May we look to the Lord in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, how we do praise and
thank Thee that Thou has given us Thy
only begotten Son.
Thou has given us that unspeakable gift, even
Thy own Son.
Oh, we just worship Thee, and we just
thank Thee.
We pray that even tonight Thou will reveal
Thy Son much more to us, that we
may see Him more, that we may worship
Him more.
In Thy precious name, Amen.
What we will share this time is on
this matter of the believer's life and ministry,
as illustrated in the tabernacle.
We would like to use the tabernacle to
illustrate a believer's life and also his ministry.
And as we mentioned last night, the tabernacle
is divided into three parts.
The outer court, the holy place, and the
holiest of all.
So far as a believer's experience is concerned,
we enter into the outer court first, and
then we get into the holy place, and
finally we find ourselves in the holiest of
all.
So this is the approach that we will
use for this time.
Of course we know according to the purpose
of God, the order is just reversed.
It begins with the holiest of all, it
comes out to the holy place, and then
it reaches the outer court.
We feel that these three parts in a
sense represent the three stages in a believer's
life and ministry.
The outer court speaks of purification, the holy
place speaks of enlightenment or transformation, and the
holiest of all speaks of union.
Now in the outer court, you find there
are two pieces of furniture.
At the very entrance of the outer court,
there stands a huge piece of furniture, the
brazen altar of burnt offering.
We mentioned last night that it speaks of
the cross of our Lord Jesus.
There is no way to come to the
presence of God except through the cross of
our Lord Jesus.
The cross is the way to God, and
you find it stands right at the entrance.
You cannot fail to see it, and you're
not able to bypass it.
In our approach to God, we have to
come to Him by the cross of our
Lord Jesus.
The cross is the most basic and the
most comprehensive theme in the word of God.
We find that not only by the cross,
the blood of the cross of our Lord
Jesus, our sins are forgiven, but through the
death on the cross of our Lord Jesus,
we find that our old man was removed.
It is through the cross that the life
of God is released, that we may have
life, eternal life.
And it is because of cross we become
the children of God.
And it is the same cross that separates
us from the world.
So far as the world is concerned, we
are crucified.
And so far as we are concerned, the
world is crucified.
And it is also through the cross that
our Lord Jesus has captive, captured the principalities
and authorities, and has destroyed all the power
of darkness, and delivered us out of the
kingdom of darkness, translating us into the kingdom
of the Son of God's love.
So you'll find everything is based upon the
cross.
We find that the cross, the blood, has
not only washed our sins away, but God
has made us a kingdom of peace.
So by the cross we are not only
saved, but by the cross we are also
saved to serve.
The cross stands at the very entrance.
Then we find the second piece of furniture
in the altar court, the brazen labor.
The priests, when they begin to serve in
the tabernacle, whether they come to the brazen
altar to offer sacrifices, or they enter into
the holy place to minister to God, they
have to wash their hands and their feet.
We mentioned last night that we who believe
in the Lord Jesus, our sins have been
washed by the blood.
And also we find that we have been
washed with water, not in the sense of
taking away our sin, but water baptism speaks
of a new position.
We are now in a new position.
We belong to Christ.
Every believer is a priest.
As we come to the Lord, we are
all living stones, being built up together into
a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So the universal priesthood of believers is the
teaching of the Bible.
Today every child of God, whether man or
woman, grown up, or children, if they believe
in the Lord Jesus, everyone, every child of
God is at the same time a priest
unto God.
And as priests, of course, we know our
vocation is to serve God.
So we mentioned last night, no matter what
your vocation may be, your vocation as a
believer, as a priest, is in the service
of God.
But let us remember that the God whom
we serve is a holy God.
He is a living God.
He is a holy God.
Therefore we cannot serve Him if our feet
are dirty and our hands are unclean.
That is the reason why you find the
priests have to wash their hands and their
feet every time they serve God.
Our feet speak of our walk.
As we walk through the world, unconsciously we
pick up the dirt of the world.
We unconsciously, the spirit of the spirit, seem
to affect our communion with the Lord.
And therefore you find it is of utmost
importance, whenever we begin to serve the Lord,
we have to have our feet washed.
Washed by the water, that our spirit will
be renewed, and our relationship with the Lord
is fresh and living, so that our service
may be acceptable to God.
And not only that, but our hands.
We cannot serve God with the hands of
the flesh, because the flesh in the sight
of God is defilement.
We need to have our hands washed.
We cannot serve God in our fleshly energy,
with our fleshly cleverness, or even with our
natural talents.
We have to be washed in the water,
so that we may serve God with clean
hands.
And we mentioned also last night that the
water there that washes is different from the
blood that washes.
The blood washes us from our sins, but
the water washes us from defilement.
