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How Jesus Finished

2021-04-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 19:28-42.  Let’s go!

John 19:28-30 (NIV) 
28  Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
29  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.
30  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

On verses 28-30:  Once I heard a pastor share that when people used public toilets in the Roman empire, since they did not have toilet paper, they would take the stalk of a hyssop plant, place a sponge on top of it, dip it in wine vinegar as a disinfectant, and use it to wipe human waste off their bodies. Could this be the stick they used to serve Jesus his final drink in verse 29? If so, that would mean that Jesus’ final drink was the most foul and humiliating drink you could imagine drinking, and that Jesus died with the stench of human waste on his lips and in his nose.

What unfathomable rejection, humiliation and suffering Jesus went through for us, at the end of which Jesus could finally say, “It is finished”.  What was finished?  Not just the physical, spiritual and emotional torture that Jesus went through, but even more Jesus’ work of paying for our sins was finished.  Jesus’ finished work on the cross means that we can be fully forgiven and brought back to God.

约书亚再攻艾城

2021-04-08 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 8:7  你们就从埋伏的地方起来，夺取那城，因为耶和华你们的神必把城交在你们手里。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉 8:1-35

经过了艾城之败，约书亚痛定思痛，不攻再轻敌。虽然神已经跟他说：「不要惧怕，也不要惊惶。你起来，率领一切兵丁上艾城去，我已经把艾城的王和他的民、他的城并他的地，都交在你手里。」他还是很小心地布署一切，并且派三万大能的勇士到城后埋伏。这是第一次出战的十倍军力。而在城的前面引诱敌人出城的兵丁也有五千，还是约书亚亲自挑选的。我想这就是讨神喜悦的心态，神已经祝福，但是我们仍然需要做好自己的准备工作。

读这场战争的策略，让人不能不想起诸葛孔明和周瑜、曹操之间的智斗。曹操志在统一，刘备想恢复汉室，东吴又何曾不想一统大业呢？三国尔虞我诈，到最后却成了司马懿家族的囊中物，成立了晋朝。像这个攻打艾城的谋略，三公之中都曾有用过或被骗过，却没有如此周全，可以一举全胜。尤其是攻打耶利哥城那招数，我想连孔明听了也会甘拜下风。因为这是神的战争。神要以色列人统一迦南。

所以当我们看到艾城和其他城邑的人被杀时，就会明白古代的战争有多么的残酷，不是你死就是我死。以色列人没有后路，他们只能往前进；而当神认为迦南地的居民都已经罪恶满盈，神的审判已经来临时，谁能为他们说情？所以我们要记得，罪中之乐不可乐，因为一定会乐极生悲。我们不要贪图罪中之乐，因为接踵而来的审判是可怕的。

The Greatest Hero Who Ever Lived

2021-04-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 19:17-27.  Let’s go!

John 19:17-18 (NIV) 
17  Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 
18  Here they crucified him, and with him two others–one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

On verses 17-18:  The pain, suffering and humiliation of Jesus is taken to a climactic level as Jesus, carrying his own cross, to taken to the place of the Skull and crucified.  That Jesus carried his own cross and was crucified in between two criminals shows that Jesus identified in every way with sinners like us.  Jesus stood right in the middle of us all and received the punishment we deserved for our sin.

John 19:19-22 (NIV) 
19  Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20  Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 
21  The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 

亚割谷

2021-04-07 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 7: 25   约书亚说：「你为什么连累我们呢？今日耶和华必叫你受连累。」

阅读经文：〈约书亚记 〉7:16-26

「你为什么连累我们呢？」一个亚干的贪婪，影响了整个以色列的成败。你是否想过，我们的决定和做法，会影响整个教会或团契或家人？我见过不只一个教会，因为牧者的不诚实，影响到教会的破裂。因为会众信任他，不疑有他。因此一个假见证，一个谎话，连累了整个神的家庭，让很多信徒的心灵受到创伤。会众很难弄明白谁是谁非，但是神知道，说谎话、做假见证的人自己也知道。虽然有的信徒暂时被蒙敞，但是圣灵的审判不会延迟。

在电影Atonement赎罪的剧情里，有一个小女孩因为暗恋的男人爱上她的姐姐，在嫉恨交加的情绪下，做了假见证，说那个男人强奸了她的堂姐。这个男人被关了四年，后来从军以换取自由，可惜后来受伤，终于死去；她的姐姐后来也死了。这个小女孩长大后，心里非常愧疚，为了赎罪，她去做护士，并写下这段过程。她在书的结局幻想她的姐姐和那个男人终于相聚，结成连理，过著幸福的日子。可惜，那终究是她为了赎罪而幻想出来的。两个人的大半生就因为她的一个谎言，一个假见证，就如此轻易被毁了。谎言和假见证之可怕及威力，还有更甚的。

