第六週   作貴重的器皿，同那清心呼求主的人，竭力追求公義、信、愛、和平

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詩歌：595

讀經：提後二 20 ～ 22，羅九 21，23，林後四 7

【週一、週二】

壹 保羅在提後二章二十至二十一節說到，有貴重的器皿，也有卑賤的器皿：

一 貴重的器皿是由神性，以及蒙救贖得重生的人性所構成；卑賤的器皿是由墮落的人性所構成—弗二 2 ～ 3，彼後一 4。

二 保羅在羅馬九章二十一節說到貴重的器皿，在二十三節又說到蒙憐憫、豫備得榮耀的器皿。

三 我們是豫備得榮耀的貴重器皿，意卽我們是被設計來盛裝神作我們的尊貴和榮耀。

四 神揀選我們，乃是要我們作被經過過程並終極完成之三一神充滿的貴重器皿—21 ～ 23 節，林後十三 14。

五 神要得着敞開的器皿—羅九 23，林後四 7：

1 神的心意乃是要造一個器皿來盛裝祂、彰顯祂，因此神只要器皿是敞開的—提後二 21，羅十一 24。

2 如果器皿是敞開的，神就能完成祂的定旨；但如果器皿是關閉的，神的定旨就會受到攔阻—西四 3。

3 神不要我們作甚麼；祂只要我們成爲一個活的器皿，一個潔淨、倒空、並敞開的器皿。

4 保羅的十四封書信可用一個辭來表達—『敞開的器皿』。

六 我們若潔淨自己，脫離卑賤的器皿，就必成爲貴重的器皿—提後二 21：

1 潔淨自己指離開不義，（19，）這是內在神聖性質的外在證據。

2 我們不但該潔淨自己，脫離任何不義的事，也該脫離卑賤的器皿；這就是說，我們必須遠離他們。

3 我們若潔淨自己，脫離這些消極的事和消極的人，就必成爲貴重的器皿。

4 在提後二章二十一節，『貴重』是性質的問題，『分別爲聖』是地位的問題，『合乎…使用』是功用的問題，『豫備』是訓練的問題。

【週三】

貳 我們要竭力追求公義、信、愛、和平—22 節：

一 我們基督徒生活的管制原則，應當是竭力追求經歷基督並享受基督—腓三 12。

二 我們對基督的經歷，乃在於神義的根基，這義是神寶座不可搖動的根基—詩八九 14：

1 聖別與神裏面的性情有關，而公義與神外面的行動、作法、行爲、和活動有關—弗四 24。

2 神所作的一切都是對的—詩八九 14。

3 神的公義就是神在祂公平和公義之行動上的所是。

三 在新約中，『信』有兩種意義—客觀的與主觀的：

1 在客觀的意義上，『信仰』是指新約關於基督的身位和祂救贖工作的全部啓示—徒六 7，十四 22，羅十六 26，林前十五 14，提前一 19 下，猶 3，20。

2 在主觀的意義上，『信』指相信的行動—路十八 8，可十一 22。

3 因着信，我們由神而生，成爲祂的兒子，有分於祂的生命和性情以彰顯祂—加三 26，約一 12 ～ 13，彼後一 4。

4 因着信基督，我們被放在基督裏，成爲祂身體的肢體，分享祂一切的所是，叫祂得着彰顯—約三 15，羅十二 4 ～ 5。

5 真正的信乃是基督自己注入我們裏面，成爲我們相信祂的能力；主耶穌注入我們裏面以後，就自然而然成爲我們的信—來十一 1，3，十二 2。

6 在提前一章十九節，『信仰』是客觀的，指我們相信的事物；本節開頭的『信心』是主觀的，指我們信的行動。

【週四】

四 愛是神素質的性質—約壹四 19：

1 神聖的愛乃是神素質的屬性，主要是彰顯在差祂的兒子救贖我們，並將神的生命分賜到我們裏面，使我們成爲祂的兒女—約三 16，約壹四 9 ～ 10。

2 神就是愛；我們愛，因爲神先愛我們—8，19 節。

3 愛就是神自己，住在愛裏面，就是過着習慣的用這愛愛別人的生活—8 節。

五 新約說到神的平安與平安的神—約二十 19，弗二 14，彼後一 2：

1 論到平安的神，我們需要羅馬十六章二十節和腓立比四章七節。

2 平安的神守衞我們的心，祂在基督耶穌裏巡查我們的心懷意念—羅十五 33，腓四 9。

3 神的平安與平安的神乃是一—帖前五 23。

4 在我們的經歷中，平安是恩典所產生的光景；恩典是本質，而平安是光景—林前一 3。

【週五】

叁 我們都該作清心呼求主名的人—提後二22：

一 呼求主名不是新約的新作法，乃是開始於創世記四章二十六節，人類的第三代以挪士：

1 接着有約伯、（伯十二 4，二七 10、）亞伯拉罕、（創十二 8，十三 4，二一 33、）以撒、（二六 25、）摩西和以色列人；（申四 7；）這些及其他許多人都在舊約時代呼求主名。

2 在新約裏，彼得首次題起呼求主名：『那時，凡呼求主名的，就必得救』—徒二 21。

3 根據行傳七章五十九節，司提反被人用石頭打的時候呼求主，說，『主耶穌，求你接收我的靈！』

4 我們傳福音，幫助人得救時，需要鼓勵他們呼求主名說，『哦，主耶穌』—參羅十 9 ～ 13。

5 呼求主名乃是使我們不僅得救，更得以享受祂豐富的祕訣—弗一 18，三 16。

【週六】

二 提後二章二十二節說，我們要『清心呼求主』：

1 在聖經裏，清心的意思是只爲着神。

2 清心是將心定準於神—太五 8。