And the water here stands for the life
of our Lord Jesus.
The life of our Lord Jesus in us
is this water, that continues to cleanse us
with the word, so that we may be
fit to serve God as priest.
And furthermore, we mentioned that the brazen altar
is made of the mirrors of the women,
who assembled before the entrance of the tent
of meeting.
That is to say, these women, their lives
were so devoted to God, that they were
willing to give up their mirrors.
The mirrors in the old days were made
of brass.
They were willing to give up their mirrors.
They have no use for these mirrors.
They have no use for vanity, because they
seek the glory of God.
And these mirrors were made into the brazen
laver.
So whenever a priest approaches the laver, immediately
it convicts him.
It judges him.
It reveals his dirty feet and unclean hands,
so that the water may wash him clean.
So that is what we mentioned last night.
I cannot repeat the whole thing, but because
some of you were not there, so just
fill you up a little bit.
Then of course, not only in the outer
court you have the life, but you have
the ministry.
So our ministry in the outer court simply
means the cross that saves us, is the
cross that we serve.
We preach Jesus Christ and him crucified.
That is our ministry.
This evening we would like to go a
step further, into the holy place.
Now we know the holy place is the
place of the priests.
The children of Israel can enter into the
outer court, but they are not allowed to
enter into the holy place, because the holy
place is the place of the priests.
So brothers and sisters, we do thank God
that we are not only made children of
God, but we are also being made a
kingdom of priests.
And as priests, we can enter into the
holy place.
You know the holy place stands between the
holiest of all and the outer court.
So in one sense, the holiest of all
represents heaven, where God dwells, and the outer
court speaks of the world.
But the holy place stands in between the
holiest of all and the outer place.
Actually it speaks of the church.
Why?
Because the church, so far as its calling
and nature are concerned, it is heavenly.
But so far as its location and testimony
is concerned, it is on the earth.
So you find we are a spiritual house,
as well as a holy priesthood.
We are the church of God, and we
are the priesthood that serves in the house
of God.
One thing you notice, in the outer court
everything is made of copper or brass.
The brazen altar is made of wood, but
overlaid with copper.
The brazen laver is made purely of copper.
We mentioned last night that copper in the
scripture speaks of divine righteousness, dealing with human
responsibility.
And because of this, it speaks of judgment.
So in the outer court everything is of
copper.
It speaks of judgment.
God is righteous, and anything that is unrighteous
has to be judged.
God is holy, anything that is unclean has
to be judged.
And being judged, thank God he has made
provision for us for cleansing, for purification.
So in the outer court it is mainly
a matter of purification.
That speaks of the first stage of our
believer's life.
We are all concerned with this matter of
cleansing.
How can I be cleansed from my sins?
How can I be cleansed from all defilements?
This is what occupies us in the first
stage of our believer's life.
But when you enter into the holy place,
you'll find everything is of gold.
The golden altar of incense is made of
acacia wood, but overlaid with gold.
And you'll find the golden table of showbread
is made of wood, but overlaid with gold.
And then you'll find the golden lampstand, or
the candlestick, it is of pure gold.
Everything there is gold.
Now we know gold in the scripture speaks
of God's nature.
Incorruptible, noble, beyond everything.
That speaks of the nature of God, the
nature of God's life.
So here you'll find in the holy place,
the whole concept is not on the matter
of judgment and purification.
Rather it is on this matter of enlightenment
and transformation.
In the outer court, we are occupied with
what the Lord can do for me.
But in the holy place, it is what
the Lord is to me.
The first thing you notice in the holy
place is the golden lampstand.
You know in the outer court, it is
surrounded, but there is no cover.
So in the outer court, people move around
by the sunlight.
But when you enter into the holy place,
you'll find it is not only surrounded, but
it is covered with layers of coverings.
So that the natural light cannot penetrate into
the holy place.
In the holy place, it will be utter
darkness if the lampstand is not shining.
So in the holy place, you'll find people
move around guided by the light from the
golden lampstand.
Now brothers and sisters, we know in the
early stage of our believer's life, probably what
decides our walk or what guides our decision,
probably it will be more in the way
of natural reasoning.
In other words, whenever we are confronted with
a problem, we try to reason it out,
the pros and the cons, the good and
the evil.
So in the early days of our Christian
life, probably we are guided by natural reasoning.
But as you grow in the Lord, you
will find that a Christian life is no
longer guided by natural reasoning.
Instead you'll find he is guided by the
light that comes out from the golden lampstand.
Now what is the light that comes from
the golden lampstand?
We remember our Lord Jesus said, I'm the
light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall walk in the light of
life.
In other words, this golden lampstand and the
light upon it speaks of our Lord Jesus
as the light of life.
