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Confession Offers Freedom

2026-05-01 in /by

Confession! It’s a word that conjures up many images—some not so positive! Confession isn’t telling God what he doesn’t know. That’s impossible. It’s not pointing fingers at others without pointing any at me. That may feel good, but it doesn’t promote healing.

Confession is a radical reliance on grace—a trust in God’s goodness. The truth is, confessors find a freedom that deniers don’t! Scripture says “If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done” (1 John 1:8-9 NCV).

Tell God what you did. Again, it’s not that he doesn’t already know, but the two of you need to agree! Then let the pure water of grace flow over your mistakes!

Confession Reveals our Hearts

2026-05-01 in /by

We can’t live with foreign objects buried in our bodies, or our souls. What would an X-ray of your interior reveal? Remorse over a poor choice? Shame about the marriage that didn’t work, the temptation you couldn’t resist? Guilt lies hidden beneath the surface. Festering, irritating, sometimes so deeply embedded you don’t even know the cause of your pain.

And you can be touchy, you know. Understandable, since you have a shank of shame lodged in your soul. Would you like an extraction? Here’s what you do: confess. Ask God to help you. Psalm 139:23-24 is a model prayer. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Confession. You see, confessors find a freedom that deniers do not. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins! He will cleanse us. Not might, could, would, or should. He will.

大喜大悲的一天

2026-04-30 in , /by

利未记10章3节    于是摩西对亚伦说：「这就是耶和华所说：『我在亲近我的人中要显为圣；在众民面前，我要得荣耀。』」亚伦就默默不言。

那是非常喜乐的一天，万里晴空。在西乃山刚造好不久的会幕前，摩西按著神的吩咐，拣选亚伦和他的四个儿子供祭司的职份。

在〈出埃及记〉28章里，神己经安排一切心中有智慧的人为亚做衣服，胸牌、以弗得、外袍、杂色的内袍、冠冕、腰带。这祭司和大祭司的衣服所用的材料是：金线和蓝色、紫色、朱红色线，并撚的细麻。再用巧匠的手工做以弗得，以弗得就是大祭司胸前的那块布袋，它有两条肩带可以相连，又取两块红玛瑙，在上面刻以色列儿子的名字，六个名字在这块宝石上，六个名字在那块宝石上，都照他们生来的次序；

又用刻宝石的手工，仿佛刻图书，按著以色列儿子的名字，刻这两块宝石，要镶在金槽上。再把宝石安在以弗得的两条肩带上，为以色列人做纪念石。亚伦要在两肩上担他们的名字，在耶和华面前作为纪念。

五祭

2026-04-29 in , /by

利未记6章9-13节  你要吩咐亚伦和他的子孙说，燔祭的条例乃是这样：燔祭要放在坛的柴上，从晚上到天亮，坛上的火要常常烧着。祭司要穿上细麻布衣服，又要把细麻布裤子穿在身上，把坛上所烧的燔祭灰收起来，倒在坛的旁边。随后要脱去这衣服，穿上别的衣服，把灰拿到营外洁净之处。 坛上的火要在其上常常烧着，不可熄灭，祭司要每日早晨在上面烧柴，并要把燔祭摆在坛上，在其上烧平安祭牲的脂油。在坛上必有常常烧着的火，不可熄灭。

当神住在人的中间，却因为人的罪，成为了人与神之间的隔阂，有如万丈高墙，难以攀越。因此神设立了五祭，使以色列可以借着这五祭来亲近祂。一般在人所创立的宗教里，都尽量给人不食烟火的感觉，好让人幻想在天界是何等地清静无瑕。但是耶和华神却有不一样的想法，因为祂知道真正的天堂是怎样的，祂更知道谁才能去那里。所以在耶和华的殿里，祭是最原始的敬拜。

神设立了五祭，虽然我们不是犹太人，不必献祭；即使是犹太人，现在也没了献祭的地方。但是理解这五祭，可以帮助我们要怎样敬拜神，亲近神。现在我们要用复习的方法来看这五祭，答案都在《圣经》〈利未记〉1-7章里。这些有的是多选题，有超过一个的答案。

The Value of Confession

2026-04-28 in /by

One day it dawned on me. I had become the very thing I hate. A hypocrite. A pretender. Two-faced. I’d written sermons about people like me. Christians who care more about their appearance than integrity.

I knew what I needed to do. I’d written sermons about that, too. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right.” I needed to confess.

What is confession? Well, confession is not complaining. If I just recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining. Confession is a radical reliance upon grace. Maybe you need to do what I’ve done in the last few days. You just need to confess. God will hear your confession. And in your confession you will find a wonder of God’s grace. You see grace creates an honest confession. And then great grace, receives it.

