Keep on.
Father, we come into Your presence. Would You pray and please open our hearts so that we may listen? What we desire this morning is to behold You.
We do desire to be a prepared people this morning, in our spirit, soul, and body, for You to speak to us. We do ask that You cover this place with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. Set our spirits free, Lord, that we may hear those words. Do speak to us in clarity, in power, in light, and in glory.
And Lord, we pray, above all, that You will give us that humble spirit so that You can reveal Your great mystery to us. Oh, we look to You. We plead Your pleasure. We thank You that it is Your desire to bless Your people. We praise You, Lord. We thank You for it. We commit this time to You, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I would like to read a portion of Scripture first: 1 Corinthians 4:1.
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Let us read it one more time.
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
When Paul spoke these words, it was because the Corinthians had a misconception. The Corinthians thought too much about men, because they did not see the Lord Himself. For this reason, there was division among them. Some followed one servant, and some followed another.
So Paul wrote and told them that we ought to be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We are God’s servants.
A steward is an appointed servant. God appointed Paul to be His servant. God appointed Cephas to be His servant. God also appointed Apollos to be His servant.
What does God do when He appoints a servant? He wants them to labor and work with the mysteries of God. The duty of that servant is to be faithful as a steward of that mystery—to manage that mystery.
They are there to manage God’s mystery. If they faithfully manage God’s mystery, then they will be regarded as faithful servants. If they fail to manage that mystery carefully, they will be considered evil servants.
We can say it this way: the management of God’s mystery tests our faithfulness to God. Whether we are serving God on this earth depends on what we are managing.
If what we manage is not that mystery, we are not considered as doing God’s work. What we manage is that mystery, and then we are faithful servants of God.
To manage God’s mystery, we have to know God’s mystery. We cannot manage what we do not know. We also need to know what we have received and how to manage it. In that way, we can be faithful stewards of God’s mystery.
Broadly speaking, every one of us is appointed as a steward of God’s mystery. We are appointed servants of God. Scripture tells us that He saved us so that we may serve Him.
We may apply those words to each of us personally. God has appointed each one of us to be His servant. He has entrusted to each one of us His mystery, and we serve Him on this earth.
We have to know this mystery, and we also have to experience it. Our brother last mentioned this matter of mystery. Mystery does not refer to something mystical. Mystery means something secret.
This thing was hidden within God Himself. Now, this secret is not meant to remain unknown to us. We can understand what this secret is.
A secret is a mystery in the Bible. The mystery in the Bible is a reality. When this reality is unveiled, then we can know something of what we have received.
In God’s heart there are many secrets, and all these mysteries are realities. What we need is for God to reveal them to us. Then we can see this reality, and we can enter into this reality.
At the beginning of this conference, we have to pray that the Lord will give us a spirit of revelation. The mysteries of God are spiritual realities. As far as we are concerned, we possess none of them naturally. Therefore, we need God’s revelation.
Our brother spoke last night on part of this mystery. Within God’s mystery, there are two most important aspects: the mystery of Christ and the mystery of the church.
Our brother will speak about the mystery of the church. I will share concerning the mystery of Christ.
When we speak of the mystery of Christ, we cannot look at Him merely from the standpoint of time. Today we will consider the mystery of Christ in eternity past.
Human beings begin in time. Most of us began our lives during this last century, and most of us were born in this present century. Our history is very, very short.
But when we look at Christ, we cannot look at Him merely from the point of view of time. We cannot even begin with His incarnation two thousand years ago. According to Christ, that is too short.
If we want to see the mystery of Christ, we have to go back to eternity past.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We know that in the very beginning, before there was time and before there was space, in eternity past, only God existed. Indeed, God Himself is a mystery.
God is three and one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods—we have one God. Yet in the one God are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Their nature is one.
We can see this through Scripture. We cannot explain this fully today, and we do not need to find an explanation for it. There are many false teachings that try to analyze the various aspects of the Trinity.
As far as the Godhead is concerned, we simply believe and trust. It is a mystery. Certain things belong to God Himself. According to the revealed Word of God, we believe and receive.
So we know that in eternity past Christ was there. He was there as God the Son. He is the Son of the Father, in the Father’s bosom.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.
Because the Son is always in the bosom of the Father, the two are one. Therefore, He can fully reveal His Father.
Our Lord existed in eternity past. That is the first point. The second point is that He was not only God; He was also God’s beloved Son.
We know in Colossians 1 that God has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
The Father loves His Son. This word love is not something of past history. Love is continuous. From eternity, God continues loving His Son, and He wants to entrust everything to Him.
