Category: 圣经笔记

  • 认识天父的心意(以弗所书1:15-24)

    认识天父的心意(以弗所书1:15-24)

    地点:德州丰盛恩友堂

    开始

             亲爱丰盛恩友堂的弟兄姊妹主内平安。我的名字叫Ken杨全荣。在马来西亚华生长。现在达拉斯神学院进修,在科林郡恩友堂聚会和学习服事主。我感谢主给我有机会与弟兄姊妹分享神的话。也谢谢吴牧师愿意冒风险,给我有机会服事。我是一个极骄傲的人。在年轻的时候只信自己,否认神的存在。但主没有放弃我,祂不断地寻找我,二十多年前把我带到美国,在这里听见福音,蒙恩得救。信主之后,我就开始参与教会的服事。在服事过程中,有时会遇见难处。在跟随主的道路里,不但在教会里有难处,在人生里,也遇见难处。有些难处使我觉得很非常软弱,有些难处大到我几乎没有能力跟谁主和服事主。

    你呢?我相信,你跟随主也曾经遇见许多的艰难。可能你现在就正在经历一个难处。你的难处可能是你所爱的亲人离开世界了,你活在悲伤里,没有能力向前走。你的难处可能是要与疾病争战,你的身体有软弱,你没有能力向前走。你可能是因为在教会里服侍遇见难处,和同工不合,或者没有被教会重视,你觉得对教会灰心,你觉得灵里软弱,没有能力向前走。你可能面对经济的压力,一方面你要养家,一方面你要为孩子预备大学的费用,一方面你要为自己的退休打算,你心里疲惫,没有能力向前走。你可能正在与罪争战,有一个罪你一直不能胜过,你觉得自己很软弱,没有能力胜过这个罪。在跟随主的道路上,当我们有软弱的的时候,如何能够从新得力呢?

             我今天要与弟兄姊妹分享的题目是认识天父的心意。信息的主要思想是认识天父的心意能够帮助你从软弱中重新得力。认识天父的心意能够帮助你从软弱中重新得力。我们今天的经文是以弗所书一15-23。以弗所书一15-23是一个祷告。使徒保罗在以弗所书里有两个祷告,这是第一个祷告。从以弗所书一15-23里,我们学习认识天父的心意的三件事。

             我们开始前先有一个祷告。慈爱的天父,谢谢你爱我们,把主耶稣赐给我们,使我们成为你的儿女。我们求你安静我们的心,让我们来到你的施恩宝座前,聆听你的话语。我们在跟随主的路上遇见许多的难处,许多的压力,许多的失望,许多的无助,我们需要你的话语来鼓励我们。求你将把那赐人智慧和启示的灵赏给我们,使我们真知道你的心意。好让我们在软弱中能够重新得力跟随主耶稣。奉耶稣基督得胜的名祷告,阿门。

             我为何知道以弗所书一15-23是一个祷告呢?请看一章第15和16节。 因此,我既听见你们信从主耶稣,亲爱众圣徒,就为你们不住地感谢 神。祷告的时候,常提到你们保罗因以弗所的弟兄姊妹对主耶稣的信心和对众圣徒的爱心而感谢神。他常在祷告中纪念他们。在今天的经文里,保罗把他祷告的内容总结起来,写给以弗所的弟兄姊妹。所以17节到23节是保罗的祷告的主要内容。

    认识天父的心意必须倚靠圣灵(1:15-18a)

             今天信息的主要思想是认识天父的心意能够帮助你从软弱中重新得力。我们会学习三个重点。第一个重点是认识天父的心意必须倚靠圣灵。认识天父的心意必须倚靠圣灵。请看第十七节求我们主耶稣基督的 神,荣耀的父,将那赐人智慧和启示的灵赏给你们,使你们真知道他”。这里保罗祈求的对象是天父。感谢神,祂是愿意听祷告的天父。保罗特别形容天父是荣耀的,荣耀是神所有属性的总结。天父是荣耀的,祂的心意也是荣耀的。保罗向天父求的是将那赐智慧和启示的灵赏给以弗所的弟兄姊妹。这个灵是指内住在我们里面的圣灵。保罗在一章13节已经提过信了耶稣的人就受了所应许的圣灵为印记。所以保罗不是求天父赐圣灵给以弗所的圣徒,因为他们已经有了圣灵的内住。保罗求的是圣灵能够启示天父的心意给他们,保罗求的是圣灵赐智慧给他们,使他们能够真知道天父的心意。

             圣灵如一间房间里的一盏灯。一间没有窗的房间是漆黑的,我们需要开灯才能看见。祷告就如开灯。所以圣灵的功用需要用祷告去支取。亲爱的弟兄姊妹,在你软弱时你有没有祷告?在你软弱时,你的人就如黑暗的房间,你看不见盼望。你需要开灯,你需要祷告。许多基督徒喜欢查经,讨论神的话,但是却很少人愿意在祷告中仰望圣灵的启示。你要真知道天父的心意吗?你必须祷告,依靠圣灵的启示。

             圣灵启示我们将会发生什么事呢?我们心中的眼睛将会被照亮。基督徒有两双眼睛。长在我们头上外面的肉眼,和长在我们心中里面的属灵的眼睛。肉身的眼睛对肉身的脚步有很大的影响,照样,心灵的眼睛对于我们属灵的道路也有很大的影响。

             但是我们心里的眼睛常常是瞎的。属灵的事,必须依靠圣灵才能晓得。保罗在哥林多前书二章9到10节里告诉哥林多的弟兄姊妹,“如经上所记: 神为爱他的人所预备的 是眼睛未曾看见, 耳朵未曾听见, 人心也未曾想到的。只有 神借着圣灵向我们显明了,因为圣灵参透万事,就是 神深奥的事也参透了。”(林前2:9-10)。

    Fanny Crosby是十九世纪的美国姊妹。她两个月大就因生病后被医生用错药而眼睛瞎了。虽然她的肉眼是瞎,她心里的眼睛却是明亮的。她一生服事主,写了超过九千诗歌。比如“十字架,十字架,永是我的荣耀“。比如”这是我信息 我的诗歌,赞美我救主 昼夜唱和。这是我信息 我的诗歌,赞美我救主 昼夜唱和“。有一次,一位苏格兰牧师告诉她,神没有给她视力太可惜了。 她的回答让他大吃一惊:“如果我在出生时有选择权,我会要求失明……因为当我到达天堂时,我看到的第一张脸将是为我而死的主。” 天父在Fanny  Crosby肉体的软弱里,显出祂的大能。

    亲爱的弟兄姊妹,当你面对孩子的悖逆时,你需要圣灵照明你心中的眼睛。当你遇见服事的压力时,你需要圣灵照明你心中的眼睛。当你因生活的忙碌,对属灵的事已经麻木时,你需要圣灵照明你心中的眼睛。你心中的眼睛是瞎眼的,还是明亮的?如果你只是用你的肉看看事情,你就只能见地上的事,而看不见天上的事。如果你只是用你的肉看看事情,你就只会看见物质的世界,而看不见属灵的世界。所以你需要求天父赐你智慧与启示的灵,使你真知道祂。

    天父的心意是何等的浩大(1:18b-21)

             第一个重点是认识天父的心意必须倚靠圣灵。当圣灵照明我们心里的眼睛时,我们会看见什么呢?我们会看见天父的心意是何等的浩大。这是今天信息的第二个重点是,天父的心意是何等的浩大。为什么我这样说呢?因为十八和十九节有三个何等。并且照明你们心中的眼睛,使你们知道他的恩召有何等指望,他在圣徒中得的基业有何等丰盛的荣耀;并知道他向我们这信的人所显的能力是何等浩大。“

    第一个何等

    第一个何等是天父对我们的恩召有何等的指望。这里的他是指天父。天父呼召你和我,就是天父的恩典临到我们这些不配的罪人身上。这是以弗所书一章前半段所讲的真理。有何等的盼望是指天父赐给祂所召的人有许多的应许。这些盼望充满在圣经里。保罗以弗所书一章3节说,父神在基督里把天上各样属灵的福气都赐给我们。

    我有一段很长的时间是住在佛州奥兰多。几个月前,我收到一个消息。那位在奥兰多教会带领我的前辈,他是教会的牧者,非常爱主。他的其中一个儿子,是我曾经在教会里服事的青年人,今年已经三十一岁,从医学院毕业,在医院实习。他刚刚结婚,新娘子也是医生,人很漂亮,他们是一对很优秀,又爱主的夫妻。他的家人和教会都为他喜乐。但是结婚第三日,他就生病,24小时之内,他就被主接回天家了。这个事情太突然了,而且白头人送黑头人,这是人生最悲哀的事。这位带领我的长辈最近分享他的见证,如果不是天父所应许的盼望,他几乎站立不住。但因为天父的应许,他有盼望将来能够在天家与所爱儿子重逢。他在软弱中因看见盼望,能够重新得力。

    亲爱的弟兄姊妹,你知道天父对你的恩召有何等的指望吗?当你或者家人面对死亡的时候,你的盼望是天父应许你有永生。当你面对疾病的时候,你的盼望是天父应许将来会得到永不朽坏,荣耀的身体。当你被仇敌试探犯罪了,仇敌不断地控告你的时候,你的盼望是当天父应许所有在基督里的都不定罪了。但你看见自己有许多不完全的时候,你的盼望是天父应许你将来在祂面前要成为圣洁,无有瑕疵。在基督里的盼望,使你能够面对人生一切的难处。在基督里的盼望,使你能够面对人生一切的挑战。在基督里的盼望,使你能够在软弱的时候,重新得力。在基督里的盼望,提醒你一切的难处都是短暂的。

    第二个何等

    第二个何等是天父在圣徒中所得的基业有何等丰盛的荣耀。基业就是产业的意思。这里不是说天父是我们的产业,而是说我们是天父的产业。这是旧约已经有的概念。被耶和华拯救的以色列人是神的产业。申命记四章20节说:“耶和华将你们从埃及领出来,脱离铁炉,要特作自己产业的子民,像今日一样。”申命记三十二章9节说:”耶和华的分本是他的百姓;他的产业本是雅各。” 我们是天父的基业表示我们是属于天父的。保罗形容这个基业,是荣耀的,而且是丰盛的荣耀。这是什么的概念?我们这样卑微的人,既然成为神丰盛荣耀的基业。我们自己是没有荣耀的,因我们只是泥土所造的。但是天父要把我们这些泥土所造的人,磨成祂儿子基督的形象。这是何等大的恩典。

    大富翁的产业是地产,是股票,是企业。但是天父的产业是你和我。从万物中,神拣选我们作祂的产业。这是表示我们所受的恩典是何等的大,这是表示我们在天父的眼中是得等的宝贝。

