humanity of Jesus
To fight the battle against the enemy, we must exercise the humanity of
Jesus (2 Cor. 10:1). The apostle Paul says, “I myself, Paul, entreat you
through the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (v. 1). He did not say, “I
entreat you through the power and authority of Christ.” Instead, he
entreated through Christ’s meekness and gentleness.

In Ourselves Our Not Having the Proper Humanity,

but Our Having Christ within Us,
and His Humanity Being the Proper Humanity
for the Spiritual Warfare
 In ourselves we do not have the proper humanity, but we have Christ
within us, and His humanity is the proper humanity for the spiritual
warfare (Col. 1:27; 1 John 4:4). Jesus said, “The ruler of the world is
coming, and in Me he has nothing” (John 14:30). This means that in Jesus,
Satan had nothing, no hope, no chance, and no possibility in anything.
Today this One is in us. The One in us is stronger than the one who is in
the world.

Our Needing the Humanity of Jesus

for the Kingdom of God

For God to Have a Kingdom on the Earth,

There Being the Need
for His Redeemed and Regenerated People
to Possess the Humanity of Jesus
and to Have the Proper Human Virtues
We need the humanity of Jesus for the kingdom of God (Rev. 1:9; Rom.
14:17). For God to have a kingdom on the earth, there is the need [158] for
His redeemed and regenerated people to possess the humanity of Jesus and
to have the proper human virtues (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5).
We should not think that the kingdom of God is only a divine kingdom.
The kingdom of God is the kingdom of the God-man. It is a kingdom of
God yet man and of man yet God. The One on the throne, administrating in
this kingdom, has the likeness of a man (Ezek. 1:26). A man is on the
throne in this kingdom.

When We Have the Humanity of Jesus,

Our Not Only Being in the Kingdom of God—
Our Being the Kingdom of God
When we have the humanity of Jesus, we will not only be in the
kingdom of God—we will be the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17). The
kingdom of God is a divine-human kingdom. In humanity God will come
to reign as a man and even to carry out His judgment as a man.

The Overcomers Becoming Qualified to Reign with Christ

 by Having the Humanity of Jesus Worked into Them
The overcomers become qualified to reign with Christ by having the
humanity of Jesus worked into them (Rev. 20:4, 6). Christ, the wonderful
God-man, is the perfect, fine meal offering, and we can eat Him. We can
partake of Him to become His reproduction. We can eat Him every day.
Although the vision is so high, colossal, and grand, yet our Christ is small
enough for us to eat. He is good for us to eat. Let us all eat of Him, take
Him in, and allow Him to be digested and assimilated into our being. Then
He will be reproduced in us.—J. L.
 [159]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

The Revelation, Appreciation, and Application

of Christ as Our Sin Offering
(Message 6)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 4:1-35; 6:25-27; John 1:29; 3:14; Rom. 8:3; 2
Cor. 5:21; 1 John 1:5-9

I. Sin refers to the indwelling sin in our nature (Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21;
Heb. 9:26); sins refers to the sinful deeds, the fruit of the indwelling
sin (Isa. 53:5a; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:28):
A. Satan, the devil, is the source of sin—Ezek. 28:16-17; John 8:44;
cf. 2 Cor. 12:7; 1 Pet. 5:8, 5; Phil. 2:8; John 14:30:
1. Through man’s fall Satan’s personality became one with
man’s soul, and Satan was taken into man’s body to be sin
working as evil in man’s fleshly members—Gen. 3:1, 4-5;
Rom. 5:12, 19a; 7:18a, 14b, 17, 20-21.
2. Because the devil is the father of sinners, the father of liars,
the sinners are children of the devil—John 8:44; 1 John 3:10.
3. We were brought forth in iniquity, conceived in sin in Adam,
and born with the poison of the serpent, making us serpents,
the brood of vipers—Psa. 51:5; John 9:34; Matt. 23:33; 3:7.
B. Sin is the evil nature of Satan, the evil one, who, having injected
himself into man through Adam’s fall, has now become the very
sinful nature dwelling, acting, and working as a law in fallen
man—Rom. 5:12, 21; 6:14; 7:11, 17, 20.
C. Sin is lawlessness—1 John 3:4; 2 Thes. 2:3, 7-8.
II. The sinning without intent (Lev. 4:2) signifies the sin in our fallen
nature, the indwelling sin that came through Adam into mankind
from Satan (Rom. 5:12), which causes us to sin unintentionally
(7:19-20):
A. This sin, personified in Romans 7 (see footnote 1 on verse 8), is
the evil nature of Satan, even Satan himself, who dwells in our
fallen flesh (vv. 17-18a, 20, 23); since our flesh is one with [160]
sin (8:3), whatever we do out of our flesh, whether good or evil,
is sin.
B. Moreover, since the flesh denotes a fallen person (Gen. 6:3;
 Rom. 3:20), every fallen person is sin (2 Cor. 5:21 and footnote
2).
III. The sin offering (Lev. 4:1-35) signifies that Christ was made sin for
us in order that through His death on the cross sin might be
condemned (vv. 1-3, 13-14, 22-23, 27-28; Rom. 8:3):
A. Through incarnation the Word, who is God, became flesh, in the
likeness of the flesh of sin, the likeness of a fallen man—John
1:1, 14; Rom. 8:3:
1. Although Christ was a fallen man only in likeness, when He
was on the cross, God counted that likeness as real—2 Cor.
5:21.
2. Since sin, the old man, Satan, the world, and the ruler of the
world are all one with the flesh, when Christ died in the flesh,
sin was condemned (Rom. 8:3), the old man was crucified
(6:6), Satan was destroyed (Heb. 2:14), the world was judged,
and the ruler of the world was cast out (John 12:31).
3. Hence, through Christ’s death in the flesh all negative things
were dealt with; this is the efficacy of the sin offering—1:29.
B. Satan’s evil nature in man’s flesh was judged on the cross
through the death of Christ in the form of a serpent so that the
believers may have eternal life—3:14-16; 1:14; Rom. 8:3.
C. As the One who did not know sin, Christ was made sin on our
behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him—2 Cor. 5:21.
IV. After our regeneration we still need to take Christ as our sin offering
(1 John 1:8; Exo. 29:35-36) and as our trespass offering (1 John 1:9)
every day:
A. Laying hands on the head of the offering signifies the union of
the offerer with the offering—Lev. 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33.
B. Taking Christ as our sin offering means that sin in the nature of
fallen man is condemned (Rom. 8:3), that our old man is dealt
with (6:6), that Satan as sin itself is destroyed (Heb. 2:14), that
the world is judged, and that the ruler of the world is cast out
(John 12:31): [161]
1. The word ruler in the ruler of this world implies authority or
power and the struggle for power—Luke 4:5-8; cf. Matt.
20:20-21, 24; 3 John 9.
2. The struggle for power is the result, the issue, of the flesh,
sin, the old man, Satan, the world, and the ruler of the
world—Gal. 5:16-17, 24-26.
3. Sin involves a power struggle, and the law of sin is the
 spontaneous power, strength, and energy to struggle with
God—Rom. 7:23; 8:2.
C. Through our genuine, intimate, living, and loving fellowship with
God, who is light (1 John 1:5; Col. 1:12), we will realize that we
are sinful, and we will take Christ as our sin offering (1 John
1:5-9):
1. The more we love the Lord and enjoy Him, the more we will
know how evil we are—Isa. 6:5; Luke 5:8; Rom. 7:18.
2. Realizing that we have a sinful nature and taking Christ as
our sin offering causes us to be judged and subdued, and it
preserves us, for it causes us not to have any confidence in
ourselves—Phil. 3:3; cf. Exo. 4:6.
3. We should learn from David’s experience not to have the
slightest confidence in ourselves—Psa. 51.
4. God uses the painful method of allowing us to fail so that we
will see how horrible, ugly, and abominable we are and so
that we will forsake all that is from the self and depend
completely on God—cf. Lev. 6:28; Deut. 8:2; Luke 22:31-32;
Rom. 8:28.
D. When we enjoy Christ as our burnt offering, the One who is
absolutely for God, we realize how sinful we are, and we can
enjoy Christ as our sin offering—Lev. 6:25-27:
1. Man, created by God for the purpose of expressing and
representing God, should be for nothing other than God and
should be absolutely for God—Gen. 1:26; Isa. 43:7.
2. Anything we do out of ourselves, whether good or evil, is for
ourselves, and since it is for ourselves and not for God, it is
sinful in the eyes of God:
a. If our serving the Lord is for ourselves, this is sin—Num.
18:1; 2 Kings 5:20-27; Matt. 7:22-23.
b. If we preach ourselves, this is sin—2 Cor. 4:5. [162]
c. If we do our righteous deeds, such as giving alms,
praying, and fasting, for ourselves to express and display
ourselves, this is sin—Matt. 6:1-6.
d. If we love others for ourselves—for our name, position,
benefit, and pride—this is sin—Luke 14:12-14.
e. If we raise up our children for ourselves and our future,
this is sin—cf. 1 Cor. 7:14.
V. The blood of the sin offering had four kinds of effects:
A. Some of the blood was brought into the Tent of Meeting and
sprinkled seven times before Jehovah in front of the veil of the
 Holy of Holies (Lev. 4:5-6, 16-17), signifying that the blood of
Christ has been brought into the Holy of Holies in the heavens
for our redemption (Heb. 9:12).
B. Some of the blood was put on the horns of the incense altar (Lev.
4:7a, 18a), signifying that the redemption by Christ’s blood is
effective for us to be brought into the presence of God through
contacting God in prayer (Heb. 10:19).
C. Some of the blood was put on the horns of the altar of burnt
offering (Lev. 4:25a, 30a, 34a), signifying that the blood of
Christ is effective for our redemption (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
D. The rest of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar of
burnt offering (Lev. 4:7b, 18b, 25b, 30b, 34b), signifying that
the blood of Christ was poured out at the cross for the peace in
our conscience, assuring us that we are redeemed and accepted
by God (Heb. 9:14).
VI. As a result of Christ being our sin offering and condemning sin in the
flesh, it is possible for us to walk not according to the flesh but
according to the spirit—Rom. 8:3-4.

[163]

MESSAGE SIX

THE REVELATION, APPRECIATION, AND APPLICATION

OF CHRIST AS OUR SIN OFFERING
In this message we come to the third major offering in Leviticus, which
is the sin offering. It is difficult to find a hymn unveiling the matter of the
sin offering. I conferred with a brother who is an expert on the hymns, and
we could find only a few lines in Hymns, #71 and #156 speaking of Christ
having been made sin. The last line of stanza 1 in Hymns, #1058, “Rock of
Ages, Cleft for Me,” was modified from its original form to indicate that
the “double cure” for sin saves us from “its guilt and power.” The word
guilt refers to the result of our sinful acts, and power refers to the potency
of our sinful nature, thereby making a distinction between sins and sin. We
have some hymns on the peace offering and a number of good hymns on
the meal offering; however, it is difficult to find a hymn unveiling the
significance of the sin offering. We will see in this message that the sin
offering is a matter of great significance in God’s purpose and in our
experience.
 It is significant that Leviticus emphasizes two crucial matters in addition
to the tabernacle, that is, the Tent of Meeting; these are the offerings and
the priesthood. In Leviticus the tabernacle had already been erected. At that
point God had come to dwell in the midst of His people. In Leviticus
Jehovah was speaking to Moses and the children of Israel from the Tent of
Meeting (1:1-2a). Thus, He was no longer just the God in the heavens, but
He was the God who dwelt among His people and met with them.
Nevertheless, for God to be able to meet with and speak with His people,
both the offerings and the priesthood were necessary. If the Israelites had
only the tabernacle with its furnishings, there would still be something
missing. Without the offerings, there would be no blood to sprinkle, pour
out, or place upon the various parts of the furnishings of the tabernacle, and
there would be no food for God and His serving ones.
Suppose I received you as a guest in my home, but I never offered you
anything to eat. If that were the case, I do not think you would want [164] to
stay with me very long. In terms of dwelling together and having
fellowship, food is even more important than lodging. Without the
priesthood there would be no way to prepare and present these offerings to
God. Therefore, it is crucial that Leviticus emphasizes both the offerings
and the priesthood in addition to the tabernacle.
The offerings and the priesthood are also crucial for our worship to God.
The Father is still seeking after and longing for the true New Testament
worship (John 4:23-24) because He is still not receiving adequate worship.
Our rendering worship to God is based on our experience of the offerings
and our becoming priests who can present these offerings. Therefore, it is
crucial that we be trained to worship God through the offerings and the
priesthood. When we speak of the need of being trained, we are not
referring to the training that you may associate with the full-time training
but to the training that we experience in the church life. We should be in
the church life with an attitude of being under a constant training by God
through His word. These crystals in Leviticus provide a great training to us
by illustrating in fine detail the New Testament realities. These realities are
difficult to describe or utter using words alone; therefore, we need the
types of the offerings and the priesthood. May the Lord train us day by day
in our church life to enter deeply into these offerings, to know the reality of
these offerings, and to experience, and offer them to God as true worship.
These offerings meet our need in a detailed way. The burnt offering affords
us Christ as the absolute One because we are not absolute for God. The
meal offering dispenses to us the top humanity. The sin offering deals with
our problem of indwelling sin, our sinful nature. The trespass offering
deals with the wrongdoings and sinful acts that we commit. Finally, the
peace offering gives us peace with God and peace with man.

OUR NEED TO BE INOCULATED AGAINST IDEOLOGIES

THAT CONCEAL THE TRUE NATURE OF SIN

I also wish to speak a particular word not only to the young ones among
us but also to the older brothers and sisters concerning the matter of sin.
Today, under the influence of secularism and liberal ideologies, there is a
subtle, masterful effort on the part of Satan himself, with his anti-God
nature, to altogether get rid of this word sin and to banish it from our
culture and vocabulary. In its place, there is a teaching that we all are
basically good people; we may sometimes have a little failure, weakness,
or lapse of judgment, but overall, we are basically [165] good people. I am
afraid that this kind of philosophy has seeped in even among us and has
been injected into our thinking, especially through the teachings in the
schools and universities. This kind of teaching is consistent with the
ancient teaching of Gnosticism and the Gnostic heresy of perfectionism,
which teaches that human beings can attain to a state in which sin is
eradicated and can live a life free from sin (cf. footnote 1 on 1 John 1:8).
Such a teaching is altogether against the teaching in the Bible. First John
1:8 says, “If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.” This verse speaks concerning the indwelling
nature of sin. John was fighting a battle at that time against those who were
claiming that sin could be eradicated. In verse 10 John speaks further
concerning the acts of sin. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Therefore, we must establish that
there is not only sin in this universe, but sin also dwells within us, in our
flesh. Even though we have been saved and regenerated, sin still dwells in
our members (Rom. 7:23). This is precisely why we need the sin offering.
Furthermore, sin frustrates and breaks the relationship between God and
man. Therefore, Christ had to become the sin offering and the trespass
offering to remove the problem of sin and to cleanse and purify us from our
sins so that we could have fellowship and communion with God. His desire
is that we be mingled and incorporated with God. How could God—whose
nature is righteous, holy, and glorious—be mingled and blended with
people who are full of sin? Sin is a major obstacle preventing God from
fulfilling His heart’s desire to be united, mingled, and incorporated with
man. Therefore, we have a daily, constant, moment-by-moment need to
experience Christ as the sin offering and the trespass offering. We need a
clear view of sin and how we must deal with sin through Christ as the
offerings so that we may be inoculated against the subversive influence of
the age that we are in.
What is the definition of sin? The Greek word for sin is hamartia, which
literally means “to miss the mark” or “to err.” To sin is like shooting an
arrow and missing the target. Therefore, to sin is to be in error, to be wrong
because you have missed the mark by violating some rule or some law.
Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The footnote on this verse says,
God’s glory is God expressed. Whenever God is expressed, His
glory is seen. Man was made by God in His image that man
might express Him for His glory. But man has sinned [166] and
has contradicted the holiness and righteousness of God. Instead of
expressing God, man expresses sin and his sinful self. Hence,
man falls short of God’s glory. This falling short of God’s glory
and expression is sin. Sinners are not only under the requirements
of God’s holiness and righteousness but also under the demand of
God’s glory. All have offended God’s holy being and have
broken God’s righteous law, and all are short of God’s glory.
Therefore, all are under God’s condemnation.
Therefore, to sin is to miss the mark of God’s glory; instead of expressing
God, we express our sinful self, and such an expression is short of and
misses the mark of God’s glory. God’s purpose in creating man was that
man would glorify Him by expressing Him with His glory. For all these
reasons we have a deep need for sin to be taken care of. Praise Him that
among the five major offerings, one is the sin offering to deal with our
problem of sin. In relation to our worship at the Lord’s table meeting, we
are also quite short in our appreciation of the Lord in the matter of His
being our sin offering. May the Lord bring us deeply into the revelation,
appreciation, and application of Christ as our sin offering.

SIN REFERRING TO THE INDWELLING SIN IN OUR NATURE;

SINS REFERRING TO THE SINFUL DEEDS,
THE FRUIT OF THE INDWELLING SIN

Sin refers to the indwelling sin in our nature (8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb.
9:26); sins refers to the sinful deeds, the fruit of the indwelling sin (Isa.
53:5a; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:28). Sin (singular) can be likened to
a tree; this is the sin that indwells us and is part of our nature as
descendants of Adam. Sins (plural) are the fruits of this tree; they refer to
the sinful actions, activities, and deeds that we commit. Therefore, they are
the fruit of indwelling sin.
Romans 8:3 says, “That which the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of
sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The word sin is
repeated three times in this verse, referring to the sin in our nature. Second
Corinthians 5:21 also refers to the nature of sin: “Him who did not know
sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him.” Hebrews 9:26 also speaks concerning Christ dealing with the
nature of sin: “He has been manifested for the putting away of sin through
the sacrifice of Himself.” [167]
By contrast, the following verses speak of sins, that is, the sinful deeds
of sin. Isaiah 53:5a says, “He was wounded because of our transgressions; /
He was crushed because of our iniquities.” Our iniquities are our sins. First
Corinthians 15:3 says, “I delivered to you, first of all, that which also I
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” First
Peter 2:24 says that Christ “Himself bore up our sins in His body on the
tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by
whose bruise you were healed.” Hebrews 9:28 says, “Christ also, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time to
those who eagerly await Him, apart from sin, unto salvation.” These verses
all refer to the sinful deeds, the fruit of indwelling sin.

Satan, the Devil, Being the Source of Sin

Satan, the devil, is the source of sin (Ezek. 28:16-17; John 8:44; cf. 2
Cor. 12:7; 1 Pet. 5:8, 5; Phil. 2:8; John 14:30). In Ezekiel 28:16 God made
Satan’s transgression very clear in telling him explicitly, “You sinned.” In
the eyes of God, the first being in the universe that committed sin was the
devil himself. He sinned. John 8:44 also confirms that the devil is the
source of sin and that we inherited sin through him: “You are of your father
the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer
from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks it out of his own possessions.”

Through Man’s Fall

Satan’s Personality Becoming One with Man’s Soul,
and Satan Being Taken into Man’s Body
 to Be Sin Working as Evil in Man’s Fleshly Members
Through man’s fall Satan’s personality became one with man’s soul, and
Satan was taken into man’s body to be sin working as evil in man’s fleshly
members (Gen. 3:1, 4-5; Rom. 5:12, 19a; 7:18a, 14b, 17, 20-21). It is not
pleasant to say this, but it is most necessary. The more we see the matter of
our sin, the more we will appreciate Christ. The more we see our sinful
self, the more we appreciate Christ as our sin offering. Therefore, we need
to see the matter of sin thoroughly under God’s divine light.
When Adam partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the
sinful nature of Satan entered into man’s body and transmuted the [168]
God-created body into the flesh. Furthermore, the devil’s personality
became one with man’s soul, turning the soul into the self. This sinful
nature, sin, dwells in our body, working out all kinds of evil in our fleshly
members (vv. 18-20). Romans 5:12 says, “Through one man sin entered
into the world, and through sin, death; and thus death passed on to all men
because all have sinned,” and verse 19 says, “Just as through the
disobedience of one man the many were constituted sinners, so also
through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous.”
We were constituted sinners by an act of disobedience. Disobedience is a
rejection of God’s word, His law, and His person. Romans 7:18 says, “I
know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells; for to will is
present with me, but to work out the good is not,” and verse 14 says, “I am
fleshy, sold under sin.” Verse 17 describes Paul’s experience with sin:
“Now then it is no longer I that work it out but sin that dwells in me.” This
is in contrast with Galatians 2:20, which says, “I am crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” Therefore,
sin works as a law within us; the law of good in our mind wills to do the
good, but it is defeated by the evil that is present with us so that we cannot
do the good that we will.

Because the Devil Is the Father of Sinners,

the Father of Liars,
the Sinners Being Children of the Devil
Because the devil is the father of sinners, the father of liars, the sinners
are children of the devil (John 8:44; 1 John 3:10). I hope that we are
impressed by the severity of the condition of sin within us.

Our Being Brought Forth in Iniquity,

 Conceived in Sin in Adam,
and Born with the Poison of the Serpent,
Making Us Serpents, the Brood of Vipers
We were brought forth in iniquity, conceived in sin in Adam, and born
with the poison of the serpent, making us serpents, the brood of vipers
(Psa. 51:5; John 9:34; Matt. 23:33; 3:7). Psalm 51 is the famous psalm of
David’s repentance after he committed his great sin. This psalm says that
we were brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin. Regardless of how
cute a baby is, it is full of iniquity. Otherwise, how could such a cute little
baby so quickly learn how to say, No! The reason is that there is something
within every child that he received from his [169] parents, who in turn
received it from their parents before them. We were brought forth and
conceived in this way. We must realize this and not be deceived to think
otherwise.
In John 9:34 the people condemned the blind man who had received his
sight, saying, “You were wholly born in sins.” They were right, but it was
not only the blind man who was born in sins; they themselves were also
born in sins. All have sinned without exception. One may be a “better”
sinner or a “more cultured” sinner, but sin is sin. Therefore, the Lord called
the Pharisees and Sadducees the “offspring of vipers” (Matt. 3:7), and in
23:33 He said of them, “Serpents! Brood of vipers! How shall you escape
the judgment of Gehenna?” We are serpents and serpentine in our fallen
nature. We can inject poison and spread death because of the sin in our
nature.

Sin Being the Evil Nature of Satan,

the Evil One, Who, Having Injected Himself
into Man through Adam’s Fall,
Has Now Become the Very Sinful Nature
Dwelling, Acting, and Working as a Law in Fallen Man
Sin is the evil nature of Satan, the evil one, who, having injected himself
into man through Adam’s fall, has now become the very sinful nature
dwelling, acting, and working as a law in fallen man (Rom. 5:12, 21; 6:14;
7:11, 17, 20). The verses referenced here from Romans 5 through 7 show
us how active sin is; sin is not like a dormant virus; it is very active. Sin is
personified in these verses and shown to have “entered into the world”
(5:12) and to be reigning in death (v. 21). If sin were not a person, how
could it reign in death and lord it over us (6:14)? Furthermore, sin seized
the opportunity through the commandment to deceive and kill us (7:11),
and sin dwells in us (vv. 17, 20). All these verses show us how active sin is
in us.

Sin Being Lawlessness

Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4; 2 Thes. 2:3, 7-8). Lawlessness simply
means to have no law and to be without law. God is not only the Giver of
the law, but He Himself is a law, the law of life (Rom. 8:2). Lawlessness
offends, disobeys, and transgresses against the divine law that is God
Himself; it rejects and rebels against God’s rule. This is sin. Titus 2:14 says
that Christ “gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all
lawlessness and purify to Himself a particular people as His unique [170]
possession, zealous of good works.” First John 3:4 says, “Everyone who
practices sin practices lawlessness also, and sin is lawlessness.” To sin is
not just to commit a little mistake or wrongdoing; it is to defy God’s law
and reject God’s rule. Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness and the
son of perdition (2 Thes. 2:3).
Second Thessalonians explains that although the man of lawlessness has
not yet been revealed, the mystery of lawlessness is now operating;
nevertheless, there is still something restraining it (vv. 6-7). We can see in
today’s society that lawlessness is operating everywhere. There are not just
bad things happening, but lawlessness is operating. May we be saved from
this mystery of lawlessness and become an anti-testimony to it.

THE SINNING WITHOUT INTENT

SIGNIFYING THE SIN IN OUR FALLEN NATURE,
THE INDWELLING SIN THAT CAME THROUGH ADAM
INTO MANKIND FROM SATAN,
WHICH CAUSES US TO SIN UNINTENTIONALLY

The sinning without intent (Lev. 4:2) signifies the sin in our fallen
nature, the indwelling sin that came through Adam into mankind from
Satan (Rom. 5:12), which causes us to sin unintentionally (7:19-20).
Sinning without intent or sinning through ignorance, as the King James
Version renders it, points to the sin in our fallen nature. We did not want to
sin, plan to sin, or make any deliberate decision to sin, yet sin simply came
forth from within us unintentionally. In my experience most of my sins are
of this kind. It is probably more seldom that we sin deliberately. Most of
our sins are probably unintentional; they just come out of us. We may have
determined not to lie, but lies just slip out of our mouth. We may have
willed not to criticize the brothers, but as we are speaking about the
brothers, some criticisms simply come out. We may resolve not to gossip
anymore, but once we receive a phone call, gossip flows out like a river.
Where do all these sins come from? They come from within us; they are
sins without intent. Satan as sin entered into man through Adam, and thus
sin has passed to all mankind so that we all sin unintentionally. Regardless
of who we are, whether the serving priests or the entire congregation,
whether a ruler or a common person, we all commit sins without intent. Yet
the fact that we sin unintentionally does not make those sins any less
sinful. Therefore, we need to present the sin offering. [171]

This Sin, Personified in Romans 7,

Being the Evil Nature of Satan,
Even Satan Himself,
Who Dwells in Our Fallen Flesh;
Since Our Flesh Is One with Sin,
Whatever We Do out of Our Flesh,
Whether Good or Evil, Being Sin
This sin, personified in Romans 7 (see footnote 1 on verse 8), is the evil
nature of Satan, even Satan himself, who dwells in our fallen flesh (vv.
17-18a, 20, 23); since our flesh is one with sin (8:3), whatever we do out
of our flesh, whether good or evil, is sin. There are three denotations of the
word flesh in the Bible. First, flesh denotes the physical substance of the
human body (Gen. 2:21), such as our muscles and sinews. Second, flesh
denotes the corrupted body, the body that has been transmuted by
indwelling sin (Rom. 7:18). Third, flesh denotes fallen mankind as a whole.
In Genesis 6:3 Jehovah said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever,
for he indeed is flesh.” This is the case of all mankind. It does not matter if
our flesh is expressed beautifully, kindly, wickedly, or vilely; whatever
comes out of man is of the flesh, is one with sin, and is sin.

Moreover, Since the Flesh Denotes a Fallen Person,

Every Fallen Person Being Sin
Moreover, since the flesh denotes a fallen person (6:3; Rom. 3:20),
every fallen person is sin (2 Cor. 5:21 and footnote 2). This is not merely a
matter of being sinful; instead, we are sin itself. In the Life-study of
Leviticus Brother Lee speaks about his own experience of going to the
Lord in prayer to deal with his sins when he was younger:
If we realize that we are sinful and begin to confess our sins, we
may find that the more we confess, the more there is to confess.
This was my experience in 1935. One day, having the deep sense
that I needed to be alone with the Lord, I went to a secluded
place, kneeled down, prayed, and began to confess my sins. My
confession went on for a long time. Prior to that time, I did not
know how sinful I was or how many sins I had. I saw that
everything I had done since my youth was sinful, and I made a
thorough confession to the Lord. (p. 180) [172]
In another place he says, “The more I confessed, the more I had to confess”
(The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1988, vol. 4, “The Present Advance
of the Lord’s Recovery,” p. 534). Although he was confessing trespasses,
all trespasses are the issue of indwelling sin; therefore, the trespass offering
is closely related to the sin offering. All our trespasses and wrongdoings
are committed because we are sin itself. The time must come when we
receive light from the Lord so intensely that we despise ourselves, humble
ourselves before Him, and confess, “Lord, I am sin.”

THE SIN OFFERING SIGNIFYING

THAT CHRIST WAS MADE SIN FOR US
IN ORDER THAT THROUGH HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS
SIN MIGHT BE CONDEMNED

The sin offering (Lev. 4:1-35) signifies that Christ was made sin for us in
order that through His death on the cross sin might be condemned (vv. 1-3,
13-14, 22-23, 27-28; Rom. 8:3). The more we realize our condition and
situation, the more we have to praise God for preparing the sin offering.
When I was preparing to speak this point, tears flowed from my eyes. I
prayed, “ O Christ, I am sin, but You were made sin on my behalf in order
that through Your death on the cross, sin might be condemned.”

Through Incarnation the Word,

Who Is God, Becoming Flesh,
in the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin,
the Likeness of a Fallen Man
 Through incarnation the Word, who is God, became flesh, in the likeness
of the flesh of sin, the likeness of a fallen man (John 1:1, 14; Rom. 8:3).
John 1:1 and 14 reveal that the Word, who is God, became flesh. Romans
8:3 says, “God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin.”
The Word became flesh, but He did not have sin—He possessed only the
likeness of the flesh of sin.

Although Christ Was a Fallen Man Only in Likeness,

When He Was on the Cross,
God Counting That Likeness as Real
Although Christ was a fallen man only in likeness, when He was on the
cross, God counted that likeness as real (2 Cor. 5:21). [173]

Since Sin, the Old Man, Satan, the World,

and the Ruler of the World Are All One with the Flesh,
When Christ Died in the Flesh,
Sin Being Condemned, the Old Man Being Crucified,
Satan Being Destroyed,
the World Being Judged,
and the Ruler of the World Being Cast Out
Since sin, the old man, Satan, the world, and the ruler of the world are
all one with the flesh, when Christ died in the flesh, sin was condemned
(Rom. 8:3), the old man was crucified (6:6), Satan was destroyed (Heb.
2:14), the world was judged, and the ruler of the world was cast out (John
12:31). Christ’s dying in the flesh on the cross was His being offered on
the altar as the sin offering, where He fulfilled the type of the offering
being killed and burned. By the one act of His death on the cross, sin, the
old man, Satan, the world, and the ruler of the world were removed and
dealt with. What a sin offering! What a death on the cross!

Hence, through Christ’s Death in the Flesh

All Negative Things Being Dealt With;
This Being the Efficacy of the Sin Offering
Hence, through Christ’s death in the flesh all negative things were dealt
with; this is the efficacy of the sin offering (1:29). If we have a problem,
this offering has dealt with it. We are sin, but Christ died for us. He became
sin on our behalf so that we, who are sin, could become the righteousness
of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Satan’s Evil Nature in Man’s Flesh

Being Judged on the Cross through the Death of Christ
in the Form of a Serpent
So That the Believers May Have Eternal Life
Satan’s evil nature in man’s flesh was judged on the cross through the
death of Christ in the form of a serpent so that the believers may have
eternal life (John 3:14-16; 1:14; Rom. 8:3). As believers, we have eternal
life. We, who were by nature serpents, received eternal life by looking
upon Christ as the fulfillment of the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in
the wilderness. [174]

As the One Who Did Not Know Sin,

Christ Being Made Sin on Our Behalf
So That We Might Become
the Righteousness of God in Him
As the One who did not know sin, Christ was made sin on our behalf so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
When we consider this, we may wonder, “Can this really be true?” because
this is such a great miracle. In Christ we are subjectively being made the
righteousness of God.

AFTER OUR REGENERATION

OUR STILL NEEDING TO TAKE CHRIST AS OUR SIN OFFERING
AND AS OUR TRESPASS OFFERING EVERY DAY

After our regeneration we still need to take Christ as our sin offering (1
John 1:8; Exo. 29:35-36) and as our trespass offering (1 John 1:9) every
day. We need to see how to take Christ as our sin offering. There are many
details related to this experience. We need to read certain messages in the
Life-study of Leviticus (msgs. 18—22, 25—26), certain chapters in Christ
as the Reality (chs. 20—21), and other portions in the ministry to see all
the details. We are unable to cover all these details in this
crystallization-study; nevertheless, the following four main points,
regarding our experience, can help us to see how to take Christ as our sin
offering and as our trespass offering on a daily basis.

Laying Hands on the Head of the Offering

Signifying the Union of the Offerer with the Offering
Laying hands on the head of the offering signifies the union of the
offerer with the offering (Lev. 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33). In Message 2 of this
crystallization-study concerning the burnt offering, we presented much
concerning this union. Every day we need to lay our hands on the head of
Christ as our offering and keep our hands on Him. We need to identify
with Him and take Him as the sin offering every moment. Leviticus 4:4,
15, 24, 29, and 33 repeatedly speak of the offerer laying his hands on the
head of the animal that was being offered. We need to learn to exercise our
spirit deeply, not merely in a loud or excited way, to lay our hands on the
head of Christ as our offering. This is the genuine exercise, the deeper
exercise, of the spirit. [175]

Taking Christ as Our Sin Offering

Meaning That Sin in the Nature of Fallen Man Is Condemned,
That Our Old Man Is Dealt With,
That Satan as Sin Itself Is Destroyed,
That the World Is Judged,
and That the Ruler of the World Is Cast Out
Taking Christ as our sin offering means that sin in the nature of fallen
man is condemned (Rom. 8:3), that our old man is dealt with (6:6), that
Satan as sin itself is destroyed (Heb. 2:14), that the world is judged, and
that the ruler of the world is cast out (John 12:31). This means that we need
to exercise to believe that these are all accomplished facts. Jesus did it all.
We should not have unbelief but should pray, “Lord, I believe.” When He
died on the cross, all these things took place.

The Word Ruler in the Ruler of This World

Implying Authority or Power and the Struggle for Power
The word ruler in the ruler of this world implies authority or power and
the struggle for power (Luke 4:5-8; cf. Matt. 20:20-21, 24; 3 John 9). The
ruler of the world—the one who is anti-God, who took the lead to rebel
against God’s rule, and who first struggled with God for power—has been
cast out. The devil has been cast out.

The Struggle for Power Being the Result,

the Issue, of the Flesh, Sin, the Old Man, Satan, the World,
and the Ruler of the World
The struggle for power is the result, the issue, of the flesh, sin, the old
man, Satan, the world, and the ruler of the world (Gal. 5:16-17, 24-26).

Sin Involving a Power Struggle,

and the Law of Sin Being the Spontaneous Power, Strength,
and Energy to Struggle with God
Sin involves a power struggle, and the law of sin is the spontaneous
power, strength, and energy to struggle with God (Rom. 7:23; 8:2). In the
Life-study of Leviticus Brother Lee makes the point that there is a struggle
in the universe between God and His archenemy, the devil (msg. 20).
Regrettably, the devil has come into us. As fallen men, we have [176]
become his children and his subjects. Therefore, the same kind of power
struggle between God and the devil is going on within us as sinners. To sin
is to exert energy to struggle with God, to disobey Him, and to do
something against His will. This is to miss the mark, to be in error. There is
a law within us called the law of sin and of death (v. 2). This law of sin
works and operates in our members to fight against the law of good that is
in our mind, and it always defeats us, captures us, and brings us into death
(7:23). There is a power in us that struggles with God, which is the law of
sin.

Through Our Genuine, Intimate, Living,

and Loving Fellowship with God, Who Is Light,
Our Realizing That We Are Sinful,
and Our Taking Christ as Our Sin Offering
Through our genuine, intimate, living, and loving fellowship with God,
who is light (1 John 1:5; Col. 1:12), we will realize that we are sinful, and
we will take Christ as our sin offering (1 John 1:5-9). There are two
sequences of the offerings in Leviticus. The first sequence (1:1—6:7) is the
burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, and then the sin and
the trespass offerings. Then, concerning the law of these offerings (v.
8—7:38), the sequence of the last three offerings changes. After the law of
the burnt offering and the law of the meal offering, we have the law of the
sin offering, the law of the trespass offering, and finally the law of the
peace offering. The first sequence is according to our experience; the
second relates to the view of God’s economy.
When we experience Christ as our burnt offering (the One who is
absolute for God), take Him as our meal offering (the perfect sinless man
in His humanity), and enjoy Him as such, we have peace with God and
have fellowship with Him and His people. According to 1 John 1:5, when
we have this fellowship, the light comes in our experience, and we have
fellowship with God, who is light. Under the shining of the divine light, we
have a deep realization that we are sinful, and it is then that we
experientially take Christ as our sin offering.

The More We Love the Lord and Enjoy Him,

the More Our Knowing How Evil We Are
The more we love the Lord and enjoy Him, the more we will know how
evil we are (Isa. 6:5; Luke 5:8; Rom. 7:18). This may sound unfamiliar, but
it is our experience. I first consecrated my whole life to the [177] Lord when
I was seventeen. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I loved the Lord and
consecrated myself to Him. In a sense, I took Him as my burnt offering and
my meal offering and enjoyed Him as my peace offering. However, as I
loved Him and was flooded with His love, simultaneously, the light from
the Spirit shined like daylight within me, even into every fiber and every
corner of my being. That light exposed me and pointed out my sins, and I
saw how sinful I was. This experience is difficult to describe. On one hand,
we are melted by His love, and on the other hand, we hate ourselves. The
more we love the Lord, the more we hate ourselves because we realize how
evil, poor, and sinful we are.

Realizing That We Have a Sinful Nature

and Taking Christ as Our Sin Offering
Causing Us to Be Judged and Subdued, and It Preserving Us,
For It Causes Us Not to Have Any Confidence in Ourselves
Realizing that we have a sinful nature and taking Christ as our sin
offering causes us to be judged and subdued, and it preserves us, for it
causes us not to have any confidence in ourselves (Phil. 3:3; cf. Exo. 4:6).
When we take Christ as our sin offering, we will feel that we are judged
and will be subdued because we are reminded of our fallen nature. This has
a preserving effect. It is when we forget this that we sin. This is what
happened with David (2 Sam. 11). Because of pride, he became loose.
When we are not subdued, we no longer realize what we are made of and
find ourselves outside of the realm of protection.
Realizing that we have a sinful nature and taking Christ as our sin
offering causes us to have no confidence in ourselves, feeling that we
cannot depend on ourselves. Not having confidence in ourselves is a sign
that we are enjoying Christ as our sin offering.

Needing to Learn from David’s Experience

Not to Have the Slightest Confidence in Ourselves
We should learn from David’s experience not to have the slightest
confidence in ourselves (Psa. 51).

God Using the Painful Method of Allowing Us to Fail

So That We Will See How Horrible, Ugly,
and Abominable We Are and So That We Will Forsake
All That Is from the Self and Depend Completely on God
God uses the painful method of allowing us to fail so that we will [178]
see how horrible, ugly, and abominable we are and so that we will forsake
all that is from the self and depend completely on God (cf. Lev. 6:28; Deut.
8:2; Luke 22:31-32; Rom. 8:28). We need to read and study all these points
and seek to experience them.

When We Enjoy Christ as Our Burnt Offering,

the One Who Is Absolutely for God,
Our Realizing How Sinful We Are,
and Our Being Able to Enjoy Christ as Our Sin Offering
When we enjoy Christ as our burnt offering, the One who is absolutely
for God, we realize how sinful we are, and we can enjoy Christ as our sin
offering (Lev. 6:25-27). In this point we come back to the burnt offering,
which is the important base of the sin offering.
 Man, Created by God for the Purpose
of Expressing and Representing God,
Needing to Be for Nothing other than God
and Needing to Be Absolutely for God
Man, created by God for the purpose of expressing and representing
God, should be for nothing other than God and should be absolutely for
God (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 43:7). This is where it all begins—we are not
absolutely for God; therefore, we live in sin.

Anything We Do out of Ourselves,

Whether Good or Evil, Being for Ourselves,
and Since It Is for Ourselves and Not for God,
It Being Sinful in the Eyes of God
Anything we do out of ourselves, whether good or evil, is for ourselves,
and since it is for ourselves and not for God, it is sinful in the eyes of God.
Sin is not merely a matter of committing certain gross acts; it is also to be
self-centered. Whenever we are self-centered, doing something or thinking
about something for ourselves and not for God, this is sin in the eyes of
God.

If Our Serving the Lord Is for Ourselves,

This Being Sin
If our serving the Lord is for ourselves, this is sin (Num. 18:1; 2 Kings
5:20-27; Matt. 7:22-23). Even serving the Lord is sin if we do it for
ourselves. The Lord sometimes deeply touches us who serve Him [179]
concerning this. The priest who was anointed to serve is the first one
mentioned in the section concerning the sin offering (Lev. 4:3). We may
have the anointing to serve, but if we do it out of ourselves and for
ourselves, it becomes sin. Second Kings 5:20-27 records an incident
involving Elisha and his attendant that shows that doing something for
ourselves in our service is sin.

If We Preach Ourselves, This Being Sin

If we preach ourselves, this is sin (2 Cor. 4:5). If we are not careful
while we are preaching Christ, the self will “slip out,” and before we know
it, we will actually be preaching ourselves rather than Christ in His purity.

If We Do Our Righteous Deeds,

Such as Giving Alms, Praying, and Fasting,
for Ourselves to Express and Display Ourselves,
This Being Sin
If we do our righteous deeds, such as giving alms, praying, and fasting,
for ourselves to express and display ourselves, this is sin (Matt. 6:1-6). In
Matthew 6:1-6 the Lord spoke concerning the self-professed righteous ones
about their giving alms, praying, and fasting. He said not to do these things
before men, because to do so is to glorify and gratify the self. We should
not do these things as a kind of display or outward show. Rather, we
should do them in secret for the Father to see in secret. Doing righteous
deeds in secret preserves and keeps us.

If We Love Others for Ourselves—

for Our Name, Position, Benefit, and Pride—This Being Sin
If we love others for ourselves—for our name, position, benefit, and
pride—this is sin (Luke 14:12-14).

If We Raise Up Our Children for Ourselves and Our Future,

This Being Sin
If we raise up our children for ourselves and our future, this is sin (cf. 1
Cor. 7:14). We can apply this principle to almost anything, including
legitimate things, such as having a job or a business. If we do these things
for ourselves and for our future, this is sin. We need to see, realize, and
identify sin in a much deeper way than merely being aware of what we
commonly consider to be sin. [180]
I hope that the burden in this training is being imparted into us. We need
to be recovered to a daily experience of all the offerings. We are short in
this matter. Because we are short in taking Christ as our sin offering, when
we come to the Lord’s table meeting, we do not have much to praise the
Lord about; rather, we mainly praise Him with generalities. I thank the
Lord that many young brothers come forward to break the bread at the
Lord’s table, but regrettably, much of their prayer to bless the bread and
the cup is rote, formulaic, and repetitive from meeting to meeting. Such
prayers may be right, good, and marvelous, but there is an apparent lack of
praises offered out of the saints’ subjective experience of Christ. If we do
not experience Christ as the offerings, we can utter only formal praises at
the Lord’s table. Such praises are not bad, but without the experiences of
Christ as the offerings, our praises are not really offerings. We need to
make up this lack by exercising our spirit day by day to experience Christ.
May we all plunge into these messages and learn to take Christ as our sin
offering.

THE BLOOD OF THE SIN OFFERING

HAVING FOUR KINDS OF EFFECTS

The blood of the sin offering had four kinds of effects. We should not
forget about Christ’s blood or consider it as something common but should
thank God for it. In Leviticus 4, which concerns the sin offering, there is a
detailed description of four kinds of effects of the blood of the offered
animals, typifying the efficacy and power of the blood of Jesus as the
Lamb of God.

Some of the Blood Being Brought into the Tent of Meeting

and Sprinkled Seven Times before Jehovah
in Front of the Veil of the Holy of Holies,
Signifying That the Blood of Christ Has Been Brought
into the Holy of Holies in the Heavens
for Our Redemption
Some of the blood was brought into the Tent of Meeting and sprinkled
seven times before Jehovah in front of the veil of the Holy of Holies (vv.
5-6, 16-17), signifying that the blood of Christ has been brought into the
Holy of Holies in the heavens for our redemption (Heb. 9:12). Hebrews
9:12 says that Christ, “not through the blood of goats and calves but
through His own blood, entered once for all into the Holy of Holies,
obtaining an eternal redemption.” In order to deeply enter into [181] the
experience of the offerings in Leviticus, we need to study the book of
Hebrews. The word sin occurs most often in the books of Romans,
Hebrews, and 1 John. No one who accepts the book of Hebrews as part of
the Word of God can say that there is not such a thing as sin in man. If
there were no sin, there would be no condemnation, judgment, propitiation,
or forgiveness. Because there is sin, all these things are real and even
necessary as crucial items in God’s economy. The shedding of the blood is
judicial in nature and not organic, but without this blood we cannot
experience organic salvation.
According to Hebrews 9:12, the Lord, through His own blood, entered
once for all into the Holy of Holies, obtaining an eternal redemption. The
blood was sprinkled in the Holy Place in front of the veil of the Holy of
Holies. This was not for men but for God to see. When He sees the blood,
when it is sprinkled in His presence, all His requirements on fallen man are
satisfied. He accepts this blood on our behalf, and in His eyes we are free,
released from sin, and can come to Him, be joined to Him, have fellowship
with Him, and be one with Him. He is ready to be mingled with us because
of the blood of His Son. We should pray, “Lord, thank You for Your
blood—the blood that You brought into the heavenly tabernacle to sprinkle
before the Father on our behalf.”

