Morning Watch The Kingdom and Agape Love Dec. 5 to Dec.11, 2016
Monday12/5
Related verses
Col. 1:12-14 (12-13)
12Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light;
13Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;
Acts 26:18
18To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.
Eph. 5:1-2
1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
2And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
James 1:25
25But he who looks into the 2perfect law, the law of freedom, and continues in it, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in his doing.
James 2:5
5Listen, my beloved brothers: Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the 2kingdom, which He promised to those who 3love Him?
Matt. 5:3, 10
3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 4kingdom of the heavens.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Eph. 1:4-6
4Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,
5Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved;
Footnotes
James 1:252 The perfect law, the law of freedom (or liberty), is not the law of letters written on tablets of stone outside us but the law of life inscribed on our hearts (Heb. 8:10), the moral standard of which corresponds with that of the kingdom’s constitution, decreed by the Lord on the mount (Matt. 5─7). Since the law of letters was not able to give man life (Gal. 3:21) but was able only to expose man’s weakness and failure and keep him in slavery (Gal. 5:1 and note 4), it was a law of bondage. Since the perfect law of life is the function of the divine life, which was imparted into our being at regeneration and supplies us throughout our Christian life with the unsearchable riches of the divine life to free us from the law of sin and death and fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law of letters (Rom. 8:2, 4), it is the law of freedom. This law is the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21), even Christ Himself, who lives within us to regulate us by imparting the divine nature into our being, that we may live a life that expresses God’s image. James might have considered this law the basic rule of the Christian life for practical Christian perfection.
2:52 The kingdom of God here is also the kingdom of Christ, which will be inherited by the overcoming believers in the coming age (Eph. 5:5; Gal. 5:21; 1 Cor. 6:10; Rev. 20:4, 6). The reality of this kingdom (see note 34 in Matt. 5) should be practiced not in the Jewish synagogue but in the Christian church, which is the Body of Christ (Rom. 14:17).
2:53 We believe in the Lord for our salvation (Acts 16:31); we love God (1 John 2:5, 15) for our overcoming, that we may receive the promised kingdom as a reward (see notes 281 in Heb. 12 and 351 in Heb. 10).
Matt. 5:34Kingdom of the heavens is a term used exclusively by Matthew, indicating that the kingdom of the heavens differs from the kingdom of God (see chart on pp. 22-23), the latter being mentioned in the other three Gospels. The kingdom of God is God’s general reign from eternity past to eternity future. It comprises eternity without beginning before the foundation of the world, the chosen patriarchs (including the paradise of Adam), the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, the church in the New Testament, the coming millennial kingdom (including its heavenly part, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, and its earthly part, the Messianic kingdom), and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem in eternity without end. The kingdom of the heavens is a specific section within the kingdom of God, a section composed only of the church today and the heavenly part of the coming millennial kingdom. Hence, in the New Testament, especially in the other three Gospels, the kingdom of the heavens, a section of the kingdom of God, is also called “the kingdom of God.” In the Old Testament the kingdom of God, generally, already existed with the nation of Israel (21:43); the kingdom of the heavens, specifically, had still not come, and it only drew near when John the Baptist came (3:1-2; 11:11-12).
According to Matthew there are three aspects concerning the kingdom of the heavens: the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation. The realityof the kingdom of the heavens is the inward content of the kingdom of the heavens in its heavenly and spiritual nature, as revealed by the new King on the mountain in chs. 5─7. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the outward state of the kingdom of the heavens in name, as revealed by the King on the seashore in ch. 13. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as unveiled by the King on the Mount of Olives in chs. 24─25. Both the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are with the church today. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the proper church life (Rom. 14:17), which exists in the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, known as Christendom. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly part of the coming millennial kingdom, which is referred to as the kingdom of the Father in 13:43; the earthly part of the millennial kingdom is the Messianic kingdom, which is referred to as the kingdom of the Son of Man in 13:41, and which is the restored tabernacle of David, the kingdom of David (Acts 15:16). In the heavenly part of the millennial kingdom, which is the kingdom of the heavens manifested in power, the overcoming believers will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4, 6); in the earthly part of the millennial kingdom, which is the Messianic kingdom on earth, the saved remnant of Israel will be the priests and will teach the nations to worship God (Zech. 8:20-23).