    亲爱的弟兄姊妹,你可能在公司里受委屈,但天父说:“不要伤心,你是我荣耀的产业”。你可能在教会里不被重视,或者侍奉没有被认同,天父说:“不要灰心,你是我荣耀的产业。“你可能觉得自己没有什么特别,你可能觉得自己很普通,你可能觉得自己没有什么价值“,但天父说:“不要自卑,你是我荣耀的产业。”

    第三个何等

    第三个何等是天父向我们这信的人所显的能力是何等浩大。请看第19节。“并知道他向我们这信的人所显的能力是何等浩大”。天父要在信祂儿子的人的身上显出祂的大能。这是怎么样的大能呢?请看第20节:就是照他在基督身上所运行的大能大力,使他从死里复活,叫他在天上坐在自己的右边,”这是胜过死亡的大能,能使人出死入生的大能,是全宇宙最大的大能。亚当犯罪把死亡带入世界。但神的大能,使主耶稣死里复活,战胜了死亡的权势。大能的希腊文是dynamis,英文的dynamite,就是炸药,是从这个字来。表示神能力何等浩大。

    刚才我提到我多年住在佛州奥兰多。住在那里有一个好处,就是NASA Kennedy Space Center很近。NASA火箭发射站离我们家只有一个小时。我们有许多机会在近距离看火箭发射。你们有谁看过火箭发射?你猜火箭发射是白天还是夜晚好看?是在夜晚好看。如果你在电影里看火箭发射觉得非常震撼,在现场会比在电影院震撼一百倍。我看过SpaceX Falcon Heavy的发射。Falcon Heavy的火箭大概有六万磅,但它的燃料大概一百二十万磅。当火箭的燃料燃烧的时候力量可以超越地心引力,把火箭离地升天。如果你是在晚上看的话,你会看见整个原本漆黑的天空,会变成白色。然后有一个极大的火球,出地上升天。那是一个极壮观的场面。因为火箭的燃料有极大的能力。但是神使基督死里复活的能力,比火箭的能力还要大无数倍。火箭的能力能够使火箭脱离地心引力。而天父使基督死里复活的大能能够使你胜过人生里一切的难处。使你在软弱中能够重新得力。

    你可能正在与疾病争战很疲惫,但不要伤心,因天父的心意是要使基督死里复活的大能彰显在你身上。你可能正在面对婚姻里不可挽回的危机,但不要放弃,因天父的心意是要使基督死里复活的大能彰显在你身上。你可能面对服事的压力,但不要担忧,因天父的心意是要使基督死里复活的大能彰显在你身上。你可能被罪辖制,但不要灰心,因天父的心意是要使基督死里复活的大能彰显在你身上。

    这大能不但是使基督死里复活的大能,这大能也是使基督坐在神宝座右边,使基督超越万有的大能。请看第20节的下半段和第21节。“就是照他在基督身上所运行的大能大力,使他从死里复活,叫他在天上坐在自己的右边,远超过一切执政的、掌权的、有能的、主治的,和一切有名的;不但是今世的,连来世的也都超过了。” 这些一切执政的、掌权的、有能的、主治的是指地上和天上一切的权势,包括撒旦黑暗的权势。因六章12节说:“因我们并不是与属血气的争战,乃是与那些执政的、掌权的、管辖这幽暗世界的,以及天空属灵气的恶魔争战。” 天父把掌管一切的权柄都赐给基督。基督的权柄超过一切,,一切,一切!一切掌权的,人也好,天使也好,魔鬼也好。一切的创造物,都伏在基督的权柄下。不但是这个世代,而且还是以后的时代,直到永远! 基督都得胜,基督都掌权。

    十二年前,神给我有机会去中国广州有一点的服事。那时我在一个小聚会点服事,有人信住了,我们把他们带到广州荣桂里受洗。荣桂里是广州市的一条街,那里有一个教会,是老传道人林献羔老弟兄带领的教会。广州的弟兄姊妹都称乎林献羔为林伯。他是主耶稣忠心的仆人,为了主被关在监牢里二十多年。他出监牢后,主大大的使用他,成为主的见证人。容桂里的教会是在一个简单的三层高的楼房聚会。那晚聚集了几百位弟兄姊妹,有 80多位弟兄姊妹一起受洗的。他们一起见证主福音的大能,要救一切相信的。因知道中国的教会在过去经历了许多的逼迫,当我看见那个场景的时候,我心里充满了对神的敬拜和赞美。仇敌不断地拦阻神在地上的工作。但是神的大能大力,远超过魔鬼的能力。

    亲爱的弟兄姊妹,你可能正在面对建堂巨大的挑战,不要忧虑,神说:“我要彰显我使基督超越万有的大能大力在你的身上!”你可能正在仇敌的攻击,不要惧怕,神说:“我要彰显我使基督超越万有的大能大力在你的身上!”你可能正在面对感情的问题,但不要气馁,神说:“我要彰显我使基督超越万有的大能大力在你的身上!”

    天父的心意是要彰显基督(1:22-23)

    神要把祂浩大的能力彰显在我们这些卑微的人身上,是为了什么目的呢?天父的目的是要彰显基督。这是今天信息的第三个重点,天父的心意是要彰显基督。请看第22和23节:又将万有服在他的脚下,使他为教会作万有之首。教会是他的身体,是那充满万有者所充满的。”这是引用诗篇八章6节的话。-“你派他管理你手所造的, 使万物,就是一切的牛羊、 田野的兽、空中的鸟、海里的鱼, 凡经行海道的,都服在他的脚下。” 神吩咐亚当要做的,亚当被撒旦迷惑了,失败了。但感谢神,人失败,神不会失败。亚当失败了,但是基督成功了!天父的心意,是要基督作万有之首,这件事要从教会里先开始。这里特别提到教会,表示教会在天父的心意里的重要性。这里说基督作教会的头,如以弗所书五章一样。基督作头不只是各人的事,更是整个教会的事。教会如是一个巨人,头在天上,身体在地上。

    亲爱的弟兄姊妹,你的行为是显出主耶稣是头,还是你是头?外人来到教会里,他们就会看见基督是头吗?很多时候你在服事有难处,是因为你要作头。当你依靠神的大能,愿意谦卑自己,让基督作头,许多服事的难处就会过去。

    基督是头,教会是基督的身体。所以教会并非礼拜堂,也非社会团体,不是华人同乡会,教会乃是基督属灵的身体。主已复活升了天,主自己不在地上,世人如何认识主耶稣呢?就是要通过主的身体,祂的教会,我们。主耶稣拯救你之后,没有立刻把你带到天上去。把你留在地上,就是要让全地的人看见教会就如同看见基督。所以教会非彰显基督不可。天父要显出祂的大能在你的身上的目是要彰显基督。

    如果你的手不听你的指挥,你会是正常的人吗?如果你的脚不听你指挥,你要去东,你的脚要去西,你会变成什么样的人?天父要把祂的能力彰显在你的身上,目的是要你凡事顺服基督,在这个弯曲悖谬的世代,彰显教会是基督的身体。

    天父的心意是要彰显祂的儿子耶稣基督。祂要基督的丰富充满着教会。请看第23节。“教会是他的身体,是那充满万有者所充满的。天父的心意,就是要基督充满着教会。天父要基督的美丽充满着教会。天父要基督的智慧充满着教会。天父要基督的温柔充满着教会。天父要基督的能力充满着教会。天父要基督的荣耀充满着教会。教会如气球。空气充满气球,气球才有功用。天父今天的工作,就是要显出祂的大能大力在我们身上,渐渐地把我们磨成基督的形象,让基督的丰富充满着教会,使教会发出功用。

    结束

    今天信息的主要思想是认识天父的心意能够帮助你从软弱中重新得力。今天我们学到三个重点。第一,认识天父的心意必须倚靠圣灵。第二,天父的心意是何等的浩大。第三,天父的心意是要彰显基督。

    我前面分享我跟随主时遇见许多的难处。有许多时候我软弱到几乎站不起来。但是主没有放弃我。当我在软弱中呼求主的时候,圣灵打开我心里的眼睛,使我在软弱中看见和经历天父的大能。主在我这软弱的人身上,显出他的大能。在软弱中,我靠着主的大能,使我从新得力的跟随祂,侍奉祂。

    听了这个信息,你需要做什么回应呢?你可能因为家里的难处而觉得软弱。你可能因教会的服事而觉得软弱。你可能因工作的事而觉得软弱。你可能因面对仇敌的试探而觉得软弱。当你觉得你没有能力继续走跟随主时,你需要来到天父面前。你需要求天父把赐人智慧与启示的灵赏给你,使你能够认识天父的心意。因为认识天父的心意能够帮助你从软弱中重新得力。在你的软弱中,天父要彰显祂的大能,就是是使基督死里复活的大能大力。天父的大能能够胜过你面对的一切难处。天父要在你的身上作工,把你磨成基督的形象,因为祂的心意是要彰显基督在每一个基督徒身上,使基督的丰富,充满着教会。

  • Don’t Grab (Genesis 25:19-34)

    Don’t Grab (Genesis 25:19-34)

    Preached on 2022-7-13 at DTS by Ken Yeo.

    Introduction

    (Put on headscarf)

    My grandpa came from a foreign land, why did he come? Because Yahweh spoke to him. Yahweh promised He will make grandpa’s descendants a nation, give them a land, and the entire world will be blessed through grandpa. When dad was 40 years old, he married mom. However, mom was barren. So dad prayed to Yahweh. After twenty years, finally, Yahweh answered dad’s prayer and mom was pregnant with me.

    However, there was a problem, I was not alone in her womb, I had a brother, a twin brother. We fight violently inside mom’s womb. Mom could not stand it, so she prayed to Yahweh, and Yahweh told mom something incredible, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” But, I was not aware it at that time, because I was just a baby in mom’s womb. Therefore I tried to grab my brother’s heel so I could come out first. However I lost the race. Because my brother was stronger, he came out first. He was the firstborn. He had the bekora, the birthright.

    My name is Yacov, my parents gave me this name because I am a heel grabber. And my brother name is Esav, because he is a hairy man. Since our births, I have been trying to grab my brother’s heel, because I want his bekora, the birthright.

    (Take off headscarf)

    You and I are like Jacob. Instead of grabbing for bekora, We grab for name recognition among siblings in our family, we grab for praise and name recognition in seminary, we grab for name recognition in ministry, we grab for name recognition in social media. Sometimes through the grabbing process, we hurt our friends, we hurt our wife, we hurt our children, we hurt our coworkers, we hurt our parents. Is there anything we can do to avoid putting ourselves in these situations? Does the bible reveal to us God’s solution to Jacob’s problem as a grabber? The answer is yes. When we carefully read through the story of Jacob in Genesis, we will conclude that the solution to Jacob’s grabbing problem is to live by faith in God. This is confirmed by the author of Hebrews because he put Jacob in the list of the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. In Jacob’s life, we see that he started with little or no faith in God. But God loves Jacob. He relentlessly used the circumstances in Jacob’s life to build his faith slowly but surely.

