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God’s Grace Is Not a Licence to Keep On Sinning

2019-10-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:26-31.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV) 
26  If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27  but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

On verses 26-31:  There are two schools of interpretation that are worth considering when trying to understand this short passage.  The first and perhaps more mainstream way to interpret this passage is to say that it is basically repeating what Hebrews 6:4-6 has already said: that we receive Jesus as Saviour (“receive the knowledge of the truth” (v26)) but later commit apostasy by rejecting Jesus as our Saviour (“deliberately keep on sinning” (v26)), we will not be saved and will end up in a Christ-less hell for eternity.  That’s because by doing this we have rejected the only provision God has made for our sin: Jesus Christ.

Another interpretation of this passage is by Bible scholar David L. Allen (David L. Allen, The New American Commentary – Volume 35: Hebrews. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2010. WORDsearch CROSS e-book).  Allen believes that the sin being referred to here is not rejecting the Christian faith and committing apostasy, but rather deliberately continuing to sin in other ways and thus taking for granted the mercy of God expressed through Jesus Christ. 

The Difference Jesus Makes to Our Relationships Both Vertically and Horizontally

2019-10-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:19-25. Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV) 
19  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 
20  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 
21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 
22  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 
23  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ……
 
On verses 19-25:  So far in Hebrews the author has written in depth about how Jesus is our great high priest (v21) and how through Jesus’ shed blood and sacrificed body we are able to freely enter God’s holy presence (v19-20).  

诗篇七十八篇

2019-10-25 in /by

亚萨的训诲诗。

1 我的民哪，你们要留心听我的训诲，侧耳听我口中的话。
2 我要开口说比喻，我要说出古时的谜语，
3 是我们所听见所知道的，也是我们的祖宗告诉我们的。
4 我们不将这些事向他们的子孙隐瞒，要将耶和华的美德和祂的能力，并祂奇妙的作为，述说给后代听。
5 因为祂在雅各中立法度，在以色列中设律法，是祂吩咐我们祖宗要传给子孙的，
6 使将要生的后代子孙可以晓得。他们也要起来告诉他们的子孙，
7 好叫他们仰望神，不忘记神的作为，唯要守祂的命令，
8 不要像他们的祖宗，是顽梗悖逆居心不正之辈，向着神心不诚实。
9 以法莲的子孙带着兵器拿着弓，临阵之日转身退后。
10 他们不遵守神的约，不肯照祂的律法行。……

《诗篇》78篇是《诗篇》119篇以外，最长的一首诗，共有72节。这篇的小标题注明是“亚萨的训诲诗”。亚萨是3千年前，大卫和所罗门时代，利未支派的领袖，受指派在耶路撒冷圣殿中，带领众人用诗歌敬拜神（《代上》16；《代下》5：12）。

他擅长各种乐器，也会写作不同类型的诗歌。当时与他同担当此任的，还有利未的子孙希幔和以探（参《代上》15：17，25：1，以探可能又名耶杜顿）。亚萨也被称为“先见”。他的诗歌和大卫的诗歌，成为250年以后，希西家王带领属灵复兴的重要动力（参《代下》29：30）。属灵的复兴，往往与伟大的诗歌密不可分。《诗篇》第三卷是以亚萨的诗歌为主（《诗》73-83），或许即是那时留下来的作品。

诗篇七十七篇

2019-10-24 in /by

亚萨的诗，照耶杜顿的做法，交于伶长。

1 我要向神发声呼求，我向神发声，祂必留心听我。
2 我在患难之日寻求主，我在夜间不住地举手祷告，我的心不肯受安慰。
3 我想念神，就烦躁不安；我沉吟悲伤，心便发昏。（细拉）
4 祢叫我不能闭眼，我烦乱不安，甚至不能说话。
5 我追想古时之日，上古之年。
6 我想起我夜间的歌曲，扪心自问，我心里也仔细省察：
7 难道主要永远丢弃我，不再施恩吗？
8 难道祂的慈爱永远穷尽，祂的应许世世废弃吗？
9 难道神忘记开恩，因发怒就止住祂的慈悲吗？（细拉）
10 我便说：「这是我的懦弱，但我要追念至高者显出右手之年代。」……

在这诗篇开始有一段小字：“亚萨的诗、照耶杜顿的作法、交与伶长”。这里说亚萨是作者但用的是耶杜顿所作的曲调，在150篇诗篇中，有三篇诗跟耶杜顿这个作曲家有关，就是39，62，和77篇。39篇和62篇都是大卫写的，77篇是亚萨写的，都是用耶杜顿的调子。在大卫作王的时代，耶杜顿、亚萨和希幔是大卫的诗班长，专门给大卫的诗配乐，耶杜顿的名字又作以探(代上15:17)。这三篇诗篇用的都是耶杜顿所作的曲调，所以他们必定是类似的诗歌，如果我们看这三篇的一开始，会发现一个相似的地方，39:1，2我要谨慎我的言行……我默然无声，连好话也不出口……62:1我的心默默无声，专等候神，我的救恩是从祂而来。77:1我要向神发声呼求，我向神发声，祂必留心听我。

Once and For All

2019-10-24 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”.  Jesus laid down His life once, and this was enough to take away the sins of everyone who places their trusts 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 the same sacrifices again and again.

dAlso, notice this mystery: Jesus “has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (v14).  Here the Bible recognizes this dual reality in our lives. 

