Scripture Reading: Lev. 3:1-2; 6:12; 7:37; Phil. 4:5-7, 11-13; John 12:1-3
Ⅰ
The issue of enjoying Christ as our sin offering, our trespass offering, our burnt offering, and our meal offering is the enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering—Lev. 3:1-2; 6:12; 7:37:
A
We should not try to have peace by our own effort; the more we try in ourselves to have peace, the less peace we will have; the only way to have peace is to enjoy Christ every day—Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 12:3b; Eph. 3:16-17.
B
Having peace is a measurement to show us to what degree we enjoy Christ—Eph. 1:2.
C
We should enjoy Christ today and forget about yesterday and about tomorrow—Matt. 6:25, 34; Phil. 3:13-14; Heb. 3:7-8, 13.
Ⅱ
Christ is the peace between God and God's people for their co-enjoyment in fellowship—cf. 1 Cor. 1:9:
A
The one who offered the peace offering was to lay his hand on the head of the offering, signifying the union and identification of the offerer with the offering; our fellowship with Christ is a matter of identification, a matter of us becoming Him and of Him becoming us—Lev. 3:2, 8, 13.
B
The peace offering is illustrated in Luke 15:23-24 by the fattened calf as a peaceful enjoyment between the receiving father, God, and the returning prodigal son, a sinner.
C
We need to learn the secret of enjoying Christ as our peace offering, the peace of God, which surpasses every man's understanding—Phil. 4:12, 7; John 16:33:
１
We must learn the secret of how to take Christ as life, how to live Christ, how to magnify Christ, and how to gain Christ in any environment and in any matter—Phil. 4:11-13:
ａ
We need to let our requests be made known to God, talking with Him and conferring with Him in everything—vv. 5-6; cf. Josh. 9:14; Prov. 3:5-6.
ｂ
"Those who do not know this secret consider to live Christ a difficult thing. Actually, you just need to practice speaking with the Lord constantly; then spontaneously you will live Christ" (The Organic Aspect of God's Salvation, p. 55)—Phil. 1:19-21a.
ｃ
The result of practicing fellowship with God in prayer is that the peace of God, God as peace, is infused into us for our enjoyment as the counterpoise to troubles and the antidote to anxiety so that Christ as our forbearance can be known to all men—4:5-7, 9; 1:20; Rom. 8:6; John 16:33:
⑴
Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy the Lord as a river of peace and as a comforting mother—Isa. 66:12-13; cf. Gal. 4:26.
⑵
Through our fellowship with God in prayer, we enjoy the Lord as a refuge from the wind, a covering from the tempest, streams of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land—Isa. 32:2.
２
We need to learn the secret of how to have the vital group church life as a house of feasting, a feast of Christ as the peace offering where He and His lovers can have rest and satisfaction—John 12:1-3:
ａ
This church life is produced by the resurrection life—11:43-44.
ｂ
This church life is composed of cleansed sinners—Mark 14:3.
ｃ
This church life is outwardly poor and afflicted—John 12:1; 16:33.
ｄ
This church life is a life of feasting in and with the presence of the Lord—12:2; Acts 3:20a.
ｅ
This church life has more sisters than brothers—John 12:2-3.
ｆ
In this church life there are the functions of Martha (diligently serving the Lord), Lazarus (testifying of the resurrection life), and Mary (pouring out her absolute love on the Lord)—John 12:2-3, 9-11.
D
Our enjoyment of Christ as our peace offering in our daily life and in the church life consummates in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate peace offering—Rev. 21:2:
１
Jerusalem means "the foundation of peace."
２
The New Jerusalem is the Triune God to be our peace, to be our safety.
３
The whole New Jerusalem will be an entity of peace.