晨興聖言-為着主的來臨(W2-1)

 第二週　週一

http://morning-revival.twgbr.org/mp3s/2023/1-Chinese-NY/week-02/week2day1.mp3

晨興餧養

啟十四4　…他們是從人間買來的，作初熟的果子歸與神和羔羊。

雅五7　所以，弟兄們，你們要恒忍，直到主的來臨。看哪，農夫等候地裏寶貴的出產，為此恒忍，直到得了秋雨春雨。

    主的來臨需要我們長大並成熟。只要我們在屬靈上仍不成熟，就會耽延主的來臨。…我們在神聖的生命裏越快成熟，就越催促主的收割。我們都需要藉着喫耶穌而長大；我們越喫祂並長大，就越催促祂回來。只會宣告：『主耶穌啊，願你快來』，是不彀的。

    正如農夫在作物成熟以前無法收割，照樣主耶穌在祂有相當數量的信徒成熟以前，也不會回來。因此，我們需要繼續從耶穌得餧養（李常受文集一九七二年第一冊，五四四頁）。

信息選讀

    當我們在恒忍等候主的來臨時，祂這位真農夫（太十三3）也在忍耐等候我們生命成熟，成為祂田裏初熟的果子和莊稼（啟十四4、14~15）。我們在生命上成熟，能縮短我們恒忍和主忍耐的時間。

  我們需要追求生命的成熟，以迎見主，並在一切事上豫備好接受祂的審判〔參雅五9〕。

    雅各書五章七節用農夫恒忍等候地裏寶貴的出產來說明。…主耶穌實際上就是真農夫，獨一的農夫。當我們等候祂的來臨時，祂這位農夫，也在等候我們成熟。我們可能會禱告說，『主，求你快回來。』然而祂卻會說，『我的孩子們，快快成熟吧。當你們在等候我回來時，我也在等候你們成熟。…惟有你們成熟了，纔能催促我回來。』

   我們應該曉得，我們若認真等候主回來，就需要在生命上長大；這種領會對我們有極大的幫助。今天大多數的基督徒以完全客觀的眼光來看主的來臨，以為這與我們屬靈的光景或屬靈的成長毫無關係。他們以為有一天主會突然來臨，而祂的來臨與他們的成熟毫不相關。這許多基督徒對於主再來的觀念，可能正是使祂遲遲不來的原因。

   五章七節所說農夫的例證，含示農夫一直等候田裏的農作物長大成熟。按照啟示錄十四章，主也一直等候莊稼成熟。當田裏的莊稼成熟了，祂就會回來。這莊稼乃是主將自己當作種子撒進人裏所產生的結果。主的撒種在主第一次來臨的時候已經完成了，這是馬太十三章所描述的。我們應當曉得，乃是莊稼的成熟纔會催促祂的再來。

   為着主的再來，我們需要有恆忍、忍耐以及生命的長大。當我們對逼迫我們的人有恆忍，對苦難有忍耐時，我們還需要生命的長大。這樣，我們纔能說，『哦，主耶穌，求你快來。主阿，你豈沒有看見我在生命上長大麼？今天我長得比昨天還快。主阿，因着我一直長大，求你加速你的再來。』…我不信有太多基督徒曾為着主的再來這樣禱告過。

   我們要曉得，主的來臨與我們在生命上長大有關係。我們如果履行生命長大的條件，主就會履行祂快再來的應許。因此，我們需要在生命上長大；當我們長大的時候，也需要操練恒忍和忍耐。這是等候主回來的正路（雅各書生命讀經，一一三至一一七頁）。

參讀：雅各書生命讀經，第十一篇；李常受文集一九七二年第一冊，豫備主的回來，第五章。

WEEK 2 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

Rev. 14:4 …These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

James 5:7 Therefore be long-suffering, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer eagerly awaits the precious fruit of the earth, exercising long-suffering over it until it receives the early and late rain.

The Lord’s coming requires our growth and maturity. As long as we remain spiritually immature, we will delay the Lord’s coming…The quicker we mature in the divine life, the more we hasten the Lord’s harvest. We all need to grow by eating Jesus; the more we eat Him and grow, the more we hasten His return. Merely to declare, “Lord Jesus, come quickly,” is not sufficient.

Just as a farmer cannot harvest his crops until they are ripe, the Lord Jesus will not return until a significant number of His believers are mature. Hence, we need to keep feeding on Jesus. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, p. 410)

Today’s Reading

While we are awaiting the Lord’s coming with long-suffering, He, as the real Farmer (Matt. 13:3), is also awaiting with patience our maturity in life as the firstfruits and harvest of His field (Rev. 14:4, 14-15). Our maturity in life can cut short the period of our long-suffering and His patience. We need to pursue maturity in life to meet the Lord and be prepared to be judged by Him [cf. James 5:9].

In 5:7 James uses the illustration of a farmer awaiting with long-suffering the precious fruit of the earth… The Lord Jesus is actually the real Farmer, the unique Farmer. As we are awaiting His coming, He, as the real Farmer, is awaiting our maturity. We may pray, “Lord, come back quickly.” However, He may say, “My children, mature quicker. While you are awaiting My coming back, I am awaiting your maturity… Only your maturity can hasten My coming back.”

It is a great help for us to realize that if we are serious about awaiting the Lord’s coming back, we need to grow in life. Most Christians today view the Lord’s coming in an altogether objective way, in a way that has nothing to do with our spiritual condition or spiritual growth. Their expectation is that one day the Lord will suddenly come, and that His coming will have nothing to do with their maturity. It may be that the concepts many Christians hold regarding the Lord’s coming back are actually causing Him to delay His coming.

The illustration of the farmer in 5:7 implies that the farmer is waiting for the crop growing in the field to ripen. According to Revelation 14, the Lord is also waiting for the harvest to be ripe. When the harvest in the field is ripe, He will come back. This harvest will be the issue, the outcome, of the Lord’s sowing of Himself as a seed. This was accomplished during the Lord’s first coming, and it is described in Matthew 13. We need to realize that it is the ripening of the harvest that will hasten the Lord’s coming back.

For the Lord’s coming back, we need long-suffering, endurance, and the growth in life. As we are exercising long-suffering toward those who persecute us and endurance toward afflictions, we need to grow in life. Then we shall be able to say, “O Lord Jesus, come back sooner. Lord, can’t You see that I am growing in life? Today I am growing faster than yesterday. Because I am growing, Lord, I ask You to speed up Your coming back.”…I doubt that many Christians have prayed in this way concerning the Lord’s coming back.

We need to realize that the Lord’s coming is related to our growth in life. If we fulfill the condition of growing in life, the Lord will fulfill the condition of coming back sooner. Therefore, we need to grow in life, and as we are growing, to exercise long-suffering and endurance. This is the proper way to await the Lord’s coming back. (Life-study of James, pp. 97-100)

Further Reading: Life-study of James, msg. 11; CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, pp. 410-411