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積善之家有餘慶，積惡之家有餘殃(1)

2023-05-05 in , /by

以賽亞書65:1 「素來沒有訪問我的，現在求問我；沒有尋找我的，我叫他們遇見；沒有稱為我名下的，我對他們說：『我在這裡！我在這裡！』。

閱讀經文：65:1-7

1 「素來沒有訪問我的，現在求問我；沒有尋找我的，我叫他們遇見；沒有稱為我名下的，我對他們說：『我在這裡！我在這裡！』

2 「我整天伸手招呼那悖逆的百姓，他們隨自己的意念行不善之道。 3 這百姓時常當面惹我發怒，在園中獻祭，在壇上燒香；

本章開始，先知轉述救主的啟示，論到能被揀選成為新國度選民的原則。以色列為神選民的身份原是來自先祖，然而，他們卻要因悖逆而喪失地位。他們雖然稱為主名下的選民，但卻從不主動尋找祂（65:1）。

首先先知論到神主動的救贖。先知以第一人稱的口氣轉述上帝主動對外邦人救贖的心意──外邦百姓原是「素來沒有訪問我（耶和華神）的」、「沒有尋找我的」、也是「沒有稱為我名下的」，但是神卻「叫他們遇見」、「對他們說我在這裡」，猶太百姓對神的輕忽，因此神就主動轉向外邦百姓。這一段啟示也是一個預言，指明福音要因猶太人的棄絕而轉向外邦。耶和華神原是猶太人所熟悉的，但是猶太人卻因習以為常以致不珍惜這個能夠成為神子民的福氣，所以上帝便將認識祂、成為祂子民的福氣轉向外邦，叫他們有機會可以瞭解救贖主的存在，並能夠尋求到祂。

When Paul Confronted Peter

2023-05-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Galatians 2:1-2 (NIV)
1  Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
2  I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
 
On verses 1-2:  Paul’s goal is to show the Christians in Galatia that they are heading in the wrong direction by thinking that they need to be circumcised in order to be saved.  To help them see the error of their ways, Paul uses an interesting and commendable approach: he shares a story.  In fact, it’s his own story, the story of how years before he went through a similar struggle.  Paul shares about a time when he also wondered whether he was preaching the right thing by telling Gentile Christians that they didn’t need to be circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses.  So Paul goes to Jerusalem, along with his ministry teammates Barnabas and Titus, to ask for advice from leaders in Jerusalem. 

It Helps to Get Good Advice

2023-05-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Galatians 2:1-2 (NIV)
1  Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
2  I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
 
On verses 1-2:  Paul’s goal is to show the Christians in Galatia that they are heading in the wrong direction by thinking that they need to be circumcised in order to be saved.  To help them see the error of their ways, Paul uses an interesting and commendable approach: he shares a story.  In fact, it’s his own story, the story of how years before he went through a similar struggle.  Paul shares about a time when he also wondered whether he was preaching the right thing by telling Gentile Christians that they didn’t need to be circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses.  So Paul goes to Jerusalem, along with his ministry teammates Barnabas and Titus, to ask for advice from leaders in Jerusalem. 

選民對耶和華神的求救

2023-05-04 in , /by

以賽亞書64: 8 耶和華啊，現在祢仍是我們的父！我們是泥，祢是窯匠，我們都是祢手的工作。

閱讀經文：63:15-64:12

63:15 求祢從天上垂顧，從祢聖潔榮耀的居所觀看！祢的熱心和祢大能的作為在哪裡呢？祢愛慕的心腸和憐憫向我們止住了。 16 亞伯拉罕雖然不認識我們，以色列也不承認我們，祢卻是我們的父！耶和華啊，祢是我們的父，從萬古以來，祢名稱為我們的救贖主。 17 耶和華啊，祢為何使我們走差離開你的道，使我們心裡剛硬不敬畏祢呢？求祢為祢僕人，為祢產業支派的緣故轉回來。 18 祢的聖民不過暫時得這產業，我們的敵人已經踐踏祢的聖所。 19 我們好像祢未曾治理的人，又像未曾得稱祢名下的人。

