让神满足并快乐
信徒经历基督并享受基督，结果他们里面就产生一个构成，保罗称之为信心。在神眼中，这信心太超绝、美好、美妙了，神将其视为献给自己的祭物。保罗因着多年对主的经历，尤其是因着在监狱里那段期间的经历，他构成了属天的酒，能彀使神喜悦快乐。信徒信心的祭物使神满足，而奠祭使神喜悦。因此，奠祭乃是在满足神的祭物之外，所献上使神喜悦的祭。祭物是非常使神满足的。在旧约里，献奠祭的人所献的，就豫表说，不是出于牛群羊群，乃是出于他自己和自己的经历。在新约里，我们看见，保罗藉着个人对基督的享受与经历，成了令神喜悦的酒，浇奠在主面前。他对基督的经历将他构成酒，使神喜乐。
在二章十六节，保罗关切到他是否会徒劳。照着十七节，保罗领悟他在腓立比人中间的劳苦不是徒然的。他知道，他们的信心是基本的祭，使他能将自己当作奠祭浇奠在其上。“即使我成为奠祭，浇奠…，”这话指明，保罗认为自己是一个为着他的职事，不断被献为祭的人。他用“即使”一辞，含示他完全献上为祭了。他认为殉道就是将自己浇奠在信徒信心的祭物上。从人的眼光看，保罗至终被杀；但是从保罗的眼光看，殉道乃是浇奠自己当作奠祭。多年来，他为着他的职事，不断将自己献上为祭。然而，到了殉道的时候，他才成为奠祭完全被浇奠。保罗虽然作过一些重大的牺牲，却未曾这样浇奠自己。如今，即使保罗成为奠祭，浇奠在信徒信心的祭物和供奉上，他也能与他们一同喜乐。
保罗在这里所说的话非常摸着人。这里保罗含示，他为着他的职事，始终是一个祭物。我们这些服事教会，并将基督服事给圣徒的人，必须向保罗学习，成为祭物。没有祭物，就没有职事。我们不该以为，我们越成为祭物，成为牺牲，赏赐就越大。职事只问牺牲，不问赏赐。至终，我们必须达到一个地步，以致能说，即使我们成为奠祭而浇奠，也是喜乐，并且与众圣徒一同喜乐。
信息重点：信徒信心的祭物使神满足，奠祭更使神喜悦快乐。保罗因着长期享受并经历基督，甘愿把自己完全浇奠；真正的事奉不是为得赏赐，乃是把自己献给神。
应用祷告：主耶稣，愿我的生活和事奉不是为着自己，乃是为着使神满足并喜悦。求你使我更多经历你，被你充满，使我甘愿献上自己，无论环境如何，都能喜乐地成为你的祭物。阿们！
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The Drink Offering and Sacrifice (4) — Phil. 2:18
Satisfying and Making God Joyful
As believers experience Christ and enjoy Christ, a constitution is produced within them, which Paul calls faith. In God’s eyes, this faith is so excellent, beautiful and wonderful that God regards it as a sacrifice offered to Himself. Because of Paul’s years of experience of the Lord, especially his experience during his time in prison, he was constituted the heavenly wine, able to make God joyful and pleased. The sacrifice of the believers’ faith satisfies God, while the drink offering pleases God. Therefore, the drink offering is an offering presented to please God, in addition to the sacrifice that satisfies Him. The sacrifice is something that greatly satisfies God. In the Old Testament, what the one offering the drink offering presented was, typologically speaking, not from his herds or flocks, but from himself and his own experience. In the New Testament, we see that Paul, through his personal enjoyment and experience of Christ, became wine pleasing to God, poured out before the Lord. His experience of Christ constituted him wine, making God joyful.
In 2:16 Paul was concerned about whether his labor would be in vain. According to verse 17, Paul realized that his labor among the Philippians was not in vain. He knew that their faith was the basic offering, enabling him to pour himself out as a drink offering upon it. The words “even if I am being poured out as a drink offering…” indicate that Paul considered himself a person continually being offered as a sacrifice for the sake of his ministry. His use of the word “even” implies that he had completely offered himself as a sacrifice. He regarded martyrdom as pouring himself out upon the sacrifice of the believers’ faith. From man’s viewpoint, Paul was eventually put to death; but from Paul’s own viewpoint, martyrdom was the pouring out of himself as a drink offering. For years, he continually offered himself as a sacrifice for the sake of his ministry. Yet it was not until his martyrdom that he became a drink offering completely poured out. Although Paul had made some significant sacrifices, he had not poured himself out in this way before. Now, even if Paul became a drink offering, poured out upon the sacrifice and service of the believers’ faith, he could still rejoice together with them.
What Paul says here is deeply touching. Paul implies that, for the sake of his ministry, he was always a sacrifice. Those of us who serve the church and minister Christ to the saints must learn from Paul to become a sacrifice. Without a sacrifice, there is no ministry. We should not think that the more we become a sacrifice, the greater our reward will be. Ministry is only concerned with sacrifice, not with reward. Eventually, we must reach the point where we can say that even if we become a drink offering and are poured out, we still rejoice, and rejoice together with all the saints.
Message Main Points: The sacrifice of the believers’ faith satisfies God, and the drink offering makes God even more pleased and happy. Because of his long-term enjoyment and experience of Christ, Paul was willing to pour himself out completely; true service is not for the sake of reward, but for offering oneself to God.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, may my life and service not be for myself, but for satisfying and pleasing God. I ask You to make me to experience You more, to be filled with You, so that I am willing to offer myself, and regardless of my circumstances, can joyfully become Your sacrifice. Amen!