去年(2020)十月，在法国巴黎发生了一件轰动全法国的凶杀案，一位历史老师萨缪尔帕迪（Samuel Paty）在街上遭到一名18岁少年斩首，起因是该历史老师曾在课堂上展示一幅伊斯兰先知穆罕默德的讽刺漫画。事隔数月后，真相才在警方不断的抽丝剥茧后，逐渐浮现出来。原来是一名女学生的谎言，造就了一连串的事件发展，最终引发杀机。

Flogged, Humiliated and Sentenced for You

2021-04-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 19:1-16.  Let’s go!

John 19:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 
2  The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 
3  and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.

On verses 1-3:  There are no words to describe the kind of shame, suffering and humiliation Jesus went through on our behalf, even before he was sentenced to die on a cross. That includes the flogging of Jesus’ body, the mocking of Jesus by placing  a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe, the verbal abuse and the physical beatings Jesus received.  Though Jesus was innocent and the last person who deserved this kind of treatment, Jesus willingly suffered all of this for us from people who could not come close to Jesus’ integrity and innocence. 

John 19:4-16 (NIV) 
4  Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

以色列人败于艾城

2021-04-06 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 7: 11  以色列人犯了罪，违背了我所吩咐他们的约，取了当灭的物；又偷窃，又行诡诈，又把那当灭的放在他们的家具里。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉 7:1-15

当以色列人打下耶和哥城，欢天喜地地庆祝之后，他们得意洋洋地准备接受下一个挑战，攻打艾城。在《圣经》里第一个提到艾城的人是亚伯拉罕，他经过示剑又迁到伯特利东边的山，支搭帐篷。西边是伯特利，东边是艾（创12:8）。她的面积和人口都比耶利哥小和少，以致于以色列人轻视它，以为可以轻易致胜。约书亚派人去窥探艾城，这些探子认为只要有两千人就可以把艾城拿下来。

不料，事与愿违。他们不但败退，还死了卅六人。战争里死了人是很自然的事，两军交锋哪有不死的，又不是电脑游戏。但是对以色列人而言，一场战争里死了百分之一的兵丁，算是伤亡惨重了。他们在利非订和亚玛力人争战时，摩西只要一举手祷告，以色列人就势奴破竹；摩西的手一放下来，他们就节节败退。只好请户珥和亚伦住摩西的手，让他的手一直举著，直到亚玛力人败得一塌涂地，跑的跑了，逃的逃了，这才收手。以色列人看来没死几个。摩西又带领以色列人在约旦河西戳米甸五王、杀亚摩利人和巴珊王时，那更是风风火火，所向披靡。约书亚带领，打耶利哥时，把外邦人吓得望风而逃，都不敢来帮忙。现在怎么会败在一个小小的艾城手里，死了百分之一的兵丁？

连续打了好几场胜仗的约书亚撕裂衣服，和长老们撒灰在头上，「在耶和华的约柜前俯伏在地，直到晚上。」约书亚的祷告不是求神让他明白为何为输，而是祢怎么让我们输了，以后我们还怎么再打啊？这对祢而言太没面子了！当我们遭遇人生的败仗时，没有几个人会高兴的，例如：求婚被拒、买屋银行不借钱、考试不及格、面试不通过、找工作没人请，等等。凡是不如我们心里所求的，我们都会觉得怎么这样倒霉？天父啊，祢怎么不帮助我？人家都知道我是个基督徒，我生活得如此窝囔，怎能彰显祢的荣耀呢？

The Irony of Ironies

2021-04-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 18:28-40.  Let’s go!

John 18:28 (NIV) 
28  Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.

On verse 28:  The Jews who were handing Jesus over to the Roman governor believed that by entering the home of a Gentile (in this case, the palace of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate), they would make themselves ceremonially unclean according to their religious laws.  Jesus’ opponents were so focused on keeping their religious rules on ceremonial cleanness, yet at the same time they were handing over an innocent man – the Son of God no less – to be killed.  That’s the danger of Christ-less religion: when you’re so focused on keeping little rules that you miss God and even kill God in the process.

