2001春季长老
总题：一个宇宙新人的实际与实行
第二篇　为着一个新人，坚定持续的祷告
Message Two Persevering in Prayer for the One New Man
读经：西四2~3，帖前五17，弗六18，路十八1~8，西三15~17
Scripture Reading: Col. 4:2-3; 1 Thes. 5:17; Eph. 6:18; Luke 18:1-8; Col. 3:15-17
壹　我们需要不断的操练我们的灵;这就是保罗在歌罗西四章二节嘱咐我们要坚定持续祷告的原因─提前四7：
I.　We need to continually exercise our spirit; this is the reason that in Colossians 4:2 Paul charges us to persevere in prayer—1 Tim. 4:7:
一　坚定持续就是坚忍、坚定并热切的持续。
A.　To persevere is to continue persistently, steadfastly, and earnestly.
二　要接受基督，（西二6，）就需要操练我们的灵，而操练我们的灵惟一的路就是祷告：─引用经文
B.　Receiving Christ (Col. 2:6) requires the exercise of our spirit, and the unique way to exercise our spirit is to pray:
1　关于祷告有一个律─祷告必须在灵里─弗六18。
1.　Concerning prayer there is a law—prayer must be in spirit—Eph. 6:18.
2　我们若要学习祷告，就必须操练自己，在每一处境中让灵来主导，不容许我们的心思、情感或意志领先─提后一7。
2.　If we would learn to pray, we must exercise ourselves to let the spirit dominate in every situation and not allow our mind, emotion, or will to take the lead—2 Tim. 1:7.
3　我们需要让灵超越一切，成为我们这人最强、最高的部分─启四2。
3.　We need to allow the spirit to transcend everything, to be the strongest and highest part of our being—Rev. 4:2.
4　一个基督徒最强的部分应当是他的灵─弗三16。
4.　The strongest part of a Christian should be his spirit—Eph. 3:16.
三　祷告乃是属灵的呼吸;祷告就是呼吸─约二十22。
C.　Prayer is spiritual breathing; to pray is to breathe—John 20:22.
四　坚定持续的祷告，意思就是我们不离开祷告的灵─弗六18。
D.　To pray perseveringly means that we do not depart from the praying spirit— Eph. 6:18.
贰　我们需要留在祷告的情形里─帖前五17，西一3，9：
II.　We need to remain in a praying condition—1 Thes. 5:17; Col. 1:3, 9:
一　我们的难处乃是我们不留在祷告的情形里─太二六41。
A.　Our problem is that we do not remain in a condition of prayer—Matt. 26:41.
二　在祷告的情形里，我们就脱离自己的意见，与主成为一灵，活祂并以祂为我们的生命和人位─林前六17。
B.　To be in a condition of prayer is to be out of our opinion and to be one spirit with the Lord, living Him and taking Him as our life and person—1 Cor. 6:17.
叁　基督徒的生活乃是一种接受恩典的生活，但这种生活需要借着祷告来维持─约一16，罗五17，来四16，西一2，四18：
III.　The Christian life is a life of receiving grace, but this life needs to be sustained by prayer—John 1:16; Rom. 5:17; Heb. 4:16; Col. 1:2; 4:18:
一　惟有借着祷告，主的恩典才能在我们的经历中成为活而有效的。
A.　Only through prayer can the Lord's grace become prevailing and living in our experience.
二　祷告乃是来到施恩宝座前的路─来四16。
B.　Prayer is the way to come forward to the throne of grace—Heb. 4:16.
三　当我们祷告，来到施恩的宝座前，恩典就成为江河，在我们里面涌流，并供应我们。
C.　When we pray, coming forward to the throne of grace, grace will become a river flowing in us and supplying us.
四　不论我们从主接受了多少恩典，我们若不坚定持续的祷告，恩典就会漏掉─西一6，三16，四6，2。
D.　No matter how much grace we receive from the Lord, it will leak away if we fail to persevere in prayer—Col. 1:6; 3:16; 4:6, 2.
