This is Monday morning, May the 8th, 1972.
Ministry given through Brother Stephen Kong in Richmond,
Virginia.
Our Heavenly
Father, this is the prayer of our hearts.
That thou will cause us to come to
thine own river.
And thou will cause us to drink of
thy river.
And thou will cause us to live by
thy river.
O how we praise and thank thee.
There is life, life abundant, that comes from
the throne of God and of the land.
How we praise and thank thee that we
may come to thee.
We may drink of thee and we may
live by thee.
This morning we do come together once again
to drink of thee.
We pray that thou will open thy word
to us.
Make thy word living and operative in our
lives.
Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
That we may know thee in a real
way.
And in knowing thee we may be filled
with thyself.
Lord we do commit ourselves and this hour
into thy hands.
Trusting thee to break thy word to us.
In the name of our Lord Jesus.
The one verse that we would like to
fellowship this time is found in 1 Corinthians
chapter 4 verse 1.
So let's read it again.
1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 1.
Let a man so account of us as
servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God.
Ephesians chapter 3.
We'll read from verse 1 through verse 12.
Ephesians chapter 3 verse 1.
For this reason I, Paul, prisoner of the
Christ Jesus for your nations, if indeed ye
have heard of the administration of the grace
of God which has been given to me
towards you, that by revelation the mystery has
been made known to me, according as I
have written before briefly, by which in reading
it ye can understand my intelligence.
In the mystery of the Christ, which in
other generations has not been made known to
the sons of men, as it has now
been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets
in the power of the Spirit, that they
who are of the nations should be joint
heirs and a joint body and joint partakers
of his promise in Christ Jesus by the
glad tidings, of which I am become minister,
according to the gift of the grace of
God given to me, according to the working
of his power, to me less than the
least of all things, has this grace been
given, to announce among the nations the glad
tidings of the unsearchable riches of the Christ,
and to enlighten all with the knowledge of
what is the administration of the mystery hidden
throughout the ages in God, who has created
all things, in order that now to the
principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be
made known through the church, the assembly, the
all various wisdom of God, according to the
purpose of the ages, which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have
boldness and assets, in confidence by the faith
of him.
Colossians chapter 1.
Colossians chapter 1 we will read from verse
24 through verse 29.
Now I rejoice in sufferings for you, and
I feel of that which is behind of
the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for
his body which is the assembly, the church.
Of which I became minister according to the
dispensation of God, which is given me towards
you to complete the word of God, the
mystery which has been hidden from ages and
from generations, and has now been made manifest
to his saints, to whom God will make
known what are the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the nations, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Whom we announce admonishing every man, and teaching
every man in all wisdom, to the end
that we may present every man perfect in
Christ, whereunto also I toil, combating according to
his working, which works in me in power.
And the last place is in 1 Corinthians
chapter 2.
1 Corinthians chapter 2 we will read from
verse 6.
Through verse 16.
That we speak wisdom among the perfect, but
wisdom not of this world, nor of the
rulers of this world, who come to naught.
But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery,
that hidden wisdom which God has predetermined before
the ages for our glory, which none of
the princes of this age knew, for had
they known they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory.
But, according as it is written, things which
eye has not seen, and ear not heard,
and which have not come into man's heart,
which God has prepared for them that love
him, that God has revealed to us by
his Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, even the
depths of God.
For all of man hath known the things
of the man except the Spirit of the
man which is in him.
Thus also the things of God knows no
one except the Spirit of God.
For we have received not the Spirit of
the world, but the Spirit which is of
God, that we may know the things which
have been freely given to us of God.
Which also we speak, not in words taught
by human wisdom, but in those taught by
the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.
For the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit of God, for they
are folly to him, and he cannot know
them because they are spiritually discerned.
But the spiritual discerns all things, and he
is discerned of no one.
For who has known the mind of the
Lord?
Who shall instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
We are stewards of the mysteries of God.
We are not owners, we are managers.
God has entrusted his secret to us, and
we are to manage the secret faithfully and
wisely.
I think this is the greatest privilege,
and the greatest responsibility we have before God.
Just think for a moment.
