晨興聖言-認識、經歷、並活包羅萬有的基督...(W4-3)

第四週■週三

晨興餧養

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羅十三14『總要穿上主耶穌基督,不要爲肉體打算,去放縱私慾。』

出二八2『你要給你哥哥亞倫作聖衣,爲榮耀爲華美。』

雖然我們已經浸入基督,已經在基督裏面(羅六3,加三27),但我們還必須在日常的生活中,穿上基督,就是憑基督活着(二20),並活出基督(腓一21),而顯大基督(20)(聖經恢復本,羅十三14 註1)。

祭司的衣服主要是爲榮耀爲華美,表徵基督神聖榮耀和人性華美的彰顯。榮耀與基督的神性(祂的神聖屬性)有關(約一14,來一3);華美與基督的人性(祂的人性美德)有關。基督的神性,由祭司衣服上的金所豫表,是爲着榮耀;祂的人性,由藍色、紫色、朱紅色線和細麻所豫表,是爲着華美。我們過彰顯基督神聖榮耀和人性華美的生活,就得着聖別,並彀資格成爲祭司體系(出二八2 註2)。

信息選讀

對基督富有經歷的保羅,也是以基督爲他的彰顯。他一切的生活和工作都不是爲着彰顯他自己,表現他的學問、才幹或其他的優點特長。他所是並所作的都是爲彰顯基督,甚至爲顯大基督,使基督在他身上,不只得着彰顯,甚至得着顯大(生命課程卷三,二一七至二一八頁)。

在腓立比一章十九節,保羅題到耶穌基督之靈全備的供應。如果我們讓那靈全備的供應在我們裏面運行,我們的日常生活就會改變。我們就會有負擔凡事放膽,總叫基督顯大。我們顯大基督,別人就要看見祂的偉大和無限。這樣顯大基督,當然就是活基督。

保羅寫腓立比書的時候,已經是個長者。毫無疑問的,獄卒盼望他因着坐監心力交瘁而死。但保羅一點也不疲乏枯竭,反倒滿了喜樂,他一直在主裏喜樂。我確信他一直讓基督從他身上照耀出來,一直在彰顯基督。這種彰顯乃是宣告基督無限的偉大,並宣告基督是取之不盡、用之不竭的。

我們的愛總有一天會枯竭,然而基督作爲愛卻是取用不竭的。照樣,我們天然的忍耐是有限的,但基督作我們的忍耐是無限的。我們多少都有忍耐,但只到某個限度,過了這個限度之後,我們就會受不了,發起脾氣來。例如,弟兄可能操練要對妻子有忍耐;然而,這樣的忍耐是有限度的,過了這個限度之後,他就會向妻子發脾氣。雖然我們天然的忍耐這樣有限,但基督作爲忍耐卻是無窮無盡、無法測度的。

保羅在監獄中一定受了許多的虐待,但他還能彀喜樂,並且向獄卒顯明基督無限的偉大。保羅特別顯出基督無窮無盡的忍耐。…保羅天天在主裏喜樂,他的喜樂沒有隨着時間消減。他能彀在喜樂中顯出他所經歷、所享受那無法測度的基督。保羅就這樣彰顯、展覽、高舉並頌揚基督。我不相信獄卒會跟保羅過不去,或是保羅會跟獄卒過不去。相反的,他是基督活的見證人,見證基督的力量、大能、忍耐、愛心和智慧,都是無限無量的。獄卒可能認爲保羅很奇怪、很特別,認爲他有一些東西是他們沒有的。他們在保羅身上所感覺到的,乃是顯大的基督。保羅在監獄裏,把基督的偉大擴大的彰顯了出來。…因着保羅這樣顯大基督,他就能勝過一切的環境(腓立比書生命讀經,五七至五八頁)。

參讀:生命課程,第二十九課;出埃及記生命讀經,第一百一十八篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

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Rom. 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

Exo. 28:2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

Although we have been baptized into Christ and are already in Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27), we must still put Him on. To put on Christ is to live by Christ (Gal. 2:20) and to live out Christ (Phil. 1:21), thus magnifying Christ (Phil. 1:20). (Rom. 13:14, footnote 1)

The priestly garments, being mainly for glory and for beauty, signify the expression of Christ’s divine glory and human beauty. Glory is related to Christ’s divinity, His divine attributes (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3), and beauty, to Christ’s humanity, His human virtues. Christ’s divinity, typified by the gold of the priestly garments, is for glory, and His humanity, typified by the blue, purple, and scarlet strands and the fine linen, is for beauty. A life that expresses Christ with the divine glory and the human beauty sanctifies us and qualifies us to be the priesthood. (Exo. 28:2, footnote 2)

Today’s Reading

Paul, who was rich in the experience of Christ, took Christ also as his expression. All his life and work were not for expressing himself or for displaying his knowledge, his ability, or his other merits and strong points. What he was and what he did were for expressing Christ, even for magnifying Christ, that Christ would be not only expressed through him but even magnified in him. (Life Lessons, vol. 3, p. 36)

In Philippians 1:19 Paul mentions the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. If we allow the bountiful supply of the Spirit to work in us, our daily living will be changed. We shall be burdened to magnify Christ always and with all boldness. Through our magnifying of Christ, others will see His greatness and His unlimitedness. To magnify Christ in such a way surely is to live Him.

At the time Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was an elderly person. No doubt, the guards expected him to be exhausted by his imprisonment. But far from being exhausted, Paul was full of joy and rejoicing in the Lord. I am confident that he was shining forth Christ and expressing Him. Such an expression was a declaration of the unlimited greatness of Christ and a declaration that Christ is inexhaustible.

Our love is eventually exhausted, but Christ as love is inexhaustible. Likewise, our natural patience is limited, but Christ as our patience is without limit. We all have the capacity to be patient, but only to a certain extent. Then we become provoked and angry. For example, a brother may exercise patience with his wife. Eventually, however, this patience reaches its limit, and he becomes angry with her. Although our natural patience is so limited, Christ as patience is inexhaustible and immeasurable.

Even though Paul must have been mistreated in prison, he could be happy and display to the guards the unlimited greatness of Christ. In particular, Paul displayed Christ’s inexhaustible patience…Day by day, Paul was happy in the Lord. His happiness did not diminish as time went by. In his happiness he could show forth the immeasurable Christ he experienced and enjoyed. By this way Paul expressed, exhibited, exalted, and extolled Christ. I do not believe that Paul was offended by the jailers or that he offended them. Rather, he was a living witness of Christ, testifying of His ability, power, patience, love, and wisdom, all without measure. The guards may have considered Paul to be strange or peculiar, viewing him as possessing something which they did not have. What they sensed in Paul was Christ magnified. While he was in prison, Paul expressed the greatness of Christ in an enlarged way…By magnifying Christ in this way, Paul could overcome any situation. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 49-50)

Further Reading: Life Lessons, vol. 3, lsn. 29; Life-study of Exodus, msg. 118

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