蒙召的年轻人耶利米

/in , /by

耶利米书1:5  我未将你造在腹中，我已晓得你；你未出母胎，我已分别你为圣。我已派你做列国的先知。

阅读经文：1:4-10

4 耶利米说：耶和华的话临到我说： 5 「我未将你造在腹中，我已晓得你；你未出母胎，我已分别你为圣。我已派你做列国的先知。」 6 我就说：「主耶和华啊！我不知怎样说，因为我是年幼的。」 7 耶和华对我说：「你不要说『我是年幼的』，因为我差遣你到谁那里去，你都要去，我吩咐你说什么话，你都要说。

在〈诗篇〉139篇，大卫王说：“我的肺腑是祢所造的，我在母腹中，祢已覆庇我。 我要称谢祢，因我受造奇妙可畏；祢的作为奇妙，这是我心深知道的。我在暗中受造，在地的深处被联络，那时我的形体并不向祢隐藏。 我未成形的体质，祢的眼早已看见了；祢所定的日子，我尚未度一日，祢都写在祢的册上了”（13-16节）。而神对耶利米说：“我未将你造在腹中，我已晓得你；你未出母胎，我已分别你为圣。”这两处的经文让我们明白，神和我们的关系何等密切。祂是造我们的神，祂认识我们，对我们的人生都有特别的计划。

约西亚王在位的第十三年，耶和华的话语临到耶利米，使他作神的先知。那时他回应神：“我是年幼的。”年幼不是孩童的意思，这词的希伯来文是拿阿（naar），是指一个在社会中尚无地位之人，特别是还未结婚的年轻人，可能是在16-20岁之间，由此推断他是在玛拿西王统治的末期出生的。

Read more

You Are A Child of God’s Promise

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:21-31.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:21-31 (NIV)
21  Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?
22  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23  His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

On verses 21-31:  What is Paul talking about in Galatians 4:21-31?  Remember that Paul is writing to people who think that in order to be justified (that is, in order for God to see you as blameless and worthy to have a relationship with Him), it’s not enough to believe in Jesus; it also depends on how well you obey the Jewish law.  So the goal of Paul’s entire letter to the Galatians is to show that we are not justified by our efforts to obey God’s law; rather we are justified by faith in Christ’s power to save us and to forgive our sins.  We need to seek justification by faith, not justification by our works.

Read more

亚拿突的祭司耶利米

/in , /by

耶利米书1:2 犹大王亚们的儿子约西亚在位十三年，耶和华的话临到耶利米。

阅读经文：1:1-3

1便雅悯地亚拿突城的祭司中，希勒家的儿子耶利米的话记在下面。 2 犹大王亚们的儿子约西亚在位十三年，耶和华的话临到耶利米。 3 从犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬在位的时候，直到犹大王约西亚的儿子西底家在位的末年，就是十一年五月间耶路撒冷人被掳的时候，耶和华的话也常临到耶利米。

你可曾对生活的环境不满意？对政局感到极大的无奈和愤怒？对工作感到沮丧，因社会对你的歧视和排斥而时常悲哀？你的人生里是否一片灰色和阴影？当你以为跟随主的人生必然有所不同时，在教会或事奉的环境里，却感受到更多的失望和痛苦？在《圣经》里，神把祂的一位先知放在这样的境遇里，让我们知道，神全然明白我们的处境。但也就是在这样的黑暗里，这位先知说出了一句名言：“祢信实何广大！”这位先知就是耶利米。

耶利米先知又被称为“流泪的先知”，表明他一生绝大部份的时间在痛苦的泪水中度过。神却让他的眼泪化为一颗颗闪亮的钻石，在黑暗的世道里发光，带领后人继续去体会神的信实；在全然败坏的光景里看见神要给人的，那不能抹灭的希望。现在让我们先来认识一件这位伟大先知的一些背景。

