Friday, 26th February 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One: V1-11 To Have Relationship
V1 There have been many witnesses in the Bible, they all had something in common, which is to lay aside every weight and the sin that ensnares them. Sins are like the vines, at the beginning they seem small, but slowly if we don’t get rid of them, they will become stronger, climbing on the tree, tangling the tree, taking its nutrition and one day kill it. When we don’t deal with sins, they will influence us and slowly take us away from the path of faith.
We need to learn to endure, don’t let negative emotions or words come out from our mouth. Instead, come before God, through speaking in tongues and the Holy Spirit, give our negativity to God. We need to step out and run before seeing the guidance from God. We need to restore and repair our relationship with God, to lay down our burdens and the voices of the old self, endure with all our hearts. Then we can start to have a relationship with God.
V2 When we start to have a relationship with God, we can start to experience the goodness of God. Jesus also went through the same, when He no longer focuses on Himself, but on the relationship with the Father, He was able to endure all the hardship of this world. Can we also despise the desires of this world? We are easy to act by our emotions, but we can never be ready, when God asks us to go, then we must go, no matter if we feel ready or not.
V3-11 Having the relationship with God is to help us, because God is our loving Father as well as our Coach, who wants us to bear fruits, and only by having the best training can we bear good fruits. We are easy to see God’s teaching from the negative way, we are easy to think our authority does not love us when we receive correction.
Only true sons – not the illegitimate ones – will receive disciplines. When disciplines come to us, at the time we may feel upset, but we did not see the love behind this –
when our authority is willing to spend time with us to teach us, they want us to be better and bear “the peaceable fruit of righteousness”. We need to treasure this relationship then the teaching will be able to help us to step out by faith and run the race.
Section Two: V12-17 To Have Good Health
V12-13 The relationship is important but good health is also important. When we run, if we are easily hurt or not having a healthy attitude, then we will easily give up. When we try to run the race of faith, there will be times we want to give up. When we are not healthy, we will lose faith and become rebellious. We need to strengthen our hands and feeble knees. This is our responsibility; we cannot make it God’s responsibility. When we see this way of God as the treasure, we will be able to hang on, leave all the things that stop us to go forward.
We must prepare ourselves; this race of faith is not just our own business. Just like a mother, being pregnant for about 10 months, she needs to think about the health of her baby, and be determined to stay away from junk food, to eat healthy and live healthy.
V14-15 Running the race is not just about ourselves being healthy, but to seek purity in the relationship with our brothers and sisters, set our lives apart from this world and not to be influenced by the people worshipping idols. Choose purity, choose holiness, and turn away from our sins. We all sinned, and Jesus came for the sinners. With our pride, bitterness will grow in us to confuse us and others.
When our brothers and sisters’ lives are having problems, we need to speak the truth and help them. It’s easy to help others hide their problems, but when we do this, we cannot help them. Only the love of God is real.
Section Three: V18-29 To Hold onto God
We need to hold onto God. We follow God often by feelings, but our feelings can also stop us follow God and follow our authority. Do not follow by feelings but by faith we know God loves us and has abundance for us. Our authorities want us to be better and our lives to prosper.
Just have a simple faith and believe, but when we don’t believe we will close up our ears to God. We must be very careful because God’s voice is to lead us to the way we should go, when we can’t hear the voice of God then we will run astray.
Every morning the first thought to come to our mind should be to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us. We will be judged before the throne of God and we cannot run away from this. So come close to God everyday and run this race of faith with Him. Have an attentive ear and believe God is for us, not against us. By thanksgiving, humble ourselves to serve God. It’s not easy to run this race because when we use the values of this world, we will see it as mission impossible; but we humble and use a simple heart to run this race of faith, be willing to come closer to God, then this race of faith will be full of blessings, grace, signs and wonders.
Let us treasure our relationship with God, give thanks to all the goodness of walking with God. Let us come together, not just by ourselves, but with our brothers and sisters in Bread of Life South Auckland, to live a healthy life, to live for God, and to run the race of faith!
Pursuit & Respond
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that You teach us through Your Word and our authority, to guide us to run this race of faith. You taught us to get rid of the sins of this world and focus on You. Jesus Christ has set a good example for us, You have look lightly the suffering of the world and focus on the goodness of Heaven. You have prepared for us to run this race of faith.
Let us run this race of faith, have relationship with You, rid of our sins, restore our good health, we belong to You. In the Name of Jesus, we bind all the lies and evil desires of this world, today we want to listen to You, to be attentive to Your teaching, and believe You are for us not against us! We want to receive Your holiness, to be humble and obedience to listen to Your teaching. Amen!
