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當審判的日子

2019-04-01 in /by

馬太福音11: 20_24當審判的日子

20 耶穌在諸城中行了許多異能，那些城的人終不悔改，就在那時候責備他們說：21 「哥拉汛哪，你有禍了！伯賽大啊，你有禍了！因為在你們中間所行的異能，若行在推羅、西頓，他們早已披麻蒙灰悔改了。 22 但我告訴你們：當審判的日子，推羅、西頓所受的比你們還容易受呢！ 23 迦百農啊，你已經升到天上，將來必墜落陰間！因為在你那裡所行的異能，若行在所多瑪，它還可以存到今日。 24 但我告訴你們：當審判的日子，所多瑪所受的比你還容易受呢！」

在每一個世代，人們都希望神按著他們想要的來改變。例如在我們這個世代，同性戀者強調神也愛他們，這句話沒有錯，但問題是，他們愛神嗎?願不願意為神而持守而改變？人只要神的愛和祝福，卻不要神的原則和律法。神卻不因為人的自私而改變祂的律法和教導，因為祂知道什麼對人才是好的。

耶穌在自己的家鄉附近的城鎮行了許多神蹟奇事，那些人都高興地領受了醫治和幫助，但是對於耶穌所要求的悔改卻不理會，讓耶穌十分地懊惱。耶穌豈不愛他們嗎？但是耶穌絕不溺愛，祂要求我們在接受了祂的救恩之後也要有相對的回應。

推羅是古時候一個很大的地中海海港城巿，也是大商埠，因為十分繁華，犯罪甚多，神藉先知預言這兩個城巿必被毀滅。後來果然被巴比倫所破，又被希臘催毀，重建後又被回教軍攻擊，終於完全消失。今天的古推羅仍是一塊供漁夫曬網的凈光盤石。聖經的預言完全應驗。

Be Careful Not to Repeat Your Predecessors’ Mistakes

2019-04-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:1-7.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-7:  The reason God decided that the kingship of Israel would no longer go through Jeroboam’s family line and the reason God wiped out Jeroboam’s house entirely was because Jeroboam had turned away from the Lord to worship idols of his own making and led all of Israel to do the same.  Baasha must have realized this at some point.  Yet even after being the very instrument God used to wipe out Jeroboam’s house, Baasha becomes the new king and commits the very same sins Jeroboam committed.  Following in Jeroboam’s footsteps, Baasha worships idols and causes the Israelites to do the same.  Failing to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors, Baasha receives a message from God through the prophet Jehu: just like God wiped out the house of Jeroboam for their sins, God would also wipe Baasha and his house (v3-4).  

What can we learn from this?  

1. We are to honour those who go before us but we also need to be aware of what mistakes they made so that we do not repeat them.  

智慧之子總以智慧為是

2019-03-31 in /by

馬太福音11: 15_19智慧之子總以智慧為是

15 有耳可聽的，就應當聽！ 16 我可用什麼比這世代呢？好像孩童坐在街市上招呼同伴說： 17 『我們向你們吹笛，你們不跳舞！我們向你們舉哀，你們不捶胸！』 18 約翰來了，也不吃也不喝，人就說他是被鬼附著的。 19 人子來了，也吃也喝，人又說他是貪食好酒的人，是稅吏和罪人的朋友。但智慧之子總以智慧為是。

耶穌在這段經文裡談到傳福音的辛苦，主要是因為人對福音莫不關心。說實在話，每個人最關心的還是自己的事。所以說事不關己，關己則亂。人們關心的大多是物質上的需要，而不是對永生的盼望。耶穌所形容的世代其實跟我們現在的世代也很像。

耶穌用當時的孩童在巿集玩遊戲做為比喻，當猶太人結婚時就會吹笛跳舞，但是當孩童招呼同伴玩遊戲時，他們吹笛，朋友卻不理睬，不肯隨著音樂起舞，讓人很掃興!孩童看大家不喜歡玩結婚的遊戲，就邀請大家玩舉喪出殯的遊戲，在舉哀時人們都要捶胸痛苦哭，可是還是沒有人理他，也不捶胸。

