THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine Economy
Message Two—the Complete Vision of God’s Economy
Scripture Reading: Prov. 29:18a; Acts 2:42; 26:19; Eph. 4:4-6; Rev. 21:2, 9-10
I. The vision that the Lord has given to His recovery is an all-inclusive vision—the all-inheriting vision of the age—Prov. 29:18a; Acts 26:19: (2005 MDC, msg. 1)
A. In the Bible vision denotes an extraordinary scene; it refers to a special kind of seeing—a glorious, inward seeing—and to the spiritual scenery we see from God— Ezek. 1:1, 4-28; Dan. 7:1, 9-10, 13-14: (2005 MDC, msg. 1)
1. In order to have a vision, we need revelation, light, and sight; everyone who serves the Lord must be a person with a vision—Eph. 1:17-18a; Acts 26:13-19. (2005 MDC, msg. 1)
2. The heavenly vision governs us, restricts us, controls us, directs us, preserves us, revolutionizes us, keeps us in the genuine oneness, and gives us the boldness to go on—Prov. 29:18a. (2005 MDC, msg. 1)
B. In every age there is the vision of that age, and we have to serve God according to the vision of the age; God’s word reveals to us that in every age He gives only one vision to man—Acts 26:19; Eph. 1:17; 3:3, 5: (2005 ICSC, msg. 1)
1. In every age, God gives only one vision to man, to meet the need of that generation: (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
a. In Adam is seen God’s redemption—Gen. 3:21. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
b. In Abel is seen God’s way of redemption—Gen. 4:4. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
c. In Enosh is seen man’s need for God and man’s calling upon Him to enjoy His riches—Gen. 4:26. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
d. In Enoch is seen one walking with God—Gen. 5:22, 24. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
e. In Noah is seen one who walked with God and worked with God to build the ark—Gen. 6:8, 13-14. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
f. Then in Abraham is seen God’s calling, God’s promise, justification by faith, the living by faith, and the living in fellowship with God—Gen. 12:1-7; 15:6. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
g. In Isaac is seen the inheriting of grace and the rest and enjoyment; in Jacob is seen God’s selection, the transformation in life, and the maturity in life—Gen. 26:2-5, 12-14; 25:22-26; 35:10; 47:7-10. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
h. In Joseph is seen the reigning aspect of the maturity in life—Gen. 47:11-27; 50:14-26. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
i. Following this, we see different things in Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and the judges—Exo. 3:2-3; 25:8-9; Josh. 1:1-9. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
j. In Samuel we see the voluntarily consecrated Nazarite replacing the ordained priests, ending the age of the judges, and bringing in the kingdom age—1 Sam. 1:11, 27-28. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
k. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, outside His leading there was no vision. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
l. After the Lord’s ascension, there was only one vision, which was the vision of Peter—Acts 2:18-19, 21. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
m. When Paul was raised up in his ministry, they all had one vision, which was the vision that Paul saw, even the aged Peter had to submit to the vision of Paul—2 Pet. 3:15-16; Acts 26:19; 2 Cor. 12:2-4. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
2. We can be acceptable to God only when we have to serve God according to the vision of the age—Titus. 1:5; 1 Tim. 1:3-4. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 1)
C. Our vision should be one that matches the age; in order for us to serve God today, our vision must extend all the way from the first vision of Adam in Genesis to the ultimate vision of John in Revelation—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 21:2. (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
D. The governing vision of the Bible is the Triune God working Himself into His chosen and redeemed people in order to saturate their entire being with the Divine Trinity for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem—Eph. 4:4-6; Rev. 21:2, 9-10. (2005 MDC, msg. 1)
II. Our one accord is in the all-inheriting vision of the age through the ministry of the age—Acts 1:14; Rom. 15:6; 1 Tim. 1:12; Acts 20:24: (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
A. The vision that the Lord has given us in His recovery is the ultimate consummation of all visions—the New Jerusalem; within this ultimate consummation everything is included—Rev. 21:9-10. (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
B. Today we can be in one accord because we have only one vision, an up-to-date, all-inheriting vision, the vision of the eternal economy of God—Prov. 29:18a. (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
C. Throughout the ages there were many saints who loved the Lord and who feared the Lord, but we cannot say that they all had the vision that matched their age—Acts 15:35-39; 18:24-25; 19:1-2; 21:18-21. (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
D. Because we are under the heavenly vision of the eternal economy of God according to the unique teaching of the apostles, we can be one in teaching (1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 16:1; Acts 2:42; Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3; Eph. 4:13-14), practice (1 Cor. 11:16; 14:33b-34), thinking (Phil. 2:2; 4:2; 1 Cor. 1:10), speaking (Rom. 15:6), essence, appearance, and expression (Rev. 1:11-12) in God’s one ministry for His one move to produce one Body as His one testimony. (2005 ICSC, msg. 5)
III. Since we have the up-to-date and ultimate vision, we should closely follow after it; we are absolutely not following a man; rather, we are following a vision; we are following a vision that belongs to the present age; it is God’s consummate vision—Acts 26:19; Rev. 21:2, 10. (The Vision of the Age, msg. 2)