Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 1:7, 19; 2:4, 6-7; 3:4; 2 Pet. 1:1, 4
Ⅰ
The believers in Christ should have a change in their concept of value—Matt. 23:16-26; 1 Sam. 16:7; Luke 16:15; 9:54-56; 1Pet. 3:4; Phil. 3:7-8:
A
The proper concept of value for the believers can be seen in their estimation and assessment of the following aspects of Christ and His full salvation:
１
Their valuation of the Lord Jesus as the chief cornerstone for the building up of the church—Psa. 118:22; 1 Pet. 2:7.
２
Their valuation of the Lord Jesus in comparison to their relatives—Matt. 10:37-38; Luke 18:26-30; 1 Pet. 1:1, 17; 2:11a.
３
Their valuation of Christ as the treasure of justice in comparison to earthly treasure—Job 22:23-28; Matt. 12:18-21; Isa. 42:1-4; 1 Pet. 1:18-20.
４
Their valuation of the knowledge of Christ in comparison to all things—v. 8; 2 Pet. 1:2-3, 8; 2:20; 3:18.
５
We need a vision to see that the New Jerusalem is the Triune God, the Divine Trinity, as three basic factors wrought into and structured together with His redeemed as a miraculous structure of treasure to be the conclusion of the whole Bible—the gold as the base of the city typifies God the Father; the pearls as the gates of the city typify God the Son; and the jasper wall of the city typifies God the Spirit—Rev. 21:18-21; cf. 1 Cor. 3:12.
B
We need to ask the Lord to grant us the light to have a thorough change in our concept of value so that we will continually choose Christ and all that He is as our super-excelling portion—Mark 9:7-8; 2 Cor. 2:10; 4:7; 1 Pet. 1:8.
C
“If you bring out the precious from the worthless,/You will be as My mouth”—Jer. 15:19; cf. v. 16:
１
We must treasure the Lord’s words more than our apportioned food, tasting the Lord in His word as the reality of the good land flowing with nourishing milk and fresh honey for us to dispense to God’s people for their full salvation—Job 23:12; 1 Pet. 2:2-5; Psa. 119:103; Deut. 8:8; S. S. 4:11a.
２
We must treasure the Lord’s words more than all earthly riches so that we can speak oracles of God to dispense the unsearchable riches of Christ as the varied grace of God—Psa. 119:72, 9-16; Eph. 3:8; 2 Cor. 6:10; 1 Pet. 4:10-11.
Ⅱ
Peter saw that Christ Himself is the preciousness to His believers—2:7; cf. Phil. 3:8:
A
Peter was charmed (attracted and captivated) by the Lord to such an extent that even though he was rebuked by the Lord many times and failed miserably, he still followed the Lord as his Shepherd until his martyrdom—Luke 5:8-11; Mark 14:67-72; 16:7; John 21:15-22; 2 Pet. 1:14-15:
１
Peter realized that he, James, and John had been admitted into the highest degree of initiation at the Lord’s transfiguration, admitted to be the initiated spectators of His majesty—vv. 16-18; cf. 1 Pet. 5:1.
２
In His ascension, Christ is “the Majestic”—He is our God and Savior (2 Pet. 1:1) and the Lord of all (1 Pet. 3:22; Acts 2:36) as our Judge, our Lawmaker, and our King in God’s government (Isa. 33:21-22) in order to dispense Himself into us to be our enjoyment for our full salvation (Rev. 22:1).
B
The precious stone for God’s building is Christ Himself—1 Pet. 2:4, 6-8.
C
The precious blood of Christ has redeemed us from our vain manner of life—1:14, 18-19.
D
The precious and exceedingly great promises have been granted to us by our God and Savior, Jesus Christ—2 Pet. 1:1, 4; cf. Isa. 42:6; Heb. 8:8-12:
１
By calling on the precious name of the Lord, we drink of Him as the cup of salvation, enjoying Him as the reality of all the precious and exceedingly great promises of God for the goal of God’s building—Acts 4:10-12; Psa. 116:12-13.
２
These precious promises are embodied in the word of God; by pray-reading the promises, we partake of and enjoy the divine nature so that we may grow and develop in life unto the maturity of life to enjoy a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—2 Pet. 1:4-11.
E
God has allotted to all the believers equally precious faith—v. 1; Rom. 12:3.
F
The precious proving of our faith is by various trials that come through sufferings—1 Pet. 1:6-7.
Ⅲ
The vision of Christ in glory was seen by Isaiah in his depression—Isa. 6:1-8; cf. 5:20; 22:1; 2 Chron. 26:1-5:
A
The evil time during Isaiah’s days is seen by the Lord’s warning word—“Woe to those who call evil good, /And good evil; /Who put darkness for light, /And light for darkness; /Who put bitter for sweet, /And sweet for bitter!”—Isa. 5:20.
B
In spite of the rebellion, iniquities, and corruptions of God’s chosen and beloved people, Christ, as the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts, is still sitting on a high and lofty throne in glory—6:1-5; Lam. 5:19; Rev. 22:1.
C
The One who was seen by Isaiah was Christ—Isa. 6:5b; John 12:38-41:
１
John, in his account of Christ’s living and working on earth, said that Isaiah “saw His glory and spoke concerning Him”—v. 41.