God has revealed his secret to us.
Something that has been hidden in God for
ages and for generations.
Something that he has been working towards all
the time, and yet he has never made
known that secret to man.
And now by his Spirit he has revealed
that secret to us, who are the least
of all the saints.
As Paul said, less than the least of
all the saints.
That's what we are.
And yet God has revealed his mystery, his
secret, that which is in his mind, in
his heart, for centuries to us.
And having received that secret, we have become
stewards.
We are not only to keep that secret,
but we are to manage that secret in
all faithfulness, in all wisdom.
Brothers and sisters, to me I feel this
is one of the greatest things that can
happen to us.
The mysteries of God.
And of course, that mystery is so tremendous
that Paul has to use the plural number,
the mysteries of God.
It is not that there are many mysteries.
There is only one.
God has only one secret.
But that secret is so tremendous that it
covers such a tremendous ground.
There are so many facets to it.
And that is the reason why it is
called the mysteries of God.
Now last night we began with a mystery
in that special term.
The mystery in singular number.
The mystery of God.
Now the mystery of God, as we mentioned
last night, is Christ.
God has only one secret.
And His secret is His Son.
If we know Christ, we know God.
If we do not know Christ, God remains
a mystery to us.
The mystery of God's will is in His
Son.
He wants His Son to be the head
of all things.
All things will be gathered together in Him.
And that is God's mystery.
Now we will not go back and go
over again because we did that last night.
Now this morning we want to go on
with a mystery that we find in God's
Word.
The mystery of God is Christ.
And the mystery of Christ is the Church.
That you find in these passages that we
have read this morning.
Whether it is in Ephesians chapter 3.
Whether it is in Colossians chapter 1.
Or it is in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.
You find Paul is mentioning a mystery.
And this mystery is called the mystery of
the Christ.
Now what is the mystery of the Christ?
And after you have read these passages you
know it is the Church.
You know when Christ was on earth He
was really a mystery to the people of
His days.
He lived among them.
He moved among them.
And yet He was a great puzzle to
all of them.
They just couldn't figure Him out.
As you read the record you find in
the four Gospels you find time and again
people will say, well, we know His parents.
We know His brothers and His sisters.
And we know Him.
We know He is a carpenter.
We know that He lives among us.
But where comes His wisdom?
He has never gone to school.
We know that.
But how can He teach like that?
We know that He is one of us.
And yet how can He say that He
is from heaven?
And at other times you'll find the scribes
and the Pharisees say we do not know
where He comes from.
We know Moses but we do not know
Him.
We don't know.
Sometimes people try to lay hands on Him
and yet somehow they couldn't do that.
And even those officers that were sent to
take Him they came back and said no
man has ever talked like Him.
We couldn't lay our hands on Him.
Throughout the life of our Lord Jesus He
was a mystery.
In the very beginning you'll find the Pharisees
and the Council they seem to be favorable
in a sense to Christ.
Why?
Because they thought He might be the Messiah.
He might be.
He might be the one who will fulfill
all their aspirations.
They watched very carefully and they found that
He was so different from their idea of
the Messiah.
He just didn't fit in with their concept.
They thought that when the Messiah should come
then He would revive the nation of Israel
and He would help them through all the
yoke of the Roman Empire and to make
Israel the first of the nations.
And yet He didn't do that.
So finally they rejected Him.
In the very beginning you'll find the Jewish
people flocked to Him.
Wherever He went He gathered great multitudes.
They followed Him.
Why?
Because they wanted Him to be their King.
He could feed them with five loaves and
two fishes.
But gradually they discovered His words were too
hard.
They just couldn't take Him.
So they left Him.
They not only left Him but finally they
rejected Him.
They said crucify Him.
Crucify Him.
We will have nothing to do.
He was a mystery and unknown to the
people of His time.
Not even with His disciples.
Those who were supposed to know Him.
He was still a mystery to them too.
Time again you'll find they misunderstood Him completely.
They just couldn't understand Him.
Even to the very end you'll find they
did not understand Him.
After He was resurrected you'll remember that day
He walked with two disciples on the way
to Emmaus.
