NIV
靈修
新聞
貼圖
為教會
Here we have again one of the great texts in regard to which faith has to be exercised—words that will make our faith large and strong and bold. Paul is writing to men who had been sealed with the Holy Spirit. And yet he felt the need of unceasing prayer for the enlightening of the Spirit, that they might know in truth what the mighty power of God was that was working in them. It was nothing less than the very same power, the working of the strength of His might, by which He raised Christ from the dead.Christ died on the tree under the weight of the sin of the world and its curse. When He descended into the grave it was under the weight of all that sin, and the power of that death which had apparently mastered Him. What a mighty working of the power of God, to raise that Man out of the grave to the power and the glory of His throne. And now it is that very same power, in the exceeding greatness of it toward us who believe that, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we are to know as working in us every day of our life. The Lord Who said to Abraham, "I am God Almighty, nothing is too hard for Me," comes to us with the message that what He did, not only in Abraham, but in Christ Jesus, is the pledge of what He is doing every moment in our hearts and will do effectually, if we learn to trust Him.
It is by that Almighty power that the risen and exalted Christ can be revealed in our hearts, as our life and our strength. How little believers believe this! Oh, let us cry to God, let us trust God for His Holy Spirit to enable us to claim nothing less every day than the exceeding greatness of this resurrection power working in us.
And let us very specially pray for all believers around us and throughout the Church that they may have their eyes opened to the wonderful vision of Gods Almighty resurrection power working in them. And let ministers, like Paul, make this a matter of continual intercession for those among whom they labour. What a difference it would make in their ministry, the unceasing prayer for the Spirit to reveal the power that dwells and works in them.
He who has begun will carry on the work which is being wrought within my soul. The LORD is concerned about everything that concerns me. All that is now good, but not perfect, the LORD will watch over, preserve, and carry out to completion. This is a great comfort. I could not perfect the work of grace myself... If the LORD were to leave me, all my past experience would go for nothing, and I should perish from the way. But the LORD will continue to bless me. He will perfect my faith, my love, my character, my lifework. He will do this because He has begun a work in me. He gave me the concern I feel, and, in a measure, He has fulfilled my gracious aspirations, He never leaves a work unfinished; this would not be for His glory, nor would it be like Him. He knows how to accomplish His gracious design, and though my own [flesh] and the world and the devil all conspire to hinder Him, I do not doubt His promise. He will perfect that which concerneth me, and I will praise Him forever. LORD, let Thy gracious work make some advance this day!
It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God himself. Though he is “our own God,” we apply ourselves but little to him, and ask but little of him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking his guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that he may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, “I am thine, soul, come and make use of me as thou wilt; thou mayst freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome.” It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God. Then, since thou hast such a friend, and he invites thee, draw from him daily. Never want whilst thou hast a God to go to; never fear or faint whilst thou hast God to help thee; go to thy treasure and take whatever thou needest—there is all that thou canst want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to thee. He can supply thee with all, or, better still, he can be to thee instead of all. Let me urge thee, then, to make use of thy God. Make use of him in prayer. Go to him often, because he is thy God. O, wilt thou fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to him, tell him all thy wants. Use him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has beclouded thee, use thy God as a “sun;” if some strong enemy has beset thee, find in Jehovah a “shield,” for he is a sun and shield to his people. If thou hast lost thy way in the mazes of life, use him as a “guide,” for he will direct thee. Whatever thou art, and wherever thou art, remember God is just what thou wantest, and just where thou wantest, and that he can doall thou wantest.
Jesus Christ is no despotic claimant of divine right, but he is really and truly the Lords anointed! “It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” God hath given to him all power and all authority. As the Son of man, he is now head over all things to his church, and he reigns over heaven, and earth, and hell, with the keys of life and death at his girdle. Certain princes have delighted to call themselves kings by the popular will, and certainly our Lord Jesus Christ is such in his church. If it could be put to the vote whether he should be King in the church, every believing heart would crown him. O that we could crown him more gloriously than we do! We would count no expense to be wasted that could glorify Christ. Suffering would be pleasure, and loss would be gain, if thereby we could surround his brow with brighter crowns, and make him more glorious in the eyes of men and angels. Yes, he shall reign. Long live the King! All hail to thee, King Jesus! Go forth, ye virgin souls who love your Lord, bow at his feet, strew his way with the lilies of your love, and the roses of your gratitude: “Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all.” Moreover, our Lord Jesus is King in Zion by right of conquest: he has taken and carried by storm the hearts of his people, and has slain their enemies who held them in cruel bondage. In the Red Sea of his own blood, our Redeemer has drowned the Pharaoh of our sins: shall he not be King in Jeshurun? He has delivered us from the iron yoke and heavy curse of the law: shall not the Liberator be crowned? We are his portion, whom he has taken out of the hand of the Amorite with his sword and with his bow: who shall snatch his conquest from his hand? All hail, King Jesus! we gladly own thy gentle sway! Rule in our hearts for ever, thou lovely Prince of Peace.
Flower! Easter lilies! speak to me this morning the same dear old lesson of immortality which you have been speaking to so many sorrowing souls.
