God’s Law and God’s Promise Are Working Together for You

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 3:15-22.  Let’s go!

What’s the main message of Galatians?  It’s that we are justified by faith in Christ and not by trying to obey God’s laws.  (Remember that “justified” means to be declared righteous in God’s sight and worthy to be in God’s presence.)  Earlier in Galatians 3:6-14, Paul focuses on the life of Abraham as an example of “justification by faith”, how Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness.  In other words, God justified Abraham not because he perfectly obeyed God’s laws, but because Abraham believed God’s promise.

Now in the following verses, Galatians 3:15-22, Paul answers some questions on how justification by faith works if God gave laws for His people to obey in the Old Testament.  

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God Planned It All Along

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 3:6-14.  Let’s go!

Galatians 3:6-14 (NIV)
6  Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
8  The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
9  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

On verses 6-14:  When I was a kid growing up in church, my teachers would get us to sing a song called “Father Abraham”.  It went like this:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them, and so are you
So let’s just praise the Lord

There were these funny actions that accompanied the song.

Now why would a Chinese boy growing up in Vancouver be calling an old middle eastern man from ancient Mesopotamia, whom he has never met, his father?

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新天新地

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以賽亞書65:17  看哪，我造新天新地，從前的事不再被記念，也不再追想。

閱讀經文：65:16-25

16 這樣，在地上為自己求福的，必憑真實的神求福；在地上起誓的，必指真實的神起誓。因為從前的患難已經忘記，也從我眼前隱藏了。

17 「看哪，我造新天新地，從前的事不再被記念，也不再追想。 18 你們當因我所造的永遠歡喜快樂，因我造耶路撒冷為人所喜，造其中的居民為人所樂。 19 我必因耶路撒冷歡喜，因我的百姓快樂，其中必不再聽見哭泣的聲音和哀號的聲音。 20 其中必沒有數日夭亡的嬰孩，也沒有壽數不滿的老者，因為百歲死的仍算孩童，有百歲死的罪人算被咒詛。

在論述完神對不虔之民與敬虔之餘民的信息之後，先知接著揭開了一項奧祕，那就是有關新天新地的啟示。耶和華神透過先知向選民介紹祂的新世界與新秩序──「看哪！我造新天新地，從前的事不再被記念，也不再追想」，以前的舊世界與舊秩序將完全過去（65:16-17）。有解經家認為這一段新天新地的敘述，並非指千禧年國度的來臨，因為第20節說到在新天新地中，「必沒有數日夭亡的嬰孩，也沒有壽數不滿的老者。因為百歲死的仍算孩童，有百歲死的罪人算被咒詛」。這些學這認為既是新天新地的時代，就不會有罪人與死亡的存在，因此這段經文最可能是指被擄歸回後耶路撒冷的新光景。

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The Most Common False Teaching Today – Don’t Fall For it

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 3:1-5.  Let’s go!

Galatians 3:1-5 (NIV)
1  You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2  I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3  Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4  Have you suffered so much for nothing–if it really was for nothing?
5  Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

What is the most common false teaching that billions of people believe about God and heaven?  It’s believing that through your own goodness or effort you can go to heaven or reach God.  That’s what Paul was warning the Galatians against in his letter called “Galatians”.

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積善之家有餘慶，積惡之家有餘殃(2)

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以賽亞書65:10   沙崙平原必成為羊群的圈，亞割谷必成為牛群躺臥之處，都為尋求我的民所得。

閱讀經文：65:8-16

8 耶和華如此說：「葡萄中尋得新酒，人就說：『不要毀壞，因為福在其中。』我因我僕人的緣故也必照樣而行，不將他們全然毀滅。 9 我必從雅各中領出後裔，從猶大中領出承受我眾山的，我的選民必承受，我的僕人要在那裡居住。 10 沙崙平原必成為羊群的圈，亞割谷必成為牛群躺臥之處，都為尋求我的民所得。 11 但你們這些離棄耶和華，忘記我的聖山，給時運擺筵席，給天命盛滿調和酒的， 12 我要命定你們歸在刀下，都必屈身被殺。因為我呼喚，你們沒有答應，我說話，你們沒有聽從，反倒行我眼中看為惡的，揀選我所不喜悅的。」

上一段論到對於那些悖逆神去拜偶像的百姓，上帝將挪去他們原本所蒙的救恩，轉而把救贖賜給外邦人。本段繼續就此一主題，論到雖然神向百姓發怒，但是有少數對耶和華神保持真敬虔的餘民卻將要被分別（65:15b）。神將不把他們與惡百姓一同除滅，反倒要把臨到他們的咒詛化為祝福（65:8-10）。

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積善之家有餘慶，積惡之家有餘殃(1)

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以賽亞書65:1 「素來沒有訪問我的，現在求問我；沒有尋找我的，我叫他們遇見；沒有稱為我名下的，我對他們說：『我在這裡！我在這裡！』。