And these two disciples they were talking.
And the Lord went in with them and
said, now what are you talking about?
And He said, you must be a stranger
in Jerusalem.
Don't you know that what is the news
that everybody is talking about?
The Lord said, what is it?
And they said, well there is a man
Jesus in whom we have hope.
He is the hope of Israel.
But something happened.
He was crucified.
He died.
Our hope was dashed to pieces.
But then some woman said, He is risen
from the dead.
We just don't know what He is all
about.
Now these were disciples of our Lord Jesus.
And even to these disciples the Lord was
a mystery to them.
They just couldn't figure Him out.
They just didn't understand Him.
Brothers and sisters, you know, Christ is a
mystery.
He will remain a mystery if we do
not see Him.
It may sound strange to your ears now.
But let me illustrate it.
In Matthew chapter 16 you find that the
Lord said, now who do men say, I
am?
And all these people have different things to
say.
And some say that He is Elias.
He is Jeremiah.
Or He is John the Baptist that comes
back to life.
Or He is one of the prophets.
In other words, they saw what He did.
They heard what He spoke.
They watched His manner.
His compassion.
And they saw all these things so that
He must be this one or He must
be that one because He has done this
and He has said that and He has
expressed in this way.
So you find people give all kinds of
judgment about the Lord Jesus.
And the Lord said, now whom do you
say that I am?
You who are My disciples.
You who are supposed to be those who
know Me.
And you remember Peter?
Through the revelation of the Father, he said,
Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God.
Peter knew Christ.
But immediately after he said, You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God, you
know what did Christ do to him?
Christ said, Blessed are you, son of Jonah.
Because this is not something revealed to you
by man.
But it is My Heavenly Father who has
revealed the Son to you.
Now I am going to reveal something more
to you.
You are Peter.
I will build My church upon this rock.
And the gates of Hades shall not prevail.
When the Father revealed the Son to Peter,
the Son immediately revealed the church.
Why?
Because the Son is the mystery of God.
And the church is the mystery of Christ.
When you know the Son, you know the
Father.
But unless you know the church, you do
not know Christ in His fullness.
You may know Christ in certain way.
But if you want to know the full
meaning of Christ, you have to know the
church.
I will build My church upon this rock.
And the gates of Hades shall not prevail.
Another example.
Here was a man by the name of
Saul.
He was brought up in Judaism.
In a sense, he was the representative, the
typical man in Judaism.
The best.
The best specimen of Judaism.
He loved God.
He knew the prophets and the law.
So far as the righteousness according to the
law was concerned, he was perfect.
But he just couldn't understand Christ.
He couldn't.
He thought Christ was an imposter.
So he persecuted the Christians, the believers.
By doing that, he thought he was serving
God.
He was doing a good service to God
with all sincerity and honesty.
But on the way to Damascus, the Lord
appeared to him.
The Lord met him on the way of
Damascus.
And the first question you remember Saul asked
was, Lord, who are you?
I don't know you.
Who are you?
And the Lord said, Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute Me?
Why do you persecute Me?
I'm Jesus, whom thou persecutest.
Brothers and sisters, how did Saul come to
know Christ?
He came to know Christ by his church.
He was persecuting the believers.
He was persecuting the members of the body.
And the head complained in heaven and said,
why did you touch Me?
In other words, he knew the Lord through
the church.
He immediately saw that touching the believers he
touched the head.
Because the head and the body are one.
And from that time on you will find
he received further revelation concerning the mystery of
the Christ.
And he became one who really knew the
mystery of the Christ which is the church.
Why is it that the mystery of the
Christ is the church?
Why?
First, Christ will remain a mystery to us
if we do not see the reason why
He came to this world.
Why did the Son of God come to
this world?
Why did He die on the cross?
Why did He accomplish the work of redemption?
For if we do not see the church
we will never be able to know fully
the meaning of Christ.
You know, sometimes we know Christ in a
personal way.
And thank God for that.
We should.
Sometimes we say now He is Christ.
Why?
Because He is my Savior.
He has died on the cross for me.
For my sin.
And this is correct.
Thank God for that.