Some of the Blood Being Put

on the Horns of the Incense Altar,
Signifying That the Redemption by Christ’s Blood
Is Effective for Us to Be Brought
into the Presence of God
through Contacting God in Prayer
Some of the blood was put on the horns of the incense altar (Lev. 4:7a,
18a), signifying that the redemption by Christ’s blood is effective for us to
be brought into the presence of God through contacting God in prayer
(Heb. 10:19). This blood was sprinkled on the horns of the incense altar in
the Holy Place, but it was intimately related to the Holy of Holies. The
incense altar was the place where the priest contacted God through prayer
and had communion with Him. Because the blood was there, his prayers
were accepted. We should not think that we have any merit in ourselves to
offer prayers to God. Nothing that we could utter would be accepted by
Him if the blood of Christ had not been put upon the golden incense altar.
Brother Lee learned from Brother Watchman Nee’s example concerning
the blood and prayer. Brother Lee says, “After [182] I had been with Brother
Watchman Nee for quite a long time, I noticed that whenever we prayed
together, he would always utter some deep words about applying the blood
of the Lord Jesus...Whenever he prayed, he always applied the blood of the
Lord Jesus” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1966, vol. 1, “The
Priesthood,” p. 506).
 We do not apply the blood merely because it is a form that is practiced
in the local churches. Instead, we apply the blood because we realize that
we have a deep need for it. We want to have unobstructed, open fellowship
with God in the light. Therefore, we need the blood to cleanse us so that He
will forgive us and cleanse us from every sin.

Some of the Blood Being Put

on the Horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering,
Signifying That the Blood of Christ
Is Effective for Our Redemption
Some of the blood was put on the horns of the altar of burnt offering
(Lev. 4:25a, 30a, 34a), signifying that the blood of Christ is effective for
our redemption (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). The blood put on the horns of
the altar of burnt offering informs us that the blood of Christ, signified by
the same blood that the priest took into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle in the
presence of God, is wholly effective for our redemption. Hymns, #301
says, “Redeemed—how I love to proclaim it! / Redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb.”

The Rest of the Blood Being Poured Out

at the Base of the Altar of Burnt Offering,
Signifying That the Blood of Christ Was Poured Out
at the Cross for the Peace in Our Conscience,
Assuring Us That We Are Redeemed and Accepted by God
The rest of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt
offering (Lev. 4:7b, 18b, 25b, 30b, 34b), signifying that the blood of
Christ was poured out at the cross for the peace in our conscience, assuring
us that we are redeemed and accepted by God (Heb. 9:14). In this final
application the rest of the blood was poured out like a river. Zechariah 13:1
calls this poured-out blood “an opened fountain.” It was a river of blood
that flowed out when the Roman soldier pierced the Lord’s side (John
19:34). His other wounds were due to human persecution, but the piercing
of His side was part of God’s judgment of Him to open the way for the
blood and water to flow out. [183]
This flowing blood is for peace in our conscience, assuring us that we
are redeemed and accepted by God. Hymns, #1104 says, “Peace by the
blood of Jesus!” We have peace for no other reason; we have peace only
because the Lord’s blood has been sprinkled and poured out. We have a
blood-purified conscience. According to Hebrews 9:14, the blood has
purified our conscience from dead works so that we can come directly to
the living God and serve Him, worship Him, and be one with Him. The
atonement is made; propitiation is accomplished; expiation is done. We are
free to come into the presence of the King. Hymns, #551 says, “Hallelujah!
/ I have passed the riven veil, / Here the glories never fail.../ I am living in
the presence of the King.” Because of the blood, we are living and moving
in the presence of the Triune God. The realization that we are in the
presence of God should activate the law of rejoicing in us.

AS A RESULT OF CHRIST BEING OUR SIN OFFERING

AND CONDEMNING SIN IN THE FLESH,
IT BEING POSSIBLE FOR US TO WALK
NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLESH
BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT

As a result of Christ being our sin offering and condemning sin in the
flesh, it is possible for us to walk not according to the flesh but according
to the spirit (Rom. 8:3-4). Christ as our sin offering removes all the
problems and opens the way. Therefore, we are no longer bound by the
flesh or under the law but can walk according to the spirit and by the Spirit
(Gal. 5:16, 25). By so doing, we are freed and can live a sinless life, the
life that Christ lived. We can live Christ in actuality.
The Life-study of Galatians says, “The flesh is the uttermost expression
of the fallen tripartite man, and the Spirit is the ultimate realization of the
processed Triune God” (pp. 135-136). The flesh as the uttermost
expression of the fallen tripartite man is sin. Truth Lessons—Level Two,
volume 4, says, “Because of Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s work of
regeneration, we who have received God’s dispensing can walk by the
Spirit, by the processed Triune God, instead of by the flesh, by our fallen
being” (p. 63). The expression instead of in this quotation indicates that
there is now an option. In The Conclusion of the New Testament Brother
Lee says, “The believers have the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit in their
spirit that they may live, walk, and have their being in this Spirit” (p.
3322).—M. C.
 [185]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

The Reality of the Sin Offering,

the Bronze Serpent, and the Destruction of the Devil
(Message 7)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 4:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3; John 1:14; 3:14;
12:31; 1 John 3:8b; Heb. 2:14

I. As the reality of the sin offering, Christ was “made sin on our
behalf”—2 Cor. 5:21; Lev. 4:3:
A. Christ did not know sin in an experiential way by contact or by
personal experience, for in His nature and substance there was no
sin; nevertheless, Christ was made sin (not sinful) on our behalf
to be judged by God—2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3.
B. Christ died on the cross not only for our sins but also as sin itself,
having been made sin on our behalf by God—2 Cor. 5:21:
1. We were not only sinful—we were sin itself; we were the
constitution of sin, the embodiment of sin—Rom. 5:12, 19;
6:6; 7:7, 11, 17, 23.
2. After God laid our sins upon the crucified Christ, God
considered Him the unique sinner—Isa. 53:6b, 11c, 12d; 1
Pet. 2:24.
3. When Christ died for us as our Substitute, God considered
Him not only the sin-bearer but sin itself; when Christ was
crucified, sin was crucified—Rom. 6:10.
4. As the One who was made sin on our behalf, Christ was
judged by God once for all—2 Cor. 5:21.
II. As the reality of the sin offering, Christ the Son was sent “in the
likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin” so that God could
condemn sin in the flesh—Rom. 8:3:
A. As the Word that was with God and that was God, Christ became
flesh—John 1:1, 14:
1. In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, flesh denotes
the fallen man, not the God-created man—Gen. 1:26; 6:3;
Rom. 3:20. [186]
2. Our flesh is not only flesh but also sinful flesh; however, the
flesh of Christ was not sinful flesh.
 3. When the Word became flesh, the flesh of Jesus was joined
to fallen man with sinful flesh, but in His flesh there was not
the element of sin; Satan could not enter into Jesus’ flesh.
B. God sent His Son only “in the likeness of the flesh of sin”; the
Son did not actually have the flesh of sin but only the form, the
likeness, of the flesh of sin—8:3:
1. That the Word became flesh means that the Triune God
became a man of flesh in the likeness of a sinful man—John
1:1, 14.
2. Christ became flesh to be indirectly involved with sin—only
in the likeness of the flesh of sin but not in the reality—Rom.
8:3.
3. By so doing, God entered into humanity and became one with
sinful man; however, He had only the likeness of a sinful man
but not the sin of a sinful man, only the form of a fallen man
but not the sinful nature of a fallen man.
4. In His death Christ as a man in the flesh caused sin to be
condemned in the flesh by God—v. 3:
a. The flesh is of sin, and the Son of God did indeed become
flesh (Heb. 2:14; 1 Tim. 3:16); however, He had no
participation in the sin of the flesh.
b. When God the Father sent God the Son concerning sin
and to deal with sin, even to abolish it, He sent Him not
in the reality of the flesh of sin but in the likeness, the
appearance, of the flesh of sin—John 1:14; Rom. 8:3.
c. While Christ was on the cross, God condemned sin in the
flesh of Jesus Christ, the One who was sent in the
likeness of the flesh of sin—v. 3.
III. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of
Man be lifted up”—John 3:14:
A. As the One who was sent by the Father in the likeness of the
flesh of sin, Christ is typified by the bronze serpent in Numbers
21:4-9:
1. When the children of Israel spoke against God and against
Moses, “Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and
[187] they bit the people, so that many people of Israel
died”—v. 6.
2. God told Moses to make “a fiery serpent, and set it on a
pole”; “Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the pole;
and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the
bronze serpent, he lived”—vv. 8-9.
 B. The incident in Numbers 21 was sovereignly prepared by God to
reveal a particular type of Christ:
1. As a serpent in form, the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole is
a type of Christ lifted up on the cross for us—John 3:14:
a. In verse 14 the Lord Jesus applied this type to Himself,
indicating that when He was in the flesh, He was in “the
likeness of the flesh of sin” (Rom. 8:3), which likeness is
equal to the form of the bronze serpent.
b. The bronze serpent had only the form of the serpent but
was without the serpent’s poison; Christ was lifted up
only as a serpent in form, for He did not have the
poisonous nature of a serpent.
2. As sinful human beings, we actually are serpentine; in our
fallen nature we are children of the old serpent, the devil—1
John 3:10; Matt. 12:34; 23:33; Rev. 12:9:
a. We are all serpentine beings with the poison of the
serpent in our nature; in our fallen nature we are not only
sinful—we are serpentine as well.
b. In the sight of God, the entire fallen human race consists
of poisonous serpents—Matt. 12:34; 23:33.
3. Because we are such serpents, we needed a Substitute; we
needed Christ to die for us in the form of a serpent but
without the poisonous element of the serpent—John 3:14;
Rom. 8:3.
IV. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil”—1 John 3:8b:
A. As sinners, we need God’s salvation, and as those who are snared
and troubled by the devil, we need the Lord Jesus to destroy the
works of the devil—1 Tim. 1:15; 1 John 3:8.
B. When the Son of God was on earth, He destroyed the works of
the devil—Mark 1:23-28; Matt. 12:28; 15:22-28; Luke 4:39;
13:10-17: [188]
1. Often Satan’s work was not obvious; he hid behind natural
phenomena.
2. Although the devil hid behind many natural phenomena, the
Lord Jesus rebuked him—Mark 4:35-41.
C. In 1 John 3:8 the Greek word translated “destroy” may also be
translated “undo, dissolve”:
1. The devil has sinned continually from ancient times and
begets sinners that they might practice sin with him—vv. 8,
10; John 8:44.
 2. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He
might undo and destroy the sinful deeds of the devil, that is,
condemn, through His death on the cross in the flesh (Rom.
8:3), sin initiated by him, the evil one; destroy the power of
sin, the sinful nature of the devil (Heb. 2:14); and take away
both sin and sins.
V. “Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also
Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He
might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil”—v.
14:
A. The manifestation of the Lord Jesus destroyed the works of the
devil, and the death of the Lord Jesus destroyed the devil
himself—1 John 3:8; John 3:14; 12:31; Heb. 2:14.
B. It was through His being a serpent in form that the Lord Jesus
crushed the head of the old serpent, the devil—John 3:14; Gen.
3:15; Rev. 12:9:
1. The serpent is a symbol of the devil; the Lord Jesus was
crucified as a serpent in form in order to deal with the devil,
Satan.
2. In this way He judged the ruler of this world: “Now is the
judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be
cast out”—John 12:31:
a. Satan as the old serpent, the ruler of the world, had
injected himself into man’s flesh.
b. Through His death on the cross in the likeness of the flesh
of sin, the Lord destroyed Satan, who is in man’s
flesh—Rom. 8:3; Heb. 2:14.
c. By judging Satan in this way, the Lord also judged the
world, which is hanging on Satan; hence, the Lord’s [189]
being lifted up caused the world to be judged and its ruler
to be cast out—John 16:11; 12:31.
C. In His crucifixion Christ destroyed the devil—Heb. 2:14:
1. In verse 14 the Greek word translated “destroy” can also be
rendered as “bring to nought, make of none effect, do away
with, abolish, annul, discard.”
2. In His humanity and through His work on the cross, Christ
has destroyed the devil.
3. Christ died not only as the Substitute of fallen men, who had
been bitten by the serpent, but also to destroy the devil—John
3:14; Heb. 2:14.
D. Hallelujah, through Christ as the reality of the sin offering, the
 devil has been destroyed!

[190]

MESSAGE SEVEN

THE REALITY OF THE SIN OFFERING,

THE BRONZE SERPENT, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
DEVIL
In carrying out His eternal purpose, God gives us one person and one
way. The one person is the all-inclusive Christ, and the one way is the
cross. Through Christ as the one person, God can fulfill His purpose in
Christ and in the Body of Christ to have a corporate expression and
representation. Through the cross God solves all problems. The cross is the
way God solves problems. Christ as the reality of the sin offering deals
with four enormous problems: sin, the serpentine nature of fallen human
beings, the works of the devil, and the devil himself.
First John 3:8a tells us that he who practices sin, that is, habitually lives
in sin, is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning.
From the beginning refers to the time when the archangel rebelled against
God and attempted to overthrow God’s rule and authority. The nature of
the devil is sin, and his life is a life of sinning. Sin is what he is, and
sinning is what he does. John 8:44 says that the devil is an evil father who
begets children. First John 3:10 speaks of the children of the devil, those
who are the same in life and nature as their evil father. These devilish
children want to do the desires of their father. John 8:44 then goes on to
say that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and that he does not
stand in the truth. With him there is no truth. When he speaks a lie, he
speaks out of his own possessions, something unique in his being. He is a
liar, and the father of lies. Everything he says is a lie. The children of the
devil are serpentine in nature. Through such beings on the earth, the devil
can do many works, but Christ as the reality of the sin offering is the
decisive, complete, and once-for-all solution to all these problems.

AS THE REALITY OF THE SIN OFFERING,

CHRIST BEING “MADE SIN ON OUR BEHALF”

As the reality of the sin offering, Christ was “made sin on our behalf” (2
Cor. 5:21; Lev. 4:3). We need to pay attention to the fact that when the
Lord was bearing our sins in His body on the cross, that is, during the final
three hours, in the sight of God the Father He was sin itself. God saw sin
there, and God judged sin there. [191]

Christ Not Knowing Sin in an Experiential Way

by Contact or by Personal Experience,
for in His Nature and Substance There Was No Sin;
Nevertheless, Christ Being Made Sin (Not Sinful)
on Our Behalf to Be Judged by God
Christ did not know sin in an experiential way by contact or by personal
experience, for in His nature and substance there was no sin; nevertheless,
Christ was made sin (not sinful) on our behalf to be judged by God (2 Cor.
5:21; Rom. 8:3).

Christ Dying on the Cross Not Only for Our Sins

but Also as Sin Itself,
Having Been Made Sin on Our Behalf by God
Christ died on the cross not only for our sins but also as sin itself, having
been made sin on our behalf by God (2 Cor. 5:21). This is where we need
light. He was made sin itself, although He was not sinful.

Our Being Not Only Sinful—Our Being Sin Itself;

Our Being the Constitution of Sin,
the Embodiment of Sin
We were not only sinful—we were sin itself; we were the constitution of
sin, the embodiment of sin (Rom. 5:12, 19; 6:6; 7:7, 11, 17, 23). It is a
great light and a great release to see this. It breaks our self-confidence and
terminates our efforts to improve. We in the flesh are sin itself, a
constitution of sin, the embodiment of sin. We were born this way.

After God Laid Our Sins upon the Crucified Christ,

God Considering Him the Unique Sinner
After God laid our sins upon the crucified Christ, God considered Him
the unique sinner (Isa. 53:6b, 11c, 12d; 1 Pet. 2:24).

When Christ Died for Us as Our Substitute,

God Considering Him
Not Only the Sin-bearer but Sin Itself;
When Christ Was Crucified, Sin Being Crucified
When Christ died for us as our Substitute, God considered Him not only
the sin-bearer but sin itself; when Christ was crucified, sin was crucified
(Rom. 6:10). An opposer at a certain point in the seventies mocked [192]
this teaching, saying, “You call Christ the sin-man.” One day this opposer,
perhaps during the coming age, will be enlightened to see that he is sin
itself and that Christ, in the sight of God, became sin itself in order to be
the sin offering on his behalf, a person whose mocking was an expression
of his serpentine nature. When Christ was crucified, sin was crucified.

As the One Who Was Made Sin on Our Behalf,

Christ Being Judged by God Once for All
As the One who was made sin on our behalf, Christ was judged by God
once for all (2 Cor. 5:21).

AS THE REALITY OF THE SIN OFFERING,

CHRIST THE SON BEING SENT
“IN THE LIKENESS OF THE FLESH OF SIN AND CONCERNING SIN”
SO THAT GOD COULD CONDEMN SIN IN THE FLESH

As the reality of the sin offering, Christ the Son was sent “in the likeness
of the flesh of sin and concerning sin” so that God could condemn sin in
the flesh (Rom. 8:3). We need to arrive at a crystal-clear understanding of
two related verses: John 1:14 and Romans 8:3. John 1:14 says, “The Word
became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as
of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.” Romans
8:3 says, “That which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and
concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” John 1:14 does not say that
the Word became the likeness of flesh; to say so would be heretical
because it would deny the incarnation. The Word became flesh. However,
Romans 8:3 says that God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. If
we are careless and say that God sent His Son in the flesh of sin, that also
would be heretical. To say this would be to ascribe a sinful nature to the
Son of Man. This distinction demonstrates that we need to understand the
significance of the Word becoming flesh and the significance of God
sending His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin.

As the Word That Was with God and That Was God,
Christ Becoming Flesh

In the Bible, Especially in the New Testament,

Flesh Denoting the Fallen Man, Not the God-created Man
As the Word that was with God and that was God, Christ became [193]
flesh (John 1:1, 14). In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, flesh
denotes the fallen man, not the God-created man (Gen. 1:26; 6:3; Rom.
3:20).

Our Flesh Being Not Only Flesh but Also Sinful Flesh;
However, the Flesh of Christ Not Being Sinful Flesh
Our flesh is not only flesh but also sinful flesh; however, the flesh of
Christ was not sinful flesh. In chapter 3 of God’s New Testament Economy,
there is a chart showing how Christ joined Himself to fallen humanity by
becoming flesh and how His flesh was separated from the flesh of sin (The
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 3, p. 148). God did an
amazingly fine thing.

When the Word Became Flesh, the Flesh of Jesus

Being Joined to Fallen Man with Sinful Flesh,
but in His Flesh There Not Being the Element of Sin;
Satan Not Being Able to Enter into Jesus’ Flesh
When the Word became flesh, the flesh of Jesus was joined to fallen
man with sinful flesh, but in His flesh there was not the element of sin;
Satan could not enter into Jesus’ flesh. Hence, He became flesh, joining
Himself to the fallen human race, yet His flesh was never sinful; He knew
no sin.

God Sending His Son Only

 “in the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin”;
the Son Not Actually Having the Flesh of Sin
but Only the Form, the Likeness, of the Flesh of Sin
God sent His Son only “in the likeness of the flesh of sin”; the Son did
not actually have the flesh of sin but only the form, the likeness, of the
flesh of sin (8:3). Let me demonstrate using two jackets. The first jacket is
a normal jacket. The other is exactly the same outwardly, but inside it is
full of sin, representing the flesh of sin. When the Word became flesh, He
put on a jacket that appeared to be the same as the one full of sin, but its
nature was drastically different.

That the Word Became Flesh Meaning That the Triune God
Became a Man of Flesh in the Likeness of a Sinful Man
That the Word became flesh means that the Triune God became a man of
flesh in the likeness of a sinful man (John 1:1, 14). [194]

Christ Becoming Flesh

to Be Indirectly Involved with Sin—
Only in the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin
but Not in the Reality
Christ became flesh to be indirectly involved with sin—only in the
likeness of the flesh of sin but not in the reality (Rom. 8:3). It is this
likeness that made it possible for Him to be made sin when He was on the
cross and to be considered as sin based upon this likeness. God sent His
Son, and the Son was the Lamb of God fulfilling all the offerings. For the
first three hours on the cross, He was persecuted by man. Then for the
second and final three hours, the Son of Man was there on the cross as the
Lamb of God, but what God saw was sin in the flesh. He condemned sin in
the flesh, because this beloved God-man was willing to come in the
likeness of the flesh of sin, in the likeness of a sinful man. However, He
had only the likeness of a sinful man, not the sin of a sinful man.

By So Doing, God Entering into Humanity

and Becoming One with Sinful Man;
However, His Having Only the Likeness of a Sinful Man
but Not the Sin of a Sinful Man,
 Only the Form of a Fallen Man
but Not the Sinful Nature of a Fallen Man
By so doing, God entered into humanity and became one with sinful
man; however, He had only the likeness of a sinful man but not the sin of a
sinful man, only the form of a fallen man but not the sinful nature of a
fallen man.

In His Death
Christ as a Man in the Flesh Causing Sin
to Be Condemned in the Flesh by God
In His death Christ as a man in the flesh caused sin to be condemned in
the flesh by God (v. 3). God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the
flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh. When we apply
Christ as our sin offering, we are applying the One whose death on the
cross enabled God to condemn sin in the flesh. Although you and I still
have and will continue to have sin in the flesh until our body is
transfigured, having Christ as our sin offering, we do not need [195] to live
hour by hour with a sin-consciousness. We have a sin offering. God has
condemned sin in the flesh.

The Flesh Being of Sin,

and the Son of God Having Indeed Become Flesh;
However, His Having No Participation in the Sin of the Flesh
The flesh is of sin, and the Son of God did indeed become flesh (Heb.
2:14; 1 Tim. 3:16); however, He had no participation in the sin of the flesh.

When God the Father Sent God the Son concerning Sin
and to Deal with Sin, Even to Abolish It,
His Sending Him Not in the Reality of the Flesh of Sin
but in the Likeness, the Appearance, of the Flesh of Sin
When God the Father sent God the Son concerning sin and to deal with
sin, even to abolish it, He sent Him not in the reality of the flesh of sin but
in the likeness, the appearance, of the flesh of sin (John 1:14; Rom. 8:3).

While Christ Was on the Cross,

 God Condemning Sin in the Flesh of Jesus Christ,
the One Who Was Sent in the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin
While Christ was on the cross, God condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus
Christ, the One who was sent in the likeness of the flesh of sin (v. 3). Here
we see the amazing wisdom of God. Previously, we saw that Satan injected
his evil nature into human beings. We have Satan as sin in our members.
Satan injected himself into humanity. He did not know, because in a certain
sense he is not that smart, that by doing so, he trapped himself. When the
Son of Man came in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin and
when He was made sin by God and died as sin, Satan, who had injected
himself into the human flesh, was destroyed. What wisdom our God has!

“AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS,

SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP”

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of
Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Now we shift to understanding our actual
condition so that once we are enlightened we would appreciate, love,
adore, treasure, and praise Christ more than ever before. In [196] John 3:14
the Lord was talking to a very religious, elderly man, Nicodemus. In verse
14 the Lord pointed out to Nicodemus something concerning his fallen
nature, referring to a type in the Old Testament that He as the Son of Man
applied to Himself.

As the One Who Was Sent by the Father

in the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin, Christ Being Typified
by the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21:4-9

When the Children of Israel

Spoke against God and against Moses,
“Jehovah Sent Fiery Serpents among the People,
and They Bit the People,
So That Many People of Israel Died”
As the One who was sent by the Father in the likeness of the flesh of sin,
Christ is typified by the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:4-9. When the
children of Israel spoke against God and against Moses, “Jehovah sent
fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many
people of Israel died” (v. 6). When the children of Israel spoke against God
and against Moses, they touched God’s government. When that happened,
Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people. Whomever the serpents bit,
died. As a result, the people cried out to Moses. Previously, they had been
speaking against him; now they were crying out to him. So Moses called
out to God.

God Telling Moses to Make “a Fiery Serpent, and Set It on a Pole”;

“Moses Made a Bronze Serpent and Set It on the Pole;
and If a Serpent Had Bitten Any Man,
When He Looked at the Bronze Serpent, He Lived”
God told Moses to make “a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole”; “Moses
made a bronze serpent and set it on the pole; and if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived” (vv. 8-9). For Moses
to make a serpent meant that the serpent was artificial. By looking at the
serpent, the one bitten admitted that he had spoken rebellion against God
and God’s deputy authority. He also admitted that there were fiery
serpents, that he had been bitten, and that he would die at any moment.
However, there was a provision. The one bitten had to look away from the
serpents on the ground and from his wound and look at the bronze serpent
on the pole. Just by looking, he would live. [197]

The Incident in Numbers 21 Being Sovereignly Prepared

by God to Reveal a Particular Type of Christ
The incident in Numbers 21 was sovereignly prepared by God to reveal
a particular type of Christ. It is amazing how God sovereignly allowed the
events in Numbers 21 to happen, and then centuries later the Son of Man
applied the type to Himself.

As a Serpent in Form, the Bronze Serpent Lifted Up on a Pole

Being a Type of Christ Lifted Up on the Cross for Us
As a serpent in form, the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole is a type of
Christ lifted up on the cross for us (John 3:14). John 3:14 says, “As Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up.” When the Son of Man was lifted up as sin, God saw a serpent; He saw
not a Son but a serpent. As a result, God judged and terminated that
serpent.
Among Christians, especially among those who care for the gospel, John
3:16 is a familiar verse. However, I am not sure that many realize how God
gave His only begotten Son. Not many realize that the Word who became
flesh was given to us in the likeness of the flesh of sin and that the Son of
Man dying for us was there as a serpent. Through this act, God was saying,
“This is how much I love you. This is what it cost Me to give you eternal
life. My Son died on the cross in the form of a serpent to rescue you from
your serpentine nature.”
Verse 15 says, “That everyone who believes into Him may have eternal
life.” Everyone who believes into Him, into the One lifted up, has eternal
life. When we see this, we will say, “I believe into You, Lord. I weep tears
of joy. What kind of love is this? You were willing to be considered a
serpent to redeem me. I simply believe into You, and I have eternal life.”
We are serpents with a serpentine nature. According to verse 14, the Son of
Man was lifted up to be judged as the serpent. Not only so, in His death He
also released the divine life. Now we believe into Him and receive eternal
life. We have eternal life and are born of the Spirit.
John 3 begins with serpents but ends with a bride (vv. 14, 29). What a
salvation is this! What a boast to the enemy! Eventually, the bride,
consisting of the overcomers, will be spotless and victorious and will return
with the Lord. We know from 1 Thessalonians 3:13 that our hearts will be
established blameless. This means that our hearts will be purified. We [198]
will be without blame. The Lord may one day summon the adversary and
say, “Come here and look at her. You satanified her. You made her a
serpent. Then I came as the Son of Man and was lifted up. Sin and the
serpent were judged. Now she who was serpentine is the same as I am in
life, nature, expression, and function. Now I, her Husband, who have all
authority in heaven and on earth, delegate this authority to her. Dear wife,
execute judgment upon him.”

In Verse 14 the Lord Jesus Applying This Type to Himself,

Indicating That When He Was in the Flesh,
His Being in “the Likeness of the Flesh of Sin,”
Which Likeness Is Equal to the Form of the Bronze Serpent
In verse 14 the Lord Jesus applied this type to Himself, indicating that
when He was in the flesh, He was in “the likeness of the flesh of sin”
(Rom. 8:3), which likeness is equal to the form of the bronze serpent.
 The Bronze Serpent Having Only the Form of the Serpent
but Being without the Serpent’s Poison;
Christ Being Lifted Up Only as a Serpent in Form,
for He Did Not Have the Poisonous Nature of a Serpent
The bronze serpent had only the form of the serpent but was without the
serpent’s poison; Christ was lifted up only as a serpent in form, for He did
not have the poisonous nature of a serpent. There is a parallel between His
being made sin (2 Cor. 5:21), His having the likeness of the flesh of sin
(Rom. 8:3), and His having the form of the serpent (John 3:14; Num. 21:9).
Being sin, He deals with sin; having the likeness of the flesh of sin and the
form of the serpent, He deals with the children of the devil and their
serpentine nature. He will nullify, bring to nothing, all the works of the
devil (1 John 3:8). Then He will destroy the devil himself (Heb. 2:14).

As Sinful Human Beings,

Our Actually Being Serpentine;
in Our Fallen Nature Our Being Children
of the Old Serpent, the Devil
As sinful human beings, we actually are serpentine; in our fallen nature
we are children of the old serpent, the devil (1 John 3:10; Matt. 12:34;
23:33; Rev. 12:9). One day you will realize this. That will be a great day
for you and a frightening day for the enemy. When you realize this, [199] he
loses ground. At the same time, you will learn to treasure Christ as your sin
offering day after day. Your applying Him as the sin offering will not be a
ritual or formality. Out of love and out of desperate need you will apply
Him.

All Being Serpentine Beings

with the Poison of the Serpent in Our Nature;
in Our Fallen Nature Our Being Not Only Sinful—
Our Being Serpentine as Well
We are all serpentine beings with the poison of the serpent in our nature;
in our fallen nature we are not only sinful—we are serpentine as well.
 In the Sight of God, the Entire Fallen Human Race
Consisting of Poisonous Serpents
In the sight of God, the entire fallen human race consists of poisonous
serpents (Matt. 12:34; 23:33). God sees a brood of vipers swarming all
over the place; there are seven billion serpentine beings on the earth. This
is God’s view. But God’s answer is Christ as the reality of the sin offering.
How foolish it is for someone not to believe into Christ as the Son of God
but to remain identified with the old serpent, the devil.

Because We Are Such Serpents, Our Needing a Substitute;

Our Needing Christ to Die for Us in the Form of a Serpent
but without the Poisonous Element of the Serpent
Because we are such serpents, we needed a Substitute; we needed Christ
to die for us in the form of a serpent but without the poisonous element of
the serpent (John 3:14; Rom. 8:3). Hence, we see that He was made sin.
This is part of the reality of the sin offering. He was sent in the likeness of
the flesh of sin and concerning sin so that God could condemn sin in the
flesh. This is a fact. God, the angels, the devil, the evil spirits, and the
demons know that sin has been judged once for all.
Here are some practical advice and training on how to overcome the
devil when he counterattacks, which he will do. When he does so, he will
lie. Everything he says is a lie. He will say, “You still have sin. Look at
this thing within you.” However, we need to remember that anything he
says is a lie. He would have us point at ourselves. We should refuse to do
this. Rather, we should point to the One on the throne, Jesus the Nazarene,
who destroyed him. May we learn to look away unto Jesus. [200]

“FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED,

THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL”

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b). The word destroy is a very good
translation. We might think that this verse indicates that all the works of
the devil, even the devil himself, have been annihilated, as opposed to
destroyed; the annihilation of the devil, however, will occur only in the
next age, when he is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). In this age, the
Lord has dissolved and undone the works of the devil. When the Son of
God was manifested through incarnation, He destroyed the works of the
devil in His human living and particularly in His ministry. Experientially
speaking, whenever we are with the Lord, or whenever He simply decides
to come to us and manifest Himself to us, some of the works of the devil
within our being will be destroyed.

As Sinners, Our Needing God’s Salvation,

and as Those Who Are Snared and Troubled by the Devil,
Our Needing the Lord Jesus to Destroy the Works of the Devil
As sinners, we need God’s salvation, and as those who are snared and
troubled by the devil, we need the Lord Jesus to destroy the works of the
devil (1 Tim. 1:15; 1 John 3:8). God created us with a will for us to make
decisions. God respects this, and the enemy must also respect it, for it is a
principle that God has ordained. This means that any ground that you have
ever given to the enemy, whether knowingly or unknowingly, can be
reclaimed. The enemy’s taking of ground within you can be reversed and
nullified, and Satan himself can be evicted. The works of the devil include
his works in us individually, in our families, and in our churches. When we
realize that the Son of God has come to destroy the works of the devil, we
can exercise to stand one with the manifested Son of God and tell the
enemy, “I reverse, nullify, and cancel any way I have ever cooperated with
you. The Son of God has come to destroy everything you have done!”

When the Son of God Was on Earth,

His Destroying the Works of the Devil
When the Son of God was on earth, He destroyed the works of the devil
(Mark 1:23-28; Matt. 12:28; 15:22-28; Luke 4:39; 13:10-17). I am very
fond of an example of this in Luke 13:10-17. In the synagogue there was a
woman who for eighteen years had been bent double—bent so [201] that
she could only look down. The Lord knew that she had a spirit of infirmity,
so He laid His hands on her and said, “Woman, you are released from your
infirmity” (v. 12). Instantly she was made erect, and she began to glorify
God. The religious ruler of the synagogue was indignant that the Lord had
healed the woman on the Sabbath. By being indignant, the ruler was
standing with the devil and his works. The Lord replied to him, “This
woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound, behold, for
eighteen years, should she not have been released from this bond on the
Sabbath day?” (v. 16). All of us have been bound in various ways, but our
Lord has come to release us from all our bondage. We can stand erect and
can lift up our eyes to the enthroned Christ and praise His holy name.

Often Satan’s Work Not Being Obvious;

His Hiding behind Natural Phenomena
Often Satan’s work was not obvious; he hid behind natural phenomena.

Although the Devil Hid behind Many Natural Phenomena,

the Lord Jesus Rebuking Him
Although the devil hid behind many natural phenomena, the Lord Jesus
rebuked him (Mark 4:35-41). Mark 4:35-41 provides an example. Because
the Lord knew that the enemy was behind the wind and the waves that
were hindering Him from crossing to the other side of the sea, He rebuked
the storm.

In 1 John 3:8 the Greek Word Translated “Destroy”

Also Being Able to be Translated “Undo, Dissolve”
In 1 John 3:8 the Greek word translated “destroy” may also be translated
“undo, dissolve.” The Lord is going to dissolve all that the enemy has done
and completely nullify his works.

The Devil Having Sinned Continually from Ancient Times

and Begetting Sinners That They Might Practice Sin with Him
The devil has sinned continually from ancient times and begets sinners
that they might practice sin with him (vv. 8, 10; John 8:44). The works of
the devil are not only the deeds done by the devil and his subordinates, the
evil spirits and the demons; he also has children, and these children want to
do what he does (8:44). Hence, the devil does his works [202] through his
children as well. We will see this more and more in our horribly degraded
and degrading society, and we will recognize that these works are the
works of the devil. At the same time, we can see the vision, the revelation,
that the Son of God has been manifested to nullify, dissolve, destroy, and
bring to naught the works of the devil. This will give us the ground to pray
specifically, “Lord, regarding this matter, destroy the works of the devil.”
We can pray in this way regarding many matters.
 For This Purpose the Son of God Being Manifested,
That He Might Undo and Destroy the Sinful Deeds of the Devil,
That Is, Condemn, through His Death on the Cross
in the Flesh, Sin Initiated by Him, the Evil One;
Destroy the Power of Sin, the Sinful Nature of the Devil;
and Take Away Both Sin and Sins
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might undo and
destroy the sinful deeds of the devil, that is, condemn, through His death on
the cross in the flesh (Rom. 8:3), sin initiated by him, the evil one; destroy
the power of sin, the sinful nature of the devil (Heb. 2:14); and take away
both sin and sins. All these activities are related to Christ as the reality of
the sin offering. When we apply Him as the sin offering, we are applying
the work that He has accomplished. When we apply Him as the sin offering
simply by praying and exercising to be one with Him, we are expressing
our faith, our appreciation, our need, our longing, and our aspiration. If we
pray, “Lord, may You, as the sin offering, nullify all the works the enemy
has done in me,” the Lord will do it. In fact, He delights to do it. He is
praying right now in His heavenly ministry, interceding for all of us to
enter deeply into the appreciation and experience of Himself as the sin
offering. What a Savior we have!
Because there will be a reaction from the devil when we pray in this way
and when the Lord responds to such a prayer, we need to be prepared. The
concluding word at the end of this message will help us to be more than
ready to meet any counterattack of the enemy.

“SINCE THEREFORE THE CHILDREN

HAVE SHARED IN BLOOD AND FLESH,
HE ALSO HIMSELF IN LIKE MANNER PARTOOK OF THE SAME,
THAT THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM
WHO HAS THE MIGHT OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL”

“Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also
[203] Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He
might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil” (v. 14).
Verse 15 continues, “And might release those who because of the fear of
death through all their life were held in slavery.” These two verses tell us
that the Lord has both destroyed the devil, who has the might of death, and
delivered us from the fear of death. We no longer need to be in fear. The
only one who is afraid of this message is the devil himself, who has been
destroyed.

The Manifestation of the Lord Jesus

Destroying the Works of the Devil,
and the Death of the Lord Jesus
Destroying the Devil Himself
The manifestation of the Lord Jesus destroyed the works of the devil,
and the death of the Lord Jesus destroyed the devil himself (1 John 3:8;
John 3:14; 12:31; Heb. 2:14). In this message, we have seen that sin in the
flesh and the serpentine nature have been judged. We have also seen that
the works of the devil have been destroyed. Now we will see how the devil
himself is destroyed.

Its Being through His Being a Serpent in Form

That the Lord Jesus Crushed the Head
of the Old Serpent, the Devil
It was through His being a serpent in form that the Lord Jesus crushed
the head of the old serpent, the devil (John 3:14; Gen. 3:15; Rev. 12:9).
Genesis 3:15 is the gospel preached by God Himself to Adam and Eve.
Before He spoke this gospel, the man and the woman were no doubt
trembling in fear. This is because they had eaten of the fruit of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, and God had previously said to them that
on the day they ate of it, they would die (2:17). But instead of death, He
clothed them with the skins of an animal, probably of a lamb and likely one
that was slain in front of them (3:21). Furthermore, God said that the
woman, who was deceived, would bring forth a seed. (The man was not
deceived and therefore bears more responsibility for the fall.) According to
God’s word, this seed of the woman would eventually crush the head of the
serpent, and the serpent would bruise this seed’s heel, pointing to Christ’s
crucifixion (1 Pet. 2:24). Today we are living in the light of the fulfillment
of this great gospel message. [204]
The serpent is the symbol of the devil (Rev. 20:2), and the Lord Jesus
was crucified as the serpent (in form) to deal with the devil, Satan (John
3:14). Not only were sin and sins dealt with, but the source, the devil who
has sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8), was dealt with as well. In His
crucifixion, Christ judged the ruler of this world. John 12:31 says, “Now is
the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.”
When the devil was tempting the Lord Jesus, he showed Him all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory (Matt. 4:8). According to Luke’s
account, the devil had been given all the authority and the glory of the
kingdoms of the earth (Luke 4:5-6). In the preadamic age, Satan must have
been made the ruler over the earth (Ezek. 28:13-14; see footnote 1 on Luke
4:6). This is why it is very dangerous to be involved with politics in any
way, for in politics, people often accept such a deal from the devil. The
Lord refused to worship the devil. The Lord came not to worship the devil;
rather, He came to cast out the ruler of this world.
On the cross, a universal and cosmic exorcism took place. The whole
world system was judged. We need to live with this realization. A lawyer
may be good and honest, but to be a lawyer is to be part of the legal
system. One may be an excellent physician, but to be a physician is to be
part of the medical system. Those who are professors are part of the
educational system. We are in the world, but we are not of the world (John
17:16). The world has been judged, and its ruler has been cast out.
Satan, the old serpent and the ruler of this world, injected himself into
man’s flesh in Genesis 3 (cf. Rom. 7:17-18, 20). Although Satan thought
that this was a very clever act, it was because of this act that he was fully
undone. Just as a highly intelligent person shows himself to be foolish by
not believing the truth of the gospel, so the enemy thought that by injecting
himself as sin into man, he had ruined man and gained the victory over
God. After all, he had his own kingdom in the air (Eph. 2:2), and, as we
have seen, also had authority over the kingdoms of the earth and their
inhabitants. Furthermore, before the Lord could regenerate anyone, Satan
had reproduced himself. This reproduction was not by the devil adopting
human beings but by his generating his own children (John 8:44). Satan
surely thought that accomplishing this was very clever. But the Lord was
patient and anticipated all these things. When the enemy was done with his
scheme, the Lord came as the second man. Then when the Lord Jesus died
on the cross in the form of a serpent, in the likeness of the flesh of sin, the
serpent who had injected himself into man’s flesh was trapped and judged
and destroyed. [205]

The Serpent Being a Symbol of the Devil;

the Lord Jesus Being Crucified as a Serpent in Form
in Order to Deal with the Devil, Satan
 The serpent is a symbol of the devil; the Lord Jesus was crucified as a
serpent in form in order to deal with the devil, Satan.

In This Way His Judging the Ruler of This World:

“Now Is the Judgment of This World;
Now Shall the Ruler of This World Be Cast Out”
In this way He judged the ruler of this world: “Now is the judgment of
this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out” (12:31). Satan as
the old serpent, the ruler of the world, had injected himself into man’s
flesh. Through His death on the cross in the likeness of the flesh of sin, the
Lord destroyed Satan, who is in man’s flesh (Rom. 8:3; Heb. 2:14). By
judging Satan in this way, the Lord also judged the world, which is
hanging on Satan; hence, the Lord’s being lifted up caused the world to be
judged and its ruler to be cast out (John 16:11; 12:31).
The sin in our flesh has been destroyed. A full execution of this
destruction has yet to be accomplished, but the destruction is still a divine
reality and truth.

In His Crucifixion Christ Destroying the Devil

In Verse 14 the Greek Word Translated “Destroy”

Also Being Able to Be Rendered
as “Bring to Nought, Make of None Effect,
Do Away With, Abolish, Annul, Discard”
In His crucifixion Christ destroyed the devil (Heb. 2:14). In verse 14 the
Greek word translated “destroy” can also be rendered as “bring to nought,
make of none effect, do away with, abolish, annul, discard.” The Lord’s
destruction of the devil is a thorough dealing.

In His Humanity and through His Work on the Cross,

Christ Having Destroyed the Devil
In His humanity and through His work on the cross, Christ has destroyed
the devil. We need to proclaim this fact to the enemy and tell him, “On the
day that the Son of Man was on the cross, you were destroyed! A man
destroyed you! When this man destroyed you, sin was judged! Now you,
the old serpent, are bound for the lake of fire, and we [206] who were once
serpentine are becoming the New Jerusalem. Hear this and suffer, enemy:
Jesus destroyed you on the cross!”

Christ Dying Not Only as the Substitute of Fallen Men,

Who Had Been Bitten by the Serpent,
but Also to Destroy the Devil
Christ died not only as the Substitute of fallen men, who had been bitten
by the serpent, but also to destroy the devil (John 3:14; Heb. 2:14).

Hallelujah, through Christ as the Reality of the Sin Offering,

the Devil Having Been Destroyed
Hallelujah, through Christ as the reality of the sin offering, the devil has
been destroyed!

A CONCLUDING WORD

I have learned, by the Lord’s training and some learning, that if we end
this kind of message merely with a Hallelujah, even though Christ is the
reality of the sin offering and the devil has been destroyed, we may be
vulnerable to Satan’s counterattack. We need to learn to be calm and
watchful after high, transcendent meetings so that we do not recklessly
make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy’s counterattack. We must realize
that the enemy, because he hates this kind of word and even fears it, may
attack.
The Lord destroyed the devil on the cross. This actually happened, and it
is an accomplished and unchangeable fact. Do not, however, take in the
thought that you no longer have to be watchful. God has His way of
incrementally and gradually executing the act of Satan’s destruction. Yet in
this age, the age of the church and of mystery, the devil is still active. One
of the main responsibilities of the church is to maintain, proclaim, and
testify the victory of Christ in the midst of warfare. In this light, there are
three matters I want to present to you from five portions in the New
Testament. I present these to help, to encourage, and to equip you. This is
because, between now and the time we are raptured, the warfare will
intensify.
 “Be Angry, yet Do Not Sin”
The first matter is contained in Ephesians 4:26-27, which says, “Be
angry, yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your indignation, [207]
neither give place to the devil.” According to this passage, being angry is
not a sin in itself, but there is the possibility of sin coming in through it.
This is why Paul tells us that we should not continue in the anger. When
you allow the sun to go down on your vexation, you give place to the devil.
If, as you are reading this, you are aware of any anger in your being about
any situation, you need to seek the Lord in order to let it go. You do not
want to give place to the devil unintentionally. Some who have been
wronged use the fact that they have been wronged to accuse and attack the
person who wronged them. It is not uncommon for wives and husbands to
attack one another in this way. We must let our indignation go.