肆　我们需要坚定持续的祷告，因为祷告与争战有关─四2，弗六17~ 18：
IV.　We need to persevere in prayer because prayer involves a battle, a fight— 4:2; Eph. 6:17-18:
一　为了要在神这一边与撒但争战，我们就需要坚定持续的祷告。
A.　In order to fight on God's side against Satan, we need to persevere in prayer.
二　我们站在神这边的人，发现整个宇宙都在反对我们，尤其是反对我们的祷告─西二1~3：
B.　As those who take sides with God, we find that the whole universe is against us and, in particular, against our prayer—Col. 2:1-3:
1　在我们的环境中，几乎每一件事都与祷告相逆。
1.　Almost everything in our environment is contrary to prayer.
2　祷告的阻力不仅在我们外面，甚至在我们里面─太二六41。
2.　Resistance to prayer lies not only outside us but even within us—Matt. 26:41.
3　祷告乃是抵挡堕落宇宙中的潮流、趋势：
3.　To pray is to go against the current, the trend, in the fallen universe:
a　我们要祷告，就必须反对我们环境中的潮流。
a.　In order to pray, we must go against the current of our environment.
b　如果我们不祷告，我们就会随波逐流。
b.　If we fail to pray, we will be swept downstream.
c　惟有祷告能使我们反潮流;因此，我们需要持续的祷告，坚定的祷告─路十八1~8。
c.　Only prayer can enable us to go against the current; therefore, we need to persevere in prayer, to pray persistently—Luke 18:1-8.
伍　为着一个新人而坚定持续的祷告，关系到基督的平安，基督的话，以及与基督联合的生活─西三15~17：
V.　Persevering in prayer for the one new man is related to the peace of Christ, to the word of Christ, and to living in union with Christ—Col. 3:15-17:
一　基督的平安，就是基督自己，已使犹太人和外邦人成为一个新人，如今为着基督身体的生活，并为着一个新人实际的出现，我们应当让这平安在我们心里作仲裁─15节。
A.　The peace of Christ, which is Christ Himself, has made the Jews and the Gentiles one new man, and now we should let this peace arbitrate in our hearts for the Body life and for the practical existence of the one new man—v. 15.
二　基督运用祂作头的身分，并将祂的丰富供应我们的路，乃是借着祂的话─二19，三16：
B.　The way for Christ to exercise His headship and to minister His riches to us is through His word—2:19; 3:16:
1　我们不该关闭，乃该向主并向祂的话敞开我们全人，愿意被基督的话充满。
1.　We should not be closed but open our being to the Lord and to His word and be willing to be filled with the word of Christ.
2　我们需要让基督的话在我们里面运行、行动并存留，使我们全人被基督的话渗透并浸透。
2.　We need to allow the word of Christ to move, act, and have its being within us, letting our whole being be permeated and saturated with the word of Christ.
3　我们要为着一个新人，让基督的话丰丰富富的住在我们里面，就需要让基督的平安在我们心里作仲裁。
3.　In order for the word of Christ to dwell in us richly for the one new man, we need to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts.
三　过与基督联合的生活，意思就是我们在生活中不离开基督，反而与祂是一，并且借着在那灵里行动，凡事都在祂的名里行─17节。
C.　To live in union with Christ means that in our living we are not apart from Christ; rather, we are one with Him and do everything in His name by acting in the Spirit—v. 17.
四　我们需要过与基督联合的生活，受基督的平安管治，并让基督的话居住在我们里面。
D.　We need to live in union with Christ, to be ruled by the peace of Christ, and to be inhabited by the word of Christ.
陆　我们需要祷告，为神的话开门─四3：
VI.　We need to pray that a door may be opened for the word—4:3:
一　为神的话开门与神圣的说话有关。
A.　To open a door for the word is related to the divine speaking.
二　祷告为神的话开门，含示我们需要一直向神的话敞开。
B.　To pray that a door will be opened for the word implies that we need to keep ourselves open to the word of God.