畢德生牧師用一個現代家庭的例子來解釋，他說：那些人就像小孩跟父母吵著要跳繩，但是父母說太累了，不能陪他們玩；當孩子們想跟父母談心時，父母又總是太忙。耶穌用這樣的比喻來說明社會的麻木不仁，沒有反應。

他們看到施洗約翰不吃不喝地禁食，就說他被鬼附著；而看到耶穌與門徒又吃又喝，就說他們貪食好酒，是稅吏和罪人的朋友。這就是人的本相，總喜歡批評，卻不去尋求事實和真相，看到表面就很自大地說東道西，眨低別人，以致於永遠浮游在真理週圍，自絕於福音的門外。

Don’t Get Blindsided by an Inside Job

2019-03-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:25-34.  Don’t Get Blindsided by an Inside Job + How Do You Want God to use Your Life
Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:25-28 (NIV) 
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.
26 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it.
28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king. 

On verses 25-28:  These verses summarize the short 2 year reign of Nadab king of Israel.  The writer of 1 Kings does not find anything noteworthy about Nadab except two things.  First is how Nadab followed his father Jeroboam in worshiping idols and doing evil in God’s sight.  Second is the way Nadab died: while Nadab is in foreign territory trying to capture the Philistian city of Gibbethon, another unsuspecting enemy — in this case, Baasha, an Israelite and a member of Nadab’s own kingdom — strikes Nadab down and becomes the new king of Israel.

要努力進天國

2019-03-29 in /by

馬太福音11: 11_14要努力進天國

11 「我實在告訴你們：凡婦人所生的，沒有一個興起來大過施洗約翰的；然而天國裡最小的比他還大。 12 從施洗約翰的時候到如今，天國是努力進入的，努力的人就得著了。 13 因為眾先知和律法說預言到約翰為止； 14 你們若肯領受，這人就是那應當來的以利亞。 (和合本)

12從施洗的約翰的時候直到現在，天國不斷遭受猛烈的攻擊，強暴的人企圖把它奪去。 (新譯本 )

12-14 For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.(MSG)

在這一段經文裡，主耶穌劃出了兩個時代。第一個時代是眾先知和律法到約翰的時代，第二個時代是從施洗約翰到如今的時代。這裡我摘錄了一段江守道弟兄對這段經文的看法：

主說：“現在時代改變了，律法和先知的時代到施洗約翰己經停止了、已經過去了；從施洗約翰直到如今是另一個時代了。”在這個時代的裡面，神所注意的，乃是天國，我們要進天國裡頭去。但是什麼樣的人纔能進去呢？祂說：“努力的人就進去，努力的人就得著了。”

Don’t Let Your Past Define You

2019-03-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:9-24.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:12-14 (NIV) 
12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 

On verses 9-15:  These verses summarize the long 41 year reign of Asa king of Judah.  What I love most about Asa is that he deliberately chose not to follow the evil practices of the generations before him.  His father Abijah was an idol worshiper who did not follow the Lord.  His grandmother Maacah was as well.  Yet Asa did not allow his past to define his future.  He did not let his ancestors’ idolatry determine his relationship with God.  Rather Asa took deliberate steps to remove idolatry not just from his own life but from Judah as a whole.  Verse 14 says “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life”.   

