晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(四)(W38-5)

第三十八週.週五

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晨興餧養

啟一17~18 『…我是首先的,我是末後的,又是那活著的;我曾死過,看哪,現在又活了,直活到永永遠遠,並且拿著死亡和陰間的鑰匙。』

腓三10~11 『使我認識基督、並祂復活的大能、以及同祂受苦的交通,模成祂的死,或者我可以達到那從死人中傑出的復活。』

因著人墮落而有了罪,死就進來,如今在地上工作,將一切有罪的人聚攏到陰間,就是拘留死人的地方。然而,在召會生活裏,我們不再受死亡和陰間的支配。基督在十字架上廢掉了死,並且在祂的復活裏勝過了陰間。雖然死盡其所能要扣住祂,卻沒有能力這樣作。(徒二24。)基督是神,也是復活,(約一1,十一25,)有不能毀壞的生命。(來七16。)因為祂是這樣一位永活者,死就不能拘禁祂。祂將自己交於死,死卻無法扣住祂;反而死被祂擊敗,祂就從死裏復活了。因此,對基督而言,死沒有毒刺,陰間也沒有能力。(新約總論第三冊,一一八至一一九頁。)

信息選讀

因為基督在召會裏是那拿著死亡和陰間的鑰匙者,死亡和陰間在我們身上就不該有任何能力。在召會生活裏,死亡和陰間的鑰匙是在主手中。我們不可能對付死;我們根本沒有能力操縱死。每當死進來的時候,許多人就被死征服。但我們若給主耶穌地位、機會、和自由的路,在我們中間運行並行動,死亡和陰間就在祂控制之下。然而,每當主耶穌在召會裏沒有地位的時候,死亡立刻猖狂,陰間也成為有能力的,來扣住死了的人。我們看見基督拿著死亡和陰間的鑰匙—權柄,這是很重要的。死亡受祂的支配,陰間也在祂的控制之下。(新約總論第三冊,一一九頁。)

主受逼迫以至於死;但死不是終結,乃是進入復活的門。祂進入死亡,就進入了復活的門檻。這指明受苦的召會不該因逼迫而喪膽,也不該因豫見要被殺而害怕;…因為召會一進入死亡,也就踏在復活的門檻上。

基督的復活也勝過了死、撒但、陰間和墳墓。(徒二24。)撒但、死、陰間和墳墓形成一組。人子基督不僅由神表白,證明祂成就上的成功,也勝過了一切使我們十分憂慮並困擾的死、撒但、陰間和墳墓。人子勝過了死,並且廢除了撒但。(來二14。)死亡和陰間的鑰匙現今在祂手裏,(啟一18,)祂也勝過了墳墓。這樣的一位基督,正在祂的恢復裏在作為金燈臺的眾地方召會中間行走,照顧眾召會。(新約總論第十四冊,五○至五二頁。)

在人類歷史上,耶穌是惟一走進死裏,又走出來的人。祂走進死裏遊歷,為要親自對死亡打量一番。祂在死裏遊歷完畢,就直接從死裏走出來。死亡不能拘禁祂。祂勝過死亡,征服死亡,並且從死裏走出來。這就是基督的復活,這基督就是成肉體的神並救贖的神。藉著祂走進死亡,又走出死亡,我們得蒙救贖,(弗一7,羅四25,)如今死在我們身上沒有權勢,(林前十五54~55,)因為我們在基督裏,在這位救贖者裏面。(李常受文集一九七三至一九七四年第一冊,六四七頁。)

參讀:新約總論,第五十九篇。

WEEK 38 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Rev. 1:17-18 …I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Phil. 3:10-11 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.

Due to the fall and sin of man, death has come in and is now operating on earth to collect all sinful people and to bring them to Hades, the place where the dead are kept. In the church life, however, we are no longer subject to death and Hades. Christ abolished death on the cross, and He overcame Hades in His resurrection. Although death tried its best to hold Him, it was powerless to do so (Acts 2:24). Christ is both God and resurrection (John 1:1; 11:25), possessing the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Because He is such an ever-living One, death is not able to hold Him. He delivered Himself to death, but death had no way to detain Him; instead, death was defeated by Him, and He rose up from it. With Christ, therefore, death has no sting, and Hades has no power. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 635-636)

Today’s Reading

Because Christ is the One in the church who is the Holder of the keys of death and Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us. In the church life the keys of death and Hades are in the Lord’s hand. It is impossible for us to deal with death; we simply do not have the ability to handle it. Whenever death enters, many will be overcome by it. But if we give the Lord Jesus the ground, the opportunity, and the free way to move and act among us, both death and Hades will be under His control. However, whenever the Lord Jesus does not have the ground in the church, death immediately becomes prevailing, and Hades becomes powerful to hold the dead ones. It is crucial for us to see that Christ has the keys, the authority, of death and Hades. Death is subject to Him, and Hades is under His control.

The Lord was persecuted to death. But that death was not the end—it was the gateway into resurrection. When He entered into death, He came to the threshold of resurrection. This indicates that the suffering church should not be frightened by persecution or terrified at the prospect of being killed…, for once she has passed into death, she also will be on the threshold of resurrection.

Christ’s resurrection was also His victory over death, Satan, Hades, and the grave (Acts 2:24). Satan, death, Hades, and the grave form a group. Christ, the Son of Man, was not only vindicated by God and was proved to be a success in His achievements, but He was victorious over death, Satan, Hades, and the grave, all of which are a great concern and trouble to us. The Son of Man overcame death and destroyed Satan (Heb. 2:14). The keys of death and of Hades are now in His hand (Rev. 1:18), and He is victorious over the grave. Such a Christ is walking in the midst of all the local churches in His recovery, taking care of them as the golden lampstands. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 636, 4154, 4156)

In the history of mankind Jesus was the only person who walked into death and walked back out. He walked into death to take a tour of death in order to study death firsthand. After He finished His tour through death, He simply walked out of death. Death had no hold on Him. He conquered death, subdued death, and walked out of death. This was the resurrection of Christ, the incarnated God and the redeeming God. We were redeemed by His walking into death and coming out of death (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 4:25), and now death has no power over us (1 Cor. 15:54-55), for we are in Christ, the redeeming One. (CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 1, “The Vision and Experience of the Corporate Christ,” p. 479)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 59

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