生命的经历(5): 怎样對付我們的天然而活在復活裏
1 生命的經歷極重要的一面乃是對付天然(林前二14，腓三3~9).
2 我們需要看見，在神的事上我們天然的人是無能、不彀資格的(林後三5~6).
3 我們可能在別的事上彀資格，但我們天然的人在神的事上卻是不彀資格、無能的(弗二1、5上，四17~18，林前二14，耶十七9，羅六6，七24，八7~8，太十六24)。
4 在神的事上，我們不該信靠我們天然的人；反之，我們必須學習拒絕我們天然的人，而在一切事上操練我們的靈(腓三3，羅八4)。
5 在主的恢復裏，我們天然的人沒有地位；主恢復中的眾召會是基督活的身體的一部分，會自動拒絕任何天然的事(林前十二12~13)。
6 在召會的建造中，我們裏面一切天然的東西必須破碎，我們纔能聯絡一起；惟有當我們天然的人破碎以後，我們纔能被建造(詩歌六○三首第六至七節)。
7『天然』這辭是指我們體力和腦力的總和(帖前五23).
8 天然乃是屬魂的人一個很大的特點，也是我們舊人活出來的一大表現(林前二14，羅六6)。
9 天然就是舊人活出來的表現，重在人的能力、幹纔、智慧、聰明、辦法、手腕等等；說到天然，雅各是最好的代表人物(6節，創二八20~22)。
10 單是天然能幹的人，神還不能用；天然的能幹，若沒有經過破碎，反而是神的攔阻(三二22~32)。
11我們必須領會對付天然之經歷的過程.
12 我們需要看見我們的舊人已經與基督同釘十字架(羅六6)。
13 我們需要看見天然是舊人厲害的表現。
14 我們該自然的將基督的釘死接受到我們的天然上，藉着聖靈的能力，將基督的十字架應用到我們的天然上.
15 當我們接受並應用基督的釘死，我們所有天然的能力，就有了死的印記，而枯萎下來(太十六24)。
16 這個接受，在我們身上乃是一個屬靈的大關口，也許這就是我們的毗努伊勒；在這裏，我們天然的能力和幹才被神摸了一下(創三二22~32)。
17 對付天然之經歷的應用，乃是在聖靈的交通裏，讓聖靈將基督的釘死執行到每一點所發現的天然上(林後十三14，羅八13)。
18 天然越受對付，我們就越在復活裏(腓三3~11).
19 我們天然的各面都是出於人天然的生命，不是出於基督復活的生命；天然的對面就是復活。
20 我們對付天然就是要叫那些原有的能力和幹才，智慧和聰明，都經過十字架的治死，而變作復活的，好蒙神悅納，為神使用(約十二24~26)。
21 我們天然的幹才必須帶到復活裏，好對主成為有用的(腓三3~11).
22 天然的幹才是自私自利的，這幹才的辦法、手腕，都是為自己着想的；復活的幹才經過了破碎，都不為着自己，也沒有己的成分。
23 天然的幹才攙雜着肉體、血氣的成分；復活的幹才沒有肉體。
24 天然的幹才帶着詭詐，會弄手腕；復活的幹才不弄手腕。
25 天然的幹才含有驕傲，覺得自己行，自己能，而自誇自耀；復活的幹才沒有驕傲，不誇耀自己。
26 天然的幹才不受聖靈的約束，作起事來，膽子非常大；復活的幹才乃是受聖靈的約束，不敢任意妄為。
27 天然的幹才不理、不顧神的旨意，完全憑着己意而行；復活的幹才是為着神的旨意。
28 天然的幹才不倚靠神，都是只憑自己就行；復活的幹才倚靠神，不敢憑着自己作。
29 神藉着十字架的工作了結我們，帶我們到盡頭，使我們不再信靠自己，只信靠復活的神(林後一9)。
30 『達到那從死人中傑出的復活』意即我們全人已在逐漸不斷的復活；這該是我們基督徒生活的目標和目的(腓三11)。
31 當我們在基督的復活裏經歷祂，我們就奧秘的轉到『拿弗他利支派』，成了屬靈的『拿弗他利人』；每個基督徒的個人歷史都該有一部分是奧秘的，在這段奧秘的歷史中，我們轉到了拿弗他利支派，憑復活的基督而活(代下二14，王上七14，創四九21，詩二二標題)。
32 我們若讓天然的性能、幹才和美德被帶到十字架上死了，我們就會復活(羅八13，約十二24).
33 然後在復活裏，我們的性能、幹才和美德，會比在天然生命裏強上許多倍。
34 這些東西仍是我們的，卻經過了死與埋葬，現今在復活裏.
35 這就是說，我們的性能、幹才和美德，都進入了復活(腓三11)。
36 我們繼續存在，但我們同我們天然的性能、幹才和美德，已進入復活的範圍裏(約十二25~26)。
37 復活的實際是那靈，而那靈是三一神的終極完成；所以，復活是終極完成的三一神(林前十五45下，太二八19，林後十三14).
38 我們天然的性能、幹才和美德，需要藉着死與埋葬，從我們天然的生命遷到三一神裏。
39 我們在自己裏面是天然的，但我們從自己遷到那是復活的三一神裏面，我們就進入復活(約十一25，林後一9)。
40 將我們天然幹才的『種子』種在地裏，絕不是損失；我們撒種，雖然暫時失去種子，但至終必有在復活裏的收成(約十二24~26)。
Message Two
Dealing with the Natural Constitution in Order to Be in Resurrection
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 2:14; Phil. 3:3-11; John 12:24-26
Outline
Day 1
I. A crucial aspect of the experience of life is dealing with the natural constitution—1 Cor. 2:14; Phil. 3:3-9:
A. We need to realize the impotence, the insufficiency, of our natural being in the things of God—2 Cor. 3:5-6:
1. We may be sufficient in other things,
but in our natural being we do not have any sufficiency, competence, or
power in the things of God—Eph. 2:1, 5a; 4:17-18; 1 Cor. 2:14; Jer.
