Jesus = God’s Promises Fulfilled

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 7:1-17.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Samuel 7:1-2 (NIV) 
1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 
2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

On verses 1-2:  When God had given David rest from all his enemies around him, David’s heart was still restless for God.  David restlessly dreamed of building a house for the Lord.  You can tell what is in a person’s heart by what stirs their heart even when their circumstances are peaceful.  Like David, I believe God has placed a dream in your heart to do something significant for His glory.  That dream will keep you awake and gnaw at you even when – or especially when – life seems relatively peaceful.

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道成肉身

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马太福音 1:18 耶稣基督降生的事记在下面：他母亲马利亚已经许配了约瑟，还没有迎娶，马利亚就从圣灵怀了孕。

路加福音 1:26-38
26 到了第六个月，天使加百列奉神的差遣往加利利的一座城去，这城名叫拿撒勒； 27 到一个童女那里，是已经许配大卫家的一个人，名叫约瑟，童女的名字叫马利亚。 28 天使进去，对她说：「蒙大恩的女子，我问你安，主和你同在了！」29 马利亚因这话就很惊慌，又反复思想这样问安是什么意思。 30 天使对她说：「马利亚，不要怕，你在神面前已经蒙恩了。 31 你要怀孕生子，可以给祂起名叫耶稣。

在这段短短的经文里，我们看到了一个神话故事，神的话应验的故事。两千年前的某天，有位天使去犹大地看一个犹大妙龄少女，告诉她，她己经从圣灵怀孕了。而这个少女马利亚，竟然很快乐地接受了这件事。她只是好奇，没有结婚的我，怎能生孩子？

天使回答：「圣灵要临到你身上，至高者的能力要荫庇你。因此，所要生的圣者必称为神的儿子。」这句话至关重要。因为很多人质疑耶稣的无罪性，既然是从马利亚出生，怎么可能没有原罪？「圣灵要临到你身上」，这句话就是指道成肉身的真相，圣灵亲自成为一个受精卵进入了马利亚的子宫；然后「至高者的能力要荫庇你」，换句话说其他的事神会亲自成就。假如神能创造人，祂岂不能使马利亚的身体可以因为从圣灵受孕，而开始有各方面的变化吗？当然可以，那就是神的能力荫庇马利亚的实证。

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三个十四代

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马太福音 1 : 3-6

犹大从她玛氏生法勒斯和谢拉，法勒斯生希斯仑，希斯仑生亚兰，5 撒门从喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯从路得氏生俄备得，俄备得生耶西， 6 耶西生大卫王。大卫从乌利亚的妻子(拔示巴)生所罗门。

圣经在很多人心中具有很神圣的地位，耶稣是弥赛亚，人类的救赎主，祂的地位更是无比崇高。因此当许多人看到耶稣的家谱上出现了四个女人的名字，都大感惊讶。
她玛，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她们代表的是怎样的社会地位呢？

她玛，曾经是犹大的媳妇，犹大是雅各的四子。因为犹大的长子早死，按照犹太人的规矩，次子要为长子留后，免得长子的产业无人继承。犹大的次子与她玛结婚，却不肯为哥哥留后，因此神也不给他长留人世。犹大还有一个小儿子，尚未成年；成年后，犹大却不舍得让他和她玛成婚，怕万一他又得罪神。她玛看到小叔己成长，却没有来娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她听到公公会经过某条路去剪羊毛，于是她打扮成一个妓女蒙着脸，引诱她公公上床。因为犹大当时没准备，所以把他的印、带子和手杖放在她那里。等犹大派人带着羊羔去找她时，却找不到她了；反而听到她玛怀孕的消息。他本来要惩罚她，却不料她玛派人把他的当头送来。

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Worship the Lord With All Your Might

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:12-23.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 6:12 (NIV) 
12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

On verse 12:   For a season David was afraid to get near God’s presence (v9-10), but when he saw how much God had blessed Obed-Edom because Obed-Edom drew near to God’s presence, David decided that he needed the presence of God no matter what the cost.

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Longing for God’s Presence

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:1-11.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 6:1-2 (NIV) 
1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 
2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.

On verses 1-2:   The ark here was a gold covered box 2.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet high, and 4 feet long.  It was where centuries before Moses would meet with God on behalf of the people (Exodus 25:22).  Why did David want to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem?  It’s because the ark of God represented the presence of God.  David longed for God’s presence to fill Jerusalem and his entire kingdom.  So he leads a massive processional of 30,000 men where together they would bring the ark of God into Jerusalem.
Like David, our greatest longing should be for God’s presence and glory to fill our marriages, homes, churches, and cities.