If we walk in the light, as God
is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another.
And the blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all our sins.
And before this verse, 1 John 1, 7,
you have 1 John 1, 5.
It is said, God is light and there
is no darkness in him.
So brothers and sisters, we find that not
only God's word is light, but God himself
is light.
God is light.
And God dwells in the light.
If we walk in the light, now the
light there does not refer to God's word.
Of course, God's word is light that shines
upon our path.
That is true.
But in 1 John, you'll find the light
there refers to God is light.
So in other words, you'll find if we
walk in the light, it means if we
walk in the light of life, as God
lives in the light, then we have fellowship
with one another.
Now brothers and sisters, do you know that
the life that we receive at new birth,
it is the life of our Lord Jesus.
And this life that has been given to
us, every child of God has this life
in him or in her.
And this very life sheds light from within.
In other words, we are not guided by
external light, but we are guided in the
service of God by the light within.
Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6,
the eyes are the lamps of the body.
If your eye is single, then the whole
body is light.
But if your eye is double or wicked,
then your whole body is darkness.
And how dark will be that darkness?
Now what the Lord is referring to is
nothing external.
It is what is within.
So dear brothers and sisters, let us remember
that we all have the light of life
within us.
The life of the Lord Jesus will shed
its light upon us from within.
And when it begins to shine from within,
then it is our responsibility to walk in
the light, as God dwells in the light.
Now let me use an illustration.
God is light, and he dwells in the
light.
And of course, if we use an illustration,
may we say he is, his light is
perfect, his light is complete, his light is
absolute, his light is full.
May we say it is a hundred candle
light.
That is what God is.
But do you know that when you believe
in the Lord Jesus, that life has entered
into your life?
And that life of Christ in you, because
you are newly born, you are a new
baby in Christ, so that light in you
probably is just one candle light.
The light is new, so the light is
small.
But at least you have one candle light.
And this one candle light will shine from
within to tell you how you should walk
before God.
You are no longer given by outside reasonings,
what people say, or even what your own
reasons say.
But you are to be guided in your
walk by the light of life shining from
within.
And when the light shines, it is your
responsibility to walk in the light, as God
is in the light.
And when you do that, you have fellowship
with one another.
Now it is true, God's light is a
hundred candle light, and your light is only
one candle light.
Now even there is a great difference of
degree, but remember, it is the sameness of
kind.
Because it is the very life of God.
Therefore you find even though the degrees are
different, the kind is the same, therefore there
can be fellowship.
And the blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ,
cleanses us from all sins.
You find that as you obey the one
candle light you have, and God begins to
have fellowship with you, He will begin to
show you something that needs cleansing.
And the blood of the Lord Jesus is
there, available for you.
So that you may grow into two candle
lights.
But as you obey and walk in the
two candle lights, as God is in the
light, you again have fellowship.
And when you have fellowship with God, you
find that light begins to shine upon you
and show you something more that needs cleansing.
And when you obey it, you begin to
get three candle lights.
And this is the way that we grow
in life.
You know, our spiritual growth is not based
upon anything external.
It is based upon the life within.
And the life shines, and continues to shine.
And if we obey, then we grow.
And our fellowship with God is uninterrupted.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we ask the question,
how can God fellowship with me?
God is perfect.
I am imperfect.
How can He have fellowship with me?
Well, if it waits until we get to
a hundred candle lights, we have no hope.
But thank God.
God, as a grown-up, deals with a
child.
We are but a baby.
But not because we are a baby, there
are many things we do not understand.
And there are many dirt and many uncleanness
and many sins that we do not even
know about.
They are there, but we are not conscious
of it.
Now, anything that we are conscious of is
being enlightened by the light of life.
And whenever we are enlightened by the light
of life, we need to confess.
And the blood of Jesus cleanses us from
all our sins.
But there are many many defilements, many many
uncleanness in us yet.
But, because we have only one candle light,
and we do not see all these dirt
and dust, God still can have fellowship with
us.
Thank God for that.
But on the contrary, if you have three
candle lights, and you only walk in two
candle lights, then your fellowship with God will
be interrupted.
And that is the reason why, dear brothers
and sisters, you can never judge any brother
or any sister.
Because he has to walk in the light
that God has given him.
And you have to walk in the light
that God has given you.
How can you judge your brother and your
sister?
Sometimes you may have five candle lights, and
he may have only two candle lights, but
he is walking with the Lord, with his
conscience void or offence, and he has fellowship
with God, and sometimes you think, how can
he do that?
I can see there are certain things in
his life that is not right yet, but
God is more generous than you are.
This is the way that we grow in
the Lord.
It is the light of life.
The inner light.
