晨興聖言-話語的職事...(W8-4)

第八週 • 週四

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晨興餧養

創九16　   虹必現在雲彩中，我必觀看，記念我與地上各樣有血肉的活物所立的永約。

林前一30  但你們得在基督耶穌裏，是出於神，這基督成了從神給我們的智慧：公義、聖別和救贖。

 

我們的基督徒生活以及召會生活，絕對是約的生活。…在新約聖經的每一節，我們看見神的應許。…我們都需要學習如何活在神的約下。我們不該被自己的定罪、感覺和環境等烏雲所威脅或恐嚇。我們乃是在神的約下，完全在祂的祝福下。不再有定罪，不再有審判，不再有咒詛。死已經被廢去，在召會中我們不斷地享受生命。一切都是生命。不要怕失去你的職業或健康。不要被黑暗或消極的事物所威脅。…我們必須站在約下，不信任何的失敗、輭弱、黑暗或消極的事物。我們的定命是在寶血所灑過的約下。阿利路亞，我們是約人！沒有烏雲，也沒有洪水，只有生命；沒有咒詛，只有祝福。召會生活就是這樣的生活，召會人乃是在約下的人（創世記生命讀經，五三三至五三四頁）。

信息選讀

新耶路撒冷也像一道虹。新耶路撒冷的根基有十二層，每一層是一種顏色（啟二一19~20）。…由〔這十二層根基〕我們看見，聖城新耶路撒冷彷彿一道虹。這虹表徵城是建造在神的信實上，也得着神的信實為保證，祂必堅守祂的約。這虹也要永遠宣告，當神照着祂的公義審判罪人時，祂沒有滅盡所有的人，卻從毀滅裏救出許多人，叫這班人作祂信實的見證。

我們這些蒙神免去審判的人，就是這聖城。憑祂的公義、聖別和榮耀，我們有虹的樣子，向全宇宙宣告神拯救的信實。…基督徒生活和召會生活的經歷，要終極完成於這樣一道虹。

當這道虹顯出來時，神的心意就得着完成。歷代以來，神照着祂公義的寶座、聖別的火、並榮耀的性情，一直在審判墮落的人。然而，神也拯救一些人到一個地步，使他們成為光輝的虹，返照出祂的榮耀，並見證祂和祂的信實，直到永遠。這一道虹顯出來，指明天和地已經相通，神和人已經聯結。在新耶路撒冷寶座的四圍，有一班人因着神的信實得着了救恩，他們要永遠的成為一道虹，返照出神的公義、聖別和榮耀。

雖然這虹要在永世裏纔顯出來，但這道光輝的虹屬靈的實際應當顯在今天的召會中。在召會生活中，我們必須讓神在我們裏面作工，我們也必須接受恩典到一個地步，使每一件事都是純淨、公正並聖別的。這意思是說，神聖別的火必須燒掉一切與神不配的東西，使神的性情在弟兄姊妹的人性裏並藉着他們的人性，顯為光耀的金子。這樣，召會就充滿了神的公義、聖別和榮耀。這三種特徵要相聯相映，形成一道光輝的彩虹，彰顯神並為神作見證。

這對我們不該只是一個教訓。這道虹的實際必須作到我們裏面，使我們這些蒙神免去審判的人，有一道虹的樣子，向整個宇宙作神的見證，並宣告神的信實。這意思是說，我們要披戴神的公義、聖別和榮耀（以西結書生命讀經，一六七至一六九頁）。

參讀：創世記生命讀經，第三十二篇。

WEEK 8 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Gen. 9:16 And the bow will be in the clouds, and I will look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living animal of all flesh that is upon the earth.

1 Cor. 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Our Christian life and church life are absolutely a covenant life…In verse after verse of the New Testament, we find God’s promises…We all need to learn how to live under God’s covenant. We should not be threatened or frightened by the clouds of our convictions, feelings, and environments. We are under God’s covenant, fully under His blessing. There is no more condemnation, no more judgment, no more curse. Death has been abolished. In the church we continually enjoy life. Everything is life. Do not be frightened about losing your job or your health. Do not be threatened by any dark or negative thing…We must stand under the covenant and not believe in any failure, weakness, darkness, or negative thing. Our destiny is under the blood-sprinkled covenant. Hallelujah, we are the covenant people! There is no cloud and no flood—only life. There is no curse—only blessing. The church life is such a life, and the church people are a people under the covenant. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 437)

Todays Reading

The New Jerusalem has the appearance of a rainbow. The foundation stones of the New Jerusalem are of twelve layers, with each layer being a different color (Rev. 21:19-20)…From [these twelve layers] we see that the holy city, New Jerusalem, looks like a rainbow. This rainbow signifies that the city is built upon and secured by God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant. This rainbow will declare for eternity that when God judged sinners according to His righteousness, He did not destroy everyone but saved many from destruction as a testimony of His faithfulness.

We, God’s spared ones, will be this holy city. By His righteousness, holiness, and glory, we will have the appearance of a rainbow declaring to the whole universe God’s saving faithfulness…The experience of the Christian life and of the church life will consummate in such a rainbow.

When this rainbow appears, God will have the fulfillment of His heart’s desire. Throughout the ages, God has been judging fallen man according to His righteous throne, His holy fire, and His glorious nature. Nevertheless, God has saved some to such an extent that they have become a bright rainbow reflecting His glory and testifying of Him and His faithfulness forever. The appearing of this rainbow indicates that heaven and earth have been connected and that God and man have been joined. Around the throne in the New Jerusalem, there will be a group of people who have received salvation because of God’s faithfulness, and for eternity they will be a rainbow reflecting the brightness of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory.

Although this rainbow will be manifested in eternity, the spiritual reality of this bright rainbow should be manifest in the church today. In the church life we need to allow God to work in us, and we need to receive grace to the extent that everything becomes pure, just, and holy. This means that God’s holy fire must burn away everything that does not match God so that God’s nature is manifested as bright gold in and through the humanity of the brothers and sisters. Then the church will be filled with God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. These three characteristics will combine and reflect one another to form a bright rainbow expressing God and testifying for Him.

This should not be merely a teaching to us. Rather, the reality of this rainbow must be wrought into us so that, as God’s spared ones, we will bear the appearance of a rainbow, bearing God’s testimony and declaring God’s faithfulness to the entire universe. This means that we will bear God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 135-137)

Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 32