So we know that the Lord is the Beloved of the Father.
We can give an illustration from Scripture in the relationship between Abraham and Isaac. The relationship between Abraham and Isaac is the relationship of a father and a son.
We see how Abraham loved his only begotten son. Ishmael does not count in this sense; only Isaac was the promised one. Isaac was the only son of Abraham, and all Abraham’s love was concentrated upon that one son.
We also see that Isaac submitted to what his father was saying. His love was toward his father. This story makes it easy for us to see the relationship.
When God asked Abraham to offer up his only son, his beloved son, Abraham willingly offered Isaac. Isaac was not a small child; he may have been in his twenties or thirties.
When Abraham was about to offer him up, Isaac did not protest. He willingly became one with his father’s heart.
Abraham and Isaac are only a small reflection of the relationship between our heavenly Father and His Son. There is tremendous love between the Father and the Son, and this love is unchanging from eternity to eternity.
We can see that in eternity past Christ is the Word. In John 1, we read:
In the beginning was the Word.
The true meaning of this word is not merely a teaching. It is the spoken Word; it is an expression. In other words, in eternity past Christ was God’s Word. He was God’s expression.
No one can know God unless God expresses Himself. Through the Lord Jesus, God speaks concerning His Father. Through Jesus, God is able to express Himself.
If two of us stand here with our mouths closed, no one can know what we are thinking in our minds. But when we open our mouths, through words we express ourselves.
If God did not speak, if God did not express Himself, none of us could know Him. But our God is One Who speaks.
Hebrews tells us that in times past God spoke to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us in His Son.
God is speaking all the time. The One Who can most fully speak God and express God is His own Son. We can know the Father because Christ speaks of His Father.
This was already true in eternity past. When God created all things, He created through His Word, and He created through His Son.
God does not act accidentally. Sometimes we do things without thinking, and circumstances change, so our ways change. But our God is not like that.
Scripture tells us that God has an eternal purpose. In Ephesians 1, we see that according to His good pleasure, He determined to give all things to His Son.
Before God’s creation, while still in eternity past, He had already determined that one day He would create all things. What was the reason for His creation of all things? It was to give all things to His Son.
The Bible tells us that God wants His Son to occupy the first place in all things—in heaven, on earth, and in the universe. Christ is God’s purpose.
Sometimes we are careless about God’s purpose. We often ask, “What is God’s purpose?” Yet the only things we think about are, “Should I do this or should I do that? Should I go to a certain place or not go to a certain place?”
Even though we may have a desire to know God’s will, we are still thinking about ourselves. Because of this, we can hardly know God’s will.
My brothers and sisters, if we want to know God, there is a secret. If you see that God’s purpose is Christ, it becomes very easy for you to know what God wants you to do and where God wants you to go.
Because Christ is God’s will, God wants you to do certain things in Christ and go to certain places for Christ. If you think of God in this way, it is easy for you to know God’s will.
So, in eternity, Christ is God’s will. His will can never change. He will put everything according to His will until His will is fully fulfilled.
We praise God, because we know that God’s will shall surely be accomplished. He will head up all things in Christ Jesus.
In eternity past, Christ is the fullness of God. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ Jesus.
This truth is mentioned twice in Colossians. First, all the fullness dwells in Christ. Second, the fullness dwells bodily in Christ, and we are made complete in Him.
The first mention is that all the fullness dwells in Christ Himself. I believe this refers to eternity past. From eternity to eternity, the Son has no beginning in time.
It is from eternity to eternity. Can we imagine this fullness of God? If we could really understand the fullness of God, then we could understand Christ, because the fullness is in Him. But we can never measure the fullness of God.
We know God is holy; that is His nature. He is holy without blemish. Can we imagine His holiness? The Lord is the Holy One.
The Lord Jesus came to this world, and the One Who was born was holy. He is different from every other person who has come into this world. He is the Holy One.
He is also the expression of God’s righteousness. Our concept of righteousness is relative, but God’s righteousness is absolute. His righteousness is absolute.
Scripture tells us that we have the Righteous One at the right hand of the Father. Because of Him, we are justified.
Christ is God’s own Son. Think of what we find in the Lord Jesus. This began in eternity past, in God’s Son.
There are many other things we could share, but for the present, this little impression will be sufficient. We need to have this impression.
We have to remember that our Christ began in eternity past. We have to remember that in eternity He was the Son of God. God’s love was concentrated upon Him. He expressed God fully, and He is God’s purpose.
