Scripture Reading: Exo. 27:9-19; 38:9-20, 29-31; 40:33
Ⅰ
The tabernacle being set up in a sphere of white linen hung on sixty pillars of bronze set in sixty sockets of bronze indicates that the righteousness of God comes out of God's judgment to be the expression of God as the sphere and the boundary of God's building—Exo. 27:9-19; 38:29-31:
A
The Christ whom we live is a God-judged Christ, and His life is a God-judged life—Rom. 8:3; John 3:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15:
１
When we live by Him, everything we do and have in our daily life will be judged—cf. Isa. 6:5.
２
Whatever we are, whatever we do, whatever we say, and whatever we have are all the number six, the number of fallen man, and are under God's condemnation—cf. Gen. 1:26, 31; Rev. 13:18.
３
We need to allow Christ as the man of bronze, the judged and judging One, to measure us (to judge, test, possess, and examine us) for the increase of the flow of life within us so that God may be fully expressed—Ezek. 40:3; 47:1-5; Psa. 139:23-24; Rev. 5:6.
B
When we live Christ, His judged life will bring our daily life under the judgment of God so that we can experience Him as our lived-out righteousness and bear Him as the righteousness of God for God's expression—1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9; Psa. 45:13-14; Rev. 19:8:
１
If we are judged in everything day by day, we shall express Christ as the righteousness of God, which is the issue of this judged life.
２
If we are not under the judgment of God, we cannot be right with anyone; our righteousness, our white linen, must hang on pillars of bronze—Exo. 38:9-20.
３
Instead of justifying ourselves, we need to place ourselves under God's judgment:
ａ
Self-justification indicates condemning of others, exposing their failures and defects, and exalting ourselves, speaking well of our successes and merits—cf. Prov. 10:12; 6:16, 19; John 8:7; 3 John 9.
ｂ
The Lord came not to condemn men but to save men by forgiving (forgetting) their sins—John 3:17.
ｃ
The church is neither a police station arresting people nor a law court judging people, but a home raising up believers, a hospital healing and recovering believers, and a school teaching and edifying believers—Eph. 2:19; Matt. 9:12; 1 Cor. 14:31.
ｄ
Those under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom always judge them-selves, not others—Matt. 7:1-5.
４
Only the experience of judgment can keep our spiritual life and our church life stable—Rev. 3:12.
C
The ministry of the new testament ministers the Spirit as the life supply to us so that we may have a living of righteousness as the expression of God—2 Cor. 3:8-9; Rom. 4:25; Rev. 3:18.
D
The proper church life is a life of the kingdom of God, and this kingdom is righteousness, which is God's expression, God's image—Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 12:3; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; Rom. 8:4.
Ⅱ
The gate of the court of the tabernacle signifies that man bears the Triune God as a testimony—Exo. 27:14-16, 19; 40:33:
A
On each side of the gate there were three groups of three—three pillars, three sockets, and three spaces, signifying the Triune God in resurrection; the two sides signify a testimony.
B
In the gate there were four groups of four—four pillars, four sockets, four spaces, and four openings, signifying man the creature and signifying the gate being open toward men from the four ends (corners) of the earth—cf. Rev. 4:6; 5:9-10.
C
Thus, the Triune God is borne by man, and man bears the Triune God in man as a testimony—Acts 1:8; Col. 1:27; John 14:2; 15:1; 16:20-21; 17:23.
Ⅲ
We should preach the gospel in a way that causes the listeners to know that they need to repent and become those who bear the Triune God as a testimony:
A
All who would enter into God's building must pass through the bronze gate of judgment so that they can be redeemed and be linked to Christ as their righteousness for the purpose of entering into God's building—Exo. 27:16; John 16:8-11; Matt. 16:18; Acts 4:11-12.
B
The gospel of God in Romans begins with justification, continues with sanctification, proceeds with the Body of Christ, and concludes with the local churches—1:1; 4:25; 6:19, 22; 12:5; 16:1, 4-5, 16, 23:
１
Instead of bringing people up to the level of the gospel, many of us have lowered the thought of the gospel, thinking that they will not be able to understand matters such as redemption, justification, and regeneration.
２
We need to realize that within man there is a God-created talent, ability, to receive God and to receive and understand His gospel.
３
If we would preach an uplifted gospel, we ourselves must know and experience all the contents of the gospel.