The Ministry of the Word, Vol. 21, No. 12

Christ and the Church in the Psalms (2)

This issue of The Ministry of the Word contains the remaining nine messages given during the spring 2002 term of the full-time training in Anaheim, California. The general subject of this series of messages is "Christ and the Church in the Psalms." The progression of the revelation through the Psalms may be encapsulated by four major themes--Christ, house, city, and earth. Psalm 40 speaks concerning the will of God, which is to have Christ as the replacement for all the offerings in the Old Testament. In the New Testament we now enjoy Christ as everything in living and practicing the Body life for the building up of the Body of Christ. Concerning Christ, Psalm 45 shows the direct praising of Christ as the King in His fairness, in His victory, in His kingdom, and in the sweetness of His virtues. Psalm 45 also shows the indirect praising of the King in the praising of God's corporate queen, as the duplication and reproduction of the King. Christ came down to our level, becoming our species, so that He could court us, woo us, win us, and gain us. Furthermore, He came into us to dispense Himself into our entire being to make us the same as He is in life and nature so that we would become His queen for His duplication, reproduction, expression, and glory in the universe. In this psalm we also have the praising of the King in the praising of His sons, the princes, who signify the overcomers reigning with Christ over the nations. In Psalms 46 through 48 we see that a king must have not only a place to live but also a city, a kingdom, as a realm to rule and reign. In Psalm 46 we see that when God has the church enlarged, strengthened, and built up as the city, He has a place to rule and reign. In Psalms 47 and 48 we see that there is a great King over all the earth enthroned in the city. Before the Lord comes manifestly to be the King in the literal city of Jerusalem, He must first be the King in a spiritual, heavenly, divine, and mystical city, and that city is the enlarged, strengthened, and built-up church. When the church is enlarged, strengthened, and built up, the house of God becomes the city of God as the kingdom of God [4] for the God-King to rule and reign. The church is for the kingdom; that is, the house is for the city. Eventually, the house of God becomes the holy city, the New Jerusalem. At the end of Psalm 48 God is revealed as the God of the city, the God in the city, and the God who is experienced and enjoyed only in the city under the rule of the God-King. As seen in Psalm 51, repentance and confession with God's forgiveness are very crucial for us to live the life of a God-man day by day and for us to be in the reality of the Body. The issue and goal of our repenting and confessing is God's purpose--God's building, which is the church consummating in the New Jerusalem. Psalm 68 is the highest psalm, because it reveals Christ, the house, the city, and the earth. Christ builds up the house; the house spreads into the kingdom as the city; and when the kingdom comes, Christ gains the whole earth. In this psalm we can see the nine steps of God's move on the earth in Christ as the living embodiment of the Triune God. Psalm 69, a psalm of David, speaks of Christ's sufferings in a detailed way, as typified by the suffering David. We cannot participate in the afflictions that Jesus Christ suffered to accomplish redemption; however, we need to have much fellowship in Christ's sufferings for the church, that is, for the building up of the Body of Christ (cf. Phil. 3:10). In Psalm 72, a psalm of Solomon, we see that the Lord's kingdom will spread to the ends of the earth by His flowing and watering as a river. Before we can know Him as the reigning Christ, we need to know Him as the suffering Christ. Christ's reigning in resurrection follows His suffering in incarnation and human living. The Reports and Announcements section of this issue contains "Reports and Testimonies from Gospel Trips, Regional Conferences, and Blending Trips to Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Italy, and the Balkans," a list of upcoming conferences and trainings hosted by Living Stream Ministry, and a website link for information related to similar events in Europe.