第二十六週　認識基督作我們的榜樣並以祂為榜樣

讀經：腓二5～11

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【週　一】

壹　我們要經歷基督並活基督，就必須認識祂作我們的榜樣，並以祂為我們的榜樣—腓二5～11：

一　在腓立比二章五至十一節，保羅陳明基督為榜樣；我們必須讓這榜樣灌注到我們裏面。

二　基督徒生活的榜樣，乃是這位倒空自己並降卑自己，又被神高舉並榮耀的神人救主—6～9節：

1　主雖然與神同等，但祂不以此為強奪之珍，緊持不放；祂倒空自己，將祂所有的，就是神的形狀，擺在一邊—6～7節上。

2　主成為肉體時，沒有改變祂的神性，只將祂外面的彰顯，由神的形狀變成奴僕的形狀—7節。

3　主成為『人的樣式』—7節下～8節上：

ａ　神的形狀，含示基督神格內在的實際；人的樣式，指基督人性外在的表現。

ｂ　祂外面顯於人的是人，但祂裏面卻有神格的實際，就是神。

ｃ　基督進入人性的情況，顯為人的樣子。

4　基督降卑自己，順從至死—死在十字架上—8節下：

ａ　降卑自己，是進一步的倒空自己。

ｂ　基督的降卑自己，顯明祂的倒空自己。

ｃ　十字架的死，是基督降卑的極點—徒八33，腓三21。

5　主降卑自己到了極點，神卻將祂升為至高，又賜給祂『那超乎萬名之上的名』—二9：

ａ　神高舉耶穌這真人為萬人的主—徒二32～33，五31。

ｂ　基督這樣得高舉，乃是復活大能的顯明。

ｃ　宇宙間至高的名，至大的名，乃是耶穌的名：

（一）　這名乃是主耶穌在祂身位和工作上，一切所是之總和的表明。

（二）　在耶穌的名裏，意即在主一切所是的範圍和元素裏—腓二10。

ｄ　我們承認耶穌是主，結果使父神得榮耀；這是基督在祂的身位和工作上，一切所是並所作的偉大結果—11節，林前十五24～28。

三　這個榜樣的原則就是，一個有最高生命和地位的人，卻寧願過低微的生活。

【週　二】

貳　我們的榜樣基督不僅是客觀的，也是主觀、可經歷的—腓二5，12～13：

一　那位樹立榜樣，並且自己就是榜樣的，如今乃是內住的神，在我們裏面運行—13節。

二　基督作我們生活內裏榜樣的原則，乃是我們即使有最高的標準或最高的地位，我們也不該緊持不放。

三　我們必須在基督的人性生活上，特別是在倒空自己、降卑自己、不以自己與神同等為強奪之珍而緊持不放等事上，作祂的同伴—6～7節。

【週　三】

四　那是我們榜樣的基督，如今就是我們裏面的生命—西三4：

1　我們裏面有一個能倒空自己並降卑自己的生命；這個生命從來不以甚麼東西為強奪之珍而緊持不放，反而總是樂意捨棄地位、捨棄頭銜。

2　我們有釘十字架的基督為我們的榜樣，這榜樣就是我們裏面釘十字架的生命—加二20：

ａ　在腓立比二章五至八節裏基督降卑的步驟，乃是釘十字架生命各方面完全的活出。

ｂ　當我們活基督時，我們就是活那作釘十字架生命之榜樣的一位—一21上。

3　以這個釘十架的生命為我們的榜樣，就能開啟復活之門，帶我們進入復活的大能裏—三10：

ａ　藉著過釘十字架的生活，我們就能經歷那將基督高舉到宇宙至高之處的復活大能—弗一19～22。

ｂ　地上最高的生活，乃是釘十字架的生活；每當我們過釘十字架的生活時，神就會帶我們進入復活的大能裏。

4　基督不僅該客觀的在宇宙中被高舉，也要主觀的在我們日常生活中被高舉—腓二9：

ａ　當我們以基督這釘十字架的生命作我們日常生活的榜樣，祂就在我們裏面被高舉。

ｂ　耶穌基督之靈全備的供應，乃是那使基督被高舉的大能—一19。

參　我們若要以基督為我們的榜樣，就需要以基督的心思為我們的心思—二5：

一　保羅不只在外面以基督為生活，為彰顯，也在裏面以基督的心思為心思—林前二16。

二　基督的心思在我們裏面，意思就是這心思是活的；基督的心思其實就是基督自己，因為基督的人位顯明在祂的心思裏。

三　我們需要敞開自己，好讓『基督耶穌裏面所思念的』得以在我們裏面—腓二5：

1　我們裏面要思念的，是指三節的『看』和四節的『看重』。

2　當基督倒空自己，取了奴僕的形狀，顯為人的樣子，並且降卑自己的時候，祂裏面有這種思想—7～8節。

3　我們要有這樣的心思，就需要在基督的心腸裏與祂是一—一8。

【週　四】

肆　我們需要認識子的順服—二5～11，來五7～8：

一　神的話告訴我們，主耶穌與父原是一—約十30。

二　父和子是同等的、同能的、同有的、同時的。

三　腓立比二章五至七節是一段，八至十一節又是一段：

1　前段是論到基督的倒空自己。

2　後段是論到基督在祂的人性裏降卑自己—8節。

四　主到地上來，是把祂神格中的榮耀、能力、等級、形像都倒空了。

五　父變作權柄的代表，子變作順服的代表：

1　主來到地上，一面把權柄丟掉，一面把順服拿起來。

2　祂存心要作奴僕，接受時間和空間的限制，作了一個人。

3　主降卑自己，存心順服；神格中的順服是全宇宙中頂奇妙的事。

【週五、週六】

六　我們應當順服權柄，這是大事。

七　我們裏面需要思念基督耶穌裏面所思念的—5節：

1　我們全體都應走主的路，以祂順服的原則為我們順服的原則。

2　凡認識這原則的，就看見沒有一個罪比背叛更難看，沒有一件事比順服更緊要—猶11，羅一5，十六26。

3　惟有當我們看見了順服的原則，纔能事奉神—太四10，二十28，徒六2，羅一9，十六18，來十二28，啟二二3。

4　惟有像主那樣順服，纔能維持神的原則。

八　希伯來五章八節告訴我們，主的順從是從苦難中學來的：

1　苦難給了祂順從。

2　遇到苦難還能順從，纔是真順服。

3　主到地上來，不是帶了順從來，乃是因苦難而學了順從。

九　救恩不僅是為叫人喜樂，也是為叫人順服—羅一5，十六18，26，多三1：

1　惟有順服的人纔能經歷救恩的豐滿。

2　我們需要像主那樣的順服。

3　主憑著順從成了我們得救的根源—來五8～9。

