第二週■週五

w02d05-ch

晨興餧養

太七21 ～ 23『不是每一個對我說，主阿，主阿的人，都能進諸天的國，惟獨實行我諸天之上父旨意的人，纔能進去。當那日，許多人要對我說，主阿，主阿，我們不是在你的名裏豫言過，在你的名裏趕鬼過，並在你的名裏行過許多異能麼？那時，我要向他們宣告：我從來不認識你們…。』

馬太七章二十一節…不是指今天諸天之國的實際，乃是指將來國度的實現。我們要進諸天的國，需要作兩件事：呼求主，並實行天父的旨意。呼求主彀叫我們得救（羅十13），但要進諸天的國，還需要實行天父的旨意。因此，不是每一個說主阿，主阿的人，都能進諸天的國，惟獨那些呼求主，且實行天父旨意的人，纔能進去。

進諸天的國，旣然還要實行天父的旨意，就顯然與藉着重生進神的國不同（約三3、5）。進神的國是藉着神聖生命的出生，進諸天的國是藉着神聖生命的生活（馬太福音生命讀經，三三六頁）。

信息選讀

在〔國度〕憲法的最後一段，不再是論到消極的方面，諸如我們的脾氣、情慾、己、肉體和憂慮；而完全是論到積極的方面，就是實行天父的旨意。國度子民不是爲着別的，乃是爲着實行父的旨意。我們在這裏不僅僅是爲着勝過我們的脾氣、情慾、己、肉體，也不僅僅是爲着善待並同情別人。我們在這裏乃是爲着成就天父的旨意。要實行父的旨意，我們需要走狹路。在屬世哲學家的教訓裏，旣沒有神聖的生命、神聖的性情，也沒有神聖的路。但在這裏，諸天之國憲法的終極結果，乃是天父的旨意。這就是說，我們有一位天父，我們是父的兒子。在憲法的最後一段，不僅是生命的事，也是父旨意的事。我們的父有一個旨意要成就，但這旨意只能藉着祂的生命纔能成就。我們需要活在天父的生命裏，並且憑着這生命而活。這種生活乃是爲着實行父的旨意。…父的旨意就是要把召會建造在子這塊磐石上。這在使徒行傳、書信和啓示錄裏得着充分的發展。新約啓示出神那神聖、永遠的旨意，就是要建造召會。

在馬太七章二十二節，…『那日』一辭是指基督審判臺的日子（林前三13，四5，林後五10）。在審判的日子，所有的信徒都要站在基督的審判臺前，許多人要對主說，他們在主的名裏豫言過、趕鬼過並且行過異能，但他們要被主拒絕。

馬太七章二十三節…這裏的認識，意思是稱許。羅馬七章十五節將同一字譯爲認可。在這一節保羅說，『因爲我所行出來的，我不認可。』主從來不稱許那些在祂的名裏，卻不照着天父的旨意（太七21）豫言、趕鬼並行許多異能的人（22）。主不否認他們作了那些事，但祂認爲那些事是不法的，因爲不是照着天父的旨意作的，與神聖的旨意不一致。…因此，他們卽使在主的名裏作了那些事，也不能進諸天的國，卻要『離開』主，就是在來世被拒於國度的實現之外（馬太福音生命讀經，三三七至三三九頁）。

參讀：馬太福音生命讀經，第二十九篇；倪柝聲文集第二輯第二十六册，第一百七十三篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Matt. 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you…

Matthew 7:21 does not refer to the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today but to the coming manifestation of the kingdom in the future. To enter into the kingdom of the heavens we need to do two things: call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father. To call on the Lord suffices for us to be saved (Rom. 10:13), but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens we also need to do the will of the heavenly Father. Hence, not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the kingdom of the heavens; but those who call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father will enter in.

Since entering into the kingdom of the heavens also requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, it is clearly different from entering into the kingdom of God through regeneration (John 3:3, 5). This latter entrance is gained through being born of the divine life; the former, through the living of that life. (Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., p. 284)

Todays Reading

In this last section of the [kingdom] constitution, it is no longer a negative matter of dealing with our temper, lust, self, flesh, and anxiety. It is absolutely a positive matter of doing the will of the Father who is in the heavens. The kingdom people are not for anything other than doing the will of the Father. We are not here merely to overcome our temper, our lusts, our self, and our flesh, and to be kind and sympathetic to others. We are here for the accomplishment of the will of the heavenly Father. In order to do the will of the Father, we need to walk on the constricted way. In the teachings of the worldly philosophers, there is neither the divine life and divine nature nor the divine way. But here the ultimate issue of the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens is the will of the heavenly Father. This means that we have a heavenly Father and that we are the Father’s sons. However, in the last section of the constitution it is not only a matter of life but also a matter of the will of the Father. Our Father has a will to accomplish, but we can accomplish it only by His life. We need to live in the life of the heavenly Father and also by that life. This kind of living is for the doing of the Father’s will…The Father’s will is to build the church upon the Son as the rock. This is fully developed in Acts, the Epistles, and the book of Revelation. The New Testament reveals that God’s divine, eternal will is to build up the church.

[In Matthew 7:22] the words that day refer to the day of the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10). On the day of judgment, when all the believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, many will say to the Lord that they prophesied, cast out demons, and did works of power in His name, but they will be rejected by the Lord.

The word knew [in Matthew 7:23] means “approved.” The same Greek word in Romans 7:15 is translated “acknowledge.” In this verse Paul says, “What I work out, I do not acknowledge.” The Lord never approved those who, in His name, prophesied, cast out demons, and did many works of power, but did those things not according to the will of the heavenly Father (Matt. 7:21). The Lord did not deny that they did those things, but He considered those things lawlessness because they were not done in line with the will of the heavenly Father. They were not done in the line of the divine will…Thus, those who do such things, even in the Lord’s name, will not enter into the kingdom of the heavens but will depart from the Lord, that is, be excluded from the manifestation of the kingdom in the coming age. (Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., pp. 285-286)

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 24; CWWN, vol. 46, pp. 1181- 1188