    Today, we will look at Genesis 25:19-34 to see three reasons why we should live by faith instead of by flesh based on the beginning of Jacob’s life. We will see that the lack of faith to God in Jacob’s life is the source of his problems. Again, we will look at Genesis 25:19-34, the origin of the Jacob’s story. Genesis 25:19-34 talks about three events. First the birth, second the family issues, and third the sells of bekora, the birthright.

    Because we are chosen by God (25:17-25)

    The first reason we should live by faith not by flesh is because we are chosen by God. Verse 23 tells us that God has chosen the older shall serve the younger. This verse is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:12. Paul’s commentary on this verse is this, “though they (Esau and Jacob) had not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of He who calls”. God has chosen Jacob before he was born, apart of his works, before he did anything good or bad. This is the key verse to understand Jacob’s life. Because God has chosen Jacob, God will work in Jacob’s life to build Jacob’s faith towards God. No matter how bad Jacob’s situations become, God was always there behind the scenes, leading Jacob’s to grow his faith towards God.

    We are like Jacob, chosen before the foundation of the earth, for salvation and for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, so that God will be glorified in us and through us. You may be facing a tough situation in life right now. Maybe your money is tight. Maybe you have a relationship issue with your girlfriend or wife. Maybe you are dealing with a very difficult person at ministry or at work. Maybe you are not sure how you can study and serve and raise a family at the same time. No matter what is the problem you are facing right now, God is working behind the scenes because you have been chosen by God. Else you would not be seating here today. Therefore, don’t try to handle the situation with your flesh. Trust God, trust His promises to you that are written in His words, trust that God is sovereign, He is faithful, He is all-powerful, and He is working in your life to accomplish His purposes.

    We have looked at first reason why you should live by faith not by flesh. It is because you have been chosen by God. The second reason you should live by faith not by flesh is because life is full of trails.

    Because life is full of trials (25:27-28)

    Look at verse 27-28 with me. “When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

    Growing up, Jacob probably knew God’s has chosen him to carry out God’s covenant with Abraham and Isaac. However his father loved his elder brother Esau, not him. Jacob would be wondering when will Isaac ever transfer the birthright to him? Will God’s word come true? Imagine the kind of conflicts this cause to Jacob’s family. The conflict between Isaac and Rebekah. The sibling’s rivalry between Esau and Jacob.

    You and I are like Jacob. We are chosen by God. God has promised us eternal life in Christ. But God never promised a life without trials. Instead it is the opposite. The Lord Jesus told us “in the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). 1) Some trials are just there because we are living in a fallen world. 2) Some trials are there because Satan is attacking us. 3) Some trials are there because you are the victim of sins of other people in your life.

    I don’t need to convince you because you know that. Some of you are going through trials right now. 1) Maybe you are being hurt by someone you loved because of his words or actions. 2) Maybe you are not getting the recognition or appreciation for your hard work at home, at work, at seminary or at ministry. 3) Maybe you are having a conflict with your wife, or your parents, or your siblings, or your children, or your coworkers because they misunderstood your words or motives.

    How do you respond to trials in life? 1) Do you grow in bitterness to the person who hurt you, or do you live by faith by praying to God for the capacity to forgive and love the person? 2) Do you take the matter with your own hands to work for recognition and appreciation, or do you live by faith by bringing the matter to God and be content with God’s recognition for your faithfulness? 3) Do you respond to conflict with arguments and anger, or do you live by faith by responding with patience and love to others?

    We have looked at two reasons we should live by faith not by flesh. First, because we are chosen by God. Second, because life is full of trials. Now, let’s look at the third reason.

    Because we want to avoid the consequences of sins (25:29-34)

    The third reason we should live by faith not by flesh is because we want to avoid the consequences of sins. Let’s look at verse 29-34 with me.

    Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” (Gen 25:29-34)

    In this story, we see two negative examples of living by faith. Esau and Jacob are great role models if you want to live by flesh. Jacob took advantage of his brother weakness to obtain the birthright. He wanted the birthright and he wanted it now. “Sell me your birthright now.” “Swear to me now.” He could not wait for God’s timing.

    How about you? Maybe you desire a certain ministry result. Maybe you desire to get an internship. Maybe you desire to get a wife. Are you willing to live by faith to trust God in His timing, or do you live by your flesh to grab what you want, now?

    Jacob was a person who was willing to sacrifice his relationship with others to grab what he wants. He was willing to get ahead or get protection at the expense of others, including his family.

    One time I had an opportunity to lead a group of Chinese Christians to Israel for a study trip. Since that was my first trip as a group leader, I wanted to do well. So I told my wife to seat at the back of the 60 seats tour bus to make it easier for me to work with the tour guide to explain the biblical land while we were on the tour bus. The problem is the tour guide was a rather attractive Jews lady. You could imagine the hurt I have inflicted to my wife. The sad thing was, I did not even know I hurt her at that time because I was blinded by my desire to do well in ministry. I was grabbing for my bekora, at the expense of my wife. My wife was upset with me for a while. By the grace of God we finally reconciled. If I would have asked my wife to seat next to me on the bus, and trust that God would take care of the ministry, I would have avoided the consequence of my sin.

    How about you? What is your bekora? 1) Are you getting great grades at the expense of quality time with your wife? 2) Are you getting ahead in your ministry at the expense others? What are you grabbing?

    Esau is the reverse. He despised his bekora. He sold his bekora for a cup of red bean soap. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 16 warn us not to be like Esau, because he is immoral, unholy, godless, worldly. How about you? 1) Are you selling your testimony as the disciple of Jesus Christ for worldly gain? 2) Are you selling your spiritual blessings for a cup of red bean soup?

    Jacob had to face the consequence of his sins in his life because he did not live by faith in God’s promise. You will face the consequence of sins too if you live by flesh instead of by faith in Christ.

    Is there hope for Jacob? Yes! When we read the rest of his story, we see that God never give up on Jacob. The reason is, God has chosen Jacob before his birth. Jacob’s story is an amazing redemption story of God. God relentlessly worked in Jacob’s life in spite of his lack of faith. God patiently worked in Jacob to grow his faith, so that eventually Jacob would become Israel, the father of the nation chosen by God to reveal His redemption plan and ultimately from Israel came the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Like Jacob, you too have hope because have also been chosen by God. No matter what kind of problems you get yourself into in life, God will never give up on you. He will relentlessly work in your life to mold you into the image of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Because those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, and those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified, He also glorified.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, we need to live by faith instead of by flesh because we have been chosen by God, because life is full of trials, and because we want to avoid the consequence of sins.

    (Put on headscarf)

    My name is Yacov, I am now 147 years-old. I will die soon in Egypt, but I trust Yahweh is going to bring my body, and my people, into the promised land.

  • Minister Failure is Ministry Failure (Mark 9:14-29)

    Minister Failure is Ministry Failure (Mark 9:14-29)

    Preached on 2022-7-6 at Dallas Theological Seminary.

    Introduction

    I like you to think of a minister who had failed in his ministry and is well known in the Christian community. I will give you some profiles as examples. A world-famous apologist who believed in his own ability to convince the audience but had a secret perverted sexual lifestyle. A megachurch pastor who believed in his own ability to draw large crowds but had an abusive, authoritarian, bullying lifestyle towards his coworkers and the church members. Do you have a name in your mind yet? Good. You do not have to tell me who he is. Each of you might have different names in your mind because, sadly, there is no lack of ministers who failed in their moral conduct in today’s church. You can verify that with a simple google search for “pastor misconduct.” I am sure none of us want our name to appear in this google search. What can we do to avoid moral failures as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ? As I was doing the research, I noticed a pattern. They were successful in the past, and their success seems to contribute to their failure.

    My subject for today is, “Ministry failure is doing ministry by believing in ourselves instead of believing in Christ.” Or, to say it in another way, “Ministry failure is doing ministry by trusting in ourselves instead of trusting in Christ.” The text I was assigned is Mark 9:14-50. Due to time constraints, I will be focusing on Mark 9:14-29 only. This is the story of the disciples failing to cast out an evil spirit from a boy. My devotion has three parts, the problem, the solution, and the application.

    Problem: Disciples experienced failure in ministry because they believed in themselves instead of in Christ (9:14-19a).

    What is the problem in this passage? To see the problem, we need to see the bigger picture of the book of Mark. In Mark chapter 6, verse 7, Christ has called the twelve, given them authority over the unclean spirits, and sent them out for ministry. And then we are told in verse 13 that they cast out many demons. Fast forward to chapter 9, after Peter, John, and James saw Christ’s transfiguration, they came down from the mountain. Mark wrote in verse 14, “And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw Him, were greatly amazed and ran up to Him and greeted Him. And He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for He has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So, I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And He answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”

    The disciples failed to cast out a demon in a boy and ended up arguing with the scribe, and the crowds were watching. Similar situations can be seen today. Pastors’ moral failure has caused arguments among Christians and non-believers on Television and social media. What kind of image is the church portraying to the watching world?

    The rest of the story is mostly about the interaction between Jesus and the boy’s father. This is the pattern of the gospels; the Lord oftentimes uses His interaction with other people to teach the disciple what it means to follow Him and be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Brothers, can you relate yourself to the disciples? Have you had ministry failure in the past, and the Lord taught you a spiritual lesson through other people in your life?

    Most commentators agree that “O faithless generation” was Jesus’s rebuke towards the disciples. Their previous success in casting out unclean spirits has caused them to have faith in their own experience and ability instead of faith in Christ.

    Brothers, we are getting some of the best education in DTS, and some of you have years of ministry experience and success. However, as your knowledge and experiences increase, you will face greater and greater temptation to believe in yourselves instead of believing in Christ in ministry. If you ignore this problem, your pride will continue to grow, and you might end up in the result of a google search of “pastor misconduct.” The worst thing that can happen to you as a minister is not that you failed to grow the size of the ministry that you serve. The worst thing that can happen to you as a minister is failing to grow your trust in the Lord in ministry.

    Solution: Jesus used the opportunity to teach the disciples to believe in Him instead of in themselves (9:19b-29).

    So, what is the solution? Let’s continue to read the text. Verse 19, after Jesus rebuked the disciples, he instructed them, “Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

    After Jesus rebuked the disciples, He instructed them to bring the child to Him. Brothers, we need to bring our challenges to the Lord. This will become harder as we gain more experience because we think we can do ministry with our own strength.

    When the spirit attacked the boy again, the father asked the Lord to help his son, although he was not sure Jesus had the ability to help him. Interestingly, Jesus said it is possible for one who believes. Brothers, I think the Lord is teaching us to believe He is all-powerful but also trust Him with the result because He is sovereign. We need to ask Christ for help and also ask that His will be done in our ministry.

