第三週 · 週四

w03d04-ch

📖晨興餧養

太一1 『耶穌基督，大衛的子孫，亞伯拉罕子孫的家譜。』

四17  『從那時候，耶穌開始傳道，說，你們要悔改，因為諸天的國已經臨近了。』

〔馬太四章十七節〕指明福音首先不是以生命的方式陳明，如約翰福音所指明的，乃是以國度的方式陳明，如馬太福音所指明的；其原因乃在於需要一個國度、範圍、領域，好讓神施行行政，將祂那包羅萬有的所是賜給我們。即使約翰福音這卷生命的福音也告訴我們，我們若不重生，就不能進神的國（三3、5）。需要有國度，好讓神施行行政，將祂自己分賜到我們裏面，作我們生命的福。因此，在福音書裏，我們接受耶穌基督，不是先作生命，乃是先作君王。

馬太福音有君王救主，馬可福音有奴僕救主，路加福音有人救主，約翰福音有神救主。我們若不悔改，接受主作君王救主，就不能得着祂作奴僕救主、人救主和神救主（新約總論第九冊，七至八頁）。

📖信息選讀

我們需要悔改，不僅因為我們是有罪的，也因為我們是背叛的。我們甚至是神的仇敵。我們需要為着我們的背叛悔改。我們犯罪，因為我們是背叛的。我們若沒有背叛，就不會犯罪。因着我們背叛，我們需要悔改，接受基督作我們的權柄、主宰者和君王，好使祂能在神的國裏，在我們裏面並在我們身上掌權。這就是為甚麼馬太一章一節不是先陳明基督是為着那福的亞伯拉罕子孫，而是先陳明基督是為着國度的大衛子孫。

一旦有了國度，國度就成為神施行行政以祝福我們的範圍、領域。我們都喜歡接受祝福，但我們可能不領悟，祝福需要神權柄的領域，神行政下的領域。少了這樣的領域，神就沒有路進來祝福我們。我們若不在神的行政之下，接受祂作我們的主宰者，祂就沒有路祝福我們。因此，在我們的經歷中，我們的救主耶穌基督，必須先是為着國度的大衛子孫，然後纔是為着那福的亞伯拉罕子孫。

我們需要對這事實有深刻的印象，就是我們必須先接受基督作大衛的子孫，然後作亞伯拉罕的子孫。接受祂作大衛的子孫，乃是承認祂的君王地位，明白我們必須在祂的君王職分和主宰權柄之下。祂不僅僅作為救主臨到我們，更是作為君王救主臨到我們。祂對我們若不是君王，就不能作我們的救主。我們若不在祂的權柄、行政之下，我們就不能得救。救恩乃是在祂的行政、祂的君王職分之下臨到我們。我們若說，『哦，主耶穌，我接受你作我的君王，』我們就會蒙拯救到極點。

我們若得着基督作大衛的子孫，更大的所羅門，我們也就得着祂作亞伯拉罕的子孫，就是真以撒。這意思是，我們若得着國度，我們也得着祝福。這是生命之福，就是經過過程、終極完成為包羅萬有之靈的三一神之福。我們許多人能作見證，藉着接受基督作我們的君王，我們享受經過過程的三一神作我們的福。我們越在主的管治之下，就越享受三一神作我們的福。

馬太二十八章十九節說到信徒被浸入三一神—父、子、聖靈—的名裏，這就是對三一神的享受。作為大衛的子孫和亞伯拉罕的子孫，基督將我們帶進三一神裏。只要我們得着大衛的子孫和亞伯拉罕的子孫，我們就得着三一神，並且在三一神裏。這就是神國裏神聖的福分（新約總論第九冊，八至一○頁）。

參讀：國度之於信徒，第五篇。

WEEK 3 — DAY 4

Morning Nourishment

Matt. 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

      4:17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.

[Matthew 4:17] indicates that the gospel is presented first not in the way of life, as in John, but in the way of the kingdom, as in Matthew. The reason for this is that there is the need of a kingdom, a realm, a sphere, for God to exercise Himself to give us His all-inclusive being. Even in John, the Gospel of life, we are told that if we are not regenerated, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). There is the need of a kingdom so that God can exercise Himself to dispense Himself into us as our life blessing. Therefore, in the gospel we receive Jesus Christ first not as life but as the King.

In Matthew we have the King-Savior; in Mark, the Slave-Savior; in Luke, the Man-Savior; and in John, the God-Savior. If we do not repent and receive the Lord as the King-Savior, we cannot have Him as the Slave-Savior, the Man- Savior, and the God-Savior. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2758)

Today’s Reading

We need to repent not only because we are sinful but also because we are rebellious. We are even enemies of God. We need to repent of our rebellion. We sin because we are rebellious. If we did not rebel, we could not sin. Because we are rebels, we need to repent and receive Christ as our authority, as our Sovereign and King, that He may rule in us and over us in God’s kingdom. This is the reason that in Matthew 1:1 Christ is presented first not as the Son of Abraham for the blessing but as the Son of David for the kingdom.

Once there is the kingdom, the kingdom becomes the realm, the sphere, for God to exercise Himself to bless us. We all like to receive the blessing, but we may not realize that the blessing requires a sphere of God’s authority, a sphere under God’s administration. Without such a sphere, there is no way for God to come in to bless us. If we are not under God’s administration, receiving Him as our Sovereign, there is no way for Him to bless us. Therefore, in our experience our Savior, Jesus Christ, must first be the Son of David for the kingdom and then the Son of Abraham for the blessing.

We need to be impressed with the fact that we must receive Christ first as the Son of David and then as the Son of Abraham. To receive Him as the Son of David is to recognize His kingly status and to realize that we should be under His kingship and sovereignty. He comes to us not merely as the Savior but as the King-Savior. If He is not the King to us, He cannot be our Savior. If we are not under His authority, His administration, we cannot be saved. Salvation comes to us under His administration, under His kingship. If we say, “O Lord Jesus, I take You as my King,” we will be saved to the uttermost.

If we have Christ as the Son of David, the greater Solomon, we will also have Him as the Son of Abraham, the real Isaac. This means that if we have the kingdom, we will also have the blessing. This is the blessing of life, the blessing of the processed Triune God consummated as the all-inclusive Spirit. Many of us can testify that by receiving Christ as our King we enjoy the processed Triune God as our blessing. The more we are under the Lord’s ruling, the more we enjoy the Triune God as our blessing.

Matthew 28:19 speaks of the believers’ being baptized into the Triune God—into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is the enjoyment of the Triune God. As the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, Christ brings us into the Triune God. As long as we have the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, we have the Triune God, and we are in the Triune God. This is the divine blessing in the divine kingdom. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2758-2759)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” ch. 5