3 我們事奉主，是單純的爲着主，一點也不爲着別的；我們該完全爲着神—帖前五 23。

4 我們所注意的，就是清心和呼求主—提後二 22。

Week Six

Being a Vessel unto Honor, and Pursuing Righteousness, Faith, Love, Peace with Those Who Call on the Lord out of a Pure Heart

Hymns: 821

Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 2:20-22; Rom. 9:21, 23; 2 Cor. 4:7

§ Day 1 & Day 2

I. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21 Paul speaks of honorable and dishonorable vessels:

A. Honorable vessels are constituted of both the divine nature and the redeemed and regenerated human nature; dishonorable vessels are constituted of the fallen human nature—Eph. 2:2-3; 2 Pet. 1:4.

B. In Romans 9:21 Paul speaks of vessels unto honor, and in Romans 9:23,of vessels of mercy prepared unto glory.

C. The fact that we are vessels of honor prepared unto glory means that we have been designed to contain God as our honor and glory.

D. God chose us so that we may be vessels of honor filled with the processed and consummated Triune God—vv. 21-23; 2 Cor. 13:14.

E. God wants an open vessel—Rom. 9:23; 2 Cor. 4:7:

1. God’s intention was to create a vessel to contain Him and to express Him, so God only wants an opening of the vessel—2 Tim. 2:21; Rom. 11:24.

2. If the vessel is open, God can fulfill His purpose, but if the vessel is closed, God’s purpose is frustrated—Col. 4:3.

3. God does not want us to do anything; He wants us only to be a living vessel, a clean, empty, and open vessel.

4. The summary of Paul’s fourteen Epistles may be expressed in two words— open vessel.

F. If we cleanse ourselves from vessels unto dishonor, we will be vessels unto honor— 2 Tim. 2:21:

1. To cleanse ourselves is to depart from unrighteousness (v. 19), as an outward
evidence of the inward divine nature.

2. We should cleanse ourselves not only from anything unrighteous but also from the dishonorable vessels; this means that we must stay away from them.

3. If we cleanse ourselves from these negative things and negative persons, we will be vessels unto honor.

4. In 2 Timothy 2:21 unto honoris a matter of nature, sanctified is a matter of position, useful is a matter of practice, and prepared is a matter of training.