２
In order to see the vision of the glorious enthroned Christ, we need to take heed to Isaiah’s warning word (Isa. 6:9-10) by exercising our spirit to pray that the Lord would open our inner eyes, soften our heart, and keep our heart turned to Him so that we may receive His inner healing of our blindness and sickness (John 12:40; Matt. 13:14-17; Acts 28:25-27; Rev. 3:18; 4:2; 2 Cor. 3:16-18).
D
Christ’s long robe signifies His splendor in His virtues, expressed mainly in and through His humanity; that Christ was wearing a long robe indicates that He appeared to Isaiah in the image of a man; Christ is the enthroned God-man with the divine glory expressed in His human virtues—Isa. 6:1; cf. Ezek. 1:26, 22; Acts 2:36; Heb. 2:9a.
E
Isaiah saw Christ in His holiness based on His righteousness—Isa. 6:2-3:
１
The seraphim signify or represent the holiness of Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God; they were standing there for Christ’s holiness.
２
Christ’s holiness is based on His righteousness; because Christ was always righteous, He was sanctified, separated, from the common people—5:16.
F
As a result of seeing this vision, Isaiah was terminated, finished, realizing that he was a man of unclean lips, dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips—6:5:
１
In the New Testament sense, seeing God equals gaining God; to gain God is to receive God in His element, in His life, and in His nature so that we may be constituted with God—cf. Gen. 13:14-15; Gal. 3:14; Matt. 5:8.
２
Seeing God transforms us, because in seeing God we gain God and receive His element into us, and our old element is discharged; this metabolic process is transformation—2 Cor. 3:16—4:1; Rom. 12:2; Phil. 3:8.
３
The more we see God, know God, and love God, the more we abhor ourselves and the more we deny ourselves—Job 42:5-6; Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23; 14:26.
G
After Isaiah realized that he was unclean, he was purged by one of the seraphim, signifying the holiness of God, with an ember from the altar:
１
The application of this ember by one of the seraphim signifies the effectiveness of Christ’s redemption accomplished on the cross and applied by “the Spirit the Holy” in His judging, burning, and sanctifying power—Isa. 6:6-7; 4:4; cf. Luke 12:49; Rev. 4:5.
２
Seeing God issues in being purged and cleansed by God, and being cleansed by God issues in being sent by God to bring His chosen people into a state of living Christ so that they may express Him in His glory, be saturated with His holiness, and live in His righteousness—Isa. 6:6-8; 1 John 1:7-9; Acts 13:47; Phil. 1:21a.
Ⅳ
The vision of the excellent Christ, who appeared to Daniel in His supreme preciousness as a man, was for Daniel’s appreciation, consolation, encouragement, and stabilization—Dan. 10:4-9:
A
Christ appeared as a Priest in His humanity, signified by the linen robe, to care for His chosen people in their captivity—v. 5a; Exo. 28:31-35.
B
Christ appeared in His kingship in His divinity, signified by the girdle of gold, for ruling over all the peoples—Dan. 10:5b.
C
For His people’s appreciation, Christ appeared in His preciousness and dignity, as signified by His body being like beryl; the Hebrew word for beryl could refer to a bluish-green or yellow precious stone, signifying that Christ in His embodiment is divine (yellow), full of life (green), and heavenly (blue)—v. 6a.
D
Christ also appeared in His brightness for shining over the people, as signified by His face being like the appearance of lightning (v. 6b), and in His enlightening sight for searching and judging, signified by His eyes being like torches of fire (v. 6c).
E
Christ appeared to Daniel in the gleam of His work and move, as signified by His arms and His feet being like the gleam of polished bronze—v. 6d.
F
Christ appeared in His strong speaking for judging people, as signified by the sound of His words being like the sound of a multitude—v. 6e:
１
The entire world situation is under the rule of the heavens by the God of the heavens in order to give Christ the preeminence in all things, to cause Christ to have the first place in everything—2:34-35; 7:9-10; 4:34-35; Col. 1:15, 18; Rev. 2:4-5.
２
Christ must have the first place, the preeminence, in our personal universe; today Christ, the preeminent One, must be the centrality and universality in our church life, family life, and daily life—Col. 1:17b, 18b; 3:17; 1 Cor. 10:31.
３
Under His heavenly rule God is using the environment to make Christ the centrality (the first) and the universality (everything) to us—Rom. 8:28; Col. 1:18, 27; 3:4, 10-11.
４
As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence, we are under God’s heavenly rule to make Christ preeminent, to cause Him to have the first place in everything—Dan. 4:26b, 35; Col. 1:18; 3:4, 10-11; Psa. 27:4.
Ⅴ
We must redeem the time to enjoy Christ as the supreme preciousness of God so that we can be constituted with Him to be men of preciousness as His personal treasure; as we live in His precious presence, enjoying Him as our portion, even as He enjoys us as His treasure, He builds Himself into us to make us His spiritual house and His holy and royal priesthood for the accomplishment of His heart’s desire—1 Pet. 3:4; Dan. 9:23; 10:11, 19; 2 Cor. 2:10; Psa. 16:5; Exo. 19:4-6; 1 Pet. 2:1-9; 2 Pet. 3:8, 11-12.