    Then the father replied that he believed, but he was also honest in asking Jesus to help with his unbelief. Brothers, we as seminarians and ministers are very good at hiding our doubts in ministry. We do not need to hide our weaknesses from the Lord. On the contrary, we need to be real with Jesus. Jesus can handle our doubts. We need to frequently examine ourselves and ask the Lord to help us with our witnesses.

    Application: Cultivate a lifestyle of believing in Christ for ministry through prayers.

    We talk about the problem and the solution and let’s talk about the application. Let’s read the remaining of this passage. Verse 25 to 29 reads, “And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

    Since most of us will not face demon-possessed situations, how do we apply this text in ministry? I think the application of this text to ministers of the gospel is we should not serve the Lord by believing in our own ability. Instead, we should believe in Him. Ministry failure does not happen overnight. It is a result of a lifestyle of trusting in ourselves. Therefore you need to cultivate a lifestyle of trusting the Lord starting from now.

    Doing ministry by believing in our own ability is like running a marathon with illegal drugs as your energy drink. You will be disqualified. Doing ministry by believing in Christ is like running a marathon with the official sanctioned energy drink. Chris is our God-sanctioned energy drink. Disciples are called to live by faith in Christ, not faith in ourselves, “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38). “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6).

    A lifestyle of dependency on Christ is cultivated and manifested in prayers, therefore don’t sacrifice your prayer life for seminary and ministry. I urge you can examine your prayer life right now. What is your attitude when you pray? Do you pray out of routine, or do you pray because you truly feel you do not have the ability to write the paper or serve in ministry without Christ? Do you just go through the motion of prayers, or are you honest with God? Do you bring your doubts to Christ, or do you hide from Him? Why don’t you spend some time tonight to pray about what is one thing you can improve in your prayer life to help you to depend more on Christ instead of yourselves in ministry? Maybe you already pray a lot. Maybe you don’t need to pray more, but you need to pray more sincerely.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, my proposition is, “Ministry failure is doing ministry by believing in ourselves instead of believing in Jesus.” We have looked at the problem, the solution, and the application. The problem is as we continue to increase in our knowledge and experience in ministry, we will experience more and more temptation to trust in our own ability instead of trusting in Christ in ministry. The solution is to bring your ministry challenge to Christ, believe Christ is all-powerful but trust the result to Him, and be real to Christ by bringing your doubts and weaknesses to Him. The application is to examine your current prayer lifestyle and ask the Lord to reveal one area where you can improve in your prayer life to help you to depend more on Christ in ministry.

    No matter how hard we try, we will inevitably experience some failures in ministry, but Christ will never give up on us. He will turn every one of your failures into opportunities to teach you to trust in Him. When the disciples could not cast out the demon, Christ came down from the mountain to look for them. It is Christ who took the initiative to tell the disciples to bring the demon-possessed child to Him. On the surface, the Lord was teaching the father, but what the Lord was doing was teaching the disciples who were watching. The Lord desires the disciples to trust in Him by telling them they need to pray. Brothers, none of us want our name to show up in a google search of pastor misconduct. Let’s cultivate a lifestyle of believing in the Lord instead of ourselves in ministry so that Christ will be glorified through our life and ministry.

  • No sacrifice is too great for Christ (Mark 1:1-20)

    No sacrifice is too great for Christ (Mark 1:1-20)

    Introduction

    In Feb 1885, seven young men in their twenties, known as the Cambridge Seven, set sail from England to China to join Judson Taylor as missionaries to the Chinese. The group leader is C.T. Studd, a very successful cricket player from a wealthy family. He sacrificed the fame of the sport to serve Christ. When he was in China, his dad died in London. He gave away all the inheritance from his father to support the Christian works of George Muller and DL Moody, except for 3400 pounds which he kept for his newlywed wife. His wife asked him, “what did the Lord tell the rich man to do?” He answered, “sell all”. The couple proceed to give the rest of the money after for the Lord’s work. Studd sacrificed his wealth to Christ. After ten years of ministry with a lot of hardship, Studd became very sick and had to return back to England. He sacrificed his health for Christ. However, when Studd heard about the need of the gospel in India, for the second time he set sail from England to Southern India to preach the gospel and pastor a church. After six years of ministry in very harsh conditions in India, once again C.T. Studd became very sick and had to return back to England. Studd sacrificed his fame, his wealth, and his health for Christ. Many of his family and friends think he has sacrificed too much for his faith.

    Have you ever wondered whether it is worth sacrificing your time, money, and energy to prepare yourself to serve Christ? Have you ever wanted to give up seminary and ministry to do something else when money is tight? Maybe you are holding on to something that God wants you to sacrifice for Christ? Today, I want to exhort you with this truth: No sacrifice is too great for Christ. Again, no sacrifice is too great for Christ. Our text is Mark 1:1-20. Again, our text is Mark 1:1-20. We will look at three reasons why no sacrifice is too great for Christ.

    Because it is our greatest honor to serve Christ

    No sacrifice is too great for Christ. The number one reason is that it is our greatest honor to serve Christ. I get this principle from the life of John the Baptist. Please look at Mark 1:1-8 with me. John the Baptist was called by God to prepare the way for Christ. The call was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah 700 years ago: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. John the Baptist was from a priestly family, but he gave up his predictable and comfortable life in response to God’s calling to prepare the way for Christ. Instead of living in the comfort of a house, he lived in the wilderness. Instead of wearing comfortable cloth, he was wearing coarse cloth made with camel hair. Instead of eating a regular Jewish diet with bread, fish and lamb, his food was locusts and wild honey.

    Did John think he has sacrificed too much for Christ? No! Instead, John the Baptist felt it was his greatest honor to sacrifice for Christ. How do I know this? In Jesus’s time, untying the straps of sandals is one of the lowliest works any person can do. However, John proclaimed he is not worthy to even untie the strap of the sandal for Christ. It is like the president of the United States has come to a beggar on the roadside in Dallas and call him to sacrifice everything he has to serve him. It will be the greatest honor for the beggar to do so. The president does not need his service, but he has chosen the beggar to serve him. Brothers, each of us has sacrificed a lot to come to seminary. We have sacrificed worldly pursuits to serve Christ. We have put many hours into our studies while our friends are enjoying life. When ministry and life get tough, you may be tempted to think your sacrifice is too much. Brothers, never give up your call to serve Christ. We need to realize that you and I are like John the Baptist, unworthy to even tie the shoe strap of Christ. But God, by His grace, has called us to serve Christ. Therefore, no sacrifice is too great for Christ. It is our greatest honor to serve Christ.

    Because we should follow Christ

    The second reason no sacrifice is too great for Christ is that we should follow Christ. Look at verses 9 to 15 with me. Jesus of Nazareth has come to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. When Jesus came up from the water. He immediately saw the heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Mark introduced Jesus as the Son of God in verse 1. But now, suddenly Mark mentioned Jesus as Jesus of Nazareth of Galilee. Why do you think Mark emphasized Nazareth of Galilee? I think Mark wanted to tell us that Jesus came from Nazareth, a real place in Galilee. Jesus is not in heaven with the Father. He is on earth, incarnated as a man. Christ humbles Himself to come down on this earth in obedience to the Father. Christ has sacrificed His glory to serve God the Father.

    Christ’s sacrifice can be further observed in the temptation He faced from Satan while He was in the wilderness for forty days. Jesus could have killed Satan simply by speaking His word. But He voluntarily restricted His own power. Jesus even needed the angels to minister to Him. Our Lord has exemplified a sacrificial life to serve God the Father. Many commentators agree that Mark 10:45 is the key verse of the book. It read “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

    After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee to preach the Gospel of God. We are called to be like Christ. Jesus has called each of you to follow Him, just like Jesus has called the disciples to follow Him. To follow Christ is to be like Him. Christ has sacrificed His glory to serve God the Father. If we want to be like Christ, we should be willing to sacrifice anything to serve Christ.

    When I served the Lord in Guangzhou, China 10 years ago, I took the opportunity to visit Samuel Lamb. Who is Samuel Lamb? He is one of the Chinese home church leaders, a preacher of the Gospel, and a faithful servant of God. Because of his faith in Jesus Christ, he was imprisoned for over 20 years! Take a guess at what did he do with his life after he was released from prison in 1979 at the age of 54? He started a home church again. Thousands of Christians flocked to worship Christ weekly at the church. Samuel Lamb was willing to sacrifice all he had for God, following the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers, I like you to examine your heart right now. Is there anything you know you should sacrifice to follow Christ but have not done so? Maybe it is a habit or hobby that is affecting your relationship with Christ and your witness for Christ. Maybe you watch too many movies and waste too much time on social media when you are supposed to develop your characters for Christ. Are you willing to take a step of faith to make the sacrifice to be more like Christ?

    Because Christ will turn our sacrifice into something greater than we could imagine now

    The third reason why no sacrifice is too great for Christ is that Christ will turn our sacrifice into something greater than we could ever imagine. Look at Mark 1:16-20 with me. After Christ preached the Gospel of God in Galilee, He started to call four fishermen to follow Him. He saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net in the sea of Galilee. So, Jesus called them, “Follow me, I will make you fishers of men.” Simon and Andrew immediately left their net and followed Christ. After that, Jesus called James and John, who were mending nets in their boat. Both responded by leaving their Father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants and following Christ.

    Fishermen are the middle class in Israel at that time. We are told John, and James’ family had servants who worked for them. So, their life can’t be too bad. They thought their future was set. They were going to be fishermen. But their life was changed upside down when Jesus called them to follow Him. James and John left their father to follow Jesus. They sacrificed their comfortable and predictable middle-class life to follow Jesus into a challenging and unpredictable life. But Christ promised He would change them from fishermen into fishers of men! How did they turn out? Did Jesus keep His promise? When we look at the rest of the New Testament and church history, we know Christ was faithful to His promise. All four of them became leaders of the early church. They became preachers of the Gospel. Many people were saved through their ministry. Peter became the leader of the twelve and one of the greatest evangelists ever. John wrote five New Testament books. Andrew preached the Gospel in Russia. James died in Jerusalem to witness Christ. All of them lived extraordinary lives as fishers of men.

    A few of us were involved in Cru or Campus Crusade for Christ. The ministry was started by Bill Bright and his wife, Vonette in 1951. They signed a contract with God to sacrifice everything they had to follow Christ. 72 years later. Cru had ministries in almost all the countries in the world, and millions of people became followers of Jesus Christ through this ministry. Christ has turned Bill and Vonette Bright’s sacrifice into something far greater than they could have imagined in 1951. Brothers, when you are feeling pressure from your studies and ministry, don’t give up. When you are discouraged because of criticism from others, or a bad grade, or financial issues, or tiredness, don’t give up, press on! No sacrifice is too great for Christ because Christ will turn your sacrifice into something greater than anything you could imagine today.