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四个女人

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马太福音 1 : 3-6

犹大从她玛氏生法勒斯和谢拉，法勒斯生希斯仑，希斯仑生亚兰，5 撒门从喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯从路得氏生俄备得，俄备得生耶西， 6 耶西生大卫王。大卫从乌利亚的妻子(拔示巴)生所罗门。

圣经在很多人心中具有很神圣的地位，耶稣是弥赛亚，人类的救赎主，祂的地位更是无比崇高。因此当许多人看到耶稣的家谱上出现了四个女人的名字，都大感惊讶。
她玛，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她们代表的是怎样的社会地位呢？

她玛，曾经是犹大的媳妇，犹大是雅各的四子。因为犹大的长子早死，按照犹太人的规矩，次子要为长子留后，免得长子的产业无人继承。犹大的次子与她玛结婚，却不肯为哥哥留后，因此神也不给他长留人世。犹大还有一个小儿子，尚未成年；成年后，犹大却不舍得让他和她玛成婚，怕万一他又得罪神。她玛看到小叔己成长，却没有来娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她听到公公会经过某条路去剪羊毛，于是她打扮成一个妓女蒙着脸，引诱她公公上床。因为犹大当时没准备，所以把他的印、带子和手杖放在她那里。等犹大派人带着羊羔去找她时，却找不到她了；反而听到她玛怀孕的消息。他本来要惩罚她，却不料她玛派人把他的当头送来。

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耶稣基督的家谱

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马太福音 1:1 亚伯拉罕的后裔、大卫的子孙耶稣基督的家谱：

2 亚伯拉罕生以撒，以撒生雅各，雅各生犹大和他的弟兄， 3 犹大从她玛氏生法勒斯和谢拉，法勒斯生希斯仑，希斯仑生亚兰， 4 亚兰生亚米拿达，亚米拿达生拿顺，拿顺生撒门， 5 撒门从喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯从路得氏生俄备得，俄备得生耶西， 6 耶西生大卫王。
大卫从乌利亚的妻子生所罗门， 7 所罗门生罗波安，罗波安生亚比雅，亚比雅生亚撒， 8 亚撒生约沙法，约沙法生约兰，约兰生乌西亚， 9 乌西亚生约坦，约坦生亚哈斯，亚哈斯生希西家， 10 希西家生玛拿西，玛拿西生亚们，亚们生约西亚， 11 百姓被迁到巴比伦的时候，约西亚生耶哥尼雅和他的弟兄。

这段简单的记录便是神救恩的蓝图：亚伯拉罕 — 信心之父；大卫 –- 合神心意的人；耶稣，神的儿子，祂为亚伯拉罕和大卫的一生做了总结，并彰显神为我们所做的一切。

谁说先祖的记录不重要呢？

耶稣来了，让我们看到在历史上一系列的名字，不是日子，不是节期 – 借着这些人名，祢以恩慈和责任拣选了他们，也拣选了我们。因此，我们也以相信和喜乐的心接受祢的名，耶稣。

圣经里所列的家谱并不像一般人所感觉的无聊和没有意义， 相反的，这些名字所代表的，是神在他们每一个人身上的磨炼，显明他们和神的关系，还有神的应许怎样一一应验在他们身上的史实。

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Don’t Just Rely On Your Experience. Look to God.

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 5:17-25.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 5:17-25 (NIV)
17  When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.
18  Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
19  so David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.”

On verses 17-25:   There was a season in David’s life when for 16 months David had allied himself with the Philistines, such that King Achish of the Philistines thought David was fighting for them (1 Samuel 27).  So when the Philistines hear that David has now been anointed king over Israel, they must have felt in some ways betrayed and rejected by David.  So the Philistines come in full force, spreading their entire army across the Valley of Rephaim to fight David.  David inquires of the Lord, gets God’s signal to attack the Philistines, obeys God’s signal, and is victorious over the Philistines (v19-20). 

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祂来（待降节期的渴慕）

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腓立比书 2:6-7  祂本有神的形象，不以自己与神同等为强夺的， 7 反倒虚己，取了奴仆的形象，成为人的样式。

「待降」(Advent)拉丁文的意思是「来临」，就是等待耶稣基督的降临，一方面纪念祂曾降临，另方面则期待祂二次降临。「待降」节期包含四个礼拜，就是圣诞节的前四个礼拜，一般都从十一月最后主日算起，持续四个主日，直到圣诞节达到节庆高潮。

祂在耶和华面前生长如嫩芽，像根出于干地。祂无佳形美容；我们看见祂的时候，也无美貌使我们羡慕祂。祂被藐视，被人厌弃；多受痛苦，常经忧患。祂被藐视，好像被人掩面不看的一样；我们也不尊重祂。祂诚然担当我们的忧患，背负我们的痛苦；我们却以为祂受责罚，被神击打苦待了。哪知祂为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。因祂受的刑罚，我们得平安；因祂受的鞭伤，我们得医治。我们都如羊走迷；各人偏行己路；耶和华使我们众人的罪孽都归在祂身上。（以赛亚书53:2-6）

祂来，本有神的形象，反到虚己，撇下天上荣华，成为世人模样，
如此荣耀的君王，竟降生在马槽，谦谦卑卑，静静悄悄。

祂来，愿做罪人良友，为世人的罪过，流血牺牲，爱到毫无保留，
而祂深爱的人啊，悖逆不认识祂，我主耶稣，曾否心伤？

祂来，使罪奴得释放，应许凡担劳苦，重担的人，就近祂得轻省，
人们为何不肯 放手全交给祂，宁愿受苦，宁愿疲乏！

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God Promotes You For The Sake of Others

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 5:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 5:1-5 (NIV)
1  All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.
2  In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'”
3  When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4  David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
5  In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

On verses 1-5:  Here David finally becomes the official king over all of Israel.  Notice that when David finally became king over all of Israel, it wasn’t because he single-handedly grabbed that title and forced himself upon the nation.  Rather verses 1-2 say it was the tribes of Israel — all of them — who approached David and who affirmed the calling God had on David’s life for David to be their shepherd and ruler.  Then all the elders of Israel came to David and anointed him king (v3).

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