That is the mystery of Christ in eternity.
We may ask, “What does this have to do with us, since we are living in time?” The reason God reveals matters concerning eternity past to us is that they are vitally related to our present day.
Let us read Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:9.
God is faithful, through Whom ye were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
This tells us that our God is a faithful God. We are created by Him, and we are called by Him. He calls us to Himself.
What does He call us for? He calls us into fellowship with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Chinese Bible translation, this is not as clear because this word is difficult to translate. God is calling us to enter into the fellowship of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is fellowship? Fellowship means something in common; it means sharing. The background of this word is like a young woman and a young man when they are married.
When they are married, they have a common agreement. Everything they have, they share. It is as though they are in a partnership. From that moment, they become partners with one another.
This is the meaning of fellowship. God calls us to Himself, into the fellowship of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, everything that Christ has, He wants to share with all of us. All that the Father has given to Him, He will give to us. This is the calling into fellowship.
We have to see how great a grace God has given us. He allows us to share all that is in Christ.
Knowing Christ is the foundation of Christian life. We have to know that we begin our life in Him and that we live through Him.
This calling does not begin with Corinthians. This calling was determined in eternity past within the Godhead. It is part of God’s eternal purpose.
According to His eternal purpose, He calls us in. Some people hear this calling and respond, and they go forward. Others hear the call and desire to respond, but after a short time they drift away. Some hear this call and reject it, and they will not answer the call.
But God will obtain a people for Himself who will respond to His call. We know that today He is still calling.
What does He call us for? To enter into His Son and the fellowship that is in Him. All that is Christ, we have to share. All that is Christ is for us to receive and for us to share.
Now, how do we share the Christ who is of eternity past? Even though we can never go back to eternity, praise God: in this mystery, we can share Him.
We see that He is the Christ of eternity past. He is the beloved Son of God. He is God’s will in eternity past. When we see this, inwardly we worship.
This is the result of seeing Christ in eternity past. When we know this Christ, Who is of eternity, we cannot help but worship Him.
There is something missing in the church today concerning worship. Worship is a missing jewel in the church. We do not know what worship is, because we fail to see Christ in His eternity.
When we see Him as the Christ Who belongs to eternity past, it creates spiritual worship in our hearts.
God is seeking worshippers in this world. I do not think that God is looking merely for workers. That is not what He is really seeking. He is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.
Within the church, we often do not know the true meaning of worship. We may love to do His work, but what the Father wants is our worship of Him.
When God created man, He put within us an instinct for worship. Worship is not something external that you can learn. It is something God put inside of us when He created us.
The man God created is limited. Man may be very wise and have many abilities, but man is not all-powerful. We often forget that we cannot do everything.
Man is limited in ability. We are limited. Why? Because God wants us to see that apart from Him we cannot live. We need Him.
Because of this, we want to worship. This desire is something that God put inside us when He created us.
When Adam was in the garden, he had fellowship with God. Unfortunately, man failed and was driven out of the garden. Yet even after man was driven out, man still had a desire to worship God.
We confess that we are limited. In the second generation, we see that both Cain and Abel offered sacrifices. They wanted to offer sacrifice. Sacrifice is a means of approaching God.
Cain offered the produce of the earth. He was a farmer, and he offered the fruit of his sweat. He offered what he thought was the best, and he thought that it would please God.
But we know that God rejected his offering. Cain had no revelation. If we want to worship God, we need revelation. If there is no revelation, there is no worship.
We do not know what kind of God we are worshipping without revelation. Cain worshipped God according to his own thought. Whatever he thought was best, he thought that would satisfy God.
He did not see that he was a sinner, and God cannot accept the work of a sinner.
But Abel also worshipped. He offered a lamb from the flock. He recognized that he was a sinner and that a sacrifice was needed for him. Therefore, he could approach God, and God accepted his offering.
It was not because Abel was better than Cain. It was because his offering was a better offering.
Man has a desire to worship. But after departing from God, even though men retain a desire to worship, they worship the creatures rather than the Creator Himself.
They are not there to worship the living God. We can say that idolatry begins there. What is an idol? It is something we see and feel that we must worship.
We realize that we are not sufficient, so we have to worship. But without revelation, we are in darkness. Because of this, men worship God’s creatures and do not worship the Creator.
This is the history of man’s worship. After man came into sin, some even worship the pleasures of this world. They want to satisfy the lust of their flesh. The instinct of worship is still within them, but it has been misdirected.