    Conclusion 

    After serving in China and India for a total of 16 years, many of CT Studd family and friends told him he had done enough for his faith and should spend the remaining of his life in England. He refused to listen to their advice, for Christ. When he heard about the great need for the Gospel in Africa, once again left the comfortable life in England and went to serve the Lord in central Africa for the next 20 years. He endured much hardship during those years and died there at age 71. C.T. Studd sacrificed his fame, fortune, and life for Christ. He and others laid the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in China, India, and Africa. He once wrote: “If Jesus is God and He died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” “Only one life, it will soon pass; only what is done for Christ will last.” He inspired thousands of men and women to sacrifice their life for Christ. Brothers, no sacrifice is too great for Christ because it is our greatest honor to serve Christ, because we should follow Christ, and because Christ will turn our sacrifice into something greater than anything we could ever imagine today. I urge you to examine yourself today, to see what else you need to sacrifice, for our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • 邀请主耶稣与你一同上班(弗六5-9)

    邀请主耶稣与你一同上班(弗六5-9)

    开头

    许多基督徒都盼望主日的来临,因为可以去教会聚会敬拜主,服事主,能有弟兄姊妹见面,有喜乐,有满足。但许多弟兄姊妹离开教会时,就把主耶稣留在教会里,因为周一要上班,觉得主和自己的工作好像没有什么关系。你可能不好意思让同事在公司里看见有主耶稣与你同在。你可能害怕主耶稣看见你在公司里和在教会里是两个人。

    基督徒每周聚会才几个小时,但却有四十多个小时在工作。许多基督徒很难把信仰和工作连在一起,觉得在教会侍奉是服事主,平常上班是服事法老,结果活的很辛苦。你可能在教会和弟兄姊妹一起的时候很属灵,但是在工作的时候却效法世界,变城了另一个的人,过着双面人的生活。有许多基督徒不认识圣经的工作观,因此在上班时把主放在一边。你可能觉得自己工作很忙,没有时间服事主,等以后退休了才服事主。但人生有几十年都在工作,难道你的工作就与主无关系吗?究竟基督徒应该如何看工作?

    我今天要与弟兄姊妹分享的主题是基督是你生命里每一个部分的主,包括你工作,所以你应该邀请主耶稣与你一同上班。我再说一次,基督是你生命里每一个部分的主,包括你工作,所以你应该邀请主耶稣与你一同上班,作你工作的主。

                      今天的经文是以弗所书六章五到九节。我读给大家听:

    “你们作仆人的,要惧怕战兢,用诚实的心听从你们肉身的主人,好像听从基督一般。不要只在眼前事奉,像是讨人喜欢的,要像基督的仆人,从心里遵行 神的旨意。甘心事奉,好像服事主,不像服事人。因为晓得各人所行的善事,不论是为奴的,是自主的,都必按所行的得主的赏赐。你们作主人的,待仆人也是一理,不要威吓他们。因为知道,他们和你们同有一位主在天上;他并不偏待人。”

    这段经文告诉我们基督徒为何应该邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班的三个原因。第一个原因是因为我们是基督的仆人。第二个原因是因为我们会得主的赏赐。第三个原因是因为我们不想被主管教。

    首先我们很快的回顾以弗所书的架构。这本书清楚的分成两半。前一半是第一到第三章,是讲到基督徒在基督里蒙恩的祝福。一章三节说到天父在基督里曾赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气,二章九节说到我们得救是本乎恩,也因着信;这并不是出于自己,乃是神所赐的;也不是出于行为,免得有人直夸。后一半段是第四章到第六章,是说基督徒应该行事为人当与蒙召的恩相称,请看四章一节。这段说到如何在教会,个人生活,社会,婚姻,和在家庭里行事为人与蒙召的恩相称。到了第六章五节到九节,保罗教导以弗所的弟兄姊妹,信了主的人应该如何的看仆人和主人的关系。

    保罗写以弗所书的年代,是主后62年左右。那时是罗马帝国掌权。罗马有奴隶制度,社会里有30%的人是奴隶。奴隶是属于主人的产物,主人对奴隶有完全的主权。家庭和社会里有许多的工作都是由奴隶来作。有作厨师的,作保姆的,作建筑的,作农夫的,作牧羊的,作管家的,作搬运的,和作各种劳力活的。那时许多奴隶信了主,也有许多有奴隶的人信了主。所以保罗要告诉他们在他们新的身份里他们应该如何生活。虽然是写给两千年罗马奴隶制度的教导,但是原则却同样可以应用在21世纪基督徒的工作关系里。

    我们应该邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班,因为我们是基督的仆人(6:5-7)

    今天信息的第一个重点是我们必须邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班,因为我们是基督的仆人。请看第六节:“不要只在眼前事奉,像是讨人喜欢的,要像基督的仆人”。基督徒要在工作里有基督的仆人的样式和实际。在工作里,基督徒和世界里的人最大的不同是我们的老板不一样。不认识主的人,只知道有肉身的老板。他们工作只是为了生活赚钱养家。在公司里有好表现,作给老板看。但是基督徒除了有肉身的老板,还有天上的大老板,就是主耶稣基督。我们是基督的仆人,主耶稣是我们工作的主。基督或者主在这短短五节经文里出现六次,加上“神”就七次!这是表示主耶稣在我们工作里应该有很重的地位,因主是我们工作的主。我们作事,最主要不是给人看,而是给主看。我们的目标不是讨人的欢喜,而是讨主耶稣的欢喜。世人看老板的眼色作事,基督徒也看,但是那不是我们最重视的。我们最重视的主我们大老板的眼色。基督徒在人前人后都应该是一样的,因为我们是讨主的欢喜,不是讨人的欢喜。日子久了,上司同事也会慢慢的信任你。当主给你机会传福音的时候,你的见证就会更有果效。

    第五节说作仆人的要惧怕 战兢,用诚实的心听从你们肉身的主人,好像听从基督一般。惧怕 战兢指基督徒作事应该谨慎,唯恐失责,表示认真,有责任感。用诚实的心指不虚假,不假冒伪善,真诚的对待上司、同事和下属。主看重的是我们的内心。心对了,外面的表现才是对的;心不对,外面的表现是虚假的。这个世界充满了装假的行为。不信的朋友都有期望基督徒比其他人真心和诚实。当我们真诚的面对我们的上司和同事,别人也会被吸引想要认识我们的主。用诚实的心听从你们肉身的主人,好像听从基督一般,不是把老板当做神,而是尊敬他,听他的吩咐,顺服他的带领。

    第七节说基督的仆人应该甘心事奉,好像服事主,不像服事人。不甘心作事,就会活在埋怨和忧愁里。甘心事奉的人性情就会开朗。我们甘心是因知道主是大老板,主是好老板,主是值得我们侍奉祂。

    工作是神对人的旨意。其实神自己的第一位工作者。神用了六天作创造的工作。神是第一个农夫,使地上长满了各种蔬菜和果树。神在人坠落前就吩咐人作工,吩咐亚当代表神管理这个世界,修理看守伊甸。

    十七世纪有一位法国巴黎的修道士称为劳伦斯弟兄,他是一位厨师,他作每一件是都是为了神。他活着的时候许多基督徒来找他帮助他们何如与神同行。他被主接回天家之后,有人把他的对话和信编辑成书,使许多人得到帮助。劳伦斯弟兄的贡献是使基督徒认识到不管我们作什么工作,都可以亲近主,和侍奉主。以下是劳伦斯弟兄所说的一段话:“我可以为神做些小事。 我因他的爱而在锅上翻饼,之后,如果没有别的工作,我便俯伏敬拜神,因他赐我恩典能够工作。 之后,我比国王更快乐。 ”

    你可能会问,如果上司要求我作与我的信仰有冲突事我怎麽办?保罗也想到这个问题,如果主人要求奴仆去敬拜希腊的神,奴仆要听主人的命令吗?当这种情况发生,基督徒应该听从神的命令,不听从人的命令。请看第六节,所以保罗说,要从心里遵行神的旨意。我们是基督的仆人,在工作里应该要从心里遵行神的旨意。

    许多时候基督徒错误的认为只有传道人才是基督的仆人。你知道你也是基督的仆人吗?就算你的工作是最普通的,最沉闷的,当你看见自己是基督的仆人时,你的工作就变成是神圣的。因你在工作时也是在服事主。你可能是白领,可能是老师,可能是做小生意的,可能是大老板,可能是家庭主妇,不管你作任何的行业,你的工作,也能够成为你的服事,问题是你愿意邀请主耶稣与你一同上班,让主耶稣作你的工作的主吗?

    我们应该邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班,因为我们会得主的赏赐(6:8)

    我们必须邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班,因为我们会得主的赏赐。请看第八节,“因为晓得各人所行的善事,不论是为奴的,是自主的,都必按所行的得主的赏赐。“神拯救我们就是要我们行善,二章8-10节:” 你们得救是本乎恩,也因着信;这并不是出于自己,乃是 神所赐的;9 也不是出于行为,免得有人自夸。10 我们原是他的工作,在基督耶稣里造成的,为要叫我们行善,就是 神所预备叫我们行的。“这是包括在工作里行善。行善就是行好的事。我相信好的事是指第六节所说的”从心里遵行神的旨意“。当你在工作里从心里遵行神的旨意侍奉主,就必定会得到主所应许的赏赐。这是赏赐是属天的,是永恒的。主要我们聚集财宝在天上。

    二十世纪初,有一对美国宣教士夫妻在非洲服侍主40多年。那弟兄的名字是Henry Morrison,他们离开非洲禾场后回国。和他同一艘船的是那时的美国总统Teddy Roosevelt,他从非洲打猎回国。船到美国领土时,Roosevelt受到许多国民欢迎他,有许多记者采访他,但是却没有一个人欢迎Morrison夫妇。Morrison很被这件事搅扰,祷告的时候,他好像听到主的声音:“你还没有回家”。我们在工作里侍奉主,许多时候神就会在工作里祝福我们。但是真真的赏赐,是要等到见主面的那天。主不会亏欠服侍他的人。Morrison现在已经回到天家,主也必赏赐给他。

    在1988年奥林比克100米快跑,加拿大运动员Ben Johnson击败了美国运动员Carl Lewis得了冠军。Ben Johnson骄傲的说:“没有人能够拿走我的金牌。但24小时候后,他被发现打了药物犯规,结果金牌被取掉了。主耶稣要因着我们今生在职场上服侍祂,把赏赐给我们。但愿我们不要只是为了地上的财宝而工作,但却没有在工作上服事主,而失去主要给我们的赏赐。

    我相信你们当中可能有人很会投资,也有人很能干创业,赚了许多钱。你在地上聚集了许多的财宝,但你有为了天上的财宝而投资吗?地上的财宝是今生的,天上的财宝却是永恒的,那一种的财宝更值得投资呢?