17:9; Rom. 6:6;
7:24; 8:7-8; Matt. 16:24.
2. We should not have any trust in our
natural being in the things of God; rather, we must learn to reject our
natural being and exercise our spirit in everything—Phil. 3:3; Rom. 8:4.
3. In the Lord’s recovery there is no place
for our natural being;the churches in the Lord’s recovery, as parts of
the living Body of Christ, will spontaneously reject anything that is
natural—1Cor. 12:12-13.
4. In the building of the church every
natural thing in us must be broken before we can be joined together; we
can be built only after we have been broken in our natural being—Hymns,
#837,
stanzas 6 and 7.
Day 2
B. In the expression natural constitution
the word constitution denotes the aggregate of our physical and mental
powers—1 Thes. 5:23:
1. The natural constitution is an
outstanding characteristic of the soulish man and is a prominent
expression of the living out of the old man—1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 6:6.
2. The natural constitution is the
expression of the living out of the old man, which has to do with human
ability, capability, wisdom,cleverness, schemes, and skills; Jacob is
the best representative character of the natural constitution—v. 6; Gen.
28:20-22.
3. God cannot use one who is merely naturally capable; natural ability, unless broken, is a hindrance to God—32:22-32.
Day 3
C. We need to understand the process of the experience of dealing with the natural constitution:
1. We need to see that our old man has been crucified with Christ—Rom. 6:6.
2. We need to realize that the natural constitution is a very strong expression of the old man.
3. We should spontaneously receive the crucifixion of Christ upon our natural constitution, applying the
cross of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit upon our natural constitution:
a. When we receive and apply Christ’s
crucifixion, all our natural ability will be stamped with the mark of
death and gradually become withered— Matt. 16:24.
b. This receiving is a great spiritual
crisis in our life; it may become our Penuel, where our natural ability
and capability are touched by God— Gen. 32:22-32.
4. We apply the experience of dealing with
our natural constitution in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and by
letting the Holy Spirit execute the crucifixion of Christ upon every
area of our natural life as it is discovered—2 Cor. 13:14; Rom. 8:13.
Day 4
II. The more our natural constitution is dealt with, the more we will be in resurrection—Phil. 3:3-11:
A. All the aspects of our natural
constitution are derived from the natural life and do not spring from
the resurrection life of Christ; the opposite of being natural is being
in resurrection—v. 11.
B. Our dealing with the natural
constitution is so that our inherent ability, capability, and wisdom may
pass through the death of the cross, become resurrected, and thereby
become acceptable and useful to God— John 12:24-26.
C. Our natural ability must be brought into resurrection so that it may become useful to the Lord—Phil. 3:3-11:
Day 5
1. Natural ability is selfish, and its
schemes and devices are for the sake of self; resurrected ability has
been broken and is not for self and has no element of self.
2. Natural ability is mixed with the elements of flesh and temper;resurrected ability is devoid of the flesh.
3. Natural ability involves craftiness and maneuvering; resurrected ability does not scheme.
4. Natural ability contains pride and makes
oneself feel capable,thereby resulting in boasting and
self-glorification; resurrected ability is not proud and does not boast
in itself.
5. Natural ability is not under the control
of the Holy Spirit and is extremely daring in doing anything;
resurrected ability is controlled by the Spirit and does not dare act
according to one’s wishes.
6. Natural ability has no regard for the
will of God, acting entirely according to self-will; resurrected ability
is for the will of God.
7. Natural ability does not rely upon God
but relies wholly upon self; resurrected ability relies upon God and
does not dare act according to self.
D. God is working through the cross to
terminate us, to bring us to an end, so that we will no longer trust in
ourselves but in the God of resurrection—2 Cor. 1:9.
E. To “attain to the out-resurrection from
the dead” indicates that our entire being has been gradually and
continually resurrected; this should be the goal and destination of the
Christian life—Phil. 3:11.
Day 6
F. As we experience Christ in His
resurrection, we are transferred mysteriously into the tribe of
“Naphtali” and become spiritual “Naphtalites”; a portion of the personal
history of every Christian
should be mysterious, and in this
mysterious portion we are transferred into the tribe of Naphtali to live
by the resurrected Christ—2 Chron. 2:14; 1 Kings 7:14; Gen. 49:21; Psa.
22, title.
G. If we allow our natural capacity,
ability, and virtues to be brought to the cross and die, we will be
resurrected—Rom. 8:13; John 12:24:
1. Then in resurrection our capacity, ability, and virtues will be many times greater than they were in the natural life.
2. These things are still ours, but having passed through death and burial, they are now in resurrection:
a. This means that our capacity, ability, and virtues have entered into resurrection—Phil. 3:11.
b. We continue to exist, but we with our
natural capacity, ability,and virtues have entered into the realm of
resurrection— John12:25-26.
H. The reality of resurrection is the
Spirit, and the Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God; therefore,
resurrection is the consummated Triune God—1 Cor. 15:45b; Matt. 28:19; 2
Cor. 13:14:
1. Our natural capacity, ability, and
virtues need to be transferred from our natural life into the Triune God
through death and burial.
2. In ourselves we are natural, but when we
are transferred out of ourselves into the Triune God, who is
resurrection, we enter into resurrection— John 11:25; 2 Cor. 1:9.
I. It is never a loss to sow the “seed” of
our natural ability into the ground, for when we sow this seed, we lose
it temporarily, but eventually there will be a harvest in resurrection—
John 12:24-26.
