第六週 • 週三

w06d03-ch 

晨興餧養

林後四7  但我們有這寶貝在瓦器裏，要顯明這超越的能力，是屬於神，不是出於我們。

腓四13　  我在那加我能力者的裏面，凡事都能作。

在我們傳福音時，該有一種光照，一種照耀。…這就是說，在我們傳講時，神就照在那些和我們說話的人心裏。我們也要幫助他們呼求主耶穌的名，使他們被帶到基督面前，與祂有切身的接觸，並經歷神照耀在他們的心裏。這樣的傳講不僅僅是陳明某些事實，乃是陳明一種榮耀。那些接受榮耀福音的人，要得着基督作為分賜到他們裏面的寶貝。這樣，他們就會和我們一樣，成為盛裝這寶貝的瓦器〔參林後四7〕。

神照在我們心裏，帶給我們一個寶貝，就是那是神的具體化身，作了我們的生命和一切之榮耀的基督。因着那在我們心裏的照耀，我們就有這寶貝，乃是一個美妙、寶貴且奇妙的寶貝。在輭弱瓦器裏的寶貝，就是在基督裏的神照進我們裏面。…無價之寶竟盛裝在沒有價值的器皿裏！這使沒有價值的器皿成為新約的眾執事，有無上寶貴的職事。這乃是藉着在復活裏的神聖能力。這超越的能力必是屬於神，不是出於我們（新約總論第十冊，二三四至二三五頁）。

信息選讀

這寶貝是榮耀的基督，就是神的具體化身，成為我們的生命和一切。這寶貝，內住的基督，在我們這些瓦器裏，乃是基督徒生活神聖供應的源頭。作新約執事的使徒，靠這寶貝超越的能力，就能過釘十字架的生活，使他們所供應基督復活的生命得以顯明。

林後四章七節的『這寶貝』一辭，是指保羅在六節所說耶穌基督的面。六節譯為『面』的希臘字與二章十節譯為『面』的字相同，那裏是指眼睛周圍的部分，其神色乃是內在思想和感覺的標示，將全人表明並陳明出來。這指明我們若沒有基督之面的標示，祂就無法實際的成為我們的寶貝。…一面來說，我們都能宣告我們是瓦器，基督是我們裏面的寶貝。另一面說，我們需要看見，只有當我們活在基督的面前，注視祂所是的標示，我們纔感覺到祂對我們實在是寶貝。在整個宇宙中，沒有一件事像觀看耶穌基督的面那樣寶貴。我們越活在祂面前，就越感覺祂的同在。

假如我們都學習棄絕我們的舊人位，藉着觀看祂眼睛的標示並享受祂的同在，而接受祂作我們的人位，我們就要有一種甜美的感覺，覺得內住基督的寶貴。這種經歷不僅使我們快樂，更使我們照耀；基督的榮耀要從我們裏面照耀出來。

榮耀的基督這超越的寶貝，是信徒藉着基督榮耀之福音的光照所接受的。我們需要記住，我們裏面有寶貝，就是一位活的、超越世界的人位。基督是全宇宙中最超越的一位；沒有甚麼比祂更超越。我們既有基督這寶貝—最超越、最可愛的一位，我們就不愛世界。並非我們不該愛世界，乃是因為世界遠遜於這寶貝，就是超越又可愛的基督。我們寶貝主遠過於世界（新約總論第十冊，二三五至二三六頁）。

參讀：新約總論，第三百一十七篇。

WEEK 6—DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.

Phil. 4:13 I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.

In our preaching of the gospel there should be an illumination, a shining… This means that while we are preaching, God shines into the hearts of those to whom we are speaking. We also need to help them to call on the name of the Lord Jesus in order that they would be brought to the face of Christ, have personal contact with Him, and experience God’s shining in their hearts. To preach in this way is to present not merely a gospel of certain facts but a gospel of glory. Those who receive the gospel of glory will have Christ as the precious treasure dispensed into them. Then, like us, they will be earthen vessels containing this treasure [cf. 2 Cor. 4:7].

God’s shining in our hearts brings into us a treasure, the Christ of glory, who is the embodiment of God to be our life and our everything. Because of the shining in our hearts, we have this treasure, a treasure that is wonderful, precious, and marvelous. The treasure in the weak earthen vessels is the very God in Christ shined into us…A priceless treasure is contained in worthless vessels! This has made the worthless vessels ministers of the new covenant with a priceless ministry. This has been accomplished by the divine power in resurrection. The excellency of the power is surely of God and not out of us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3208-3209)

Today’s Reading

The treasure is the glorious Christ, the embodiment of God, becoming our life and everything to us. This treasure, the indwelling Christ, in us, the earthen vessels, is the divine source of the supply for the Christian life. It is by the excellent power of this treasure that the apostles as the ministers of the new covenant were capable of living a crucified life that the resurrection life of Christ, whom they ministered, might be manifested.

The expression this treasure in 2 Corinthians 4:7 refers to verse 6, where Paul speaks of the face of Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated “face” in verse 6 is the same word translated “person” in 2:10, which refers to the part around the eyes, the look as the index of the inward thoughts and feelings, which shows forth and manifests the whole person. This indicates that unless we have the index of Christ’s face, He cannot be a treasure to us in reality…On the one hand, we can all declare that we are the earthen vessels and that Christ is the treasure within us. On the other hand, we need to see that it is only when we are living in the presence of Christ, looking at the index of His being, that we will sense that He is a treasure to us. In the whole universe there is nothing that is more precious than beholding the face of Jesus Christ. The more we live in His presence, the more we will sense His presence.

If we learn to forsake our old person and instead take Christ as our person by looking at the index of His eyes and enjoying His presence, we will have a sweet sense of the preciousness of the indwelling Christ. This experience will cause us not only to be happy but also to shine; the glory of Christ will shine out from within us.

The Christ of glory as the excellent treasure is received by the believers through the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ. We need to remember that we have within us the treasure, a living person who is more excellent than the world. Christ is the most excellent One in the whole universe; there is nothing that is more excellent than He. Since we have Christ as the treasure, the most excellent One and the most lovely One, we do not love the world. It is not that we should not love the world but that the world is inferior to the treasure, the excellent and lovely Christ. We treasure the Lord more than the world. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3209-3210)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 317