If we walk in the light, if we
follow the Lord Jesus, he is the light
of life, if we follow him, then we
do not walk in darkness.
But we have the light.
Well, maybe I can use another way of
explaining it.
You know, in 1 John 2, verse 27,
it is said, we have the anointing within
us, or the unction within us.
You do not need anybody to teach you.
You have the anointing within you, and what
the anointing teaches is true, and is not
false.
Obey the teaching of the anointing, and you
abide in Christ.
Now, this is just another way of putting
it.
In other words, we know the anointing in
us speaks of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the oil, the ointment.
And as the Holy Spirit operates, it is
like anointing, like something that is anointed upon
you.
You know, brothers and sisters, when the Holy
Spirit works in your life, it is just
like an ointment being poured on your wounds.
It is soothing, it is gentle, it is
never forcing, overwhelming, but it is gentle, it
is persistent, but it is very soothing.
And you find the Holy Spirit gently move
upon your wounds.
The reason is not to hurt you, but
to cure you, but to heal you.
So it is the anointing within you.
The Holy Spirit will speak with a still,
small voice.
It is not like a big fire, it
is not like an earthquake.
No, we are waiting for an earthquake.
But God is not there.
It is a still, small voice.
And deep within our spirit, we hear it.
This is the way, walk ye.
And brothers and sisters, if we obey the
teaching of anointing, then we abide in Christ.
And you find the Holy Spirit within us
is not only the anointing that teaches us
in all things, He is also the law
of the Spirit of Life.
He not only teaches, but He gives us
the power to enable us to obey whatever
He teaches.
And that is grace.
So dear brothers and sisters, you find in
the holy place, you begin to experience Christ
as the light.
You begin to see that He is leading
you day by day.
You walk by His light.
And how blessed that is.
There is no reason why you shall stumble.
You stumble in darkness.
You have the light.
And if you obey the light of life,
then you find you grow in the Lord.
And you are able to serve God accordingly.
That is the golden light.
Then you find in the holy place there
is another piece of furniture called the golden
table of showbread.
You know, whenever you think of a table,
like what we did before, lots of tables
here, and you know what it is.
A table speaks of fellowship.
Let's break bread together.
It is fellowship.
It is communion.
And then on the table, what you enjoy
is whatever is put on the table for
you to enjoy.
It is your food.
So in other words, here you will find
Christ is not only our delight of life,
but He is the bread.
He is our life.
Christ is our life.
He is the one who supports us, sustains
us, nourishes us, gives us strength.
He is our very life.
The showbread in the original, literally it means
the bread of the presence.
The bread of the presence.
In other words, here you find our Lord
Jesus as the showbread on the table.
With the frankincense spread on the cakes.
And the fragrance ascended up to God for
God to enjoy.
Our Lord Jesus is a joy to the
Father.
You remember our Lord Jesus when He was
on earth?
The heavens opened again and again and again
and said, this is my beloved Son in
whom is my delight.
Our Lord Jesus is a fragrance, is a
sweet order, the bread of the presence in
the sight of God.
That is towards God and towards us.
You will find the showbreads, after they have
been exhibited for a week, every Sabbath the
priest will change the new showbread and whatever
is taken down from the table becomes the
food.
So brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus is
not only a fragrance to the Father, but
He is our food.
We are priests, therefore we are privileged to
take Him as our food, as our life.
Brothers and sisters, you know in the beginning
of our Christian life, we know that our
Lord Jesus is our Savior.
Now thank God for that.
He is our Savior.
His blood is shed for the remission of
our sins.
Our sins are forgiven.
Thank God for that.
But we do not know that He is
also our life.
If you only know Christ as your Savior,
yes, your sins were forgiven, the past is
solved, but how about the present?
How are you going to live day by
day before God?
How are you going to live your Christian
life?
Many people know the Lord as their Savior,
and after they are saved they feel that
now we are saved, we have to live
a good life, we have to live a
life that will be pleasing to God, so
you determine, you make resolutions, now I'm going
to do the will of God, I'm going
to please God, I'm going to live a
good Christian life, all right, try.
The more you try, the more you get
nervous.
That's the reason why there are so many
nervous Christians today, because no one can live
a Christian life by himself or herself.
The Lord Jesus has not only saved us
from our sins, but He has saved us
from ourselves.
I often say, when we preach the gospel
to the sinners, we tell the sinner, don't
be afraid to die, because Christ has died
for you, so you won't die anymore.
When a saint dies, it is not death,
it is sleep.
But there is a gospel for believers.
You don't need to be afraid to live.
You don't need to live.
Somebody lives for you.
Christ lives for you.
So why live?
Brothers and sisters, lots of Christians are tired
of living.
Are you tired?
Some people say, I'm retired, but not tired.