诗篇七十六篇

2019-10-23 in /by

亚萨的诗歌，交于伶长。用丝弦的乐器。

1 在犹大，神为人所认识；在以色列，祂的名为大。
2 在撒冷有祂的帐幕，在锡安有祂的居所。
3 祂在那里折断弓上的火箭并盾牌、刀剑和争战的兵器。（细拉）
4 祢从有野食之山而来，有光华和荣美。
5 心中勇敢的人都被抢夺，他们睡了长觉，没有一个英雄能措手。
6 雅各的神啊，你的斥责一发，坐车的、骑马的都沉睡了。
7 唯独祢是可畏的，祢怒气一发，谁能在祢面前站得住呢？
8 祢从天上使人听判断——
9 神起来施行审判，要救地上一切谦卑的人——那时地就惧怕而静默。（细拉）
10 人的愤怒要成全祢的荣美，人的余怒祢要禁止。
11 你们许愿，当向耶和华你们的神还愿；在祂四面的人，都当拿贡物献给那可畏的主。
12 祂要挫折王子的骄气，祂向地上的君王显威可畏。

根据传统的说法，这诗篇写于亚述王西拿基立的军队威胁耶路撒冷，被神摧毁之后。因此七十译本称之为：“得胜亚述人的歌”。在希西家做犹大王时，亚述王西拿基立率领大军围困耶路撒冷，希西家因而求神拯救。后来耶和华的使者出去，在亚述营中杀了十八万五千人；西拿基立逃回去之后，被他两个儿子杀死。这诗篇被为亚萨的诗歌，可能因为亚萨的后裔接续他在圣殿中的事奉，所以还是以他为名。

诗篇七十五篇

2019-10-22 in /by

亚萨的诗歌，交于伶长。调用休要毁坏。

1 神啊，我们称谢祢，我们称谢祢！因为祢的名相近，人都述说祢奇妙的作为。
2 「我到了所定的日期，必按正直施行审判。
3 地和其上的居民都消化了，我曾立了地的柱子。（细拉）
4 我对狂傲人说：『不要行事狂傲！』对凶恶人说：『不要举角，
5 不要把你们的角高举，不要挺著颈项说话！』」
6 因为高举非从东，非从西，也非从南而来；
7 唯有神断定，祂使这人降卑，使那人升高。
8 耶和华手里有杯，其中的酒起沫，杯内满了掺杂的酒。祂倒出来，地上的恶人必都喝这酒的渣滓，而且喝尽。
9 但我要宣扬，直到永远，我要歌颂雅各的神。
10 「恶人一切的角，我要砍断；唯有义人的角，必被高举。」

在动物界里，‘角’是很多动物攻击其他动物的武器，也是牠们力量集中之处。在这诗篇里，亚萨在四节经文里都提到‘角’，‘角’有什么特别的意义吗？在《圣经》里，‘角’声代表大约有十五种记号。

1.迎接神的同在或迎接约柜时。在〈出埃及记〉19章（13节），神叫摩西用角声召聚以色列人到西及山下，迎接神的降临；〈撒下6:15〉，当大卫迎接约柜进耶路撒冷时，大卫和以色列的全家欢呼吹角，将耶和华的约柜抬上来。

Jesus’ Death Made Your Inheritance Possible

2019-10-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

Hebrews 9:16-17 (NIV) 
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 by which a person spells out, among other things, 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.”  
 

诗篇七十四篇

2019-10-22 in /by

亚萨的训诲诗。

1 神啊，祢为何永远丢弃我们呢？祢为何向祢草场的羊发怒，如烟冒出呢？
2 求祢记念祢古时所得来的会众，就是祢所赎做祢产业支派的，并记念祢向来所居住的锡安山。
3 求祢举步去看那日久荒凉之地，仇敌在圣所中所行的一切恶事。
4 祢的敌人在祢会中吼叫，他们竖了自己的旗为记号。
5 他们好像人扬起斧子，砍伐林中的树。
6 圣所中一切雕刻的，他们现在用斧子锤子打坏了。
7 他们用火焚烧祢的圣所，亵渎祢名的居所，拆毁到地。
8 他们心里说：「我们要尽行毁灭！」他们就在遍地把神的会所都烧毁了。
9 我们不见我们的标帜，不再有先知，我们内中也没有人知道，这灾祸要到几时呢。
10 神啊，敌人辱骂要到几时呢？仇敌亵渎祢的名要到永远吗？……

大卫和众首领分派亚萨，希幔并耶杜顿的子孙，弹琴，鼓瑟，敲钹，唱歌。他们供职的人数，记在下面；亚萨的儿子撒刻，约瑟，尼探雅，亚萨莉拉，都归亚萨指教，遵王的旨意唱歌，颂赞耶和华。(代上25:l-3)

亚萨终于登上王室乐团的首位了。他写了十二首著名的诗篇；然而，他的出身却只是一个寂寂无闻的钹手(代上15:19)。钹是最谦卑的伴奏乐器，却不是很容易敲得好的；在〈诗篇〉最后的一篇赞美诗中曾两次提到钹，可见在赞美神时它占了很重要的地位。钹手必须有持续的力量。其他乐器会有偶发的高潮，也有休止的时候，但是钹手却不可以停顿。这种没有停顿、没有变化、稳定持久的能力是一切真赞美的基础。

Jesus’ Blood, Your Key to a Clean Conscience

2019-10-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

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). Other than the high priest, people could not see or enter the Most Holy Place because of the curtain. Despite the priests sacrificing hundreds of thousands of bulls and goats over the centuries, that curtain never opened. No one could access the Most Holy Place except the high priest. It wasn’t until Jesus sacrificed Himself and shed His blood that the curtain supernaturally tore in two and everyone in the temple could now see into the Most Holy Place (Matthew 27:51; Mark15:38; Luke 23:45).