“Withstand the Devil”

The second matter is presented in three portions concerning our
withstanding the devil. To withstand is to stand against with firm
determination. To withstand is not to resist by your will, nor is it to
struggle; rather, it is to stand in the power of Christ’s resurrection, to stand
in His victory. To withstand means that no matter how the enemy attacks,
we are not affected, changed, or damaged. One portion relative to this is
James 4:6b-7, which says, “‘God resists the proud but gives grace to the
humble.’ Be subject therefore to God; but withstand the devil, and he will
flee from you.” Even the sisters can scare the devil. Footnote 2 on verse 7
reads, “To be proud toward God is to side with God’s enemy, the devil; to
be humble toward God, that is, to be subject to God, is to withstand, that is,
to stand against, the devil.” We need to humble ourselves before God, that
is, to be in subjection to Him. There are some brothers for whom I care
very much. I greatly long for them to go on. Deep in my being, my prayer
for such ones is that they would be subject to God. When we humble
ourselves, we are subject to God; then we will spontaneously have the
power to withstand the devil.
There is a similar thought in 1 Peter 5:8-9a: “Be sober; watch. Your
adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking someone to
devour. Him withstand, being firm in your faith.” The watching that Peter
describes here is like the watching that takes place in warfare, not paranoid
watching but alert watching. We need to be watchful over the dear saints.
The devil is walking about; he is aggressively and actively trying to find
something to eat. So Peter advises us to do two things. The first is to be
humbled under the Lord’s mighty hand (v. 6). That is because our pride
attracts the roaring lion. The second is to cast all our [208] anxieties on Him
(v. 7a). Whatever you are worried about, cast it on Him. It matters to Him
concerning you (v. 7b). If we allow ourselves to be ruled by anxiety, we
are vulnerable. Instead of being anxious, we should withstand, like a rock.
We need to be a “rock man” who enjoys the riches of the good land, whose
stones are iron (Deut. 8:9). The one new man, who stands for God, is a
rock man, an iron man, a mountain man. This is why we resist and
withstand the devil. In this context Peter mentions faith (1 Pet. 5:9a). Our
faith is toward the Father’s care, but our standing power is in the faith that
the devil, who even now is trying to attack, has been destroyed. This is our
faith. We do not believe the enemy’s lie; we believe the word of God.
The final verse concerning withstanding the devil is Ephesians 6:13:
“Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Please do not hold on to any
negative feeling in your being. There is an enemy who wants to latch onto
that feeling. Let it go. Be at peace. Be humbled. Cast your anxiety on the
Lord. You will spontaneously discover that you can withstand the devil
himself, and he will flee from you. The sisters especially need to discover
this.

“The Blood of the Lamb and...the Word of [Our] Testimony”

For the third point, we turn to Revelation 12:11a: “They overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their
testimony.” The blood of the Lamb is for our redemption. The devil
accuses day and night. He slanders God to us, and he accuses us before
God. Do not talk with him. Do not confess anything to him. Point him to
the blood of the Lamb. The blood of the Lamb is followed by the word of
our testimony. The testimony here is not the testimony of whatever things
we are currently experiencing; rather, it is the testimony of the Lord’s
victory.
Would you like to be an overcomer? Overcomers are not superheroes.
They overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony. Overcoming in this way is not just for the brothers; it is for all
believers, especially the sisters. When you sense that the devil is accusing
you, point him to the blood. If he does not stop, open your mouth and
audibly give the word of your testimony. Say to him, “Christ is my sin
offering. When He died on the cross, sin was judged and you were judged.
You have been destroyed. If you come and harass me at any time, I will
remind you of your utter defeat.” [209]
I conclude this message by asking you to read or, even better, sing the
following hymn:

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Overcome the enemy;
By its virtue and its power
You will win the victory.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Overcome the enemy;
By its virtue and its power
You will win the victory.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Counter him who doth accuse;
By the blood for you defending
All the sland’rer’s blame refuse.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

God’s sure faithfulness believe;
Through the blood of your Redeemer
God’s forgiveness now receive.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Your position now declare;
Through the blood, prevailing ever,
All His vict’ry fully share.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Claim His full authority;
Just apply the blood of Jesus
And defeat the enemy.

By the blood of Christ the Victor

Standing in the heavenlies;
In the pow’r of Christ ascended,
Tread the principalities.
 (Hymns, #889)

Thank You, Lord, that You are the reality of the sin offering!—R. K.
 [211]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Taking Christ as Our Trespass Offering for God’s Purpose

(Message 8)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 5:1-4, 6-8, 11, 15-16; 1 John 1:7-9; Acts
24:16; Psa. 51:2

I. The trespass offering signifies Christ as our offering resolving the

problem of sins in our conduct—1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5-6, 10-11; cf.
Matt. 27:38; Luke 23:42-43:
A. Taking Christ as our trespass offering with the confession of our
sins in the divine light is the way to drink Christ as the living
water for us to become the New Jerusalem—John 4:14-18.
B. Taking Christ as our trespass offering with the confession of our
sins is the way to keep ourselves in the fellowship of life for our
growth in life unto the maturity in life—1 John 1:2-3, 5-9; Acts
24:16.
C. Taking Christ as our trespass offering to receive the forgiveness
of sins issues in our fearing God and loving God—Psa. 130:4;
Luke 7:47-50.
D. Ministering Christ as the sin-dealing life to the saints kills the
germs, destroys the problems, and maintains the oneness of the
Spirit—John 8:1-11; 1 John 5:16; Rom. 2:4b; Lev. 10:17; Gal.
6:1.
II. In taking Christ as our trespass offering, we need to make a thorough
confession of all our shortcomings, weaknesses, wrongdoings, and
sinfulness in order to have a conscience without offense toward God
and men—Acts 24:16; Psa. 51:2:
A. Since God knows the record of our sinful doings, it is best for us
to ask Him to rid us of that record by confessing—1 John 1:7, 9.
B. After such a thorough and fine confession, we will be filled with
the Spirit essentially and economically to make us buoyant and
bold in our God to speak the gospel of God—cf. Num. 21:16-18;
1 Thes. 2:2, 4. [212]
III. The trespass offering eventually becomes the sin offering, signifying
that Christ’s redemption for our sin resolves the problem of sin in its
two aspects: sin in our inward nature and sins in our outward
 conduct—Lev. 5:6-8, 11-12; John 1:29.
IV. Two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the
other for a burnt offering, form a trespass offering, signifying that the
source of every trespass is the sin that is in our flesh, and the reason
for every trespass is our not living absolutely for God—Lev. 5:7.
V. Leviticus 5 speaks of four particular items that need the trespass
offering so that God’s people can live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life
for them to be incorporated with the Triune God for His glory—vv.
1-4:
A. To fail to testify to the truth concerning what we know is to be
dishonest and unfaithful, unlike our God, who is faithful and
honest; this actually deals with lying, which involves Satan, the
father of lies—v. 1; John 8:44.
B. To touch the uncleanness of spiritual death is the most serious
thing in the eyes of God—Lev. 5:2:
1. If we are to live a holy life separated from death, we need to
exercise care concerning our contact with people—ch. 11;
Acts 10:9b-15, 27-29:
a. Animals that divide the hoof and chew the cud signify
persons who have discernment in their activities and who
receive the word of God with much
reconsideration—Lev. 11:2-3.
b. Aquatic animals that have fins and scales signify persons
who can move and act freely in the world, simultaneously
resisting its influence—v. 9.
c. Birds that have wings for flying and that eat seeds of life
as their food supply signify persons who can live and
move in a life that is away from and above the world and
who take the things of life as their supply of life—cf. vv.
13-19.
d. Insects that have wings and jointed legs above their feet
for leaping on the ground signify persons who can live
and move in a life that is above the world and who can
keep themselves from the world—vv. 21-22.
2. The carcasses of the animals in Leviticus 5:2 refer to three
[213] different kinds of spiritual death that may spread among
God’s people in the church life: beasts signify wild death,
cattle signify mild death, and creeping things signify subtle
death—Rom. 14:15, 20; 16:17:
a. Regardless of its kind, death is unclean, filthy, and
defiling; death is the most hateful thing in the eyes of
 God—cf. 1 Cor. 15:26.
b. According to the typology in the Old Testament, death is
more defiling than sin (see footnote 2 on Lev. 11:31).
3. We need to be Nazarites who are separated from death and
filled with life, “anti-death”—Num. 6:6-8; Rom. 8:6.
C. The uncleanness of man signifies that everything that is
discharged from the natural man and the natural life, whether
good or bad, is unclean—Lev. 5:3; cf. Matt. 15:17-20; 16:21-25.
D. To speak rashly before God, expressing our opinion in a hasty,
careless, and reckless way, indicates that we do not live for God
and do not fear God—Lev. 5:4; cf. Matt. 17:24-27; John 7:3-8.
VI. In Leviticus 5:11 fine flour, signifying the humanity of Jesus, is used
for a sin offering, signifying that we commit sins because we are
short of the humanity of Jesus:
A. This indicates that we commit sins not only because we have sin
in our nature and not only because we are not absolute for God
but also because we do not have the humanity of Jesus; in His
humanity Jesus has no sin in Him and is absolute for God.
B. The tenth part of an ephah of fine flour offered for a sin offering
signifies that only a small portion of the humanity of Jesus is
needed to kill the negative things within us and to supply our
need.
VII. Making restitution and adding to it one-fifth more signifies that the
one who offers the trespass offering should be righteous in material
things according to the divine scale, standard, and measurement—vv.
15-16; cf. Luke 19:8.
VIII. “David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of
Uriah”—Matt. 1:6:
A. Psalm 51 was composed after David’s great sin in murdering
Uriah and robbing him of his wife and then being rebuked by
Nathan:
1. “Against You and You alone have I sinned, / And I have
done what is evil in Your sight”—v. 4. [214]
2. “Hide Your face from my sins, / And blot out all my
iniquities”—v. 9.
3. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; / A broken and a
contrite heart, O God, You will not despise”—v. 17.
4. “Do good in Your good pleasure unto Zion; / Build the walls
of Jerusalem”—v. 18.
B. The issue of the “marriage” of David’s transgression and
repentance with God’s forgiveness was Solomon (“peaceful”),
 the one who built the temple of God—2 Sam. 7:12-14a; 2 Chron.
3:1:
1. The church is always built up by this kind of person—a
Solomon—one who is the issue of man’s transgression and
repentance plus God’s forgiveness.
2. When we experience the marriage of our transgression and
repentance with God’s forgiveness, we become very useful in
the building up of the church.

[215]

MESSAGE EIGHT

TAKING CHRIST AS OUR TRESPASS OFFERING

FOR GOD’S PURPOSE
The subject of this message is taking Christ as our trespass offering for
God’s purpose. We need to give particular attention to the words for God’s
purpose. We do not take the trespass offering in a meaningless way. We
take the trespass offering for God’s purpose.

THE TRESPASS OFFERING

SIGNIFYING CHRIST AS OUR OFFERING
RESOLVING THE PROBLEM OF SINS
IN OUR CONDUCT

The trespass offering signifies Christ as our offering resolving the

problem of sins in our conduct (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5-6, 10-11; cf. Matt.
27:38; Luke 23:42-43). First Peter 2:24 says, “[Christ] Himself bore up our
sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might
live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.” The Greek word
for forgiveness means “causing it to leave or sending away.” When the
Lord died on the cross, He caused all our sins to leave; He sent all our sins
away. This is really wonderful. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!” The word sin in this verse refers to
both the indwelling sin in our nature and the sins in our conduct. Hence,
this verse refers to Christ as both the sin offering and the trespass offering.
Leviticus 16:7-10, which refers to the Day of Expiation, or the Day of
Atonement, says, “He shall take the two goats and set them before Jehovah
at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots on the two
goats: one lot for Jehovah and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall
present the goat on which the lot for Jehovah fell, and offer it as a sin
offering. But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell shall be made to
stand alive before Jehovah to make expiation over it, that it may be sent
away for Azazel into the wilderness.” The footnote on verse 8 says the
following regarding Azazel: [216]
Azazel signifies Satan, the devil, the sinful one, the one who is
the source, the origin, of sin (John 8:44). The goat that was for
Jehovah was to be killed (Lev. 16:9), but the goat that was for
Azazel was to be sent away into the wilderness to bear away all
the iniquities of the children of Israel on itself (vv. 10, 20-22).
This signifies that Christ as the sin offering for God’s people, on
the one hand, deals with our sin before God and, on the other
hand, sends sin, through the efficacy of the cross, back to Satan,
from whom sin came into man. Through the cross the Lord Jesus
has the position and qualification with the power, strength, and
authority to take sin away from the redeemed ones (John 1:29;
Heb. 9:26) and send it back to its source, Satan, who will bear it
in the lake of fire forever (Rev. 20:10).
These are wonderful verses and a wonderful footnote.
Isaiah 53:5-6 continues the thought of Christ as our trespass offering:
“He was wounded because of our transgressions; / He was crushed because
of our iniquities; / The chastening for our peace was upon Him, / And by
His stripes we have been healed. / We all like sheep have gone astray; /
Each of us has turned to his own way, / And Jehovah has caused the
iniquity of us all / To fall on Him.” We should love these verses. It is
amazing that there is such a chapter in the Holy Bible, which was written
hundreds of years before Christ was born. He is our trespass offering. As
He was dying on the cross, Jehovah caused the iniquity of us all to fall on
Him.
According to John 19:19, Pilate wrote a notice and “put it on the cross.”
This notice said, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE
JEWS.” When the opposing ones, the chief priests and the leaders of the
Jews, saw this, they became upset. They told Pilate, “Do not write, The
King of the Jews, but that He said, I am the King of the Jews” (v. 21).
Pilate, however, answered, “What I have written, I have written” (v. 22).
What Pilate wrote was not of himself but of God’s sovereignty. This was
under the Lord’s sovereignty, for that sign—Jesus the Nazarene, the King
of the Jews—was written in three languages, Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
The footnote on verse 20 says, “ Hebrew here represents the Hebrew
religion, Latin represents Roman politics, and Greek represents Greek
culture. These three together represent the entire world, all mankind. This
signifies that the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God was killed by and for all
mankind.” [217]
Isaiah 53:10-11 also speaks of Christ as the sin offering and trespass
offering: “Jehovah was pleased to crush Him, to afflict Him with grief. /
When He makes Himself an offering for sin, / He will see a seed, He will
extend His days, / And the pleasure of Jehovah will prosper in His hand. /
He will see the fruit of the travail of His soul, / And He will be satisfied; /
By the knowledge of Him, the righteous One, My Servant, will make the
many righteous, / And He will bear their iniquities.”
Luke 23:42-43 presents a marvelous picture of the Lord dying on the
cross. In these verses we see that two robbers were crucified with the Lord.
These robbers did not just rob people; they also killed the people whom
they robbed. They were great sinners. The first one saved through Christ’s
crucifixion on the cross was a robber. This shows that we should love all
men without discrimination. Verse 39 says, “One of the criminals who
were hanged there blasphemed Him, saying, Are You not the Christ? Save
Yourself and us!” The other robber then rebuked him and said, “Do you
not even fear God, since you are in the same judgment? And we justly, for
we are receiving what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done
nothing amiss” (vv. 40b-41). Then the robber said to Jesus, “Remember me
when You come into Your kingdom” (v. 42). In other words, the one
robber said to the other robber, “How can you say that to this man when He
has not done anything? He is innocent, and we are guilty. We deserve our
punishment, but He does not deserve this. How can you speak like that to
Him?” Can you imagine this scene? In verse 43 the Lord responded to the
robber, saying, “Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in
Paradise.” This is precious and priceless. That very day this robber was
with the Lord in Paradise. A centurion who was watching all of this stated,
“Certainly this man was righteous” (v. 47).

Taking Christ as Our Trespass Offering

with the Confession of Our Sins in the Divine Light
Being the Way to Drink Christ as the Living Water
for Us to Become the New Jerusalem
 Taking Christ as our trespass offering with the confession of our sins in
the divine light is the way to drink Christ as the living water for us to
become the New Jerusalem (John 4:14-18). In the previous sentence we
should stress the phrase in the divine light. Light is the presence of God.
We take Christ as our trespass offering with the confession of our sins in
the presence of God as the divine light. This is the way to drink [218] Christ
as the living water for us to become the New Jerusalem. How do we
become the New Jerusalem? It is by taking Christ as our trespass offering
with the confession of our sins, which causes us to drink Christ as the
living water for us to become the New Jerusalem.
In John 4:13 the Lord said to the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who
drinks of this water shall thirst again.” This water signifies “the enjoyment
of material things and the amusement obtained from worldly
entertainment” (v. 13, footnote 1). This water also refers to anything that
we use to try to satisfy us other than Christ. Whoever drinks of this water
shall thirst again. Then the Lord said to the woman, “Whoever drinks of
the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water
that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up
into eternal life” (v. 14). When we drink of Him as the living water, God
the Father is installed into us as a fountain of living water. God the Father
is the fountain of living water; God the Son is the spring, the emergence
and manifestation of the fountain; and God the Spirit is the river as the
flowing out of the spring. This fountain, spring, and flowing-out river are
into eternal life. In Greek the word into in verse 14 means “to become.” He
is the flowing Triune God—the Father is the fountain, the Son is the
spring, and the Spirit is the river. He flows into us, in us, through us, out of
us, and into others to cause us corporately to become the totality of eternal
life, which is the New Jerusalem.
Where do we have the confession of sins in John 4? Right after the Lord
spoke these words in verses 13 and 14, we see that confession is the way to
take the living water. The outline heading in the Recovery Version for
verses 15 through 26 is “The Way to Take the Living Water,” and the first
outline point under this is “To Make Confession of Sins.” The first way to
take the living water is by the confession of our sins, by taking Christ as
our trespass offering. Verses 15 through 18 show the Lord helping the
woman to make confession: “The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this
water so that I will not thirst nor come here to draw. He said to her, Go,
call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said, I do not
have a husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I do not have a
husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not
your husband; this you have said truly.” In verses 17 and 18 the Lord was
confessing her sins for her. This is wonderful. When we enter into the light
of the Lord’s presence and take Him as our trespass offering, He will
confess our sins for us. He will [219] point out our sins and shortcomings;
perhaps it was a word that we should not have said or a mistake that we
made. Then we need to receive the forgiveness of our sins as we confess.
We need to confess our sins to the Lord.
A good prayer for us to pray is Psalm 139:23-24, which says, “Search
me, O God, and know my heart; / Try me, and know my anxious thoughts;
/ And see if there is some harmful way in me, / And lead me on the eternal
way.” We should pray these verses every morning for a period of time.
This will give the Lord a way to search us. The word harmful in verse 24
can also be translated “idolatrous,” and the phrase see if there is some
harmful way in me can also be translated “see if there is any way of pain in
me.” In other words, any way that we take other than the way of God’s
economy is a way of pain. The eternal way is the way that leads to life, the
way of life.

Taking Christ as Our Trespass Offering

with the Confession of Our Sins
Being the Way
to Keep Ourselves in the Fellowship of Life
for Our Growth in Life
unto the Maturity in Life
Taking Christ as our trespass offering with the confession of our sins is
the way to keep ourselves in the fellowship of life for our growth in life
unto the maturity in life (1 John 1:2-3, 5-9; Acts 24:16). In 1 John 1:2
through 3 and 5 through 9 there is a cycle of life, fellowship, light, and the
blood. Footnote 3 on verse 7 says,
In this section of the Word there is a cycle in our spiritual life, a
cycle formed of four crucial things—the eternal life, the
fellowship of the eternal life, the divine light, and the blood of
Jesus the Son of God. Eternal life issues in its fellowship, the
fellowship of eternal life brings in the divine light, and the divine
light increases the need for the blood of Jesus the Son of God that
we may have more eternal life. The more we have of eternal life,
the more of its fellowship it brings to us. The more fellowship of
the divine life we enjoy, the more divine light we receive. The
 more divine light we receive, the more we participate in the
cleansing of the blood of Jesus. Such a cycle brings us onward in
the growth of the divine life until we reach the maturity of life.
[220]
This cycle continues until we mature in the divine life and become mature
sons of God conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God (Rom.
8:29).

Taking Christ as Our Trespass Offering

to Receive the Forgiveness of Sins
Issuing In Our Fearing God and Loving God
Taking Christ as our trespass offering to receive the forgiveness of sins
issues in our fearing God and loving God (Psa. 130:4; Luke 7:47-50).
Receiving the forgiveness of sins does not make us audacious. To be
audacious means that we become bold to say, “Since I will be forgiven of
my sins, I will sin again.” Taking God as our trespass offering to receive
forgiveness of sins does not have this issue. When we genuinely receive
the forgiveness of sins, the first issue is that we fear God. Psalm 130:3-4
says, “If You, O Jehovah, marked iniquities, / Who, O Lord, would stand? /
But with You there is forgiveness, / That You would be feared.” What does
it mean for the Lord to be feared? It does not mean that we are afraid of
Him. It means that we honor Him, that we are in awe of Him, and that we
revere, respect, and regard Him. It also means that we give Him the first
place in all things. We fear the Lord by honoring Him, standing in awe of
Him, revering Him, respecting Him, regarding Him, and giving Him the
first place in all things.
Taking Christ as our trespass offering to receive the forgiveness of sins
also issues in our loving God. The more we take Christ as our trespass
offering for the forgiveness of our sins, the more we love God. Luke
7:36-50 shows the case of a Pharisee named Simon who invited the Lord to
his home for dinner (vv. 36, 40) and of a sinful woman who wept and
washed the Lord’s feet with her tears. When the Pharisee saw that the Lord
allowed such a woman to touch Him, he criticized the Lord in his heart.
The omniscient Lord, realizing this, answered Simon with a parable of two
debtors and then said to Simon, “I say to you, Her sins which are many are
forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves
little” (v. 47). Then the Lord said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven”
(v. 48). When those who were reclining at table heard this, they began to
say within themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (v. 49). Then
He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (v. 50).
The literal translation of go in peace is “go into peace.” This account
shows us that he who is forgiven much will love much. If we see how
much we have been forgiven, [221] we will love the Lord to the uttermost.
This is why we need to see more and more of Christ as our sin offering and
trespass offering. If we see this more and more, we will love Him more and
more.

Ministering Christ
as the Sin-dealing Life to the Saints
Killing the Germs,
Destroying the Problems,
and Maintaining the Oneness of the Spirit
Ministering Christ as the sin-dealing life to the saints kills the germs,
destroys the problems, and maintains the oneness of the Spirit (John
8:1-11; 1 John 5:16; Rom. 2:4b; Lev. 10:17; Gal. 6:1). This is quite a
precious point. When we minister Christ as life to the saints, that life is a
sin-dealing life. This life causes the person to whom we minister Christ as
life to deal with his sins. This matches my experience. Sometimes when I
worked with Brother Lee, I would go into his study, and as soon as I was in
his presence, I would inwardly start confessing my sins. This was because
he was so full of light and life. He did not say, “Ed, you are a sinner. You
are not absolute.” He did not say anything, but in my being I said, “Lord
Jesus, forgive me. I take You as my absoluteness.” Brother Lee ministered
Christ to me as the sin-dealing life. We need to minister such a Christ to
people.
In A Timely Word, under the subtitle “Ministering Christ as the
Sin-dealing Life,” Brother Lee says,
If you know that someone has committed some sins, you have to
pray for him and learn to minister Christ as the sin-dealing life to
him that he may deal with his sins. The life of Christ is a life that
deals with sin, a sin-dealing life. First, you yourself must be dealt
with by enjoying Christ’s sin-dealing life. Then you must
minister such a Christ as the sin-dealing life to others. The book
of Leviticus tells us that the priests were to eat the sin offering in
the holy place that they might “bear the iniquity of the assembly,
to make expiation for them before Jehovah” (10:17). As you are
enjoying Christ as the sin-dealing life, you must have the capacity
 to bear the iniquity of God’s people. You must learn to minister
Christ to the dear ones who are in sin.
To minister Christ as the sin-dealing life to someone is not to
go to him to point out his fault and condemn him. [222] This will
only cause damage. You have to go first to soften his hardened
heart. A person who sins usually has his heart hardened (Heb.
3:13). If you are going to minister Christ to him, you have to trust
in the Lord that you may have the grace with the Spirit to soften
his hardened heart. You have to soften his heart and warm up his
heart. Then the very Christ as life will be actually, really, and
richly ministered to him, and this life, which is the Spirit, will
work within him. You do not need to mention his fault, because
the life that gets into him as the life supply will do a lot. If a
person has a certain physical sickness, you do not need to
mention his disease. If you minister the proper medication to this
sick man, he will get well. I have experienced this in caring for
the saints. I did not talk with the saint about his weakness, fault,
or sin, but he was healed. He did not get healed by my word but
by the very Spirit, the life of Christ, ministered into him through
me. This is what it means, according to Leviticus, to bear the
iniquity of the people of God. This is the way to get rid of the sins
among some saints.
The work to recover the sinful saints takes time. It cannot be
quick. You have to be patient. Even if it took eight months or a
year to get one or two sinful saints recovered, that would be a
great thing. (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1988, vol. 3,
pp. 54-55)
This wonderful passage shows what it means to minister Christ as the
sin-dealing life.
First John 5:16 says, “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not unto
death, he shall ask and he will give life to him.” When we see someone
who is down, out of it, and on the periphery of the church life, we should
not see, criticize, and spread death. Rather, we should see, ask, and give
life. We can at least simply mention that brother or sister’s name before the
Lord. Paul frequently says that he made mention of the saints in his prayers
(Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:16; 1 Thes. 1:2; Philem. 4). We do not always have to
pray long prayers. We can simply make mention of the saints. If we make
mention of their names, the Lord will come in. If you pray in this way,
rather than being a criticizer, you will become an asker, and when you go
to that saint, you will become a channel of life to give life to him. This
matches our experience. Sometimes when someone calls us on the phone,
we get life. Before the call, we are not in [223] life, but then a saint calls us,
and we get life. We get life because that saint asked the Lord to give us
life.

IN TAKING CHRIST AS OUR TRESPASS OFFERING,

OUR NEEDING TO MAKE A THOROUGH CONFESSION
OF ALL OUR SHORTCOMINGS, WEAKNESSES,
WRONGDOINGS, AND SINFULNESS
IN ORDER TO HAVE A CONSCIENCE WITHOUT OFFENSE
TOWARD GOD AND MEN

In taking Christ as our trespass offering, we need to make a thorough

confession of all our shortcomings, weaknesses, wrongdoings, and
sinfulness in order to have a conscience without offense toward God and
men (Acts 24:16; Psa. 51:2). Many of us experienced this when we first
were saved. We may have made a thorough confession at one time of all
our shortcomings, weaknesses, wrongdoings, and sinfulness in order to
have a conscience without offense toward God and men. This is good, but
we need to experience Christ as our trespass offering every day. We cannot
say, “I experienced Christ as my trespass offering when I got saved or
when I turned and came back into the church life.” I still remember the first
time that I experienced Christ as my trespass offering. It might have been
the first week after I had received the Lord through reading a gospel tract. I
had not read all the Old Testament, but I was reading the New Testament.
While I was reading the Bible, I was suddenly very convicted. I do not
remember what passage of the Bible I was reading, but I remember seeing
that the Lord had died for me on the cross and that I was a sinner. I began
to weep and confess my sins, and the more I confessed, the more I had to
confess. My roommate at the time was an unbeliever. I was an unbeliever
when I started rooming with him, but I had become a believer. I did not
want him to hear me, so I went into the bathroom and turned on the faucets
so that the noise of the running water would cover up the sound of my
confessing. Eventually, I realized that I had to turn the faucets off, or else
the running water would lead to a high water bill. I turned the faucets off,
ran outside, continued to confess my sins, and consecrated my whole life to
the Lord. My confession and consecration were part of the same package.
This is what happens when we enjoy Christ as our trespass offering. We
confess our sins, wrongdoings, and weaknesses in order to have a
conscience without offense toward God and man. The result of this is that
we love the Lord to the uttermost, and we want to give our whole being to
Him. [224]

Since God Knows the Record of Our Sinful Doings,

It Being Best for Us to Ask Him
to Rid Us of That Record by Confessing
Since God knows the record of our sinful doings, it is best for us to ask
Him to rid us of that record by confessing (1 John 1:7, 9). It is wonderful
that we can get rid of the record of our sinful doings by confessing. First
John 1:7 says that “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.”
Every sin includes the sins that you may feel cannot be forgiven. There is
no such thing as a sin that cannot be forgiven. Every sin means every sin.
Two verses later John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
(v. 9). If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful in His word and righteous
according to His shed blood to forgive all our sins and cleanse us from all
our unrighteousness. To confess our sins means that we agree with Him
that we have sinned. We say, “Yes, Lord, that was a sin, that was a
wrongdoing, and that was a defect.”

After Such a Thorough and Fine Confession,

Our Being Filled with the Spirit
Essentially and Economically
to Make Us Buoyant and Bold in Our God
to Speak the Gospel of God
After such a thorough and fine confession, we will be filled with the
Spirit essentially and economically to make us buoyant and bold in our
God to speak the gospel of God (cf. Num. 21:16-18; 1 Thes. 2:2, 4). The
more we confess, the more we are filled with the Spirit. Chapter 2 of The
Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Move is entitled “Go! by Rising Up!
and Being Filled with the Consummated Spirit Essentially and
Economically” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, vol. 5, p. 431).
The way we do this is by making a thorough and fine confession of our
sins to the Lord in the light of His wonderful presence. When we confess
our sins and are cleansed, we become buoyant. No one has to tell us to
speak the gospel, because we want to speak the gospel. The first time that I
preached the gospel, no one told me to do so. After I had confessed my
sins, I went to work and went up to one of my colleagues and said, “I met
the Lord Jesus.” He said, “You met who?” I answered, “I met the Lord
Jesus. He is real and living, and now He lives inside of me.” He said, “Ed,
something is wrong with you. What has happened to you?” [225]
Eventually, he was saved; he was the first person whom I led to the Lord. I
did not really know what I was doing, but he still got saved.

THE TRESPASS OFFERING

EVENTUALLY BECOMING THE SIN OFFERING,
SIGNIFYING THAT CHRIST’S REDEMPTION FOR OUR SIN
RESOLVES THE PROBLEM OF SIN IN ITS TWO ASPECTS:
SIN IN OUR INWARD NATURE
AND SINS IN OUR OUTWARD CONDUCT

The trespass offering eventually becomes the sin offering, signifying that
Christ’s redemption for our sin resolves the problem of sin in its two
aspects: sin in our inward nature and sins in our outward conduct (Lev.
5:6-8, 11-12; John 1:29).

TWO TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS,

ONE FOR A SIN OFFERING
AND THE OTHER FOR A BURNT OFFERING,
FORMING A TRESPASS OFFERING,
SIGNIFYING THAT THE SOURCE OF EVERY TRESPASS
IS THE SIN THAT IS IN OUR FLESH,
AND THE REASON FOR EVERY TRESPASS
IS OUR NOT LIVING ABSOLUTELY FOR GOD

Two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the
other for a burnt offering, form a trespass offering, signifying that the
source of every trespass is the sin that is in our flesh, and the reason for
every trespass is our not living absolutely for God (Lev. 5:7).

LEVITICUS 5 SPEAKING OF FOUR PARTICULAR ITEMS

THAT NEED THE TRESPASS OFFERING
SO THAT GOD’S PEOPLE CAN LIVE
A HOLY, CLEAN, AND REJOICING LIFE
FOR THEM TO BE INCORPORATED
 WITH THE TRIUNE GOD FOR HIS GLORY

To Fail to Testify to the Truth concerning What We Know

Being to Be Dishonest and Unfaithful, unlike Our God,
Who Is Faithful and Honest;
This Actually Dealing with Lying,
Which Involves Satan, the Father of Lies
Leviticus 5 speaks of four particular items that need the trespass offering
so that God’s people can live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life for them to be
incorporated with the Triune God for His glory (vv. 1-4). [226] To fail to
testify to the truth concerning what we know is to be dishonest and
unfaithful, unlike our God, who is faithful and honest; this actually deals
with lying, which involves Satan, the father of lies (v. 1; John 8:44). We
sometimes lie unintentionally. Recently, I said something to my wife, and
then I had to ask the Lord to forgive me. I realized after she left that I had
not told her the truth. It is easy to not tell your wife the truth sometimes. It
happens unconsciously. Little children also are like this. They do not have
to go to school and take a class to learn how to lie. They lie automatically.
Lying is something that happens spontaneously. It is the result of the law
of sin and death. We need to confess this sin.

To Touch the Uncleanness of Spiritual Death

Being the Most Serious Thing in the Eyes of God

If We Are to Live a Holy Life Separated from Death,

Our Needing to Exercise Care
concerning Our Contact with People
To touch the uncleanness of spiritual death is the most serious thing in
the eyes of God (Lev. 5:2). If we are to live a holy life separated from
death, we need to exercise care concerning our contact with people ( ch. 11;
Acts 10:9b-15, 27-29). Acts 10:9-15 says,
On the next day as they were journeying and drawing near to the
city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray around the sixth hour.
And he became very hungry and wanted to eat. And while they
were preparing, a trance came upon him; and he beheld heaven
opened, and a certain vessel like a great sheet descending, being
 let down by four corners onto the earth, in which were all the
four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of heaven.
And a voice came to him: Rise up, Peter; slay and eat! But Peter
said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything
common and unclean. And a voice came to him again a second
time: The things that God has cleansed, do not make common.
Right after this happened, there was a knock on the door. Some men from
the house of Cornelius had come to where Peter was staying. They wanted
Peter to come to them to share the gospel with them (cf. v. 22). They
wanted Peter to tell them about Christ. Peter went with them and found
many who had come together. He said to them, “You understand [227] that
it is unlawful for a man who is a Jew to join himself to or come near one of
another race; yet God has shown me that I should not call any man
common or unclean” (v. 28). God showed him this while he was on the
housetop. All the animals that Peter saw in the sheet represent men who
have been cleansed with the blood. This indicates that we need to have
discernment in our diet. Message 36 of the Life-study of Leviticus develops
this thought further. It is entitled “Discernment in Diet.”

Animals That Divide the Hoof and Chew the Cud

Signifying Persons Who Have Discernment in Their Activities
and Who Receive the Word of God
with Much Reconsideration
Animals that divide the hoof and chew the cud signify persons who have
discernment in their activities and who receive the word of God with much
reconsideration (Lev. 11:2-3). We need to be the kind of animal that chews
the cud, and we need to be around such animals. Divides the hoof means
that we discern what is of God and what is of Satan, what is heavenly and
what is earthly, what is spiritual and what is fleshly, what is of the new
man and what is of the old man, and what is of the world and what is in the
divine and mystical realm. We need to have this kind of discernment. In
addition, we need to be those who receive the word of God. In addition to
pray-reading the Word of God, we must muse upon it and receive it with
much reconsideration. This is to “chew the cud.” The dictionary defines the
word cud as “food regurgitated from the first stomach to the mouth of a
ruminant and chewed again.” A ruminant is an animal like a cow, which
has more than one stomach. A cow has four stomachs. A cow uses these
stomachs to digest its food stage by stage. We need to be like this. We need
to chew, digest, and assimilate the word of God. Then during the day we
need to “regurgitate” the word of God and again chew the word that we
enjoyed in the morning until we get all the Spirit out of that word. This is
the kind of animal that we should be.

Aquatic Animals That Have Fins and Scales Signifying Persons

Who Can Move and Act Freely in the World,
Simultaneously Resisting Its Influence
Aquatic animals that have fins and scales signify persons who can move
and act freely in the world, simultaneously resisting its influence [228] (v.
9). Fins allow us to move and act freely in the sea of this world, and scales
protect us from the salt, the influence, of the world.

Birds That Have Wings for Flying

and That Eat Seeds of Life as Their Food Supply
Signifying Persons Who Can Live and Move
in a Life That Is Away from and above the World
and Who Take the Things of Life as Their Supply of Life
Birds that have wings for flying and that eat seeds of life as their food
supply signify persons who can live and move in a life that is away from
and above the world and who take the things of life as their supply of life
(cf. vv. 13-19). It is wonderful to be a person like this and to be around
people like this. We need to pray, “Lord, make me a person like this.”

Insects That Have Wings and Jointed Legs above Their Feet
for Leaping on the Ground
Signifying Persons Who Can Live and Move
in a Life That Is above the World
and Who Can Keep Themselves from the World
Insects that have wings and jointed legs above their feet for leaping on
the ground signify persons who can live and move in a life that is above the
world and who can keep themselves from the world (vv. 21-22). This is the
kind of person that we need to be and the kind of persons that we need to
stay in contact with. Then we will become what we eat. We will become
persons like this.
 The Carcasses of the Animals in Leviticus 5:2
Referring to Three Different Kinds of Spiritual Death
That May Spread among God’s People in the Church Life:
Beasts Signifying Wild Death,
Cattle Signifying Mild Death,
and Creeping Things Signifying Subtle Death
The carcasses of the animals in Leviticus 5:2 refer to three different
kinds of spiritual death that may spread among God’s people in the church
life: beasts signify wild death, cattle signify mild death, and creeping
things signify subtle death (Rom. 14:15, 20; 16:17). The beasts signify
wild death. We experienced wild death during the turmoil in 1977. Cattle
signify mild death, and creeping things signify subtle death. In [229] the
turmoil in 1988 we experienced mild death and subtle death. Those who
have been in the church life for many years may have experienced the
different kinds of death typified by these carcasses. We should not touch
any carcass; that is, we should not contact anyone who spreads death.
Rather, we should stay with the clean animals; that is, we should stay in
contact with the right persons.

Regardless of Its Kind, Death Being Unclean, Filthy, and Defiling;

Death Being the Most Hateful Thing in the Eyes of God
Regardless of its kind, death is unclean, filthy, and defiling; death is the
most hateful thing in the eyes of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26). First Corinthians
15:26 says, “Death, the last enemy, is being abolished.” Death is God’s last
enemy.

According to the Typology in the Old Testament,

Death Being More Defiling Than Sin
According to the typology in the Old Testament, death is more defiling
than sin (see footnote 2 on Lev. 11:31). Leviticus 11:31 says, “These are
unclean to you among all the swarming things; whoever touches them
when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.” Footnote 2 says,
According to the Bible, death is more defiling and abominable
than sin. Through the trespass offering any sin could be forgiven
immediately (ch. 5), but a person who touched the carcass of any
 animal was unclean until the evening (vv. 24-25, 27b-28a,
31b-32, 39-40). Our sins are forgiven by the Lord immediately
after we confess them to Him (1 John 1:9), but a certain period of
time must pass before we can be cleansed from the defilement of
spiritual death. A person who touched the carcass of a man was
unclean for seven days (Num. 19:11, 13), indicating that in the
eyes of God, fallen human beings are the most defiling element
(cf. Matt. 15:17-20).
We need to stay away from spiritual death.

Our Needing to Be Nazarites Who Are

Separated from Death and Filled with Life, “Anti-death”
We need to be Nazarites who are separated from death and filled with
life, “anti-death” (Num. 6:6-8; Rom. 8:6). Life is anti-death. To be [230] a
Nazarite, we must be separated from four things—natural affection, earthly
pleasure, rebellion, and death. We need to pray, “Lord, I do not want to
live in my natural affection. I want to live by the spirit and walk by the
spirit. Lord, I do not want to be a person who is enjoying the pleasures of
this earth. I want You to be my pleasure. I want You to be my
entertainment. I want You to be my joy and my enjoyment.” To be
separated from rebellion, we can pray, “Lord, head me up today. Head up
this day. Head up my spirit. Head up my soul. Head up my body. Head up
all my circumstances. I would like to fully live under Your headship.” To
be separated from death, we need to be filled with life, which is anti-death.
We need to be filled with anti-death by being filled with the sevenfold
intensified life-giving Spirit. We can also pray, “Lord, save me from
touching death, save me from spreading death, and save me from being
affected by death in any way.”

The Uncleanness of Man Signifying That Everything

That Is Discharged from the Natural Man
and the Natural Life, Whether Good or Bad, Is Unclean
The uncleanness of man signifies that everything that is discharged from
the natural man and the natural life, whether good or bad, is unclean (Lev.
5:3; cf. Matt. 15:17-20; 16:21-25).

To Speak Rashly before God,

 Expressing Our Opinion
in a Hasty, Careless, and Reckless Way,
Indicating That We Do Not Live for God
and Do Not Fear God
To speak rashly before God, expressing our opinion in a hasty, careless,
and reckless way, indicates that we do not live for God and do not fear God
(Lev. 5:4; cf. Matt. 17:24-27; John 7:3-8).

IN LEVITICUS 5:11
FINE FLOUR, SIGNIFYING THE HUMANITY OF JESUS,
BEING USED FOR A SIN OFFERING,
SIGNIFYING THAT WE COMMIT SINS
BECAUSE WE ARE SHORT
OF THE HUMANITY OF JESUS
In Leviticus 5:11 fine flour, signifying the humanity of Jesus, is used for
a sin offering, signifying that we commit sins because we are short of the
humanity of Jesus. This is why we commit sins. [231]

This Indicating That We Commit Sins

Not Only Because We Have Sin in Our Nature
and Not Only Because We Are Not Absolute for God
but Also Because We Do Not Have the Humanity of Jesus;
in His Humanity Jesus Having No Sin in Him
and Being Absolute for God
This indicates that we commit sins not only because we have sin in our
nature and not only because we are not absolute for God but also because
we do not have the humanity of Jesus; in His humanity Jesus has no sin in
Him and is absolute for God.

The Tenth Part of an Ephah of Fine Flour

Offered for a Sin Offering
Signifying That Only a Small Portion
of the Humanity of Jesus Is Needed to Kill
the Negative Things within Us and to Supply Our Need
 The tenth part of an ephah of fine flour offered for a sin offering
signifies that only a small portion of the humanity of Jesus is needed to kill
the negative things within us and to supply our need.

MAKING RESTITUTION AND ADDING TO IT ONE-FIFTH MORE

SIGNIFYING THAT THE ONE WHO OFFERS THE TRESPASS
OFFERING
SHOULD BE RIGHTEOUS IN MATERIAL THINGS
ACCORDING TO THE DIVINE SCALE, STANDARD,
AND MEASUREMENT

Making restitution and adding to it one-fifth more signifies that the one
who offers the trespass offering should be righteous in material things
according to the divine scale, standard, and measurement (vv. 15-16; cf.
Luke 19:8).

“DAVID BEGOT SOLOMON

OF HER WHO HAD BEEN THE WIFE OF URIAH”

Psalm 51 Being Composed after David’s Great Sin

in Murdering Uriah and Robbing Him of His Wife
and Then Being Rebuked by Nathan

“Against You and You Alone Have I Sinned,

and I Have Done What Is Evil in Your Sight”
Matthew 1:6 says, “David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife
of Uriah.” Psalm 51 was composed after David’s great sin in [232]
murdering Uriah and robbing him of his wife and then being rebuked by
Nathan. Psalm 51:4 says, “Against You and You alone have I sinned, / And
I have done what is evil in Your sight.”

“Hide Your Face from My Sins,

and Blot Out All My Iniquities”
Psalm 51:9 says, “Hide Your face from my sins, / And blot out all my
iniquities.” It would be very good to read and pray Psalm 51.
 “The Sacrifices of God Are a Broken Spirit;
a Broken and a Contrite Heart, O God,
You Will Not Despise”
Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; / A broken
and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

“Do Good in Your Good Pleasure unto Zion;

Build the Walls of Jerusalem”
Psalm 51:18 says, “Do good in Your good pleasure unto Zion; / Build
the walls of Jerusalem.” This is the way that this psalm ends. After David
had taken the trespass offering and had been forgiven of his sins, he says,
“Do good in Your good pleasure unto Zion.” Zion signifies the overcomers.
The walls of Jerusalem refers to the church as the kingdom of God. We
need to build the walls of Jerusalem. This shows that we are brought into
God’s eternal purpose by taking Christ as our trespass offering.

The Issue of the “Marriage” of David’s Transgression

and Repentance with God’s Forgiveness
Being Solomon (“Peaceful”),
the One Who Built the Temple of God
The issue of the “marriage” of David’s transgression and repentance
with God’s forgiveness was Solomon (“peaceful”), the one who built the
temple of God (2 Sam. 7:12-14a; 2 Chron. 3:1). David transgressed and
then repented. That transgression and repentance was “married” to God’s
forgiveness, producing a person named Solomon. According to 2 Samuel
12:24-25, David named his son Solomon, which means “peaceful,” but
God called his name Jedidiah, which means “beloved of Jehovah.” When
we repent of our transgression and take Christ as our trespass offering, we
receive God’s forgiveness, and we become persons [233] who are full of
Christ as peace and as love and who are building members of the Body of
Christ.