Maybe you're tired, but you haven't retired.
You're still trying, you're still trying.
Why?
Because you don't know that Jesus is your
life.
He is the showbread.
He is the golden table of showbread.
He is communicating, giving Himself to you to
be your very life.
Now what is life for if it is
not for living?
So let Him live.
Why do you want to live yourself such
a miserable life?
Why not just give up and let Him
live?
The apostle Paul said, I'm crucified with Christ,
no longer I.
Thank God, no longer I.
I'm tired of living.
It is Christ who lives in me.
Christ is our life.
You begin to see that He is your
life, He is your light, and then in
the holy place you have the golden altar
of incense.
Now the golden altar of incense speaks of
Christ as our High Priest.
Christ our High Priest.
Why?
Because the incense speaks of the virtues, the
beauty, of our Lord Jesus.
It is made of fragrant drugs, and it
is made into incense.
And the incense is to be burned and
ascended to God, to be a sweet smelling
to God, to satisfy, to please God's heart.
And that is what our Lord Jesus is.
He is our High Priest.
In Hebrews chapter 7 we are told, He
is able to save those who come to
God through Him to the uttermost.
We have a High Priest who is holy,
blameless, separated from sinners, become higher than the
heavens, and He is now at the right
hand of God His Father, making intercession for
us, in order that He may save us
to the uttermost, to the end.
Dear brothers and sisters, do we know our
Lord Jesus as our High Priest?
You know the whole book of Hebrews is
on this subject, that Christ is our High
Priest.
Why?
Because if we do not know Christ as
our High Priest, we cannot live today.
How can we live today if we do
not know Him as our High Priest?
On the earth He is our Apostle.
God sent Him to this earth to accomplish
a mission, the work of redemption, and it
is finished.
Therefore you'll find He sits at the right
hand of God.
No more to do.
The work of redemption is completed.
You cannot add anything to it.
But at the same time you'll find our
Lord Jesus does not sit in heaven and
nodding His head and have a nap.
He is very busy in heaven.
As the High Priest you'll find He stands
in the midst of the seven golden lambs.
As the Apostle He sits.
It is finished.
As the High Priest He stands because He
is still serving.
He is there ministering unto His own church.
He loves His church.
He is sanctifying the church by the washing
of the water with the Word, in order
to present the church to Himself, a glorious
church, without spot or wrinkle or any of
such sort, holy and without blemish.
He is interceding for us.
And brothers and sisters, the best way to
explain it is, while He is interceding before
the Father, the Holy Spirit is working in
us.
And this is the High Priesthood of our
Lord Jesus.
We need to know Him as our High
Priest.
Without His intercession, I cannot live.
So brothers and sisters, you'll find that in
the holy place, you begin to realize that
Christ is your life.
He is your light.
And He is your High Priest.
In other words, everything that you need to
live a Christian life has been provided.
And it is a person.
Christ Jesus.
He is the provision of God.
Well, this is a believer's life in the
holy place.
Now we'll turn to the believer's ministry in
the holy place.
Because the holy place is the place where
the priests really minister.
Every morning, the priest will enter into the
holy place to trim, to dress it.
And he will use a golden snuffer.
Because you know, in the old days, it's
not like the electric lamp that we have
today.
It is a vessel, you know, you put
oil in it, and put a wick in
it.
And when the wick draws the oil, and
you light the wick, then the light begins
to shine.
But after it has been burning for a
while, you'll find the oil, the level of
the oil will go down.
And the wick being used becomes charred at
the point, you know.
And when that happens, you'll find that the
light begins to be dimmed.
So every morning, every evening, twice a day,
the priest will dress the lamp from evening
to morning, and morning to evening.
The reason is to keep the light burning,
day and night.
Everything in the holy place speaks of the
church.
Because the holy place itself speaks of the
church.
The golden lampstand speaks of the church.
How do we know?
Because in Revelation chapter one, you remember that
John, in the Isle of Patmos, he saw
a vision.
And the vision he saw was one like
the Son of Man, standing in the midst
of seven golden lampstands.
And the lampstands are explained to the Apostle
John.
The lampstands are the churches.
So we know a lampstand represents a church.
In other words, on the earth you have
the church in Ephesus.
But before God, there is a golden lampstand
that represents the church in Ephesus.
Now, what is the church?
The church is a lampstand.
Now, what is a lampstand?
A lampstand is an instrument or a vessel
for the light, to uplift the light, so
that the light may shine over the whole
house.
A lampstand is not an end in itself.
It is a means to an end.
So the church is not an end in
itself.
The testimony of Jesus may shine forth, and
people may see and hear Christ.
That is what the church is.
