Friday, 21st October 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-4 Look Upon the Goal
When we know the path ahead of us is a new and living way, how should we walk this path? V1-2 ‘Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ There are a lot of witnesses and testimonies mentioned in the Bible for us to be encouraged and for us to learn from. When we really see all the testimonies, then our burdens will be lifted up because the witnesses have shown us with their lives that following God is possible.
V3 ‘For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.’ We must let go of the burdens and let go of the impossibilities. Jesus was also able to overcome all difficulties and trials because He had love and trust for the Father. Even the path ahead had ups and downs, Jesus knew after walking through this path, He could receive the Heavenly joy. There will be people persecuting us, fighting us, and stopping us to walk this Heavenly path, so we need to consider, to meditate, and to think why these people’s words affect us. When we think more about the Word of God, then we won’t be worried about the words of people.
V4 ‘You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.’ Jesus has already overcome everything, we don’t need to be afraid anymore, we must look upon the goal and the promises of God. When we know our goals ahead can bring us glory and joy, then it will be easy to walk on this path.
Section Two V5-17 Receive the Teaching
V5-6 ‘And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ When we are under the teaching of God, we can then be more willing to share our own weaknesses, and the teaching for us will be a blessing to others. We work as a team and we receive teaching as a team, because when we are practicing and being taught, our life lesson also will help others and we can learn from one another.
V10 ‘For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.’ In teaching, we should not feel ashamed or bitter but joy. Being the true sons and daughters, we believe our Father in Heaven loves us, and we will not be discouraged in teaching and disciplines. If we want to enter His holiness, we need to live a holy life ourselves, and God wants us to come near to Him, so He disciples us. So, we can have this intimate relationship with Him.
V11 ‘Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’ God never wants to put us to shame, and He never wants us to feel the pain; but only when we humble ourselves to receive the teaching then we can bear fruits.
V12-13 ‘Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.’ How to strengthen our hands and knees? In Luke 13, Jesus healed a woman with a bent back, it also represents how Jesus can heal us so we can straighten up our back and our head, we are able to stand straight and walk forward. We don’t see our own problems; we always look on the floor and feel miserable for ourselves. But God does not want us to carry all these burdens to walk the path of Heaven.
V17 ‘For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.’ Do not be easily offended and do not let our hearts be blinded. We need to accept teaching, because only by teaching we can run this Heavenly path. On the other hand, if we don’t receive teaching and disciplines, even if we see the goals, our knees will be weak, and we cannot go forward.