The Church Being Always Built Up

by This Kind of Person—a Solomon—
One Who Is the Issue of Man’s Transgression
 and Repentance Plus God’s Forgiveness
The church is always built up by this kind of person—a Solomon—one
who is the issue of man’s transgression and repentance plus God’s
forgiveness.

When We Experience the Marriage of Our Transgression

and Repentance with God’s Forgiveness,
Our Becoming Very Useful in the Building Up of the Church
When we experience the marriage of our transgression and repentance
with God’s forgiveness, we become very useful in the building up of the
church.

FIVE KINDS OF FORGIVENESS

As a concluding word to this message, we will consider five kinds of

forgiveness. We may have thought that forgiveness is just forgiveness, but
there are five kinds of forgiveness.

THERE BEING ETERNAL FORGIVENESS—

THIS RELATING TO LIFE

The Forgiveness That Comes with Our Salvation

Being Eternal Forgiveness
There is eternal forgiveness—this relates to life. The forgiveness that
comes with our salvation is eternal forgiveness.

Once We Are Forgiven, Our Being Forgiven Forever;

Our Receiving Eternal Life Forever,
and Our Being Justified Forever
Once we are forgiven, we are forgiven forever; we receive eternal life
forever, and we are justified forever (Luke 24:47; Rom. 4:7-8; Psa.
103:12). In Luke 24:47 the Lord reminded the disciples of His word “that
repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all
the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Psalm 103:1-2 says, “Bless
Jehovah, O my soul; / And all that is within me, bless His holy [234] name. /
Bless Jehovah, O my soul; / And do not forget all His benefits.” This psalm
shows God’s “benefits package,” which is revealed in the following verses
of the psalm. For example, verses 3 and 4 say, “He pardons all your
iniquities; / He heals all your diseases; / He redeems your life from the pit;
/ He crowns you with lovingkindness and compassions.” Then verse 12
says, “As far as the east is from the west, / So far has He removed our
transgressions from us.” How far is the east from the west? This is how far
God has removed our sins from us.

The Moment We Believe into the Lord Jesus,

Our Being Forgiven of All Our Sins;
the Lord Removing All Our Sins, and
Our Being Left with No Trace of Sin before God
The moment we believe into the Lord Jesus, we are forgiven of all our
sins; the Lord removes all our sins, and we are left with no trace of sin
before God (Heb. 8:12; Acts 10:43). Hebrews 8:12 says, “I will be
propitious to their unrighteousnesses, and their sins I shall by no means
remember anymore.” This verse indicates that God has “amnesia” when He
forgives us of our sins. He not only forgives us of our sins; He does not
remember them anymore. When we confess our sins, we should not remind
Him of the sins that we have previously confessed, because He has already
forgiven and forgotten them. He forgives and He forgets. Unlike Him, we
may claim to have forgiven someone, but we may not forget. For example,
after that person commits the same offense the third time, we may say,
“This is the third time you have done that.” Saying this indicates that we
did not really forgive him the first two times according to the way that God
forgives.

THERE BEING INSTRUMENTAL FORGIVENESS—

THIS RELATING TO THE CHURCH

In Sending the Holy Spirit to His Church,

the Lord Charging the Church
to Be His Representative on the Earth;
Forgiveness Being Now Granted through the Church
There is instrumental forgiveness—this relates to the church. In sending
the Holy Spirit to His church, the Lord charged the church to be His
representative on the earth; forgiveness is now granted through the church
(John 20:22-23). John 20:22-23 says, “When He had said this, He breathed
into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose [235] sins you
forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you retain, they are
retained.”

Instrumental Forgiveness
Being God’s Proclamation of Forgiveness through Man;
If a Person Is Newly Saved
but Does Not Know the Meaning of Forgiveness,
Its Being Good for a Representative of the Church to Stand Up
and Say to Him, “You Have Accepted the Lord Today;
You Can Thank Him
Because He Has Forgiven You of Your Sins!”
Instrumental forgiveness is God’s proclamation of forgiveness through
man; if a person is newly saved but does not know the meaning of
forgiveness, it is good for a representative of the church to stand up and say
to him, “You have accepted the Lord today; you can thank Him because He
has forgiven you of your sins!”

THERE BEING RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS—

THIS RELATING TO FELLOWSHIP

When We Sin in Our Daily Life,

Our Conscience Condemning Us, and
Our Fellowship with God Being Interrupted
There is restorative forgiveness—this relates to fellowship. When we sin
in our daily life, our conscience condemns us, and our fellowship with God
is interrupted (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim. 1:5; 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). Paul could have
said many things in giving his testimony before the Roman ruler, but he
said, “I also exercise myself to always have a conscience without offense
toward God and men” (Acts 24:16). Our conscience is a part of our spirit.
This means that a way to exercise our spirit is to take Christ as our trespass
offering to have a conscience without offense.
First Timothy 1:5 says, “The end of the charge is love out of a pure heart
and out of a good conscience and out of unfeigned faith.” The charge in
this verse refers to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to charge certain ones not
to teach things that are different from God’s economy, which is in faith
(vv. 3-4). When we are under the teaching of God’s economy, the end, the
result, and the issue of the charge is love. We surely love the Lord more
right now than we did before reading these messages. This is because the
end of the charge to be in the teaching of [236] God’s economy is love out
of a pure heart and out of a good conscience and out of unfeigned faith. We
love the Lord out of a good conscience.
Second Timothy 1:3 says, “I thank God, whom I serve from my
forefathers in a pure conscience, while unceasingly I have remembrance
concerning you in my petitions night and day.” A pure conscience is a
conscience purified from any mixture; it is a conscience that is governed by
Christ and by the goal of Christ, which is the built-up church
consummating in the New Jerusalem.
First Timothy 3:9 says that the deacons in the church should hold “the
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” The mystery of the faith is
Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ. We
need to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Our Father-son Relationship with God in Life

Never Being Changed,
but Sin Being Able to Damage Our Fellowship with God;
Our Having to Confess Our Sins and Offenses to God
before We Can Secure Our Forgiveness in Fellowship
Our Father-son relationship with God in life can never be changed, but
sin can damage our fellowship with God; we have to confess our sins and
offenses to God before we can secure our forgiveness in fellowship (1 John
1:7, 9; 2:1-2). Even in the physical realm, if a son does something wrong,
he will try to hide. For example, a child may hide somewhere and eat
something that he should not eat. He hides because his conscience bothers
him. Our Father-son relationship with God in life can never be changed,
but sin can damage our fellowship with God. We have to confess our sins
and offenses to God before we can secure our forgiveness in fellowship.
First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” First John
2:1-2 says, “My little children, these things I write to you that you may not
sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the Righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for
ours only but also for those of the whole world.” We have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. The Greek word for advocate
in verse 1 refers to “one who is called to another’s side to aid him.” Christ
comes to aid us when we take Him as our trespass offering. Advocate also
means “one who is a helper, counsel, intercessor, and comforter.” All these
things are synonymous with advocate. Christ being our Advocate [237]
means that He is our Helper, our Counsel, our Intercessor, and our
Comforter.

If We Have Offended Our Brothers,

Our Having to Confess to Them as Well
If we have offended our brothers, we must confess to them as well
(Matt. 5:23-24). If we offend a brother, we need to confess to him,
especially before the Lord’s table meeting. We should not partake of the
Lord’s table if we have offended someone. Suppose that we have lost our
temper at someone; we should not take the Lord’s table. That could have
very serious consequences. I have seen serious things happen when
someone lost their temper, did not clear that matter up, yet took the Lord’s
table. We must make sure that we take the Lord’s table with a clear and
pure conscience. It is always precious at a Lord’s table meeting to see a
brother going across the room to ask another brother for forgiveness. The
first brother would not take the elements before he asked for the other
brother’s forgiveness. That is very precious to me. That is how our
conscience should operate.

Our Having to Maintain Ourselves

in Constant Fellowship with God;
When We Come to God, Our Having to Acknowledge
Our Sinful Acts Honestly and Ask Him for Forgiveness;
If We Do This, Our Fellowship with God Being Restored,
and Our Heart Being Filled with the Joy of Salvation
We have to maintain ourselves in constant fellowship with God; when
we come to God, we have to acknowledge our sinful acts honestly and ask
Him for forgiveness; if we do this, our fellowship with God will be
restored, and our heart will be filled with the joy of salvation (Psa. 51:12;
Prov. 15:13a; 17:22a; 15:15b). After David confesses his sins in Psalm 51,
he says, “Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation, / And sustain me
with a willing spirit” (v. 12). We need a willing spirit for the things of
Christ and for the things of the church. When we take Christ as the trespass
offering, we need to ask Him to restore to us the gladness of His salvation.
Three verses in Proverbs speak about a joyful heart. Proverbs 15:13a
says, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance.” If we have a cheerful
countenance, this means that we have a joyful heart. If we have a sorrowful
countenance, this means that our heart is not joyful. Recently, [238] a
brother recounted how Brother Lee had come to one of their meetings and
said, “Brothers, your long faces scare me.” We should not have a long,
uncheerful, sad face. We should have a joyful heart. Proverbs 17:22a says,
“A joyful heart is good medicine.” We do not need to pretend to have a
joyful heart. We have the law of rejoicing in our spirit.

The Secret of the Christian Life

Being to Maintain Ourselves
in Constant Fellowship with God;
If We Fail, Our Having to Ask God for Forgiveness,
and Our Having to Recover the Sweet Fellowship
That We Had with God
The secret of the Christian life is maintaining ourselves in constant
fellowship with God; if we fail, we must ask God for forgiveness, and we
must recover the sweet fellowship that we had with God (1 John 1:9).
Nothing is greater than having sweet fellowship with God.

THERE BEING GOVERNMENTAL FORGIVENESS—

THIS RELATING TO DISCIPLINE

This Kind of Forgiveness Involving God’s Arrangement,

Sovereignty, Discipline, and Hand;
God’s Government Being His Way of Doing Things;
Its Being His Administration
There is governmental forgiveness—this relates to discipline. This kind
of forgiveness involves God’s arrangement, sovereignty, discipline, and
hand; God’s government is His way of doing things; it is His
administration.
 God’s Governmental Forgiveness
Being Related to the Way That God
Manages, Rules over, and Deals with Us
God’s governmental forgiveness is related to the way that God manages,
rules over, and deals with us (Gal. 6:7). Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be
deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also
reap. For he who sows unto his own flesh will reap corruption of the flesh,
but he who sows unto the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.” If we
sow unto the Spirit, we will reap eternal life. If we sow unto the flesh, we
will reap corruption. We need to be those who sow unto the Spirit. [239]

When We Sin against God, His Forgiving Us

When We Confess Our Sins to Him;
Our Fellowship with Him Being Able to Be Restored,
but His Possibly Changing His Way with Us
When we sin against God, He will forgive us when we confess our sins
to Him; our fellowship with Him can be restored, but He may change His
way with us. Let me just share with you an illustration that Brother Lee
used to explain this principle. Suppose our housekeeper breaks all the
windows in our house. If she then asks us for forgiveness, we would
forgive her. However, we would no longer employ her as our housekeeper.
We would have to change our way with her. We have seen situations
where brothers have been in the work or in the eldership, and because they
conducted themselves in a certain negative way, God changed His way
with them. It is very serious to be under God’s governmental hand. We do
not want to fall under God’s governmental hand. We need to pray, “Lord,
do not let me fall under Your governmental discipline. I want to remain in
the sweet fellowship with You all the time.”
In Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision, Brother
Lee points out that the taste for the ministry is the controlling factor in the
Lord’s recovery. He says, “This taste is the controlling factor in the Lord’s
recovery. No one can overthrow this controlling factor. If you try to
overthrow it, you yourself will be overthrown” (The Collected Works of
Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 2, p. 346). We have seen brothers try to introduce
their own taste instead of the taste of the ministry, but our taste for the New
Testament ministry is what controls us.
 We need to pray that the Lord would deal with our disposition,
transform us, and sanctify us dispositionally. We have seen situations
where problems in the church came from people with dominating attitudes,
who like to suppress the fellowship and to criticize others. Being critical
can be a part of one’s disposition. We may be a critical person. Others have
a disposition of not being easily bothered; such persons need to be
transformed just as much as those who are critical. However, to have a
disposition of constantly criticizing other people can be a destructive
factor. We should not criticize.
The elders need to be very careful when they are talking about the saints
or fellowshipping about the saints’ needs. They need to avoid having a
critical spirit and avoid criticizing a particular brother or [240] sister. While
a fellow elder and I were fellowshipping about a brother for whom we
were concerned, this elder asked a simple question: “How can we help this
brother?” Whenever we fellowship about the saints, we should have this
attitude. Our attitude should be one of seeking how to help that brother or
sister. We should not be critical, and we should not have a criticizing
disposition toward people. That damages the church life.

David Confessing His Sins and Admitting His Guilt

in Order to Be Forgiven by God,
but God Causing the Son Born to Uriah’s Wife to Die
and the Sword to Not Depart from David’s House
David confessed his sins and admitted his guilt in order to be forgiven
by God (2 Sam. 12:13; Psa. 51), but God would cause the son born to
Uriah’s wife to die and the sword to not depart from David’s house (2 Sam.
12:7-15). Even though David confessed his sin and was forgiven by God,
God changed His way with David. The sword did not depart from David’s
house, and the firstborn son of Uriah’s wife died. That was governmental
forgiveness related to David.

When We Are under God’s Governmental Discipline,

the Only Thing That We Can Do
Being to Learn to Humble Ourselves
under His Mighty Hand;
the More We Reject God’s Governmental Hand,
 the More Problems Our Encountering
When we are under God’s governmental discipline, the only thing that
we can do is to learn to humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Pet.
5:5-7); the more we reject God’s governmental hand, the more problems
we will encounter. It is very sad to me when I see people become harder
instead of softer under God’s governmental hand. The Lord wants to make
us soft toward Him. I know a brother who encountered some problems. He
was out of the church life for a while, and one day his situation woke him
up. He realized that he needed to come back to the Lord and back into the
church life. His being under God’s governmental discipline did not make
him harder; instead, it softened him toward the Lord. It made him turn to
the Lord, it made him repent, and it made him love the Lord more. He
humbled himself under God’s hand. That is how we should be. [241]

After Moses Struck the Rock in Meribah,

His Falling under God’s Governmental Hand
After Moses struck the rock in Meribah (Num. 20:10-12, 24; 27:14), he
fell under God’s governmental hand. In Numbers 20:8 God told Moses,
“Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and
speak to the rock before their eyes, so that it yields its water. Thus you
shall bring forth water for them out of the rock and give the assembly and
their livestock something to drink.” The people were complaining, and
“Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and
he said to them, Listen now, you rebels: Shall we bring forth water for you
out of this rock?” (v. 10). We should not say to the young people, “Listen
now, you rebels!” The real rebel here was Moses. He did not speak to the
rock as God had instructed him; instead, he struck the rock twice with his
rod. God was merciful, and abundant water came out for the people (v. 11).
Nevertheless, God would discipline Moses.
The point is that we must be very careful in how we speak about and
how we treat God’s children. The saints are God’s children. Their
complaining is not because they are against God but because they need
more of the Spirit. They are thirsty, and they need us to minister the Spirit
to them.

In Being Angry When God Was Not Angry,

Moses Not Representing God Rightly in His Holy Nature,
 and in Striking the Rock Twice,
His Not Keeping God’s Word in His Economy;
Thus, Moses Offending Both God’s Holy Nature
and His Divine Economy
In being angry when God was not angry, Moses did not represent God
rightly in His holy nature, and in striking the rock twice, he did not keep
God’s word in His economy; thus, Moses offended both God’s holy nature
and His divine economy.

Because of This, Even Though He Was Intimate with God

and May Be Considered a Companion of God,
Moses Losing the Right to Enter into the Good Land
Because of this, even though he was intimate with God and may be
considered a companion of God (Exo. 33:11), Moses lost the right to [242]
enter into the good land. God changed His way with Moses. We know that
Moses will be in the kingdom, because he was there on the Mount of
Transfiguration; however, he was not allowed to bring the children of
Israel into the good land (Num. 20:12).

In All That We Say and Do concerning God’s People,

Our Attitude Having to Be according to God’s Holy Nature,
and Our Actions Having to Be
according to His Divine Economy;
This Being to Sanctify Him
In all that we say and do concerning God’s people, our attitude must be
according to God’s holy nature, and our actions must be according to His
divine economy; this is to sanctify Him.

Having to Learn to Be Generous to Others

and Learn Always to Forgive;
If We Criticize Others Lightly, Condemn Others Easily,
Keep Complaining about the Conduct of Others, and
Continue to Count the Ill-treatment We Receive from Them,
This Bringing Us under God’s Governmental Hand;
If We Are Severe toward Others,
 God Also Being Severe toward Us
We must learn to be generous to others and learn always to forgive; if
we criticize others lightly, condemn others easily, keep complaining about
the conduct of others, and continue to count the ill-treatment we receive
from them, this will bring us under God’s governmental hand; if we are
severe toward others, God will also be severe toward us (Matt. 6:15;
18:23-35). We should not be severe toward others. In Matthew 6:15 the
Lord said, “If you do not forgive men their offenses, neither will your
Father forgive your offenses.”
In Matthew 18 the Lord Jesus told a long story about two slaves. One
slave owed his master a large sum of money, but the master forgave him.
But this slave went to his fellow slave who owed him a very small sum of
money and began to choke him, demanding to be repaid. The other slaves
were bothered by this and told their master. The master said, “Evil slave,
all that debt I forgave you, because you begged me. Should you not also
have had mercy on your fellow slave even as I had mercy on you?” (vv.
32-33). Verses 34 and 35 say, “His master became angry and delivered him
to the torturers until he would repay all that [243] was owed. So also will
My heavenly Father do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother
from your hearts.” We have to forgive one another from our hearts. If we
feel that we cannot do that, we need to be honest with the Lord and say,
“Lord, I take You as my forgiving life and as my forgiving person. Right
now by faith and by the Spirit I forgive my brother from my heart.” The
Lord will honor this.

Our Needing to Learn to Fear God, to Revere God,

to Respect God, to Honor God, to Be in Awe of God
We have to learn to fear God, to revere God, to respect God, to honor
God, to be in awe of God (Psa. 2:11-12; 86:11; 2 Cor. 5:10-11; Isa. 11:2).
Psalm 2:11-12 says, “Serve Jehovah with fear, / And rejoice with
trembling. / Kiss the Son / Lest He be angry and you perish from the way; /
For His anger may suddenly be kindled. / Blessed are all those who take
refuge in Him.” These verses indicate that we need to serve Jehovah with
reverence, respect, honor, and awe. This means that we love Him
intimately, and we are under His protection. He becomes our hiding place.
Isaiah 11:2 says, “The Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon Him, / The Spirit of
wisdom and understanding, / The Spirit of counsel and might, / The Spirit
of the knowledge and fear of Jehovah.” This refers to the human living of
Jesus. The Lord Jesus was filled with the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of the knowledge
and the fear of Jehovah. One time when Brother Lee was talking about the
humanity of Jesus, he said, “No human being has ever feared God as much
as Jesus did” (Crystallization-study of the Humanity of Christ, p. 13). We
have this person in our spirit.

When Others Are in Trouble,

Its Being the Time for Us to Help Them,
Not the Time for Us to Criticize Them
When others are in trouble, it is the time for us to help them, not the time
for us to criticize them (cf. Gen. 14:14-16). Abraham did this with Lot. Lot
separated from Abraham and headed toward Sodom, and then the people in
Sodom, including Lot, were captured. If we had been Abraham, we would
have said, “Lot got what he deserved. He never should have left us and
gone down to Sodom.” However, Genesis 14:14-16 says,
When Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he
led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen
of them, and pursued as far as Dan. And he [244] divided his
forces against them by night, he and his servants, and struck them
and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. And he
brought back all the possessions and also brought back Lot his
brother and his possessions as well as the women and the people.
Abraham recovered Lot and recovered Lot’s household.

There Being Many Brothers

Who Have Fallen Miserably Today for One Reason Only—
Their Having Criticized Others Too Severely in the Past;
Many of Their Weaknesses Today
Being the Very Weaknesses That They Criticized in the Past
There are many brothers who have fallen miserably today for one reason
only—they have criticized others too severely in the past; many of their
weaknesses today are the very weaknesses that they criticized in the past.

Having to Be Generous toward Others

If We Want to Avoid God’s Governmental Hand;
 Needing to Learn to Love and Forbear One Another
We must be generous toward others if we want to avoid God’s
governmental hand; may we learn to love and forbear one another (Eph.
4:32). Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ also forgave you.”

THERE BEING KINGDOM FORGIVENESS—

THIS RELATING TO ADMINISTRATION

If We Treat People Too Harshly

or Have an Unforgiving Spirit in This Age,
Our Being Disciplined in the Kingdom Age
There is kingdom forgiveness—this relates to administration. If we treat
people too harshly or have an unforgiving spirit in this age, we will be
disciplined in the kingdom age (Luke 6:37-38; Matt. 18:33-35). Luke 6:37
says, “Do not judge, and you shall by no means be judged; and do not
condemn, and you shall by no means be condemned; release, and you will
be released.” We may not be released because we have not released a
certain person from his offense. But if we release that person, if we let go
of the offense, we will be released, and our spirit will be released. [245]

If We Treat Others in a Mean Way

and Criticize Others Mercilessly,
God Dealing with Us in the Same Way in the Future
If we treat others in a mean way and criticize others mercilessly, God
will deal with us in the same way in the future (Matt. 7:1-2).

Needing the Lord to Grant Us the Grace to Be Those

Who Show Mercy to Others
and Who Do Not Deal with Others
in Meanness, Sharpness, or Severity,
So That We Can Obtain Mercy from God in That Day
May the Lord grant us the grace to be those who show mercy to others
and who do not deal with others in meanness, sharpness, or severity, so
that we can obtain mercy from God in that day (5:7; cf. 2 Tim. 1:16, 18).
The word on governmental forgiveness is not an easy word, but it is a
necessary word, even a healthy word. I believe it can preserve us all our
days in the Lord’s recovery. The five kinds of forgiveness are eternal
forgiveness, which relates to life; instrumental forgiveness, which relates to
the church; restorative forgiveness, which relates to our fellowship with
God; governmental forgiveness, which relates to discipline; and kingdom
forgiveness, which relates to administration. We have five kinds of
forgiveness that we can enjoy by taking Christ as our trespass offering.
May we appreciate this word. This is a very healthy word for us. We need
to take Christ as our trespass offering for God’s purpose so that we can
become the New Jerusalem.—E. M.
 [247]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Appreciating Christ
as the Reality of the Trespass Offering
(Message 9)

Scripture Reading: John 1:29; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 3:18; 2:24; 1 John
2:2; 4:10; Gal. 1:4; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 1:3; 10:12

I. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world!”—John 1:29:
A. Christ died on the cross as the Lamb of God to deal with sin and
sins and to take away sin from the human race.
B. Christ as the Lamb of God fulfilled the requirements of God’s
righteousness, holiness, and glory—Gen. 3:24; Rom. 2:5; Heb.
12:29; 9:5.
C. Christ as the redeeming Lamb was foreknown before the
foundation of the world, that is, before the creation of the
universe, but was manifested for our sake—1 Pet. 1:20.
D. Christ is “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the
world,” from the time creation came into existence—Rev. 13:8.
II. As the reality of the trespass offering, “Christ died for our sins”—1
Cor. 15:3:
A. The first thing Paul delivered to the saints in the gospel was that
Christ died for our sins—v. 3.
B. The word for indicates that Christ died a vicarious death:
1. We needed Him to die as our Substitute.
2. As our Savior, He represented us to die for our sins in order
to accomplish redemption—Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:11; Acts
13:23; 1 Tim. 1:15; Titus 2:14.
III. As the reality of the trespass offering, “Christ also has suffered once
for sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous,” that He might
bring us to God—1 Pet. 3:18:
A. Sins here refers to the sins we commit in our outward
conduct—Heb. 9:28. [248]
B. On behalf of indicates that Christ’s death was for redemption, not
for martyrdom.
C. Christ, the righteous One, was judged on behalf of us, the
 unrighteous, by the righteous God so that He might remove the
barrier of our sins and bring us to God.
D. Christ redeemed us from our sins back to God, from our
unrighteous manner of life back to the righteous God.
IV. As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “bore up our sins in His
body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to
righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed”—1 Pet. 2:24:
A. According to Isaiah 53:6, when Christ was on the cross, God
took all our sins and put them upon the Lamb of God:
1. Hebrews 9:28 says that Christ has been “offered once to bear
the sins of many.”
2. Christ died once to bear our sins, and He suffered the
judgment for us on the cross—Isa. 53:5, 11.
B. When the Lord offered up Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, He
bore up our sins in His body on the cross, the true altar for
propitiation—Heb. 7:27.
C. In the death of Christ, we died to sins so that we might live to
righteousness; this living to righteousness is in the resurrection of
Christ—1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:8, 10-11, 18; Eph. 2:6; John 14:19;
2 Tim. 2:11:
1. Righteousness is a matter of God’s government—Psa. 89:14.
2. We were saved so that we might live rightly under the
government of God, that is, in a way that matches the
righteous requirement of His government.
D. “By whose bruise you were healed”—1 Pet. 2:24b:
1. On the one hand, Christ’s bruise that heals us keeps us away
from sins by His death.
2. On the other hand, this healing enlivens us so that we may
live to righteousness.
V. As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “Himself is the
propitiation for our sins”—1 John 2:2:
A. “Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and
sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins”—4:10.
B. The Lord Jesus is the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins: [249]
1. Christ offered Himself to God as a sacrifice for our sins not
only for our redemption but also for God’s satisfaction—Heb.
9:28.
2. Through Christ’s vicarious death and in Him as our
Substitute, God is satisfied and appeased; hence, Christ is the
propitiation between God and us.
C. Hebrews 2:17 reveals that Christ has made propitiation for our
 sins:
1. The Lord Jesus made propitiation for our sins to reconcile us
to God by satisfying God’s righteous demands on us.
2. Through His work on the cross Christ made propitiation for
our sins; this means that He appeased God for us.
3. By appeasing God’s righteousness and all His requirements
on us, Christ has settled every problem between us and God.
VI. As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “gave Himself for our
sins that He might rescue us out of the present evil age according to
the will of our God and Father”—Gal. 1:4:
A. Although Christ was crucified for our sins, the goal of His
crucifixion was to rescue us out of the present evil age:
1. An age is a part of the world as the satanic system.
2. An age refers to a section, an aspect, the present or modern
appearance, of the system of Satan, which is used by him to
usurp and occupy people and to keep them away from God
and His purpose.
3. The present age is the present section of Satan’s cosmos, his
world system—1 John 2:15.
4. Whereas sins are devilish, the present age is satanic—Rom.
12:2.
B. Apart from the crucifixion of Christ, we have no way to deal with
sins, behind which the devil hides, or the evil age, behind which
Satan hides—Gal. 1:4:
1. Christ was crucified for our sins so that we might be
delivered from the present evil age.
2. If we would be delivered from the present evil age, sins must
be dealt with.
C. According to the context of the book of Galatians, the present
evil age in 1:4 refers to the religious world, the religious course
of the world: [250]
1. This is confirmed by 6:14-15, where circumcision is
considered part of the world—the religious world to which
Paul was crucified.
2. Christ gave Himself for our sins for the purpose of rescuing
us out of religion, the present evil age; this principle is the
same with the believers in Paul’s time and with us today.
VII. As the reality of the trespass offering, the Lord Jesus said, “This is
My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for
forgiveness of sins”—Matt. 26:28:
A. The Lord’s blood was required by God’s righteousness for the
 forgiveness of sins.
B. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of
sins—Heb. 9:22.
C. The Lord’s blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and
the new covenant has been enacted through His blood—Luke
22:20:
1. The blood of the Lord Jesus has made a complete redemption
for us so that all our sins may be forgiven.
2. His blood satisfied God’s righteousness and redeemed us
from our fallen condition back to God and to God’s blessing.
3. In His death on the cross as the trespass offering, Christ
poured out His blood so that the new covenant may be
enacted and the believers’ sins may be forgiven—Matt.
26:28.
4. “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin,” and
God is “faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness”—1 John 1:7, 9.
VIII. As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ, “having made
purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high”—Heb. 1:3:
A. “This One, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever
on the right hand of God”—10:12:
1. Christ has put away sins by offering Himself to God as the
sacrifice for sin.
2. His sitting down forever at the right hand of God is a sign and
proof that the taking away of sins has been accomplished—v.
12. [251]
B. Christ has made “purification of sins”—1:3:
1. In verse 3 purification indicates that our sins have been
washed away.
2. Christ accomplished purification of sins once for all; He shed
His blood once and accomplished an eternal cleansing.
3. According to the typology in Leviticus 16, the Lord Jesus
brought His own blood into the Holy of Holies in the heavens
and sprinkled it before God in order to make propitiation for
our sins so that we might be cleansed and “from all...sins...be
clean” before God—v. 30; Heb. 12:22, 24.
C. Because Christ offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit,
His offering of Himself was once for all, and the redemption
accomplished through His death is eternal, having an eternal
 effect—7:27; 9:12, 14.

[252]

MESSAGE NINE

APPRECIATING CHRIST
AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING
As a conclusion to this message on appreciating Christ as the reality of
the trespass offering, we will cover a series of points on the subjective
issue of our appreciating and cherishing the Lord’s being a sacrifice for our
sins, as both our sin offering and our trespass offering. However, before
such a pleasant and practical word, we must begin with some fellowship
concerning sins and trespasses.
Ephesians 2:1 says, “You, though dead in your offenses and sins.” This
one short phrase summarizes the condition of the fallen human race. This
verse mentions two items: offenses and sins. A sin is a kind of trespass, but
it is something more evil. Footnote 3 on Ephesians 2:1 says, “Offenses are
acts that overstep the limit of one’s rights. Sins are evil doings.” Before we
were saved, we were spiritually dead in offenses and sins. We need to
realize that this is our background and that because of this background we
need Christ as the fulfillment of the sin offering and the trespass offering
for our redemption from sins.
In our speaking, we stand with the word of God. Because of this, we
may speak some things that are not politically correct. However, we have
no intention to fight a so-called cultural war. As we minister the Lord’s
word, we must remember that the foremost requirement in stewards is
faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2). We must be faithful to the word of God. We will
never prostitute or adulterate God’s word. We do not seek to fight with
anyone, and we are not social reformers. We are here simply to minister
God’s pure word to God’s people so that they may know how to live.
What do the Scriptures say concerning sins? The Lord spoke of sins a
number of times. In Matthew 15:18-19 He said, “The things which proceed
out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile the man. For out of
the heart come evil reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witnessings, blasphemies.” The heart of fallen man, like a tree, bears
fruit, which is manifested as a multitude of sins [253] and evil doings,
including evil reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witnessings, and blasphemies. This is the Lord’s word.
Paul also speaks of sins. We will consider two lists from Paul’s writings,
one in Romans 1 and one in Galatians 5. Galatians 5:19-21 lists the works
of the flesh. Sin is in our flesh, and the works of the flesh are the
manifestation of indwelling sin in our activities and conduct.
Romans 1:29-31 is part of a portion of the Word condemning all
mankind in general. Here Paul exposes fallen man as “being filled with all
unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent,
arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
senseless, faithless, affectionless, merciless.” Earlier in the chapter Paul
says that God gave man up to uncleanness (v. 24), to passions of dishonor
(v. 26), and to a disapproved mind (v. 28). For God to give up a person is a
most serious matter.
It is important to note that being given up by God to these three evil
conditions is especially manifested in the sin of fornication. The footnote
on verse 24 says, “The consequence of such a giving up is fornication (vv.
24, 26-27), which violates a governing and controlling principle and brings
in confusion. Every kind of evil issues from this fornication (vv. 29-32).”
The governing and controlling principle is God’s principle in His creation,
particularly in His creation of man. Fornication damages God’s economy
and His purpose. It damages the humanity of an individual, and it damages
families and society. In Christ as the Reality Brother Lee gives fourteen
messages on the meal offering. In a message entitled “The Humanity of
Jesus for the Spiritual Warfare,” Brother Lee says, “Satan is so subtle. He
injects all his evil, satanic, devilish concepts and ideas into the young and
fresh mentality of the young generation. This is his primary aim; he is out
to damage the human mentality” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee,
1971, vol. 2, p. 112). Brother Lee outlines three issues of this kind of
mental damage—fornication, suicide, and mental illness. Regarding
fornication, Brother Lee says,
The issue of this kind of mental damage is of three categories.
The first is fornication. In the past five or six years, I have heard
much concerning this matter. Among today’s young people,
especially the so-called hippies, there are innumerable cases of
fornication. They live just like animals. They do not even care for
this word fornication. I believe that in their dictionary they do not
have such a word. It is [254] all done without shame. In the whole
Bible the greatest and most sinful act in God’s eyes is idol
 worship. Fornication is second. Idol worship is an insult to God,
and fornication is a damage to humanity. God created humanity
for His divine purpose, but Satan damages this humanity by
fornication.
On some occasions, the Lord Jesus tore down all the rituals and
ordinances of the Old Testament. But He did not tear down the
law concerning fornication; rather, He enforced it even the more.
When the Pharisees spoke with Him about divorce, the Lord
asserted that Moses had allowed them to divorce their wives
because of their hardness of heart, but from the beginning it was
not so (Matt. 19:3-9). The Lord enforced the commandment
regarding fornication much more than it had been in the Old
Testament times (5:27-28). This is because nothing damages our
humanity like fornication. Paul says that any act we commit is
outside our body, but fornication damages our body (1 Cor. 6:18).
Oh, the enemy is so subtle! He first injects so many devilish
concepts into the mentality of the young people, and the first
issue of this is fornication. (pp. 112-113)
Galatians 5:19-21 says, “The works of the flesh are manifest, which are
such things as fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery,
enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, divisions, sects,
envyings, bouts of drunkenness, carousings, and things like these, of which
I tell you beforehand, even as I have said before, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Notice that fornication is
the first item on this list. Footnote 1 on verse 19 divides these items into
three categories, showing that all three parts of our fallen being are
involved with the corrupted, evil flesh:
The flesh is the expression of the old Adam. The fallen life of the
old Adam is expressed practically in the flesh, and the works of
the flesh, such as those listed in verses 19 through 21, are
different aspects of such a fleshly expression. Fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, bouts of drunkenness, and
carousings are related to the lust of the corrupted body. Enmities,
strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, divisions, sects, and
envyings are related to the fallen soul, which is very closely
related to the corrupted body. Idolatry and sorcery are related to
the deadened spirit. This proves [255] that the three parts of our
fallen being—body, soul, and spirit—are all involved with the
corrupted, evil flesh.
Some of these items are evil passions; some belong to demonic worship,
which is related to the deadened spirit. Some items concern evil moods.
We may consider our moods as nothing, but they are a work of the flesh.
Some, like drunkenness and carousings, are related to dissipation. Last, in
the realm of the church, even divisions and parties are works of the flesh.
These lists that Paul wrote are very plain in the word of God. They are
the utterance of the Spirit in the apostle’s teaching to tell us beyond a
shadow of doubt what is meant by “offenses and sins” in Ephesians 2:1.
Trespass and sin are not the same word in the Bible. To trespass is to go
beyond a limit, to pass one’s right in place or in action and, as a result,
cause harm to other people. In Old Testament terms to trespass is to violate
God’s ordinances. In the New Testament the Greek word for trespass is
paraptoma, which means a “misstep” (cf. Rom. 11:11-12), “wrongdoing,”
“error,” “misdeed,” “breach,” “transgression,” or “offense.” The Recovery
Version of the New Testament usually translates this word as “offense.” In
view of this definition of trespass, we must agree with Romans 3:23, which
says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our
trespasses—whether large or small, seen or unseen, something of which we
are conscious or something of which we are unaware—constitute offenses
to God and are sins before God.
The sin offering and the trespass offering are not secondary. They are
two of the five main offerings, and they are indispensable for our
fellowship with God and for the proper worship of God. The outline of this
message is structured upon eight verses. As we go through these points, we
should be sober in the spirit of our mind. I pray that, as we see the basic
and important truths in this message, we will also touch the reality behind
these truths. The reality is Christ Himself as the reality of the trespass
offering.

“BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD,

WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!”

John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of
the world!” This is a gospel verse. The bulls, goats, sheep, and lambs in the
Old Testament are merely types. There is only one true Lamb of God, who
was foreordained and foreknown by God. The Lamb of God is God’s
redeeming lamb, the unique sacrifice desired by God. [256]

Christ Dying on the Cross as the Lamb of God

 to Deal with Sin and Sins
and to Take Away Sin from the Human Race
Christ died on the cross as the Lamb of God to deal with sin and sins and
to take away sin from the human race. It seems that we are preaching the
gospel in this message. Dear sinners, Christ died on the cross as the Lamb
of God to deal with sin and sins and to take away sin from the human race.
This is good news!

Christ as the Lamb of God

Fulfilling the Requirements
of God’s Righteousness, Holiness, and Glory
Christ as the Lamb of God fulfilled the requirements of God’s
righteousness, holiness, and glory (Gen. 3:24; Rom. 2:5; Heb. 12:29; 9:5).
In the second three hours of Christ’s suffering on the cross as the Lamb of
God, all the sins that have ever been committed or ever will be committed
by any man were laid upon Him (1 Pet. 2:24). Laden with sins, being in the
likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:3), and having been made sin itself (2
Cor. 5:21), Christ bore the whole judgment of the wrath of God. Christ
fulfilled the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory
because He was perfect and without spot or blemish. Only this Lamb could
die in our stead as our Substitute.
When Christ died for us, God was satisfied. God wants to be life to man
and make man the same as He is. God waited for thousands of years for the
time when His Son would die as the Lamb of God for the sake of man,
whom God had created for Himself and loved. As the Lamb of God, Christ
took away sin and solved all the problems between God and man. The
requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory, represented by
the flaming sword and the cherubim that guarded the way to the tree of life
(Gen. 3:24), were satisfied, and the way was opened for us to come to God
once again (Heb. 10:19-20). When Christ was on the cross, the righteous
judgment of God was upon Him; God as a consuming fire (12:29) was
burning Him. This was not a physical fire, but the divine fire was there
burning and consuming this sacrifice.
Christ as the reality of the trespass offering satisfied God and
accomplished redemption for sins. Hebrews 9:5 mentions the expiation
cover. Christ is the propitiation place, which is typified by the expiation
cover, the lid of the Ark in the Holy of Holies. This is expounded [257] in
marvelous detail in footnote 2 on Romans 3:25. In brief, Christ is both the
propitiation for our sins and the place of propitiation.

Christ as the Redeeming Lamb

Being Foreknown before the Foundation of the World,
That Is, before the Creation of the Universe,
but Being Manifested for Our Sake
Christ as the redeeming Lamb was foreknown before the foundation of
the world, that is, before the creation of the universe, but was manifested
for our sake (1 Pet. 1:20).

Christ Being “the Lamb Who Was Slain

from the Foundation of the World,”
from the Time Creation Came into Existence
Christ is “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world,”
from the time creation came into existence (Rev. 13:8). Although Jesus
died two thousand years ago, God foreknew, chose, anointed, and
commissioned Him in eternity past (1 Pet. 1:20). God appointed Christ,
whom He fully approved, to fulfill all that God had planned for the
accomplishment of His eternal purpose, including the accomplishment of
redemption. In addition, Christ is also “the Lamb who was slain from the
foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). In other words, Christ as the Lamb
was slain from the time creation came into existence. Our mind can hardly
grasp this fact, yet this is God’s word. God planned for the Lamb to be
slain; it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision or an accident. God
foreknew and selected this Lamb, and He was slain from the foundation of
the world. Then in time, two thousand years ago, “at the consummation of
the ages” (Heb. 9:26), that is, at the completion of the Old Testament age,
Christ offered Himself to God in His first manifestation. He will also have
a second manifestation, but He was first “manifested for the putting away
of sin through the sacrifice of Himself” (v. 26). First John 3:5 says, “He
was manifested that He might take away sins.” In the words of Hymns,
#185, “Praise the Lamb, for He is worthy! / Sweet eternal strain.” The
Lamb took away our sins!

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,

“CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS”

As the reality of the trespass offering, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor.
15:3). First Corinthians 15:3 says, “I delivered to you, first of [258] all, that
which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures.”

The First Thing Paul Delivered to the Saints in the Gospel

Being That Christ Died for Our Sins
The first thing Paul delivered to the saints in the gospel was that Christ
died for our sins (v. 3). This is the first point in our preaching of the
gospel: Christ died for our sins.

The Word for Indicating That Christ Died

a Vicarious Death

Our Needing Him to Die as Our Substitute

The word for indicates that Christ died a vicarious death. We needed
Him to die as our Substitute. We should have been judged and killed, but
we were not, because our Savior, Jesus Christ, died on our behalf.

As Our Savior, His Representing Us to Die for Our Sins

in Order to Accomplish Redemption
As our Savior, He represented us to die for our sins in order to
accomplish redemption (Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:11; Acts 13:23; 1 Tim. 1:15;
Titus 2:14). All these verses speak of our Savior. Matthew 1:21 says, “She
will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will
save His people from their sins.” We love the name of Jesus our Savior,
who saves us from our sins. First Timothy 1:15 says, “Faithful is the word
and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am foremost.” Christ Jesus is the Savior of sinners.
Titus 2:13-14 says, “Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave
Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to
Himself a particular people as His unique possession, zealous of good
works.” We thank the Lord for dying for our sins.

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,

“CHRIST ALSO HAS SUFFERED ONCE FOR SINS,
THE RIGHTEOUS ON BEHALF OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS,”
 THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD

As the reality of the trespass offering, “Christ also has suffered once for
sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous,” that He might bring us to
God (1 Pet. 3:18). The Old Testament priests had to offer the same
sacrifices daily, but Christ’s sacrifice is once for all (Heb. 10:11-12; [259]
7:27). Christ suffered once for sins, being put to death in the flesh, that He
might bring us to God.

Sins Here Referring to the Sins

We Commit in Our Outward Conduct
Sins here refers to the sins we commit in our outward conduct (9:28).
Christ suffered for these sins. Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ also, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time to
those who eagerly await Him, apart from sin, unto salvation.”

On Behalf of Indicating That Christ’s Death

Was for Redemption, Not for Martyrdom
On behalf of indicates that Christ’s death was for redemption, not for
martyrdom.

Christ, the Righteous One,

Being Judged on Behalf of Us, the Unrighteous,
by the Righteous God So That He Might Remove
the Barrier of Our Sins and Bring Us to God
Christ, the righteous One, was judged on behalf of us, the unrighteous,
by the righteous God so that He might remove the barrier of our sins and
bring us to God. All the barriers between us and God have been removed.
Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entering
the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus, which entrance He initiated for us
as a new and living way through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Now we, who
were sinners, have direct access to God.

Christ Redeeming Us from Our Sins Back to God,

from Our Unrighteous Manner of Life
 Back to the Righteous God
Christ redeemed us from our sins back to God, from our unrighteous
manner of life back to the righteous God. Once we were far from God; now
we have returned to Him.

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,

CHRIST “BORE UP OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE,
IN ORDER THAT WE, HAVING DIED TO SINS,
MIGHT LIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS;
BY WHOSE BRUISE YOU WERE HEALED”

As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “bore up our sins in [260]
His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to
righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). In the
second part of this verse, Peter quotes from Isaiah 53:5.

According to Isaiah 53:6,

When Christ Was on the Cross,
God Taking All Our Sins
and Putting Them upon the Lamb of God
According to Isaiah 53:6, when Christ was on the cross, God took all our
sins and put them upon the Lamb of God. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all like
sheep have gone astray; / Each one of us has turned to his own way, / And
Jehovah has caused the iniquity of us all / To fall on Him.”

Hebrews 9:28 Saying That Christ

Has Been “Offered Once to Bear the Sins of Many”
Hebrews 9:28 says that Christ has been “offered once to bear the sins of
many.”

Christ Dying Once to Bear Our Sins,

and His Suffering the Judgment for Us on the Cross
Christ died once to bear our sins, and He suffered the judgment for us on
the cross (Isa. 53:5, 11). Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was wounded because of our
transgressions; / He was crushed because of our iniquities; / The chastening
for our peace was upon Him, / And by His stripes we have been healed.”
Verse 11 continues, “He will see the fruit of the travail of His soul, / And
He will be satisfied; / By the knowledge of Him, the righteous One, My
Servant, will make the many righteous, / And He will bear their iniquities.”