Brothers and sisters, when God's people come together,
anyone that enters into the midst of God's
people, immediately he is convicted by the Spirit
of God, and he will bow down and
say, God is in your midst.
That is what the church is.
The church never draws attention to itself.
It points people to Christ.
It is a means to an end.
It is to uplift Christ.
That is the only reason for the existence
of a church.
If the light is gone, then that lampstand
is to be removed.
In other words, in God's eyes, it is
no use anymore.
It may continue on earth, but before God
it is gone.
The testimony is gone.
So that is what the church is, a
golden lampstand.
Dear brothers and sisters, you find it is
very strange in a sense.
You know, what is the church?
We say a church is composed of believers.
I think we know better, the church is
not a building on one corner of the
city square.
And often times you have the city square,
three corners, you have three different churches building,
and one corner is a court.
Now that is not what the church is.
The church is not made of bricks, or
stone, or mud, or wood, or whatever it
is.
I think we know better.
What is the church?
The church is made up of God's people.
God has called out of every nation, every
tribe, every people, every tongue, and gathered these
people together unto himself, and that is the
church.
Where two or three are gathered together unto
my name, the Lord said, there am I
in the midst of them, that is what
the church really is.
Now if that is the case, there is
something wrong here.
Why?
Because if that is the case, the lampstand
should be made of wood, and overlaid with
gold.
Would that be more right?
We are wood, right?
Wood represents human nature, and we are humans,
and we are the people made of the
church, so it should be made of wood.
But then God overlaid with gold.
Now that is what the lampstand should be.
But strangely you find in God's revelation this
is not the case.
You'll find in God's revelation the lampstand has
no wood in it.
It's all gold.
Because the church is not made up of
you, or me, and me.
Well, if the church is made up of
you and me, woo to the church.
You will find even two people are so
different, and we will fight.
The church will be divided.
No two flesh can dwell together.
Thank God it is not you and me.
It is the Christ in you, and the
Christ in me.
That is why it is gold.
It is all gold.
There is no good there.
In other words, everything that is you, or
me, has to be crossed out, and what
is left is Christ.
And it is the Christ in you and
me that are built up together into that
golden lampstand.
You know, I love one illustration.
You know, when God's people come together to
break the bread, you see on the table
a loaf of bread.
That is Christ.
That represents Christ.
His body.
The Word became flesh, incarnated.
God took upon Himself the likeness of sinful
flesh.
And in this body He lived thirty-three
years, absolutely, perfectly for God.
And on the cross, that body is broken
for us.
So when we come to remember the Lord,
before we break the bread, that loaf represents
Christ, His own person.
But when we break the bread, you take
a piece, I take a piece, everyone take
a piece, there is no more bread.
But when God looks down from heaven, He
sees that bread, still complete.
And that bread is the Christ.
That is the Church.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we are told
that the body is one, has many members,
though the members are many, yet one body,
so also is the Christ.
In other words, you find Christ is in
us.
And He is represented corporately by His people.
So the lampstand represents the Church.
And the Church means that you and I,
it is true, it is Christ in you,
and Christ in me, and Christ in every
one of us, but remember it is Christ,
not Christ and you.
See, the trouble with Christianity today is, when
we bring Christ in, we bring ourselves in
too.
And we find that it is a greater
measure of ourselves, and a very small measure
of Christ.
And that is the reason why we have
all these confusions, all these problems.
How we need the cross to work in
our lives, so that it will be Christ
and Christ.
There is much we can say, but I
cannot go into more details, we have to
hurry on.
In other words, you find we are the
lampstand.
Our purpose of being together is only one,
to contain Christ and to uplift Christ in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
But then you find we are not only
the lampstand, we are the priest too.
In other words, you find the priest is
to dress the lamp.
So it is our responsibility as priests, to
see that the light is burning.
And this is a 24 hour service.
In other words, it is the responsibility of
every brother, every sister in the church, to
see that the oil is being supplied.
You remember in Zechariah's vision, in chapter 4
of Zechariah, he saw a golden lampstand, and
on the two sides of the golden lampstand,
two olive trees.
And these two olive trees continually pouring gold
into the bowl.
And then you find the gold as it
is burnt, turned into oil for the light.
Now these two trees, olive trees, represent these
sons of oil.
In other words, they are filled with the
Holy Spirit.
And because they are filled with the Holy
Spirit, they are able to supply the oil
to the lamp, that the light may shine.
So brothers and sisters, remember, to be filled
with the Holy Spirit is just not for
your personal enjoyment, or for your personal pride.
Not so.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is
to supply the oil to the lamp.
How we need to be filled with the
Holy Spirit?
It is to be filled with the Spirit.
Because as you are filled with the Holy
Spirit, then the church will not be lacking
in oil, and the light will be burning.
