Scripture Reading: Deut. 8:8a; Num. 13:23; Judg. 9:11; Phil. 1:19; 4:11-13, 23
Ⅰ
God's ultimate goal in His economy is to gain the one new man constituted with the preeminent, all-inclusive Christ wrought into a corporate people—Col. 3:10-11; 1:18; 2:9; 16-17:
A
God's economy is to head up all things in Christ through His Body, the church, thereby making Christ the center of all things—Eph. 1:10.
B
God's intention in His economy is to work a wonderful person into our being; this person is the all-inclusive Christ, the One who is the reality of every positive thing in the universe—3:17a; Gal. 4:19; Col. 2:16-17:
１
The all-inclusive Christ, with all that He has attained and obtained, is the One whom God desires to work into our being—3:10-11.
２
God intends to work Christ into us so that we may have the full enjoyment of Him.
C
The desire of God's heart is to have the Body of Christ brought forth through His people's personal experience of Christ—2:19.
Ⅱ
The all-inclusive Christ must be our life; if He does not become our life, then all that He is and all that He has attained and obtained remain objective—3:4.
Ⅲ
The good land typifies Christ as the all-inclusive Christ realized by the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit to be the blessing of the gospel; ultimately, this all-inclusive life-giving Spirit is our good land—1:12b; Gal. 3:14.
Ⅳ
We can make a distinction between the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ—Phil. 1:4, 18, 25; 2:17-18, 28-29; 3:1; 4:1, 4:
A
Whereas the experience of Christ is a matter primarily in our spirit, the enjoyment of Christ is in our soul—1:27.
B
Because of problems in our soul, we can have the experience of Christ without the enjoyment of Christ—2:1-2; 4:2.
C
In order to enjoy Christ, we need to deal with every part of our soul, especially with our mind—2:2, 14, 20.
Ⅴ
If we would experience and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, our heart must be happy—Col. 2:2; Prov. 15:13a, 15b; 17:22a.
Ⅵ
The good land is a land of fig trees—Deut. 8:8a; Num. 13:23:
A
The fig tree, representing sweetness and good fruit, speaks of the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ as our supply—Judg. 9:11.
B
The more we experience and enjoy Christ as the wheat, the barley, and the vine, the more we will experience and enjoy the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ as our supply—Deut. 8:8a.
C
Paul is a pattern of one who experienced and enjoyed the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ as his supply—Phil. 1:18-19; 2:17-18; 3:1; 4:4, 10-13:
１
When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was in prison, suffering for the gospel—1:7, 13-14, 17:
ａ
Although Paul was a prisoner, his prison became a house of wine, a banqueting house, for there Paul was enjoying the all-inclusive Christ.
ｂ
Paul's word about partaking of grace indicates that for Paul prison was a place of feasting and not merely a place of suffering—v. 7.
２
In Paul's sufferings in his body, Christ was magnified, that is, shown or declared to be without limitation—v. 20:
ａ
To magnify Christ is to express Him as the One who is unlimited.
ｂ
It was through Paul's imprisonment that the Christ whom he lived was expressed as the unlimited One.
３
Although Paul's desire was to depart and be with Christ, he was willing to remain in the flesh for the sake of the saints and for the sake of their progress and joy of the faith—vv. 21-26:
ａ
Through Paul as a channel, the saints could experience Christ and have the progress and joy of the faith—v. 25.
ｂ
Today there is an urgent need for channels of supply; if the saints are to experience Christ, someone must serve as a channel of supply.
４
Paul became a drink offering poured out upon the sacrifice and service of the saints' faith—2:17-18.
５
Paul experienced and enjoyed the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ as his supply—1:7, 19:
ａ
Paul was a partaker of grace, and he rejoiced in the Lord greatly—v. 7; 3:1; 4:4, 10.
ｂ
Paul was happy in the Lord, and his happiness did not diminish as time went by—1:4; 2:2.
ｃ
Paul had learned the secret of being content in all circumstances; thus, he lived a life full of forbearance and without anxiety—4:11-13, 5-6.
ｄ
Through the Body Paul received the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—1:19.
ｅ
Grace is God in Christ as our enjoyment conveyed to us through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—4:23; 1:19:
⑴
When Paul said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit," he meant, "The enjoyment of the processed Triune God be with your spirit through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ"—4:23.
⑵
In order to experience and enjoy Christ as Paul did, we need this grace.