Many people in the world are like this. They have no conception of worship; they are controlled and bound by material things.
One day, the Lord passed through Samaria. He sat at Jacob’s well, and a Samaritan woman came out to draw water.
We know the historical background. In those days, if Jews wanted to travel from Galilee to Jerusalem, they would not go directly through Samaria. The Jews and the Samaritans had nothing to do with each other.
They would cross the Jordan, travel down the eastern side, and cross the Jordan again before going to Jerusalem. There was no relationship between Jews and Samaritans.
But Christ had to go through Samaria because a Samaritan woman was waiting there for the Lord to seek her out.
We know the custom in those days. Women came out to draw water early in the morning or late in the evening because it was too hot. But this one woman came out at midday.
This was unheard of. The Samaritan woman was surprised and said, “You are a Jew. Why do You ask me for a drink?”
The Lord said, in effect, “If you knew Who was speaking to you, and if you knew the water He gives, you would ask Him for that drink.” This touched her heart, and they had a conversation.
Her conscience was touched. She knew that she was a sinner. Then she began to speak about worship: “You Jews worship in Jerusalem, but we Samaritans worship on this mountain. Where should we worship?”
This is a very strange thing. This woman was in sin. She was seeking the pleasure of the flesh, but there was no satisfaction. Yet when her conscience was touched, immediately she thought about worship.
The desire to worship is within man, but something is covered by sin. One day, however, that instinct comes out. When a person is at the verge of death, there is often something deep in the conscience that wants to cry to heaven.
Within all of us there is that fear of God.
But the Lord answered, “Even now, it is not Jerusalem, nor is it this mountain in Samaria. The Father is seeking such worshippers.”
The Jews worshipped God in the temple in Jerusalem, but without spirit their worship became external. The Samaritans had neither truth nor spirit, and their worship was in vain.
But because the Lord came into this world, He has enlightened our spirits. Our spirits have been quickened. Now we can commune and draw near to our heavenly Father.
In our spirit we can receive revelation. In Christ, we know what He desires and what kind of worship He desires.
Some people worship according to their own understanding. Whatever they think is good, they offer as worship, but it cannot satisfy God. First, we must know Him. To know Him, we must know what is in His heart.
Then we can worship in spirit and truth. This is what the Father is seeking for.
Those who are in Christ can all be worshippers. Unfortunately, within the church today, many people are absent when it comes to worship.
When it comes to the worship time, when it comes to the breaking of bread, there is often a tremendous decrease in numbers. Not only are there few in number, but the worship is often very cold and feeble.
When we come to the Lord, we are often spectators. We are there to watch others worship, but we are not participants in the worship.
This is what the Father is looking for. We do not know how hurt our Father’s heart is when He sees that we are busy with the things of the world.
The Father says, “I want you to know Me. Because you know Me, you appreciate Me. That is what I desire from you.”
God has everything. What can you offer to Him? God desires only one thing from you: how you worship Him.
What is worship? In English, the word worship comes from worth-ship. Worth means value. Worship is to say, “You are worthy.”
In Revelation, we see the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshipping God together. What do they say?
Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they were, and were created.
They know that He is worthy. Because He is worthy, they offer glory and honor to Him.
Oh, Christ, is He worthy in our hearts? When we know the Christ Who is of eternity, we see that He exists in eternity. He is the One without beginning, in glory. All that belongs to the Father belongs to Him.
This is worship in heaven. Why do we not worship Him on this earth? The reason we are short of worship is that we fail to see Christ.
We see only ourselves. The more we see ourselves, the more we know our needs, and the more we fall down. Or we see other people, and we become disappointed. Nobody thinks that his surroundings are perfect; everyone thinks another person’s surroundings are better than his own.
But when we see Him as the Christ, we say, “Lord, You are worthy. In the universe, You alone are worthy.” Who else is worthy?
At the breaking of bread on the Lord’s Day, our life should be a life of worship. It is not merely saying good words.
Even when we pray, our hearts and our mouths must be together. We cannot worship with our lips while our hearts are far away. That kind of worship is not acceptable.
Our worship is beyond time and space in faith. Worship has to do with faith and revelation.
Our worship is not limited by time and space. We may worship anywhere and in any place. Our life is a life of worship. That is real worship.
Allowing God to be glorified—that is worship. Tell Him that He is worthy. Our life should be a life of worship, so that God will be glorified.
We have to know the mystery of Christ. The mystery of Christ in eternity affects our worship today.
May He secure among us a people who truly worship Him.