And then, on the other hand, you'll find
the wick.
We have to trim it.
You know, sometimes you'll find the wick and
the oil are separated, therefore no oil.
Or sometimes you'll find the top of the
wick is burned, therefore the oil cannot get
through.
You need to use the golden snuffer, so
that oil can be drawn into it.
Now brothers and sisters, it simply means this.
We all also like the wick.
You know, it is the oil that gives
light.
The wick does not give light.
If you burn a wick, it's gone, consumed
in a few seconds.
But it is the oil.
So that's what we are.
We are the wick.
You know, we cannot supply the light, but
we draw the Holy Spirit come through us,
so that the power of the Holy Spirit,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, the
testimony of Jesus is maintained.
We cannot maintain the testimony of Jesus.
It is the power of the Holy Spirit,
not by might, nor by power, but by
my Spirit, says the Lord.
But we have a responsibility to see that
the wick is clean, that the oil can
get through.
That's the reason why the Bible says, do
not grieve the Holy Spirit.
Do not quench the Holy Spirit.
Resist not the Holy Spirit.
Obey the Holy Spirit.
You know, if we cooperate, then you'll find
the Holy Spirit can get through us.
And that is how the light is shining.
And this is our responsibility.
Brothers and sisters, every one of us is
responsible to see whether I am filled with
the Holy Spirit.
By being filled with the Holy Spirit, to
put it in another way of expression, and
that is what the original means, it means
to be ruled by the Holy Spirit.
Your life is under the rule, the government
of the Holy Spirit.
And when you are under the government of
the Holy Spirit, you are filled with the
Holy Spirit.
And the oil will get through, and the
light will shine.
So here you'll find the church is a
lampstand.
And we are the priest, ministering at.
Now you find not only the lampstand, so
far as our ministry is concerned, there is
the golden table of showbread.
You know that showbread not only represents Christ
as the bread of life, it also represents
the church.
Why?
Because you'll find there are twelve cakes.
Not just one, there are twelve.
Represents the twelve tribes of Israel.
And it is put in two rows.
Now two in the scripture speaks of witness.
If you have two or three witnessing that
everything is settled.
So the church is for witnessing.
And twelve speaks of governmental perfection.
Governmental perfection.
So here you'll find the cake on the
table, the bread of remembrance also represents the
church.
Now the church is a fellowship, isn't it?
The table speaks of fellowship.
Now what is the church?
The church is a fellowship.
In other words, we fellowship with God the
Father and God the Son, and on that
basis we fellowship with one another.
You remember what the Apostle John said?
What we have seen and heard, we report
to you, that you may have fellowship with
us as we have fellowship with the Father
and with the Son.
So here you'll find that is what fellowship
is.
We are having fellowship with the Father and
with the Son, and on that basis we
are fellowshiping with one another.
We are all at the table.
We are communing together.
We are fellowshiping together.
We are together sharing Christ.
Sharing Christ with one another.
Now that is fellowship.
And you'll find these cakes in a sense,
so far as God is concerned, the fragrance,
the frankincense on the cakes, you know, it's
called frankincense because it is frank, it is
open.
In other words, the fragrance just comes out,
not hidden.
So you'll find that the sweet fragrance ascends
to God.
Oh, how God is pleased with the fellowship
of the saints.
Whenever a brother or a sister is fellowshipping
with another brother or sister, there is joy
in heaven.
And of course, the Apostle John said that
your joy may be full.
There is nothing that gives joy more than
fellowshipping with brothers and sisters.
We are the showbread, and there we are
to exhibit it for the glory of God,
and also for the food of one another.
You know, in fellowship we feed one another.
We feel full.
We feel happy, joyful.
We receive, I receive Christ from you, and
you receive Christ from me.
Therefore, you'll find we grow up in Christ.
That is the church.
And not only that, you'll find this is
where our ministry is.
So brothers and sisters, remember that we are
a fellowship.
Therefore, we need to fellowship with one another.
The more we fellowship with God, with God
the Father and God the Son, the more
we are able to fellowship with one another.
And fellowship is a two-way street.
You never think of fellowship as one way.
In other words, there are people who are
always giving and giving and giving, and some
people are always there receiving and receiving and
receiving, and never giving.
Now that's dead sea.
Fellowship is two-way.
So every brother and sister should share with
one another.
Do not just receive and receive and receive.
But what you have received, share with somebody
else.
And as you share, you are enriched.
And the joy will fill your heart, and
the Father will be pleased.
So a church is a fellowship.
That is where our ministry really is.
And then you'll find the Golden Altar of
Incense.
Now the Golden Altar of Incense you'll find
so far as Jewish history is concerned.
You know, every day one of the priests
will go to the Golden Altar of Incense
to burn incense.