    我们应该邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班,因为我们不想被主管教(6:9)

                      我们应该邀请主耶稣与我们一同上班的第一个原因是因为我们是主的仆人。第二个原因是因为我们会得主的赏赐。请主耶稣与我们一同上班的第三个原因是因为我们不想被主管教。请看第九节:“你们作主人的,待仆人也是一理,不要威吓他们。因为知道,他们和你们同有一位主在天上;他并不偏待人。“这段话是吩咐作主人要用同样的原则对待仆人。就作上司的基督徒应该像基督的仆人,要讨主的欢喜,从心里顺从神的旨意。甘心的服事主,不像服侍人。不可威吓下属,要看尊敬他们的人格。

    在罗马的奴隶制度里,主人对奴仆是有完全的主权的,所以有些主人会苦待奴仆。有许多的主人看低奴仆,认为他们没有人格。这是因为人有罪,当有人有权柄时,人会滥用权力。所以每当保罗提到的教导,通常都会提到神对两方面的要求。比如前面提到孩子需要听从父母,也会教导父亲不可惹儿女的气。这里保罗提到奴仆要听从主人,但因为主人会滥用权利,所以也教导主人对待仆人也要用同样的原则,不要滥用权柄,应该公平的对待仆人,这是神的智慧和公正。罗马主人可以随便欺压仆人。这是世界的作法。基督徒却不可效法。

    但如果一个基督徒滥用权柄,主在天上不偏待人。不偏待人是什么意思呢?在歌罗西书平行的经文里,在3章25节,保罗也提到这个字,“那行不义的,必受不义的报应,主并不偏待人。”表示不管你的身份地位有多高,如果你没有根据神的旨意对待你的下属,主会管教你,因为主不偏待人。如果你没有根据神的旨意对待下属,不但在永生失去奖赏,在今生还要受管教。

    美国有一家很受欢迎的快餐店叫福来鸡(Chic-Fil-a)。它的创办人是Truett Cathy。他是一个很虔诚的基督徒。他的公司的目的:作神忠心的管家荣耀神,并对所有接触福来鸡的人有正面的影响。这家店的特别是他们在主日不开门,为了要鼓励员工参加教会聚会。公司的基督文化管理很棒,是美国最受欢迎快餐店之一。Truett Cathy就是把工作当成事奉的好例子。

    你说在中国不可能如此作,在中国的企业和社会里作基督徒很艰难,不像美国。是的,我觉得弟兄姊妹在中国作基督徒不容易。但我想在罗马帝国里作奴仆的基督徒比在中国作基督徒难多了。罗马时代的主人对仆人有无限的权利,但在那个环境里,保罗也吩咐仆人和主人都要像基督的仆人。

    既然约瑟在埃及的监狱里也能够服事主。既然但以理在玛代的官亭里就算要面对狮子坑也要服事主。你们在杭州的职场里也一样可以服事主。

    你既然是基督的仆人,主的旨意是要你在工作里事奉祂,你能如何开始呢?

    • 你可以为你的同事,上司,下属,同学的救恩祷告。也为你自己祷告,求主帮助你踏出信心的脚步在公司里服事祂。
    • 你可以关心你的同事,和他们交朋友。不要为了利益而交朋友,要关心不被重视的人。单纯的爱你身边的同事。尝试主动的与人微笑。当他们生病时,关心他们。给他们发微信问候他们。如果看见同事生活里遇见难处,主动的问他们有什么需要你可以帮忙的。
    • 在同事有喜事时,比如结婚,生孩子,为了他喜乐,说祝福的话,送他们小礼物。
    • 如果有为难你的同事,不可为恶所胜,反要以善胜恶。

    渐渐的,你的同事会看见你的转变,他们会好奇为何你要对他们怎么友善。当他们问你为何要关心他们,你可以回答,“因为我是基督的仆人”

    职场就是你的禾场。你可以作企业的宣教士。每天都服事主,每天都为主而活,每天都为主见证。

    结束

    我们对工作的态度对我们一个人的生活有极大的影响。基督徒侍奉主不但只是在教会里,也是在职场里。不管你是大老板还是小职员,主耶稣都要作你工作的主。工作不是为法老打工,工作应该是侍奉主基督。当我们的态度改变了,我们的工作就有了属灵的价值,而且我们的人生会变的更有意义。我们不需要等到退休后才侍奉主,不需要等到周末在教会里才侍奉主。我们在职场里,就能侍奉主。不管你的工作是什么,你都可以在职场里侍奉主。

    你想象如果你明天就开始邀请主耶稣和你去上班,让主作你工作的主,你的工作将会有什么改变?如果琥珀小家的每一个弟兄姊妹都邀请主去上班,作你们工作的主,教会将会有什么改变?如果每一个学校里都有基督的仆人,杭州的学校会有什么改变?如果每一个企业里都有基督的仆人,杭州的企业将会有什么改变?如果每一个政府部门里有基督的仆人,杭州的政府将会有什么改变?如果你愿意在工作里让主作主,你在永世里将会有什么样的赏赐?

    基督是我们生命里每一个部分的主,包括我们工作,所以你应该邀请主耶稣与你一同上班,让主作你工作的主

  • You belong to God (Ephesians 1:11-14)

    You belong to God (Ephesians 1:11-14)

    TURN OUR WORRIES TO PRAISE BECAUSE GOD NEVER LOSES WHAT BELONGS TO HIM

    Introduction

    Apple has a product called airtag. An airtag is a small button-shaped tracking device that is used to track your belongings. You can attach it to your backpack, your luggage, your bicycles, or maybe even your dog. When you lose your belongings, you can use your iPhone to find it. You can engrave your initials on the airtags to identify you as the owner of the belongings. 

    Why did Apple invent the airtag? Because people worried about losing their belongings. Do you worry about losing your belongings? Do you worry about losing your car key? Think about the troubles you will face if you lose your phone. What about losing your wedding ring? You would be in big trouble when your spouse finds out about it. Now, have you ever worried about losing your salvation? Maybe you have committed a serious sin in the past that caused you to worry about losing your salvation. Maybe you worry about your eternal destiny because you are not sure you will persevere to the end.

    My topic for today is this, we should turn our worries to praise because God never loses what belongs to Him. Again, we should turn our worries to praise because God never loses what belongs to Him. Today’s text is Ephesians 1:11-14. Ephesians 1:11-14 is the end of one of the longest sentences in the New Testament. The sentence starts at 1:3 and ends at verse 14, a total of 202 words! Paul was eager to tell the saints in Ephesians about the heavenly spiritual blessings they have received from God the Father because of the redemption works of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our text for today is the end of these spiritual blessings. Today I have three points. First, we should praise God because we belong to God. Second, we should praise God because we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Third, we should praise God for His glory.

    We should Praise God because we belong to God (v11-v12)

    The first point is we should praise God because we belong to God. Look at verse 11 with me. “In Him, we have obtained an inheritance”. Many commentators including Harold Hoehner and FF Bruce think it is better to translate it as “In Him, we have been obtained as inheritance.” It is because the Greek word is in the passive tense. What does it mean that we have been obtained as God’s inheritance? Verse 5 tells us God predestine us for adoption as sons. It means we are His, we belong to God. We are sons and daughters of God.

    When did God decide that we are His inheritance? According to verse 4, God has chosen us and predestined us before the foundation of the world.

    Who did God consult when God predestine us? God consulted himself, there was no one else. And then God works all things, so that His plan will be accomplished.

    I have a son. He was predestined as my son. He did not know it when he was born. And then later on, he slowly discover I am his father. When he did bad things, I might discipline him, but I will never disown him because he is my son, he is my inheritance.

    Maybe you have committed a serious sin in the past. It might be a dark, secret sin that you would never tell anyone. You may have been tempted by Satan to worry about losing your salvation. Do not fall into temptation. God might discipline you, but God will never disown you because you are His child, you belong to God, you are God’s inheritance. You have been predestined by God.

    The purpose you have been predestined is so that you can praise God for His glory. Look like verse 12 says: “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.” Your hope is in Christ, not in yourself. What are you worried about? Whatever it is, take all your worries and turn them into praise because God works all things, so that we could praise Him, for His glory. 

    We should Praise God because we  were sealed us with the promised Holy Spirit (v13-14a)

    Now let’s move on to the second point. The first point is we should praise God because we belong to Him. The second point is we should praise God because we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Look at verse 13, “In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Again, he starts with “In Him”, just like the first point. Do you see Triune God is working? In Christ, God the Father has sealed us with the promised Holy Spirit.

    Some of you might ask is it possible to know that I am one of the chosen? The answer is yes! Look at verse 4 and verse 5, Paul was very sure that he was chosen and predestined as a child of God. Furthermore, Paul changed from “we” in verse 11 to “you” in verse 13, indicating that it is possible for the saints in Ephesians to know they have been predestined to be God’s inheritance.

    How do you know you has been chosen, predestined, and sealed with the Holy Spirit? You know because you have heard the world of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in Christ. It is God’s sovereignty to choose and predestine you as His inheritance. And it is your responsibility to hear the gospel and believed in Christ. Those who believed are the ones who have been chosen and predestined.

    What is the meaning of “you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”? It means ownership. It means you belong to God because Christ promised He would send the Holy Spirit to live in those who believed in Him. 

    On my wedding day, I put a wedding ring with my name on my wife’s ring finger. It means she belongs to me. She also put a wedding ring with her name on my ring finger, it means I belong to her. Similarly, you belong to God because God has sealed you with the promised Holy Spirit.

    The Holy Spirit is the guarantee or down payment of our inheritance. Look at verse 14, “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” That means the fellowship we have with the Triune God through the Holy Spirit is only a small portion of something far greater in the future, and we are guaranteed to acquire the full possession in the future when Christ returns.

    Men may default on our payment, but God is faithful. God never defaults on His promise. Since He guaranteed our full inheritance with His Holy Spirit, He will surely fulfill it.

    We should praise God for His glory (v14b)

    What should be our response to this? We should praise God for His glory. Look at the second half of verse 14, “to the praise of His glory”. It is the same phrase as in verse 12. What does it mean? It means God chose us, predestined us, led us to hear the gospel, and sealed us with the Holy Spirit with one purpose, that is so that we will praise Him for His glory! The purpose of salvation is doxology!

    How do we praise God for His glory? We praise Him with our singing in during a worship service, for His glory. But may I suggest praise is more than singing? We could praise Him with our minds when we meditate on His word, for His glory. But praise is more than that. We praise Him with our interactions with fellow students, professors, and others on campus, for His glory. But praise is more than that. We praise Him at home when we love our parents, spouses, and children, for His glory. But praise is more than that. We praise Him by living our life, for His glory.

