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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.

不同心難同行

2023-11-30 in , /by

阿摩司書 3:3  二人若不同心，豈能同行呢？

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書 3:1-15

1 「以色列人哪，你們全家是我從埃及地領上來的，當聽耶和華攻擊你們的話： 2 在地上萬族中我只認識你們，因此，我必追討你們的一切罪孽。

 3 二人若不同心，豈能同行呢？ 4 獅子若非抓食，豈能在林中咆哮呢？少壯獅子若無所得，豈能從洞中發聲呢？

今天聽到兩個令很傷感的故事。一個是老廚師，生了十個兒女。在年老時，妻子去輪流幫兒女帶孩子，他自己一個人還去上班打工。有一次沒去上班，老板以為他太累了，也不在意；兩天沒去上班，老板體貼他年記大了，就想給他多休息幾天也好。直到附近公寓的人聞到臭味散出，請警察破門而入，才發現老廚師已死去多時。

另一個故事是有對老夫婦從中國移民過來，女兒叫他們把錢都拿去買房子。住了一陣子後，女兒說她的收入不夠付每個月的貸款，要他們搬出去，她好出租房間。過了一陣子，老人拿到政府的老人金了，女兒說她錢不夠用，又來把兩老的老人金都拿走。兩個老人只好去唐人街找工作，七老八十的為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.  

Jesus’ Death Made Your Inheritance Possible

2023-11-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 9:15-28.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 9:15-22 (NIV)
15  For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16  In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
17  because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.

On verses 15-22:  During my time practicing law, clients would often ask me to help them write their will.  A will is a legal document where a person spells out what they want to do with their assets and whom they want to gift those assets to as an inheritance when they die.   The person making the will signs it in the presence of witnesses.  All the gifts described in the will do not take effect until that person dies.  That’s why a will is often called a person’s “last will and testament”.  As verse 17 says, “a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.”

強盛的變為軟弱

2023-11-29 in , /by

阿摩司書 2:14 快跑的不能逃脫，有力的不能用力，剛勇的也不能自救。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書2:1-16

1耶和華如此說：「摩押三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他將以東王的骸骨焚燒成灰。 2 我卻要降火在摩押，燒滅加略的宮殿，摩押必在鬨嚷呐喊吹角之中死亡。 3 我必剪除摩押中的審判者，將其中的一切首領和他一同殺戮。」這是耶和華說的。

一、神在外邦掌權──審判列國 (2:1-3)

第一章我們看到神在審判列國，是根據他們對以色列的態度，所以列國都被神審判。第二章的1-3節卻說摩押跟以東之間的問題，嚴格來說跟以色列並沒有關係，是列國之間的問題。但神是以色列的神，也是列國的神。誰對以色列不好，神會審判，但是列國之間彼此有問題，祂也審判。

摩押被神興起來管教以東，最後卻是景況最慘的一個。以東用刀追趕他的兄弟以色列毫無憐憫(參1:10)，所以遭到審判。之前列國欺負以色列和猶大，神從列國中興起強盛的摩押來管教以東，但是管教過甚，竟然連以東王的骸骨也翻出來燒成灰，這是刑罰太過了。（在此並非說是不可火葬，而是因為把死人挖出來再燒，是對敵人的一種侮辱。有如鞭屍一般。）摩押本來是強盛的，是管教人的，但他出手太重，他的下場比列國更慘。所以我們做領袖的要小心，我們管教人時要有恩典，也要有真理。你出手太重，神反而對你更忿怒。本來神用摩押管教列國，但最後他的下場比列國更慘，由最強盛變為軟弱。

Jesus’ Blood – Your Key to a Clean Conscience

2023-11-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 9:1-14.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 9:1-14 (NIV)
1  Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
2  A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
3  Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
4  which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

On verses 1-14: Verses 1-7 give us a good visual of what worshiping at the tabernacle in the Old Testament looked like. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, an inner room representing God’s presence. There he would offer the blood of bulls and goats as a sacrifice for his sins and the people’s sins (v7).

