第四週 · 週二

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📖晨興餧養

太六10 『願你的國來臨，願你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。』

十二28 『我若靠着神的靈趕鬼，這就是神的國臨到你們了。』

可三27 『沒有人能進壯者家裏，洗劫他的傢俱，除非先捆綁那壯者，纔能洗劫他的家。』

我們可以說，國度是一個人在其中有所成就的領域或範圍。有時候我們說，某人有他自己的國度；這就是說，他有一個領域、範圍，是他可以在其中勞苦，好達到他的目標或完成他的計畫。因此，國度是一個領域，在其中人可以作他所要作的事。按照舊約，有一個領域稱為神的國。神的國是一個範圍、領域，讓神得以成就祂永遠的定旨，並達到祂的目標（馬可福音生命讀經，一三五頁）。

📖信息選讀

神創造諸天和地，以及億萬的受造之物後，就創造了人。按創世記來看，神造人有雙重的目的。在積極一面，神是按着祂的形像造人，使人能彰顯祂。在消極一面，神把祂管理一切造物的權柄給了人。管治權是指在一個特別的領域、範圍內的權柄。因此，管治權與神的國有關。…神的形像是為着祂的彰顯，神的管治權是為着祂的國。

神既不能藉首先的亞當和他的子孫達到祂的目的，祂就藉着成為肉體，來作末後的亞當。主耶穌是神成為肉體，來建立神的國，建立一個領域，使神能在其中執行祂的權柄，以完成祂的定旨。這就是主教導門徒要為那即將來臨的國禱告的原因（太六10），也是主耶穌傳福音時，告訴人當為神的國悔改的原因。…凡因神的國臨近而悔改的人，都能有分於神永遠定旨的完成。

撒但的國與神的國敵對；撒但的家與神的家抵觸。…主在馬可三章二十六節指出：『若是撒但自相攻打分爭，他就站立不住，必要滅絕。』…二十七節…裏的『傢俱』是指罪人，他們為着撒但的國，被拘禁在撒但家裏。奴僕救主捆綁那壯者撒但，並進入他的家裏劫奪罪人，好為着神的國（約三5），藉着重生，把他們帶進神的家（弗二19）。奴僕救主從事福音的服事，就是捆綁那壯者撒但〔可三27〕。福音的服事乃是一場摧毀撒但及其黑暗國度的爭戰。

主…傳福音的時候，就是在捆綁那壯者，洗劫他的家，好摧毀他的國。…主的傳講就是洗劫。撒但擄掠所有的罪人，把他們放在他的家裏，就是監獄裏。因此，所有的罪人都成了撒但的俘虜。但是這位有聖靈大能的主耶穌來傳福音。祂來洗劫撒但的家，並釋放他的俘虜。

主傳福音時，是靠着聖靈的能力摧毀撒但的國。…主不願意靠着自己的權能、力量或能力作些甚麼。相反的，祂靠着聖靈行作一切。祂特別是靠着聖靈傳福音，好洗劫撒但的家，摧毀他的國。…馬太十二章二十八節指明，當主藉着傳福音摧毀撒但的國時，祂把神的國帶進來。…神的靈在那裏掌權，那裏就有神的國，並且那裏鬼就沒有地位（馬可福音生命讀經，一三五至一三七、一二七至一二九頁）。

參讀：倪柝聲文集第三輯第十三冊，第十二、十四至十五、十八、二十至二十一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 2

Morning Nourishment

Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.

      12:28 But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Mark 3:27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong man and thoroughly plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will thoroughly plunder his house.

We may say that a kingdom is a sphere, or a realm, where a person accomplishes something. Sometimes we say that a certain person has his own kingdom. This means that he has a realm, a sphere, where he can work to reach his goal or fulfill his plan. Hence, a kingdom is a realm where a person does what he wants to do. According to the Old Testament, there is a realm called the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a sphere, a realm, for God to work out His eternal purpose and accomplish His goal. (Life-study of Mark, 2nd ed., p. 114)

Today’s Reading

After creating the heavens, the earth, and billions of items, God created man. According to the book of Genesis, God created man for a twofold purpose. On the positive side, God created man in His image so that man may express Him. On the negative side, God gave man His dominion over all created things. Dominion means “authority in a particular realm or sphere.” Dominion, therefore, is related to God’s kingdom…God’s image is for His expression, and God’s dominion is for His kingdom.

Not being able to fulfill His purpose through the first Adam and his descendants, God came through incarnation as the last Adam. As God incarnate, the Lord Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God, to establish a realm in which God can carry out His purpose through the exercise of His authority. This was the reason the Lord taught His disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom (Matt. 6:10). This was also the reason the Lord Jesus in His preaching of the gospel told people to repent for the kingdom of God…Those who repent because the kingdom of God has drawn near will be able to participate in the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose.

Satan’s kingdom is against God’s kingdom, and Satan’s house is against God’s house. In Mark 3:26 the Lord pointed out that if “Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand but has come to an end.”… The “goods” [in verse 27] are sinners kept in Satan’s house for his kingdom. The Slave-Savior bound Satan, the strong man, and entered into his house to plunder his goods so that the sinners might be brought into the house of God (Eph. 2:19) for the kingdom of God (John 3:5). While the Slave-Savior was doing the gospel service, He was binding the strong man, Satan [Mark 3:27]. The gospel service is a warfare to destroy Satan and his kingdom of darkness.

[While preaching, the Lord] was binding the strong man in order to destroy his kingdom by plundering his house. [His] preaching was a plundering. Satan has captured all sinners and has placed them into his house, which is a prison. Hence, all sinners have become Satan’s captives. But the Lord Jesus, who has the power of the Spirit, has come to preach the gospel. He has come to plunder Satan’s house and to release his captives.

As He was preaching the gospel, the Lord was destroying the kingdom of Satan by the power of the Holy Spirit…The Lord would not do anything by His own power, strength, or energy. On the contrary, He did everything by the Holy Spirit. In particular, by the Holy Spirit He preached the gospel in order to plunder Satan’s house and destroy his kingdom. Matthew 12:28 indicates that when the Lord Jesus was destroying Satan’s kingdom by preaching the gospel, He was bringing in the kingdom of God…Where the Spirit of God is in power, there the kingdom of God is, and there the demons have no ground. (Life-study of Mark, 2nd ed., pp. 114-115, 107-108)

Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 59, pp. 98-99, 106, 139, 149, 181, 190, 206, 218-219, 222