神在呼叫

2026-04-28 in , /by

利未记一章1-3节     耶和华从会幕中呼叫摩西，对他说：你晓谕以色列人说：你们中间若有人献供物给耶和华，要从牛群羊群中献牲畜为供物。他的供物若以牛为燔祭，就要在会幕门口献一只没有残疾的公牛，可以在耶和华面前蒙悦纳。

从〈创世记〉一开始，神创造这个世界，赐给人生命气息，然后人犯罪，献祭就开始了。亚当和夏娃吃了善恶果树的果子之后，就看见自己赤身裸体，并感到羞耻，便拿无花果树的叶子，为自己编做裙子。神知道以后，为亚当和他妻子用皮子做衣服给他们穿。哪里来的皮子呢？当然是动物的皮了，这便是献祭的开始，神为他们的罪杀了动物，动物的血遮盖他们的罪，也遮盖他们的祼体。因为罪的工价就是死。

在亚当的家里，孩子们都懂得献祭，该隐献素祭，亚伯献燔祭。为什么他们都知道要献祭呢？因为罪使人与神隔绝，当他们想亲近神时，就要先献祭除罪，才能亲近神。

〈创世记〉结束时，以约瑟的死为结束。一开始是生命的赐予，结束时，神收回生命，人不再享有永生。在〈出埃及记〉的开始，也是一个生命的诞生，原是该死的，却在神的恩典中活了下来。正代表以色列人这个民族，原是该灭亡的，却因着神的大能，起死回生，脱离奴隶生涯，成为神拣选的子民，建立起自己的国度。更美的是，在〈出埃及记〉的结束是神用云彩每天的带领，使以色列人成为一支充满希望的队伍。〈出埃及记〉，是一本从绝望到充满希望的过程。

Christ Covers Us

2026-04-27 in /by

We are poor. Spiritually for sure; monetarily, perhaps. We’ve buried our dreams, desires, and aspirations. Like the mother with Lupus or the businessman in the unemployment line, we’re out of options. Yet Christ approached us while we were yet sinners. “Will you cover us?” we asked him, and grace smiled. He gave us grace.

Not just mercy, mind you, but grace. Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance, but grace threw him a party. Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim, but grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim’s care. Mercy forgave the thief on the cross; grace escorted him into paradise. Mercy pardons us; grace woos and weds us. Grace does this. God does this. Grace is God walking into your world with a sparkle in his eye and an offer that’s hard to resist.

神的帐幕在人间

2026-04-27 in , /by

出埃及记40章 17-19节     第二年正月初一日，帐幕就立起来。摩西立起帐幕，安上带卯的座，立上板，穿上闩，立起柱子， 在帐幕以上搭罩篷，把罩篷的顶盖盖在其上，是照耶和华所吩咐他的。

摩西用五章经文来描述神所要建立的帐幕，从百姓的奉献到帐幕建成，其中还包括了祭司和大祭司的制服。〈出埃及记〉35-40章，形容以色列人在出埃及后的第二年月初一日，建立了神所要的帐幕，神在以色列人中间终于有了自己的家。原来神是如此盼望和他们住在一起，神所盼望的就是成为以色列人当中的一份子。你能够想像，神也希望成为你家的一份子吗？神盼望成为我们生活中的一份子。耶和华不只是高高在上的神，祂更要成为我们生命中最要好的朋友。

「以马内利」不只是一个说词，那是神最深切的心愿，神要与我们同在，与我们同行。只有当你对某人爱得刻骨铭心，你才会渴望朝朝暮暮和对方在一起，这就是神对我们的爱。有个父亲写信给他的女儿，他说：「女儿，你要记住，天下不会再有男人像我那样爱你。我是天下第一个最爱你的男人，也是最后一个。」当然，他的意思不是要女儿一辈子和他在一起，而是提醒她，不管发生何事，父亲永远等着要帮助她，成为她的力量。父神也是如此，期望我们永远明白祂爱我们，祂对我们的爱永远不会改变。

Let Grace Begin with You

2026-04-26 in /by

Most people keep a pot of anger on low boil. But you aren’t most people. Look at your feet. They’re wet, grace soaked. Jesus has washed your feet. He has washed the grimiest parts of your life.

To accept grace is the vow to give it. You don’t endorse the deeds of your offender when you forgive them. Jesus didn’t endorse your sins by forgiving you. The grace-defined person still sends thieves to jail and expects the ex to pay child support. Grace sees the hurt full well. But it refuses to let hurts poison the heart.

Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. So go ahead. Set your feet in the basin. Let the hands of God wipe away every dirty part of your life. Then look across the room and wash someone else’s feet. Let grace begin—and continue—in you.