International Chinese Speaking Conference 2013 - The Recovery of Christ as Everything in the Church Week 3 - The Recovery of Christ as Everything in the Church as the Corporate Emmanuel Day 2 - Morning Nourishment Matt. 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens. [In Matthew 16:19] kingdom of the heavens is used...interchangeably for church, which is used in the previous verse. This is a strong proof that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age. This is confirmed by Romans 14:17, in which the kingdom of God is mentioned in obvious reference to the proper church life. [Matthew] is concerned with the kingdom of the heavens, which is a matter of authority. The church revealed in this book represents the kingdom with its reign. Hence, the authority to bind and to loose was given not only to Peter, the apostle for the church here, but also to the church itself (18:17-18). (Matt. 16:19, footnotes 2 and 3) Today’s Reading In the fifth and sixth parables in Matthew 13 the focus changes from life to building, from the seed to a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great value (vv. 44-46). The treasure hidden in the field must consist of gold or precious stones, the materials for the building of the church and the New Jerusalem (1 Cor. 3:12; Rev. 21:18-20). In 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul says, “You are God’s cultivated land, God’s building,” and in verses 11 and 12 he says that we should build with gold, silver, and precious stones upon Christ as the foundation. The fruit of God’s cultivated land becomes precious materials for the building of the church as the treasure and the pearl. The first six parables of Matthew 13 advance from the seed, the wheat, and the fine flour to gold, precious stones, and a pearl. The Lord sowed the seed, butwhat He eventually obtains is the pearl, which is the built-up church. The church built with the precious materials comes from transformation through the growth of the seed. This thought is found not only in Matthew 13 and 1 Corinthians 3 but also in Genesis 2. In this chapter we have the tree of life producing fruit that is good for food, and we also have a flowing river that issues in gold, bdellium (a pearl-like material), and onyx, a precious stone (vv. 9, 12). At the end of the Bible the holy city, New Jerusalem, is built with gold, pearls, and precious stones, with the tree of life growing in its midst (Rev. 21:18-21; 22:2). The mysteries of Matthew 13 have never been opened up as clearly as they have today. On the one hand, we are God’s cultivated land, God’s farm, and on the other hand, we are God’s building. As God’s farm we are growing Christ to produce wheat and fine flour, and by the growth of Christ in us, we are transformed to become the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose and the satisfaction of His heart. From Christ as the seed through the wheat, the fine flour, and the treasure, the Lord gains the pearl, which is the church. The secret of the development from the seed to the pearl is the growth of Christ within us. The parables of Matthew 13 are not vain teachings that cannot be fulfilled in this age. Rather, they are a prophecy that is now being fulfilled. Today at the end of this dispensation, the Lord will gain the good earth, the wheat, the fine flour, and the precious materials. Eventually, He will be able to say, “Behold! I have My pearl of great value.”...We should all say, “Lord, by Your mercy, at any cost and by any means, I must be the good earth.” We will not open our heart to the worldly traffic, and the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches cannot deceive us. We care only to be the good earth growing the wheat, producing the fine flour, and being transformed into precious materials that are good for the building up of the church. Eventually, we will become the pearl of great value for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose. This is the church that comes out of Christ as the seed, as revealed in the book of Matthew. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, pp. 220-223) Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msgs. 39, 41, 47
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:34:36 +0000
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