晨興聖言-為着主的來臨(W2-5)

 第二週　週五

http://morning-revival.twgbr.org/mp3s/2023/1-Chinese-NY/week-02/week2day5.mp3

晨興餧養

腓三13~15　弟兄們，我不是以為自己已經取得了，我只有一件事，就是忘記背後，努力面前的，向着標竿竭力追求，要得神在基督耶穌裏，召我向上去得的獎賞。所以我們凡是長成的人，都要思念這事…。

    〔在腓立比三章十二至十五節，〕使徒保羅告訴我們，他怎樣在基督的生命上追求長大成熟。在這事上，他從未自滿自足，總是竭力追求，忘記背後，努力面前，向着基督這標竿、目標直跑，要得着基督，使他能在祂的生命上長大成熟。他以他這樣的追求作榜樣，勸勉他所帶領並關心的信徒，要他們像他一樣，在基督的生命上竭力追求，豐滿地得着基督，好叫他們長大成熟。結果他說，我們凡是（比較）長成的人，都要思念這事，以這事為目標（生命課程卷四，三五○至三五一頁）。

信息選讀

    〔馬太五章四十八節〕開頭的『所以』，指明這裏的話，乃是在這話的前文十七至四十七節，主所頒佈國度憲法中，新生命律法的結語。在這結語中，主命令我們要（在生命上）完全，像我們的天父完全一樣。在生命上完全，就是在生命上長大成熟。主所以在諸天之國新生命律法的結語中，這樣命令我們，是因為我們乃是我們父所生的兒女，有我們父的生命。這生命能叫我們在我們父的生命上完全，像我們的父完全一樣。所以，主這命令是根據父的神聖生命，也是憑着父這神聖生命。父這神聖生命，能叫我們在生命上像祂完全一樣。這不光是主對我們的命令，也是主對我們的願望。我們應當體貼主的心意，遵守主這命令，憑着我們裏面父的生命長大成熟，成全三一神的旨意。

    在屬靈生命上成熟的先決條件，就是在這生命上一直長大。信徒一得重生，成為在屬靈上的嬰孩，就要切慕神在聖經中的話，像純淨的奶一樣，使自己在屬靈的生命上長大〔參彼前二2〕。

    信徒在屬靈的生命上，一面是一個有屬靈生命的人，一面像在神的田園裏所栽種的植物（林前三9）。或是人，或像植物，都需要生長，纔能長大成熟。所以一直生長，乃是長大成熟的先決條件。

    我們在屬靈生命上的生長，乃是藉着在愛裏持守基督作真實，在凡事上長到作元首的基督裏面〔參弗四15〕。這種以基督作真實，長到基督裏面的生長，更是我們長大成熟的先決條件。

    〔以弗所四章十三節〕裏長成的人，指召會作基督的身體，長成一個成熟的人。基督的豐滿，指基督的身體成為祂的彰顯。身材的度量，簡說就是身量，這身量就是召會作基督的身體，所長成基督的身量。這是眾信徒在基督身體裏，憑基督的生命，長大成熟的終極豐滿結果。我們在基督生命裏的變化，使我們在祂素質的形像上像祂；我們在基督生命裏的成熟，使我們在祂身材的度量上像祂，叫我們一面有祂的形像，一面又有祂的身量（生命課程卷四，三四九、三五一至三五三頁）。

參讀：真理課程二級卷二，第十九課。

WEEK 2 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Phil. 3:13-15 Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward. Let us therefore, as many as are full-grown, have this mind…

The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:12-15 how he pursued growth and maturity in the life of Christ. In this matter, he was never contented with himself but always pursued, forgetting the things which were behind and stretching forward to the things which were before, pressing toward Christ, who is the goal and the mark. This he did in order to gain Christ that he might grow and mature in His life. With his own pursuit as the pattern, he exhorted the believers whom he was leading and caring for to be like him, to pursue in the life of Christ, and to gain Christ fully in order that they might grow and mature. Finally, Paul said that as many of us as are (relatively) full-grown should have this mind and set this as the goal. (Life Lessons, vol. 4, pp. 71-72)

Today’s Reading

The word therefore at the beginning of [Matthew 5:48] indicates that this word is the conclusion of the law of the new life in the kingdom’s constitution, which the Lord decreed in the preceding text, verses 17 through 47. In this conclusion, the Lord commands us to be perfect (in life) as our heavenly Father is perfect. To be perfect in life is to grow and mature in life. The Lord commands us in this way in the conclusion of the law of the new life in the kingdom of the heavens because we are children born of our Father with our Father’s life. This life is able to make us perfect in the life of our Father, as our Father is perfect. Therefore, this commandment of the Lord is based upon the divine life of the Father. It is also fulfilled by the divine life of the Father. The divine life of the Father is able to make us perfect in life as He is perfect. This is not only the Lord’s commandment to us but also the Lord’s expectation concerning us. We should care for the Lord’s heart’s desire, keep His commandment, and grow and mature by the Father’s life within us, thus accomplishing the will of the Triune God.

The prerequisite for maturity in the spiritual life is to grow continually in this life. As soon as a believer is regenerated and becomes a newborn babe spiritually, he should long for God’s word in the Bible as the guileless milk that he may grow in his spiritual life [cf. 1 Pet. 2:2].

In the spiritual life, a believer is, on the one hand, a person with the spiritual life and, on the other hand, like a plant cultivated on God’s farm (1 Cor. 3:5-9). Whether as a person or like a plant, a believer needs to grow that he may become mature. Therefore, continuing growth is a prerequisite for becoming full-grown and mature.

We grow in the spiritual life by holding in love to Christ as the truth and growing up into Christ as the Head in all things [cf. Eph. 4:15]. This kind of growth, which takes Christ as the truth and which grows into Christ, is a further prerequisite for our becoming full-grown and mature.

The full-grown man in Ephesians 4:13 refers to the church as the Body of Christ growing into a mature man. The fullness of Christ indicates the Body of Christ becoming His expression. In brief, the measure of the stature is just the stature. This stature is the church as the Body of Christ growing into the stature of Christ. This is the ultimate and full issue of the believers’ growth and maturity by the life of Christ in His Body. Our transformation in the life of Christ makes us like Him in the image of His essence; our maturity in the life of Christ makes us like Him in the measure of His stature. Thus, on the one hand, we have His image, and, on the other hand, we have His stature. (Life Lessons, vol. 4, pp. 70-73)

Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level Two, vol. 2, lsn. 19