Tuesday, 2nd March 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One: V1-6 To Have Love
*The three “Do Nots” –
V2 Do Not Forget to Entertain Strangers: Do we have the love to accommodate foreigners and guests? We must also remember those who serve God in a foreigner country, to see the needs of others and to love them.
V4 Do Not Defile the Bed: We not only love the guests and those who are in need, we also need to love our husband and wife. We need to be honest in our marriages. God treasures the relationships we have in our lives and if we are not faithful in our relationships, then the devil will have a gap to come in and accuse us.
V5 Do Not Greed: If we are greedy for money and wealth then we cannot have the love, everything we do will be for ourselves. We need to be thankful for what we have then we will not be greedy for wealth. We should see everything lightly, including the worldly gains and what we had received in the past. Why do we have affair in marriage? Because we don’t treasure what God gives to us.
*The three “Musts” –
V1 Must Love: We must love our brothers and sisters in Christ, love their offering, love their weaknesses, then we will be able to complete the Good Work in God’s eyes.
V3 Must Remember the Prisoners: We should judge those who are weak. When we see others in chain, we need to support them, comfort them, pray for them, and show them the love in Christ.
V3 Must Remember the Mistreated: There are a lot of people offering their lives to God, but they are being prosecuted. They are being held hostage or attacked when they tried to preach the truth. Do we remember these people, who are willing to stand for God, even in circumstances like this? Not only to pray for them but also to physically support them.
The three points of “Do Not” and the three points of “Must” are reminders for us to see we are blessed. Do we have a thankful heart to treasure what we have? When we want more than we have, when we cannot see the needs of others, then we will not be able to complete the Good Work of God
Section Two: V7-17 To Have Faith
* The “Musts” –
V7 Must Remember those who rule over you and have spoken the Word of God to you: We need to always remember those who have been teaching us and speaking the Word of God to us. Remember how they have walked this far and see their fruits. We need to finish well, don’t leave or give up when we see problems.
Why is Samson’s name written in the Book of Hebrews even though he was not a good leader? Even though his life was up and down, but at the end, before he died, he killed many Philistines and saved the Israelites. Of course, if we have problems of sins, we need to walk away, but if we face problems in relationships, we should not just give up so easily.
V17 Must Obey and Submit: To be obedient and submissive is to carry out the work, not just by saying ‘yes’ but also ‘amen’ from the bottom of our heart. Because our authority needs to give an account to their authority and to God. We need to be a good and faithful servant.
V17 Must Be Excellent: Not just doing what our authority instructed but to complete it in excellence, and this is being faithful. When we are willing to do excellent work then our authority will not worry. It’s not good for us if our authority is worried
When we don’t do what our authority have asked us to do, we don’t hurt the authority but God our Father. Because they have done what they are supposed to do, but we are the one, who need to give an account to God at the end, for the things we have done or not done.
* The “Do Nots” –
V9 Do Not Follow Strange Doctrines: When we follow strange doctrines (e.g. only talking about God’s grace and taking the blood of Jesus lightly), we will end up not doing God’s Will and become rebellious.
V16 Do Not Forget to do Good and to Share: God gives us blessings and strength to do Good Thing. It’s not about doing charity, but about doing what is good in the eyes of God. These may be the things our authority asked us to do, or the things our church is promoting. This is helping us to strengthen our faith. What will stop us to do Good Things for God? When we forgot that Jesus’ teaching is always the same, yesterday, today and forever (V8).
Don’t just read the Bible on the surface, when Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, Teachers of the Law and the High Priests, He was not just talking to them but also to us as we are all royal priests! We should always humble ourselves and be convicted of sin, of righteousness and of judgement. Only when we can do this then we will have the faith and love. God loves us and He will always love us, when we have love and faith then we can start to do the Good Work of God.
Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of the; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Section Three: V18-25 To Pray and To Bless
Prayer and intercession have great power. When we pray, we are to humble ourselves and ask God for His guidance, strength and help in need. We need to believe God gives us peace (V21), not to harm us, then we can come closer to Him and to receive strength from Him. When we have love, have faith, pray and bless, then we can do every Good Work of God. We should not only bless but also receive blessings from others.
V21 – When we pray and intercede for one another, we will do the things that please God, not only on the surface but also from the heart. Every day we lift our prayers to God, to intercede for each other, then we can complete every Good Work of God. Through the One, who gives us strength, we can do all things! Have this faith to believe, through God, we can be restored as a good and faithful servant for God.
Pursuit & Respond
Dear Lord Jesus, through Hebrews 13, You long for us to do the Good Work in Your Will. You long for us to be the good and faithful servants, we want to do what’s good in Your eyes. We want to give You our love and faith, examine our heart. Our greed stops us to see what You have given to us, but this morning, You said You will help us to finish well, to obey and submit, and to become excellence. By our own strength we cannot do anything. Lord, please come to strengthen our love and faith, because You are the God, who will not leave us by ourselves.
Lord, we want to do Your Good Work, but we failed in our relationships, we failed to obey and submit, and we struggled in our ‘being’ and ‘doing’. Lord, give us love and faith so we can be the good and faithful servant in every little thing. Help us to do the Good Work in Your Will. Amen!
2021年3月02日 星期二
-潘锡安牧师-
希伯来书13
如何完成各样 Good Thing(神眼中看为好的事)
通常一本书的最后一章都是总结，可以看到很多精髓。希伯来书前面讲到很多关于信心的道，就是为了帮助我们能行出 本章第21节讲的 “good thing”- 就是神眼中看为好的事。
一、要有爱心（v.1-6)
*三个“不”：
- 不可忘记用爱心接待客旅（V2）
古时候的旅店是比较复杂，所以那些圣徒比较倾向于选择接待客旅到自己家里住。现在的我们要思想，我们是如何接待从外面来的服事神的人，我们是否有爱心看到人的需要？
2. 不可污秽床（V4）
我们不仅要爱客旅，也要爱我们的配偶，在婚姻里诚实。我们若在婚姻关系不忠，就有破口被魔鬼攻击，不能完成神要我们行的good thing.
3. 不可贪爱钱财（V5）
我们若贪爱钱财，我们所想的都只为了自己。但我们要为自己所拥有的感恩，看重神所给我们的一切。就好像婚姻，若不珍惜这段神给我们的关系，我们就很容易外遇。
*三个“要”：
- 要常存弟兄相爱的心（V1）
要爱其他弟兄姐妹的软弱和摆上，才能完成神所给我们的他看为好的事。
2. 要记念那些被捆绑的人（V3a）
我们不要去批评论断那些软弱的人，要体谅、关心他们，看怎样能帮助他们，为他们代祷。
3. 要记念遭苦害的人（V3b）
那些为了主被苦害的人，在逼迫的环境中愿意为主站出来的人，我们要记念他们，也要愿意伸手帮助他们。
这些都是关于我们的爱心，我们是否看见别人的需要却心里僵硬无感，是否看见自己是蒙福的，还是贪心、觉得不够？当我们不知感恩，就不能去爱，就不能完成神眼中看为好的事。
二、要有信心（v.7-17)
*“要”：
- 要想念（V7）
要想念“从前引导你们、传神之道给你们的人”。“从前”在原文的意思是“昨天”，就是指一路来一直教导我们的人。我们要想念，他们是如何有这样的信心一直走到如今，也要留心看他们为人的结果。我们要finish well（有始有终）, 不要遇到问题就选择离开、躲避。士师记里的参孙，虽然整个过程表现得很不好，但到最后还是能打败非利士人，完成神的旨意，能够被记载在圣经中，被当作信心的伟人之一。我们要离开的是罪，而不是轻易离开与人的关系，我们要来求神给我们能力去finish well.
