5 Ways You Can Unwittingly Put Your Foot in Your Mouth

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Jude 1:8-16.  In the following passage, Jude will describe five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.  The first one is in verse 8, the other four are in verse 16.  Let’s go!

Your words are powerful.  Here Jude describes five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.

Jude 1:8-10 (NIV) 
8  In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 
9  But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 
10  Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals–these are the very things that destroy them.

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耶和华为永久之光

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以赛亚书60: 19  日头不再做你白昼的光，月亮也不再发光照耀你，耶和华却要做你永远的光，你神要为你的荣耀。

阅读经文：60:1-22

1「兴起发光，因为你的光已经来到，耶和华的荣耀发现照耀你。 2 看哪，黑暗遮盖大地，幽暗遮盖万民，耶和华却要显现照耀你，他的荣耀要现在你身上。 3 万国要来就你的光，君王要来就你发现的光辉。

从本章起至六十二章为先知论述到弥赛亚来临时的黄金时代。本章的信息带着欢欣的气氛，论到耶路撒冷将被重建，世上的列国将来到锡安同享欢乐，以及万民将并且获得永恒生命之光。

本章一开始，先知便宣告了上帝对锡安的两个命令：「兴起、发光」（直译为「闪烁」）。尽管当时周围的环境仍然笼罩在一片黑暗中，但是因为弥赛亚（「你的光」）已经临到他们当中了，所以他们有能力在祂的里面完成「兴起、发光」的这两个托付（60:1-3）。锡安是不能自己发光的，但因弥赛亚（「你的光」）已经来到，为锡安带来圣洁的同在，所以锡安才能够重获新的地位和能力为神发光。神也预言因着锡安重新兴起发光，因此使得万国及万国的君王都前来归向这「光」（弥赛亚），届时救恩便要普及世界每个角落。

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必有一位救赎主来到锡安

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以赛亚书59: 20 「必有一位救赎主来到锡安，雅各族中转离过犯的人那里。」这是耶和华说的。

阅读经文：59:1-21

1耶和华的膀臂并非缩短不能拯救，耳朵并非发沉不能听见； 2 但你们的罪孽使你们与神隔绝，你们的罪恶使他掩面不听你们。 3 因你们的手被血沾染，你们的指头被罪孽沾污，你们的嘴唇说谎言，你们的舌头出恶语。 4 无一人按公义告状，无一人凭诚实辩白，都倚靠虚妄，说谎言，所怀的是毒害，所生的是罪孽。 5 他们抱毒蛇蛋，结蜘蛛网。人吃这蛋必死，这蛋被踏，必出蝮蛇。

在本段中，先知首先告诉百姓，上帝并非没有能力拯救他们，而是因为他们本身的罪孽使他们与神隔绝，以致于上帝不愿意听他们的祷告（59:1-3）。为了进一步说明百姓犯罪以致于上帝不愿意拯救的原因，先知分别从手、指头、嘴唇、舌头、脚等方面，列举百姓所犯的诸项罪行（59:4-8指出他们的手沾染无辜之人的血、他们的指头偷窃掠夺财物、执政者嘴唇言而无信以谎言谋己利、他们的舌头诋毁上帝、他们的脚四处奔走行恶）。

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You Are Called, Loved and Kept

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Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Jude, one of the shortest books in the Bible, written by a Christian called Jude to Jewish Christians probably between 67 AD and 80 AD. 

Today’s passage is Jude 1:1-7.  Let’s go!

Jude 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 
2  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

On verses 1-2:  Who is Jude?  The fact that Jude calls himself “a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James” (v1) suggests to scholars that Jude had a very unique background: Jude was Jesus’ half-brother.  In other words, after the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, Mary and her husband Joseph had natural children of their own, including Jude and James.  Imagine growing up with Jesus as your older brother!  Although Jude grew up with Jesus, Jude and his siblings at first did not believe that their brother was actually the Son of God (John 7:4-5).  It was not until Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his followers and family that Jude believed Jesus to be who He claimed to be.  It is likely for this reason that Jude humbly refers to himself as only a “servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James”, instead of as “Jesus’ half-brother”. 

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守安息日者有福乐

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以赛亚书58: 11   耶和华也必时常引导你，在干旱之地使你心满意足，骨头强壮。你必像浇灌的园子，又像水流不绝的泉源。

阅读经文：58:1-14

1「你要大声喊叫，不可止息，扬起声来，好像吹角，向我百姓说明他们的过犯，向雅各家说明他们的罪恶。 2 他们天天寻求我，乐意明白我的道，好像行义的国民，不离弃他们神的典章，向我求问公义的判语，喜悦亲近神。

本章论到对耶和华神崇拜的道德观点，先知首先提到神对他传信息的托付（58:1），这是一段同义平行的诗歌。先知在他的前言中，说到百姓形式化敬拜的罪。他严厉斥责这样的虚假，因这完全丧失信仰该有的生命相称要件。百姓对耶和华神的敬拜，外表看似乐于追求明白真道，事实上他们仅是把它当做一般知识去研究而已。

他们真正喜欢的是那种满有知识的优越感，而不是行出真理。这一点要成为今日信徒的提醒，因为越来多的敬拜，已经变成追求陶醉在圣灵的充满，或是美好的崇拜气氛中。许多领敬拜者已经把敬拜神的过程与工具，代替了神在敬拜中的重要性，只以能否带动会众进入情绪的亢奋里，或是令会众感受到敬拜的规格，过于使人在敬拜中面对神、转向神、经历神、尊荣神的目的。

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The Unboxable God and Where You’ll Be In The End

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Hi GAMErs!