When the Lord Offered Up Himself

as a Sacrifice on the Cross,
His Bearing Up Our Sins in His Body on the Cross,
the True Altar for Propitiation
When the Lord offered up Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, He bore
up our sins in His body on the cross, the true altar for propitiation (Heb.
7:27). The cross, the wood from a tree that the Lord was nailed to, was the
true altar on which the Lord offered Himself. While He was hanging on the
cross, all our sins, which were innumerable, were hanging upon Him. How
many sins have been committed in the history of [261] mankind? All of
them were hanging upon Jesus’ body on the cross. On the cross He made
propitiation to God for us by appeasing God and satisfying all His
righteous requirements.

In the Death of Christ, Our Dying to Sins

So That We Might Live to Righteousness;
This Living to Righteousness
Being in the Resurrection of Christ
In the death of Christ, we died to sins so that we might live to
righteousness; this living to righteousness is in the resurrection of Christ (1
Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:8, 10-11, 18; Eph. 2:6; John 14:19; 2 Tim. 2:11).
Romans 6:8 says, “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we will
also live with Him.” Because of the new life that we received in His
resurrection, we are no longer inclined to live to sin. We have died with
Christ, and for the death which He died, He died to sin once for all (v. 10).
Therefore, we must reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, but living to God (v.
11). Then verse 18 says, “Having been freed from sin, you were enslaved
to righteousness.” Righteousness is now our master. Second Timothy 2:11
therefore says, “Faithful is the word: For if we died with Him, we will also
live with Him.”
 Righteousness Being a Matter of God’s Government
Righteousness is a matter of God’s government (Psa. 89:14).

Our Being Saved So That We Might Live Rightly

under the Government of God,
That Is, in a Way That Matches
the Righteous Requirement of His Government
We were saved so that we might live rightly under the government of
God, that is, in a way that matches the righteous requirement of His
government. God has a throne, and God has a government. To trespass is to
violate the laws in God’s government and to offend God’s rule.

“By Whose Bruise You Were Healed”

On the One Hand,

Christ’s Bruise That Heals Us
Keeping Us Away from Sins by His Death
First Peter 2:24b says, “By whose bruise you were healed.” On the one
hand, Christ’s bruise that heals us keeps us away from sins by His [262]
death. Christ’s bruise has a healing effect on us, who were sinners, to keep
us away from sins.

On the Other Hand, This Healing Enlivening Us

So That We May Live to Righteousness
On the other hand, this healing enlivens us so that we may live to
righteousness. We must spend more time to study the healing effect of
Christ’s death in order to appreciate these two aspects of being healed to
live apart from sin and to live to righteousness. This is a great thing.

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,

CHRIST “HIMSELF IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS”

As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “Himself is the propitiation

for our sins” (1 John 2:2). He is not only the One who propitiates or the
place of propitiation; He Himself is our propitiation, the propitiatory
sacrifice.

“Herein Is Love, Not That We Loved God

but That He Loved Us and Sent His Son
as a Propitiation for Our Sins”
First John 4:10 says, “Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He
loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins.”

The Lord Jesus

Being the Propitiatory Sacrifice for Our Sins

Christ Offering Himself to God as a Sacrifice for Our Sins

Not Only for Our Redemption but Also for God’s Satisfaction
The Lord Jesus is the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. Christ offered
Himself to God as a sacrifice for our sins not only for our redemption but
also for God’s satisfaction (Heb. 9:28). On the one hand, we needed to be
redeemed, and on the other hand, God needed to be satisfied and appeased.

Through Christ’s Vicarious Death and in Him

as Our Substitute, God Being Satisfied and Appeased;
Hence, Christ Being the Propitiation between God and Us
Through Christ’s vicarious death and in Him as our Substitute, God is
satisfied and appeased; hence, Christ is the propitiation between God and
us. With respect to our sins, I believe that if we could see God, He [263]
would be looking at Christ and saying, “I am satisfied and at peace with all
the sinners who have believed.”

Hebrews 2:17 Revealing

That Christ Has Made Propitiation for Our Sins

The Lord Jesus Making Propitiation for Our Sins

to Reconcile Us to God
by Satisfying God’s Righteous Demands on Us
 Hebrews 2:17 reveals that Christ has made propitiation for our sins. The
Lord Jesus made propitiation for our sins to reconcile us to God by
satisfying God’s righteous demands on us.

Through His Work on the Cross

Christ Making Propitiation for Our Sins;
This Meaning That He Appeased God for Us
Through His work on the cross Christ made propitiation for our sins; this
means that He appeased God for us.

By Appeasing God’s Righteousness

and All His Requirements on Us,
Christ Having Settled Every Problem
between Us and God
By appeasing God’s righteousness and all His requirements on us, Christ
has settled every problem between us and God. There is no problem or sin
that God regards as too terrible. If we confess, deal with our sins, and take
Christ as our sin offering and trespass offering, we may boldly claim with a
pure conscience the propitiation that Christ accomplished on the cross
between us and God.

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,

CHRIST “GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS
THAT HE MIGHT RESCUE US OUT OF THE PRESENT EVIL AGE
ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF OUR GOD AND FATHER”

Although Christ Was Crucified for Our Sins,

the Goal of His Crucifixion Being to Rescue Us
out of the Present Evil Age
As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ “gave Himself for our sins
that He might rescue us out of the present evil age according to the will of
our God and Father” (Gal. 1:4). Although Christ was crucified [264] for our
sins, the goal of His crucifixion was to rescue us out of the present evil age.
Christ did not die for us so that we could merely be purified and forgiven;
His goal was to rescue us out of the world and, in particular, out of the
present evil age in which we find ourselves.

An Age Being a Part of the World

as the Satanic System
An age is a part of the world as the satanic system.

An Age Referring to a Section, an Aspect,

the Present or Modern Appearance, of the System of Satan,
Which Is Used by Him to Usurp and Occupy People
and to Keep Them Away from God and His Purpose
An age refers to a section, an aspect, the present or modern appearance,
of the system of Satan, which is used by him to usurp and occupy people
and to keep them away from God and His purpose.

The Present Age Being the Present Section

of Satan’s Cosmos, His World System
The present age is the present section of Satan’s cosmos, his world
system (1 John 2:15). Christ died to rescue us out of the particular section
of the age in which we are now living.

Whereas Sins Are Devilish, the Present Age Being Satanic

Whereas sins are devilish, the present age is satanic (Rom. 12:2).
Therefore, Paul charges us in Romans 12:2 not to be fashioned according
to this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Apart from the Crucifixion of Christ,

Our Having No Way to Deal with Sins,
behind Which the Devil Hides,
or the Evil Age, behind Which Satan Hides

Christ Being Crucified for Our Sins

So That We Might Be Delivered from the Present Evil Age
Apart from the crucifixion of Christ, we have no way to deal with sins,
behind which the devil hides, or the evil age, behind which Satan hides
(Gal. 1:4). Christ was crucified for our sins so that we might be delivered
from the present evil age. [265]

If We Would Be Delivered from the Present Evil Age,

Our Sins Having to Be Dealt With
If we would be delivered from the present evil age, sins must be dealt
with.

According to the Context of the Book of Galatians,

the Present Evil Age in 1:4 Referring to the Religious World,
the Religious Course of the World
According to the context of the book of Galatians, the present evil age in
1:4 refers to the religious world, the religious course of the world. The evil
age at Paul’s time was the religious world of Judaism. Some of the
believers at that time were still bound up and enslaved under the keeping of
Old Testament commandments and ordinances. They needed to realize that
they had been freed, rescued, and released from that age into the age of the
new covenant.

This Being Confirmed by 6:14-15,

Where Circumcision Is Considered Part of the World—
the Religious World to Which Paul Was Crucified
This is confirmed by 6:14-15, where circumcision is considered part of
the world—the religious world to which Paul was crucified.

Christ Giving Himself for Our Sins for the Purpose

of Rescuing Us out of Religion, the Present Evil Age;
This Principle Being the Same with the Believers
in Paul’s Time and with Us Today
Christ gave Himself for our sins for the purpose of rescuing us out of
religion, the present evil age; this principle is the same with the believers in
Paul’s time and with us today. Today we find ourselves living in an evil
religious age, that of religious Christianity. Christ died to save us out of
this religious age in which we live so that we may be a new creation.
 AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING,
THE LORD JESUS SAYING, “THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE COVENANT,
WHICH IS BEING POURED OUT FOR MANY
FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS”

The Lord’s Blood Being Required by God’s Righteousness

for the Forgiveness of Sins
As the reality of the trespass offering, the Lord Jesus said, “This is My
[266]blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for
forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). The Lord’s blood was required by
God’s righteousness for the forgiveness of sins.

Without the Shedding of Blood,

There Being No Forgiveness of Sins
Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb.
9:22).

The Lord’s Blood Being Poured Out

for the Forgiveness of Sins, and the New Covenant
Having Been Enacted through His Blood
The Lord’s blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and the
new covenant has been enacted through His blood (Luke 22:20). The blood
of the Lord Jesus has made a complete redemption for us so that all our
sins may be forgiven. His blood satisfied God’s righteousness and
redeemed us from our fallen condition back to God and to God’s blessing.
In His death on the cross as the trespass offering, Christ poured out His
blood so that the new covenant could be enacted and the believers’ sins
could be forgiven (Matt. 26:28). First John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus
His Son cleanses us from every sin,” and verse 9 says that God is “faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
With God, to forgive is to forget. Our sins have been removed as far as
the east is from the west (Psa. 103:12); therefore, let us not dredge up our
sins after they have already been confessed. His blood affords us complete
forgiveness and cleansing from our sins.

AS THE REALITY OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING, CHRIST,

“HAVING MADE PURIFICATION OF SINS,
SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH”

As the reality of the trespass offering, Christ, “having made purification

of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).

“This One, Having Offered One Sacrifice for Sins,

Sat Down Forever on the Right Hand of God”

Christ Having Put Away Sins

by Offering Himself to God as the Sacrifice for Sin
Hebrews 10:12 says, “This One, having offered one sacrifice for sins,
[267]sat down forever on the right hand of God.” Christ has put away sins
by offering Himself to God as the sacrifice for sin.

His Sitting Down Forever at the Right Hand of God

Being a Sign and Proof That the Taking Away of Sins
Has Been Accomplished
His sitting down forever at the right hand of God is a sign and proof that
the taking away of sins has been accomplished (v. 12). Do we see that
Christ is sitting down in the heavens? The Old Testament priests could
never rest or remain seated; they had to stand daily to offer the sacrifices,
because these sacrifices could not remove sin permanently. However,
Christ put away sin once and for all, and He has sat down because
redemption’s work has been fully completed.

Christ Having Made “Purification of Sins”

In Hebrews 1:3 Purification Indicating That

Our Sins Have Been Washed Away
Christ has made “purification of sins” (1:3). In Hebrews 1:3 purification
indicates that our sins have been washed away. Our sins, which were once
like scarlet, are now as white as snow (Isa. 1:18). This is the extent of the
purification of our sins that Christ has made.

Christ Accomplishing Purification of Sins Once for All;

His Shedding His Blood Once
and Accomplishing an Eternal Cleansing
Christ accomplished purification of sins once for all; He shed His blood
once and accomplished an eternal cleansing.

According to the Typology in Leviticus 16,

the Lord Jesus Bringing His Own Blood
into the Holy of Holies in the Heavens
and Sprinkling It before God
in Order to Make Propitiation for Our Sins
So That We Might Be Cleansed
and “from All...Sins...Be Clean” before God
According to the typology in Leviticus 16, the Lord Jesus brought His
own blood into the Holy of Holies in the heavens and sprinkled it before
God in order to make propitiation for our sins so that we might [268] be
cleansed and “from all...sins...be clean” before God (v. 30; Heb. 12:22, 24).
Our sins have not only been forgiven, but they have also been cleansed.
For our sins to be cleansed means that both the “stain” of our sins and the
guilty record of our sins have been removed. Therefore, the sprinkling of
Christ’s own blood affords us a good conscience and a pure conscience to
serve the living and true God. What a salvation we enjoy in Christ!

Because Christ Offered Himself to God

through the Eternal Spirit,
His Offering of Himself Being Once for All,
and the Redemption Accomplished through His Death
Being Eternal, Having an Eternal Effect
Because Christ offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit, His
offering of Himself was once for all, and the redemption accomplished
through His death is eternal, having an eternal effect (7:27; 9:12, 14).
Hallelujah for this eternal redemption! This is cause for us to be happy,
rejoicing, and even celebrating. What a wonderful redemption Christ has
made!

THE SUBJECTIVE ISSUE AND PRACTICAL EFFECT

OF OUR APPRECIATION OF THE LORD
BEING THE REALITY OF THE SIN OFFERING
AND THE TRESPASS OFFERING

What is the subjective issue and practical effect of our appreciation of

Christ as our sin offering and the trespass offering? I am burdened that we
would not just know and understand that Christ is our sin offering and our
trespass offering but that we would also appreciate, cherish, and treasure
these offerings. Therefore, let us consider fifteen points that are the
subjective issue and practical effect of our application of Christ as these
offerings.
First, we follow Him (John 1:29, 36-37). The result of our beholding
Christ as the Lamb of God, the sin offering and the trespass offering, is that
we follow Him. After John the Baptist pointed out to his disciples twice
that Jesus was the Lamb of God, two of them left him and followed Jesus.
When we see this trespass offering, we simply must follow Him. Everyone
who has seen this Lamb becomes a follower of the Lamb; they follow Him
wherever He may go (Rev. 14:4).
Second, we love Him much (Luke 7:47). All who have experienced [269]
and been forgiven by the trespass offering love the Lord much because
they have been loved much and forgiven much. The sinful woman in Luke
7 is a testimony of being forgiven much and thereby loving much. She was
moved with love to kiss the Lord’s feet affectionately and to anoint His
head and His feet with ointment. She had been an infamous woman, a
woman of terrible repute, who was known in that city for being a sinner.
However, she used her tears to wash the Lord’s feet, she wiped them with
her hair, and she kissed them affectionately. The Lord said of her, “Her
sins which are many are forgiven, because she loved much” (v. 47). As
those who have been forgiven much, we must love the Lord very much.
Third, we live to Him (2 Cor. 5:14-15). We no longer live to ourselves
but to Him who died for us and has been raised. When we love this sin
offering and trespass offering and are constrained by His dying love, we
cannot help but consecrate our whole life to Him to live to Him.
Fourth, we live in His faith (Gal. 2:20). Galatians 2:20 says, “The life
which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” As ones who treasure Christ
as the offerings, we live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and
gave Himself up for us. This means that we live in an organic union with
the Lord through our appreciation of His dear person and of the precious
work of redemption that He accomplished for us.
Fifth, as a result of the sin offering and the trespass offering, we live to
righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). To live to righteousness is to live rightly under
God’s government, that is, in a way that matches the righteous
requirements of God’s government.
Sixth, we may not sin (1 John 2:1-2). The provision of the Lord’s blood
as our trespass offering is to maintain our fellowship and enjoyment of the
divine life. Nevertheless, we still need to be watchful concerning sin. As
long as we are alive, sin still dwells in our flesh, and it is still possible for
us to commit sins. John’s intention in writing 1 John 2:1 was that we would
not sin; however, whenever we do sin, we must immediately confess our
sins to restore our fellowship. When we confess, Christ is our Advocate,
our heavenly attorney, who cares for our case before the Father and
restores the peace and fellowship between us and the Father.
Seventh, we walk in love (Eph. 5:2). Ephesians 5:2 says, “Walk in love,
even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering [270]
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.” We walk in love and in
the element of love. This means that before God and before man we walk
in the loving substance of God in our daily life. Because we know this
offering and treasure this sacrifice, we walk in God as love.
Eighth, we do not walk according to this age (Gal. 1:4). Enjoying Christ
as our sin offering and our trespass offering, also causes us to cease from
walking a different kind of walk, a walk according to this world, whether
secular or religious.
Ninth, we live a holy manner of life (1 Pet 1:18-19). In light of our
enjoyment of these offerings, we live a sanctified, holy manner of life and
separate ourselves from a vain manner of life. First Peter 1:18-19 says,
“Knowing that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that
you were redeemed from your vain manner of life handed down from your
fathers, but with precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without
spot, the blood of Christ.” We have been redeemed, thus we live a
sanctified, holy manner of life.
Tenth, we come forward to enter the Holy of Holies (Heb. 10:19-20).
Because of the sin offering and the trespass offering, we may come
forward boldly and enter the Holy of Holies through the new and living
way initiated in the blood of Jesus in order to contact Him and take Him as
the tree of life for our enjoyment. Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Having
therefore, brothers, boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of
Jesus, which entrance He initiated for us as a new and living way through
the veil, that is, His flesh.” Within the veil, we are restored to the
enjoyment of God’s life; this is a wonderful matter for the fulfilment of
God’s purpose.
Eleventh, we serve the living God (9:14; 1 Thes. 1:9). Through the sin
offering and the trespass offering, we can serve the Lord as the living God.
Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify
our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” The
Thessalonian believers were turned from idols to serve, as slaves, the living
and true God (1 Thes. 1:9). Everyone who has been redeemed by God in
Christ must serve Him, the living God.
Twelfth, we live as His kingdom (Rev 1:5-6; 5:9-10). We live as God’s
kingdom to exercise His authority and represent God for His economy in
the church life today. Revelation 1:5-6 says, “To Him who loves us and has
released us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to
His God and Father”; and 5:9-10 says that He has made [271] us a kingdom
and priests to our God, purchasing us out of every tribe and tongue and
people and nation.
Thirteenth, we serve as His priests (1:5-6; 5:9-10). We also serve God as
priests and as a holy priesthood in the divine ministry for God’s worship
and satisfaction.
Fourteenth, we love one another (1 John 4:10-11). We love one another
and practice the genuine oneness. First John 4:10-11 says, “Herein is love,
not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God has loved us in this way, we also
ought to love one another.” Our loving one another is also a direct result
and effect of our treasuring the redemption of Christ and our appreciation
of Him for dying for our sins.
Finally, fifteenth, we have divine fellowship with one another (1:7, 9).
First John 1:7 and 9 say, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses
us from every sin...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We conclude
with this wonderful result of having been cleansed so that we can enjoy the
divine fellowship with the Father, the Son, and one another.
 CONCLUSION

In this message we have seen eight items of our appreciation of Christ as

the reality of the trespass offering, including: (1) His taking away the sin of
the world, (2) His dying for our sins, (3) His suffering once for sin on our
behalf, (4) His bearing up our sins in His body, (5) His being the
propitiation for our sins, (6) His giving Himself for our sins, (7) His
pouring out His blood for forgiveness of sins, and (8) His making
purification of sins. What an offering and what a sacrifice! I am
particularly burdened that our young people, especially those who have
grown up in the church life, would enjoy, treasure, and cherish the Lord as
the sacrifice for our sins and not take these matters for granted. We
appreciate the Lord’s organic salvation to the uttermost, without which
God could not fulfill His purpose. However, there is a crucial procedure
that His organic salvation is based upon, which is His work of redemption.
I hope all our high-school-age and college-age young people would spend
some time to get into the points in this message and read the Scripture
references associated with each point so that they would not be deficient in
their knowledge and understanding of the Lord’s redemption. This [272]
knowledge is not only that we would be clear on the doctrine of the Lord’s
redemption but also that our appreciation and treasuring of all that He has
done for us would be enhanced and increased. By doing so, we will live
unto Him as a new creation.—M. C.
 [273]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Christ as the Peace between God and God’s People

for Their Co-enjoyment in Fellowship
to Have the Vital-group Church Life
and to Consummate in the New Jerusalem
as the Ultimate Peace Offering
(Message 10)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 3:1-2; 6:12; 7:37; Phil. 4:5-7, 11-13; John
12:1-3

I. The issue of enjoying Christ as our burnt offering, our meal offering,
our sin offering, and our trespass offering is the enjoyment of Christ
as the peace offering—Lev. 3:1-2; 6:12; 7:37:
A. We should not try to have peace by our own effort; the more we
try in ourselves to have peace, the less peace we will have; the
only way to have peace is to enjoy Christ every day—Rom.
14:17; 1 Cor. 12:3b; Eph. 3:16-17.
B. Having peace is a measurement to show us to what degree we
enjoy Christ—1:2; cf. Matt. 11:28-30.
C. We should enjoy Christ today and forget about yesterday and
about tomorrow—6:25, 34; Phil. 3:13-14; Heb. 3:7-8, 13.
II. Christ is the peace between God and God’s people for their
co-enjoyment in fellowship—cf. 1 Cor. 1:9:
A. The one who offered the peace offering was to lay his hand on
the head of the offering, signifying the union and identification of
the offerer with the offering; our fellowship with Christ is a
matter of identification, a matter of us becoming Him and of Him
becoming us—Lev. 3:2, 8, 13.
B. The peace offering is illustrated in Luke 15:23-24 by the fattened
calf as a peaceful enjoyment between the receiving father, God,
and the returning prodigal son, a sinner.
C. We need to learn the secret of enjoying Christ as our peace
offering—the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s
understanding—Phil. 4:12, 7; John 16:33: [274]
1. We must learn the secret of how to take Christ as life, how to
 live Christ, how to magnify Christ, and how to gain Christ in
any environment and in any matter—Phil. 4:11-13:
a. We need to let our requests be made known to God,
talking with Him and conferring with Him in
everything—vv. 5-6; cf. Josh. 9:14; Prov. 3:5-6.
b. “Those who do not know this secret consider to live
Christ a difficult thing. Actually, you just need to practice
speaking with the Lord constantly; then spontaneously,
you will live Christ” (The Organic Aspect of God’s
Salvation, p. 55)—Phil. 1:19-21a.
c. The result of practicing fellowship with God in prayer is
that the peace of God, God as peace, is infused into us for
our enjoyment as the counterpoise to troubles and the
antidote to anxiety so that Christ as our forbearance can
be known to all men—4:5-7, 9; 1:20; Rom. 8:6; John
16:33:
(1) Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy
the Lord as a river of peace and as a comforting
mother—Isa. 66:12-13; cf. Gal. 4:26.
(2) Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy
the Lord as a refuge from the wind, a covering from
the tempest, streams of water in a dry place, and the
shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land—Isa. 32:2.
2. The virtues of Christ for our experience in Philippians 4:5-9
are the expression of a life that lives Christ as
peace—1:19-21a; 2:5-13; 3:8-10:
a. Paul considers forbearance and the lack of anxiety as the
first two aspects of the expression of a life that lives
Christ.
b. Anxiety, coming from Satan, is the sum total of human
life and disturbs the believers’ life of living Christ;
forbearance, coming from God, is the sum total of a life
that lives Christ; the two are opposites.
3. “Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is
near”—4:5:
a. Forbearance is reasonableness, considerateness, and [275]
consideration in dealing with others, without being strict
in claiming one’s legal rights; forbearance means that we
are easily satisfied, even with less than our due.
b. According to Christian experience, forbearance is
all-inclusive, for it includes all Christian virtues:
 (1) Forbearance includes love, patience, kindness,
humility, compassion, considerateness, and
submissiveness, a willingness to yield; if we have
such an all-inclusive virtue, we shall also have
righteousness and holiness.
(2) Forbearance also includes self-control, moderation,
gentleness, understanding, sympathy, wisdom, mercy,
peacefulness, looking to the Lord, and even the virtue
of admitting that the Lord is sovereign in all things.
c. A forbearing person is one who always fits in, whose
behavior is always suitable—cf. 2 Cor. 6:1a; 10:1; Phil.
1:19; Isa. 11:2.
d. If we are forbearing, we shall have the wisdom and the
ability to supply others with what they need; we shall also
have the full knowledge of what to say to them and when
to say it—50:4-5; Col. 1:28.
e. To be forbearing is to consider how others will be
affected by what we do or say—2 Chron. 1:10.
f. As an all-inclusive virtue, forbearance is Christ Himself;
since Christ is forbearance, for Paul to live was
forbearance—Phil. 1:21a:
(1) To let our forbearance be known to all men is to let
the Christ whom we live and magnify, whom we take
as our pattern and pursue as our goal, be known to all
men.
(2) Only the Lord Jesus lived a life full of forbearance,
and only Christ can be our perfect forbearance today.
(3) To make known our forbearance is to live a life that
expresses Christ as the totality of all human virtues.
g. Immediately after speaking about forbearance, Paul says
that the Lord is near: [276]
(1) With respect to space, the Lord is near us, ready to
help; with regard to time, the Lord is at hand, coming
soon—cf. Rom. 10:8-13.
(2) The Lord’s being near refers primarily to His
presence with us—Matt. 1:23.
4. “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s
understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in
Christ Jesus”—Phil. 4:6-7:
 a. The words in everything refer to the many different
things that happen to us day by day.
b. Prayer is general, having worship and fellowship as its
essence; petition is special, being for particular needs;
both our prayer and our petition should be accompanied
by our giving thanks to the Lord.
c. To God denotes motion toward, in the sense of a living
union and communion, implying fellowship; hence, the
sense of to God here is “in the fellowship with God.”
d. The God of peace patrols before our hearts and thoughts
in Christ, keeping us calm and tranquil; a proper Christian
life is a life of calm, tranquility, peace, and quiet (1 Tim.
2:1-2; Isa. 30:15a); the first aspect of a life that lives
Christ is tranquility—without rivalry, vainglory,
murmurings, or reasonings and without debate, arguing,
or fighting with others.
e. Let your forbearance be known is parallel to let your
requests be made known—Phil. 4:5-6:
(1) Our anxiety can be turned into forbearance by
bringing every need, every request, to God, and by
conversing with Him; we should just tell Him what
we need; that is, if we have any worry or anxiety, we
should just tell Him.
(2) Our letting Him know is our motion toward Him; then
His response is His dispensing, His mingling Himself
with us, even before He answers our request; the
practical mingling of divinity with humanity is carried
out by the traffic described in verse 6. [277]
f. If we would have a life free of anxiety, we need to realize
that all our circumstances, good or bad, have been
assigned to us by God in order to serve us in fulfilling our
destiny to gain Christ, live Christ, and magnify
Christ—Rom. 8:28-29; Matt. 10:29-30; 2 Cor. 4:16-18.
III. We need to learn the secret of how to have the vital-group church life
as a house of feasting—a feast of Christ as the peace
offering—where He and His lovers can have rest and
satisfaction—John 12:1-3:
A. This church life is produced by the resurrection life—11:43-44.
B. This church life is composed of cleansed sinners—Mark 14:3.
C. This church life is outwardly poor and afflicted—John 12:1;
16:33.
 D. This church life is a life of feasting in and with the presence of
the Lord—12:2; Acts 3:20a.
E. This church life has more sisters than brothers—John 12:2-3.
F. In this church life there are the functions of Martha (diligently
serving the Lord), Lazarus (testifying of the resurrection life),
and Mary (pouring out her absolute love on the Lord)—vv. 2-3,
9-11.
IV. Our enjoyment of Christ as our peace offering in our daily life and in
the church life consummates in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate
peace offering—Rev. 21:2:
A. Jerusalem means “the foundation of peace.”
B. The New Jerusalem is the Triune God to be our peace, to be our
safety.
C. The whole New Jerusalem will be an entity of peace.

[278]

MESSAGE TEN

CHRIST AS THE PEACE BETWEEN GOD AND GOD’S PEOPLE

FOR THEIR CO-ENJOYMENT IN FELLOWSHIP
TO HAVE THE VITAL-GROUP CHURCH LIFE
AND TO CONSUMMATE IN THE NEW JERUSALEM
AS THE ULTIMATE PEACE OFFERING
With this message we come to the matter of the peace offering.

THE ISSUE OF ENJOYING CHRIST

AS OUR BURNT OFFERING, OUR MEAL OFFERING,
OUR SIN OFFERING, AND OUR TRESPASS OFFERING
BEING THE ENJOYMENT OF CHRIST
AS THE PEACE OFFERING
The issue of enjoying Christ as our burnt offering, our meal offering, our
sin offering, and our trespass offering is the enjoyment of Christ as the
peace offering (Lev. 3:1-2; 6:12; 7:37). Leviticus 6:12 says, “The fire on
the altar shall be kept burning on it; it must not go out. And the priest shall
burn wood on it every morning, and he shall lay the burnt offering in order
upon it and shall burn the fat of the peace offerings on it.” The fire on the
altar came from the heavens, that is, from God, and the first duty of the
priests every morning was to keep that fire burning. Likewise, our first
duty in the morning is to spend time with the Lord to keep the fire burning.
The priests were to burn wood on the altar every morning. This signifies
that we put ourselves on the altar of burnt offering every morning; we take
Christ as our burnt offering. Thus, we put ourselves daily on the altar of
burnt offering, taking Christ as our burnt offering, which means that we
take Christ as our absoluteness, as the One who is absolutely for God’s
satisfaction. Our taking Christ as our burnt offering issues in our taking
Him as our peace offering. He is our peace toward God and our peace
toward man. As we will see in this message, He is the One who gives us
peace in our hearts and who mounts patrol over our hearts. Philippians 4:7
says, “The peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will
guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” The burnt offering is
for our absoluteness for [279] God; the peace offering is for our fellowship
with God. If we take these offerings every morning, the fire in us will burn
continually, and we will maintain our zeal for the Lord’s house.

Our Needing to Not Try to Have Peace by Our Own Effort;

the More We Try in Ourselves to Have Peace,
the Less Our Having Peace;
the Only Way to Have Peace
Being to Enjoy Christ Every Day
We should not try to have peace by our own effort; the more we try in
ourselves to have peace, the less peace we will have; the only way to have
peace is to enjoy Christ every day (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 12:3b; Eph.
3:16-17). Although we may be in need of peace, the more we strive to have
peace by our own effort, the more anxious we become. We need to give
ourselves to enjoy Christ, not occasionally but every day. Every day we
need to enjoy Christ, and then we will have Him as our continual peace.
Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,
but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom of
God is peace in the Holy Spirit, but how can we get this? First Corinthians
12:3b says, “No one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.” To
call on the Lord is not merely to practice a form. When you call on the
Lord’s name, you may say, “Lord Jesus, I love You. Lord Jesus, I need
You. Lord Jesus, be with me.” You should never say, “Oh, I am so tired.”
Instead, say, “Lord Jesus, I am so tired.” This makes a big difference. Then
He will say, “I will be your energy.” Whenever you say, “Lord Jesus!” you
are in the Holy Spirit, and when you are in the Holy Spirit, you have Christ
as peace in the Holy Spirit. Never graduate from calling on the name of the
Lord. We need to call on the name of the Lord continually.
Ephesians 3:16-19 says, “That He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into
the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith,
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to
apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and
depth are and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you
may be filled unto all the fullness of God.” We need to pray this prayer
every day. If we do this, we will have Christ as peace in our hearts. [280]

Having Peace Being a Measurement

to Show Us to What Degree We Enjoy Christ
Having peace is a measurement to show us to what degree we enjoy
Christ (1:2; cf. Matt. 11:28-30). Peace is a measurement to show how much
we are enjoying Christ. I hope that all of us have Christ as peace and are
enjoying Christ to the uttermost. Ephesians 1:2 says, “Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Vine’s Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words says that the Greek word translated
“grace” is in an objective sense “that which bestows or occasions pleasure,
delight, or causes favorable regard.” Based on this understanding, we may
say that subjectively grace is God in Christ as the Spirit for our pleasure,
delight, and enjoyment. In Ephesians 1:2 grace is followed by peace, and
peace is from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I
will give you rest.” Two important words in the New Testament are come
and go. We first need to come to Him. Here is His promise that if we come
to Him, He will give us rest. Thus, every day we need to come to Him and
pray, “Lord, give me rest.” He will answer this prayer based upon His
word. He Himself is our real rest. When we have Him, we are on a real
vacation and have real rest. We enjoy Christ as our Sabbath rest.
Verse 29 says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am
meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The real
rest is for our souls. At times we can be outwardly at rest yet not at rest in
our soul. In our mind, emotion, and will we are uneasy. We need Christ as
rest for our souls.
Verse 30 continues, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The yoke
here is the Father’s will. The Father’s will is something easy. If we feel
that something is too hard or that we are getting burned out in our Christian
life, we need to turn to the Lord and say, “Lord, I like taking Your yoke
upon me. Your yoke is easy, and Your burden is light.” The burden here is
the work to carry out the Father’s will. As we take the Father’s will upon
us and share in His work, we are His co-workers to carry out His will. His
burden is light.

Our Needing to Enjoy Christ Today

and Forget about Yesterday and about Tomorrow
We should enjoy Christ today and forget about yesterday and about [281]
tomorrow (6:25, 34; Phil. 3:13-14; Heb. 3:7-8, 13). Otherwise, we may be
counting the days before a certain event and miss the enjoyment of Christ
today.
Our beloved Brother Dave Higgins, now with the Lord, had a framed
quote in his office that said, “You only have today; you do not have
tomorrow.” This was a word that Brother Lee gave to the first group of
trainees who went to the former Soviet Union. What he said to them was so
simple yet so profound. Satan, God’s enemy, always likes to tempt us with
questions regarding tomorrow: “How are you going to get through
tomorrow? How are you going to pass the test tomorrow? How are you
going to give the message tomorrow?” He tries to tempt us and cause us to
be anxious about tomorrow. However, we are not people of tomorrow; we
are people of today. We only have today; we do not have tomorrow.
In Matthew 6:25 the Lord said, “Do not be anxious for your life, what
you should eat or what you should drink; nor for your body, what you
should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?”
Then in verse 34 He said, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for
tomorrow will be anxious for itself; sufficient for the day is its own evil.”
In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul testifies, “Brothers, I do not account of
myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which
are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue
toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me
upward.” Let us simply forget everything behind and stretch forward to the
things which are before. We should stretch forward to the vast, unexplored
territory of Christ before us in our spirit. There is a vast, unexplored
territory of Christ waiting for us to discover every day.
As he stretched forward, Paul pursued. The Greek word for pursue is the
same as the word for persecute. Saul of Tarsus persecuted Christ in a
negative way before his conversion, but after his conversion he
“persecuted” Christ in a positive way. He pursued Christ with his whole
being. He says, “I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in
Christ Jesus has called me upward.” The goal toward which we pursue is
the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ. If we pursue with this goal, our
prize will be the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom.
We pursue toward the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ in this age
and toward the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the next age.
In the book of Hebrews there is frequent use of the word today. [282]
Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if
you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, in the
day of trial in the wilderness.’” Then verse 13 says, “Exhort one another
each day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ lest any one of you be hardened by
the deceitfulness of sin.” Praise the Lord for today, and praise the Lord that
His name is I Am! He is the present tense; He is the God of today.

CHRIST BEING THE PEACE

BETWEEN GOD AND GOD’S PEOPLE
FOR THEIR CO-ENJOYMENT IN FELLOWSHIP

Christ is the peace between God and God’s people for their
co-enjoyment in fellowship (cf. 1 Cor. 1:9). First Corinthians 1:9 says,
“God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” We were called into the fellowship of His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Greek word for fellowship here is
koinonia, which means “joint participation.” We jointly participate in
Christ for our enjoyment. Even now, we are in a joint participation in
Christ for our enjoyment.
God is faithful. What does it mean to say that God is faithful? We might
think that certain material blessings show that God is faithful. Actually,
God is faithful means that He is faithful to take away all our idols. God is
faithful to take away everything within us that replaces Christ or takes
precedence over Christ. Sometimes our safety, our security, our health, or
our possessions can become idols to us. God does not want those things to
become idols to us. He wants to be our safety, our security, our health, and
our possession, so He is faithful to take away all our idols and lead us into
the joint participation of Christ in which we enjoy Him with one another to
the uttermost.
 The One Who Offered the Peace Offering
Laying His Hand on the Head of the Offering,
Signifying the Union and Identification
of the Offerer with the Offering;
Our Fellowship with Christ
Being a Matter of Identification,
a Matter of Us Becoming Him and of Him Becoming Us
The one who offered the peace offering was to lay his hand on the head
of the offering, signifying the union and identification of the offerer [283]
with the offering; our fellowship with Christ is a matter of identification, a
matter of us becoming Him and of Him becoming us (Lev. 3:2, 8, 13). Of
course, we do not become Him in the Godhead; such a thought is heretical.
We do, however, become Him in life and nature, so it is a matter of us
becoming Him. We become a peace offering to God, and He becomes us.

The Peace Offering Being Illustrated in Luke 15:23-24

by the Fattened Calf as a Peaceful Enjoyment
between the Receiving Father, God,
and the Returning Prodigal Son, a Sinner
The peace offering is illustrated in Luke 15:23-24 by the fattened calf as
a peaceful enjoyment between the receiving father, God, and the returning
prodigal son, a sinner. We all love this story in Luke 15. Only the Lord
Jesus could have told a parable like this about a prodigal son who receives
his inheritance and then goes away and spends all his money on profligate
living. A father is also there, and he is no doubt praying for the son.
Sometimes when we pray for someone, his circumstances become worse.
When the son had spent everything, a famine came upon the land. The
famine came at the worse time. Then the prodigal had to go and work at a
pig farm and eat the pigs’ food. This caused him to come to his senses.
Verse 17 says, “He came to himself.” Then he said, “I will rise up and go
to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven
and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like
one of your hired servants” (vv. 18-19). Knowing that his father’s hired
servants ate better than he did, he returned to his father’s house.
Luke 15:20 says, “He rose up and came to his own father. But while he
was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with
compassion, and he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him affectionately.”
This shows that the father had been waiting every day for him to return.
When we make a turn to the Father, He runs toward us. This is the one
illustration in the Bible where the Father ran. The father recognized the son
from a long way off. We can identify even from far away someone whom
we know and love.
The peace offering is illustrated in this parable by the fattened calf. As
the son started into the speech that he had prepared, the father interrupted
him and said, “Bring out quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a
ring on his hand and sandals on his feet” (v. 22). The best robe [284]
signifies Christ as the God-satisfying righteousness to cover the penitent
sinner. This is Christ for our judicial redemption. The ring signifies the
sealing Spirit, and the sandals signify the power of God’s salvation to
separate us from this dirty earth. Although the prodigal son was qualified
through Christ’s judicial redemption, he still was hungry. Then the father
went on to say, “And bring the fattened calf; slaughter it, and let us eat and
be merry, because this son of mine was dead and lives again; he was lost
and has been found” (vv. 23-24). This fattened calf signifies the rich Christ
killed on the cross for our enjoyment and for our organic salvation, our
“Christification.” We eat Him, we enjoy Him, and we become what we eat.

Our Needing to Learn the Secret of Enjoying Christ

as Our Peace Offering—the Peace of God,
Which Surpasses Every Man’s Understanding
We need to learn the secret of enjoying Christ as our peace
offering—the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding
(Phil. 4:12, 7; John 16:33). Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians,
yet Philippians is a book of joy and rejoicing. Paul was enjoying the law of
rejoicing while he was in prison. The words joy and rejoice occur
repeatedly in Philippians (cf. 1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17-18, 28-29; 3:1; 4:1, 4,
10). This indicates that Paul was full of joy and rejoicing. For example, he
says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v. 4). To us it
would have been sufficient to simply say, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
However, Paul adds, “Again I will say, rejoice.” That he said this from
prison is really quite remarkable. Do not bemoan your situation. You are
surely not in a Roman prison. Remember what Paul says: “Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
In verse 12 Paul refers to the secret he had learned: “I know also how to
be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I
have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and
to lack.” We also need to learn this secret, that is, the secret of enjoying
Christ as our peace offering.

Our Needing to Learn the Secret

of How to Take Christ as Life, How to Live Christ,
How to Magnify Christ, and How to Gain Christ
in Any Environment and in Any Matter
We must learn the secret of how to take Christ as life, how to live [285]
Christ, how to magnify Christ, and how to gain Christ in any environment
and in any matter (vv. 11-13). In any environment and in any matter, we
need to learn the secret. The Greek phrase translated “I have learned the
secret” can also be translated as “I have been initiated.” It is somewhat like
being initiated into a secret society. We have been initiated into a society
where we learn how to enjoy Christ, live Christ, magnify Christ, pursue
Christ, gain Christ, and be found in Christ. We are learning the secret of
enjoying Christ, gaining Christ, and being found in Christ so that Christ
can be everything to us.

Our Needing to Let Our Requests Be Made Known to God,

Talking with Him and Conferring with Him in Everything
We need to let our requests be made known to God, talking with Him
and conferring with Him in everything (vv. 5-6; cf. Josh. 9:14; Prov.
3:5-6). We should never take these verses for granted. Paul says in
Philippians 4:5-7, “Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is
near. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of
God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts
and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God here is the peace
offering. We all need this every day.
We need to let our requests be made known to God, talking with Him
and conferring with Him in everything. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at
all times, O people; / Pour out your heart before Him; / God is a refuge to
us. Selah.” Learn to talk to the Lord. One of the best ways to enjoy the
divine dispensing is to learn to talk to the Lord regarding everything.
Our tendency is to talk to people about anything and everything.
Especially when something is bothering us, we may go to a brother and tell
him how bothered we are or how difficult our circumstances are. Instead of
talking to others, what we need to do is tell the Lord all that is bothering us.
We need to confer with the Lord, to make our requests known to God. We
need to turn our anxiety into forbearance by talking to the Lord, by
conferring with Him in everything. I am not saying that we should not
fellowship with one another. We need to do that, but first we need to go to
the Lord and talk to Him about our anxieties. We can talk to Him about
anything and everything that is bothering us.
At the beginning of Psalm 73, Asaph the psalmist says, “Surely God
[286] is good to Israel, / To those who are pure in heart. / But as for me, my
feet were nearly turned aside; / My steps had almost slipped. / For I was
envious of the arrogant, / When I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv.
1-3). Then in verses 14 and 15 he says, “I have been plagued all day long /
And chastened every morning. / If I had said, I will speak thus; / Behold, I
would have betrayed the generation of Your children.” In other words, he
could not tell anyone about what he was going through, how he regarded
the prosperity of the wicked and how he was bothered that they did not
suffer the way he did.
Verses 16 and 17 say, “When I considered this in order to understand it,
/ It was a troublesome task in my sight, / Until I went into the sanctuary of
God; / Then I perceived their end.” We need to go into the sanctuary of
God. What happens then is that we get the solution to our perplexities. The
sanctuary of God is our spirit where the Lord dwells. The Lord is with our
spirit. The sanctuary of God is also the church as the temple of the living
God. When we get into our spirit and especially into the meetings of the
church, we receive divine revelation, and we obtain the explanations to all
our problems. Even though our problems might not be specifically
addressed, we still receive divine revelation and the explanation and
solution to all our problems.
The way the psalm ends is amazing. When you read the beginning, the
psalmist was one way, but after he went into the sanctuary of God, that is,
after he got into his spirit, into the church, and into the meetings, the entire
psalm makes a turn. In verses 22 through 24 the psalmist says, “I was
brutish and knew nothing; / I was like a beast before You. / Nevertheless I
am continually with You; / You have taken hold of my right hand. / You
will guide me with Your counsel, / And afterward You will receive me in
glory.” He turned because he talked to the Lord. He conferred with the
Lord. He did not just keep the matter inside of himself, nor did he talk with
his neighbors about everything. He talked to the Lord. The psalmist
continues in verses 25 through 28, “Whom do I have in heaven but You? /
And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth. / My flesh and my heart
fail, / But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever. / For behold,
those who are far from You will perish; / You destroy all who go about as
harlots away from You. / But as for me, drawing near to God is good for
me; / I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge, / That I may declare all
Your works.” We should all speak this to the Lord.
In Joshua 9 the Gibeonites deceived the Israelites. The Gibeonites [287]
were Hivites, and God’s command to the Israelites was to destroy the
Hivites, one of the pagan tribes, because of their idolatry and their terrible
situation. Here the Gibeonites tricked the Israelites, with Joshua taking the
lead. Verse 14 gives the reason that the Israelites were deceived: “They did
not ask for the counsel of Jehovah.”
In everything we do, in every detail of our life, we should ask for the
counsel of Jehovah. We should never be on autopilot. We may decide to
get a car, and we simply get one without ever checking with the Lord. We
should ask, “Lord, what car do You want me to get? What car is best for
the church life?” We should forget about our concept and open to the Lord.
Likewise, regarding where to live, we should ask, “Where should I live,
Lord? Where do You want me to live, Lord Jesus? What is best for Your
interests, Lord?” We are wholly given to the Lord for His interests, for His
economy, and for Christ and the church. Thus, we seek His counsel in
everything.

“Those Who Do Not Know This Secret

Consider to Live Christ a Difficult Thing.
Actually, You Just Need to Practice
Speaking with the Lord Constantly;
Then Spontaneously, You Will Live Christ”
“Those who do not know this secret consider to live Christ a difficult
thing. Actually, you just need to practice speaking with the Lord
constantly; then spontaneously, you will live Christ” (The Organic Aspect
of God’s Salvation, p. 55) (Phil. 1:19-21a). This is a wonderful secret. To
live Christ is not a difficult thing. Practice speaking with the Lord
constantly; then spontaneously, you will live Christ. Spontaneously,
unconsciously, and effortlessly, you will live Christ if you practice
speaking with the Lord constantly in all things.

