I.　The work of Christ in His human living is a pattern for all who aspire to participate in the unique work in the Lord's recovery—Phil. 2:7-8:

A.　The human living of the Lord Jesus was His work—John 6:57a:

1.　With Christ in His human living, there was no difference between life and work; His life was His work, and His work was His life—Mark 1:14-45:

a.　The Lord Jesus lived His work; He lived His ministry.

b.　With Him there was only one thing—His life, which was His work, His ministry—Luke 4:42-43.

c.　The Lord Jesus worked everywhere and all the time because His work was His life, His life was His move, and His move was His work.

2.　Just as Christ's life was His work, so our living as Christians should be our working; we need a living that matches our ministry for the Lord, a living that is the ground and support of our service for Him—John 6:57b; Gal.2:20; 2 Cor. 6:3-11.

B.　In His human living Christ was found in fashion as a man, even in the form of a slave—Phil. 2:7-8:

1.　The Lord's work in His human living to build up the fashion of a man and to take the form of a slave was the foundation and background of His ministry—Luke 4:14-19.

2.　As those who want to serve the Lord, we need to have a work not by doing but by living, building up a work that will be the solid ground and strong background for our coming service to the Lord—Acts 16:1-3a; 2 Tim. 4:5, 11b; Col. 4:17.

C.　In His human living the Lord Jesus carried out the work of declaring God— John 1:18:

1.　His human living declared God; thus, what others saw in the human living of the Lord Jesus was the declaration of God in Him—14:9-11.

2.　If we want to serve the Lord today, in our daily living there should be a work that declares God—Phil. 1:20-21a.

D.　The Lord's work in His human living included His expressing the Father; Christ did not express Himself—the Father was expressed through Him in His human living—John 14:9; 7:17-18; 17:4a.

E.　In His human living the Lord Jesus cared for the things of the Father; in His humanity Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man, cared for the things of the Father, for God's interests—Luke 2:43-49.

II.　In His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus did the work that the Father hadgiven Him to do—John 17:4:

A.　In His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus preached the gospel (Mark 1:14-15, 38; Luke 4:18a); served people (Matt. 20:28a); sought and saved the lost, the sinners (Luke 19:1-10); preached the kingdom (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15a); sowed the seed of the kingdom (Matt. 13:3; Mark 4:3, 26-29); and taught the truths (Matt.7:28-29; John 8:40, 45-46).

B.　In His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus was one with the Father and had no work, no will, no word, no glory, and no ambition for Himself—5:43; 10:25;3:34a; 14:24; 7:16-18; 12:47-50:

1.　Christ was one with the Father, living a life that showed that He and the Father were one; His looking up to the Father in heaven indicated that as the Son on earth sent by the Father in heaven, He was one with the Father, trusting in the Father—10:30; 17:22; Matt. 14:19.

2.　The Lord Jesus lived the Father—John 6:57a:

a.　Christ lived on earth not merely by the Father or through the Father but because of the Father; His living had a cause, and that cause was the Father—v. 57a.

b.　Today Christ should be the cause of our daily living; we should live not only by Him and through Him but also because of Him—v. 57b.

3.　The Lord Jesus did not do anything from Himself but always denied the self—5:19; Matt. 16:24.

C.　In His earthly ministry Christ worked with the Father—John 5:17:

1.　The Lord Jesus never did any work without the Father but always with theFather; this required the absolute denial of the self—Matt. 16:24.

2.　When Christ worked with the Father, He worked with the Father who was with Him and in Him; while Christ the Son was working on earth, the Father was living in Him and working with Him—John 14:9-11.

D.　The Lord Jesus worked in the name of the Father—10:25:

1.　Having come in the Father's name, He never did anything in His own name; He did everything in the Father's name—5:43.

2.　For the Lord Jesus to work in the name of the Father meant that He worked as the Father; He was working with the Father as one—10:30.

E.　In His work the Lord Jesus did not seek His own will but the will of the One who had sent Him—5:30:

1.　He denied Himself, and He rejected His idea, intention, and purpose.

2.　He never sought anything of Himself or for Himself—He only sought the will of the Father, who had sent Him—6:38.

3.　The Lord's food was to do the will of the Father and to finish His work—4:34.

4.　We should not have our own purpose; instead, we should have only God's will—Rom. 12:2.

F.　In His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus never spoke His own word; what He spoke was the Father's speaking—John 7:16, 18; 12:49-50; 14:10:

1.　Instead of speaking His own words, He spoke God—1:18.

2.　When He spoke God's word, God was expressed through His speaking; Godcame forth from Him through His words—7:17-18, 46.

3.　The Lord Jesus lived a life of speaking God, a life of expressing God for His glory—v. 18.

G.　The Lord Jesus could say, "I do not seek My glory"—8:50:

1.　With Him there was no ground for the self—Matt. 16:24.

2.　He did not seek His own glory but the glory of the Father who sent Him— John 7:18.

H.　If we would participate in the unique work in the Lord's recovery today, our self must be denied, our purpose must be rejected, and our ambition must be given up; furthermore, we must know only to work with the Lord by allowing Christ to live in us, to work in us, and to make us the duplication of Himself for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose—12:24-26; Rom. 8:2, 29; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:9; 3:11.