Section Three V18-29 Run to the Destiny
V18-19 ‘For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.’ The mountain, which Moses climbed, was only for Moses, no one was able to climb up and it was not prepared for us. The mountain God has prepared for us is Mt Zion in Heaven. God does not want us to enter the mountain when our lives cannot contain God’s holiness. So, He prepared Mt Zion for us, the eternal mountain in Heaven. Jesus’ salvation allows us to climb this mountain and enter this Heavenly path.
V25-26 ‘See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’
V28-29 ‘Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.’ We will enter the kingdom that cannot be shaken. God wants us to receive God’s joy and blessings, but we need to get rid of our rebellious attitude and live under the Tree of Life.
希伯来书 12 – 如何奔跑天路
2022年1月21日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
当面对一条又新又活的路时，我们不但要有信心，也要有行动。使徒保罗曾说，我们都像在赛跑中的运动员一样。我们前面要跑的路很漫长，如同马拉松赛，但我们知道在路程的尽头有一个“终点”。参加赛跑的运动员若不预备好自己，跑到一半就坚持不下去了。我们如何预备自己才能进入这个信仰的“马拉松”比赛 – 也就是那条又新又活的路？
一、v.1-4 仰望标杆
V1 若不能看到终点的标杆，我们的奔跑就没有动力和方向。圣经里记载的见证人（比如11章讲的那些信心伟人）多如“云彩围着我们”。历代的圣徒让我们看见神是真的，也让我们知道走这条信仰的路是不孤单的。我们如今所经历的许多事，过去那些见证人也经过。耶稣若是对圣经不熟悉，他在旷野受撒旦试探的时候就不能用神话语斥走撒旦。若我们不读经背经，不记得圣经里所记载的见证，我们就无法用之面对生活中的挑战和自己内心的小剧场。当我们看见世界各地已经有数不清的见证人见证神话语的能力，我们就当“放下各样的重担”，而不是等神来拿走这些担子。历世历代的圣徒都知道，奔跑天路不是一个“理想”，而是可以真实去行的。我们要愿意放下自己的“不可能”和借口，谦卑顺服，我们才能奔跑这条蒙福的天路。我们愿意放下这些重担、软弱之后，我们的责任就是“脱去容易缠累我们的罪”，如同脱去外面的衣服，这些东西就不再压着我们，我们就可以轻松上阵。神和权柄安排给我们的任务不是无法完成的，哪怕一时没做好，我们也不要放弃，遇到挫折，跌倒了，仍要“存心忍耐”，相信我们是可以一起“奔那摆在我们前头的路程”。
V2 “创始”- 指的是一个在前方带头的领袖，这个领袖讲的不是令人泄气的话，而是让人看到他能成功走过一个又一个的高山低谷。我们要看的不是自己的不可能和失败，而是走在我们前面的已经成功的领袖 – 耶稣。摆在耶稣基督前面的是“喜乐”，因为他知道我们的父神对我们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，而不是让我们死亡或难堪、失败的意念。因着对父神的爱和信任，即使面对前方的高山低谷、一路荆棘，耶稣仍能有喜乐走过，“就轻看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦难”。我们是否太过体贴我们的肉体，很容易就因为一些自身的原因放弃？不要让任何借口拦阻我们向着标杆奔跑，因为这些苦难、羞辱都会过去，我们的前方是从神来的喜乐，要相信我们能够胜过一切。
V3 有很多人会逼迫我们，阻止我们奔走天路。我们若整天只在想为什么别人会这样对待我们，或者怀念过去有多好又埋怨现在很辛苦，就容易“疲倦灰心”。我们要昼夜思想神的话语，高举神的恩典，看到自己能够胜过的地方。
V4 我们虽然面对很多从别人或自己而来的攻击，但这些攻击还没有让我们“流血”，没有像耶稣基督被钉在十字架上流血那样。主耶稣已经为我们胜过一切，所以我们不需要害怕，只要仰望带给我们喜乐和荣耀的耶稣。
二、v.5-17 领受管教
V5-8 我们被管教的时候”不可灰心”。“管教原是众子所共受的”- 我们所受的管教是众弟兄姐妹可以看见的，这不是让我们“丢脸”，而是成为众人的祝福。若不受管教，我们就是“私子”- 说明不是从神而来；若不从神而来，就不能祝福别人。我们在团队中分享自己的软弱、问题，当牧师就着我们的问题来说明、回答、点评的时候，听到的众人都能从中一起学习、彼此得益、蒙福。与众子一起被管教不是被羞辱，反要喜乐，因为我们不是“私生子”，是灵里生出的“真儿子”，相信阿爸父和权柄是爱我们的。
V10 神颁布的十诫、律法是神对以色列人爱的表现，神的管教是因为他爱我们，要跟我们讲关于我们生命的话，使我们跟他有亲密的关系。
V11 我们在被管教的时候是否觉得“愁苦”？看见我们周围的弟兄姐妹因为顽梗而不受管教时，我们不要论断或看低他们，要在爱里为他们祷告。唯有在生命树下谦卑顺服才能结出生命树的果子。
V12-13 遇到问题无法解决，就更要祷告, 求神帮助，也要把“发酸的腿挺起来”- 从路加福音13:13可以看出，我们的叛逆、蒙蔽不是现在才有的。耶稣当时看见那妇人的问题就亲自按手在她身上，使她得医治。我们也要愿意为自己的问题向神举手祷告、抬腿奔跑。我们生命的改变也能影响别人的生命。我们双腿能够走路的时候，就是我们愿意被管教的时候，当我们被提升却仍能喜乐的时候，人就能从我们的见证看到神是真的，我们的家人也会因为自己的改变而得救。所以，若想要翻转周围人的生命，我们就要先接受管教。
V14 我们不要与人产生争执，反要“追求与众人和睦”。当我们被人提醒的时候，不要对人发怨言或轻易受伤，要懂得感恩人对我们的帮助。
V17 当我们顽梗、叛逆，容许自己软弱，“后来想要承受父所祝的福，竟被弃绝，虽然号哭切求，却得不着门路使他父亲的心意回转”，这是我们每一个人都知道的。不要再将耶稣基督钉在十字架上，他的一次救赎是永远的救赎。我们若不能谦卑顺服接受管教，我们就软弱无力，虽然看见标杆，也无法抵达。
三、v.18-29 跑到命定
V18-24“能摸的山”是西奈山 – 摩西在那里与神相遇，领受神的律法，但那座山其他以色列人都不能上去。那不是神预备给我们的山，在那里我们不能与神相交，因为我们生命还有预备好承受神的圣洁。神预备给我们的是天上永恒的“锡安山”。在锡安山我们不需要看到“火焰、密云、黑暗、暴风”，而是有耶稣的救赎，所以神要我们奔向的就是这座山。
V25 当我们不听地上权柄的劝说，我们是不能逃罪的。
V28-29 当我们成为天国子民，承受耶稣宝血的救赎，“就当感恩，照神所喜悦的，用虔诚、敬畏的心侍奉神，因为我们的神乃是烈火”。如果我们没有照着神的话而活，他的烈火会焚烧我们，如同当年在旷野被火焚烧的以色列人。求神帮助我们领受的是从神而来的祝福，拿去我们里面叛逆的石心，让我们有生命树的气息，奔跑天路，一同经历神的丰盛！