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Persevere and Be Blessed

2023-12-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:32-39.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:32-39 (NIV)
32  Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.
33  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
34  You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

On verses 32-39:  Perseverance is a repeated theme in the book of Hebrews.  To encourage the Christians he is writing to, the writer of Hebrews recalls the early days of their faith when they suffered much persecution, even having their property confiscated and going to prison for their faith.  Apparently they did so joyfully because they knew that they “had better and lasting possessions” (v34).  (It reminds me of that famous quote from missionary Jim Elliott who wrote, “He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”)

阿摩司也被告

2023-12-05 in , /by

阿摩司书 7: 15  耶和华选召我，使我不跟从羊群，对我说：『你去向我民以色列说预言。』

阅读经文: 阿摩司书 7:1-17

1 主耶和华指示我一件事：为王割菜之后，菜又发生，刚发生的时候，主造蝗虫。 2 蝗虫吃尽那地的青物，我就说：「主耶和华啊，求你赦免！因为雅各微弱，他怎能站立得住呢？」 3 耶和华就后悔说：「这灾可以免了。」

在第五章中神已透过先知阿摩司宣告在北国以色列会有五重审判，到第六章便说他们会被掳掠。现在到了第七章，是宣告审判。

一、 蝗虫的审判 (7:1-3)

蝗虫的审判就是饥荒的审判，让我们想到埃及的十灾 (参出10:12-15)。埃及人受审判是因他们不容以色列人去事奉神。同样以色列人在这里不事奉真神，因此神用审判埃及的方式审判以色列。

God’s Grace Is Not a Licence to Keep On Sinning

2023-12-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:26-31.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:26-31 (NIV)
26  If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27  but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

On verses 26-31:  There are two schools of interpretation that are worth considering when trying to understand this short passage.  The first and perhaps more mainstream way to interpret this passage is that it is basically repeating what Hebrews 6:4-6 has already said: that if we receive Jesus as Saviour (“receive the knowledge of the truth” (v26)) but later commit apostasy by rejecting Jesus as our Saviour (“deliberately keep on sinning” (v26)), we will not be saved and will end up in a Christ-less hell for eternity.  That’s because we have ultimately rejected the only provision God has made for our sin: Jesus Christ.

在安逸无虑中的考量

2023-12-04 in , /by

阿摩司书 6: 12  马岂能在崖石上奔跑？人岂能在那里用牛耕种呢？你们却使公平变为苦胆，使公义的果子变为茵陈。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书 6:1-14

1 国为列国之首，人最著名，且为以色列家所归向，在锡安和撒马利亚山安逸无虑的，有祸了！ 2 你们要过到甲尼察看，从那里往大城哈马去，又下到非利士人的迦特，看那些国比你们的国还强吗？境界比你们的境界还宽吗？

有一位姐妹问我，当我们认罪时，是否只要说：“求主赦免我的一切过犯。”就可以了？这有点像竞选什么环球小姐的宣言，“我期望世界和平”。说得很漂亮，实际上是个虚言。有的人祷告求神帮助所有穷苦的人，生病的人，有困难的人，等等。这种祷告不仅虚伪，更是托大，把神当成仆役，凭你一句话，就要去医治所有的病患，帮助所有的穷人，而自己一根指头都不动，只动两张嘴皮。你说是不是虚伪和托大？

The Difference Jesus Makes to Our Relationships

2023-12-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:19-25.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV)
19  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

On verses 19-25:  Here the author of Hebrews reminds us of how Jesus is our great high priest (v21) and how through Jesus’ shed blood and sacrificed body we are able to freely enter God’s holy presence (v19-20).  Starting in verse 22, the writer of Hebrews shows how our relationships both vertically with God and horizontally with others can change when Jesus is in the mix.  In particular, the writer of Hebrews tells us 5 things that we ought to do in response to who Jesus is and what He has done.  Two of those five things are vertically-oriented.  They have to do with our relationship with God: drawing near to God with full assurance of faith even when we sin (v22) and holding on to the hope we have in Jesus even in our toughest times (v23).  