耶穌論施洗約翰

2019-03-28 in /by

馬太福音11: 7_10 耶穌論施洗約翰

 7 他們走的時候，耶穌就對眾人講論約翰說：「你們從前出到曠野是要看什麼呢？要看風吹動的蘆葦嗎？8 你們出去到底是要看什麼？要看穿細軟衣服的人嗎？那穿細軟衣服的人是在王宮裡。 9 你們出去究竟是為什麼？是要看先知嗎？我告訴你們，是的，他比先知大多了。 10 經上記著說：『我要差遣我的使者在你前面預備道路』，所說的就是這個人。

耶穌在這段話裡不只是論施洗約翰，更指出人心裡的一種情形。我們都有一種先入為主的觀念，提到富翁就想到為富不仁，看到官員說話就覺得都是官腔，看到生意人就覺得他們沒一句誠實話，都是想把你的錢掏空，等等。我們心裡有很多早己設定的觀點。因此當我們來到耶穌面前時，也會品頭論足一番。

在這裡耶穌談到人們對施洗約翰的看法，指出人們的想法和實際有很大的距離，表示人有智慧上的不足和缺陷。當施洗約翰在曠野呼喊時，竟有人希望他穿著細軟衣服，像心裡想的高貴人一樣？就像很多人看基督教時，也像門外漢，說所有的宗教都一樣，都是勸人為善？當我們讀到耶穌的教導時，你就知道不是那麼一回事。

Blessed Because Someone Went Before You

2019-03-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:1-8.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:3-4 (NIV) 
3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 
4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 

On verses 1-8:  Here we read about Abijah son of Rehoboam and his 3 year reign as king of Judah.  The writer of 1 Kings saw little that was noteworthy about Abijah’s reign other than the fact that he committed all the same sins his father Rehoboam committed (v3).  In fact the only reason God allowed Abijah to continue reigning as king was for his great grandfather David’s sake (v4), because David had followed the Lord.  Because David obeyed, his great grandson Abijah was blessed long after David was gone.

是祢嗎？

2019-03-27 in /by

馬太福音11: 1_6 是祢嗎？

1耶穌吩咐完了十二個門徒，就離開那裡，往各城去傳道、教訓人。

2 約翰在監裡聽見基督所做的事，就打發兩個門徒去， 3 問他說：「那將要來的是你嗎？還是我們等候別人呢？」 4 耶穌回答說：「你們去，把所聽見、所看見的事告訴約翰， 5 就是：瞎子看見，瘸子行走，長大痲瘋的潔淨，聾子聽見，死人復活，窮人有福音傳給他們。 6 凡不因我跌倒的，就有福了！」

第一節很有意思，因為它簡明扼要地交待了耶穌的工作。耶穌不是把工作分派給門徒後，自己就休息了；相反地，祂仍繼續前進。在沒有門徒的跟隨下，耶穌依然孜孜不倦地去傳道教誨。但是祂的工作有沒有引起很多人的讚賞呢？

施洗約翰是耶穌的表哥，曾經為耶穌施洗，也向眾人證明祂是神的兒子。可是此時，他卻打發門徒去門耶穌：「那將要來的是你嗎？還是我們等候別人呢？」

約翰此時被希律安提帕關在監裡，希律安提帕是大希律的一個兒子，他在大希律死後承繼了其父加利利和比利亞的四分一領土，成為「分封王希律」。他去羅馬拜訪他的兄弟腓力時，愛上了腓力的妻子希羅底，並且誘騙她離開丈夫成為他的妻子，然後與自己的原配離異。約翰被下到監牢裡，便是因為指責希律王如此作法的不當和不合理。

The Dangers of Worshiping an Idol

2019-03-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 14:21-31. Let’s go!

1 Kings 14:24-25 (NIV) 
24 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 
25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 

On verses 21-31:  These verses summarize the 17 year reign of Rehoboam, David’s grandson and Solomon’s son, over the tribe of Judah.  Judah (together with Benjamin) was the one tribe out of the tribes of Israel that the Lord did not tear away from the house of David.  While Rehoboam ruled over Judah, Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord by worshiping idols (v22). There was rampant idolatry in the land of Judah (v22-24).  Right after this we read of how Shishak King of Egypt attacks King Rehoboam’s city of Jerusalem.