And sometimes we say now Christ came to
the world that He may give me life.
And even more life.
Life more abundantly.
And this is also correct.
And thank God for that.
Sometimes we think of Christ as our shepherd.
And how He guides our way.
How He protects us.
How He takes care of us.
And thank God that is true.
And sometimes we think of Christ as our
friend.
A friend in need.
He is indeed our friend.
He knows us.
Thank God for that.
We come to know Christ in His many
and various aspects.
But brothers and sisters, if you want to
know the full meaning of Christ, you have
to see something.
Something bigger than personal or individual.
There is a place for the personal and
the individual.
But you have to have your vision enlarged.
And to see something far bigger.
In other words, Christ has come.
He includes you.
He includes me.
But, you are not the whole meaning.
I am not the whole purpose.
You know, sometimes, And that is very true.
So far as our experience goes.
You know, sometimes we say now, it is
as if Christ just loves me.
And He dies on the cross just for
me.
And you know, anyone, everyone who has experienced
the love of Christ will say it in
this way.
As if Christ comes to the world just
for you.
And nobody else.
And thank God, this is very true.
But you know, in one sense, you are
very precious to Him.
That's true.
As if you are the only one.
And He treats you like that.
But in another sense, you are not that
important.
He has something far bigger in view.
Why does Christ come to this world?
What is the meaning of the cross?
Why does He give Himself up in this
way?
And you find the Bible says, Christ loved
the church and gave Himself.
You know, the whole book, Gospel of John,
has a viewpoint.
And the viewpoint is, the one who comes
to this world is a bridegroom.
He is looking for His bride.
That is the whole viewpoint of the Book
of John.
And that is the reason why you find
this marriage feast of Cana there in the
Gospel of John.
Christ came to this world as a bridegroom.
He was seeking for His bride.
But the thing is, the bride was not
there.
He had to form that bride.
He had to make that bride.
He had to gather that bride so that
He might have her for Himself.
He came to seek and to find the
lost.
For what purpose?
That He may gather unto Himself a people.
That will become His bride.
And that is the whole outlook in the
Gospel of John.
Brothers and sisters, Christ is for the church.
And this is the meaning of Christ.
He is for.
Not just for you and for me, but
for the church.
You and I are included, becomes part in
that church, in that bride, or in that
body, or in that kingdom.
Now, whatever way you may put it.
Peter will put it, Christ is the King.
And He comes to build His kingdom on
earth.
Paul will put it, Christ is the head.
He is finding His body.
He is building His body.
And John will put it, Christ is the
bridegroom.
He is seeking His bride.
Now, in whatever way you may put it,
you find it is the culprit that is
always in view.
Not just individuals.
He is not just saving you and me
as individuals.
He is saving you and me to make
up a body.
To make up a kingdom and to make
up the bride.
And thank God we are included.
And unless we can see it in this
way, you cannot explain.
You cannot.
Then secondly, you find that Christ is not
only for the church.
He is in the church.
You know, very often when we read 1
Corinthians, come to chapter 2.
You know, this is one verse that has
been used very much.
We often use that word and say, now
I know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified.
And sometimes we boast of it.
And literally say, I know nothing.
I only know Christ crucified.
That's all I know.
Brothers and sisters, if you read the context,
you know that this is not really what
Paul means.
Paul said, when I come into your midst,
that is when he came to Corinth, knowing
the situation in Corinth, he said he was
determined to know nothing among them but Jesus
Christ and Him crucified.
Now, not that Paul did not know anything
more.
But judging their situation, he determined, he was
determined to know nothing.
But Christ crucified.
Why?
Because that was what they needed.
They lived in the flesh.
They boasted of their own cleverness and wisdom.
And so forth.
And what they needed was the cross of
our Lord Jesus.
They needed to see Christ crucified.
That was the message to them.
But brothers and sisters, immediately after he mentioned
that, in the second part of 1 Corinthians
chapter 2 he said, but among the perfect,
we also speak of wisdom.
The Corinthian people, they talk about wisdom.
They sought after wisdom.
The wisdom of this world.
And that made them very big heads.
They thought that they were somebody.
