18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn

Series 18

Episode 3

Prologue

Message

It’s so precious that Abba will lead many sons to glory. He has predestined us to glory.

Let’s read Romans 8. Verse 14 reads, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” It’s so precious that not only do we have the Bible, but we also have God’s Spirit living in us and leading us.

Verse 15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt. But God said that Israel was His son, His firstborn. It’s so precious that we have not merely received the title of a son, but we have been born again. The Holy Spirit and the Lord both live in us. They declare the Father’s name. Since we have received the Spirit as sons, our spirits are no longer the same. That’s why it’s very natural for us to cry “Abba.” When there is nobody else around, I enjoy crying aloud, “Abba.”

Let’s continue the passage. Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs —heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

On earth, children will receive an inheritance from their fathers. Receiving an earthly inheritance is painful because that means our loved ones have passed away. But our Abba is the eternal God, and we are His heirs! Man has a fixed number of possessions, but Abba is able to create more things and newer things. How unsearchable are His riches! Also, we are fellow heirs with Christ!

Think about it, what will Abba give to the Lord? It’s so precious that we are fellow heirs with Christ. If I were to enjoy the inheritance by myself, my joy would not be full. But it’s so precious that we can all be co-heirs with the Lord. Isn’t that joyous!? Both the Book of Galatians and Romans mention that we will inherit the world. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 says that all things are ours, because the Lord inherits all things and He wants us to share His glory and His all.

I can say that I have gone through thick and thin together with the Lord for my whole life. None of the afflictions are in vain. It refines us into fine gold, and it is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corin 4:17)

Let’s read Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

So when we love Him and obey His words, all things will work together for good. What’s happening in Hong Kong right now is working together for good. I hope that in the midst of it all, we can enjoy the Lord more and spend more leisure time drawing near to Him. Moreover, we should see that He’s coming quickly, and we should redeem the time and use our time wisely. The most important thing is to draw near to Him and experience Him, for from our hearts flow the springs of life. Only He can cause our spirits to rise up.

Romans 8:29 reads, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

God’s expectations and plan for us are the most glorious. He even wants us to be like His Son, and this includes the spiritual aspect. One day when the Lord comes to receive us, our bodies will be transformed into His glorious likeness. There’s nothing more precious than being like Him. The Lord is the firstborn and we are the assembly of the firstborn. He is unique among the firstborn; you can say He is “the firstborn of the firstborn”. It’s so precious that He is not ashamed to call us brothers, and we are united with the Lord. The Lord is the most unique firstborn, but we have also become the firstborn.

Speaking of the firstborn, we realized that the firstborn receives the greatest portions of the blessings. For example, in the old testament times, the firstborn would receive a double portion of the inheritance. I’ve also mentioned briefly how the firstborn is related to the priesthood as well as the kingship. Also, back then, if the father was not around or had passed away, the firstborn would be like the head of the household. If it was a big family, the firstborn would become the head of the whole family. The Bible says the firstborn “is the firstfruits of his strength.” (Deut 21;17) The firstborn is generally more mature than his younger siblings and he understands their parents more. So, since the firstborn receives a bigger inheritance, he should be a greater blessing to the family and bear more responsibility. It’s so precious that Abba has given us this position, which is the greatest blessing. He also wants us to bless others more, whether in this life, in the new millennium, or throughout eternity. Hence, there’s a reason why the firstborn is blessed. 

Series 18

The Blessings to be the First Born

Message Date: 2020-05-03

It is the church’s most tremendous blessing that we have become the “assembly of the firstborn”. God calls Israel His son and firstborn son. He raised them up to be the blessing of all nations. In the New Millennium and eternity, Israel will be chief among all nations. As for us, by the Lord’s salvation, we have become the children of God; being joint heir with Christ, we are to inherit all. The Lord is the firstborn, and we are the assembly of the firstborn. The glory that the Father gave to the Lord is also given to us. From the blessings that Jacob gave to his sons, we can see that besides the double portion of blessings, the firstborn also received blessings of kingship and priesthood. It’s so precious that the blessings that we receive are beyond “a double portion”. We have become the priests of the new covenant; we will reign with the Lord, and inherit all with Him in eternity. Today, we should live out our life as priests: to draw near to God, to enjoy the Lord as our source of life, and to bring people to believe in God and experience Him. We are to offer sacrifices of praise, and to guard our mouth with knowledge. Therefore, we should pursue the Lord diligently.
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18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)

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18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)

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18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn

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18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn

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18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship

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18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

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18.7 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Priesthood

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18.8 Live Out the Priesthood

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Introduction

01 Introduction of Treasures for the Soul

Series 1: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord

1.1 The Most Blessed Generation
1.2 Message from John the Baptist
1.3 Abide in the Lord Always
1.4 Abide in the Lord’s Love at All Times
1.5 The Lord Speaks to Us and Helps Us in Our Hearts

Series 2: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout this Year

2.1 God’s Greatest Work Starts in Our Hearts
2.2 To Be Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout the Year
2.3 Our Spirits can Feel God and Have Fellowship with Him
2.4 The Importance of Peace
2.5 Our Spirits Need the Words of God
2.6 Give the Lord Time and Space to Speak in Our Hearts

Series 3: Let Our Hearts be Influenced

3.1 The World Needs People Who Deeply Experience God
3.2 Just as His Anointing 
Has Taught You, 
Abide in the Lord
3.3 Be Influenced 
by the Lord Throughout 
this Year

Series 4: The Importance of Peace

4.1 Enjoying God’s Peace in Your heart
4.2 Let Not Your Hearts be Troubled, Neither Let Them be Afraid.
4.3 How Should Our Spirit Respond to the Lord?

