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What’s Really Valuable and What’s Not

2023-05-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 5:1-12.  Let’s go!

Galatians 5:1-2 (NIV)
1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
 
On verses 1-2:  Throughout his letter to the Galatians, Paul has been making this point to the Galatian Christians: you used to be slaves to the idea that you need to work for your righteousness, but now Jesus has set you free from that slavery, giving you a righteousness that is not earned by your works but received by faith in God’s promise.  Here in verse 1 Paul reminds the Christians in Galatia why Christ set them free in the first place: so that they could stay free (v1).  What is the point of Christ setting us free if we choose to go back to being enslaved again?  Yet by trying to add circumcision as a pre-condition to being fully accepted by God, the believers in Galatia were going back to a “works by righteousness” slavery and in so doing, treating Christ as if he is “of no value to you at all” (v2). 
 

蒙召的年輕人耶利米

2023-05-15 in , /by

耶利米書1:5  我未將你造在腹中，我已曉得你；你未出母胎，我已分別你為聖。我已派你做列國的先知。

閱讀經文：1:4-10

4 耶利米說：耶和華的話臨到我說： 5 「我未將你造在腹中，我已曉得你；你未出母胎，我已分別你為聖。我已派你做列國的先知。」 6 我就說：「主耶和華啊！我不知怎樣說，因為我是年幼的。」 7 耶和華對我說：「你不要說『我是年幼的』，因為我差遣你到誰那裡去，你都要去，我吩咐你說什麼話，你都要說。

在〈詩篇〉139篇，大衛王說：“我的肺腑是祢所造的，我在母腹中，祢已覆庇我。 我要稱謝祢，因我受造奇妙可畏；祢的作為奇妙，這是我心深知道的。我在暗中受造，在地的深處被聯絡，那時我的形體並不向祢隱藏。 我未成形的體質，祢的眼早已看見了；祢所定的日子，我尚未度一日，祢都寫在祢的冊上了”（13-16節）。而神對耶利米說：“我未將你造在腹中，我已曉得你；你未出母胎，我已分別你為聖。”這兩處的經文讓我們明白，神和我們的關係何等密切。祂是造我們的神，祂認識我們，對我們的人生都有特別的計劃。

約西亞王在位的第十三年，耶和華的話語臨到耶利米，使他作神的先知。那時他回應神：“我是年幼的。”年幼不是孩童的意思，這詞的希伯來文是拿阿（naar），是指一個在社會中尚無地位之人，特別是還未結婚的年輕人，可能是在16-20歲之間，由此推斷他是在瑪拿西王統治的末期出生的。

You Are A Child of God’s Promise

2023-05-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:21-31.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:21-31 (NIV)
21  Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?
22  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23  His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

On verses 21-31:  What is Paul talking about in Galatians 4:21-31?  Remember that Paul is writing to people who think that in order to be justified (that is, in order for God to see you as blameless and worthy to have a relationship with Him), it’s not enough to believe in Jesus; it also depends on how well you obey the Jewish law.  So the goal of Paul’s entire letter to the Galatians is to show that we are not justified by our efforts to obey God’s law; rather we are justified by faith in Christ’s power to save us and to forgive our sins.  We need to seek justification by faith, not justification by our works.

亞拿突的祭司耶利米

2023-05-14 in , /by

耶利米書1:2 猶大王亞們的兒子約西亞在位十三年，耶和華的話臨到耶利米。

閱讀經文：1:1-3

1便雅憫地亞拿突城的祭司中，希勒家的兒子耶利米的話記在下面。 2 猶大王亞們的兒子約西亞在位十三年，耶和華的話臨到耶利米。 3 從猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬在位的時候，直到猶大王約西亞的兒子西底家在位的末年，就是十一年五月間耶路撒冷人被擄的時候，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

你可曾對生活的環境不滿意？對政局感到極大的無奈和憤怒？對工作感到沮喪，因社會對你的歧視和排斥而時常悲哀？你的人生裡是否一片灰色和陰影？當你以為跟隨主的人生必然有所不同時，在教會或事奉的環境裡，卻感受到更多的失望和痛苦？在《聖經》裡，神把祂的一位先知放在這樣的境遇裡，讓我們知道，神全然明白我們的處境。但也就是在這樣的黑暗裡，這位先知說出了一句名言：“祢信實何廣大！”這位先知就是耶利米。

耶利米先知又被稱為“流淚的先知”，表明他一生絕大部份的時間在痛苦的淚水中度過。神卻讓他的眼淚化為一顆顆閃亮的鑽石，在黑暗的世道裡發光，帶領後人繼續去體會神的信實；在全然敗壞的光景裡看見神要給人的，那不能抹滅的希望。現在讓我們先來認識一件這位偉大先知的一些背景。

普世的敬拜與永遠的結局

2023-05-12 in , /by

以賽亞書66:22  耶和華說：我所要造的新天新地怎樣在我面前長存，你們的後裔和你們的名字也必照樣長存。

閱讀經文：66:18-24

18 「我知道他們的行為和他們的意念。時候將到，我必將萬民萬族[a]聚來，看見我的榮耀。 19 我要顯神蹟在他們中間，逃脫的，我要差到列國去，就是到他施、普勒、拉弓的路德和土巴、雅完，並素來沒有聽見我名聲，沒有看見我榮耀遼遠的海島。他們必將我的榮耀傳揚在列國中。