Read more

普世的敬拜与永远的结局

/in , /by

以赛亚书66:22  耶和华说：我所要造的新天新地怎样在我面前长存，你们的后裔和你们的名字也必照样长存。

阅读经文：66:18-24

18 「我知道他们的行为和他们的意念。时候将到，我必将万民万族[a]聚来，看见我的荣耀。 19 我要显神蹟在他们中间，逃脱的，我要差到列国去，就是到他施、普勒、拉弓的路德和土巴、雅完，并素来没有听见我名声，没有看见我荣耀辽远的海岛。他们必将我的荣耀传扬在列国中。

本段信息一开始，上帝以「我知道他们的行为和他们的意念」来宣示祂的全知。这一句宣示，乃是针对66:17当中所述的那些隐藏的拜偶像者所发出的回应，指出人一切偏差的行为与意念，都逃不过上帝的法眼。上帝要将一切虚假的恶人完全除去，而却要「将万民万族聚来看见我的荣耀，我要显神蹟」。这乃是一段的预言，其中所揭开的奥祕，乃是指耶稣基督将要在十字架上被举起来，就要吸引万人来归向祂所说的。神聚集万民万族，不再利用旗帜的号召（例如兴起亚述、巴比伦、波斯等国成为惩罚悖逆百姓的工具），而是利用祂牺牲的爱。

当一切的恶人（假信徒）都被除去之后，接着先知引导我们看到几幅美好的景象，先知说这完全是出于耶和华神的作为（66:18）。

Read more

Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Disciple of Jesus

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:12-20.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:12-20 (NIV)
12  I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.
13  As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
14  Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
15  What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
16  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

On verses 12-20:  In Galatians 4:12-20 we see an emotional and passionate Paul writing to the churches he helped to build in Galatia.  Using very emotional language, Paul describes the roller coaster of emotions he experienced with his churches in Galatia:

– the joy and comfort Paul felt at first when, because of an illness, Paul got to preach the gospel to them and was taken care of by them (v12-15);

– the heartbreak Paul felt when these same Christians scorned him and distanced themselves from him because they became infatuated with another group who convinced them that Paul’s gospel was wrong and that their circumcision-based “gospel” was correct (v16-17);

Read more

Jesus Sets You Free From This

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:1-11.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:1-5 (NIV)
1  What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
2  He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3  So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
4  But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5  to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

On verses 1-5:  These are not the easiest verses to interpret, but here goes.  Paul begins by painting the picture of an underage child of a rich father, who until the time he becomes of age, is subject to the supervision of guardians and trustees.  These guardians and trustees exercise a great deal of control over the son such that this son is effectively no different from a slave, even though he is an heir (v1-2).  Why does Paul mention this?  It’s because Paul is saying that at one time, we were children living under the enslaving control of “the basic principles of the world” (v3) (also translated “the elemental spiritual forces of the world”).

Read more

对不敬虔者的报应

/in , /by

以赛亚书66:15   看哪，耶和华必在火中降临，祂的车辇像旋风，以烈怒施行报应，以火焰施行责罚。

阅读经文：66:15-17

15 「看哪，耶和华必在火中降临，祂的车辇像旋风，以烈怒施行报应，以火焰施行责罚。 16 因为耶和华在一切有血气的人身上，必以火与刀施行审判，被耶和华所杀的必多。 17 那些分别为圣洁净自己的，进入园内跟在其中一个人的后头，吃猪肉和仓鼠并可憎之物，他们必一同灭绝。」这是耶和华说的。

本段乃是第六十六章的第二段，其中又分为两部份，第一部份乃是论到神对不敬虔之恶百姓的报应（66:15-17）；第二部份乃是论到在新世界当中，普天下列国对耶和华神的奉献与服事（66:18-24）。

在这第一部份（66:15-17）的一开始，耶和华神再度以战士的姿态出现，先知以旧约惯用以描述耶和华神那无上的威严与可畏的大自然变化。先知以三个形象来，来叙述耶和华神降临所带来的震撼（66:15）。