If we are poor in spirit, the kingdom of the heavens is ours: we are in its reality now in the church age, and we will share in its manifestation in the kingdom age.
Suggested daily reading
II. TRANSFERRED INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE SON OF HIS LOVE
A. The Kingdom of the Son Being the Authority of Christ
We have been not only delivered out of the authority of darkness, but also transferred into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. The kingdom of the Son is the authority of Christ (Rev. 11:15; 12:10).
B. The Son of the Father Being the Expression of the Father as the Source of Life
The Son of the Father is the expression of the Father as the source of life (John 1:18, 4; 1 John 1:2). The Father as the source of life is expressed in the Son.
The Son of the Father’s love is the object of the Father’s love to be the embodiment of life to us in the divine love with the authority in resurrection. The Son, as the embodiment of the divine life, is the object of the Father’s love. The divine life embodied in the Son is given to us in the divine love. Therefore, the object of the divine love becomes to us the embodiment of life in the divine love with the authority in resurrection. This is the kingdom of the Son of His love.
It is easier to give an illustration of the kingdom of the Son of His love than it is to give an adequate definition of it. Consider your experience. Coming to realize that the Lord Jesus is so loving and lovable, we began to love Him. As we love the Lord Jesus, we are conscious of a sweet sense of love. Not only does this sense of love include the Lord Jesus, but it also includes us. We realize that we also are the objects of the divine love. As objects of this divine love, we spontaneously come under a certain control or ruling. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we were free to do whatever we wanted. But the more we say, “Lord Jesus, I love You,” the less freedom we have. Before we began to love the Lord Jesus, we did not sense this ruling or restriction. We could mistreat people or engage in worldly entertainments without any sense of inward restriction. But as those who love the Lord Jesus, we have come under His rule. This rule is not harsh; on the contrary, it is sweet and pleasant. Oh, we are restricted and ruled in such a sweet way! Because of the pleasantness of the Lord’s rule in us, we do not care even to speak a vain word or to have a thought that is displeasing to Him. We are ruled and restricted to the uttermost in the sweetness of love. This is the kingdom of the Son of His love.
The more we are willing to be restricted and ruled by the Lord Jesus out of our love for Him, the more we shall grow in life, even in the abundance of life. This indicates that the kingdom of the Son of His love is for our enjoyment of Christ as life. Here we are freed from everything other than Christ, not only from evil things, but also from things such as philosophy, ordinances, observances, and asceticism. When we were holding to our philosophy, ethics, asceticism, and ordinances, we were under the authority of darkness. But God has delivered us out of this authority and has transferred us into a kingdom of love that is full of life and light. Here we have no observances, rituals, ordinances, practices, philosophies, mysticism, Gnosticism, or asceticism. We just have Christ, the Son of His love. Here we have love, light, and life. This is to live by Christ.
To live by Christ means that we do not live by anything other than Christ. If we see what it is to live by Christ, we realize that many of us are still under some form of control established by the self, a control set up and carried out by the self. This kind of control is the authority of darkness. If we are under this authority, we receive no light in reading the Bible, and we have no utterance in prayer. Although the Father has delivered us out of the authority of darkness, out of our natural thought, emotion, preference, and behavior, we may still remain in some aspect of our natural being. This causes us to be held under the authority of darkness. Because, in actuality, we are under the authority and control of darkness and are not in the kingdom of the Son of His love in a practical way, we have little enjoyment of Christ as the portion of the saints.