So Paul said, no.
I know nothing among you but Christ Jesus
and Him crucified.
You have to see the cross.
Christ crucified on the cross.
You have to be reduced to zero.
But Paul said, after you know Christ crucified,
after the foundation truth has been received, then
you can build on the foundation.
And the build-up truth is God's mystery.
God's wisdom in a mystery.
Sometimes you hear people boast and say, I
know nothing of Christ crucified.
And they really know nothing more.
That's not Paul's attitude.
On the one hand, when you come to
the foundation truth, there is nothing but Christ
crucified.
That's true.
We should preach nothing but Christ crucified.
But among the perfect.
Now, who are the perfect?
In the Bible, the perfect does not mean
seamless perfection.
Does not mean people whom we would think
they are perfect.
In other words, they are just perfect.
There is nothing wrong or nothing less anymore.
No.
The meaning of the perfect in the Bible
here is in contrast with the babes.
To the babes, we know nothing but Christ
crucified.
Why?
Because that brings them into birth.
That makes them babes in Christ.
That gives them life.
But when the babes grow, they are more
matured, then they need the build-up truth
upon that foundation.
And the build-up truth is God's wisdom
in a mystery.
So the perfect here means the matured ones.
Those who are growing in the grace of
God.
Those who have left their babyhood.
Those who are going on with the Lord.
On the basis of Christ crucified.
On the foundation of the cross.
There you will find, you begin to see
God's purpose of Christ coming to this world.
God's purpose of Christ crucified on the cross.
The meaning of Christ and the meaning of
the cross begin to be revealed.
And that is God's wisdom in a mystery.
Why is it called a mystery?
Because it is something hidden.
There is a time for its revelation.
To the Corinthian believers, Paul was not able
to reveal that mystery to them.
Paul would like very much to share with
them God's wisdom in a mystery.
Because that mystery had already been revealed to
Paul.
And he would like very much to fellowship
with them on this point.
But he couldn't.
He couldn't.
Why?
Because they were still babes.
They were still babes.
They needed the cross working their lives deeper
before they would be able to appreciate God's
wisdom.
Before they were able to see God's purpose
of the cross of Christ.
So brothers and sisters, Paul said, among the
perfect, we talk about God's wisdom in a
mystery.
And he tried to describe that wisdom in
a mystery.
He said it was something that ears have
never heard.
Eyes have never seen.
And it has never come into human mind.
It is something completely hidden.
It concerns our glory.
It has to be revealed by the Spirit
of God because it is the depths of
God.
And who knows the depths of God but
the Spirit of God.
It has to be revealed and it has
to be interpreted, explained with spiritual words.
It is the mind of Christ.
Now, after he has given so much description,
he did not come out and say what
it is.
Why?
Because they were not ready for it.
They were not ready to know God's wisdom
in a mystery.
They were not ready to receive the mystery
of Christ.
And this had to wait until he wrote
the letter to the Ephesians.
Now, if you read the letter to the
Ephesians and compare 1 Corinthians 2 with Ephesians
3, you will find the description of that
mystery were almost similar.
You will have similar descriptions of mystery, hidden,
revealed, our glory, all these things.
You will find a parallel between these two
passages of the promise of God.
And he said it is through the church
that the wisdom of God is made known
even to principalities and authorities.
That is, to the angels.
So, brothers and sisters, here you will find
the mystery of Christ is that
you do not see the church unless, first,
you allow the cross to work in your
life.
So, somebody said, if you preach the cross,
you get the church.
But if you preach the church, you get
the cross.
You know?
If you preach the cross of the Lord
Jesus and really let the cross work in
you, then you will be delivered from individualism,
you will be delivered from the self-centered
life, you will be delivered from the flesh,
and then you will be brought into God's
purpose.
And you will see that you are part
of God's purpose.
You are a member of the body of
Christ.
And how you are related to Christ, and
you are related to one another.
But if you preach the church, in other
words, you tell people that you belong to
the church, you belong to the body, you
are a member.
And if the cross hasn't worked in your
life yet, you will discover the cross will
begin to work.
Why?