The Result of Practicing Fellowship with God in Prayer

 Being That the Peace of God, God as Peace,
Is Infused into Us for Our Enjoyment
as the Counterpoise to Troubles
and the Antidote to Anxiety
So That Christ as Our Forbearance
Can Be Known to All Men
The result of practicing fellowship with God in prayer is that the peace
of God, God as peace, is infused into us for our enjoyment as the [288]
counterpoise to troubles and the antidote to anxiety so that Christ as our
forbearance can be known to all men (4:5-7, 9; 1:20; Rom. 8:6; John
16:33). The word counterpoise means “a counteracting weight.” In other
words, our anxiety may be tipping the scales one way, but when we pray
ourselves into the Lord and enjoy Him as peace, the scales go the other
way. The peace of God overcomes and swallows up all our anxiety.
Romans 8:6 says that “the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” We
have to pay attention to the Spirit in our spirit. Then we will have life and
peace, which is a sense of ease, of enlightening, of watering, of brightness,
and of inner harmony. We want to maintain the inner sense of life and
peace.

Through Our Fellowship with God in Prayer,

Our Enjoying the Lord as a River of Peace
and as a Comforting Mother

Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy the Lord as a river
of peace and as a comforting mother (Isa. 66:12-13; cf. Gal. 4:26). Isaiah
66:12-13 says, “Thus says Jehovah, / I now am extending to her / Peace
like a river, / And the glory of the nations / Like an overflowing stream; /
And you will nurse, you will be carried on the hip, / And you will be
bounced on the knees. / As one whom his mother comforts, / So will I
comfort you; / And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
Babies love being bounced on the knees. This can turn a frown into a
smile and can make them laugh. This is what the Lord does to us. We may
come to a meeting with a frown, but then we are “bounced on the knees.”
He is a river of peace to us, and through our fellowship with God in prayer,
we enjoy Him as a comforting mother.

Through Our Fellowship with God in Prayer,

 Our Enjoying the Lord as a Refuge from the Wind,
a Covering from the Tempest, Streams of Water in a Dry Place,
and the Shadow of a Massive Rock in a Wasted Land

Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy the Lord as a

refuge from the wind, a covering from the tempest, streams of water in a
dry place, and the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land (32:2). We
enjoy Him in all these ways.

The Virtues of Christ for Our Experience in Philippians 4:5-9

Being the Expression of a Life That Lives Christ as Peace
The virtues of Christ for our experience in Philippians 4:5-9 are the [289]
expression of a life that lives Christ as peace (1:19-21a; 2:5-13; 3:8-10).
Philippians 4:5-7 says, “Let your forbearance be known to all men. The
Lord is near. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and
the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard
your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” Sometimes we see a saint
whose circumstances are not so agreeable, yet they are fully enveloped in
the peace of God. This peace surpasses every man’s understanding.
Paul goes on to say in verse 8, “Finally, brothers, what things are true,
what things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things are pure,
what things are lovely, what things are well spoken of, if there is any virtue
and if any praise, take account of these things.” These are the virtues of
Christ for our experience and the expression of a life that lives Christ as
peace.

Paul Considering Forbearance and the Lack of Anxiety

as the First Two Aspects
of the Expression of a Life That Lives Christ
Paul considers forbearance and the lack of anxiety as the first two
aspects of the expression of a life that lives Christ. When others are
worrying, we should not say, “Don’t worry. Everything will turn out
okay.” Those who are worried need to enjoy the Lord. Only the enjoyment
of the Lord can give us peace.

Anxiety, Coming from Satan, Being the Sum Total of Human Life
 and Disturbing the Believers’ Life of Living Christ;
Forbearance, Coming from God, Being the Sum Total of a Life
That Lives Christ; the Two Being Opposites
Anxiety, coming from Satan, is the sum total of human life and disturbs
the believers’ life of living Christ; forbearance, coming from God, is the
sum total of a life that lives Christ; the two are opposites. When we are
anxious, we need to remember that anxiety does not come from God but
from Satan. However, we can turn our anxiety into forbearance by
conferring with the Lord in everything, talking to Him in everything, and
having constant conversations with Him.
Once when I was young believer, I was seemingly having many
problems, and I went for a long walk to talk to the Lord. I felt that I was
ready to “retire” from the church life. I asked the Lord about many things
[290] that I felt were problems. While I was complaining to Him, I was
calling on His name. I said, “Lord Jesus, I cannot handle this” and “Lord
Jesus, this is too much pressure.” I went on talking to the Lord for a long
time, until I eventually said, “Lord, there is only one problem—I still love
You.” Eventually, I got through by conferring with the Lord.

“Let Your Forbearance Be Known to All Men.

The Lord Is Near”
“Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near” (Phil.
4:5). Footnote 3 on this verse says, “Near in space and time. With respect
to space, the Lord is near us, ready to help. With regard to time, the Lord is
at hand, coming soon.” He is near because He lives in us.

Forbearance Being Reasonableness, Considerateness,

and Consideration in Dealing with Others,
without Being Strict in Claiming One’s Legal Rights;
Forbearance Meaning That We Are Easily Satisfied,
Even with Less Than Our Due
Forbearance is reasonableness, considerateness, and consideration in
dealing with others, without being strict in claiming one’s legal rights;
forbearance means that we are easily satisfied, even with less than our due.
Seeing brothers like this deeply touches me and convicts me. They are
easily satisfied, even with less than their due; this is because they are
enjoying Christ so much. I traveled with another brother to visit Russia for
the work, and we stayed in two bedrooms that were separated by a wall.
This brother knows how to enjoy Christ in every kind of environment. The
first night I did not sleep well because of jet lag. Then around six o’clock
in the morning, I heard a voice singing to me through the wall, “Jesus Lord,
You’re our first love.” In response, I sang, “You’re the One we love the
best.” We continued singing back and forth to each other. That brother
helped me to be satisfied with Christ in that situation.

According to Christian Experience, Forbearance

Being All-inclusive, For It Includes All Christian Virtues

Forbearance Including Love, Patience, Kindness, Humility, Compassion,

Considerateness, and Submissiveness, a Willingness to Yield;
If We Have Such an All-inclusive Virtue,
Our Also Having Righteousness and Holiness
According to Christian experience, forbearance is all-inclusive, for [291]
it includes all Christian virtues. Forbearance includes love, patience,
kindness, humility, compassion, considerateness, and submissiveness, a
willingness to yield; if we have such an all-inclusive virtue, we shall also
have righteousness and holiness.

Forbearance Also Including Self-control, Moderation,

Gentleness, Understanding, Sympathy, Wisdom, Mercy, Peacefulness,
Looking to the Lord, and Even the Virtue of Admitting
That the Lord Is Sovereign in All Things

Forbearance also includes self-control, moderation, gentleness,

understanding, sympathy, wisdom, mercy, peacefulness, looking to the
Lord, and even the virtue of admitting that the Lord is sovereign in all
things. The concluding seven messages of the Life-study of Philippians
form a group entitled “A Life Full of Forbearance but without Anxiety.” In
Message 60 Brother Lee has a section entitled “God’s Assignment”:
If we would have a life free of anxiety, we need to realize that all
our circumstances, good or bad, have been assigned to us by God.
We need to have this realization with a full assurance. Suppose a
brother is in business as a merchant. His business may prosper,
and he may earn a good deal of money. Later his business may
 fail and he may lose much more than he earned. Both earning
money and losing it are God’s assignment to him. If this brother
has the full assurance that his circumstances come from God’s
assignment, he will be able to worship the Lord for His
arrangement. Perhaps losing money will benefit him more than
earning money, for through such a loss he may be perfected and
built up.
Likewise, both illness and good health come from God as His
assignment. We should all aspire to be healthy. But sometimes
good health does not perfect us as much as a period of illness.
Furthermore, when our health fails, we may be more inclined to
pray than when we are in good health.
The first prerequisite to having no anxiety is to have the full
assurance that all the sufferings we experience are God’s
assignment. What need is there to worry about things? God has
assigned them to us. He knows what we need. (p. 531) [292]
God has assigned our sufferings to us, but He has not assigned anxiety to
us. Anxiety comes from Satan. Peace is Christ as our peace offering.
Brother Lee continues,
When I was very young, I read a story about a conversation
between two sparrows who were talking about the sorrows and
the worries common among human beings. One sparrow asked
the other why people worry so much. The other sparrow
answered, “I don’t think they have a Father who cares for them
like we do. We don’t need to worry about anything because our
Father takes care of us.” Yes, our Father does care for us. But
sometimes He sends us hardships and sufferings to serve in
fulfilling our destiny to magnify Christ. We can be freed from
worry, not because God has promised us a life without suffering
but because we know that all our circumstances come to us as
God’s assignment. Paul did not care about life or death. He cared
only that Christ would be magnified in him. He realized that
every circumstance was for his good. This is the way to have no
anxiety.
Why do certain saints worry about losing money? Simply
because their desire is to have more money. Why are others
anxious about their health? They are anxious because they are
afraid to die. If we are ill, we need to declare, “Satan, what can
you do to me? I am not worried about death. Death does not make
 me anxious. Rather, the possibility of dying gives me another
opportunity to magnify Christ.” Instead of fearing poverty,
illness, or death, we should welcome them if God sends them to
us. Then we shall have no anxiety, for we shall know that every
circumstance is an assignment from our Father. This does not
mean, however, that we should seek suffering for its own sake.
We should not do things that will cause us to suffer. Those who
are in business should seek to make money, and those who are
employees should try to get a promotion. But if we lose money or
even lose our job, we need not be anxious. Such a loss comes
from God’s assignment, and we need not be anxious about it. (pp.
531-532)
Philippians 4:6 says, “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by
prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
[293] to God.” Later in the same series of messages, Brother Lee speaks
concerning this verse:
It is significant that in 4:6 Paul does not speak of prayer, petition,
and thanksgiving, but of prayer and petition with thanksgiving.
Both our prayer and petition should be accompanied by
thanksgiving to the Lord. Recently I once again learned the
lesson of being thankful to the Lord. When I asked the Lord to
restore my health, I was rebuked by Him for not thanking Him for
the measure of health I still had. Whenever we are ill, we need to
say, “Lord, I thank You that I am still healthy to a certain degree.
Lord, I am ill, but I am not so ill that I cannot minister Christ to
the saints. But, Lord, You know that I am not altogether healthy.
Therefore, I ask You to improve my health and make me fully
healthy again.” We all need to learn to petition the Lord in this
way.
Suppose a brother prays that the Lord will change his wife. If
he prays in this way, the Lord may ask him why he does not offer
thanks for his wife. Then the brother should pray, “Lord, I thank
You for giving me a good wife.” After offering thanks to the
Lord, he then may proceed to ask Him to transform his wife.
Another brother may lose his job and pray to the Lord
concerning employment. Instead of saying, “Lord, I have lost my
job and I need You to have mercy on me,” he should first thank
the Lord. Perhaps he should say, “Lord, I thank You that I did not
lose this job before now. Lord, I also thank You for the means I
 still have to support my family. O Lord, I have many things for
which to thank You.” Then along with his thanksgiving, he may
ask the Lord to give him another job. But even as he prays
concerning a new job, he should still be thankful and say, “Lord,
I believe that You will give me a new job. Lord, You know what
I need. I even thank You ahead of time for the job You will give
me.”
Let us all learn to pray and petition with thanksgiving. If we
are thankful to the Lord, this will keep us from anxiety. But if we
pray to the Lord out of worry, our anxiety will increase. Praying
about our situation may actually cause our [294] anxiety to grow.
But if we pray and petition with thanksgiving, our anxiety will be
driven away. (pp. 544-545)
We need to pray and petition with thanksgiving. As Brother Lee continues,
he testifies to this out of his own experience:
I must testify that I have learned to pray and petition with
thanksgiving not from doctrine, but from my experience with the
Lord. When I was ill recently, the Lord did rebuke me for not
thanking Him. He reminded me that I am still healthy enough to
function by releasing the Word. He rebuked me for allowing a
little illness to disturb me and for complaining about my situation
instead of exercising forbearance. By rebuking me for not
thanking Him sufficiently, the Lord helped me to be satisfied in
Him and not to be anxious. I thank the Lord for this training,
which has come through a time of illness and through the Lord’s
rebuke. (p. 545)
In the following section entitled “Accepting the Lord’s Will,” Brother
Lee speaks concerning our experiencing the Lord’s sufficient grace even
when He does not answer our prayer and petition:
We have seen that to overcome anxiety we need to pray and have
fellowship with the Lord and worship Him. Then with
thanksgiving we need to make our petitions known. When we do
this, we may think that the Lord will always answer us and give
us what we ask. However, sometimes the Lord will say no.
Consider Paul’s experience of the thorn in the flesh. In 2
Corinthians 12:8 he says, “Concerning this I entreated the Lord
three times that it might depart from me.” However, the Lord
denied Paul’s request, and said to him, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (v. 9) Therefore,
 Paul could declare, “Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in
my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over
me.” The crucial point here is that Paul accepted the will of God.
He realized that God’s will was to leave the thorn with him so
that he could experience His sufficient grace. Because Paul
accepted the Lord’s will, he did not have any anxiety.
Yes, we need to pray and petition the Lord with thanksgiving.
But when the Lord does not grant our petition, our anxiety may
increase instead of decrease. At such a time, we [295] realize that
the Lord will not change our situation. Instead, He allows the
“thorn” to remain. He knows that we need the thorn. He also
needs it that He may reveal His sufficient grace and in addition
train us to trust in Him. If we do not accept the Lord’s will but
insist on making petitions according to our own will, we shall not
be able to escape anxiety.
Suppose you pray to the Lord when you are suffering from a
certain illness. The Lord may answer your prayer and heal you.
He does this especially on behalf of those who are rather young in
their experience of Him. At a later time, however, you may again
become sick and ask the Lord to heal you. Instead of healing you
suddenly, He may heal you gradually, or He may not heal you at
all. Eventually, it may become clear to you that the Lord intends
for the illness to remain. If you accept His will in the matter, you
will be at peace. You will not have any anxiety.
When Brother Nee was a young man, he suffered from heart
disease. Often when he ministered the Word he was in such pain
that he had to lean on a stand for support. Although he contracted
this disease before he was thirty years of age, he lived with that
illness for nearly forty years. Although he knew that he could die
from that disease at any time, he accepted the Lord’s will and was
not anxious. He realized that his illness was a thorn given him for
the fulfillment of God’s purpose. (pp. 545-546)

A Forbearing Person Being One Who Always Fits In,

Whose Behavior Is Always Suitable
A forbearing person is one who always fits in, whose behavior is always
suitable (cf. 2 Cor. 6:1a; 10:1; Phil. 1:19; Isa. 11:2). We need to remember
that we have an all-fitting life. I often tell the full-time trainees that when
they return to their locality, they have a life that fits into that locality. They
should always honor the eldership in their locality. When they return, they
should not say that the church in their locality needs to do things in this or
that way, nor should they point out how they did things differently in the
training. Instead, they should always honor the leading brothers and fit in
with the church in their locality. Our life does not fit in and cannot fit in,
but the life that lives Christ fits in any situation and can work in any kind
of environment and circumstance. [296]

If We Are Forbearing, Our Having the Wisdom

and the Ability to Supply Others with What They Need;
Our Also Having the Full Knowledge
of What to Say to Them and When to Say It
If we are forbearing, we shall have the wisdom and the ability to supply
others with what they need; we shall also have the full knowledge of what
to say to them and when to say it (50:4-5; Col. 1:28). Isaiah 50:4-5, a
description of the Lord’s human living, says, “The Lord Jehovah has given
me / The tongue of the instructed, / That I should know how to sustain the
weary with a word. / He awakens me morning by morning; / He awakens
my ear / To hear as an instructed one. / The Lord Jehovah has opened my
ear; / And I was not rebellious, / Nor did I turn back.” First, the Lord had
the tongue of an instructed one, the tongue of a disciple, so that He could
sustain the weary with a word. The reason He had this kind of tongue was
that the Father woke Him morning by morning. Before we fall asleep at
night, in addition to setting our alarm, we should pray, “Lord, wake me up
tomorrow morning. I want to be woken up by You.” If we do this, we
might wake up before the alarm goes off so that we can hear the Lord. We
need to hear as an instructed one, as a disciple, so that we would have a
word in season for those who are weary. A brother recently gave a short
testimony that had much weight and greatly supplied me even though he
spoke only a few sentences. He had the tongue of an instructed one to
sustain me and others as the weary ones.

To Be Forbearing Being to Consider

How Others Will Be Affected by What We Do or Say
To be forbearing is to consider how others will be affected by what we
do or say (2 Chron. 1:10). When Brother Lee was a young man, he
frequently prayed the words of 2 Chronicles 1:10. He testifies, “The Lord
raised up a church in my hometown when I was young. A year later the
Lord led me to leave my job, and after that, He took me to Shanghai. At
that time, I prayed that the Lord would give me wisdom to know how to go
out and come in among His people (cf. 2 Chron. 1:9-10). I prayed this for
at least two or three years” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985,
vol. 2, p. 131). This was Solomon’s prayer when he was a young man.
Verse 7 says, “God appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask what I
should give you.” Solomon replied, “Give me wisdom [297] and
knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can
judge this great people of Yours?” (v. 10).
Solomon prayed for wisdom and knowledge. In Colossians 2:2-3 Paul
speaks of “Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are
hidden.” Therefore, we need to pray, “Lord, be my wisdom and my
knowledge so that I can consider how others will be affected by what I do
and what I say.” Whatever we say can have an effect on others that we did
not intend. Thus, we need the Lord as our wisdom in contacting others.
In 1 Timothy 5:1-2 Paul told Timothy how he should contact the elderly
brothers, the elderly sisters, the younger brothers, and the younger sisters
in all purity. Contacting others in all purity means that our only motive in
contacting them is to minister Christ to them so that they might grow in the
Lord. Often, when we contact an elderly brother, we should simply listen.
Sometimes, our listening to others can be a great supply to them. When
Job’s friends listened to him, they were a comfort to him (Job 2:11, 13).
However, as soon as they began to speak, they became an “un-vital group,”
because they expressed many opinions.

As an All-inclusive Virtue,
Forbearance Being Christ Himself;
Since Christ Is Forbearance,
for Paul to Live Being Forbearance
As an all-inclusive virtue, forbearance is Christ Himself; since Christ is
forbearance, for Paul to live was forbearance (Phil. 1:21a). To let our
forbearance be known to all men is to let the Christ whom we live and
magnify, whom we take as our pattern and pursue as our goal, be known to
all men. Only the Lord Jesus lived a life full of forbearance, and only
Christ can be our perfect forbearance today. To make known our
forbearance is to live a life that expresses Christ as the totality of all human
virtues.
 Immediately after Speaking about Forbearance,
Paul Saying That the Lord Is Near
Immediately after speaking about forbearance, Paul says that the Lord is
near. With respect to space, the Lord is near us, ready to help; with regard
to time, the Lord is at hand, coming soon (cf. Rom. 10:8-13). The Lord’s
being near refers primarily to His presence with us (Matt. 1:23). [298] The
Lord’s name is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” His presence is
with us.

“In Nothing Be Anxious, but in Everything,

by Prayer and Petition with Thanksgiving,
Let Your Requests Be Made Known to God;
and the Peace of God, Which Surpasses
Every Man’s Understanding, Will Guard Your Hearts
and Your Thoughts in Christ Jesus”

The Words in Everything Referring

to the Many Different Things
That Happen to Us Day by Day
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of
God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts
and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). The words in everything
refer to the many different things that happen to us day by day. For
example, we might misplace our watch. Instead of being anxious and
constantly thinking about where our watch is, we should pray, “Lord, You
know where my watch is. Where’s my watch, Lord Jesus?” The Lord
might not answer this prayer right away, but by calling on His name, we
are being mingled with Him, and He is being dispensed into us. It is better
to talk to Him about such things than to continually worry about them.
There is a message in The Collected Works of Watchman Nee entitled
“Tell Him” (vol. 18, pp. 327-331), which has been published as a booklet.
Brother Nee’s burden is that we need to tell the Lord everything. We need
to tell Him our anxieties, sorrows, and worries. We should speak to Him.
In Numbers 20:8 Jehovah said to Moses, “Speak to the rock...so that it
yields its water.” If we speak to Christ, whom the rock typifies, waters will
flow in our being. We should talk to the Lord not only when we are
miserable but also when we are happy. We can say, “Lord, I am so happy!”
Brother Nee recounts a story about C. H. Spurgeon, who was a great
evangelist in nineteenth-century England:
Mr. Charles Spurgeon once went with a friend to the countryside
for a horseback ride after he became exhausted from his
preaching. At one point he was elated, jumped off his horse, and
invited his friend to do the same. His friend [299] was surprised at
his move and asked him what he was going to do. He said, “Since
God has given us such joy, let us thank Him at this very minute.”
The two of them knelt down by the road and prayed. (p. 330)
There is much to thank the Lord for.

Prayer Being General,

Having Worship and Fellowship as Its Essence;
Petition Being Special, Being for Particular Needs;
Both Our Prayer and Our Petition Needing to Be Accompanied
by Our Giving Thanks to the Lord
Prayer is general, having worship and fellowship as its essence; petition
is special, being for particular needs; both our prayer and our petition
should be accompanied by our giving thanks to the Lord. We need to
remember to give thanks to the Lord. As we pray with petition and confer
with the Lord in everything, we should give thanks to Him. We need to
give thanks to Him about everything. We can start with the things that are
easy to thank Him for. For example, we can thank Him for the day,
praying, “Lord, thank You that I am alive. Thank You for a new day to
enjoy You.” Then we will be able to give thanks at all times for all things.
Once, a brother and I traveled to the Dominican Republic together, and
our luggage was lost for a few days. It was very hot and muggy there, and
we were sharing messages in a place that did not have air conditioning. The
only clothes we had were those that we were wearing. I said, “I wish they
would find our luggage.” The brother replied to me, “Brother, remember,
give thanks at all times for all things.” I answered, “You are right, brother.
O Lord, thank You. Thank You for our clothes. I know that You know
where they are.” The Lord was merciful to us—I was able to purchase a
shirt, and we eventually recovered our luggage.
 To God Denoting Motion Toward, in the Sense
of a Living Union and Communion, Implying Fellowship;
Hence, the Sense of to God Here
Being “in the Fellowship with God”
To God denotes motion toward, in the sense of a living union and
communion, implying fellowship; hence, the sense of to God here is “in the
fellowship with God.” When we make a move toward God, Christ as the
peace of God will move into us. [300]

The God of Peace Patrolling before Our Hearts

and Thoughts in Christ, Keeping Us Calm and Tranquil;
a Proper Christian Life Being a Life of Calm,
Tranquility, Peace, and Quiet;
the First Aspect of a Life That Lives Christ Being Tranquility—
without Rivalry, Vainglory, Murmurings, or Reasonings
and without Debate, Arguing, or Fighting with Others
The God of peace patrols before our hearts and thoughts in Christ,
keeping us calm and tranquil; a proper Christian life is a life of calm,
tranquility, peace, and quiet (1 Tim. 2:1-2; Isa. 30:15a); the first aspect of a
life that lives Christ is tranquility—without rivalry, vainglory, murmurings,
or reasonings and without debate, arguing, or fighting with others. In 1
Timothy 2:1-2 the Lord says through Paul, “I exhort therefore, first of all,
that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of
all men; on behalf of kings and all who are in high position, that we may
lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity.”
In Isaiah 30:15 the Lord said to the children of Israel, “In returning and
rest you will be saved; / In quietness and in trust will be your strength; /
But you were not willing.” Sometimes we need to return to the Lord. We
should pray, “Lord, I want to return to You. I repent and return to You with
my whole being. I take You as my Sabbath rest. I take You as my
salvation.” We can also pray, “Lord, be my quietness. Even though there is
much turmoil going on around me, be my inner quietness. Be my trust in
the Father.” If we do this, in quietness and trust will be our strength. We
should also pray, “Lord, be my strength.” The children of Israel were not
willing to do this, but we need to be willing to take Christ in this way.
 Let Your Forbearance Be Known
Being Parallel to Let Your Requests Be Made Known
Let your forbearance be known is parallel to let your requests be made
known (Phil. 4:5-6). Our anxiety can be turned into forbearance by
bringing every need, every request, to God, and by conversing with Him;
we should just tell Him what we need; that is, if we have any worry or
anxiety, we should just tell Him. Our letting Him know is our motion
toward Him; then His response is His dispensing, His mingling Himself
with us, even before He answers our request; the practical [301] mingling of
divinity with humanity is carried out by the traffic described in verse 6.

If We Would Have a Life Free of Anxiety,

Our Needing to Realize That All Our Circumstances,
Good or Bad, Have Been Assigned to Us
by God in Order to Serve Us in Fulfilling Our Destiny
to Gain Christ, Live Christ, and Magnify Christ
If we would have a life free of anxiety, we need to realize that all our
circumstances, good or bad, have been assigned to us by God in order to
serve us in fulfilling our destiny to gain Christ, live Christ, and magnify
Christ (Rom. 8:28-29; Matt. 10:29-30; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). Our destiny is to
gain Christ, to live Christ, and to magnify Christ for the building up of the
Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem. We want to fulfill this
destiny.
Romans 8:28-29 says, “All things work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those
whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.” The good
for which all things work together in verse 28 is revealed in verse 29,
which is our being conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God.
Hence, all persons, matters, situations, environments, and conditions work
together so that the Lord has a way to work Himself into us to transform us
and conform us to the image of the firstborn Son of God. He uses all things
to do this.
Romans 5 may be entitled “In Adam”; chapter 6, “In Christ”; chapter 7,
“In the Flesh”; and chapter 8, “In the Spirit.” The experience of being in
Adam (ch. 5) is to be in the flesh (ch. 7), and the experience of being in
Christ (ch. 6) is to experience the law of the Spirit of life in the Spirit (ch.
8). Romans 6 speaks of baptism (vv. 3-4), but the experience of baptism is
found in Romans 8 as an “all-things baptism” (v. 28). God uses all persons,
matters, environments, and situations to “sink us under the water” and to
“sink” us into our spirit by making us desperate to contact Him so that He
becomes real to us. The more real and genuine we are with Him, the more
real He becomes to us.
Second Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “We do not lose heart; but though our
outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For
our momentary lightness of affliction works out for us, more and more
surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory, because we do not [302] regard the
things which are seen but the things which are not seen; for the things
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal.” We should regard not the seen things but the unseen, precious,
invisible Christ of glory.

OUR NEEDING TO LEARN THE SECRET

OF HOW TO HAVE THE VITAL-GROUP CHURCH LIFE
AS A HOUSE OF FEASTING—A FEAST OF CHRIST
AS THE PEACE OFFERING—WHERE HE AND HIS LOVERS
CAN HAVE REST AND SATISFACTION

We need to learn the secret of how to have the vital-group church life as
a house of feasting—a feast of Christ as the peace offering—where He and
His lovers can have rest and satisfaction (John 12:1-3). John 3 through 11
reveals life, zoe, which is Christ as the eternal life of God meeting the need
of every man’s case. The issue of Christ as life meeting the need of every
man’s case is a house of feasting in John 12. Verses 1 through 3 say,
Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Therefore
they made Him a supper there; and Martha served, but Lazarus
was one of the ones reclining at table with Him. Then Mary took
a pound of ointment, of very valuable pure nard, and anointed the
feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was
filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
Our homes should be filled with the fragrance of our loving the Lord Jesus
with our whole being.
 This Church Life Being Produced by the Resurrection Life
This church life is produced by the resurrection life (11:43-44). Just
before the miniature of the church life depicted in 12:1-3, the Lord had
raised Lazarus from the dead.

This Church Life Being Composed of Cleansed Sinners

This church life is composed of cleansed sinners (Mark 14:3). The house
was that of Simon the leper, a cleansed sinner.

This Church Life Being Outwardly Poor and Afflicted

This church life is outwardly poor and afflicted (John 12:1; 16:33).
Bethany means “house of affliction.” [303]

This Church Life Being a Life of Feasting

in and with the Presence of the Lord
This church life is a life of feasting in and with the presence of the Lord
(12:2; Acts 3:20a).

This Church Life

Having More Sisters Than Brothers
This church life has more sisters than brothers (John 12:2-3).

In This Church Life There Being the Functions

of Martha (Diligently Serving the Lord),
Lazarus (Testifying of the Resurrection Life),
and Mary (Pouring Out Her Absolute Love on the Lord)
In this church life there are the functions of Martha (diligently serving
the Lord), Lazarus (testifying of the resurrection life), and Mary (pouring
out her absolute love on the Lord) (vv. 2-3, 9-11). Soon after the Lord had
raised Lazarus from the dead, “the chief priests took counsel to kill Lazarus
also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed
into Jesus” (vv. 10-11). Many believed into Jesus simply because they saw
Lazarus. We might think, “I am a Martha—I only serve practically”; or, “I
am a Lazarus—I need only to sit in my vital-group meeting. I do not have
to say anything, and others will be saved by my testimony”; or we might
say, “I am a Mary—I simply sit at the Lord’s feet, listen to His word, and
love Him. I do not have to serve practically like Martha or be in
resurrection like Lazarus.” However, it is not adequate for us to be like
only one of these three. Instead, our name should be
“Martha-Lazarus-Mary.” In other words, we need to be those who serve
the Lord practically, live in resurrection, and love the Lord absolutely.

OUR ENJOYMENT OF CHRIST AS OUR PEACE OFFERING

IN OUR DAILY LIFE AND IN THE CHURCH LIFE
CONSUMMATING IN THE NEW JERUSALEM
AS THE ULTIMATE PEACE OFFERING

Our enjoyment of Christ as our peace offering in our daily life and in the
church life consummates in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate peace
offering (Rev. 21:2). Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.” We need to remember that the New [304]
Jerusalem is a person—the bride of Christ, and we are becoming the New
Jerusalem. We are being prepared to be His bride.

Jerusalem Meaning “the Foundation of Peace”

Jerusalem means “the foundation of peace.”

The New Jerusalem Being the Triune God

to Be Our Peace, to Be Our Safety
The New Jerusalem is the Triune God to be our peace, to be our safety.

The Whole New Jerusalem Being an Entity of Peace

The whole New Jerusalem will be an entity of peace. In other words, the
New Jerusalem will be the ultimate peace offering.—E. M.

< Previous • Next >

Back to the table of contents
© 2018 Living Stream Ministry
All rights reserved.
 [305]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Experiencing Christ as the Peace Offering

for the Body of Christ
(Message 11)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 3:1-5; Rom. 15:33; John 14:27; Eph. 2:14-17;
4:3; Col. 1:20-22; 3:15

I. The Triune God is a God of peace—Rom. 15:33; 2 Thes. 3:16; Gal.

5:22:
A. God is the God of peace—Rom. 15:33; 1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 13:20:
1. Our Father is the God of peace, who has a peaceful life with a
peaceful nature—Rom. 15:33; 1 Thes. 5:23.
2. Because we have been justified by faith, we have peace
toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ—Rom. 5:1.
3. The peace we enjoy is God Himself—John 14:27; Phil. 4:7,
9.
B. The New Testament speaks about both the peace of God and the
God of peace; the peace of God and the God of peace are actually
one—Phil. 4:7; Heb. 13:20.
C. The peace of God is the God of peace infused into us through our
fellowship with Him—Rom. 16:20; Phil. 4:9; John 14:27.
D. In the world we have affliction, but in Christ we have
peace—16:33:
1. Our heart is troubled because we are in the world, and the
way for this trouble to be resolved is for us to enter into
Christ by believing into Him—14:1.
2. In 16:33 there are two realms: the physical realm (the world),
where all the troubles are, and the divine and mystical realm
of the pneumatic Christ, where the peace is.
II. Due to man’s fall, among mankind there are many ordinances,
customs, habits, and ways to live and worship, all of which have
divided, scattered, and confused mankind; there are partitions
between every nationality and race, and thus among the human race
there is no peace, only enmity, discord, and war—Eph. 2:14-15; cf.
Psa. 46:9; Isa. 2:4; 9:6-7; 11:6-9; Micah 4:3; Zech. 9:10. [306]
III. Because there can be no peace in the universe without Christ, the
 Peacemaker, we need Christ as our peace offering—Eph. 2:14-15;
Col. 1:20; Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-38:
A. The peace offering typifies Christ as the Peacemaker—3:1-5;
Eph. 2:15.
B. As the fulfillment and the reality of the type of the peace
offering, Christ is our peace; through Him and in Him we have
peace with God and with one another—v. 14; Col. 3:15; 1 Thes.
5:13b.
C. Apart from Christ we cannot have peace with God or with others;
we can have such peace only through Christ, with Christ, and in
Christ—Rom. 5:1; 12:18.
D. In the Body life and for the Body life, we need Christ as our
peace—Eph. 2:14; 4:3; Col. 3:15.
IV. Christ is the peace offering for the Body of Christ as revealed in
Ephesians—2:14:
A. Christ, who accomplished full redemption for both the Jewish
and the Gentile believers, is Himself our peace, our harmony:
1. When Christ was crucified as the peace offering, His death
abolished, annulled, the different ordinances of human life
and religion—vv. 14-15.
2. The differences among the races and the differences of social
rank have been abolished.
3. By Christ’s abolishing in His flesh the separating ordinances,
that is, by His slaying the enmity, and by His creating the
Jewish and the Gentile believers into one new man, peace
was made between all believers.
4. In one Body both the Jews and the Gentiles were reconciled
to God through the cross; we were reconciled to God not only
for the Body of Christ but also in the Body of Christ—v. 16.
5. Peace is possible only when everything contrary to God’s
economy has been terminated—Col. 1:20; 2:14-15; 3:15.
6. Through the blood of Christ we have been brought near both
to God and to God’s people—Eph. 2:13, 18-19.
B. In resurrection Christ came as the Spirit to preach peace as the
gospel; the Christ who died as the Peacemaker, shedding His
blood in order to reconcile us to God, came to us as the
life-giving Spirit, even as the preaching Spirit, to preach the
gospel [307] of peace—v. 17; Col. 1:20; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor.
3:17a; John 20:19, 21, 26; 14:27; 16:33.
C. In the Body life we should keep the oneness of the Spirit in the
uniting bond of peace—Eph. 4:3:
 1. Christ abolished on the cross all the differences among
mankind due to ordinances, and in so doing, He made peace
for His Body; this peace should bind all believers together
and thus become the uniting bond of peace—2:15; 4:3.
2. If we remain on the cross in our practice of the church life,
the peace that Christ made on the cross will become the
uniting bond in which we keep the oneness of the
Spirit—Matt. 16:24; Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:15; 4:3.
3. The uniting bars of the tabernacle signify the mingled
spirit—the divine Spirit mingled with the regenerated human
spirit—to become the uniting bond of peace; in our
experience the uniting bond of peace is the cooperation of our
spirit with the uniting Spirit, the crossing Spirit—Exo.
26:26-29; Eph. 4:3.
D. In order to engage in spiritual warfare, we need to have our feet
shod with the firm foundation, the establishing, of the gospel of
peace—6:11, 14-15:
1. Christ made peace for us, with both God and man, on the
cross, and this peace has become our gospel—2:13-17.
2. This gospel of peace has been established as a firm
foundation with which our feet may be shod; being thus shod,
we will have a firm footing so that we may stand to fight the
spiritual warfare—6:11, 14-15.
E. “Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet
shortly”—Rom. 16:20:
1. God promises that He will crush Satan under the feet of those
who live the church life, showing that the crushing of Satan is
related to the church life—v. 20.
2. Dealing with Satan is a Body matter, not an individual
matter—Eph. 6:10-18.
3. It is only when we have a proper local church as the practical
expression of the Body that Satan is crushed under our
feet—Rom. 16:1, 4, 20. [308]
V. Christ is the peace offering for the Body of Christ as revealed in
Colossians—1:8, 20-22; 2:19; 3:15:
A. For God to reconcile all things to Himself is to make peace unto
Himself for all things; this was accomplished through the blood
of the cross of Christ—1:20.
B. We have been called to the peace of Christ in one Body—3:15.
C. No one who is independent of the Body has real peace;
dependence on the Body brings in genuine peace—Gal. 6:16.
 D. For the Body life we need to allow the peace of Christ to
arbitrate, to adjust, and to decide all things in our hearts in our
relationship with the members of His Body—Col. 3:15:
1. The Greek word for arbitrate can be rendered “umpire,
preside, be enthroned as a ruler and decider of everything.”
2. If we allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts, this
peace will settle all the disputes among us; then we will have
peace with God vertically and with the saints
horizontally—1:20; 3:15.
3. Through the arbitration of the peace of Christ, our problems
are solved, and the friction between the members of the Body
disappears; then the church life is preserved in oneness and
sweetness—vv. 12-15; Rom. 12:4-5, 18; 14:19; Heb. 12:14.
4. The arbitrating peace of Christ is Christ working within us to
exercise His rule over us, to speak the last word, and to make
the final decision—cf. Isa. 9:6-7.
5. If we stay under the ruling of the enthroned peace of Christ,
we will not offend others or damage them; rather, by the
Lord’s grace and with His peace, we will minister life to
others.
6. In the church life we need to be at peace in everything, in
every way, and with everyone; for this we need the Lord of
peace to give us peace continually in every way—Heb.
12:14; 1 Thes. 5:13; 2 Thes. 3:16; Rom. 12:18; 14:19; Mark
9:50; 2 Tim. 2:22; James 3:18; Matt. 5:9.

[309]

MESSAGE ELEVEN

EXPERIENCING CHRIST AS THE PEACE OFFERING

FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST
As those who are being trained by God, we need to experience the three
kinds of openings mentioned in Luke 24. First, the two disciples with
whom the Lord spent some time said that He opened to them the Scriptures
(v. 32). We need the Lord to train us by opening the Scriptures. Second,
their eyes were opened to see Christ as the resurrected One (v. 31). Third,
the Lord opened the minds of the apostles to understand the Scriptures
when He appeared to them as they were assembled together (v. 45). The
natural human mind is small, narrow, biased, and closed. What will be
presented regarding the peace offering will enter into us first through our
opened mind, because the basic thought of the peace offering is radically
different from what we may know from our limited view.
We have emphasized the fact that Christ is the reality of the offerings
presented as types in Leviticus. As the reality of these offerings, He solves
all the problems that we have before God. We are not and cannot be for
God, but Christ as the burnt offering is the solution. We are one with Him,
we are in union with Him, and we can apply Him. Our humanity has been
damaged and is unable to fulfill His purpose. Christ as the meal offering is
the solution to this problem. We partake of Him, digest Him, and assimilate
Him to become His reproduction. We have sin in the flesh; we even are sin.
We have seen that Christ as the sin offering has thoroughly dealt with sin
and everything related to it. Our history of trespasses, our problem of sins,
has been solved by Christ as the reality of the trespass offering.

CHRIST AS THE PEACE OFFERING

SOLVING OUR PROBLEM OF ENMITY WITH GOD

The problem solved by the peace offering is the most serious problem
that fallen human beings have in relation to God. The peace offering solves
the problem of our being enemies to God. Sinners need [310] redemption,
propitiation, forgiveness, cleansing, and justification by faith. Enemies,
because of their enmity, need reconciliation. The one who is the source of
sin is the enemy. He hates God and is actively opposing God. The children
of the devil produced by him are called the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).
Thus, we too became enemies. Romans 5:10 says, “We, being enemies,
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” Enemies are those
in a state of enmity. Ephesians 2:16 speaks of Christ on the cross slaying
the enmity. Enmity means “a deep-rooted hatred” or “a state of being or a
feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.” In
our culture today, there are aggressive, hostile, vicious atheists. They are
not simply saying why they do not believe in God. They are waging war.
They have many allies in the media, in the courts, and in the government.
Enmity is our most serious problem before God. There is enmity due to the
rebellion of the archangel Lucifer and the angels who followed him.
Hence, there is no peace in the universe, and there cannot be. This enmity
has been injected into our being, and it is institutionalized by culture and
enforced among nations, races, and social classes. There is enmity
throughout the earth. The peace offering, though based upon the other
offerings, addresses this most serious situation.
In this opening word I want to present seven words that will gradually
open up the matter of Christ as the reality of the peace offering. The first
word is enmity; enmity is the most serious condition or situation that we
have toward God. Fallen people do not want God. They oppose God; they
are enemies. Man does not want God, but God still wants man. God still
loves these fallen humans. The second word is Christ. Christ Himself is the
peace offering. The third word is the cross. Christ made peace through the
blood of the cross. The cross issues in redemption. Redemption is the fourth
word. The fifth word is reconciliation. Redemption is necessary for us to
be reconciled, that is, to be brought back into harmony with God. With this
reconciliation, we have peace, which is the sixth word. This peace is a
matter of the Body, which is the seventh word. Therefore, the seven words
are enmity, Christ, cross, redemption, reconciliation, peace, and Body.
Our natural mind limits our thinking, and we spontaneously have the
concept that reconciliation is an individual matter. Of course, there is a
personal application of reconciliation, but according to the picture in the
Old Testament and the revelation in the New Testament, reconciliation is
actually a Body matter. Reconciliation is a corporate matter. [311] We were
reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). We have peace in the Body (Eph. 2:15-16).
There is a picture of this in Exodus. God’s people, the children of Israel,
were far away from God in Egypt. Then based upon the passover and the
exodus out of Egypt, God brought the entire congregation back to Himself.
The Lord wants to enlarge our realization to see that the goal of Christ as
the reality of the peace offering is that we would corporately be in oneness
with the Triune God. The peace offering makes it possible for the Body of
Christ and the one new man to exist on the earth.
At this juncture we need to see that there are two kinds of peace that are
unreal, false. In John 14:27 the Lord said, “Peace I leave with you; My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” The world
with its diplomacy, psychology, and human-relations skills brings in a
so-called peace. Perhaps one of the most absurd political expressions is
peace process, a term used by the media regarding the Middle East. This is
a ridiculous expression because among the nations and the peoples in the
Middle East, there is no real peace. In 1 Thessalonians 5:3 Paul indicates
that just before the great tribulation begins, the world will be saying,
“Peace and security.” Verse 3 goes on to say, “Then sudden destruction
comes upon them, just as birth pangs to a woman with child; and they shall
by no means escape.” When the temple is rebuilt, some will declare,
“Peace and security.”
The other kind of inauthentic peace is a subjective, self-created,
counterfeit peace. Here is a real case: In March 1989 a brother who had
been a co-worker and who had been an elder in Anaheim stood up to speak
to the church. He wanted to announce his resignation from the eldership
and his leaving the church life, because in his view, the recovery had
changed in nature. That was his subjective view, in which he trusted. He
proceeded to make accusation after accusation against Brother Lee. Then
he said, “I am at peace with God, I am at peace with myself, and I am
peace with you all.” Another brother and I were given the responsibility to
write a rebuttal to what he said. I considered his words in the light of
something Brother Watchman Nee said in his ministry concerning spiritual
reality versus obsession; Brother Nee said, “Disobeying the truth and
thinking that one can live in peace is obsession” (The Collected Works of
Watchman Nee, vol. 36, p. 267). It is very easy for saints to justify all
kinds of things by saying, “I have peace. I have peace to do this.” We will
see that the Body of Christ has a corporate sense of peace.
There are two portions of the Word that lay the foundation for this [312]
message. Colossians 1:20 says, “Through Him to reconcile all things to
Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him,
whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.” This is a
universal reconciliation; it is not just for humans but for all things in God’s
creation. The heavens themselves have been contaminated. Verse 21
continues, “And you, though once alienated and enemies in your mind
because of your evil works.” The human mind is at enmity with God. It is
no wonder that Paul says, “The mind set on the flesh is enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be” (Rom.
8:7). Colossians 1:22 says, “He now has reconciled in the body of His flesh
through death, to present you holy and without blemish and without
reproach before Him.” We therefore see that Christ made peace through the
blood of the cross. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ arbitrate
in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be
thankful.” We were called to peace in one Body. When we truly experience
Christ as our peace offering, we will enter into the peace of the Body.
In Ephesians 2 we see a remarkably profound revelation of the work of
Christ on the cross. In verses 14 through 17 we see three things: Christ
Himself is peace, Christ Himself made peace, and Christ Himself came to
announce peace as the gospel. When He appeared to His disciples on the
day of His resurrection, His first word was, “Peace be to you” (John
20:19). Ephesians 2:14 says, “He Himself is our peace, He who has made
both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity.”
Christ Himself is our peace. He has made the Jews and the Gentiles one
and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity. There is a
middle wall of partition, not only between Jews and Gentiles but also
among all races, nations, peoples, and social classes. This partition is the
enmity. As long as we hold on to the partitions and insist on maintaining
the differences, the living out of the one new man will be an impossibility.
Verse 15 says, “Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in
ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so
making peace.” Christ did not abolish the commandments of the moral law,
which cannot change, but He abolished the ordinances related to religion,
to worship, to the way we live, and to culture in order that He might create
the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace. He made peace by
tearing down the middle wall of partition, by removing the divisive
elements, and then creating in Himself one new man. Verse 16 continues,
“And might reconcile both [313] in one Body to God through the cross,
having slain the enmity by it.” This is good news. We remind the devil that
he has been destroyed. Now we can proclaim, “The enmity has been slain.”
Finally, Ephesians 2:17 says, “And coming, He announced peace as the
gospel to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near.”
This is Christ as the peace offering. Christ Himself is peace; peace is a
person. Therefore, as the One who is peace, only He could be the
Peacemaker. On the cross Christ terminated all the divisive factors, tore
down the partition, and slew the enmity. Then in Himself as the sphere and
with Himself as the essence, He created us into one new man, so making
peace. He reconciled us, brought us into oneness and into harmony with
God in one Body. The thought of corporate reconciliation pervades the
New Testament. If we are not actually, experientially, one with the Body,
we are not one with the Triune God. If we are not at peace with the Body
or if the Body is not at peace with us, any peace that we claim to have is
false.