4　神拯救我們，盼望我們順服祂的旨意—羅四11。

十　人若碰著神的權柄，順服便很簡單，明白神的旨意也很簡單，因主一直順服，也把順服的生命賜給了我們—約十一25。

Week Two

Knowing and Taking Christ as Our Pattern

R. K.; Hymns: 505, 132

Scripture Reading: Phil. 2:5-11

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§ Day 1

I. In order to experience Christ and live Christ, we must know Him as our pattern and take Him as our pattern— Phil. 2:5-11:

A. In 2:5-11 Paul presents Christ as the pattern; we need to have this pattern infused into us.

B. The pattern of the Christian life is the God-man Savior who emptied Himself and humbled Himself and who has been exalted and glorified by God—vv. 6-9:

1. Although the Lord was equal with God, He did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped and retained; He emptied Himself, laying aside what He possessed—the form of God—vv. 6-7a.

2. In His incarnation the Lord did not alter His divine nature; He changed only His outward expression from the form of God to the form of a slave—v. 7.

3. The Lord became "in the likeness of men"—vv. 7b-8a:

a. The form of God implies the inward reality of Christs deity; the likeness of men denotes the outward appearance of His humanity.

b. He appeared to men as a man outwardly, but as God, He had the reality of deity inwardly.

c. Christ entered into the condition of humanity, and He was found in fashion as a man.

4. Christ humbled Himself by becoming obedient even unto death—the death of the cross—v. 8b:

a. Humbling Himself was a further step in emptying Himself.

b. Christs self-humbling manifested His self-emptying.

c. The death of the cross was the climax of Christs humiliation—Acts 8:33; Phil. 3:21.

5. The Lord humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak and bestowed on Him "the name which is above every name"—2:9:

a. God has exalted Jesus, a real man, to be the Lord of all—Acts 2:32-33; 5:31.

b. This exaltation of Christ was the manifestation of resurrection power.

c. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus:

1) The name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord Jesus is in His person and work.

2) In the name of Jesus means in the sphere and element of all that the Lord is—Phil. 2:10.

d. The result of our confessing that Jesus is Lord is that God the Father is glorified; this is the great end of all that Christ is and has done in His person and work—v. 11; 1 Cor. 15:24-28.

C. The principle of this pattern is that someone with the highest life and position would be willing to live in a lowly way.

