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Grace Gets Us

Your dad makes you come to church, but he can’t make you listen. At least that’s what you’ve always muttered to yourself. But this morning you listen because the preacher speaks of a God who loves prodigals, and you feel like the worst sort of one.

You can’t keep the pregnancy a secret any longer. Soon your parents will know. The preacher will know. And the preacher says God already knows and you wonder what God thinks.

Could you use some grace? You know, grace is God’s best idea. Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. What a difference this makes! Can’t forgive your past? Christ can, and he is on the move, aggressively budging you from graceless to grace-shaped living. A forgiven person who forgives others. This is grace. Grace is everything Jesus!

十灾背后的灵界之役

出埃及记七章3-5节  我要使法老的心刚硬,也要在埃及地多行神蹟奇事。 但法老必不听你们,我要伸手重重地刑罚埃及,将我的军队以色列民从埃及地领出来。 我伸手攻击埃及,将以色列人从他们中间领出来的时候,埃及人就要知道我是耶和华。

经文段落:出埃及记 6:2–9:35

十灾的结构是一堂给法老必修的「上帝存在论证」的哲学课。用上帝的存在和埃及的各样邪灵之对抗,来显明谁才是宇宙的主宰。

十灾的发生与启动,乃因耶和华欲回应法老在两件事上的「强烈否认」与「强硬拒绝」:

第一、耶和华是神。
第二、以色列作为父神耶和华「长子」的身分。(出埃及记4:22-23)

所以,耶和华要给法老,上一门非常「实际而具体」的哲学课,一堂关于「上帝存在论证」的必修课。

犹太人读十灾,发现到十灾有一个「精心设计」、「别具匠心」的工整结构。

God’s Best Idea is Grace

Your dad makes you come to church, but he can’t make you listen. At least that’s what you’ve always muttered to yourself. But this morning you listen because the preacher speaks of a God who loves prodigals, and you feel like the worst sort of one.

You can’t keep the pregnancy a secret any longer. Soon your parents will know. The preacher will know. And the preacher says God already knows and you wonder what God thinks.

Could you use some grace? You know, grace is God’s best idea. Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. What a difference this makes! Can’t forgive your past? Christ can, and he is on the move, aggressively budging you from graceless to grace-shaped living. A forgiven person who forgives others. This is grace. Grace is everything Jesus!

使埃及人知道我是耶和华

埃及记7章1-5节     耶和华对摩西说:「我使你在法老面前代替神,你的哥哥亚伦是替你说话的。凡我所吩咐你的,你都要说。你的哥哥亚伦要对法老说,容以色列人出他的地。我要使法老的心刚硬,也要在埃及地多行神蹟奇事。但法老必不听你们,我要伸手重重地刑罚埃及,将我的军队以色列民从埃及地领出来。我伸手攻击埃及,将以色列人从他们中间领出来的时候,埃及人就要知道我是耶和华。」

从神对摩西的呼召,我们看到神把每一步都想好了,祂有全盘的计划,只要摩西跟着计划走就可以了。因此联想到,神在我们每个人身上是否也都有全盘的计划,只等着我们信靠顺服,就能走在神的旨意中了?

神的大计划如下:1.让摩西在法老面前代表神,亚伦则替摩西说话。2.神要摩西说什么,摩西都要告诉亚伦,亚伦再告诉法老。3.神要让法老的心刚硬,所以祂可以多行奇事。4.因为法老不听他们,所以神要惩罚埃及,将以色列人领出埃及。

祂要被看见

创世记五章4节 我与他们坚定所立的约,要把他们寄居的迦南地赐给他们。

假如神呼召你去传福音,然后跟你说,你传福音不会有人相信。你还会去吗?摩西就是碰到了这样的处境,神叫他去见法老,而且神还要用大能的手帮忙,但是埃及王法老也还是不会听摩西的,也不会让以色列人离开。假如你是摩西,你会接这样的差事吗?

当神呼召摩西时,祂就说了: 「我知道虽用大能的手,埃及王也不容你们去。我必伸手在埃及中间施行我一切的奇事,攻击那地,然后他才容你们去。我必叫你们在埃及人眼前蒙恩,你们去的时候就不至于空手而去。(出3:19-21)」事情不容易,但是神有应许。

马礼逊宣教士到中国时才22岁,他抱着这样的信念:「求上帝将我置于困难最多,和从人类眼光中看来最难成功之布道区域中」来到中国。果然,他做了十年,才有一个人相信耶稣。

神给摩西三个特异功能

出埃及记四章29-31节   摩西、亚伦就去招聚以色列的众长老。亚伦将耶和华对摩西所说的一切话述说了一遍,又在百姓眼前行了那些神蹟。百姓就信了。以色列人听见耶和华眷顾他们,鉴察他们的困苦,就低头下拜。

雅各和神的使者摔跤,直到他的大腿窝被摸了一把,他的脚扭了;他还是不放神的使者走,直到神的使者祝福他,才放他走。摩西也有这个较劲的性情。耶和华神把祂的计划全盘告诉摩西,却换来摩西的推三阻四。