六十三章的第三部份（63:15-19），先知從異象中看到仇敵已踐踏聖殿，有一群不認識耶和華的人統治著這個地方。顯然，這異象乃是先知被帶到巴比倫軍隊攻略耶路撒冷聖殿的場景中的記錄，那時，先知體會到耶和華神此時似乎並不怎麼關切百姓的命運，以致於先知認為神已向他們止住愛與憐憫（63:15「你的熱心和你大能的作為在哪裡呢？」此語乃是因百姓感受不到神對他們的眷顧）。

雖說這全是因為百姓的罪有應得，然而神的置若罔聞卻引起部份百姓更硬著心腸，而且心裡更剛硬不敬畏神（63:17「祢為何使我們走差離開祢的道，使我們心裡剛硬不敬畏你呢？」此語乃是百姓再度對神埋怨，將一切的苦難歸責於上帝）。

Look to God First, Then to People

2023-05-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 1:13-24.  Let’s go!

Galatians 1:13-16 (NIV)
13  For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
14  I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15  But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased
16  to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…

On verses 13-16a:  Here in verses 13-24 Paul shares his experience of how he went from trying to destroy the church of God and one of the most zealous Pharisees to a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As Paul writes, everything changed “when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (v15-16).  Notice those words: “who set me apart from birth and called me” (v15).  Long before Paul became passionate about persecuting the church or advancing in Judaism, God had a call on Paul’s life and had set him apart from birth.

救主臨格踐踏諸敵

2023-05-03 in , /by

以賽亞書63: 9   他們在一切苦難中，祂也同受苦難，並且祂面前的使者拯救他們。祂以慈愛和憐憫救贖他們。在古時的日子，常保抱他們，懷揣他們。

閱讀經文：63:1-14

1「這從以東的波斯拉來，穿紅衣服，裝扮華美，能力廣大，大步行走的，是誰呢？」「就是我，是憑公義說話，以大能施行拯救。」 2 「你的裝扮為何有紅色，你的衣服為何像踹酒榨的呢？」 3 「我獨自踹酒榨，眾民中無一人與我同在。我發怒將他們踹下，發烈怒將他們踐踏，他們的血濺在我衣服上，並且汙染了我一切的衣裳。 4 因為報仇之日在我心中，救贖我民之年已經來到。 5 我仰望，見無人幫助，我詫異沒有人扶持。所以我自己的膀臂為我施行拯救，我的烈怒將我扶持。 6 我發怒踹下眾民，發烈怒使他們沉醉，又將他們的血倒在地上。」

本章分為三個部份，第一部份論到以東的毀滅（63:1-6），第二部份論到以色列人對神拯救的頌讚（63:7-14），第三部份論到先知針對選民的現況而向耶和華神懇求垂顧（63:15-19此部份於下一段落再敘述）。〔註：本章的內容可與第卅四章互參〕

在第一部份中，先知看到了一位征服者，從以東的首都波斯拉凱旋歸來的異象。這一位征服者所著的衣服是「紅衣」（象徵祂來乃是為了審判）、「裝扮華美」（這是高級軍官的衣飾，象徵祂是統治者的身份），祂「能力廣大，大步行走」（象徵滿有自信，作戰目標明確）。

It’s About God’s Power

2023-05-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we start our look at the book of Galatians, a letter written by Paul to the churches in the region of Galatia in approximately 48 to 53 A.D.  Our passage today is Galatians 1:1-12.  Let’s go!

Galatians 1:1-2 (NIV)
1  Paul, an apostle–sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead–
2  and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:

On verses 1-2:  The first thing Paul does in his letter is identify himself as an apostle.  An “apostle” literally means sent one, a messenger, a person who has been sent on a mission by another.  Notice that Paul goes out of his way to say that his apostleship is a God thing, not a man thing.  He says he has been sent “by Jesus Christ and God the Father”, not “from men or by man” (v1).