閱讀經文：65:1-7

1 「素來沒有訪問我的，現在求問我；沒有尋找我的，我叫他們遇見；沒有稱為我名下的，我對他們說：『我在這裡！我在這裡！』

2 「我整天伸手招呼那悖逆的百姓，他們隨自己的意念行不善之道。 3 這百姓時常當面惹我發怒，在園中獻祭，在壇上燒香；

本章開始，先知轉述救主的啟示，論到能被揀選成為新國度選民的原則。以色列為神選民的身份原是來自先祖，然而，他們卻要因悖逆而喪失地位。他們雖然稱為主名下的選民，但卻從不主動尋找祂（65:1）。

首先先知論到神主動的救贖。先知以第一人稱的口氣轉述上帝主動對外邦人救贖的心意──外邦百姓原是「素來沒有訪問我（耶和華神）的」、「沒有尋找我的」、也是「沒有稱為我名下的」，但是神卻「叫他們遇見」、「對他們說我在這裡」，猶太百姓對神的輕忽，因此神就主動轉向外邦百姓。這一段啟示也是一個預言，指明福音要因猶太人的棄絕而轉向外邦。耶和華神原是猶太人所熟悉的，但是猶太人卻因習以為常以致不珍惜這個能夠成為神子民的福氣，所以上帝便將認識祂、成為祂子民的福氣轉向外邦，叫他們有機會可以瞭解救贖主的存在，並能夠尋求到祂。

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When Paul Confronted Peter

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Galatians 2:1-2 (NIV)
1  Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
2  I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
 
On verses 1-2:  Paul’s goal is to show the Christians in Galatia that they are heading in the wrong direction by thinking that they need to be circumcised in order to be saved.  To help them see the error of their ways, Paul uses an interesting and commendable approach: he shares a story.  In fact, it’s his own story, the story of how years before he went through a similar struggle.  Paul shares about a time when he also wondered whether he was preaching the right thing by telling Gentile Christians that they didn’t need to be circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses.  So Paul goes to Jerusalem, along with his ministry teammates Barnabas and Titus, to ask for advice from leaders in Jerusalem. 

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It Helps to Get Good Advice

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Galatians 2:1-2 (NIV)
1  Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
2  I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
 
On verses 1-2:  Paul’s goal is to show the Christians in Galatia that they are heading in the wrong direction by thinking that they need to be circumcised in order to be saved.  To help them see the error of their ways, Paul uses an interesting and commendable approach: he shares a story.  In fact, it’s his own story, the story of how years before he went through a similar struggle.  Paul shares about a time when he also wondered whether he was preaching the right thing by telling Gentile Christians that they didn’t need to be circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses.  So Paul goes to Jerusalem, along with his ministry teammates Barnabas and Titus, to ask for advice from leaders in Jerusalem. 

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選民對耶和華神的求救

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以賽亞書64: 8 耶和華啊，現在祢仍是我們的父！我們是泥，祢是窯匠，我們都是祢手的工作。

閱讀經文：63:15-64:12

63:15 求祢從天上垂顧，從祢聖潔榮耀的居所觀看！祢的熱心和祢大能的作為在哪裡呢？祢愛慕的心腸和憐憫向我們止住了。 16 亞伯拉罕雖然不認識我們，以色列也不承認我們，祢卻是我們的父！耶和華啊，祢是我們的父，從萬古以來，祢名稱為我們的救贖主。 17 耶和華啊，祢為何使我們走差離開你的道，使我們心裡剛硬不敬畏祢呢？求祢為祢僕人，為祢產業支派的緣故轉回來。 18 祢的聖民不過暫時得這產業，我們的敵人已經踐踏祢的聖所。 19 我們好像祢未曾治理的人，又像未曾得稱祢名下的人。

六十三章的第三部份（63:15-19），先知從異象中看到仇敵已踐踏聖殿，有一群不認識耶和華的人統治著這個地方。顯然，這異象乃是先知被帶到巴比倫軍隊攻略耶路撒冷聖殿的場景中的記錄，那時，先知體會到耶和華神此時似乎並不怎麼關切百姓的命運，以致於先知認為神已向他們止住愛與憐憫（63:15「你的熱心和你大能的作為在哪裡呢？」此語乃是因百姓感受不到神對他們的眷顧）。

雖說這全是因為百姓的罪有應得，然而神的置若罔聞卻引起部份百姓更硬著心腸，而且心裡更剛硬不敬畏神（63:17「祢為何使我們走差離開祢的道，使我們心裡剛硬不敬畏你呢？」此語乃是百姓再度對神埋怨，將一切的苦難歸責於上帝）。

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Look to God First, Then to People

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 1:13-24.  Let’s go!

Galatians 1:13-16 (NIV)
13  For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
14  I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15  But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased
16  to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…

On verses 13-16a:  Here in verses 13-24 Paul shares his experience of how he went from trying to destroy the church of God and one of the most zealous Pharisees to a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As Paul writes, everything changed “when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (v15-16).  Notice those words: “who set me apart from birth and called me” (v15).  Long before Paul became passionate about persecuting the church or advancing in Judaism, God had a call on Paul’s life and had set him apart from birth.

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