要恶恶好善，秉公行义

2023-12-03 in , /by

阿摩司书 5:24  唯愿公平如大水滚滚，使公义如江河滔滔。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书 5:1-27

1 以色列家啊，要听我为你们所作的哀歌： 2 以色列民跌倒，不得再起；躺在地上，无人搀扶。 3 主耶和华如此说：「以色列家的城，发出一千兵的只剩一百，发出一百的只剩十个。」

4 耶和华向以色列家如此说：「你们要寻求我，就必存活。 5 不要往伯特利寻求，不要进入吉甲，不要过到别是巴，因为吉甲必被掳掠，伯特利也必归于无有。」 6 要寻求耶和华，就必存活，免得他在约瑟家像火发出，在伯特利焚烧无人扑灭。

当我们读到神借着先知警戒以色列的话时，可能会觉得和自己毫无关系。但是若仔细地去读，就会发现，这不只是以色列人犯的罪，也是世上众民在神面前的罪。所以神为以色列作的哀歌，也是为世人作的哀歌，唯愿世人听了之后，能像神所期望的，恶恶好善，秉公行义，或者神会向我们再施恩典。

最近读到葛培里牧师的家属聚集，分享他们对葛牧师的怀念时，有一段故事很令我感动。那就是葛牧师的小女儿的见证，她在婚后不久就离婚了。当她开车回家时，心里忐忑不安，觉得太让父亲没面子，不知作何解释才好。回家的路有一段上坡路，当她的车开到坡顶时，没想到葛牧师就站在那里等她。

你当预备迎见你的神

2023-12-01 in , /by

阿摩司书 4:12 以色列啊，我必向你如此行。以色列啊，我既这样行，你当预备迎见你的神。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书 4:1-13

1 你们住撒马利亚山如巴珊母牛的啊，当听我的话！你们欺负贫寒的，压碎穷乏的，对家主说：「拿酒来，我们喝吧！」 2 主耶和华指著自己的圣洁起誓说：「日子快到，人必用钩子将你们钩去，用鱼钩将你们余剩的钩去。 3 你们各人必从破口直往前行，投入哈门。」这是耶和华说的。

本章是接续第二章的指责。“你们住撒马利亚山如巴珊母牛的啊”，撒玛利亚山指的就是撒玛利亚城。 在现今以色列境内盖里纪姆山 (在撒玛利亚境内) 与以巴路山之间。当年为撒玛所有，暗利当上以色列王之后，以二他连得银子从他那里购买，而后在山上建起撒玛利亚城 (王上16:24) 。此喻暗指住在撒玛利亚城内的富有妇人就像巴珊的母牛。因为巴珊土地肥沃，牛长得非常健壮，就像那些富有的女人长得健壮，经常盛装，沉醉于穷奢极侈之中，享受由穷人身上压搾所得。阿摩司称他们像巴珊母牛，喂肥待屠。数年之后，她们将被人用钩子掳去。历史告诉我们，亚述军队真是这样对待被掳的人—–把钩子穿入嘴唇后带走。

Once And For All

2023-12-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:11-18.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:11-14 (NIV) 
11  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 
12  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 
13  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 
14  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

On verses 11-14:  Here we see the theme again of “once and for all” (see Hebrews 10:10).  Jesus laid down His life once, and this was enough to take away the sins of all who place their trust in Jesus.  Compare that to the priests under the old covenant who could never take away the sins of the people or make them holy in God’s sight despite offering sacrifices again and again.

不同心难同行

2023-11-30 in , /by

阿摩司书 3:3  二人若不同心，岂能同行呢？

阅读经文: 阿摩司书 3:1-15

1 「以色列人哪，你们全家是我从埃及地领上来的，当听耶和华攻击你们的话： 2 在地上万族中我只认识你们，因此，我必追讨你们的一切罪孽。

 3 二人若不同心，岂能同行呢？ 4 狮子若非抓食，岂能在林中咆哮呢？少壮狮子若无所得，岂能从洞中发声呢？

今天听到两个令很伤感的故事。一个是老厨师，生了十个儿女。在年老时，妻子去轮流帮儿女带孩子，他自己一个人还去上班打工。有一次没去上班，老板以为他太累了，也不在意；两天没去上班，老板体贴他年记大了，就想给他多休息几天也好。直到附近公寓的人闻到臭味散出，请警察破门而入，才发现老厨师已死去多时。

另一个故事是有对老夫妇从中国移民过来，女儿叫他们把钱都拿去买房子。住了一阵子后，女儿说她的收入不够付每个月的贷款，要他们搬出去，她好出租房间。过了一阵子，老人拿到政府的老人金了，女儿说她钱不够用，又来把两老的老人金都拿走。两个老人只好去唐人街找工作，七老八十的为了生活和租金不得不每天去做沉重的工作。

The Old Has Gone, Jesus Has Come

2023-11-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

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

Hebrews 10:1-4 (NIV)
1  The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming–not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
2  If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.
3  But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,
4  because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
 
On verses 1-4:  Here we find the clearest explanation from the writer of Hebrews as to the reason why the old covenant (established by the law of Moses) needed to be replaced by a new covenant (established by the grace of Jesus):  the old covenant “can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship” (v1).  That’s because the law was just “a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves” (v1).  In other words, the law of Moses, which required the ongoing sacrifice of bulls and goats, was only foreshadowing (pointing forward to) the day that the real lamb of God – Jesus – would come and be sacrificed for our sins.