You and I, as believers, have received zoe life from Jesus Christ. We didn’t receive our individual identity when we were born again, but we did receive new life. We received identity when we were conceived in our mother’s womb and became a living soul. This is psuche life. There’s a distinction between Jesus Christ and us, as living souls and identities. As a person, Christ is firstly Yahweh the Son. And then, He is the Zoe Son of the Father. He proceeded as Yahweh Son to become a Psuche Son, a living soul, when conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. As the firstborn over all creation, He created everything. He brought forth psuche, living soul life, multiplying names and identities from the beginning until now. He then came to give us zoe life.
By coming to the Father through Him, we are ‘born of God’ and able to begin overcoming by the power of His zoe life. We overcome by making offering by faith and ‘growing up into the Him who is the Head, Christ’. In this way, we can increase and multiply ‘one hundred-fold’ and be ‘fully pleasing the Lord’. Then we ‘inherit all things’. ‘All’ means all. As Jesus Christ inherited all things, we as joint heirs with Him, will inherit all things. We will obtain an abundant entry into an eternal kingdom; the new heavens and new earth. As the Father has said of those who overcome, ‘I will be His God and he shall be My son’. As a son of man, He’s our God. And as a son of God, He’s our Father. As Jesus said, ‘Do not cling to Me; I am ascending to My Father and your Father’.
Let us consider again that we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation.
Of course, Paul defined himself in exactly this way. He was a priest. He made vows and fulfilled them. And accordingly, he commended the same
priesthood to all the churches. The high point of this work was his offering
of the Gentiles as an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.
The substance of Paul’s offering was two-fold. Firstly, he considered the people themselves to be his offering to the Lord; the fruit of his priesthood. Secondly, he considered the priesthood of all the Gentile churches to be
effective in the fulfilling of their vows and offerings. They had been pleased to set aside on the first day of the week for one year and make an offering for
the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Paul rejoiced that all the churches had joined the fellowship of giving and receiving but particularly for Jerusalem from whom the word had sounded forth in the beginning. Their participation in material provision was the evidence of the fellowship of offering. But more than this, it was the recognition of their indebtedness to those who had gone before them.
To the apostle Paul, the fruit of their priesthood went far beyond the provision of the temporal needs of a church in crisis. Paul was eager to set
his seal upon their fruit, and he considered it to have everlasting benefit.
Indeed, it was the seal of his apostleship and his priesthood on the fruit of
their sonship. If we are presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, then we will evidently be making vows and bringing spiritual sacrifices that are
acceptable to God. This is our reasonable and priestly service of worship and our participation in the fellowship of giving and receiving.
The wise man said that hope deferred makes the heart sick. We have all known this experience at some time. Perhaps we have followed the wrong path. Perhaps we have done something that did not proceed from faith. The realisation that our name and predestination is not being fulfilled causes our heart to be sick. If you are being depleted, then you should consider again that the Lord is proclaiming your name. We must be certain that we are not saying back to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ If we don’t know how the Lord is fashioning us, then we will have false expectations. Consequently, our hope will be deferred. If we turn our heart to wisdom, then our name will be recovered. We can begin to apprehend the things written about us in the Lamb’s book of life. It is the word of His grace which is able to build us up and give us an inheritance among those who are sanctified. This word of grace is building our name. It is confirming and establishing everything that has been written concerning us. Let us remind ourselves of the words of Peter, ‘After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you’. If you have found yourself in a depleted state, and you have not been bringing forth fruit and offering in righteousness, then the word of His grace is toward you. If you have found yourself in a more serious condition, where poisonous fruit has begun to come forth, then you must repent and recover your first love. In so doing, you can return to the works of righteousness and bring forth its fruit.
An understanding of these precepts will equip us for merciful evangelism from our worthy houses. Firstly, John chapter one gives us our model. There is a message to declare that will enable fellowship. As ones are drawn into this fellowship, it will become our burden and work to see sin forgiven and cleansed; hence, the need to understand the work of His blood. His blood won’t be active simply because ones are drawn into association with the gospel. His blood is active in the fellowship of His sufferings. We will need to explain that all sufferings, whether for our own sin or for the sin of others, are to be accepted as Christ’s sufferings. These are His wounds, and the blood that flows from these wounds is His blood. Through faith, His blood is now at work to cleanse both sinner and victim. So then, as we heed this admonition, we will humble ourselves to serve and minister in weakness. We can stop striving to qualify. We should accept that He justifies us in our infirmity, without justifying our infirmity. With Romans chapter three in mind, we are not merely justifying our shortfalls, as if by doing evil, good will come. We are not under this slanderous accusation, just as Paul highlighted in his own case. We are not claiming that good will come from our evil. However, we are declaring that He will meet and justify us at the point of our infirmity. This is the basis for personal and public evangelism. It is with this understanding that we can maintain, and also offer, a genuine fellowship, one in which Christ is set forth as a Mercy Seat through faith in His blood. In this season, let us walk in the way of salvation, and draw others into it as well.