2. 要依从 要顺服（V17a）
要依从、顺服那些引导你们的人。不只是表面去做，而是打从心底说Yes and Amen 、完全顺服的去做。因为我们需要给我们的权柄交账，我们的权柄则要跟神交账。我们要做忠心又良善的仆人。
3. 要做得卓越 (V17b)
要使我们的权柄交账的时候开心，所以我们不是敷衍了事，而是做到超过100%，让我们的权柄在交账的时候能够满足，我们才能行出神眼中看为好的事。若我们马马虎虎做的事让他们忧愁，被伤害的不是他们，最难过的其实是天父爸爸。这样的行为是顽梗叛逆、拜偶像，因为我们不以神为神，任意妄为，以自己为神。
*“不”：
- 不要被诸般怪异的教训勾引（V9）
诸般怪异的教训 – 比如只讲神的恩典，轻看耶稣宝血的功效。我们不听、不依不从，就不能完成神眼中看为好的事。
2. 不可忘记行善和捐输的事（V16）
感谢神让我们有祝福、有能力。“行善”指的不是去外面捐钱就自以为义，而是神眼中看为对的事 – 我们要看自己是否完成我们的教会、权柄给我们的事。这些都是能帮助我们坚固对神的信心。
我们的信心被阻挡，是因为忘了耶稣基督的教训 “昨日、今日、一直到永远，是一样的”（V8）。他当年教训那些法利赛人、文士、大祭司的话我们都要看 – 因为我们都是新约的祭司，我们要看到耶稣对我们说的话，要为罪为义为审判责备自己。我们要谦卑领受神的话、警醒 ，唯有如此我们的信心才会刚强，才会有爱心，不用为自己的利益去谋算，不害怕神会丢弃我们（V5），不会跟人斤斤计较。不要惧怕人，要相信神是爱我们，是帮助我们的(V6)。
有爱心，有信心，只是能够开始去行神眼中看为好的事，但我们也要能去完成。
三、祷告与祝福（v.18-25)
祷告是很重要的权能，代表我们谦卑在神面前，完全倚靠神。当我们祷告，神会加力量给我们，指引、帮助我们。
V20 – 要相信我们的神是给我们平安的，不是加灾害给我们，我们才能够靠近力量的源头，完成各样的神眼中看为好的事。
V21 – 我们要为人祷告、祝福，也要能领受别人的祷告和祝福，如此就能”在各样善事上成全你们，叫你们遵行他的旨意，又借着耶稣基督在你们心里行他所喜悦的事”。“心里”- 就是指不单外面行出来，心里也不要有苦毒。我们的心若不对，我们就算外表做得多好，也不能完成神眼中看为好的事。
求神帮助我们愿意每天祷告、代求，相信靠着那加给我们力量的，凡事都能做。靠着神，恢复我们成为“忠心又良善的仆人”，完成神眼中看为好的事。
*追求：
主 你借着 希伯来书第13章让我们看到，你渴望在我们生命中做good thing。求主恢复我们成为那忠心又良善的仆人，可以从心里发出真实的回应，说我愿意做你眼中所看为好的事。主我们把我们的爱心和信心摆在你面前，求主鉴察我们，我们里面很多时候贪恋这个世界，我们的贪心拦阻了我们看到你所赐给我们的丰盛。帮助我们能够成为一个finish well、依从顺服的人、卓越的人。我们靠着自己是不能够的，帮助我们在爱心、信心上刚强，你是那总不撇下我们的神。让我们呼求神，在爱心和信心上更多寻求他。
主 求你来帮助我们。我们愿意在生命中成就你奇妙的作为。可是很多时候我们在关系上走不下去，在权柄面前说Yes & Amen时觉得委屈，挣扎，但我们今早立定心志说主我是你的仆人，愿你在我身上成就美好的事情，求主加添我们的信心、爱心，在各样小事上帮助我们依从顺服，打从心底说Yes and Amen。不仅是牧师师母要交账，我们也是要来交账的。帮助我们打从心底愿意来成就你眼里看为好的事，愿你的旨意成就在我们每一个人身上。奉耶稣基督的名求。阿们！