It is to be done every day, twice
a day, at the time of prayer, the
morning prayer, the evening prayer.
Then a priest will go into the holy
place to burn incense.
And it is considered as the highest honor
a priest could ever have.
Why?
Because the Golden Altar of Incense is closest
to the Ark and the Mercy Seat.
And when the priest enters in to burn
the incense, all the people will be in
the Outer Court.
Nobody in the temple itself.
The priest is alone there.
And there, as he burns incense, he will
pray the prayer of the nation.
He is not to pray his own prayer,
private prayer.
He is to pray the prayer of the
nation.
And we know the prayer of the nation
of Israel is that Messiah.
So in other words, here you'll find that
is what the Old Testament is.
But in the New Testament, thank God, it
is grace.
In other words, every one of us has
the privilege to go into the Golden Altar
of Incense to burn incense there.
Every one of us can do that.
You know, in the old days, if a
priest, after they get the privilege, they cast
lots, and when the lot falls upon that
priest to burn incense at the Golden Altar,
he can only do it once in his
lifetime.
He can never repeat it.
And many priests serve whole life without that
privilege being given.
You read Luke, and you find Zechariah, he
is already advancing age, ready to retire, and
he was never having that privilege.
Then suddenly that privilege came.
You know, and Protestants say, thank God, it
is wide open to every one of us.
In other words, we are made worshippers.
We are made intercessors.
What is the Church?
The Church is the house of prayer for
all nations.
That is what the Church is.
We are to worship God, because that is
what the Father is seeking.
The Father is seeking for true worshippers, those
who worship Him in spirit and in truth.
And we are the true worshippers.
We can come before Him and worship Him.
You know, we worship God through Christ, and
we worship God with Christ.
You know, how do you worship?
You worship God with Christ, because no one
is worthy before God.
Only Christ is worthy.
So when you worship with Christ, then God
accepts that worship.
If you try to worship with yourself, you
will be rejected.
You find that king, and try to worship
with the best of his produce, and he
is rejected.
But when Abel worshipped with the Lamb, he
is accepted.
So brothers and sisters, that is what we
are worshipping.
When you worship God, you don't worship God
with yourself, like that Pharisee, Lord, I fasted
twice a week, I gave one tenth to
the poor, look how good a man I
am.
He is not justified.
But here you find a publican, oh God,
have mercy upon me, allow me to be
atoned.
And he went home justified.
We worship with Christ.
Brothers and sisters, when we come together to
worship God, we worship God with Christ.
We thank God for what Christ has done
for us.
We tell God how we appreciate his gift
to us.
And we tell God what Christ means to
us.
And we worship God with Christ.
And when we worship God with Christ, then
God's heart is satisfied.
That's worship.
And that is the reason why the more
we know Christ, the more we are able
to worship.
Often times we find our worship are just
words.
There is no substance there.
The reason is, we do not know Christ
as we should.
If we experience Christ more, then there is
much more we can worship God.
Not only worship, but to pray, to intercede.
You know the Lord Jesus teaches the church
to pray.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
In other words, prayer is not just asking
something for ourselves.
Prayer of the church is standing with God
for his will to be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
And this is our ministry.
When the church gathers to pray, we are
not praying our individual prayers.
We are praying corporately for the interest of
God.
For the glory of God.
So in the holy place you find that's
how we work together as priests.
How we minister unto God.
It is a ministry unto God.
When you go out to the outer court,
you minister to the people.
But when you enter into the holy place,
you minister.
This is the second stage in our believer's
life.
So may the Lord help us that we
may not just remain in the outer court,
but by the grace of God we will
enter into the holy place and minister.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank
thee for the wonderful provision thou has provided
for us in Christ Jesus.
We do thank thee that our Lord Jesus
is not only the burn offering, the meal
offering, the peace offering, the trespass offering, the
sin offering, the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world.
We do praise and thank thee our Lord
Jesus is the one who washes us with
his life by the word that we may
be purified from all defilements.
We do praise and thank thee that thou
has made us a kingdom priest unto God,
that we may serve thee with clean hands
and clean feet.
And Father, we do thank thee that our
Lord Jesus is truly our life, our light,
our high priest.
We cannot live without him, but with him
we can live.
Oh, the victory that is in Jesus.
Oh, how we worship thee.
And we do praise and thank thee that
thou has not only made Christ unto us
life, light, and high priest, but thou has
called us to be thy vessel of testimony.
Thou has called us to be a fellowship.
Thou has called us to be worshipers and
intercessors.
Lord, we pray that by thy grace through
the life and light and high priest, we
may be able to fulfill our ministry unto
thee.
To the praise of thy glory, we ask
in the name of our Lord Jesus.
Amen.