I can testify that by the Lord’s mercy I am not controlled by the darkness. Others may sometimes wonder why, in certain respects, I do not seem consistent. The reason is that I am not under the control of any aspect of darkness. Concerning matters that are not sinful, I am flexible and may give one answer at one time and a different answer at another time. Remember, the book of Colossians does not deal with sin, but with ordinances, practices, and philosophies. Suppose a brother asks me about eating a certain kind of thing. I may tell him that he has the liberty to eat whatever he desires. But to another brother asking the same question I may give a different answer, an answer appropriate to his situation. It may appear that I am not consistent. Actually, it is not a matter of consistency, but of refusing to be under the control of the authority of darkness through ordinances and observances.
To insist on a particular ordinance or practice is to be under the authority of darkness. Our Father has delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Here we are restricted by the divine love in the divine life. Instead of ordinances, observances, religion, or isms, we have Christ and Christ alone. If we see this, there will be no disputes or divisions in the church life.
If we have anything divisive among us, that is an indication that some element of the authority of darkness is still with us. The division and confusion among Christians today are the result of the influence of the authority of darkness. Ifwe have seenwhat it is to live by Christ, we shall not have observances or ordinances. This does not mean that we do not honor the holy Word. We believe and honor the Bible, but we do not take the Bible as a book of observances and ordinances. Instead, we take it as the revelation of the living Christ.
Tobe transferred into the kingdom of the Son of the Father’s love is to be transferred into the Son who is life to us (1 John 5:12). The Son in resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 6:4-5) is now the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). He rules us in His resurrection life with love. This is the kingdom of the Son of the Father’s love. When we live by the Son as our life in resurrection, we are living in His kingdom, enjoying Him in the Father’s love.
We have been transferred into a realm where we are ruled in love with life. Here, under the heavenly ruling and restriction, we have genuine freedom, the proper freedom in love, with life, and under light. This is what it meansto be delivered out of the authority of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Here in this kingdom we enjoy Christ and have the church life. Here there is no opinion or division. Here we have one thing: the church with Christ as everything to us. This is the revelation of the book of Colossians.
In Colossians the authority of darkness refers to the good aspects of culture and of our character, disposition, and natural being. The authority of darkness includes our virtues, religion, philosophy, observances, ordinances, principles, and ethical standards. God has delivered us out of all this and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, where we live under a heavenly rule and restriction. In this kingdom we are not under a harsh rule, but under the loving rule of the Son. Here we do not sense that we are under righteousness, power, or authority, but under the loving and lovable Lord Jesus. The more we tell the Lord Jesus that we love Him, the more we are freed on the one hand, and the more we are restricted and ruled on the other hand. Because we love Him, we desire to take Him as our person and as our life. This is the proper Christian life for the church life.Life Study of Colossians, Message4, pp. 32-35
Tuesday 12/6
Related verses
2 Peter 1:5-11 (5-7, 10-11)
5And for this very reason also, adding all diligence, supply bountifully in your faith virtue; and in virtue, knowledge;
6And in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, endurance; and in endurance, godliness;
7And in godliness, brotherly love; and in brotherly love, love.
8For these things, existing in you and abounding, constitute you neither idle nor unfruitful unto the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9For he in whom these things are not present is blind, being shortsighted, having forgotten the cleansing of his past sins.
10Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble.
11For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to you.
John 21:15-17
15Then when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs.
16He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Shepherd My sheep.
17He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? Peter was grieved that He said to him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
Col. 3:12-15 (12, 14)
12Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, inward parts of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering;
13Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.
14And over all these things put on love, which is the uniting bond of perfectness.
15And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.
Suggested daily reading
Brotherly Love and Love
In verse 7 Peter concludes, “And in godliness brotherly love, and in brotherly love, love.” The Greek word rendered “brotherly love” is philadelphia, composed of phileo, to have affection for, and adelphos, a brother; hence, brotherly affection, a love of delight and pleasure. In godliness, the expression of God, this love needs to be supplied for the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8; Gal. 6:10), for our testimony to the world (John 13:34-35) and for the bearing of fruit (John 15:16-17).