As detailed, ornate, and organized as this Old Testament system was, the writer of Hebrews points out an important fact: there was a curtain that separated the people from the Most Holy Place (v3).

神對列國的刑罰

2023-11-28 in , /by

阿摩司書 1:6 耶和華如此說：加沙（加薩）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他擄掠眾民交給以東。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書1:6-15

6 耶和華如此說：「加沙（加薩）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他擄掠眾民交給以東。 7 我卻要降火在加沙的城內，燒滅其中的宮殿。 8 我必剪除亞實突的居民和亞實基倫掌權的，也必反手攻擊以革倫，非利士人所餘剩的必都滅亡。」這是主耶和華說的。

正值哈瑪斯從加薩突擊以色列不久之際，這段經文更讓人有貼心之震撼。這一段經文記載神對四個國家的審判。神的預言都在事情發生之前，一是為了希望有人聽了可以有悔改的機會；二是讓人知道一個真正的神才能知道世局未來的發展和走向；三，神願意萬人得救，不願一人沉淪。可惜，願意放下驕傲來相信神的人不多。即使再多證據擺在他們面前，他們還是要偏行已路。 加沙，也譯作加薩，曾經是非利士人最重要的城巿，接近埃及的邊界。非利士人從以色列人進迦南後就不停地與他們為敵。從士師的時代到大衛的時代都不停有爭戰，奇妙的是，有時也有作朋友，互相利用的時候。在這裡，神指出非利士人的大罪，是擄掠以色列人後，把他們交給以東。可能因為以東有很多銅礦，需要大批工人。從非利士轉運來的奴隸，變成他們的廉價勞工。

4 Reasons Why Jesus’ New Covenant is Better than Moses’ Old Covenant

2023-11-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 8:1-13.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 8:1-5 (NIV)
1  The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
2  and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
3  Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.
4  If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
5  They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

On verses 1-5:  Here the writer of Hebrews notes that the location where Jesus now serves as our high priest is in heaven (v1-2), while priests who are appointed by the law of Moses serve on earth (v4).  The sanctuary and tabernacle where these earthly priests would serve are an imperfect “copy and shadow of what is in heaven”, while the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus serves is the real thing, “the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not man” (v2).  

一個蒙召的牧羊人

2023-11-27 in , /by

阿摩司書1:2 他說：耶和華必從錫安吼叫，從耶路撒冷發聲，牧人的草場要悲哀，迦密的山頂要枯乾。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書1:1-5

1當猶大王烏西雅、以色列王約阿施的兒子耶羅波安在位的時候，大地震前二年，提哥亞牧人中的阿摩司得默示論以色列。

2 他說：耶和華必從錫安吼叫，從耶路撒冷發聲，牧人的草場要悲哀，迦密的山頂要枯乾。

阿摩司是一個蒙召的牧羊人。牧羊人在猶太人的社會中是屬於下層階級的工作者。但是我們看到，當神要使用人時，不管什麼身份，不管什麼地位，祂都可以使用。祂使用大學者如以賽亞，新鮮出爐的祭司以西結，年輕的耶利米；魯莽的彼得，火爆的約翰，沒有信心的多馬，還有飽學之士的保羅，等等。

更有意思的是， 聖經裡有許多神的僕人，神都讓他們先去牧羊，再為神作工。例如摩西、雅各、大衛。我相信從牧羊的工作裡，可以明白神對人的心意。阿摩司是猶大南國的一個牧羊人，住在耶路撒冷以南的提哥亞村，他不僅牧羊，有時也修理桑樹。

Jesus, Priest Like No Other

2023-11-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 7:20-28.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 7:20-21 (NIV)
20  And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
21  but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.'”

On verses 20-21:  In a court of law, before a witness takes the stand, the witness makes a solemn promise, swearing to tell the truth.  This is called an oath.  The oath is meant to show that the person speaking is completely serious and sincere about the words he or she is about to speak and that those who hear can count on what he or she is saying. Likewise, when God spoke words to appoint Jesus as a priest, God swore an oath to show how serious and sincere He was about the pronouncement He was making.