§ Day 3

II. We need to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace—v. 22:

A. A governing principle of our Christian life should be pursuing the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ—Phil. 3:12.

B. Our experience of Christ rests on the foundation of God’s righteousness, the unshakable foundation of God’s throne—Psa. 89:14:

1. Whereas holiness is related to God’s inward nature, righteousness is related to God’s outward acts, ways, actions, and activities—Eph. 4:24.

2. Everything that God does is right—Psa. 89:14.

3. The righteousness of God is what God is in His actions with respect to justice and righteousness.

C. In the New Testament faith bears two denotations—objective and subjective:

1. In the objective denotation, faith refers to the entire revelation of the New Testament concerning the person of Christ and His redemptive work—Acts 6:7; 14:22; Rom. 16:26; 1 Cor. 15:14; 1 Tim. 1:19b; Jude 3, 20.

2. In the subjective denotation, faith refers to the act of believing—Luke 18:8; Mark 11:22.

3. By faith we are born of God to be His sons, partaking of His life and nature to express Him—Gal. 3:26; John 1:12-13; 2 Pet. 1:4.

4. By faith in Christ, we are put into Christ to become the members of His Body, sharing all that He is for His expression—John 3:15; Rom. 12:4-5.

5. Genuine faith is Christ Himself infused into us to become our ability to believe in Him; after the Lord Jesus has been infused into us, He spontaneously becomes our faith—Heb. 11:1, 3; 12:2.

6. The faith in 1 Timothy 1:19 is objective, referring to the things in which we believe, whereas faith at the beginning of this verse is subjective, referring to the act of our believing.

§ Day 4

D. Love is the nature of God’s essence—1 John 4:19:

1. The divine love as God’s essential attribute is mainly expressed in sending His Son to redeem us and impart God’s life into us so that we may become His children—John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10.

2. God is love; we love because He first loved us—vv. 8, 19.

3. To abide in love is to live a life in which we love others habitually with the love that is God Himself—v. 8.

E. The New Testament speaks about both the peace of God and the God of peace —John 20:19; Eph. 2:14; 2 Pet. 1:2:

1. Concerning the God of peace, we need Romans 16:20 and Philippians 4:7.

2. The God of peace guards over our hearts, and He patrols before our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus—Rom. 15:33; Phil. 4:9.

3. The peace of God and the God of peace are one—1 Thes. 5:23.

4. In our experience peace is a condition that results from grace; grace is a substance, and peace is a condition—1 Cor. 1:3.

§ Day 5

III. We all should be those who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart— 2 Tim. 2:22:

A. Calling on the name of the Lord is not a new practice in the New Testament; it began with Enosh, the third generation of mankind, in Genesis 4:26:

1. Calling on the name of the Lord was continued by Job (Job 12:4; 27:10), Abraham (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:33), Isaac (26:25), and Moses and the children of Israel (Deut. 4:7); all of these and many others practiced calling upon the Lord in the Old Testament age.

2. In the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord was mentioned first by  eter: “It shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”—Acts 2:21.

3. According to Acts 7:59, when Stephen was being stoned, he was calling upon the Lord and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

4. When we preach the gospel and help others to be saved, we need to encourage  them to call on the name of the Lord and say, “O Lord Jesus”—cf. Rom. 10:9-13.

5. Calling on the name of the Lord is the secret not only to our salvation but also to our enjoyment of the Lord’s riches—Eph. 1:18; 3:16.

§ Day 6

B. Second Timothy 2:22 says that we need to “call on the Lord out of a pure heart”:

1. In the Bible to be pure means to be only for God.

2. A pure heart is a heart fixed on God—Matt. 5:8.

3. In serving the Lord, we should be purely for Him and not for anything else; we should be wholly for God—1 Thes. 5:23.

4. Our focus should be on calling on the Lord and having a pure heart—2 Tim. 2:22.