    Conclusion

    Some years ago, God called me to minister to a house church in China. After spending some time with this group of believers, I notice something is wrong with them. Some of the believers were in constant worried about losing their salvation. Because they were not sure about their eternal destiny, they did not have peace. When they first heard that God has sealed them with the promised Holy Spirit, and their eternal destiny is secured because they belong to God, one of the sisters literary jumped up and down, because she was filled with joy and could not help but to express her praise to God. Since then, they no longer live in worried, instead, they live in praise for the glory of God.

    I think if I get some Apple airtags, I might still lose some of my belongings because airtags could run out of battery. Or there could be bugs with Apple software. But God never runs out of battery. God does not have any software bugs. God never loses what belongs to Him. We should praise God because we belong to Him. We are God’s inheritance. We have been predestined for His glory. We should praise God because God has sealed us with His Holy Spirit. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we should turn our worries to praise because God never loses what belongs to Him.

  • 十架七言:成了(约19:30)

    十架七言:成了(约19:30)

    地点:科林郡恩友堂

    时间:2022年4月15日

    主耶稣在十字架上说的第六句话是“成了“。只有使徒约翰记载这句话,记载在约19:30。那时,主耶稣已经被钉在十字架上六个小时。其他三本福音书记载,从中午十二点到下午三点,日头和全地都变黑了。好像表示这个世界为它的创造者在十字架上受苦而悲哀!

    在主断气前的几秒钟,当主耶稣尝了一口醋后之后,就说了这一句话,“成了!”。主说这话是用什么的口气呢?其他三本福音书记载,主断气前在大声的喊叫。而约翰记载,这喊叫就是,“成了”!这不是失败的呻吟,而是得胜的宣告!

     “成了”是什么意思呢?是指什么成了呢?这句话,其实在约翰福音里出现两次,这是第二次。第一次是上两节,第28节。使徒约翰记载:“耶稣知道各样的事都成了,为要使经上的话应验”。“各样”也可以翻译成 “所有”。所有旧约的律法,诗篇和先知所预言的事都成了!所有天父所差派主耶稣基督道成肉身的工作,主耶稣都完成。

    整个以色列人的历史,整本的旧约圣经,就是说到人的罪恶,和神的救赎计划。主不但知道神的救赎计划,而且主耶稣道成肉身的目的,就是要执行这救赎计划。主被钉十字架,不是一个意外,而是神救赎人的方法!主被钉十字架,不是显出祂的软弱,而是显出主在掌权!

    成了在希腊原文只有一个字,tetelestai!主耶稣用一个字来表示祂成就了神整个的救赎计划!这个字是完成时态,是perfect tense,表示已经完成了,而且继续有功效!主耶稣一次被钉十字架完成救赎,却永远有功效。Tetelestai!

    女人的后裔已经伤了撒旦的头,成了!(创3:15)神律法公义和圣洁的要求已经满足了,成了!主耶稣已经得胜了黑暗的权势,成了!逾越节羔羊已经被杀献祭了(林前5:7),主耶稣的宝血已经流出了,成了!我们所犯的罪的工价,全还清了,成了!进入至圣所的幔子已经从上到下裂开了,好让信祂的人可以坦然无惧的进入施恩的宝座前,成了!(路23:45)这么大的救恩,已经作成了,成了!

    所以当你看见周边和这个世界充满着罪恶时,不要灰心,以信心仰望主耶稣吧,因为祂已经作成了!当撒旦控告你的时候,不要被迷惑,以信心仰望主耶稣吧,因为祂已经作成了!当你作基督徒作的很累时,当你认为自己作的不够时,不要靠自己,仰望主吧,因祂已经作成了!当你里面与罪争战时,不要放弃,以信心仰望主耶稣吧,因为祂已经作成了!成了!成了!

  • Come Feast With Jesus (Proverbs 9:10)

    Come Feast With Jesus (Proverbs 9:10)

    Imagine you are invited to two breakfast banquets this morning. The first breakfast banquet will be serving freshly made delicious Dunkin donuts. The host will be serving a variety of flavors, including Double Chocolate Crème Donuts, Bavarian Kreme Donuts, Butternut Donuts, Chocolate Butternut Donuts, and much more, there is surely a favorite for everyone. The second breakfast banquet will be serving fresh fruits and vegetables, the menu including fresh grapes, apples, avocado, bake kale, and steamed broccoli. Which breakfast banquet will you choose to go to? You may be thinking: “I really want to stay healthy on my diet, however, I am craving sweet delicious donuts this morning. Let me just go to the donuts breakfast banquet and enjoy my favorite donuts, it is just a breakfast, it will not hurt my health.” You are right that one sweet donut breakfast will not hurt your health, it is not going to make you sick overnight. However, what if you are invited to another breakfast banquet tomorrow morning, and once again you choose to go to the Dunkin donuts breakfast banquet. Now, imagine what will happen to your body if you choose to eat donuts for breakfast every day for your entire seminary journey?

    We as seminary students are frequently faced with decisions to make. Some decisions are trivial like what breakfast to eat. Some decisions are more serious like should I choose an agape project because it is easier, or because it is where I think God wants me to serve, even it will take more of my time? Some decisions are even more serious like should I sign up for more courses to graduate sooner, or take fewer courses so I can spend more time with family, even if I have to delay my graduation? Or should I get married and have children now or wait until I am done with seminary? Or should I choose a concentration because it is easier or because I think it is God calling for me, even if it is harder? Or when I am staring at an online close book exam at home and do not know how to answer the question, but I know the answer is seating right there on the bookshelf, should I take a peek at the books?

    We all need wisdom to make decisions, the question is what kind of wisdom? Is it worldly wisdom, or heavenly wisdom? Of course, we all want to rely on heavenly wisdom, but the world is constantly feeding us with worldly wisdom. Imagine what will happen to your life if you constantly make the wrong decisions because you being influent by worldly wisdom? What can we do to gain heavenly wisdom and understanding in life?

    Today, I am going to talk about how to gain heavenly wisdom and understanding while in seminary so that we can make the right decisions that will please the Lord. Please turn to Proverbs 9:10 with me. Let me repeat, our text for today is Proverbs 9:10. This proverb has two parts, the first part is about fearing God as the way to gain heavenly wisdom. The second part is about knowing God’s Holiness is the way to gain heavenly understanding. Therefore, I will first talk about fearing God, follow with knowing God as the Holy One, and will end with an application for our life.

    First, we need to fear God to gain heavenly wisdom. This God is not any gods, but the God of Israel. The Hebrew word for the LORD is Yahweh. It is the covenantal God of Israel. This is extremely important. If we fear any other man-made gods, we will not gain heavenly wisdom. If we fear our professors, we will not gain heavenly wisdom. If we fear Satan, we will not gain heavenly wisdom. We must fear the LORD Yahweh, the God who made the new covenant with us through His Son Jesus Christ.

    Fearing God is the foundation principle of all the proverbs. The Book of Proverbs tells us what does the life of a person who fears God looks like. I say that because The Book of Proverbs starts with fearing the LORD, and ends with fearing the LORD. Look with me at the beginning of Proverb, chapter 1 verse 7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Now flip to the end of proverbs, chapter 31 verse 30: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” The next book, the Book of Ecclesiastes talks about a vanity life. See chapter 1 verse 2: “ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” ” How do we make sure we do not keep making decisions that will lead to a vanity life? The answer is at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, in chapter 12 verse 13: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments because this applies to every person.”

    Fearing the LORD means we should be in awe, or in reverence to God. In other words, we need to acknowledge that God is in charge of our life. Fearing God means in everything that we do, we do it with submission to the authority of God in mind. That is the way to gain heavenly wisdom.

    Some of us might think fearing the Lord is only an old testament concept, we are new testament Christians, we are under grace, and should not fear the Lord. Paul did not think so, for he instructed the Christian slaves in Colossians to serve their masters with the fear of the Lord, not to please men but to please God. Let’s open your bible to Colossians 3:22-23: “Slaves, in all things, obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”

    Before I move to Dallas, I took a lot of Lifesize online courses. An online course is a great tool, but sometimes it became a great temptation for students. There were many times on closed books quizzes and tests, I was tempted to look into my Greek or Hebrew textbooks to get the answer. By the grace of the Lord, I was able to overcome most of the temptations. However, one time, I gave in, I started to look for answers in the textbook. And then the fear of the Lord was on me. I asked myself, why do I do this? Do I fear a bad grade on a Greek test or a bad grade on God’s test? After that struggle with myself, I put the textbook back on the bookshelf. I did not have a good grade on the Greek test, but I hope I had a good grade on God’s test. Living our life in the fear of the Lord does not mean we will always have smooth sailing in our seminary journey, but living our life in the fear of the Lord will surely conform our life to be more like Jesus Christ over time.

    This proverb says fearing the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. When you fear God, God will give you heavenly wisdom. But this is just the beginning, like a place taking off to the sky, think about the potential of the kind of wisdom you will get from God when you fear Him!

    Who is this God that we should fear? It is impossible to fear God if we do not know Him. The more we know Him, the more we will understand our life and have the wisdom to make decisions that please God. Out of all God’s characters, this proverb highlights the Holiness of God. Look at the second part of verse 10: “and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

    The Holy One in Hebrew is Qedoshim, it is in plural form. It does not mean they are many holy gods. Similar to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God, it is the plural of excellence. Qedoshim expresses the majesty, greatness, excellence, comprehensiveness of the Holiness of God. Holy in Hebrew means set apart, unique or distinct. God is the creator, He is distinct from all creations. The theologian RC Sproul famously said: “Holy is the only attribute of God that was elevated to the third degree. He pointed out the orophet Isaiah once saw the Seraphim cried out: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory”, as recorded in Isaiah 6:3. The Seraphim did not cry “mercy, mercy, mercy”, or “love, love, love”, or “justice, justice, justice” or “wrath, wrath, wrath”. But that He is Holy, Holy, Holy. It is the dimension of God that consumes His very essence.

    Why do we need to know God’s Holiness? Because the more we know God’s Holiness, the more we will understand what is worldly and what is holy! The world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham hold on to four biblical integrity principles that are known as the Modesto Manifesto. He and three other evangelists came up with these life principles at their young age, early in their ministry, in 1948, when he was 30 years old. The second of these principles is about sexual morality. They pledged among themselves to avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion. From that day on, Billy Graham did not travel, meet or eat alone with a woman other than his wife. They determined that the Apostle Paul’s mandate to the young Timothy would be theirs as well: “Flee from youthful lusts”, as written in 2 Tim 2:22. I know my own weakness, when I read about this 16 years ago, I adopted it as my own, to protect my marriage. There are times it has created inconvenience to me and others, but I felt that the holiness of our marriage is worth the cost.