摩西回答说:「他们必不信我,也不听我的话,必说:『耶和华并没有向你显现。』」

耶和华对摩西说:「你手里是什么?」他说:「是杖。」

耶和华说:「丢在地上。」

他一丢下去,就变做蛇,摩西便跑开。

耶和华对摩西说:「伸出手来,拿住牠的尾巴,牠必在你手中仍变为杖。如此好叫他们信耶和华他们祖宗的神,就是亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神,是向你显现了。」

耶和华又对他说:「把手放在怀里。」他就把手放在怀里,及至抽出来,不料,手长了大痲疯,有雪那样白。

燃烧的荆棘

出埃及记三章14节    神对摩西说:「我是自有永有的。」又说:「你要对以色列人这样说:『那自有的打发我到你们这里来。』」

怀抱着拯救同胞的热情,却丝毫没有得到同胞的理解,反而被呛:「谁立你做我们的首领和审判官呢?难道你要杀我,像杀那埃及人吗?」知道法老听见这事后必要杀他,摩西一路逃到了米甸。心理的创伤远胜过肉体的饥渴,离开了埃及王宫,他还剩下什么?在沙漠的日子里,他渴望有人的陪伴,也需要食物和水的补充。因此他来到了一口井旁,坐下,准备为自己打水。

正好有七个女孩来,为羊群打水,打满了槽,却被刚来的一批牧羊人赶走。一旁的摩西义愤填胸,拿出做王子时学的十八般武艺,把那些牧羊人打得落花流水。那些牧羊人平常覇道惯了,这次被修理得够呛,马不停蹄,全跑了。

这七个女孩不是别人,正是米甸祭司的七个女儿,可说是沙漠中的七仙女。她们饮完了羊就回家了,父亲看见她们早早回家,不禁奇怪。女儿们便把事情七嘴八舌说了一遍。这个父亲一听很高兴,便要请摩西吃饭。幸好那时沙漠中没有旅馆,摩西也没地方去,还是在井旁沉思,究竟要喝多少水才会不饿。所以七仙女很快找到摩西,就把他带回家了。

Grace Rewires Your Heart

Grace. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings and pre-meal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.

You turn the page of your Bible and look at the words. You might as well be gazing at a cemetery. Lifeless, stony, nothing moves you. But you don’t dare close the book, no sirree. You dare not miss a deed for fear that God will erase your name.

If that’s your feeling, grace can speak to you. God’s grace has a drenching about it. It comes after you. It re-wires you. From insecure to God-secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. As Paul said in Galatians 2:20 (NKJV), “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” You might call it a heart transplant.

从水里拉出来的

出埃及记二章10节     孩子渐长,妇人把他带到法老的女儿那里,就做了她的儿子。她给孩子起名叫摩西,意思说:「因我把他从水里拉出来。」

在一个清朗的早晨,在埃及哥珊地,以色列中一个利未支派的家庭里,十岁的米利暗被啜泣的声音吵醒了,睁眼一看,是母亲约基别在做一个蒲草箱,蒲草通常被视为是杂草,但也被用来作为织绳、织席、制作草鞋之用,甚至可以被用来制船。她在箱子内外涂上沥青和石漆。米利暗揉揉眼睛,问:「妈妈,你在做什么?」三岁的亚伦也好奇地学姐姐:「妈妈,那是什么?」

约基别擦掉眼泪,小声地说:「小弟三个月了,哭声太大了,妈妈得想个办法。不能让法老发现,叫人把他丢到河里弄死。」米利暗吓得抱住了胸,亚伦没听懂,看着姐姐,说:「怕怕」。

约基别对米利暗说:「妈妈需要你的帮忙。今天下午妈妈要把弟弟放在这箱子里,放在河边的芦苇丛中。平常法老的女儿会在那时到河边洗澡,你要帮妈妈留意,看看公主会不会注意到这个箱子。」然后,她抬头望天,仿佛在祷告:「神啊,救救这个孩子吧。」他们为了保护这个刚出生三个月的儿子,己经尽量不让他哭;三个月了,儿子的哭声越来越响亮,怕再也隐瞒不了,若被埃及人发现,他只有死路一条。除了耶和华神,还有谁能保护他呢?

God Has an Answer for Life

You stare into the darkness. The ceiling fan whirls above you. Your husband slumbers next to you. In minutes the alarm will sound, and the demands of the day will shoot you like a clown out of a cannon into the three-ring circus of meetings, bosses, and baseball practices. For the millionth time you’ll make breakfast, schedules, and payroll…but for the life of you, you can’t make sense of this thing called life. It’s beginnings and endings. Cradles and cancers and cemeteries and questions. The meaning of life, the poor choices of life.

Did you know God answers the mess of life with one word? Grace. Do we really understand it? God in the Bible says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV). That’s grace! Grace calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.