THE TRIUNE GOD BEING A GOD OF PEACE

God Being the God of Peace

The Triune God is a God of peace (Rom. 15:33; 2 Thes. 3:16; Gal.
5:22). God is the God of peace (Rom. 15:33; 1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 13:20).
The God of peace is sanctifying us wholly. The more He saturates us, the
deeper will be our peace.
 Our Father Being the God of Peace,
Who Has a Peaceful Life with a Peaceful Nature
Our Father is the God of peace, who has a peaceful life with a peaceful
nature (Rom. 15:33; 1 Thes. 5:23).

Because We Have Been Justified by Faith,

Our Having Peace toward God
through Our Lord Jesus Christ
Because we have been justified by faith, we have peace toward God
through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

The Peace We Enjoy Being God Himself

The peace we enjoy is God Himself (John 14:27; Phil. 4:7, 9). God has a
peaceful nature. [314]

The New Testament Speaking

about Both the Peace of God and the God of Peace;
the Peace of God and the God of Peace
Being Actually One
The New Testament speaks about both the peace of God and the God of
peace; the peace of God and the God of peace are actually one (Phil. 4:7;
Heb. 13:20).

The Peace of God Being the God

of Peace Infused into Us
through Our Fellowship
with Him
The peace of God is the God of peace infused into us through our
fellowship with Him (Rom. 16:20; Phil. 4:9; John 14:27). In John 16:33 the
Lord said, “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you have affliction, but take courage; I have overcome
the world.” Here the Lord contrasted the affliction in the physical realm,
the world, with the peace in Him as the divine and mystical realm.

In the World Our Having Affliction,

but in Christ Our Having Peace
In the world we have affliction, but in Christ we have peace (v. 33). We
should not expect to have peace in this degraded world, in which we are
living. I have no hope for world peace in a human sense.

Our Heart Being Troubled

Because We Are in the World,
and the Way for This Trouble to Be Resolved
Being for Us to Enter into Christ
by Believing into Him
Our heart is troubled because we are in the world, and the way for this
trouble to be resolved is for us to enter into Christ by believing into Him
(14:1). In Message 10 we were encouraged to bring everything to the Lord.
We need to bring anything that is troubling to us into our conversation with
Him. This shows that we can enter into Christ as peace by believing into
Him. [315]

In 16:33 There Being Two Realms:

the Physical Realm (the World), Where All the Troubles Are,
and the Divine and Mystical Realm of the Pneumatic Christ,
Where the Peace Is
In 16:33 there are two realms: the physical realm (the world), where all
the troubles are, and the divine and mystical realm of the pneumatic Christ,
where the peace is. The Lord will train us in a lifelong training to live in
two realms at the same time. Outwardly, we have to live in the physical
realm; however, we are in the world but not of the world. Inwardly, we are
living in peace Himself.

DUE TO MAN’S FALL, AMONG MANKIND

THERE BEING MANY ORDINANCES,
CUSTOMS, HABITS, AND WAYS
TO LIVE AND WORSHIP, ALL OF WHICH HAVE DIVIDED,
 SCATTERED, AND CONFUSED MANKIND;
THERE BEING PARTITIONS BETWEEN EVERY NATIONALITY
AND RACE, AND THUS AMONG THE HUMAN RACE
THERE BEING NO PEACE, ONLY ENMITY, DISCORD, AND WAR

Due to man’s fall, among mankind there are many ordinances, customs,
habits, and ways to live and worship, all of which have divided, scattered,
and confused mankind; there are partitions between every nationality and
race, and thus among the human race there is no peace, only enmity,
discord, and war (Eph. 2:14-15; cf. Psa. 46:9; Isa. 2:4; 9:6-7; 11:6-9; Micah
4:3; Zech. 9:10). This statement is very enlightening and shows us the
impossible situation of the human race on the earth. Some of us vividly
remember the decade of the sixties. One quite wonderful thing that we
believe the Lord did for the sake of the new man was to use Martin Luther
King Jr. and others in the way of peaceful resistance to address all kinds of
injustice, hostility, hatred, and brutality. It seemed in the decades following
that there was some progress on this front, but in the recent years we have
witnessed an incredible degradation and worsening of relations in this
country, with an increase of inhuman hostility and hatred.
God solves all problems by the cross. Hence, God’s way of bringing
forth the Body of Christ and the one new man, where there cannot be any
races, peoples, nations, or social classes but where Christ is all and in all, is
through the cross. What needs to happen to all of us, which will require our
paying a price, is that we see a vision of the one new man, [316] which is a
corporate God-man, the organic Body of Christ, and the enlarged oneness
of the Triune God. God works this out through the gospel by calling people
out of every race, every social class, and every nationality to be redeemed,
forgiven, cleansed, reconciled, and regenerated. Then we all, the believers,
must make a decision whether we will cling to what divides us and fight
for the partitions. This is fostered in what is called identity politics, which
promotes the concept that those of a certain race, nationality, or social class
should have a certain political view. Anyone who disagrees with their
political view will then be regarded as an enemy attacking their race or
social class. This kind of philosophy is flourishing because the enemy is at
work. However, our God is also at work, and through Christ as the peace
offering, He will do what is humanly impossible; that is, He will bring us
into the oneness for which He prayed. When the world sees this oneness,
they will know that God sent His Son (John 17:21, 23).

BECAUSE THERE CAN BE NO PEACE IN THE UNIVERSE

 WITHOUT CHRIST, THE PEACEMAKER,
OUR NEEDING CHRIST AS OUR PEACE OFFERING

Because there can be no peace in the universe without Christ, the

Peacemaker, we need Christ as our peace offering (Eph. 2:14-15; Col.
1:20; Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-38). Shortly after the Lord Jesus was born, an angel
appeared to some shepherds, “and suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying, Glory in the
highest places to God, and on earth peace among men of His good
pleasure” (Luke 2:8-14). This blessing of peace was not universal, but
“among men of His good pleasure.” We were predestinated unto sonship
according to the good pleasure of His will; we are men of His good
pleasure. However, the point here is that when Jesus came, peace came;
peace was born in Bethlehem, and the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 was fulfilled:
“A child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is
upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, /
Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.” We should not put our
trust in anyone, any program, or any movement that attempts to bring
peace apart from Christ.

The Peace Offering Typifying Christ as the Peacemaker

The peace offering typifies Christ as the Peacemaker (Lev. 3:1-5; Eph.
2:15). [317]

As the Fulfillment and the Reality

of the Type of the Peace Offering, Christ Being Our Peace;
through Him and in Him Our Having Peace with God
and with One Another
As the fulfillment and the reality of the type of the peace offering, Christ
is our peace; through Him and in Him we have peace with God and with
one another (v. 14; Col. 3:15; 1 Thes. 5:13b). Message 12 will enlighten
and supply us regarding the practice of the Lord’s table. When we partake
of the bread and the cup at the Lord’s table, we should have the sense
within, before the Lord Himself, that our partaking of the bread and the cup
bears a particular testimony—the testimony that through Christ as the
peace offering, as far as it depends on us, we are at peace with every
member of the Body of Christ. The Lord’s table is where we enjoy the
peace offering the most.
 Apart from Christ Our Being Unable
to Have Peace with God or with Others;
Our Being Able to Have Such Peace
Only through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ
Apart from Christ we cannot have peace with God or with others; we
can have such peace only through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ (Rom.
5:1; 12:18).

In the Body Life and for the Body Life,

Our Needing Christ as Our Peace
In the Body life and for the Body life, we need Christ as our peace (Eph.
2:14; 4:3; Col. 3:15). We all, beginning with the co-workers, then the
elders, and then all the saints, should inquire of the Lord, “Lord, is there
anything about me and anything concerning what I am doing in the
recovery that the Body is not peaceful about?” If we inquire in this way, I
believe light will shine upon us. Only the Lord has full knowledge, and we
have only limited discernment. Therefore, we need His light in order to see
which of the things that take place in the sphere of the Lord’s recovery are
not of the Body. Surely, there are things about which the Body does not
have peace. Nevertheless, no one will make an issue, and it may be
difficult to have fellowship concerning such matters. Thus, we may need to
appeal to the throne directly and ask the Lord to touch the situation for the
sake of the Body. We may inquire of the Lord, “Lord, how long will such a
situation continue in this church or [318] that place?” It may take us much
time of pursuing the truth, experiencing Christ, and growing in life, but we
will gradually realize that peace is a Body matter. Christ made peace in the
Body and for the Body.

CHRIST BEING THE PEACE OFFERING

FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST AS REVEALED IN EPHESIANS

Christ, Who Accomplished Full Redemption

for Both the Jewish and the Gentile Believers,
Being Himself Our Peace, Our Harmony
Christ is the peace offering for the Body of Christ as revealed in
Ephesians (2:14). Christ, who accomplished full redemption for both the
Jewish and the Gentile believers, is Himself our peace, our harmony. There
should be a sense of harmony in every local church, and the overseers
should watch for such a sense. If there is disharmony, we need to seek the
Lord and ask Him to bring in complete peace and harmony.

When Christ Was Crucified as the Peace Offering,

His Death Abolishing, Annulling, the Different Ordinances
of Human Life and Religion
When Christ was crucified as the peace offering, His death abolished,
annulled, the different ordinances of human life and religion (vv. 14-15).

The Differences among the Races

and the Differences of Social Rank
Having Been Abolished
The differences among the races and the differences of social rank have
been abolished. The Lord abolished all such differences on the cross. He
knows that if such differences remain, we cannot see the Body or the new
man. Will the Lord have to wait another forty or fifty years until the
brothers and sisters from every nation, race, and social class are willing for
all the differences, which they may treasure, to be done away with for the
sake of the peace in the Body, for the sake of the new man? How will we
become the New Jerusalem as the ultimate peace offering if we cling to
that which may sustain the enmity? Only the Lord knows how much light
there is from the Word and from Brother Lee’s fighting ministry
concerning culture being a source of enmity and a replacement for Christ.
The new man must be worked out based upon Christ as the peace offering.
[319]

By Christ’s Abolishing in His Flesh

the Separating Ordinances, That Is, by His Slaying the Enmity,
and by His Creating the Jewish
and the Gentile Believers into One New Man,
Peace Being Made between All Believers
By Christ’s abolishing in His flesh the separating ordinances, that is, by
His slaying the enmity, and by His creating the Jewish and the Gentile
believers into one new man, peace was made between all believers. The
fundamental division among men is between Jew and Gentile, because
after the fourth fall, at Babel, the Lord eventually gave up on working
directly with the human race as a whole and raised up a chosen race to be a
chosen nation for His going on. Today no enmity is more ferocious than
anti-Semitism. It is hard to imagine that there was a man in recent history
desiring to exterminate all Jews and a society that would facilitate to
various degrees such an evil desire. Regrettably, anti-Semitism is on the
rise again in Europe, even among racial groups and social classes that have
themselves been persecuted. This fundamental division and all other
divisions have been terminated. Peace was made by Christ’s abolishing in
His flesh the separating ordinances, that is, by His slaying the enmity and
by His creating the Jewish and the Gentile believers into one new man.

In One Body Both the Jews and the Gentiles

Being Reconciled to God through the Cross;
Our Being Reconciled to God Not Only for the Body of Christ
but Also in the Body of Christ
In one Body both the Jews and the Gentiles were reconciled to God
through the cross; we were reconciled to God not only for the Body of
Christ but also in the Body of Christ (v. 16). If we are not willing for the
cross to be applied to that which separates us, we will not be reconciled to
God in this way. Ephesians 2:16 shows that we were reconciled to God not
only for the Body of Christ but also in the Body of Christ.

Peace Being Possible Only When

Everything Contrary to God’s Economy
Has Been Terminated
Peace is possible only when everything contrary to God’s economy has
been terminated (Col. 1:20; 2:14-15; 3:15). Is culture not contrary to [320]
God’s economy? Is American culture with its pragmatism, individualism,
and increasing hedonism not contrary to God’s economy? We are burdened
for the Lord’s move throughout the earth, and in particular in Germany.
Those who go to serve in Germany from the United States and other places
should not go there with their race, nationality, or culture. That
responsibility is theirs to bear. Conversely, we would faithfully, purely,
and lovingly address the saints in Germany, “Do you want a German
recovery, or do you want a one-new-man recovery?” The requirement that
everything contrary to God’s economy be terminated is on all of us. This is
why repeatedly my heart is touched whenever I think of Brother Lee’s
testimony to one sister: “Sister, I am not Chinese.” Such a living is a
pattern. On the one hand, by race and physical features, he was Chinese,
but in his being, he was not Chinese. Who is willing to be brought to the
point where they can say, “I am not an American, Chinese, or any other
race. The cross has actually worked this out in me”?

Through the Blood of Christ Our Having Been Brought Near

Both to God and to God’s People
Through the blood of Christ we have been brought near both to God and
to God’s people (Eph. 2:13, 18-19).

In Resurrection Christ Coming as the Spirit

to Preach Peace as the Gospel; the Christ Who Died
as the Peacemaker, Shedding His Blood
in Order to Reconcile Us to God,
Coming to Us as the Life-giving Spirit,
Even as the Preaching Spirit, to Preach the Gospel of Peace
In resurrection Christ came as the Spirit to preach peace as the gospel;
the Christ who died as the Peacemaker, shedding His blood in order to
reconcile us to God, came to us as the life-giving Spirit, even as the
preaching Spirit, to preach the gospel of peace (v. 17; Col. 1:20; 1 Cor.
15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17a; John 20:19, 21, 26; 14:27; 16:33). Today we
proclaim the gospel of peace—the gospel of the genuine oneness—to this
divided country, the United States. We preach the same gospel to all the
nations and to every kind of people. Christ has made peace by terminating
the divisive elements and creating in Himself one new man. He is our
peace offering. He is to us the God of peace. Will you receive such a word,
such a Christ, to be your peace? The Christ who died as the Peacemaker,
shedding His blood in order to reconcile us to God, came [321] to us as the
life-giving Spirit, even as the preaching Spirit, to preach the gospel of
peace.
Only those who know the grace of God can preach the gospel of grace,
only those who have repented for the forgiveness of sins can preach the
gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, only those who realize that
they have been born into the kingdom and are living the kingdom life can
preach the gospel of the kingdom, and only those who genuinely know
Christ as the peace offering in the corporate sense can stand before the
enemy with his enmity, stare him down, and proclaim the gospel of peace.

In the Body Life Our Needing to Keep the Oneness

of the Spirit in the Uniting Bond of Peace
In the Body life we should keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting
bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). We should learn in the Body life to keep the
oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. We have pointed out that
Christ is peace, that He made peace, and that in resurrection He as the
life-giving Spirit came to proclaim the gospel of peace. We have believed
into Him, but we are learning that we cannot be for God. It is impossible
for us to be absolutely for God, but we have our dear Lord as the burnt
offering. Our humanity is fallen, but we have our dear Lord as the meal
offering. We are sin, but we have our dear Lord experientially as the sin
offering. We commit trespasses, but we have the Lord as our trespass
offering. Now we need to see that we need a peace offering, not merely in
the sense of being personally brought back to God and personally having
peace but in the corporate sense—realizing that there is a corporate peace
in the Body as the result of the corporate reconciliation through Christ as
the peace offering.

Christ Abolishing on the Cross All the Differences

among Mankind Due to Ordinances, and in So Doing,
His Making Peace for His Body;
This Peace Needing to Bind All Believers Together
and Thus Become the Uniting Bond of Peace
Christ abolished on the cross all the differences among mankind due to
ordinances, and in so doing, He made peace for His Body; this peace
should bind all believers together and thus become the uniting bond of
peace (2:15; 4:3). All the differences among mankind due to ordinances
have been abolished in the sight of God. Just as sin has been judged and
[322] the devil has been destroyed and just as our sins have been sent back
to the devil, so also in the sight of God, all the ordinances, all the divisive
elements have been abolished. Where, when, and by whom will this reality
be lived out on earth? The sequence in which the Lord has led us to present
the offerings in this training, following the sequence of the laws of the
offerings, culminates in the peace offering, especially as it is experienced
at the Lord’s table. Regarding this sequence and this concluding offering,
we need the Lord to open the Scriptures to us: to open Colossians,
Ephesians, and the entire Scriptures. We need Him to open our eyes to see
the situation and to see Him, and we need Him to open our mind so that we
can grasp the divine thought concerning the peace offering. By abolishing
all the differences on the cross, Christ made peace for His Body. This
indicates that the Body is the goal of His making peace. Christ is dealing
with all the negative things in us that hinder God from having the Body for
Christ. The peace that Christ has made should bind all believers together
and thus become the uniting bond of peace. Today we keep the oneness of
the Spirit in what the Scriptures call the uniting bond of peace.

If We Remain on the Cross

in Our Practice of the Church Life,
the Peace That Christ Made on the Cross
Becoming the Uniting Bond
in Which We Keep the Oneness of the Spirit
If we remain on the cross in our practice of the church life, the peace that
Christ made on the cross will become the uniting bond in which we keep
the oneness of the Spirit (Matt. 16:24; Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:15; 4:3).
The apostle Paul’s word in the first few verses of Ephesians 4 reveals that
when it comes to keeping the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of
peace, human virtues such as lowliness, meekness, and long-suffering are
required. This indicates that it is actually our damaged humanity that so
often causes a breach in the oneness. Thus, we need Christ as the
meal-offering to have the proper humanity, and we need Him as the peace
offering. In the church life we should increasingly sense that there is a
bond that is crossing, joining, and holding us together. This experience is
typified by the bars that pass through the rings of the boards of the
tabernacle, as revealed in Exodus 26:26-29 and 36:31-34. What enabled
the boards to stand upright and what enabled any two boards to become
one unit were the poles of acacia wood overlaid [323] with gold. The boards
of the tabernacle with the crossing bars form a picture of the uniting bond
of peace. Hence, there needs to be an experiential crossing, a passing
through us; we need to allow Christ to work in us and allow the Spirit, the
uniting Spirit, which is the mingled Spirit, to pass through our being in
order to produce a bond of peace between anyone and everyone.
 The Uniting Bars of the Tabernacle
Signifying the Mingled Spirit—the Divine Spirit
Mingled with the Regenerated Human Spirit—
to Become the Uniting Bond of Peace;
in Our Experience the Uniting Bond of Peace
Being the Cooperation of Our Spirit
with the Uniting Spirit, the Crossing Spirit
The uniting bars of the tabernacle signify the mingled spirit—the divine
Spirit mingled with the regenerated human spirit—to become the uniting
bond of peace; in our experience the uniting bond of peace is the
cooperation of our spirit with the uniting Spirit, the crossing Spirit
(26:26-29; Eph. 4:3). We need to ask the Lord to show us and cause us to
experience what the crossing Spirit is. For instance, when we are with
others in coordination and are not enclosed in our self, our being is
properly open, and this enables the Spirit to pass through us with the cross.
Then the cross addresses anything in us that is contrary to the oneness, and
the bond of peace will be present. I can testify concerning how beautiful,
lovely, endearing, and precious it is to be with brothers who are not related
by the natural life but by the crossing Spirit. In such a situation, the wood,
the uplifted humanity, is not the element that directly joins us; rather, we,
as typified by the boards, are covered with gold and have rings so that the
bars are passing through to link us together. The discerning saints in a local
church know whether or not the leading brothers experience this bond of
peace. The peace that Christ made on the cross is now the bond of peace.

In Order to Engage in Spiritual Warfare,

Our Needing to Have Our Feet Shod
with the Firm Foundation, the Establishing,
of the Gospel of Peace
In order to engage in spiritual warfare, we need to have our feet shod
with the firm foundation, the establishing, of the gospel of peace [324]
(6:11, 14-15). Christ made peace for us, with both God and man, on the
cross, and this peace has become our gospel (2:13-17). This gospel of
peace has been established as a firm foundation with which our feet may be
shod; being thus shod, we will have a firm footing so that we may stand to
fight the spiritual warfare (6:11, 14-15).
 The gospel of peace should be our shoes, causing us to have a sure
standing before the enemy. We need to see from Ephesians 6, which
speaks of withstanding the devil, that our capacity to withstand is our faith
and the victory of Christ; the solidity of it, however, is in the gospel of
peace. We are standing in the oneness of the Body of Christ, the peace of
the Body, and this standing makes us unshakeable. No matter what the
enemy throws at us, we will be undaunted, unshaken, and unmoved
because of the gospel of peace.

“Now the God of Peace Will Crush Satan

under Your Feet Shortly”
Romans 16:20 says, “Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your
feet shortly.” For years, I have wondered why this verse uses the phrase the
God of peace. It does not say that the God of power, the sovereign God, the
God of resurrection, or the God of light will crush Satan. Why does it say
the God of peace?
Throughout Romans, Paul is addressing Jewish and Gentile believers in
Rome. In Romans 14 he deals with receiving all the believers, speaking
concerning how each one lives and dies to the Lord (v. 8). He does all that
He can to bring those believers into the genuine oneness of the Body as the
issue of Christ as the peace offering. In a local church where everyone is
enjoying Christ as the peace offering, all the saints are one with God and
one with one another. Thus, God is to them the God of peace. These
believers are in harmony and nothing in their being is at odds with God.
Such a church is constituted with Christ as the peace offering, living in
Him as peace, and experientially knowing Him as the God of peace; it is a
church in which all the divisive factors are gone. Hence, through such a
church and under the feet of such a church, the God of peace will crush
Satan.

God Promising That He Will Crush Satan under the Feet

of Those Who Live the Church Life, Showing That
the Crushing of Satan Is Related to the Church Life
God promises that He will crush Satan under the feet of those who [325]
live the church life, showing that the crushing of Satan is related to the
church life (16:20). Such a church life is a church life at peace.
 Dealing with Satan Being a Body Matter,
Not an Individual Matter
Dealing with Satan is a Body matter, not an individual matter (Eph.
6:10-18).

Its Being Only When We Have a Proper Local Church

as the Practical Expression of the Body
That Satan Is Crushed under Our Feet
It is only when we have a proper local church as the practical expression
of the Body that Satan is crushed under our feet (Rom. 16:1, 4, 20). Some
churches are in actuality powerless to engage in warfare. Even in their
prayer meetings, they cannot engage in warfare, because Christ as the
peace offering has not been thoroughly applied for the sake of the Body.
However, I believe that the Lord will enlighten many, give prayers to
many, and will answer the prayers that He gives concerning being the God
of peace to us.

CHRIST BEING THE PEACE OFFERING

FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST AS REVEALED IN COLOSSIANS

For God to Reconcile All Things to Himself

Being to Make Peace unto Himself for All Things;
This Being Accomplished through the Blood
of the Cross of Christ
Christ is the peace offering for the Body of Christ as revealed in
Colossians (1:8, 20-22; 2:19; 3:15). For God to reconcile all things to
Himself is to make peace unto Himself for all things; this was
accomplished through the blood of the cross of Christ (1:20).

Our Having Been Called to the Peace of Christ in One Body

We have been called to the peace of Christ in one Body (3:15). I treasure
all the believers living in personal peace with the Lord, bringing everything
to Him, and living a life of forbearance as spoken of in Message 10; I long
for such a reality. Nevertheless, our experience of being called to peace
needs to be corporate, and our experience of peace needs to be genuine. A
brother once said that he was at peace, yet he began another Lord’s table
meeting in a city that already had a table. He [326] held on to his view—that
he had peace—for twenty-seven years, until he passed away; as far as we
know, he never repented. He said, “This is my feeling; this is my view. I
am at peace with God. I am at peace with myself. I am at peace with you.”
The Lord, however, would say, “You are at peace with Me, yet you openly
criticize the minister of the age? You are at peace with the Body, yet you
have caused division?” We want the genuine peace, and we have been
called to the genuine peace.

No One Who Is Independent of the Body Having Real Peace;

Dependence on the Body Bringing In Genuine Peace
No one who is independent of the Body has real peace; dependence on
the Body brings in genuine peace (Gal. 6:16).

For the Body Life Our Needing to Allow

the Peace of Christ to Arbitrate, to Adjust,
and to Decide All Things in Our Hearts
in Our Relationship with the Members of His Body
For the Body life we need to allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate, to
adjust, and to decide all things in our hearts in our relationship with the
members of His Body (Col. 3:15). The peace of Christ should arbitrate not
only in our personal living and in all of our relationships but also for the
Body life. We need to allow the arbitrating peace of Christ as the Prince of
Peace to rule for the Body life. To have His arbitrating peace as the umpire
is to have His ruling.

The Greek Word for Arbitrate

Being Able to Be Rendered
“Umpire, Preside, Be Enthroned as a Ruler
and Decider of Everything”
The Greek word for arbitrate can be rendered “umpire, preside, be
enthroned as a ruler and decider of everything.”

If We Allow the Peace of Christ

 to Arbitrate in Our Hearts,
This Peace Settling All the Disputes among Us;
Then Our Having Peace
with God Vertically
and with the Saints Horizontally
If we allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts, this peace [327]
will settle all the disputes among us; then we will have peace with God
vertically and with the saints horizontally (1:20; 3:15). It is not easy for
sisters to intrinsically settle disputes, because of the depth of their feeling.
This matter is so serious that Paul toward the end of Philippians names two
sisters. He writes, “I exhort Euodias, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the
same thing in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, genuine yokefellow, assist
them” (4:2-3). Paul seems to be asking, “Is there a yokefellow that can help
these sisters to be one?” In the past I considered that trying to reconcile
these two strong females would be more difficult than preaching the gospel
in Antarctica. I find it similarly difficult to understand how someone who
was offended over twenty years ago would still not let the matter go.
Brother Lee, in a message given to sisters, describes the inner substance,
the beings, of the brothers and sisters, explaining that whereas the brothers
are like bones and muscles, sisters are like the inward parts and the blood.
If the sisters have any problems in the church, we should fast and pray for
several days. If this one thing would happen through all churches in the
Lord’s recovery; that is, if every sister would allow the peace of Christ to
settle every dispute that she has with any other sister, I believe that there
would be an outpouring of the Spirit.

Through the Arbitration of the Peace of Christ,

Our Problems Being Solved, and the Friction
between the Members of the Body Disappearing;
Then the Church Life Being Preserved
in Oneness and Sweetness
Through the arbitration of the peace of Christ, our problems are solved,
and the friction between the members of the Body disappears; then the
church life is preserved in oneness and sweetness (Col. 3:12-15; Rom.
12:4-5, 18; 14:19; Heb. 12:14).

The Arbitrating Peace of Christ

 Being Christ Working within Us
to Exercise His Rule over Us, to Speak the Last Word,
and to Make the Final Decision
The arbitrating peace of Christ is Christ working within us to exercise
His rule over us, to speak the last word, and to make the final decision (cf.
Isa. 9:6-7). [328]

If We Stay under the Ruling

of the Enthroned Peace of Christ,
Our Not Offending Others or Damaging Them;
Rather, by the Lord’s Grace and with His Peace,
Our Ministering Life to Others
If we stay under the ruling of the enthroned peace of Christ, we will not
offend others or damage them; rather, by the Lord’s grace and with His
peace, we will minister life to others. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Have you ever been
a peacemaker in a situation? Peacemakers genuinely know the cross; they
have experienced the cross touching in them the very item that is emerging
as a problem among others. Thus, they can be a factor of reconciliation. In
one situation a brother said, “I do not have any joy in the church life.”
From his speaking, I had the sense that he did not have joy because he
needed a peacemaker; he was not at peace with another brother. One could
ask him, “When will you clear up this contention? Do you want to hold the
Lord’s blessing back for more years?”

In the Church Life Our Needing to Be at Peace

in Everything, in Every Way, and with Everyone;
for This Our Needing the Lord of Peace
to Give Us Peace Continually in Every Way
In the church life we need to be at peace in everything, in every way,
and with everyone; for this we need the Lord of peace to give us peace
continually in every way (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thes. 5:13; 2 Thes. 3:16; Rom.
12:18; 14:19; Mark 9:50; 2 Tim. 2:22; James 3:18; Matt. 5:9). Second
Thessalonians 3:16 says “The Lord of peace Himself give you peace
continually in every way.” This is a verse that we can bring to the Lord,
saying, “Lord, I present myself to You. I take You as the peace offering.
Lord, bring me to the point where I am at peace with everyone and with
everything.”
In relation to the church life, Romans 12:18 is exceedingly practical: “If
possible, as far as it depends on you, live in peace with all men.” Although
all men in this verse implies all people, we may apply it specifically to the
church. Regrettably, in the church there are sometimes brothers and sisters
who are unreasonable. You may apologize to them, but they will say that
they do not accept the apology or that the apology is not real or not deep
enough. There are some others who never [329] apologize for anything. In
one situation a brother offended, damaged, and stumbled many serving
ones in a certain context. Some were stumbled even to the point of leaving
the recovery. Then upon hearing that this stumbling brother was on the
verge of death, one of those who had left wrote him a tender letter, asking,
“Brother, is there anything that you wish to clear up?” Some in similar
situations would not clear things up.
Regarding this word in Romans 12:18, we are not responsible for others;
the verse says, “As far as it depends on you.” We cannot control how
others feel or what they will do. We are responsible only for our own
being. As far as it depends on you, live in peace with all men. If we take
this way, there will be a deep peace when we attend the Lord’s table, and
we will be able to say, “Lord, as far as it depends on me, I am at peace; I
have forgiven everyone whom I need to forgive. I have allowed You to
heal every wound that I have ever sustained. I have repented to anyone to
whom I need to repent. Lord, enlighten me if I am wrong, but as far as it
depends on me, I am at peace. I drink this cup in the peace of the Body.”
Romans 14:19 says, “So then let us pursue the things of peace and the
things for building up one another.” We should not be passive; rather, let
us pursue the things of peace because we have a wonderful person whose
name is Peace and who made peace for us through the blood of His cross.
He has abolished all the ordinances, slain the enmity, and has come to
proclaim peace as the gospel. He is the peace in us. Just as we can be
identified with all the other offerings, so also we can be identified with the
peace offering and say, “Lord Jesus, Peacemaker, I am one with You. I
take You as the peace offering so that I may live with all the members in
the peace of the Body.”—R. K.

< Previous • Next >

Back to the table of contents
© 2018 Living Stream Ministry
All rights reserved.
 [331]

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY OF LEVITICUS (1)

Enjoying Christ as the Reality of the Peace Offering

at the Lord’s Table
to Present the Total Picture of God’s Economy
(Message 12)

Scripture Reading: Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-38

I. The peace offering signifies Christ as our peace with God that we
may enjoy Him with God and with man in fellowship and joy—Lev.
3:1-17; Num. 10:10; Deut. 27:7:
A. The peace offering is fulfilled primarily in our enjoying Christ at
the Lord’s table in the breaking of bread for the remembrance of
Him and in the offering of Christ to the Father for the worship of
the Father—Matt. 26:26-30.
B. The peace offering is the Old Testament type of the Lord’s table:
1. At the Lord’s table, the believers enjoy Christ as their peace
offering for their fellowship with God and with one another;
they enjoy Christ before God the Father; without the worship
of the Father in the Lord’s table meeting, the presentation of
the peace offering to God cannot be completely
fulfilled—Lev. 7:14-21, 28-34.
2. We should carry out the Lord’s table meeting in two sections:
a. During the first section of the meeting, all our praises
should be addressed to Christ, and we should bless Him
with well speaking concerning His person and
work—Heb. 13:15; Psa. 8:2; 48:1; 50:23; 116:17; Rev.
5:13.
b. During the second section of the meeting, we should
address our praises to God the Father; it is best to leave
one-third or two-fifths of the time for the worship of the
Father—Matt. 26:26-30; Heb. 2:12. [332]
3. Christ as the reality of the peace offering that we enjoy at the
Lord’s table is for our thanksgiving to the Father (Lev.
7:12-15) and also for a vow to Him (vv. 16-18):
a. On the one hand, we may consecrate ourselves to the
 Lord with thanksgiving by praying, “Lord, I love You, so
I consecrate myself to You”; this is good but too general
and out of our emotions.
b. On the other hand, we may offer ourselves to God with a
voluntary vow by praying, “Lord, I come here to make a
vow to You; I give myself to You and marry myself to
You; I want to be solely for You always, regardless of
what happens or how I feel”; all of us need to be ones
who are married to Christ for His recovery; the offering
for a vow is something of the will and is stronger and
deeper.
4. This enjoyment of the peace offering issues from the burnt
offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass
offering.
5. Our enjoyment of Christ as these four offerings has a
result—the enjoyment of Christ as our peace offering for us
to have fellowship with God and with our fellow believers.
II. The peace offering could be of different animals from the herd or
from the flock, and it could be either male or female—3:1:
A. The different kinds of peace offerings signify the different
conditions of the offerers’ enjoyment of Christ.
B. In verse 1 the male signifies that the offerer’s enjoyment of
Christ is stronger, whereas the female signifies that the offerer’s
enjoyment of Christ is weaker—cf. 1 Pet. 3:7.
III. As our peace offering, Christ is without blemish, without sins and
transgressions—Lev. 3:1; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb.
4:15.
IV. The sprinkling of the blood of the peace offering on and around the
altar (Lev. 3:2, 8, 13), where the offerer was standing, indicates that
the blood is for peace in the offerer’s conscience, giving him the
assurance that his sins have been washed away (Heb. 9:14b).
V. Christ as the peace offering is for the fellowship and enjoyment of
five parties: God, the serving priest, all the priests (the priesthood),
the offerer, and the congregation of cleansed people: [333]
A. The fat and the inward parts of the offering were God’s
portion—Lev. 3:3-5:
1. The fat signifies the inward riches of Christ as the abundance
of life for God’s satisfaction according to His glory, and the
inward parts signify the tenderness, smallness, and
preciousness of what Christ is in His inward being toward
God (cf. Phil. 1:8; John 7:3-18) for God’s satisfaction, which
 can be apprehended and appreciated only by God (Matt.
11:27a).
2. The burning of the fat and the inward parts of the peace
offering as an offering by fire to Jehovah (Lev. 3:3-5, 9-11,
14-16) signifies that God should be the first Enjoyer,
enjoying the first, the best, part of the peace offering.
B. The four kinds of cakes and the right thigh as a heave offering
were the portion of the serving priest—7:14, 32-34.
C. The breast as a wave offering was for all the priests—vv. 30-31,
34.
D. The flesh, the meat, of the offering was the portion of the
offerer—vv. 15-18.
E. The remaining flesh of the cattle, under the condition of
cleanness, was for all the congregation—vv. 19-21:
1. The enjoyment of Christ as our peace should be kept from all
uncleanness, and Christ as the peace offering should be eaten
by a clean person—v. 19; 1 Cor. 11:28.
2. The unclean person who partakes of Christ as his peace, as at
the Lord’s table, shall be put aside from the fellowship of the
enjoyment of Christ—Lev. 7:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:16-17.
3. Such a sinful person should be removed from the fellowship
at the Lord’s table—cf. 5:13b.
4. Also, the dirtiness of death spoils the significance of God’s
enjoyment of Christ; God hates death and does not want to
look upon anything related to it—Lev. 7:24.
F. We who take Christ as our peace offering should offer the
excellent part of Christ (the fat) to God for His satisfaction, the
loving part of Christ in His resurrection (the breast as a wave
offering) and the strong part of Christ in His ascension (the right
thigh as a heave offering) being for the serving ones’ enjoyment
(vv. 29-34; Exo. 29:26-28); in our enjoyment of Christ as the
peace offering, God has allotted the loving [334] capacity and the
strengthening power of Christ to us, the New Testament priests
(1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:10), as our eternal portion for our
enjoyment in serving God.
G. In the New Testament there are no clergy and no laity (see Rev.
2:6 and footnote 1); thus, all the believers in Christ should be the
serving priests, the priestly body, the offerers, and the
congregation.
VI. Not eating the fat signifies that the best part of Christ is for God’s
satisfaction; not eating the blood signifies that Christ’s blood shed for
 our redemption fully satisfies the requirements of God’s
righteousness, holiness, and glory—Lev. 3:17; cf. Gen. 3:24; Heb.
10:19-20; Rev. 22:14:
A. Thus, in the universe only Jesus’ blood is edible to His
believers—John 6:53-56 and footnote 2 on v. 54.
B. To eat any other blood would make Christ’s blood
common—Heb. 10:29 and footnote 3.
C. The blood of Christ satisfies God’s righteous requirements,
maintains God’s holy position, and keeps God’s glory, His
expressed dignity.
VII. A lamb signifies that the offerer enjoys Christ in His perfection and
beauty (Lev. 3:7), whereas a goat (v. 12) signifies that the offerer
enjoys Christ not much in His perfection and beauty but in His being
made sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
VIII. The peace offering is a kind of burnt offering (Lev. 3:9-11; 1:9, 13,
17) as food to God for His satisfaction and enjoyment.
IX. The peace offering is based upon God’s satisfaction in the burnt
offering (6:12); according to the sequence of the offerings presented
in Leviticus 1:1—6:7, it is also the issue of the enjoyment of God and
man in the meal offering; if we would enjoy Christ as peace in a
practical, daily way, we must first take Him as our burnt offering to
satisfy God, and then we must feed on Him as our meal offering,
enjoying Him as our food.
X. The sequence of the five offerings in Leviticus 1:1—6:7 is according
to our practical experience, whereas the sequence in 6:8—7:38 is
according to the total picture of God’s economy:
A. According to the sequence of the offerings in Leviticus
6:8—7:38, the peace offering is also based on the sin offering
and the trespass offering; when the problem of our sin and
trespasses is solved by Christ as the sin offering and trespass
offering and [335] when God and we are satisfied with Christ as
the burnt offering and the meal offering, we can offer Christ to
God as the peace offering for our mutual enjoyment in peace.
B. In God’s heart and in His desire God would have Christ to be
four kinds of offerings to us—the burnt offering, the meal
offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—that we may
enjoy Christ as peace with God in every way; Christ’s being
these four offerings consummates in peace between God and
God’s people, and this peace is simply Christ Himself—Eph.
2:14.
C. Eventually, the enjoyment of Christ as all the offerings, issuing in
 the peace offering, will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the
ultimate peace offering (Jerusalem means “the foundation of
peace”), in which we will enjoy the Triune God as peace (Phil.
4:7, 9) for eternity.
D. Thus, the ordinances, or laws, concerning the offerings are a
record of the totality of God’s economy.

[336]

MESSAGE TWELVE

ENJOYING CHRIST AS THE REALITY

OF THE PEACE OFFERING
AT THE LORD’S TABLE
TO PRESENT THE TOTAL PICTURE
OF GOD’S ECONOMY
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for giving us this marvelous and
glorious training. This week You have been with us, You have spoken to
all of us, and You have spoken a particular word to each one of us. Thank
You for this training. We come back to Your speaking, Lord, where You
said, “An hour is coming” (John 4:23). Lord, we remind You of this word.
In these last days we pray that this hour would come in full among the
churches in Your recovery. Let it be now that You gain the true
worshippers in every local church, those who worship the Father both in
spirit and in truthfulness.
Father, we are here to satisfy You. We are in the church to praise You.
We are here to present Your dear Son, whom we have experienced, to You
for Your enjoyment, satisfaction, and delight. Gain this in the local
churches by gaining us as Your true worshippers, who worship You in
spirit, not here or there, not in this mountain or in Jerusalem but in the real
habitation of God, the habitation in our corporate mingled spirit.
We also worship You in truthfulness, not with any kind of emptiness or
hypocrisy but with our enjoyment of Your Son as all the offerings. Father,
we bring Him to You, present Him to You, and eat Him and enjoy Him by
partaking of Him together with You and with one another in real
fellowship. Father, gain the real worshippers. Gain the worshippers that
You are seeking. May You be fully satisfied. May the Son be satisfied.
May all of us be satisfied. May there be real enjoyment and fellowship
between God and man for all eternity. May that hour be now. Amen.
The title of this message is “Enjoying Christ as the Reality of the Peace
Offering at the Lord’s Table to Present the Total Picture of God’s [337]
Economy.” The highest realization of the Lord’s table is that it is a
complete picture of God’s eternal economy. It is not merely a meeting that
we attend; it is a table, a supper—the breaking of bread. It is not just
another meeting. In His economy God is training His people to worship
Him. We must worship Him. Our worship is to partake of, to receive, to
enjoy, and to participate in the Son, Christ. We have been called into the
fellowship of the Son in order to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life,
which is the kingdom life and the church life today.
In our worship we partake of Christ as the reality of the offerings,
including the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin
offering, and the trespass offering. The burnt offering, which is wholly for
God’s satisfaction, typifies Christ as God’s pleasure and satisfaction, the
One whose living on earth was absolutely for God. The meal offering
typifies Christ in His perfect humanity as food for God and food for the
priests who fellowship with God and serve Him. The peace offering
typifies Christ as the Peacemaker, the One who became the peace and
fellowship between God and us by dying for us, enabling us to enjoy Christ
with God and to have fellowship with God in Christ for our mutual
satisfaction. The sin offering typifies Christ as the One who was made sin
for us and who died on the cross to deal with the sinful nature of our fallen
being. Finally, the trespass offering typifies Christ as the One who bore our
sins in His body and who was judged by God on the cross so that we might
be forgiven of our sinful conduct.
There are also a few supplementary offerings related to the peace
offering. The wave offering typifies Christ as the resurrected One in love,
and the heave offering typifies the powerful Christ in ascension and
exaltation. At the Lord’s table we meet in resurrection and in ascension.
Finally, the drink offering typifies Christ as the One who is poured out as
wine before God for His satisfaction and who saturates us with Himself as
heavenly wine so that we also could be poured out for God’s enjoyment
and satisfaction.
Worship that is up to God’s standard involves mainly two items—the
place of worship and the content of worship. The place of worship is our
human spirit that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit; in other words, it is the
corporate mingled spirit. The habitation of God today is a corporate
mingled spirit (Eph. 2:22), not merely the individual regenerated spirit in
each one of us. The church is in the mingled spirit; the church is not the
meeting hall or a physical venue. We meet to worship God in the corporate
spirit of the Body. When we come to the Lord’s table to [338] worship, we
have to leave every other place, every other location, including our mind,
our soul, and our flesh, and we must come fully into the mingled spirit. He
is Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit (John 4:24).
We also must worship Him in truthfulness; that is, we must worship Him
in reality. There is no reality other than Christ. He is the reality (14:6). All
the offerings in the Old Testament typify Christ, and the reality of these
offerings is the very content with which we, the people of God, worship
Him. We cannot worship with anything other than Christ. God will reject
everything else. We can present only His beloved Son, in whom He is well
pleased. He will not accept anything but Christ. So we have to enjoy and
participate in Christ on a daily basis. Every day in Christ should be a day
of enjoying the Son of God, the Christ of God, so that we would have
something to bring to the meeting, especially to the Lord’s table, for
satisfactory worship of God.
Truthfulness also denotes genuineness and sincerity in our human virtue.
We should not come empty-handed; neither should we come with any kind
of hypocrisy. Most so-called Christian worship can aptly be described as a
hypocritical exercise. When Christian worship is not a reflection of one’s
living, it is a show, a sham, and a façade.
The so-called holy communion in the Catholic Church is called the
Eucharist, meaning “thanksgiving.” This meaning is good, but its practice
is an utterly dead, formal, lifeless, hypocritical show. The Lord’s supper
should be the centerpiece of the church life, but it has been turned into a
mysterious exercise, a rite, a ritual, and a mass, as part of the deep things of
Satan in Thyatira. In the Greek Orthodox Church it is called the Divine
Liturgy, and in the Protestant churches it is called by various names,
including the Lord’s supper and holy communion. Some Protestant
practices are so formal that they are almost indistinguishable from the
Roman Catholic Church. Some realize that the bread and cup at the Lord’s
table are symbols and do not involve some mysterious process of
transubstantiation, in which the bread and the product of the vine become
the actual body and blood of Jesus. We agree with this, but even this
consideration has become over time mostly a formality.
Even in the recovery of the Lord, it seems that for many the Lord’s table
meeting has become mainly a formality without the reality of the proper
place and the proper content. In our Lord’s table meetings we may sing
song after song, recite the stanzas from the hymns, and utter [339] certain
kinds of prayers. We may dutifully relegate a little time for the worship of
the Father. This may not be the case in every church, but I am burdened
about the practice of the Lord’s table meeting among us. On the night of
the Passover the Lord’s supper was established by the Lord Jesus Himself
with the physical breaking of bread and drinking the cup. This Passover
meal was a type of the table. On that night the Lord took bread, gave
thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is My
body” (Matt. 26:26). This hearkened to the Lord’s speaking in John 6:53:
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do
not have life within yourselves.” If we do not eat His body and drink His
blood, we have no life in us. Then He took the cup, blessed it, and gave it
to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the
covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins”
(Matt. 26:27-28). The Lord’s table meeting is the fulfillment of the peace
offering, and it should be elevated and uplifted to the highest standard.
Brother Lee spoke very much concerning the Lord’s table meeting,
especially in Basic Lessons on Service. This book contains a number of
messages by Brother Lee in which he speaks concerning the peace offering
in the context of the worship of the Father in the Lord’s table meeting (The
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979, vol. 2, chs. 5—10). The peace
offering unveils the riches of the Lord’s table in God’s dispensing and
economy.

