第五週•週一

w05d01-ch

晨興餧養

申八8『那地有小麥、大麥、葡萄樹…；那地有出油的橄欖樹，有蜜。』

士九13『葡萄樹對他們說，我豈可停止生產我那使神和人喜樂的新酒…？』

詩一○四14 ～ 15『祂使草生長，給牲畜喫；使菜蔬生長，供給人用，使人從地裏出產食物：有酒使人心喜悅，有油使人容光煥發…。』

現在讓我們來看一點關於樹的。第一就是葡萄樹。葡萄樹代表甚麼呢？…從一面來說，這是描述那位犧牲的基督，那位把自己一切全都犧牲的基督。但這並不是主要的點。最重要的意義乃是說，從祂的犧牲，祂產生出一樣東西來使神和人喜樂—新酒。（士九13。）（李常受文集一九六一至一九六二年第四册，三一五頁。）

葡萄樹表徵基督是犧牲自己，在十字架上被『壓榨』，以產生新酒，使神和人喜樂的一位。（太九17。）（聖經恢復本，士九12 註1。）

信息選讀

你有沒有這樣經歷過基督？我相信我們大部分的人都有過一點類似的經歷，但是大概我們未加以注意。有的時候神主宰的權柄，把我們擺在某一種處境中，需要我們犧牲自己好使別人喜樂，也使主喜樂。當我們在這樣的處境中來接觸主，就在那時我們經歷祂作出產酒的葡萄樹；我們經歷基督作使神喜樂，並使人喜樂的一位。從這經歷我們就變成了葡萄樹；我們成了一種能使人和神喜樂之物的出產者。我知道你們有這樣的經歷。基督許多不同的方面，能應付每一處境中的每一個需要。基督是太豐富了。祂不僅是小麥和大麥餅，祂也是所有的樹木，而其中的第一種乃是出產喜樂給神和給人的。若是所有的弟兄姊妹都對你覺得愉快，我確信你多多少少是在這一方面經歷了基督，你是經歷基督作一個產酒者。基督作犧牲的羔羊活在你裏面，加給你力量，使你犧牲自己爲着別人，好叫別人喜樂。

好幾年前當我在臺灣臺北的時候，有相當多的弟兄姊妹來和我們住在一起，接受一些屬靈的幫助。其中有一位姊妹總是發牢騷，不斷發怨言。她洗澡時，嫌水不彀熱；她喫飯時，又嫌飯太冷。她終日就是說，『爲甚麼這樣？』『爲甚麼那樣？』…沒有一個對她感到愉快，因爲她根本沒有學過如何犧牲自己。她從來沒有學過如何在她的處境中應用那犧牲的基督。她自己是一個不快樂的人，她也不能叫任何人快樂；她缺少酒。她沒有經歷基督作產酒者，犧牲自己產出酒來給人並給神。

你若是在這一方面經歷基督，你自己必有多量的酒可喝，而且你要喝醉了；你就要因基督而癲狂。你能說，『我真是快樂，主，我真是快樂。我不知道自私是甚麼，那對我像外國話一樣。一天過一天我都在喝基督的酒。』（李常受文集一九六一至一九六二年第四册，三一五至三一六頁。）

基督作爲三一神的具體化身，乃是真葡萄樹。在約翰十五章一節，主耶穌說，『我是真葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人。』子基督這真葡萄樹，同眾信徒爲其枝子，乃是神經綸中三一神的生機體，在神聖的分賜下，因神的豐富而長大，彰顯神聖的生命。這葡萄樹作三一神的生機體，乃是團體、宇宙的。（新約總論第九册，二○五頁。）

參讀：包羅萬有的基督，第五章。

WEEK 5 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

Deut. 8:8 A land of wheat and barley and vines…; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey.

Judg. 9:13 But the vine said to them, Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men…?

Psa. 104:14-15 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbage for man’s use, that he may bring forth food from the earth: even wine that cheers man’s heart, oil that makes his face shine…

Now let us see something concerning the trees. The first is a vine tree. What does the vine represent?…In one sense it depicts the sacrificing Christ, the Christ who has sacrificed everything of Himself. But this is not the main point. The main significance is that out of His sacrifice He produced something to cheer God and man—new wine (Judg. 9:13). (CWWL, 1961- 1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” p. 239)

The vine signifies Christ as the One who sacrificed Himself by being “pressed” on the cross to produce new wine to cheer God and man (Matt. 9:17). (Judges 9:12, footnote 1)

Today’s Reading

Have you had such an experience of Christ? I believe most of us have had some experience of this kind, but probably we have not paid much attention to it. Sometimes under the Lord’s sovereignty we are put into a certain situation in which we must sacrifice ourselves to make others happy and the Lord happy. When in this situation we come to contact the Lord, it is then that we experience Him as the wine-producing vine; we experience Christ as the One who gives cheer to God and cheer to others. Out of this experience we become the vine; we become the producer of something that cheers both man and God. I know you have had this kind of experience. There are different aspects of Christ to meet every need in every situation. Christ is so rich. He is not only the grain of wheat and the loaf of barley, but He is also all the trees, and the first is one that produces happiness for God and happiness for others. If all the brothers and sisters are happy with you, I am sure that to a greater or lesser degree you are experiencing Christ in this aspect; you are
experiencing Christ as a wine producer. Christ as the sacrificing Lamb lives in you, energizing you to sacrifice yourself for others to bring them cheer.

Several years ago when I was in Taipei, Taiwan, a good number of brothers and sisters came and stayed with us to receive some spiritual help. One sister among them was always murmuring, always complaining. When she took a bath, the water was not hot enough; when she ate a meal, the food was too cold. All day long it was, “Why this?” and “Why that?”…No one was happy with her because she simply had not learned to sacrifice herself. She had never learned how to apply the sacrificing Christ to her situation. She herself was not a happy person, and she did not make anyone else happy. She was short of wine. She had no experience of Christ as the wine producer, sacrificing Himself to produce wine for others and for God.

If you experience Christ in this aspect, you yourself will have much wine to drink, and you will be drunk. Then you will be crazy with Christ. You should be a person who is drunk and crazy with Christ. You should be able to say, “I am so happy, Lord, I am so happy. I don’t know what selfishness means; that is a foreign language to me. Day by day I am drinking the wine of Christ.” (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” pp. 239-240)

Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God is the true vine. In John 15:1 the Lord Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.” Christ the Son as the true vine with the believers as its branches is the organism of the Triune God in God’s economy, the divine dispensing, to grow with His riches and express the divine life. As the organism of the Triune God, this vine is corporate and universal. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2929)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” ch. 5