THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
Christ and the Church
Message Three—Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms
Scripture Reading: Psa. 2:6-9; 26:8; 27:4; 46:4; 68:18; 84:1; Col. 1:15-19; Luke. 24:44; Eph. 4:8, 11-12
I. The central thought of the book of Psalms is Christ, as revealed in plain words, and the church as the house of God and the city of God for His kingdom, as typified by the temple and by the city of Jerusalem—Psa. 2:6-9; 26:8; 27:4; 46:4: (2011 ST, msg. 1)
A. The spirit, the reality, the characteristic, of the divine revelation in the book of Psalms is Christ as the centrality and universality of the eternal economy of God—2:6-9: (2011 ST, msg. 1)
1. For this, Christ is first the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9), then the house, the habitation, of God (signified by the temple—John 2:19-21), the kingdom of God (signified by the city of Jerusalem—Luke 17:21; Rev. 22:3b), and the Ruler of the entire earth from the house of God and in the kingdom of God (Dan. 2:34-35). (2011 ST, msg. 1)
2. Christ is therefore all in all in the entire universe—Eph. 1:23; Col. 3:11. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
B. The picture given in the book of Psalms is the same as that portrayed by the entire Bible: Christ, the church, and the reigning of Christ over the whole earth with the New Jerusalem as the center—Matt. 16:16, 18; Rev. 21:1-3, 24. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
C. The particular point related to the divine revelation in the Psalms is that such a high revelation is prophesied in the expressions of the sentiments of the ancient godly saints. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
D. The consummation of the divine revelation is the city of New Jerusalem as a sign of the habitation, the tabernacle, of God, through which the processed and consummated Triune God will be manifested and expressed in the all-inclusive Christ and will reign on the new earth in the new universe for eternity—Rev. 21:1-3. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
E. The five books of the Psalms are arranged in the same progressive way as the entire Bible is arranged: (2011 ST, msg. 1)
1. From the first book of the Psalms to the fifth book, the revelation progresses higher and higher; the fifth book is filled with the psalmists’ praising of God. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
2. The central thought in this progressive revelation is that God is embodied in Christ, Christ is in His Body, and His Body is God’s house and God’s city for God’s kingdom over the earth—Col. 2:9; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19; Rev. 11:15. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
II. The Psalms are fully Christ centered; Christ is not only the centrality but also the universality of the Psalms；In our study of the Psalms, we need to realize that the spirit of the Bible is to exalt Christ—Col. 1:15-19; Luke. 24:44: (2002 FTTA, msg. 1)
A. The spirit of the Bible exalts the Christ ordained by God to have the first place in the old creation, in the new creation, in the Body of Christ, and in everything; since Christ has the first place in all things, we must give Him the first place in our being and in all that we do—Col. 1:15-19; Rev. 2:4. (2002 FTTA, msg. 1)
B. we have seen four major stations concerning Christ; we all need to see the particular aspects of Christ revealed in these psalms; these psalms present us a completed Christ—Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22-24: (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 12)
1. Psalm 2 tells us that Christ is God’s anointed One—1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27. (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 12)
2. Psalm 8 reveals Christ as the incarnated and crowned One, the excellent One in all the earth. (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 12)
3. Psalm 16 reveals Christ in His human living; it shows that Christ lived on this earth as a God-man, died on the cross, resurrected, and then ascended to the right hand of God. (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 12)
4. Psalm 22 shows us Christ crucified and resurrected to produce His brothers to constitute His Body, the church; then in resurrection in Psalm 23, He became our Shepherd, shepherding us through five stages of enjoyment; eventually, He will come back to be the King of glory, as revealed in Psalm 24. (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 12)
C. In the Psalms we see the details concerning the all-inclusive Christ in God’s eternal economy: (2011 ST, msg. 1)
1. Christ in His divinity—45:6; Heb. 1:8. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
2. Christ in His incarnation—Psa. 8:4; Heb. 2:6. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
3. Christ in His humanity—Psa. 8:4; Heb. 2:6. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
4. Christ in His human living—Psa. 16:1-8. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
5. Christ in His death—22:1-21. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
6. Christ in His resurrection—2:7; 16:10; 22:22; Heb. 2:12; Acts 2:25-32; 13:33-37. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
7. Christ in His ascension—Psa. 68:18; Eph. 4:8. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
8. Christ in His exaltation—Psa. 80:17; 110:1. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
9. Christ in His being crowned—8:5; Heb. 2:9. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
10. Christ in His enthronement—Psa. 2:6. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
11. Christ in His dominion, kingship, and authority—v. 8; 8:6; 47:2; 72:8. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