    This semester, I signed up for an Agape project to help international students in DTS. I offer to give them rides around town. But soon after the international office sent this news to the international students, I realized I have a problem. Women started to ask for rides. What should I do? Spending time alone with another woman in a car might not seem to be a big deal to many people. But for me, it would be a compromise of my principle. What should I do? I asked God for wisdom. And God gives it to me. I have a ten years old boy, I asked him to come along with those rides. My son, Isaac enjoyed those rides because he got to take a break from his homeschool. He asked interesting questions to our lady friends. Like do you like to play with Nerf guns? What is your favorite dog? We had lots of fun. Knowing God is the Holy One motivates me to made decisions to protect the holiness of my marriage. And God gave me insight on how to handle situations like this. In 1 Peter 1:15-16, Peter wrote: “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” ” When you are faced with decisions to make, do you think about the Holiness of God? Do you think about what is worldly, and what is holy? Are you willing to sacrifice convenience for holiness? When you think about the Holiness of God, God is going to give you heavenly understanding into your life situation.

    You may be asking, I know I should fear God, I know my life should reflect the Holiness of God. But I do not have the strength to do so. What can I do so that I am constantly reminded and have the strength to fear the Lord, and to know His Holiness in my life?

    You need to come to feast with Jesus daily to fear God and to know God’s Holiness to gain heavenly wisdom. The context of Proverb 9:10 is chapter 9. In the first half of chapter 9, Wisdom is personified as a lady, called Lady Wisdom. She has prepared a banquet with food and wines in her house. Then she invited people to come and feast with her. And then she told them: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” I believe Lady Wisdom is a shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus said He is greater than Solomon in Matthew 12:42. And Paul wrote that Christ Jesus has become to us wisdom from God in 1 Corinthians 1:30. Paul further wrote that in Christ are hidden all the reassures of wisdom and knowledge in Colossians 2:3.

    In the second half of Proverb chapter 9, there is another lady who was also hosting a banquet. Her name is Lady Folly. Her drink was sweet, her food was pleasant, look at verse 17. If you are lacking understanding of what is going on in your life, come to her, she is going to feed you with food and teaching of the world. I believe Lady Folly is a representative of the worldly system. The world is constantly teaching us worldly wisdom, a worldly understanding of life. The world teaches us to make decisions based on instant gratification. The world teaches us there is no God. The world teaches us there is no need to fear God. The world teaches worldliness, not holiness.

    In the book “A Hunger for God”, John Piper wrote: “The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rate video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.”

    Do you want to have heavenly wisdom to handle the challenges of living a holy life while in seminary? Do not feast with the world, came feast with Jesus so that you will have the strength to fear God and to know His holiness. And when you do that, God is going to give you heavenly wisdom and understanding to handle life challenges. Imagine what kind of heavenly wisdom God will give you when you choose to feast with Jesus daily!

    Let’s pray. Father, help us to feast with Jesus daily, so that we will fear you and gain greater knowledge of your holiness. Please grant us heavenly wisdom to make decisions that will please to you, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

  • Ezra Chapter 2 Notes

    Ezra Chapter 2 Notes

    Ezra 2 Notes

    By Ken Yeo

    2021-6-3

     

    1.      Chapter 2 Division

    a)      Intro (2:1)

    b)      Names of those who returned (2:2-63)

                      i.           2:2 leaders

                     ii.           2:3-35 Men of Israel

    1.      2:3-20 based on family

    2.      2:21-35 based on hometown

                    iii.           2:36-42 Priests and Levites

    1.      2:36-39 Priests

    2.      2:40-42 Levites

                    iv.           2:43-58 Servants

    1.      2:43-54 Temple servants

    2.      2:55-58 Sons of Solomon’s servants

                     v.           2:59-63 people without proper genealogies

    c)      Conclusion(2:64-70)

                      i.           2:64-67 total

                     ii.           2:68-69 offerings of the people

                    iii.           2:70 people live in their towns

    2.      2:1 Intro

    a)      Own towns

                      i.           See 2:70; it is an inclusio. The Israelites remembered the land given by God as part of the Abraham and Sanai covenant.

                     ii.           Chapter 2 tells us who lives in the towns to prepare for chapter 3(3:1).

    b)      They are called captives (2:1) but later called Israelites (2:70).

    3.      2:2 leaders

    a)      11 civil and religious leaders, Also found in Neh 7:7, 12 names there.

    b)      Zerubbabel and Joshua are the first two names: the most important leaders

                      i.           Zerubbabel: grandson of King Jehoiachin (Matt 1). Maybe another name for Sheshbazzar (1:11), or maybe not.

                     ii.           Joshua: High priest (Zec 3:1)

    4.      2:3-35 Men of Israel

    a)      Total 24144, 33 families

    b)      Some are names of the head of the family(3-20), some are names of places (21-35)

    5.      2:36-39 Priests

    a)      4289 priests (approx.. 10% of the return)

    6.      2:40-42 Levites

    a)      341 Levites (small compares to Priests, Ezra would have a similar experience (8:15). Initially, there was no Levi, and later he found 38 Levi.

    7.      2:43-54 Temple servants (Nethinim)

    a)      35 people/families

    b)      Hebrew’s meaning: the giving ones or the dedicated ones.

    c)      Nethinim only shows up in 1 Chr 9:2 and in Ezra and Neh.

    d)      David set apart to attend the Levites (8:20).

    e)      220 of them will return with Ezra (8:20).

    f)       68% are foreign names

    g)      Jewish tradition: these are decedents of Gibeonites based on Josh 9:23 you shall never be anything but servants.” But the connection is not convincingly clear.

    h)      They are portrayed positively

                      i.           Along with Priests and Levites, and other temple servants, they were exampled from tax (Ezra 7:24).

                     ii.           Participated in rebuilding the wall (Neh 3:26)

                    iii.           Signed Nehemiah’s covenant to walk in God’s Law (Ne 10:29)

    i)        They were the lowest class in the temple service but a group of dedicated circumcised foreigners (Ex 12:48; Numb 15:14-16) who joined the Israelites to worship Yahweh.

    8.      2:55-58 Sons of Solomons’ servants

    a)      These are descendants of Canaanites who became servants of Solomons – 1 Kings 9:20-21

    b)      40% are foreign names, compare to 10% of the rest of the exiles.

    c)      10 people/families

    d)      They have converted to worship Yahweh (6:21).

    e)      Also mentioned in Neh 7:60; 11:3

    f)       Temple servants + sons of Solomon’s slaves = 392, more than Levites (341).

    9.      2:59-63 people without proper genealogies

    a)      Three people/families were named (2:60), a total of 652 people

    b)      Three priestly people/families were named (2:61)

    c)      God has a higher standard for priests. While foreigners could join Israelites to worship Yahweh, only the decedents of Aaron could be priests (Lev 6:8; Ex 12:48; Numb 15:14-16).

    d)      The sons of Hakkoz’s claim was upheld in the end (8:33; Neh 3:21; 21).

    e)      The sons of Barzillai

                      i.           Especially mentioned, the head of the Barzillai family married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took on Barzillai’s name.

                     ii.           Barzillai was a wealthy Gileadite who provided supplies to David when he was running away from Absalom (2 Sam 17:27-20) and provided escort service for David back to Jordan (2 Sam 19:31-339).

                    iii.           In return, David charged Solomon to show kindness to his sons (1 Kings 2:7).

                    iv.           This family did not have the genealogy, plus they took the name of a foreigner. It is a double negative. Did that disqualify them as priests is the question.

    f)       Priests were forbidden to eat most holy food

                      i.           However, that is not final. They were to seek God’s will through Urim and Thummim.

                     ii.           The point is, it is not clear whether they came from a legitimate priestly family line; therefore, they are to seek God’s will.

    g)      The issue of bloodline will come up again in chapters 9 and 10 and Neh 13.

    h)      They were still allowed to return with the rest and stayed.

    10.   2:64-67 total       

    a)      29829 is the total of v2-60. But 49897 is the total of v64-67, which could be due to 1) women and children, 2) uncertainty of those without genealogy in v49-63, 3) possibly some other tribes like Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chr 9:3).

    b)      It is different from Neh 7:66-67 (49942), possibly due to scribal error.

    c)      It is not a high number compared to the number of exiles. It means not all people wanted to return. Regardless, God stirred the spirit of some, and they, no doubt, set out in faith, hoping in the promises of God.

    d)      7337 were servants, 1 for every 6 freemen, a high number in ancient times. They were probably foreigners

    e)      A lot of gold and silvers: 565-pound gold, 3-ton silver.

    f)       Even animals are counted, mostly donkeys (6720/8136). It possibly includes sheep and cattle for sacrifices though not mentioned.

    11.   2:68-69 offerings of the people

    a)      Different from Neh 7:70-72, possibly due to scribal error.

    b)      They are not forced. Instead, they give freely and according to their ability.

    c)      Reminiscent of the giving of the leaders of Israel in building the original temple (1 Chr 29:1-9).

    d)      This shows their dedication to Yahweh since they have incurred many expenses from the travel from Babylon to Israel.

    12.   2:70 people live in their towns

    a)      They are heirs of the land, promised by God to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3;15:18;17:8).

    b)      There are called Israel instead of Judah, representing the unified country of God (1 Kings 12).

    13.   Conclusion

    a)      The point of this chapter is those who returned are descendants of Jacob, heirs of the land promised by God. Years of exile did not nullify God’s promised to Abraham.

    b)      God has stirred the people’s hearts, and they responded in faith to return to the promised land to rebuild the temple, the country and restore their worship to Yahweh.

    c)      Yahweh has chosen Israel as His people to receive the covenant, the prophecies, and the lineage of the Messiah. But foreigners could join them by dedicating their life to Yahweh.

    14.   Applications

    a)      Imagine you were a descendant of one of the Israelites named in Ezra 2. How will that encourage you?

    b)      In the case of the sons of priests without genealogy, they are told to consult Urim and Thummim. Sometimes we cannot find explicit instruction in the bible when we face certain situations. We are to seek the Lord in our prayers for His will.

    c)      The Israelites give freely and according to their ability. NT teaches the same principles for Christians (2 Cor 9:5-15). Examine your giving to God’s works and pray to improve in this area in your life.

    d)      Gentiles who were once foreigners of God’s covenants could believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to become members of the family of God. We as gentiles could believe in Jesus and become fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Eph 2:11-22; Rom 4:13). Therefore, we ought to worship our God with a thankful heart.

    e)      Only those who are descendants of Israel can inherit the land. Coming to church meetings, have a Christian spouse, hanging out with Christians does not make you a child of God. You need to believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord to become the child of God, thus heirs of His inheritance. Paul called those who have faith like Abraham are the sons of Abraham (Gal 3:7), heirs according to the promised (Gal 3:29; Gal 4:7; Rom 8:17). What God has given to those who are in Christ is far more valuable than the promised land, for all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places have been given to those in Christ (Eph 1:3).