Scripture Reading: Deut. 8:8; Judg. 9:13; Psa. 104:15a; Matt. 9:17; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6
Ⅰ
The vine typifies the sacrificing Christ, the Christ who sacrificed everything of Himself, and out of His sacrifice He produced new wine to cheer God and man—Deut. 8:8; Judg. 9:13; Psa. 104:15a:
A
Christ is the wine-producer, sacrificing Himself to produce wine to cheer God and others.
B
As the vine Christ produces happiness for God and happiness for others.
Ⅱ
If we contact the Christ typified by the vine and experience His sacrificing life, He will energize us to live a life of sacrifice, producing wine to make others and the Lord happy—Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:2; 2 Cor. 1:24:
A
Under the Lord's sovereignty, we may be put into situations where we need to sacrifice ourselves to make others happy—Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:2:
１
If in the midst of such a situation we contact the Lord, we will experience Him as the wine-producing vine, as the One who gives cheer to God and to others—Phil. 3:1a.
２
The issue of experiencing Christ as the vine is that in Him, by Him, with Him, and through Him we become a vine that produces something to cheer God and man.
B
If we experience Christ in this aspect of His all-inclusiveness, we will have much wine to drink, and we will be "drunken" and "mad" with Christ, filled with joy in the Lord—John 15:11; Acts 5:41; 13:52; Phil. 3:1a; 4:4.
C
In ourselves we are not able to live a life of sacrifice, for our life is a natural life, a selfish life—Job 2:4; Matt. 16:25:
１
Only the life of Christ is a life of sacrifice.
２
Christ as the sacrificing lamb lives in us, energizing us to sacrifice ourselves for others to bring them cheer and to make them happy—2 Cor. 4:12; Eph. 5:2.
３
If we contact the Lord and experience His sacrificing life, He will energize and strengthen us to sacrifice for God and for others—John 1:29; 20:22; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17; Phil. 4:13; Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:2:
ａ
The more we experience Christ as the vine with His sacrificing life, the more we will be energized to sacrifice ourselves to make God and others happy.
ｂ
We will be "drunken" with happiness, realizing that the happiest person is the one who is the most unselfish.
ｃ
We will bring happiness to those who contact us, and we will bring cheer to God—2 Cor. 1:24; 5:13a.
Ⅲ
By experiencing Christ as the wine-producing vine and by being filled with Him as the new wine, we may become a drink offering in Him and with Him—Gen. 35:14; Exo. 29:40-41; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6:
A
The drink offering typifies not only Christ Himself but also the Christ who saturates us with Himself as new wine until He and we become one to be poured out for God's satisfaction and for God's building—Matt. 9:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Gen. 35:14.
B
The drink offering is a type of Christ as the new wine enjoyed by the offerer, filling him and causing him to become wine to God—Phil. 2:17.
C
The drink offering is our experience of being made one with Christ to such an extent that He becomes us and we become the same as He is in His sacrificing life.
D
By experiencing Christ as the wine-producing vine, we become persons who are filled and saturated with Christ—Eph. 3:17; Gal. 4:19:
１
The Christ whom we experience in this way becomes wine in us, causing us to be ecstatically happy and joyful—Matt. 9:17; 2 Cor. 5:13a.
２
Eventually, we will be saturated with Christ as the new, heavenly wine and become one with the wine and even become wine; in this way we are qualified to be a drink offering in Him and with Him—Matt. 9:17; 2 Cor. 5:13a; Eph. 5:2; Phil. 2:17.
E
The apostle Paul became a drink offering that was poured out upon the sacrifice and service of the saints' faith; the wine of the drink offering in Philippians 2:17 and 2 Timothy 4:6 is the wine (Christ) of Matthew 9:17 which had saturated him and had made him wine to cheer God and the saints.