本段信息一開始，上帝以「我知道他們的行為和他們的意念」來宣示祂的全知。這一句宣示，乃是針對66:17當中所述的那些隱藏的拜偶像者所發出的回應，指出人一切偏差的行為與意念，都逃不過上帝的法眼。上帝要將一切虛假的惡人完全除去，而卻要「將萬民萬族聚來看見我的榮耀，我要顯神蹟」。這乃是一段的預言，其中所揭開的奧祕，乃是指耶穌基督將要在十字架上被舉起來，就要吸引萬人來歸向祂所說的。神聚集萬民萬族，不再利用旗幟的號召（例如興起亞述、巴比倫、波斯等國成為懲罰悖逆百姓的工具），而是利用祂犧牲的愛。

當一切的惡人（假信徒）都被除去之後，接著先知引導我們看到幾幅美好的景象，先知說這完全是出於耶和華神的作為（66:18）。

Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Disciple of Jesus

2023-05-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:12-20.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:12-20 (NIV)
12  I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.
13  As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
14  Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
15  What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
16  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

On verses 12-20:  In Galatians 4:12-20 we see an emotional and passionate Paul writing to the churches he helped to build in Galatia.  Using very emotional language, Paul describes the roller coaster of emotions he experienced with his churches in Galatia:

– the joy and comfort Paul felt at first when, because of an illness, Paul got to preach the gospel to them and was taken care of by them (v12-15);

– the heartbreak Paul felt when these same Christians scorned him and distanced themselves from him because they became infatuated with another group who convinced them that Paul’s gospel was wrong and that their circumcision-based “gospel” was correct (v16-17);

Jesus Sets You Free From This

2023-05-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 4:1-11.  Let’s go!

Galatians 4:1-5 (NIV)
1  What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
2  He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3  So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
4  But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5  to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

On verses 1-5:  These are not the easiest verses to interpret, but here goes.  Paul begins by painting the picture of an underage child of a rich father, who until the time he becomes of age, is subject to the supervision of guardians and trustees.  These guardians and trustees exercise a great deal of control over the son such that this son is effectively no different from a slave, even though he is an heir (v1-2).  Why does Paul mention this?  It’s because Paul is saying that at one time, we were children living under the enslaving control of “the basic principles of the world” (v3) (also translated “the elemental spiritual forces of the world”).

對不敬虔者的報應

2023-05-11 in , /by

以賽亞書66:15   看哪，耶和華必在火中降臨，祂的車輦像旋風，以烈怒施行報應，以火焰施行責罰。

閱讀經文：66:15-17

15 「看哪，耶和華必在火中降臨，祂的車輦像旋風，以烈怒施行報應，以火焰施行責罰。 16 因為耶和華在一切有血氣的人身上，必以火與刀施行審判，被耶和華所殺的必多。 17 那些分別為聖潔淨自己的，進入園內跟在其中一個人的後頭，吃豬肉和倉鼠並可憎之物，他們必一同滅絕。」這是耶和華說的。

本段乃是第六十六章的第二段，其中又分為兩部份，第一部份乃是論到神對不敬虔之惡百姓的報應（66:15-17）；第二部份乃是論到在新世界當中，普天下列國對耶和華神的奉獻與服事（66:18-24）。

在這第一部份（66:15-17）的一開始，耶和華神再度以戰士的姿態出現，先知以舊約慣用以描述耶和華神那無上的威嚴與可畏的大自然變化。先知以三個形象來，來敘述耶和華神降臨所帶來的震撼（66:15）。

1.「在火中降臨」──在出埃及記時候，上帝在荊棘燒著的火中向摩西顯現，這表明上帝乃是煉淨一切的，但在祂的煉淨中，被煉淨的對像卻不會毀壞。因此，「煉淨的全能者」便是此時這一位耶和華神戰士所要讓祂的百姓體認到的第一個形象。

對敬虔餘民的信息

2023-05-10 in , /by

以賽亞書66:13   母親怎樣安慰兒子，我就照樣安慰你們，你們也必因耶路撒冷得安慰。

閱讀經文：66:5-14

5 你們因耶和華言語戰兢的人，當聽他的話：「你們的弟兄，就是恨惡你們，因我名趕出你們的，曾說：『願耶和華得榮耀，使我們得見你們的喜樂！』但蒙羞的究竟是他們！ 6 有喧嘩的聲音出自城中，有聲音出於殿中，是耶和華向仇敵施行報應的聲音。

在上一段論述完神對死抱型式主義的惡百姓的責備與審判之後，接著先知對那些持守單純信靠神之心的百姓給予嘉勉，並向他們報喜訊。

這個嘉勉的信息，包括首先以型式主義者所犯的錯，來安慰那持守單純心志的百姓。先知對著他們論到「你們的弟兄」（指形式主義的敬拜者）是「恨惡你們的，因我的名趕出你們」，先知挑明說到形式主義者因為不能接受單單信靠神拯救的看法，因而排斥敬虔的選民。他們曾經驕狂地宣稱「願耶和華得榮耀」。事實上，這句話是形式主義者的一廂情願，實際上他們所作的行為並不榮耀神。因此先知說，到頭來「蒙羞的究竟是他們」，因為他們口中宣稱「願耶和華得榮耀」，實際上卻背其道而行、口是而心非。

The Babysitter and the Babe

2023-05-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 3:23-29.  Let’s go!

Galatians 3:23-25 (NIV)
23  Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
25  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

On verses 23-25:  In Galatians 3:23-25, Paul talks more about this question:  if God’s plan was that we would be justified by faith in Jesus Christ, what was the point of God giving us the law through Moses?

Paul’s answer: the law was put in place to govern and watch over God’s people until Jesus Christ came.  Paul compares God’s law to a guardian who takes care of you when you are still young, and how when you become an adult that guardian no longer has authority over you.