Series 5: Our Spirit Being Able to Enjoy the Lord

5.1 Our Spirit is Satisfied Only When We Worship God and Deeply Experience Him
5.2 How to Worship God with Our Spirit
5.3 Looking at the Lord with our Inner Eyes
5.4 Our Spirit Needs to Enjoy the Lord Himself
5.5 The Song of Solomon Often Mentions About “Eyes”
5.6 Realize Being Heart to Heart with the Lord in Singing and Worship

Series 6: Live out the Life of being Heart to Heart with the Lord

6.1 Living a life of union with the Lord in a stable pattern every day
6.2 Enjoying the Lord and not being disturbed
6.3 The Importance of Seeing Him with Our Spiritual Eyes

Series 7

7.1 Learn to Protect Our Spirits From Virus Prevention
7.2 Our Spirit Can Hear, Think, and See
7.3 How to Live a Life of Faith
7.4 The Importance of the Mind
7.5 David’s Eyes Beheld the Lord Always

Series 8: During the last supper, the Lord spoke about the essence of the blessings of the new covenant.

8.1 The Lord established with us the eternal love covenant by His blood
8.2 The Lord Treasures the New Covenant and Break-Bread Meeting the Most
8.3 Love Encounters
8.4 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the fourth blessing
8.5 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (1)
8.6 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (2)

Series 16: We Have Come to Mount Zion and the Heavenly Jerusalem

16.1 See that the Lord is at the right hand of the Father
16.2 Coming to Mount Zion (1): the meaning of Mount Sinai
16.3 Coming to Mount Zion (2): the difficulty in forgiveness of sins
16.4 Coming to Mount Zion (3): to Live in Grace
16.5 Having Come to the Heavenly Jerusalem
16.6 What is in the heavenly Jerusalem (1)?

Series 9: Being Heart to Heart with the Father

9.1 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 1)
9.2 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 2)

Series 10

10.1 The Love Desire in the Depths of Abba and the Lord’s hearts
10.2 Fruit of the Lord’s Crucifixion: Eternal Life
10.3 The Lord Came to Manifest the Father’s Name
10.4 The Father Sent His Only Begotten Son
10.5 Reminders on enjoying heart to heart with the Father
10.6 The Father’s Desire for Me is Forever Steadfast

Series 11

11.1 The preciousness of the Letter to Philemon
11.2 The most profitable; the most accepted.
11.3 Charge That to My Account
11.4 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (1)
11.5 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (2)
11.6 We are the Lord’s darling love

Series 12

12.1 The Lord’s Words at the Last Supper
12.2 Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing.
12.3 What is true faith?
12.4 Look upon the Lord in glory
11.5 Trust and Peace (1)
12.6 Trust and Peace (2)

Series 13: The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility

13.3 The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility (Part 2)

Series 14: Manifold evidence

14.1 How does the infinite Lord see us?
14.2 We are the ultimate and final love of the Lord
14.3 The Lord is forever a Man; He once died for us
14.4 The Lord’s manifold love evidence (Part 1)
14.5 The Lord’s manifold love evidence Part 2

Series 15: Understand How Our Spirit Works And Be Heart To Heart With The Lord Continuously

15.1 We Can Only Enjoy God By Faith
15.2 His Words Abide In Us
15.3 Live With The Lord
15.4 Seek The Things That Are Above
15.5 Understand How Our Spirit Works: Will, Mind And Feelings
15.6 Guard And Uplift Our Mind

Series 17: Know that the Church is the Firstborn

17.1 Know that the church is the firstborn
17.2 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 1)
17.3 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 2)
17.4 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 1)
17.5 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 2)

Series 18: The Blessings to be the First Born

18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)
18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)
18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn
18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn
18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship
18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

Series 19: Coming to Mount Zion to Appear Before God

19.1 The Lord is the way, and the truth, and the life
19.2 Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord
19.3 Mind the things that are above (1)
19.4 Mind the things that are above (2)
19.5 Appear before God in Mount Zion

Series 20: The final destination of our spirit and eternity is the heavenly Jerusalem

20.1 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (1)
20.2 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (2)
20.3 The Lord Becomes the Way so that We can Come Before God with Confidence
20.4 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (1)
20.5 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (2)

Series 21: Live Out the Life of the Firstborn: Be A Priest

21.1 The Father made the Lord the High Priest
21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn
21.4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2)

Series 22: When Believers Die, They Will Go to the Heavenly Jerusalem

22.1 The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (1)
The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (2)
The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect

Series 23: New Jerusalem is a real city

God has prepared a heavenly home for us
Is the heavenly new Jerusalem a real city?
Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven
Are physical substances not spiritual?
New Jerusalem is a real city (1)
New Jerusalem is a real city (2)

Series 24: God prepares for us

Genesis 22: Father and Son went together
Genesis 22: For us, the Father gave His only Son
Genesis 22: The Lord will provide
24.4 God’s preparation for us

Series 25: The Father and Son Affection

25.1 The Lord Came to Make Known the Father
25.2 The Father and Son Affection (Part 1)
25.3 The Father and Son Affection (Part 2)

Series 26: We are a royal priesthood

26.1 God who alone does wondrous things
26.2 The Lord is the High Priest
26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)
26.4 We are a royal priesthood (2)