THE PEACE OFFERING SIGNIFYING CHRIST

AS OUR PEACE WITH GOD
THAT WE MAY ENJOY HIM WITH GOD
AND WITH MAN IN FELLOWSHIP AND JOY
The peace offering signifies Christ as our peace with God that we may
enjoy Him with God and with man in fellowship and joy (Lev. 3:1-17;
Num. 10:10; Deut. 27:7). These verses in Numbers and Deuteronomy
speak of days of rejoicing at our appointed feasts and of the blowing of
trumpets over our burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of our peace
offerings. Our days of offering should be days of rejoicing. At the Lord’s
table there should be no long faces. There should be rejoicing emanating
from our spirit and from our hearts: “You shall sacrifice peace offerings
and eat there, and you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God” (27:7). It is
an offense to God if we do not rejoice; we offend Him by being sad and
morose. He is happy, and we should be happy as well. [340]
 The Peace Offering Being Fulfilled Primarily
in Our Enjoying Christ at the Lord’s Table in the Breaking
of Bread for the Remembrance of Him and in the Offering
of Christ to the Father for the Worship of the Father
The peace offering is fulfilled primarily in our enjoying Christ at the
Lord’s table in the breaking of bread for the remembrance of Him and in
the offering of Christ to the Father for the worship of the Father (Matt.
26:26-30). According to Matthew 26, we should break the bread to
remember Him. The Lord’s table is not a time to pray about our problems;
it is a time to absolutely forget about everything in this universe other than
Christ. We should simply remember Him and offer Him to the Father in
our worship of the Father. After the first Lord’s table on the night before
His crucifixion, probably while still sitting around the table, the Lord and
the disciples sang a hymn in worship to the Father (v. 30). Surely the Lord
led them in this singing, because Hebrews 2:12 speaks of the Son singing
hymns of praise to the Father in the midst of the church.

The Peace Offering

Being the Old Testament Type of the Lord’s Table
The peace offering is the Old Testament type of the Lord’s table. The
passover in Exodus is a type of the Lord’s table, but the peace offering is a
fuller type. This type is presented after the erection of the tabernacle, when
God was dwelling among His people in the Tent of Meeting. The peace
offering is seen after the law had been given, after the ordinances of
worship had been given, after the offerings were in place, and after the
priesthood had been set up. It was not eaten in haste, as the children of
Israel did with the passover when they left Egypt. The peace offering was
to be eaten in God’s sanctuary, in God’s habitation, with the holy and royal
priesthood as a much fuller worship.

At the Lord’s Table, the Believers Enjoying Christ

as Their Peace Offering for Their Fellowship with God
and with One Another; Their Enjoying Christ
before God the Father; Without the Worship of the Father
in the Lord’s Table Meeting,
the Presentation of the Peace Offering to God
 Not Being Able to Be Completely Fulfilled
At the Lord’s table, the believers enjoy Christ as their peace offering
[341] for their fellowship with God and with one another; they enjoy Christ
before God the Father. Without the worship of the Father in the Lord’s
table meeting, the presentation of the peace offering to God cannot be
completely fulfilled (Lev. 7:14-21, 28-34). Although we enjoy Christ as
our peace offering and share Him with one another, there is part of the
Lord’s table involving the worship of the Father Himself. Without this
worship, the presentation of the peace offering to God is not completely
fulfilled. This worship should include heave offerings and wave
offerings—thanksgivings and vows that accompany our worship to the
Father. This is more than just singing some hymns from the first section of
our hymnal.

Our Needing to Carry Out

the Lord’s Table Meeting in Two Sections

During the First Section of the Meeting,

All Our Praises Needing to Be Addressed to Christ,
and Our Needing to Bless Him with Well Speaking
concerning His Person and Work
We should carry out the Lord’s table meeting in two sections. During the
first section of the meeting, all our praises should be addressed to Christ,
and we should bless Him with well speaking concerning His person and
work (Heb. 13:15; Psa. 8:2; 48:1; 50:23; 116:17; Rev. 5:13). In the first
section we should bring our thanksgivings to the Lord. Hebrews 13:15
speaks of our offering up a sacrifice of praise. Our praise to the Lord is a
sacrifice. Not only is Christ the sacrifice, but our praise—the fruit of our
lips confessing His name—is a sacrifice to God. If our lips are sealed and
we are silent at the Lord’s table, there are, in essence, no sacrifices, and the
Lord’s table is empty.
Many brothers and sisters come week after week to the Lord’s table but
remain silent without saying a word. God made our mouth to praise Him,
to call on Him, to give thanks to Him. Is our mouth just for eating and
drinking? In our worship at the Lord’s table, our mouth must be opened,
and our lungs must be exercised. We should all come to the Lord’s table to
praise the Lord. On our way to the meeting we should already be praising.
Instead, many come and remain silent. Some saints come fifteen to twenty
minutes late, and those who are there often just sit and wait. This is wrong.
Even if only an ushering brother is present, he should start praising the
Lord. [342]
To not praise the Lord is to shame Him; it is to not follow the firstborn
Son in His praising. The Son cannot praise the Father without our praises,
because He can praise only in the praises of the church. We limit Him by
not praising. We should feel condemned if we do not praise. We should
bless Him; we should speak well of Him. Simply saying, “Lord Jesus, You
are good. Amen,” is enough. We do not need to give a sermon in our
praising. In some of our so-called praises we are giving the Lord a
message. The Lord does not need a message from us; He needs our praise.
He cannot praise Himself. He needs human beings to praise Him. He needs
His many brothers to praise Him. He needs His people to praise Him. He
needs His believers to praise Him.
When we consider Christ’s person and work, how can we run out of
things to praise? We need eternity and still will not be able to fully praise
Him in detail. However, in our meetings we often run out of things to
praise, so we rely on hymns. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings He
has established praise. Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised. Psalm
50:23 says, “Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me.”
Give glory to Him! Psalm 116:17 says, “To You I will offer a sacrifice of
thanksgiving.” To the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!
We should run out of time, not words, in our praises to Him. I have
heard that in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Lord’s table meeting is sometimes
two hours long. In the early days of the church in Jerusalem, the Lord’s
table meetings were daily (cf. Acts 2:42, 46). Perhaps they broke bread
several times a day, because they were fully in the enjoyment of the
dynamic salvation of Jesus. It was so fresh, so living; every time they ate a
meal, they remembered the Lord again. We have lost this spirit.

During the Second Section of the Meeting,

Our Needing to Address Our Praises to God the Father;
Its Being Best to Leave One-third or Two-fifths of the Time
for the Worship of the Father
During the second section of the meeting, we should address our praises
to God the Father; it is best to leave one-third or two-fifths of the time for
the worship of the Father (Matt. 26:26-30; Heb. 2:12). Today the Father’s
worship has been relegated to the side. When there is just a little time left,
we sing a hymn to the Father, such as Hymns, #52: “Father to Thee a joyful
song we raise.” The significance of one-third to two-fifths of the time
being devoted to the worship of the Father is [343] not about time but about
the weight of that time. Our appreciation of the Father is a great thing. The
Father is seeking such worship.

Christ as the Reality of the Peace Offering

That We Enjoy at the Lord’s Table
Being for Our Thanksgiving to the Father
and Also for a Vow to Him
Christ as the reality of the peace offering that we enjoy at the Lord’s
table is for our thanksgiving to the Father (Lev. 7:12-15) and also for a
vow to Him (vv. 16-18). Our worship to the Father may be accompanied by
a particular thanksgiving to Him from the previous week’s experience of
Christ or even a vow to Him. The Father wants vows from His children,
freewill offerings from us that accompany the peace offering of Christ.

On the One Hand,

Our Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord
with Thanksgiving by Praying, “Lord, I Love You,
So I Consecrate Myself to You”;
This Being Good but Too General
and Out of Our Emotions
On the one hand, we may consecrate ourselves to the Lord with
thanksgiving by praying, “Lord, I love You, so I consecrate myself to
You”; this is good but too general and out of our emotions. Brother Lee
says this in Basic Lessons on Service (The Collected Works of Witness Lee,
1979, vol. 2, p. 62). I agree with this concerning the matter of consecration;
but in our experience of the Lord’s table meeting, we should exercise our
spirit and our emotions to love and remember the Lord. However, in our
Lord’s table meetings there may be much “motion” but no emotion. I am
not advocating emotionalism, but our remembrance of the Lord may
become mechanical, cold, and formal, with no feeling in it. We may thank
the Lord for dying for us, but if there is a lack of feeling about this, our
prayers will become rote, routine, formulaic, and not from the heart. We
should consider how long it has been since we shed genuine tears at the
Lord’s table. When we consecrate to the Lord, it is good to do so out of our
strong feeling of love to the Lord. However, as we will see in the following
section, we also need to go deeper by exercising our will. [344]

On the Other Hand, Our Offering Ourselves to God

with a Voluntary Vow by Praying,
“Lord, I Come Here to Make a Vow to You;
I Give Myself to You and Marry Myself to You;
I Want to Be Solely for You Always,
Regardless of What Happens or How I Feel”;
All of Us Needing to Be Ones
Who Are Married to Christ for His Recovery;
the Offering for a Vow Being Something of the Will
and Being Stronger and Deeper
On the other hand, we may offer ourselves to God with a voluntary vow
by praying, “Lord, I come here to make a vow to You; I give myself to
You and marry myself to You; I want to be solely for You always,
regardless of what happens or how I feel”; all of us need to be ones who
are married to Christ for His recovery; the offering for a vow is something
of the will and is stronger and deeper.

This Enjoyment of the Peace Offering

Issuing from the Burnt Offering,
the Meal Offering, the Sin Offering,
and the Trespass Offering
This enjoyment of the peace offering issues from the burnt offering, the
meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. We need to be
clear that these four offerings are a collective base for the fifth offering, the
peace offering. In a sense the peace offering embodies the other four
offerings. Therefore, in our Christian life we should experience the burnt
offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering on a
daily basis; then, on the Lord’s Day we can come and enjoy the peace
offering upon the other four offerings.

Our Enjoyment of Christ

 as These Four Offerings Having a Result—
the Enjoyment of Christ
as Our Peace Offering for Us to Have Fellowship
with God and with Our Fellow Believers
Our enjoyment of Christ as these four offerings has a result—the
enjoyment of Christ as our peace offering for us to have fellowship with
God and with our fellow believers. [345]

THE PEACE OFFERING BEING OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS

FROM THE HERD OR FROM THE FLOCK,
AND ITS BEING EITHER MALE OR FEMALE

The Different Kinds of Peace Offerings

Signifying the Different Conditions
of the Offerers’ Enjoyment of Christ
The peace offering could be of different animals from the herd or from
the flock, and it could be either male or female (Lev. 3:1). The different
kinds of peace offerings signify the different conditions of the offerers’
enjoyment of Christ. We have a saying that our daily life is for the meeting
life; to this we should add that our week is for the Lord’s table. Our
worship of God at the Lord’s supper should start each week, and every day
we should participate in Christ as all the offerings until we reach the
destination of the meeting on Lord’s Day. In this way we will have a
stronger, richer Christ to offer, as signified by male offerings, rather than
only female offerings.

In Leviticus 3:1 the Male Signifying

That the Offerer’s Enjoyment of Christ Is Stronger,
Whereas the Female Signifying
That the Offerer’s Enjoyment of Christ Is Weaker
In verse 1 the male signifies that the offerer’s enjoyment of Christ is
stronger, whereas the female signifies that the offerer’s enjoyment of
Christ is weaker (cf. 1 Pet. 3:7). At the Lord’s table certain prayers and
praises are “male,” meaning they are stronger. Others are “female.” This is
the picture presented in the Word of God. May all the saints have their
enjoyment of Christ deepened, heightened, broadened, lengthened, and
strengthened.

AS OUR PEACE OFFERING, CHRIST BEING WITHOUT BLEMISH,

WITHOUT SINS AND TRANSGRESSIONS

As our peace offering, Christ is without blemish, without sins and

transgressions (Lev. 3:1; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15).

THE SPRINKLING OF THE BLOOD OF THE PEACE OFFERING ON

AND AROUND THE ALTAR, WHERE THE OFFERER WAS STANDING,
INDICATING THAT THE BLOOD IS FOR PEACE
IN THE OFFERER’S CONSCIENCE, GIVING HIM THE ASSURANCE
THAT HIS SINS HAVE BEEN WASHED AWAY

The sprinkling of the blood of the peace offering on and around the [346]
altar (Lev. 3:2, 8, 13), where the offerer was standing, indicates that the
blood is for peace in the offerer’s conscience, giving him the assurance that
his sins have been washed away (Heb. 9:14b). Every time we come to the
Lord’s table our conscience should be blood-washed, blood-sprinkled, and
blood-purified so that we could be filled with assurance and full of
boldness to come to the Father through Christ in the Spirit. It is a glorious
and wonderful freedom to be released from sin and condemnation and to be
free to praise the Lord! Only with a cleansed conscience can we worship
the living and true God. May our practice of the Lord’s table be not a
matter of dead works but something that issues out of a living touch with
the living God that is based on a purified conscience. Hallelujah for the
blood of Jesus!

CHRIST AS THE PEACE OFFERING

BEING FOR THE FELLOWSHIP AND ENJOYMENT
OF FIVE PARTIES: GOD, THE SERVING PRIEST,
ALL THE PRIESTS (THE PRIESTHOOD),
THE OFFERER, AND THE CONGREGATION
OF CLEANSED PEOPLE

Christ as the peace offering is for the fellowship and enjoyment of five
parties: God, the serving priest, all the priests (the priesthood), the offerer,
and the congregation of cleansed people. When the peace offering is
offered, everyone is able to eat—this is God’s holy “party,” holy feast.
 The Fat and the Inward Parts of the Offering
Being God’s Portion
The fat and the inward parts of the offering were God’s portion (Lev.
3:3-5). God receives the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the
appendage on the liver (v. 4). No man can take or participate in these parts.
Leviticus 3:5 says, “It is an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to
Jehovah.”

The Fat Signifying the Inward Riches of Christ

as the Abundance of Life for God’s Satisfaction
according to His Glory, and the Inward Parts Signifying
the Tenderness, Smallness, and Preciousness of What Christ Is
in His Inward Being toward God for God’s Satisfaction,
Which Can Be Apprehended and Appreciated Only by God
The fat signifies the inward riches of Christ as the abundance of [347] life
for God’s satisfaction according to His glory, and the inward parts signify
the tenderness, smallness, and preciousness of what Christ is in His inward
being toward God (cf. Phil. 1:8; John 7:3-18) for God’s satisfaction, which
can be apprehended and appreciated only by God (Matt. 11:27a). Only God
knows what is in the inward parts of Christ. Only the Father knows the
Son—no one else knows Him. Only the Father knows the inward parts of
His Son—the tender, hidden, fine, and precious parts. John 7:3-18 reveals
that the Lord limited Himself in time and did not do what others thought
was convenient. He did God’s will and sought God’s glory concerning
when to go up to the feast, when to speak, when not to speak, and what to
teach. These tender, small, and precious inward riches were deep inside the
God-man Jesus; the Father saw them and deeply enjoyed them.

The Burning of the Fat

and the Inward Parts of the Peace Offering
as an Offering by Fire to Jehovah
Signifying That God Should Be the First Enjoyer,
Enjoying the First, the Best, Part of the Peace Offering
The burning of the fat and the inward parts of the peace offering as an
offering by fire to Jehovah (Lev. 3:3-5, 9-11, 14-16) signifies that God
should be the first Enjoyer, enjoying the first, the best, part of the peace
offering. Certain types of fat are not healthy for human consumption, but
fat is the best food for God.

The Four Kinds of Cakes

and the Right Thigh as a Heave Offering
Being the Portion of the Serving Priest
The four kinds of cakes and the right thigh as a heave offering were the
portion of the serving priest (7:14, 32-34). Those who are strong and
participate in the priestly service, including those in the meetings who
support the priestly worship, can in type eat the meal offering as four kinds
of cakes (v. 12-13). They may also partake of the right thigh as a heave
offering, which refers to Christ’s strength in His ascension. We need to
heave this Christ to God so that we could be nourished and strengthened.

The Breast as a Wave Offering Being for All the Priests

The breast as a wave offering was for all the priests (vv. 30-31, 34). [348]
All the priests, including those who are not serving, can eat the breast as a
wave offering. In our Lord’s table there need to be more “thighs of
strength” heaved in ascension and more “breasts of love” waved in
resurrection.

The Flesh, the Meat, of the Offering

Being the Portion of the Offerer
The flesh, the meat, of the offering was the portion of the offerer (vv.
15-18). The one who offers prayer and praise can eat “the flesh,” “the
meat,” of the offering, as typified by the offering that was slaughtered and
cut to pieces at the altar of the burnt offering.

The Remaining Flesh of the Cattle,

under the Condition of Cleanness,
Being for All the Congregation
The remaining flesh of the cattle, under the condition of cleanness, was
for all the congregation (vv. 19-21). It was for all the congregation to eat.
 The Enjoyment of Christ as Our Peace
Needing to Be Kept from All Uncleanness,
and Christ as the Peace Offering
Needing to Be Eaten
by a Clean Person
The enjoyment of Christ as our peace should be kept from all
uncleanness, and Christ as the peace offering should be eaten by a clean
person (v. 19; 1 Cor. 11:28). The matter of eating in uncleanness is dealt
with in a very precise way in the law of the peace offering, indicating that
being clean is very important. In Message 1 we said that our worshipping
and partaking of God enabled us to live a holy, clean, and rejoicing life.
Cleanness is important. Not only must the sacrifice be unblemished and
without spot, but also the partakers, the enjoyers, must be clean. If we are
not clean, we are disqualified from eating Christ as the peace offering.
In 1 Corinthians 11 the apostle speaks of proving ourselves before
partaking of the Lord’s table. Verses 27 through 29 say, “Whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of
the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself, and in
this way let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [349] For he who eats
and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not discern the
body.” Here we see the importance of being clean and undefiled when we
partake of this most holy sacrifice unto Jehovah.

The Unclean Person

Who Partakes of Christ as His Peace,
as at the Lord’s Table, Being Put Aside
from the Fellowship of the Enjoyment of Christ
The unclean person who partakes of Christ as his peace, as at the Lord’s
table, shall be put aside from the fellowship of the enjoyment of Christ
(Lev. 7:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:16-17). Thus, to partake of the Lord’s table is
very serious.

Such a Sinful Person

Needing to Be Removed
from the Fellowship at the Lord’s Table
 Such a sinful person should be removed from the fellowship at the
Lord’s table (cf. 5:13b).

Also, the Dirtiness of Death

Spoiling the Significance
of God’s Enjoyment of Christ;
God Hating Death and Not Wanting to Look
upon Anything Related to It
Also, the dirtiness of death spoils the significance of God’s enjoyment of
Christ; God hates death and does not want to look upon anything related to
it (Lev. 7:24). We should not touch anything of spiritual death and then
come to the Lord’s table. When we come to the Lord’s table meeting, there
should be no element of death and therefore no element of sin. In the
church in Corinth improper things transpired, and as a result, there was the
temporary discipline of the Lord, including sickness and even the death of
those who participated unworthily in His body (1 Cor. 11:30). We need to
have peace with one another, especially when we come to the Lord’s table.
It is a serious thing for us to have a problem with another member of the
Body. We must prove ourselves and examine ourselves. Some in Corinth
became weak and sick; some even died, because they failed to do this. [350]

We Who Take Christ as Our Peace Offering

Needing to Offer the Excellent Part of Christ (the Fat)
to God for His Satisfaction,
the Loving Part of Christ in His Resurrection
(the Breast as a Wave Offering)
and the Strong Part of Christ in His Ascension
(the Right Thigh as a Heave Offering)
Being for the Serving Ones’ Enjoyment;
in Our Enjoyment of Christ as the Peace Offering,
God Having Allotted the Loving Capacity
and the Strengthening Power of Christ
to Us, the New Testament Priests,
as Our Eternal Portion for Our Enjoyment
in Serving God
 We who take Christ as our peace offering should offer the excellent part
of Christ (the fat) to God for His satisfaction, the loving part of Christ in
His resurrection (the breast as a wave offering) and the strong part of
Christ in His ascension (the right thigh as a heave offering) being for the
serving ones’ enjoyment (Lev. 7:29-34; Exo. 29:26-28); in our enjoyment
of Christ as the peace offering, God has allotted the loving capacity and the
strengthening power of Christ to us, the New Testament priests (1 Pet. 2:5,
9; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:10), as our eternal portion for our enjoyment in serving
God. After a Lord’s table meeting in which we partake of and enjoy the
Lord in this way and render Him this kind of worship, we feel that we are
filled and nourished with love and strength. Thus, we feel ready to face a
new week, ready again to go into battle. We have this feeling because we
have partaken of the bread and the wine and have eaten of the breast and
right thigh, which are Christ. He has become our portion for us to continue
our service to God as priests.

In the New Testament

There Being No Clergy and No Laity;
Thus, All the Believers in Christ
Needing to Be the Serving Priests, the Priestly Body,
the Offerers, and the Congregation
In the New Testament there are no clergy and no laity (see Rev. 2:6 and
footnote); thus, all the believers in Christ should be the serving [351] priests,
the priestly body, the offerers, and the congregation. In the present age we
should be included in each of these four parties.

NOT EATING THE FAT

SIGNIFYING THAT THE BEST PART OF CHRIST
IS FOR GOD’ S SATISFACTION;
NOT EATING THE BLOOD
SIGNIFYING THAT CHRIST’S BLOOD SHED
FOR OUR REDEMPTION FULLY SATISFIES THE REQUIREMENTS
OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, AND GLORY

Not eating the fat signifies that the best part of Christ is for God’s
satisfaction; not eating the blood signifies that Christ’s blood shed for our
redemption fully satisfies the requirements of God’s righteousness,
holiness, and glory (Lev. 3:17; cf. Gen. 3:24; Heb. 10:19-20; Rev. 22:14).
According to the type, we should not partake of the fat or the blood.

Thus, in the Universe Only Jesus’ Blood

Being Edible to His Believers
Thus, in the universe only Jesus’ blood is edible to His believers (John
6:53-56 and footnote 2 on v. 54). Only His blood is “true drink” (v. 55).

To Eat Any Other Blood

Making Christ’s Blood Common
To eat any other blood would make Christ’s blood common (Heb. 10:29
and footnote 3). The Jewish believers, to whom Hebrews was written, were
wavering by going back to the Old Testament sacrifices of bulls and
goats—they were partaking of blood that was other than Christ’s. The
writer of Hebrews says that they should not do this, because by doing so,
they were making Christ’s blood common. Only Christ’s blood is eternally
efficacious.

The Blood of Christ

Satisfying God’s Righteous Requirements,
Maintaining God’s Holy Position,
and Keeping God’s Glory,
His Expressed Dignity
The blood of Christ satisfies God’s righteous requirements, maintains
God’s holy position, and keeps God’s glory, His expressed dignity. [352]

A LAMB SIGNIFYING THAT THE OFFERER

ENJOYS CHRIST IN HIS PERFECTION AND BEAUTY,
WHEREAS A GOAT SIGNIFYING THAT
THE OFFERER ENJOYS CHRIST
NOT MUCH IN HIS PERFECTION AND BEAUTY
BUT IN HIS BEING MADE SIN ON OUR BEHALF

A lamb signifies that the offerer enjoys Christ in His perfection and
beauty (Lev. 3:7), whereas a goat (v. 12) signifies that the offerer enjoys
Christ not much in His perfection and beauty but in His being made sin on
our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
 THE PEACE OFFERING
BEING A KIND OF BURNT OFFERING
AS FOOD TO GOD
FOR HIS SATISFACTION AND ENJOYMENT

The peace offering is a kind of burnt offering (Lev. 3:9-11; 1:9, 13, 17)
as food to God for His satisfaction and enjoyment. As a kind of burnt
offering, the peace offering is also for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction.
Oh, that our praises at the Lord’s table meetings would be an aroma and
fragrance that satisfies God!

THE PEACE OFFERING

BEING BASED UPON GOD’ S SATISFACTION
IN THE BURNT OFFERING;
ACCORDING TO THE SEQUENCE OF THE OFFERINGS
PRESENTED IN LEVITICUS 1:1—6:7,
ITS BEING ALSO THE ISSUE OF THE ENJOYMENT
OF GOD AND MAN IN THE MEAL OFFERING;
IF WE WOULD ENJOY CHRIST AS PEACE IN A PRACTICAL,
DAILY WAY, OUR HAVING TO FIRST TAKE HIM
AS OUR BURNT OFFERING TO SATISFY GOD,
AND THEN OUR HAVING TO FEED ON HIM
AS OUR MEAL OFFERING, ENJOYING HIM AS OUR FOOD

The peace offering is based upon God’s satisfaction in the burnt offering
(6:12); according to the sequence of the offerings presented in Leviticus
1:1—6:7, it is also the issue of the enjoyment of God and man in the meal
offering; if we would enjoy Christ as peace in a practical, daily way, we
must first take Him as our burnt offering to satisfy God, and then we must
feed on Him as our meal offering, enjoying Him as our food. In order to
truly enjoy the peace offering, we must first experience and enjoy all the
other offerings. [353]

THE SEQUENCE OF THE FIVE OFFERINGS IN LEVITICUS 1:1—6:7

BEING ACCORDING TO OUR PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE,
WHEREAS THE SEQUENCE IN 6:8—7:38
BEING ACCORDING TO THE TOTAL PICTURE
 OF GOD’S ECONOMY

According to the Sequence of the Offerings

in Leviticus 6:8—7:38, the Peace Offering Being Also
Based on the Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering;
When the Problem of Our Sin and Trespasses
Is Solved by Christ as the Sin Offering
and Trespass Offering and When God and We Are Satisfied
with Christ as the Burnt Offering and the Meal Offering,
Our Being Able to Offer Christ to God as the Peace Offering
for Our Mutual Enjoyment in Peace
The sequence of the five offerings in Leviticus 1:1—6:7 is according to
our practical experience, whereas the sequence in 6:8—7:38 is according to
the total picture of God’s economy. According to the sequence of the
offerings in Leviticus 6:8—7:38, the peace offering is also based on the sin
offering and the trespass offering; when the problem of our sin and
trespasses is solved by Christ as the sin offering and trespass offering and
when God and we are satisfied with Christ as the burnt offering and the
meal offering, we can offer Christ to God as the peace offering for our
mutual enjoyment in peace. According to the laws of the offerings, the
peace offering is last.

In God’s Heart and in His Desire

God Having Christ to Be Four Kinds of Offerings to Us—
the Burnt Offering, the Meal Offering, the Sin Offering,
and the Trespass Offering—That We May Enjoy Christ
as Peace with God in Every Way;
Christ’s Being These Four Offerings
Consummating in Peace between God and God’s People,
and This Peace Being Simply Christ Himself
In God’s heart and in His desire God would have Christ to be four kinds
of offerings to us—the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering,
and the trespass offering—that we may enjoy Christ as peace with God in
every way; Christ’s being these four offerings consummates in peace
between God and God’s people, and this peace is simply Christ Himself
(Eph. 2:14). In our experience the peace offering is in the middle. [354] In a
sense it is in the center of the five offerings, with the burnt offering and the
meal offering on one side, and the sin offering and trespass offering on the
other side, framing this ultimate offering, the peace offering.

Eventually, the Enjoyment of Christ

as All the Offerings, Issuing In the Peace Offering,
Consummating in the New Jerusalem
as the Ultimate Peace Offering
(Jerusalem Meaning “the Foundation of Peace”),
in Which We Will Enjoy the Triune God
as Peace for Eternity
Eventually, the enjoyment of Christ as all the offerings, issuing in the
peace offering, will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate
peace offering (Jerusalem means “the foundation of peace”), in which we
will enjoy the Triune God as peace (Phil. 4:7, 9) for eternity. In principle,
we will be enjoying the Lord’s table meeting for eternity, enjoying Christ
as our peace offering in the heavenly city, whose name, Jerusalem, means
“foundation of peace.” God and man will be enjoying Christ as the peace
offering there for eternity.

Thus, the Ordinances, or Laws, concerning the Offerings

Being a Record of the Totality of God’s Economy
Thus, the ordinances, or laws, concerning the offerings are a record of
the totality of God’s economy. The five offerings are a picture of God’s
economy. There is a judicial side and an organic side. Everything of God’s
economy can be found in these offerings—God, Christ, the Spirit, the
believers, the church, the kingdom, and the New Jerusalem. The entire
economy of God is unveiled to us in this crystallization-study through
these five marvelous offerings in Leviticus. We need to live our entire
daily life as a miniature of the New Jerusalem, every day participating in
this Christ in various aspects.
The Lord’s table should not be an ordinary meeting. According to Acts
2:42, the early church continued steadfastly in four things: the apostles’
teaching, the apostles’ fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.
The mention of the last two—the breaking of bread and the
prayers—implies that the Lord’s table meeting and the prayer meeting are
the most important meetings of the church. They are the most essential, the
most important, and they require the greatest exercise of our mingled,
corporate spirit. The Lord’s table is for us to praise the Triune [355] God, to
express Him, glorify Him, speak well of Him, and give Him honor, glory,
wisdom, and might. The prayer meeting should be full of the exercise of
the spirit, not only for expression but for representation; this meeting is for
the church to exercise the authority of the Head to rule over the enemy,
subdue the earth, advance the kingdom, defeat Satan, and fight the spiritual
warfare. These two meetings are the central meetings of the church. In fact,
they are closely related. Verse 42 puts “the breaking of bread and the
prayers” together. Therefore, we may say that they are the two most
important exercises in the local churches, in the churches of God. May
these two meetings, especially the Lord’s table meeting, be recovered in
these last days throughout all the six inhabited continents. In this way the
Father will gain the worship that He is seeking, and He will say, “The hour
has come, and it is now. I have found true worshippers. Their numbers may
not be great, but here they are. I am happy; I am satisfied.” We too will be
satisfied.—M. C.

< Previous • Next >

Back to the table of contents

© 2018 Living Stream Ministry
All rights reserved.
 [357]

REPORTS

AN UPDATE CONCERNING EUROPE

The Lord is advancing His move in Europe. Throughout Europe the

Lord is strengthening His testimony and adding many to the local churches.
This has largely been the result of the Lord’s blessing on the spread of the
ministry publications and the perfecting of the saints in Europe through
training.

The Spread of the Ministry

In 1984 Brother Lee said, “During the past twenty years, eighty
percent of the more than three hundred churches in the West have
been raised up through the publications” (The Collected Works of
Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 5, “The Faithful and Diligent Spreading of the
Truth—concerning the Publication Service,” p. 207).
Ephesians 3:9 says, “And to enlighten all that they may see what the
economy of the mystery is.” In 1986 Brother Lee said, “The Lord’s
recovery has been commissioned with a big enterprise to spread the
Lord’s truths. He has given us the truths which we are holding. But we
need the faithful, pure-hearted ones, who do not have any intention to live
to themselves but to Him, to go out to spread these ‘gold bar’ truths”
(Elders’ Training, Book 8: The Life-pulse of the Lord’s Present Move, p.
115).
Brother Lee’s fellowship has been our experience in Europe. In the UK
the ministry broadcasted over the radio was a vital factor for the increase of
the churches, especially in London. In the Netherlands the distribution of
The Stream magazine had much to do with the raising up of the lampstands
in that country.
All throughout Europe the spread of the ministry has produced increase
and raised up the Lord’s testimony in many countries. In the year 2000,
there were approximately 650 saints and 32 lampstands in Europe. Today
there are just over 4,700 saints and at least 90 local churches. Just this year,
the first Lord’s table was enjoyed in Split, Croatia; Copenhagen, Denmark;
and Krakow, Poland.
In October of this year, over 35,000 copies of the Recovery Version [358]
 of the New Testament were distributed to hungry ones all over Europe,
including more than 31,300 in Germany alone. The response among these
ones has been exceeding expectations, with hundreds wanting further
contact.
The following are testimonies from saints who participated at the Bible
distributions:
We met a girl who was interested to look at the footnotes in the
Bible. She was surprised that we would come all the way to
Bielefeld for the distribution. We read through John 4:13-14, and
she said that it didn’t make sense to her. When we went through
the footnote for verse 13, she exclaimed, “Wow, I understand it!”
Praise the Lord.
We were approached by a young man who had received a
Recovery Version Bible a couple of months back. He said he had
been reading it and found it to be beautiful. He recognized our
sign and had to stop by and say hello.
A young German was so happy to receive a Bible with notes and
cross-references and said, “Thank you so much. This is an answer
to prayer.”
Before the distribution in October, there were six cities in Germany
identified as established churches or soon-to-be established
churches—Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich.
Over the past two years the saints have been laboring in Germany in
response to the mass migration of refugees into the country that began in
2015. The Lord has since added to them Farsi speakers, Arabic speakers,
and native Germans. Now, following the Bible distribution and the labor of
the last two years, the number of saints in Germany is approximately 500,
almost double the number of saints from two years ago. There are also now
28 cities in Germany where there are saints or seeking ones asking for
contact.
Amos 8:11 says, “Indeed days are coming, / Declares the Lord Jehovah,
/ When I will send a hunger into the land, / Not a hunger for bread / Nor a
thirst for water, / But for hearing the words of Jehovah.”
We are seeing a hunger in the land of Europe, and the ministry of the age
is spreading throughout Europe. The Recovery Version of the New
Testament is now available not only in English but also in other European
languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and,
by January 2018, Polish. Although the ministry may not yet [359] be
available in many other European languages, Europeans, especially the
young people, are increasingly able to read and understand English,
enabling them in the meantime to receive the English ministry publications
distributed across the continent.
In 1 Timothy 2:3-4, the apostle Paul says, “Our Savior God, who desires
all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” We
pray that the Lord’s heart for all men would be duplicated in us. Europe is
a continent with over 600 million people in 47 sovereign states, which is
almost twice the number of people in the United States. We praise the Lord
for the ones that the ministry has reached over the decades, yet there is still
a vast void of the truth—even the full knowledge of the truth—for millions
of Europeans. May the Lord enlarge our hearts and strengthen the churches
to spread the ministry publications to all men for the raising up of His
testimony.

The Need for Training

As new ones are gained through the spreading of the divine truths, there
is a great need for training the new ones and existing saints. The way of
training is a great principle in the New Testament and a great factor of
blessing in the Lord’s recovery.
In 1992 Brother Lee said, “Another thing I want to make clear is our
burden to have trainings to train the saints. Brother Nee conducted regular
trainings for the saints in mainland China. I came out of mainland China to
Taiwan in 1949. We started a formal training there for four months in
1953. From that year on, I set aside a few months nearly every year for the
training of the saints” (A Timely Word, p. 37).
In the same message he also said, “If you ask me to stop the training
work and stop the publications, I cannot do it. I must obey my Lord who
sent me, who charged me, and who gave me this commission to help His
recovery, and who gave me this burden of the ministry of His word to
release His word” (p. 38).
In the Life-study of Ephesians, Brother Lee says, “We need to be trained
for the practice of the church life. This means that the training should
enrich and uplift our practice of the church life” (p. 353).
In line with Brother Lee’s fellowship, the Full-time Training in London
began in 1997, and to date, 276 saints have completed the two-year
training, with an additional number participating in at least one term. These
ones who have been trained represent at least 24 European countries.
Although the training is conducted in English, this term only six of [360] the
42 trainees were native English speakers. This two-year training has been
instrumental in reconstituting European young people with the truth.
In order to reconstitute the people of God, there is the need to
educate them with the word that comes out of the mouth of God,
which expresses God. This means that to reconstitute the people
of God is to educate them by putting them into the Word of God
that they may be saturated with the Word...As a result, they
[Israel] became a divine nation on earth...to be God’s testimony.
(Life-study of Nehemiah, pp. 32-33)
Weekend trainings for the saints of all ages began at Heckfield Place in
2003, and following the purchase of Bower House in 2005, one-week
trainings began in May of 2010 and have continued through the spring of
this year. Although we have had the capacity to accommodate only
approximately 100 saints in the one-week trainings each month for two
months each year, the total number trained at the week-long trainings has
been 1,550, representing 37 countries.
A brother who attended a one-week training for the first time last year
testified,
I went to a seminar at the Amana Trust bookshop in Central
London for the first time. My intention was only to go to the
bookshop, but while I was there, a brother informed me that there
was a seminar in progress...It was because of that time in the
seminar that I signed up to come to this one-week training.
This week [of training] has opened my eyes fully to the gospel
and brought me to the truth...I came from somewhere where I was
captured within the framework of religion. The knowledge was
there, but I was trapped by it. However, this week I experienced
the recovery process of the gospel. We really are all one in Christ.
He is the Head, we are part of the Body, and this has become a
living...I can only thank the living God for what He has done for
me. He has even made me a part of His Body. The only way I can
describe it is that it’s like a miracle.
In 1991 Brother Lee said, “We may first strengthen the ministry in
England because eventually England will be crucial for all of Europe”
(Elders’ Training, Book 11: The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (3),
p. 68). By having these trainings in London, the saints and churches [361]
across Europe have been greatly strengthened, and many of the saints have
consecrated themselves fully to the Lord.
Since the year 2000, the number of saints in Europe has increased
sevenfold. This is surely due to the spread of the ministry and the training
of the saints. Yet this is still short, and there are still many more seeking
ones the Lord is looking to gain.
In 2014 a map of the UK was presented to the saints representing the
number of people who have responded to the Life-study of the Bible with
Witness Lee radio program or have requested more contact while receiving
a free Recovery Version of the New Testament. Since then, the saints in
the UK have been endeavoring to follow up with them. During the summer
of 2017, more than 70,000 phone calls were made to these ones confirming
that thousands are still open to have more fellowship with us.
One of these phone calls reached a radio listener who had also been
reading the ministry, especially the Life-study messages. During the phone
call, a trainee invited him to a seminar nearby. It was the first event with
the saints he had ever been to. At the seminar he indicated that he was open
to having a meeting in his home, and after about three or four meetings
with the saints in his home, he started coming to the Lord’s table. He has
been enjoying the church life and meeting with the church in London since.
There is an average of over 50,000 persons listening to the Life-study of
the Bible with Witness Lee radio broadcast Monday through Friday, and
another large group on the Lord’s Day afternoon in the UK. The Life-study
of the Bible with Witness Lee is also broadcast in Spanish on the radio
throughout Spain. Over 35,000 copies of the Recovery Version of the New
Testament were distributed throughout Europe in 2017, and there still are
over 200,000 copies of the Recovery Version of the New Testament in the
European languages ready to be distributed. Soon there will be another
printing of the Recovery Version of the New Testament, which will include
30,000 in the Polish language. Each year the saints in Europe also contact
hundreds of university students through the autumn activities, many of
whom are open for further contact and open to attend the meetings and
conferences.
All of these ones need shepherding and training. Although the former
training center at Heckfield Place and the current training center at Bower
House have been instrumental in training many saints, there have been
limitations in the number that we have been able to receive for training.
[362]
At Bower House, we have the capacity to host approximately 200
Europeans per year for one-week trainings and weekend retreats.
Woodland Camp, a 17-acre site, ten minutes from Bower House, was
purchased in 2013 and is being prepared so that the capacity can be
enlarged to more than 200 Europeans per week for ongoing trainings and
weekend retreats throughout the year. In order to do this, we need to
prepare a meeting place and the infrastructure that will prepare the way for
a total of 45 two-bedroom cabins to be built. We believe that over the next
few years, the Lord will provide us with these facilities to meet the need of
training so many seeking ones for the increase of the Lord’s testimony
throughout Europe.
Of the three influential factors in today’s world, the Far East and
the United States have been occupied and taken by the Lord’s
recovery. Europe still remains as a region in which the Lord’s
recovery needs to be rooted and grow. I hope that we would bring
this fellowship to the Lord and pray. We should tell the Lord,
“Lord, these days are the consummation of the age. Lord, in these
days rekindle my love toward You.” (The World Situation and
the Direction of the Lord’s Move, p. 19)
For information regarding praying, giving, and going
related to the Lord’s move in Europe,
please visit amanatrust.org.uk and/or lordsmove.org.
For information regarding the London properties, please visit:
amanatrust.org.uk/uk-building-project.

[363]

AN UPDATE CONCERNING THE PUBLICATION

OF THE COLLECTED WORKS OF WITNESS LEE

Living Stream Ministry is pleased to announce the release of the latest

four sets of The Collected Works of Witness Lee.
Once completed, this comprehensive work will span Brother Lee’s
ministry from 1932 to 1997 and contain approximately 136 volumes with
over 77,000 pages of ministry. Of this amount, at least 44 percent has not
been previously published. Thus, more than 35,000 pages of ministry will
be made available for the first time, including the hymns written by Brother
Lee, extensive notes from his six personal Bibles, and letters written by
him to various saints and co-workers.
To assist the saints in obtaining complete sets of The Collected Works of
Witness Lee (CWWL), Living Stream Ministry is offering a pre-purchase
program at up to a 45% discount. A subscription to this program will
ensure that you receive all the volumes of CWWL as soon as they are
available. If you already own some volumes of CWWL, you can choose to
exclude those volumes previously purchased.
The original deadline to join this program was December 31, 2017.
However, this deadline has now been extended until April 30, 2018. We
strongly encourage all the saints not to wait until this new deadline
approaches but to sign up as soon as possible.
The sets corresponding to years 1988 through 1993, comprising a total
of 17 volumes and over 8,800 pages, have been published. The volumes
covering the years from 1994 through 1997 are scheduled to be released by
January 2018. The volumes covering 1932 through 1962 are expected to be
released by the end of 2018. The 1993 set will be shipped out the first
week of January 2018 to those who have already joined the pre-purchase
program.
For information on how you can join this program
and receive these volumes as soon as they are released,
go to www.livingstream.com/cwwl
or call the LSM book section at (714) 236-6050.

[365]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

INFORMATION CONCERNING UPCOMING

CONFERENCES AND TRAININGS

The following is a schedule of upcoming conferences and trainings

hosted by Living Stream Ministry. Information is also available online at:
http://www.lsm.org/upcoming-conf-info.html
Int’l Chinese-speaking Conference
February 16-18, 2018
(Taipei, Taiwan)
Int’l Training for Elders & Responsible Ones
April 13-15, 2018
(Anaheim, CA)
Int’l Memorial Day Weekend Conference
May 25-28, 2018
(Kansas City, MO)
July 2018 Semiannual Training
July 2-7, 2018
(Anaheim, CA)
Int’l Training for Elders & Responsible Ones
October 4-6, 2018
(Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Int’l Thanksgiving Weekend Conference
November 22-25, 2018
(Charlotte, NC)
December 2018 Semiannual Training
December 24-29, 2018
(Anaheim, CA)

INFORMATION CONCERNING EUROPEAN CONFERENCES,

SEMINARS, AND ONE-WEEK TRAININGS

For information related to upcoming conferences, seminars, and

one-week trainings in Europe and Israel, please consult the Amana Trust
website at:
http://www.amanatrust.org.uk/events