耶和華的聖民必蒙眷顧

2023-05-02 in , /by

以賽亞書62: 3  你在耶和華的手中要作為華冠，在你神的掌上必作為冕旒。

閱讀經文：62:1-12

1我因錫安必不靜默，為耶路撒冷必不息聲，直到他的公義如光輝發出，他的救恩如明燈發亮。 2 列國必見你的公義，列王必見你的榮耀。你必得新名的稱呼，是耶和華親口所起的。

3 你在耶和華的手中要作為華冠，在你神的掌上必作為冕旒。 4 你必不再稱為「撇棄的」，你的地也不再稱為「荒涼的」，你卻要稱為「我所喜悅的」，你的地也必稱為「有夫之婦」，因為耶和華喜悅你，你的地也必歸他。 5 少年人怎樣娶處女，你的眾民也要照樣娶你；新郎怎樣喜悅新婦，你的神也要照樣喜悅你。

本章論到神對耶路撒冷的提升與拯救。分為兩部份，第一部份論到神將提升耶路撒冷，第二段論到神對耶路撒冷完全的救贖。

在第一部份，先知提到神以兩個步驟來完成祂對耶路撒冷的提升。

第一個步驟：先知宣告他將按照神的吩咐，不止息的為耶路撒冷禱告（62:1，6-7），使神的公義從耶路撒冷中如明燈般的被發現（62:1）。神發出公義，也就是指神的審判來臨，否則便不叫公義。這樣禱告的結果將使耶路撒冷成為滿有公義之城，神也將賦予它一新的名號，這新的名乃是與錫安的新品格有關。

除了先知主動的代禱之外，神也要為耶路撒冷設立「守望者」、「呼籲耶和華的」（亦即指官長與屬靈領袖的禱告），他們「晝夜必不靜默」、「不要歇息」地為耶路撒冷代求，他們立志迫切的禱告，甚至不要使神歇息，直到祂建立耶路撒冷成為可讚美的城為止（62:7）。

The Spirit-Empowered Life

2023-05-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Jude 1:17-24.  Let’s go!
 
Jude 1:17-18 (NIV) 
17  But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 
18  They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”
 
On verses 17-18:  In the wake of false teachers appearing, Jude tells his Christian readers to remember how the apostles had previously warned them that false teachers would come.  What can we learn from this?

1.     When false teachers try to lead you away from the truth we have in Jesus, don’t be surprised.  This is something Jesus Himself warned about (for example, see Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11, 24).  This is also something the apostles warned about (for example, see Acts 20:29; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Colossians 2:18).

耶和華受膏者的事工

2023-05-01 in , /by

以賽亞書61: 8  因為我耶和華喜愛公平，恨惡搶奪和罪孽。我要憑誠實施行報應，並要與我的百姓立永約。

閱讀經文：61:1-11

1「主耶和華的靈在我身上，因為耶和華用膏膏我，叫我傳好信息給謙卑的人，差遣我醫好傷心的人，報告被擄的得釋放、被囚的出監牢， 2 報告耶和華的恩年和我們神報仇的日子，安慰一切悲哀的人， 3 賜華冠於錫安悲哀的人代替灰塵，喜樂油代替悲哀，讚美衣代替憂傷之靈，使他們稱為公義樹，是耶和華所栽的，叫他得榮耀。」

從本章起至六十二章為先知論述到彌賽亞來臨時的黃金時代。本章的信息帶著歡欣的氣氛，論到耶路撒冷將被重建，世上的列國將來到錫安同享歡樂，以及萬民將並且獲得永恆生命之光。

本章接續第六十章，論到受膏者的來臨要帶來錫安的復興。這是一段雙重的預言，先知以「受膏者」來同時比喻自己和那將要來的彌賽亞。第一，先知藉此宣稱他的任務乃是安慰被擄到巴比倫受難的人，面對那被擄到巴比倫七十年的百姓，先知預告他們將要被「釋放」（這是依據禧年的規定而來的宣告，象徵彌賽亞來臨的時刻，將要賜給所有信靠祂的子民真實的自由，正如一切為奴的人從買主的手中得自由之身一般，因此先知也就宣告這是「耶和華的恩年」）。第二，先知藉此預告救贖主初次降臨道成肉身在地上所做的工，而耶穌基督一開始出來傳道的時候，便公開引用以賽亞的這一段的話作為就職的宣告（61:1-2）。