Because without the cross, the foundation, you cannot
have the superscripture.
The cross has to work in your lives
in order to make the church a reality
to you.
The church is not something just to appreciate,
just to admire.
The church is a reality.
It is the mystery of Christ.
In other words, Christ is in the church.
What is the church?
The church is Christ in his corporate expression.
That is the church.
And because Christ has put himself in the
church, not only put himself in the church,
but the church is Christ in his corporate
expression.
Therefore, anything that is not of Christ in
us has to be dealt with by the
cross.
That's why when you preach the church, you
get the cross.
And by this way, you will really enter
into the real meaning of the church.
Then thirdly, the church is the mystery of
Christ.
Why?
Because Christ is known by the church.
How are you going to know Christ?
If you try to know Christ individually, you
will find there is a great limitation there.
Why?
Because our capacity is limited.
By the grace of God, you may know
Christ to a certain degree.
But that's all.
That's all you can know.
Some may know Christ as their savior.
Others may know Christ as their healer.
Others may know Christ as their counselor or
their comforter.
Now, in our personal experience, we can know
Christ to a certain degree, each individual.
But it takes the whole church to make
Christ known.
Therefore, you'll find Ephesians chapter 3, with all
the saints, we apprehend the width, the breadth,
the length, the height and the depth of
the love of Christ which surpasses.
Christ is known by the church.
That is the reason why we need to
fellowship one with another.
We need to share with one another the
Christ that we know.
And by sharing the Christ that we know,
we are able to apprehend and be filled
with the fullness.
That's the reason why we need one another.
Brothers and sisters, how we thank God for
all the brothers and sisters.
Because it is through all the brothers and
sisters that we come to know Christ.
Christ is known by the church.
Not only among ourselves, that is among God's
people.
But Christ is known by the church to
this world.
You remember the Lord said, if you love
one another, then the world will know that
God has sent Him.
Our personal testimony, witnessing to the world, is
important.
But you'll find there is a greater power
in our testimony to this world.
And that is seen in the church.
In the early days of Christianity, you'll find
people will point to these believers and say,
see how they love one another.
And because of that, many came.
This does not mean that we should shun
our personal witnessing or responsibility.
Not at all.
We should.
We should, each individual, we should witness for
the Lord.
That is true.
But brothers and sisters, when there is a
body on earth, when there is a candlestick
of gold on earth, when there is this
church on earth, you'll find the light will
shine far and wide.
The testimony will be strong and effective.
The reason why today our testimony is so
weak is because God's people are so divided.
There is not that one candlestick.
There is not that love for one another.
That is to say, brotherly love.
In other words, we love one another for
one reason.
We are brothers.
There is no other reason for that love.
And if we can all love one another
because we are brothers, now this is the
love of God.
And the world will immediately see that God
has sent Christ to this world.
So you see, Christ is made known not
just by one or two individuals.
And also, Christ is made known by the
church to the principalities and authorities.
You know, the testimony of the church reaches
far beyond just this material, physical world.
Our testimony touches the spiritual world.
Even the principalities and authorities come to learn
the wisdom of God through the church.
And of course, this can be explained in
two different ways.
When you think of these angels, principalities and
authorities as good angels, shall we say, as
angels who are serving God, then you find,
Peter said, even the angels are very anxious
to learn, to see what God is doing.
Here God raises up men who are made
little lower than angels.
And through these men who are lower than
angels, because God is to use them to
accomplish God's plan.
The angels rejoice in seeing what God is
doing today in the church.
The angels begin to see the wisdom of
God.
And they praise God.
They sing praises to God because of the
church.
And of course, to the principalities, authorities and
the power of darkness and the spirit of
wickedness.
They are destroyed by Christ and his church.
Satan was defeated by Christ in person on
the cross.
And now, the whole power of darkness is
to be destroyed by the church.
It is through the church that the enemy
of God is to be brought to his
end.
And brothers and sisters, this is the way
that you'll find the church will even teach
the angels the wisdom of God.
And not only teach the angels, but Paul
said, don't you know that you will judge
the angels?
We will judge the angels because we are
made heirs and co-heirs with Christ.