12. Christ in His priesthood—110:4. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
13. Christ in His fighting—vv. 5-6; 45:3-5. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
14. Christ in His victory—110:5-6. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
15. Christ in His indwelling—22:22. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
16. Christ in His shepherding—23. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
17. Christ as the stone for the building—118:22. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
18. Christ in His coming—72; 96; 110. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
19. Christ in His reigning—93-101. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
D. The main psalms concerning Christ: Psa. 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 45, 68, 80, 91, 110, 118. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
E. These are just the main aspects; there are many details which could be filled in; it is clear that through the Psalms we can know Christ much better than through the New Testament. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
III. The temple and the city were both types of the church. the building up of the temple and city are types of the building up of God’s house today; all the verses in the Psalms concerning the temple, the house, and the city are verses which typify the building up of the church—Psa. 68:18; Eph. 4:8, 11-12: (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
A. When we put these two passages in Psalm 68 and Ephesians 4 together, we have strong proof that the building up of the temple in ancient times was a type of the building up of the church today—Eph. 4:8, 11-12. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
B. God is universal and omnipresent, yet He is a located God; God is located in His house, His dwelling place—23:6; 27:4: (2011 ST, msg. 8)
1. Christ is God’s location; Christ is the tabernacle of God and the temple of God— Col. 2:9; John 1:14; 2:21. (2011 ST, msg. 8)
2. Christ has been enlarged, and the enlarged Christ is the church as God’s enlarged temple, His dwelling place—1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15. (2011 ST, msg. 8)
C. The Psalms show us that God’s intention is to recover His title, His legal rights, over the whole earth through Christ in the church, through Christ in the house, through Christ in the city—Psa. 2:6-8; 36:8-9; 48:2; 72:8: (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
1. When we speak of God’s house, we must make mention of the house principally as God’s dwelling and the place of His presence, beauty, glory, and riches; we must also refer to its ground and its foundation. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
2. Wherever and whenever there is a real expression of God, there we find God’s presence, and there we sense God’s anointing; God honors such an expression so greatly because it is the key for the fulfillment of His purpose on earth. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
3. He needs a church, a proper church; He needs a house and even a city that He may consider as a steppingstone for Him to return; without the house, without the city, there is no beachhead for God to launch back and recover the earth. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
4. The building up of the church is not a small matter; it is the key to God’s purpose; the unique, strategic work of the Lord today is the practical building up of the local churches in the leading cities of this earth. (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
5. The local churches are the steppingstone, the beachhead, for Him to take the earth and fulfill His purpose; He will certainly do it; how glorious this will be! (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
D. The main psalms concerning the house; the Psalms reveal many aspects of the church as God’s house, such as—Psalms 27, 36, 68, 84, 92, 122, 132, 150: (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, ch. 24)
1. God’s dwelling—68:18; 84:1. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
2. The ground, the site—24:3; 68:16; 76:2. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
3. Its foundation—87:1. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
4. The place of God’s presence, which is God’s glory—26:8; 27:4; 29:9. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
5. The place of revelation—73:17. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
6. The saints’ desire—84:2, 10. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
7. Its loveliness—v. 1. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
8. The place where we may be planted, flourish, and bear fruit—92:13-14. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
9. The place of springs—87:7. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
10. The place of worship—99:9. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
11. The place where God is our portion—73:26. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
12. The place where we are mingled with God—92:10. (2011 ST, msg. 1)
IV. “God desires to have an organic habitation on earth, and this habitation is the aggregate of the living saints gained by God through the terminating death and germinating resurrection of the all-inclusive Christ. They will be the eternal manifestation and expression of the processed and consummated Triune God, and He will be everything to them in His all-inclusive Christ. The Triune God will reign on the new earth through such an organism in the new universe. This is the spirit, the extract, of the book of Psalms. ” (Life-study of Psalms, msg. 45) (2002 FTTA, msg. 1)