§ Day 2

II. Christ as our pattern is not only objective but also subjective and experiential—Phil. 2:5, 12-13:

A. The One who set up the pattern and who Himself is the pattern is now operating within us as the indwelling God—v. 13.

B. The principle of Christ as the inward pattern for our living is that even if we have the highest standard or the highest position, we should not grasp it.

C. We need to be partners with Christ in His human living, especially in His emptying and humbling Himself and in His not grasping equality with God as a treasure—vv. 6-7.

§ Day 3

D. The Christ who is our pattern is now the life within us—Col. 3:4:

1. We have a life in us that is a self-emptying and self-humbling life; this life never grasps at something as a treasure but is always willing to lay aside position and title.

2. We have Christ crucified as our pattern, and this pattern is the crucified life within us—Gal. 2:20:

a. The steps of Christs humiliation in Philippians 2:5-8 are all aspects of the crucified life lived out in a full way.

b. When we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life—1:21a.

3. Taking the crucified life as our pattern opens the gate for resurrection and brings us into the power of resurrection—3:10:

a. By living a crucified life, we can experience the power of resurrection that exalted Christ to the highest peak in the universe—Eph. 1:19-22.

b. The highest life on earth is the crucified life; whenever we live a crucified life, God will bring us into the power of resurrection.

4. Christ should be exalted not only objectively in the universe but also subjectively in our daily life—Phil. 2:9:

a. Christ is exalted in us when we take Him as the crucified life to be the pattern of our daily life.

b. The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the power that exalts Christ—1:19.

III. If we would take Christ as our pattern, we need to take Christs mind as our mind—2:5:

A. Paul not only took Christ as his living and expression outwardly but also took the mind of Christ as his mind inwardly—1 Cor. 2:16.

B. For the mind of Christ to be in us means that this mind is something living; actually, the mind of Christ is Christ Himself, for the person of Christ is manifested in His mind.

C. We need to open ourselves and let "this mind" be in us—Phil. 2:5:

1. This refers to the considering in verse 3 and to the regarding in verse 4.

2. This kind of thinking was in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man—vv. 7-8.

3. To have such a mind requires us to be one with Christ in His inward parts—1:8.

§ Day 4

IV. We need to know the Sons submission—2:5-11; Heb. 5:7-8:

A. The Word of God tells us that the Lord Jesus and the Father are one—John 10:30.

B. The Father and the Son are equal, equipotent, coexisting, and existing simultaneously.

C. Philippians 2:5-7 forms one section, and verses 8 through 11 form another section:

1. The first section is on Christ emptying Himself.

2. The second section is on Christ humbling Himself in His humanity—v. 8.

D. When the Lord came to the earth, He emptied Himself of the glory, power, position, and image of His deity.

E. The Father became the representation of authority, and the Son became the representation of submission:

1. When the Lord came down to the earth, He dropped authority on the one hand and picked up submission on the other hand.

2. He set His heart to become a slave, to be restricted in time and space as a man.

3. The Lord humbled Himself, becoming obedient; the obedience in the Godhead is the most wonderful thing in the whole universe.

§ Day 5 & Day 6

F. We should submit to authority; this is a great matter.

G. We need to have the mind in us which was in Christ Jesus—v. 5:

1. All of us should take the way of our Lord, taking His principle of submission as our principle of submission.

2. Whoever knows this principle will realize that no sin is uglier than rebellion and that nothing is more important than submission—Jude 11; Rom. 1:5; 16:26.

3. Only when we see the principle of submission can we serve God—Matt. 4:10; 20:28; Acts 6:2; Rom. 1:9; 16:18; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 22:3.

4. Gods principle can be maintained only by submitting in the way that the Lord submitted.

H. Hebrews 5:8 tells us that the Lords obedience was learned through suffering:

1. Suffering brought obedience to Him.

2. True submission is found when there is still obedience in spite of suffering.

3. When the Lord came to the earth, He did not bring obedience with Him; rather, He learned it through sufferings.

I. Salvation not only brings joy; it also brings submission—Rom. 1:5; 16:19, 26; Titus 3:1:

1. Only the submissive ones will experience the fullness of salvation.

2. We need to be submissive, even as the Lord was submissive.

3. The Lord became the source of our salvation through obedience—Heb. 5:8-9.

4. God saved us with the hope that we would submit to His will—Rom. 4:11.

J. When one meets Gods authority, submission is a simple matter, and knowing Gods will is also a simple matter, because the Lord, who was submissive
throughout His life, has already given us His life of submission—John 11:25.