God has not given the habitable world to
the angels, but he has given to the
seed of Abraham.
So brothers and sisters, you'll find in these
three aspects, you can see how the mystery
of Christ is the church.
Christ is for the church.
Christ is in the church.
And Christ is known by the church.
And through the church, the mystery of Christ
is known.
No one knows the Father, but when you
know the Son, you know the Father.
No one really knows Christ, but when you
know the church, you know Christ.
What is the church?
Very briefly, in the whole letter of Ephesians,
you'll find Paul is trying to show us
what the church is.
What is the church?
Now today, the word church may not mean
much to people.
Even to Christians, the word church may not
mean too much.
But if you really know what the church
is, if you really see what the church
is, then you'll find the mystery of Christ
is all there.
It is in the church that you know
Christ.
Why?
Because first, you'll find Paul in Ephesians chapter
1 said, he is head over all things
to the church.
Which is his body, the fullness of him
who fills all and in all.
Now what is the church?
The church is the body of Christ.
Christ, the head.
He is to fill the body with himself.
Everything in the body speaks of himself.
He is all and in all.
Now that is the church.
What is the church?
The church is Christ himself.
That expressed in a corporate way.
That's the church.
The body.
Think of the body of Christ.
A body.
The scripture does not use a corpse.
A body.
Because there is life in it.
It is not a corpse.
It is not a form.
It is not something of the past.
It is a living body.
It is in the present.
It is Christ himself that fills all and
in all.
Not only the church is the body that
contains Christ in all his fullness.
And we thank God for that.
It is not a little bit of Christ.
And a great deal of other things.
But it is all of Christ and nothing
of any other foreign elements.
But you find it is through the body
that Christ is to express himself.
That's the body.
Now what is my body?
My body is not only the reservoir of
all the riches of the head.
But my body is also the expression of
the head.
All the actions of my body expresses the
head.
What my head is thinking, what my head
desires, you'll find it is expressed in my
body.
That is the church.
The church is the body that is filled
with Christ himself.
And by the church he expresses himself.
And of course you'll find Ephesians chapter 5
he is the saviour of the body.
You know that's a mystery.
He is the saviour of the body.
Of course that goes way back to Genesis
chapter 2.
You know?
Even before sin entered into this world you'll
find God said to man it is not
good for man to be alone.
And he put man to sleep.
And out of his side he took something
and made a woman.
Which is his body.
So brothers and sisters you'll find Christ is
the saviour of the body.
By that it means through the death of
our Lord Jesus on the cross God took
something out of him and made a body,
the church.
And how he will nourish it and cherish
it.
How he will sanctify it by the washing
of the word with, of the water with
the word that he may present that body
to himself.
A glorious church without spot or wrinkle of
any of such a sort.
That is the body.
And that is the church.
That is his expression.
Then you go on to chapter 2 and
you'll find Paul said what is the church?
The church is the one new man.
The whole man is all corrupted.
The whole man is all divided.
There is an enmity in the whole man.
Especially you'll find this is demonstrated among the
Jews, between the Jews and the Gentiles.
They have nothing to do with each other.
But here you'll find through the cross, by
the blood in Christ he has made us
the Jews and the Gentiles into one new
man.
Not only into one but into one new
man.
It's a new creation.
Entirely new.
And this one new man is reconciled to
God.
One with God.
That is the church.
All brothers and sisters the church is a
new creation.
All the natural enmity all the natural distinctions
discriminations are set aside on the cross.
The Jews and the Gentiles.
But neither Jews nor Gentiles.
When God brings the Jews and the Gentiles
together the strange thing is when they are
brought into Christ they lose their Jewishness and
their gentleness.
Neither the Jews nor Gentiles.
It is Christ.
New man.
They are one with one another and one
with God.
Now that is the truth.
That is why we need to keep diligently
the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace.
That is why we cannot move away from
that new ground that God has given to
us.
If we get up into the old ground
we are not only divided but we are
having enmity one with another.
But it is one new man that is
the church.
One new man.
It is Christ.
And then in the same chapter two of
Ephesians you find the church is the house
of God.
