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What Faith Looks Like In Real Life

2023-12-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 11:8-19.  Let’s go!

To illustrate what faith looks like in real life, the writer of Hebrews focuses in on the life of Abraham and his wife Sarah.  Their incredible story is told in Genesis 12-25.  Here’s what I learned verse by verse about what faith looks like from the life of Abraham and Sarah as described by the writer of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)
8  By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

On verse 8:  Faith is going where God tells you to go, even when you don’t see the whole picture.  So if you’re waiting to see the full picture before you go, guess what?  You’re not living by faith.

What is Faith?

2023-12-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 11:1-7.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
1  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

On verse 1:  In the previous verse (Hebrews 10:39), the writer of Hebrews channeled his inner football coach and encouraged his readers to keep on fighting the fight of faith.  He told them “we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39).  Now the writer of Hebrews goes on to explain what faith is.  His definition, as translated by the NIV: “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (v1).  I believe this verse shows us there are two parts to faith. 

人飢餓非因無餅

2023-12-06 in , /by

阿摩司書 8: 11 主耶和華說：「日子將到，我必命饑荒降在地上。人飢餓非因無餅，乾渴非因無水，乃因不聽耶和華的話。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 8:1-14

1 主耶和華又指示我一件事：我看見一筐夏天的果子。 2 他說：「阿摩司啊，你看見什麼？」我說：「看見一筐夏天的果子。」耶和華說：「我民以色列的結局到了，我必不再寬恕他們。」 3 主耶和華說：「那日，殿中的詩歌變為哀號，必有許多屍首在各處拋棄，無人作聲。」

一、夏果臨到 再不饒恕 (8:1-3)

「主耶和華又指示我一件事：我看見一筐夏天的果子。」(8:1) 夏果異象是接續第七章中的三個異象──蝗蟲、火和準繩；這和之前三個異象相同的是神「指示我一件事」。當阿摩司看到蝗蟲和火兩個異象，他為以色列代求，但到第三個異象，神不許他代求；來到夏果異象，神同樣沒有讓他代求。神說：「我民以色列的結局到了，我必不再寬恕他們。(8:2)」夏天的果子成熟了，再不吃也不能收藏多久，很快就腐爛，夏果表示結局到了！

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

阿摩司書 7: 15  耶和華選召我，使我不跟從羊群，對我說：『你去向我民以色列說預言。』

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 7:1-17

1 主耶和華指示我一件事：為王割菜之後，菜又發生，剛發生的時候，主造蝗蟲。 2 蝗蟲吃盡那地的青物，我就說：「主耶和華啊，求你赦免！因為雅各微弱，他怎能站立得住呢？」 3 耶和華就後悔說：「這災可以免了。」

在第五章中神已透過先知阿摩司宣告在北國以色列會有五重審判，到第六章便說他們會被擄掠。現在到了第七章，是宣告審判。

一、 蝗蟲的審判 (7:1-3)

蝗蟲的審判就是飢荒的審判，讓我們想到埃及的十災 (參出10:12-15)。埃及人受審判是因他們不容以色列人去事奉神。同樣以色列人在這裡不事奉真神，因此神用審判埃及的方式審判以色列。

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.

在安逸無慮中的考量

2023-12-04 in , /by

阿摩司書 6: 12  馬豈能在崖石上奔跑？人豈能在那裡用牛耕種呢？你們卻使公平變為苦膽，使公義的果子變為茵陳。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 6:1-14

1 國為列國之首，人最著名，且為以色列家所歸向，在錫安和撒馬利亞山安逸無慮的，有禍了！ 2 你們要過到甲尼察看，從那裡往大城哈馬去，又下到非利士人的迦特，看那些國比你們的國還強嗎？境界比你們的境界還寬嗎？

有一位姐妹問我，當我們認罪時，是否只要說：“求主赦免我的一切過犯。”就可以了？這有點像競選什麼環球小姐的宣言，“我期望世界和平”。說得很漂亮，實際上是個虛言。有的人禱告求神幫助所有窮苦的人，生病的人，有困難的人，等等。這種禱告不僅虛偽，更是託大，把神當成僕役，憑你一句話，就要去醫治所有的病患，幫助所有的窮人，而自己一根指頭都不動，只動兩張嘴皮。你說是不是虛偽和託大？

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).  

要惡惡好善，秉公行義

2023-12-03 in , /by

阿摩司書 5:24  唯願公平如大水滾滾，使公義如江河滔滔。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 5:1-27

1 以色列家啊，要聽我為你們所作的哀歌： 2 以色列民跌倒，不得再起；躺在地上，無人攙扶。 3 主耶和華如此說：「以色列家的城，發出一千兵的只剩一百，發出一百的只剩十個。」

4 耶和華向以色列家如此說：「你們要尋求我，就必存活。 5 不要往伯特利尋求，不要進入吉甲，不要過到別是巴，因為吉甲必被擄掠，伯特利也必歸於無有。」 6 要尋求耶和華，就必存活，免得他在約瑟家像火發出，在伯特利焚燒無人撲滅。

當我們讀到神藉著先知警戒以色列的話時，可能會覺得和自己毫無關係。但是若仔細地去讀，就會發現，這不只是以色列人犯的罪，也是世上眾民在神面前的罪。所以神為以色列作的哀歌，也是為世人作的哀歌，唯願世人聽了之後，能像神所期望的，惡惡好善，秉公行義，或者神會向我們再施恩典。

最近讀到葛培里牧師的家屬聚集，分享他們對葛牧師的懷念時，有一段故事很令我感動。那就是葛牧師的小女兒的見證，她在婚後不久就離婚了。當她開車回家時，心裡忐忑不安，覺得太讓父親沒面子，不知作何解釋才好。回家的路有一段上坡路，當她的車開到坡頂時，沒想到葛牧師就站在那裡等她。

你當預備迎見你的神

2023-12-01 in , /by

阿摩司書 4:12 以色列啊，我必向你如此行。以色列啊，我既這樣行，你當預備迎見你的神。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 4:1-13

1 你們住撒馬利亞山如巴珊母牛的啊，當聽我的話！你們欺負貧寒的，壓碎窮乏的，對家主說：「拿酒來，我們喝吧！」 2 主耶和華指著自己的聖潔起誓說：「日子快到，人必用鉤子將你們鉤去，用魚鉤將你們餘剩的鉤去。 3 你們各人必從破口直往前行，投入哈門。」這是耶和華說的。

本章是接續第二章的指責。“你們住撒馬利亞山如巴珊母牛的啊”，撒瑪利亞山指的就是撒瑪利亞城。 在現今以色列境內蓋里紀姆山 (在撒瑪利亞境內) 與以巴路山之間。當年為撒瑪所有，暗利當上以色列王之後，以二他連得銀子從他那裡購買，而後在山上建起撒瑪利亞城 (王上16:24) 。此喻暗指住在撒瑪利亞城內的富有婦人就像巴珊的母牛。因為巴珊土地肥沃，牛長得非常健壯，就像那些富有的女人長得健壯，經常盛裝，沉醉於窮奢極侈之中，享受由窮人身上壓搾所得。阿摩司稱他們像巴珊母牛，餵肥待屠。數年之後，她們將被人用鉤子擄去。歷史告訴我們，亞述軍隊真是這樣對待被擄的人—–把鉤子穿入嘴唇後帶走。