John 18:29-32 (NIV) 
29  So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” 
30  “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 

初熟之物耶利哥

2021-04-05 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 6:25   约书亚却把妓女喇合与她父家，并她所有的，都救活了；因为她隐藏了约书亚所打发窥探耶利哥的使者，她就住在以色列中，直到今日。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉 6:15-27

你有没有觉得很奇怪？第七天要攻城时，神却要以色列的兵丁绕城七次，为何不让他们节省精力去打仗，反而要他们绕城七次，在又饿又累时才攻打呢？你会发现神的想法和人的想法往往不一样。因为神知道，这个仗是祂要打的，以色列人只是助手而已。只靠以色列人能对付得了耶利哥的两重城墙吗？何况还有骁勇善战的耶利哥人？所以当你发现神不按着你的祷告和想法去回应你时，你要感谢，因为天父已经发现了有更好的方法来回应你的祷告。

在攻打耶利哥城时，约书亚宣布了几件事：第一，城中所有的人，不论男女老少、牛羊和驴都要死，只有喇合和她家中的可以存活。第二，不可取那当灭的物，免得连累全营，使全营受咒诅。第三，唯有金子、银子和铜铁的器皿，都要归耶和华为圣。第四，不可重修耶利哥城。

可能很多人都觉得男女老少和牛羊都要杀尽，实在太过了。但是这是神对耶利哥的旨意，在其他战役中并没有这样做。耶利哥城是神审判迦南地的第一站。可能有人会觉得大人做错事，关孩子什么事？但是我们若知道，在民间信仰中有很多孩子被父母送给偶像当干儿子干女儿，就知道在一个拜偶像的文化里，倘若不像亚伯拉罕那样寻求真神，就是全被污秽了。人的性命宝贵吗？是很宝贵，但是人若不珍惜，把自己献给偶像时，他的性命和神没有关系，不管再活多少年，也是要归于尘土，接受最后的审判。信主的人已经从神得了永生，完成了在地上的工作，就可以回天家了。

Bound to Set Us Free

2021-04-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 18:12-27.  Let’s go!

John 18:12-13 (NIV) 
12  Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
13  and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.

On verses 12-13:  Jesus was the only one bound (v12) and yet he was bound so that he could set the rest of us free.  Jesus was brought before Annas the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest (v13).  Little die Annas know that Jesus was the true great high priest.

John 18:14 (NIV) 
14  Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

On verse 14:  Caiaphas made this statement, which John considers to be prophetic, in John 11:49-52.

John 18:15-16 (NIV) 
15  Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,

以色列人绕耶利哥城

2021-04-04 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 6: 3     你们的一切兵丁要围绕这城，一日围绕一次，六日都要这样行。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记 〉6:1-14

以色列人在旷野走了四十年，现在进到迦南地的大多数人都是在旷野出生的；即使有在埃及出生的，对于城巿的印象也模糊不清了。来到迦南地，看到耶利哥城那么高大的城墙，可能都是生平第一次。没有人知道，他们要怎样攻打耶利哥城。好像作梦一样，要攻打铜墙铁壁般的耶利哥城？不知道你有没有看过电视剧三国里演的攻城，他们有火炮先射，然后有云梯前扑后继地上，以色列人什么都没有。连埃及人那样的战车都没有。他们凭什么去打耶利哥城？耶利哥城里的人又为何怕他们怕成那个样子，他们怕的是谁？竟然因以色列人而把城门关得严紧，无人敢出入？

耶利哥是迦南地的门户，城墙高厚，是古代极强大的堡垒，她有两重城墙，外城六呎厚，内城十二呎厚。她的守军极其高大健壮，就像以色列人的探子说的，以色列人在他们面前就像蚱蜢一样。以色列人有何谋略，有何军备，能够打下耶利哥城？但是耶和华神说，祂已经把耶利哥城、耶利哥王和其中大能的勇士，都交在约书亚和以色列人手中。好像父亲对儿子说，我已经帮你买好一辆车子了，这是车子的钥匙，你去开吧！假如儿子看到那把车子的钥匙，只是一个长方形的小遥控器，他会不会去试试看呢？

现在有的汽车根本不用钥匙，用个遥控器就行了。假如有人不知道这样的趋势，看到父亲只给一个遥控器，没给钥匙，他会相信父亲的话吗？神叫以色列人的兵丁去围绕耶利哥城，每天绕行一次，共绕六天。每一天，祭司要拿着七个羊角走在约柜前吹角。到了第七天，兵丁要绕城七次。当他们听到角声拖长拖长时，所有的百姓要一起呼喊，不是只有兵丁，而是百姓要一起参与。那时城墙就必塌陷，兵丁就要勇往上前。