We are being built together into a habitation
of God by His Spirit.
God not only dwells in each one of
us but God dwells in our midst.
Wherever two or three are gathered together unto
my name there am I in the midst
of them.
So people said you have an additional portion
of Christ when God's people are together.
We are the house.
We need to be built one to another.
Not just scattered but built.
And in the process of this building much
work needs to be done.
And if we are really built together then
we can house God.
In other words the presence of the Lord
will be there.
He is able to rest among His.
You know every house in a sense is
the expression of the owner of the house.
You go to a house and you can
see the character of that owner.
Because only that will make the owner feel
comfortable in the house.
You can go to a hotel or a
motel and spend a night there but if
you live there forever you won't be comfortable
because it doesn't seem to answer to what
is within you.
You will transform that room into something that
will correspond to your taste and then you'll
feel comfortable.
You can rest.
Brothers and sisters, what is the church?
The church is the house of God.
He is the son over His house.
And you'll find His taste will be expressed
in the arrangement of everything and that will
make Him comfortable.
Otherwise He won't enter into rest.
Then you go on and find what is
the church?
The church is the bride of Christ.
In Ephesians chapter 5 the bride of Christ.
And the idea of the bride is the
thought of union.
There must be such a union between Christ
and His church.
And lastly in chapter 6 you'll find the
church is a warrior.
Now very often we take chapter 6 as
a personal thing.
In other words, lots of times we say
now every Christian is engaged in a spiritual
conflict.
Now in order to be able to meet
the spiritual conflict you need to take upon
yourself the panoply of God, the whole armor
of God.
And brothers and sisters, there is a there
is a side to that.
Just as the soldiers when they are fighting
in the battlefield each has a place in
the battle.
Now remember the battle is much bigger than
what one individual soldier is facing.
The warrior actually in Ephesians 6 is a
corporate warrior.
It is the church.
The church is that warrior.
The church is closed with the armor of
God.
And the church is entering into the spiritual
conflict to stand to withstand and to stand.
How we need one another in spiritual conflict.
If in the battle one soldier should expose
himself above and beyond the other soldiers he
will be shot.
He will become a target of the enemy.
We have to move on together as the
warrior of God.
And brothers and sisters, God has promised us
that he will even put Satan under our
feet.
Satan is not only to be made a
footstool of Christ but God will put Satan
under our feet.
That he is under the feet of the
church.
That's in Romans 16.
The first time I noticed that, that was
years ago.
When I was a young Christian I met
Brother Neal and I asked him to write
something to my autograph you know.
And he wrote that verse.
I couldn't understand it at that time.
I didn't notice that verse.
God will soon put Satan under your feet.
And I didn't notice that there is such
a verse in the Bible.
It's in Romans 16.
And brothers and sisters I do not know
what the meaning is.
But you know as you go on with
the Lord, that meaning will become clearer and
clearer.
Why?
Because the church in union with Christ is
that warrior.
And God has not only put Satan under
the feet of Christ, but he will soon
put him under our feet.
This is the church.
Now if you see the church in these
various ways isn't it something tremendously big?
No wonder it is the mystery of the
Christ.
If you want to know Christ, what he
is, what he means, what he is all
about, you have to know him by the
church, through the church.
So brothers and sisters this is the mystery
of the Christ.
Shall we pray?
Our Father we do praise and thank thee
because it is thy good pleasure to reveal
thy Son to us and in us.
That we may know thy mystery.
We thank thee for sharing thy secret with
us.
For giving thy Son to us.
All our prayer is that we may always
see him.
That we may not look away from him.
We may be fully occupied with him and
him alone.
O Lord how we praise and thank thee
because thou dost further reveal thyself to us
in thy church.
By seeing thy church we see thee in
a fuller way.
So Lord we pray that by thy grace
thou will reveal the mystery of the Christ
to us.
That we may not only see it but
we may diligently keep it.
That we may also learn to toil with
it.
Laboring as it were to bring everyone perfect
before thee in Christ.
So Lord do help us to be good
stewards of the mysteries of God.
We ask all in the name of our
Lord Jesus and for his glory alone.