1.「在火中降临」──在出埃及记时候，上帝在荆棘烧着的火中向摩西显现，这表明上帝乃是炼净一切的，但在祂的炼净中，被炼净的对像却不会毁坏。因此，「炼净的全能者」便是此时这一位耶和华神战士所要让祂的百姓体认到的第一个形象。

Read more

对敬虔余民的信息

/in , /by

以赛亚书66:13   母亲怎样安慰儿子，我就照样安慰你们，你们也必因耶路撒冷得安慰。

阅读经文：66:5-14

5 你们因耶和华言语战兢的人，当听他的话：「你们的弟兄，就是恨恶你们，因我名赶出你们的，曾说：『愿耶和华得荣耀，使我们得见你们的喜乐！』但蒙羞的究竟是他们！ 6 有喧哗的声音出自城中，有声音出于殿中，是耶和华向仇敌施行报应的声音。

在上一段论述完神对死抱型式主义的恶百姓的责备与审判之后，接着先知对那些持守单纯信靠神之心的百姓给予嘉勉，并向他们报喜讯。

这个嘉勉的信息，包括首先以型式主义者所犯的错，来安慰那持守单纯心志的百姓。先知对着他们论到「你们的弟兄」（指形式主义的敬拜者）是「恨恶你们的，因我的名赶出你们」，先知挑明说到形式主义者因为不能接受单单信靠神拯救的看法，因而排斥敬虔的选民。他们曾经骄狂地宣称「愿耶和华得荣耀」。事实上，这句话是形式主义者的一厢情愿，实际上他们所作的行为并不荣耀神。因此先知说，到头来「蒙羞的究竟是他们」，因为他们口中宣称「愿耶和华得荣耀」，实际上却背其道而行、口是而心非。

Read more

The Babysitter and the Babe

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 3:23-29.  Let’s go!

Galatians 3:23-25 (NIV)
23  Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
25  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

On verses 23-25:  In Galatians 3:23-25, Paul talks more about this question:  if God’s plan was that we would be justified by faith in Jesus Christ, what was the point of God giving us the law through Moses?

Paul’s answer: the law was put in place to govern and watch over God’s people until Jesus Christ came.  Paul compares God’s law to a guardian who takes care of you when you are still young, and how when you become an adult that guardian no longer has authority over you.

Read more

对形式主义者的信息

/in , /by

以赛亚书66:2  耶和华说：这一切都是我手所造的，所以就都有了。但我所看顾的就是虚心、痛悔、因我话而战兢的人。

阅读经文：66:1-4

1 耶和华如此说：「天是我的座位，地是我的脚凳，你们要为我造何等的殿宇？哪里是我安息的地方呢？」 2 耶和华说：「这一切都是我手所造的，所以就都有了。但我所看顾的就是虚心、痛悔、因我话而战兢的人。 3 假冒为善的宰牛好像杀人，献羊羔好像打折狗项，献供物好像献猪血，烧乳香好像称颂偶像。

六十六章为以赛亚信息的尾声，本章分为两段。第一段论到神对死抱型式主义的恶百姓的责备与审判（66:1-4），第二段为神对敬虔的余民坚忍的称赞与赐福（66:5-14）。

今天的信息为第一段，先知以真假敬拜的对比，来论到审判的依据。在这一段中又分为两部份──第一部份66：1-2论到真实敬拜的本质，第二部份66:3-4论到对假敬拜的责备与审判。

在第一部份的讲论中，先知先叙述何为真实敬拜的本质。先知以向百姓提出两个问题，来进行他的讲论。这两个问题包含在第一节上帝的宣告中，神说：「天是我的座位，地是我的脚凳，你们要为我造何等的殿宇呢？哪里是我安息的地方呢？」的确，物质的殿不能使神安居，唯有神降卑自己时，才有可能「形式上」的住在人手所造的殿中。上帝要能够得到安息，也并非「形式上」住在人手所造的殿中，而是因着罪恶能够由地上完全的除去。

Read more