Today we’re finishing the book of Isaiah with the final chapter, Isaiah 66:1-24.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 66:1-2 (NIV)
1  This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
2  Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
 
On verses 1-2:  In the final chapter of Isaiah 66, God has a number of messages to tell His people.  He begins this last chapter by going back to the very beginning, reminding them of who He is: He is the Creator, the reason this world came into existence.  Because God made it all, God can’t be contained by any man-made structure. He’s too big.  So don’t try to box God into a building.  He won’t fit. 

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至高者将与谦卑人同居住

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以赛亚书57:1 义人死亡，无人放在心上；虔诚人被收去，无人思念。这义人被收去，是免了将来的祸患。

阅读经文：56:9-57:21

56:9 田野的诸兽都来吞吃吧，林中的诸兽也要如此！ 10 他看守的人是瞎眼的，都没有知识，都是哑巴狗，不能叫唤，但知做梦、躺卧、贪睡。 11 这些狗贪食，不知饱足；这些牧人不能明白，各人偏行己路，各从各方求自己的利益。 12 他们说：「来吧，我去拿酒，我们饱饮浓酒。明日必和今日一样，就是宴乐无量极大之日。」

在先知论述完对外邦人的接纳之后，接着提到耶和华神将对恶人的惩治，就连神的百姓也在被审判之列。神的审判第一部份是针对社会的领袖，指出他们盲目腐化的崇拜（56:9-57:13）。第二部份是对一切犯罪顽梗的百姓，指出他们属灵的淫乱与虚谎（57:14-21）。在一连串的指责之后，神向他们揭示了不变的恩典与接纳，凡向祂心存谦卑的人，祂必安慰医治（57:15-19）。

在第一部份的论述中，先知指责宗教领袖没有看到迫在眉睫的警讯，也没有向群众发出警告。他们只知贪图追求个人的利益，躺卧做白日梦。他们不顾明天，也不顾神将临到的审判（56:12）。他们被形容为「瞎眼的」以及「哑吧狗」，没有看到正日益逼近的「田野的诸兽」与「林中的诸兽」（两者均象征列强）将对犹大进行的侵吞行动。

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The New Heavens and The New Earth

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 65:17-25.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 65:17 (NIV)
17  “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
 
On verse 17:  What does God mean by “the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind”?  Likely it means that what we know of the earth and the heavens today will one day be gone and instead God will create new heavens and a new earth.  This is consistent with what we read from Jesus in the gospels (see for example Matthew 24) as well as in the book of Revelation (see for example Revelation 8) .

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外邦人要入神的圣殿敬拜

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以赛亚书56: 7  我必领他们到我的圣山，使他们在祷告我的殿中喜乐。他们的燔祭和平安祭在我坛上必蒙悦纳，因我的殿必称为万民祷告的殿。

阅读经文：53:1-13

1耶和华如此说：「你们当守公平，行公义，因我的救恩临近，我的公义将要显现。 2 谨守安息日而不干犯，禁止己手而不作恶，如此行、如此持守的人，便为有福！」 3 与耶和华联合的外邦人不要说：「耶和华必定将我从他民中分别出来。」太监也不要说：「我是枯树。」 4 因为耶和华如此说：「那些谨守我的安息日，拣选我所喜悦的事，持守我约的太监， 5 我必使他们在我殿中、在我墙内有纪念，有名号，比有儿女的更美。我必赐他们永远的名，不能剪除。

这是一段安慰外邦人的经文，他们一夕之间从神的仇敌，变为神的选民，并被允许得以进入耶和华的圣殿来事奉祂（56:6-7）。他们要与以色列人归并为一群（56:8），神使外邦人和犹太人在对祂的敬拜中达到美好的合一，打破了界限，在敬拜中拆毁中间隔断的墙。先知说，外邦人之所以有如此的新地位，乃是因为他们做到了三件事（56:4）。

第一，他们遵守耶和华的安息日（56:2a,4a,6b）──安息日是神创造的高峰，有它的宇宙性的基础。创世记2:3记载上帝六日创造之后，就定第七日为安息日，祂并在这日息了一切的工。在被掳时期，安息日成为摩西律法中人类唯一能向真神表示崇敬的规律，为真以色列人的标记。因此当外邦人守安息日的时候，亦即表明他们已经实行了摩西律法，成为神的子民。

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He Called You First

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 65:1-16.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 65:1 (NIV)
1  “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
 
On verse 1:  The book of Isaiah ends with God speaking the whole way through the last two chapters.  Is Isaiah 65:1-16 (and even Isaiah 65:17 to the end of Isaiah 66) God’s direct answer to the prayer that Isaiah prayed in Isaiah 64?  It’s possible, but it’s not absolutely clear. 
 
One of the big themes of the Bible is that we weren’t looking for God as much as God was looking for us.  We see that in verse 1: “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’”  Desiring that we find Him and know Him, God takes the initiative to reach out to us.  

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