2021年2月26日 星期五
-潘锡安牧师-
希伯来书 12
如何奔那信心的路程
我们在奔跑的路程中想放弃的时候，要如何能贯彻始终，进入那永恒的列车？
一、要有关系（v.1-11）
1，“我们既有这许多的见证人。。。”- 这些“见证人”就是第11章讲到的信心伟人，他们的共同点是能够“放下各样的重担”，且“脱去容易缠累的罪”-罪对我们的缠累就如同树木被杂草的藤缠绕直至死亡 – 这些罪会让我们对这个路程失去热忱，从一开始不起眼到后来引向死亡。所以我们不要陷入试探，而是靠着那加给我们力量的凡事都能做，就是神所给我们的事。我们也要“存心忍耐” – 当我们遇到问题时，不要抱怨，而是借着方言-圣灵的代祷帮助我们胜过；不仅是忍耐，我们还要奔跑，当我们愿意踏出去的时候才会看见神云柱火柱的引导，如此我们与神才开始有关系，开始倚靠神，能够脱去世界、老我的声音，经历与主同行的甘甜。
2, 耶稣也是经过这样的试炼，他看中的是跟神的关系中所得的喜乐，所以能轻看在地上的苦难。我们不要以“没有预备好”为借口，而是要愿意为神踏出去。
3-11，我们与神所发生的关系是帮助我们的，好像父亲与儿子的关系，也如教练要训练学徒一样。当神借着权柄管教我们的时候，我们第一反应就是觉得自己被苦待、误解。但只有儿子才被管教，若没有被管教，就是私子。我们要看到被管教是因为神爱我们，要提升我们，虽然当下觉得不舒服，但要感恩管教我们的权柄愿意花时间在我们身上，就能“结出平安的果子”。我们看重关系，管教就对我们有益，才能奔跑前面的路程。
二、要有健康（v.12-17)
12-13，当我们在跑的时候，若不健康，就容易在过程中受伤、甚至不见了。我们在奔那信心的路程时，我们要健康，这是我们的责任，因为我们要有信心，要“把下垂的手、发酸的腿挺起来”，将苦毒抱怨收起来。若能把这条路看作至宝，就能有喜乐，好像一个妈妈在怀孕时，虽然发胖、艰难，但还能挺起腰，约束原本不健康的行为，为了能生下自己所爱的宝宝。同样，我们也要花时间预备好自己。
14-15，健康不是我们单顾自己，也要“追求与众人的和睦”以及“圣洁”- 就是分别自己为圣，不以迦南地的世俗文化沾染自己。在这条路上，我们要选择跟从神，放下世界，也要“谨慎”，以免失去神赦罪的恩。耶稣来是要寻找有罪的人，我们若骄傲就很容易跌倒。如果我们看到其他弟兄姐妹生命有问题，不要包庇他们，要看到从权柄而来的管教才是真正能帮助那些弟兄姐妹。
16-17，“淫乱”指的是与世界连接，贪恋世界，不花时间读经祷告，反而有时间上网或跟人聊天，这些都要求神饶恕。
三、要抓紧神（v.18-29）
我们跟从神往往靠的是感觉，幻想我们的权柄很可怕。但是我们不要相信我们的感觉，而是相信神爱我们，神的国是丰盛的，我们的权柄是帮助我们靠近神的国。这一段所讲的关于天国美好的画面是很引人入胜的。
25，神的声音是带领我们奔那当走的路，不然我们会乱跑。每一天清晨起来的时候就要去求圣灵跟我们说话，因为没有人能逃脱最后的审判，所以不要让我们的幼稚阻挡我们亲近神，要感恩、谦卑来事奉神。
我们若用世界上的思想，就会觉得这样很难，但若能谦卑下来，用单纯的心奔这条信心的路程时，这就是一条恩典的路，充满神迹奇事。所以不要单单为自己而活，而是看重关系，健康起来，与我们南奥克兰灵粮堂的弟兄姐妹们一起奔这条信心的路程。
*追求：
谢谢阿爸天父管教我们，让我们脱去罪、世界的缠绕，我们要忍耐到底，走信心的路，要坐上永恒的列车。我们要脱去罪才有真正的关系，成为儿子领受属天的产业。感谢主你是教导我们的，为我们的信心创始成终，你因那摆在前面的喜乐，就轻看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦难，便坐在神宝座的右边。求主帮助我们轻看羞辱。当我们觉得没有预备好的时候，教导我们知道我们是预备好的。求主光照我们，看清这一切拦阻我们走这信心道路的，和浪费时间在世界上而没有亲近神的事。看见我们里面的不健康，脱去与世界行淫的罪，让我们一起祷告、寻求圣灵的带领。
主我们所走的信心之路是健康的，是圣洁的，帮助我们寻求你的圣洁，脱去一切捆绑我们的罪，一切拦阻我们与你连结的借口、想法、行为。我们要听见神的声音，要跟随神，宣告我们属于神。捆绑这一切与世界行淫的罪，让我们的心能明白神、天天去听，单单相信神，更多感恩、谦卑来领受神的教导。祝福弟兄姐妹活在圣洁中。
主，我们谢谢你让我们看见信心的路程是蒙福的，看见你的管教是爱我们的。祝福我们甘心乐意去奔这信心的路程，接受神的管教。求主给我们健康的身体、灵人，在预备和踏入这个路程的时候，让我们带着健康、信心、与神同行的卓越奔跑。祝福弟兄姐妹与主一起奔前面的路。奉耶稣基督的名祷告！阿们！