Tuesday, 25th January 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-6 The Life Being Called
V1 ‘Let brotherly love continue.’ Keep the brotherhood, like Abraham and Lot, Abraham was willing to let Lot chose his land first, because he trusted in God and he knew God would provide for him no matter what. The relationship is both ways, it would not be healthy if its only one way. Jesus was also willing to humble Himself, to come to the earth and to have relationship with us, even to sacrifice Himself for us, can we learn from Jesus to also sacrifice ourselves in relationship with others?
V2 ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.’ We must learn to accommodate the servants of God, to honour them, to value them, and to show hospitality to them. When we honour the servants of God, we honour God, because the servants of God are chosen by God. We must be willing to accommodate them, to welcome them, and to show hospitability to them. It’s not because how much money we have, or how good we are, but it’s because when we know it is for God, we must give the best. When we are willing to offer, God knows our hearts and He knows how much we value Him.
V3 ‘Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.’ Those who suffer and those who are mistreated are the servants of God. They suffered for God, and we must remember them. When we serve God, we will also face troubles and issues of life, but can we trust in God? Let us not worry about the things on this earth, because our God is the Provider, He will always make sure we are safe. If God is for us, who can be against us?
V4 ‘Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.’ This talks about the relationship between the church and Jesus. We must respect marriage, this is a covenant, the Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is the bride. We cannot worship God and the world at the same time.
V5 ‘Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ God will not put us to shame, He will not forsake us, but why are we still afraid? Because we do not believe God can provide, we still want to provide for ourselves and we still think that we can do everything by ourselves, this is pride, and this is what made Satan. On the other hand, if we trust in God, then we can take the step of faith, and God will lead us to the end. We don’t have to carry everything on our own shoulders anymore, let God help us to follow Him with love and trust.
Section Two V7-17 The Lesson of Being Called
V7-8 ‘Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’ It’s easy for people to say how successful they are and how anointing they are, but we cannot easily see their lives. We must always focus on God, to know that when someone was being called, their lives must be transformed and changed to more like Jesus. Because unlike us, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Word of God is for us to follow God, not to follow people, we must be careful about who we are following, because there are false prophets, who do not take root in the teaching of God.
V9 ‘Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.’ What is the true teaching? To love our neighbours as we love ourselves, to humble and obey, to deny ourselves and benefit others. We must strengthen our heart upon grace, which we receive from the Word of God, then we can have true joy. God first, people next, then the earth. This is our lesson for life, in order to receive the blessings and abundance of God.
V15-16 ‘Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’ Even if we don’t say it with our mouth, what we think in our head and how we feel in our heart can also influence the fruits we bear. Can we bear the fruits of the Tree of Life? Can we show it by action to offer and sacrifice for God and for the church of God? Tithing is what we should do as Christians, because it belongs to God; sacrifice and offering should be out of our own will. If we always focus on what we don’t have then we will always live in lack, but if we can see what we have, then we will always give thanks and we will be able to receive more.
V17 ‘Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.’ We should not grief our authorities, if we do what we are supposed to do, then our authorities would not have to keep on reminding us of and asking us to do this and that. Their teaching for us is for our own good, it’s to benefit for us, they treasure our lives of faith. But what is our attitude? We think that we have many problems in our lives that we need to deal with, but we do not see that when we stop grieving our authority, we will be able to walk on the right path.
Section Three V18-25 Pray and Lift Up
We understand a lot of teaching and knowledge, but they are not easy to carry out, therefore we must pray. We have a lot of ‘doing’ but not a lot of ‘praying’. Let us be more willing to live a life of praying and lifting everything up to God.
希伯来书 13 – 如何Finish Well
2022年1月25日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
我们已经知道并学习到很多理论，但要如何finish well (善始善终、圆满完成)？我们或许很容易开始一件事或一段关系，但能否很好地坚持下去？我们在坚持的过程中若只是用一个doing的心态，以为遇到不顺后，时间过了就会没事，所以没有好好处理所遇到的问题，结果我们反而会产生苦毒。要如何finish well，是我们每个人都要学习的功课。
一、v.1-6 蒙召的生命
V1 我们都是被呼召进入一段关系，进入之后，我们的生命就成为能finish well的关键。“弟兄相爱的心”就是Brotherhood，在圣经里面不是我们平时社会上讲的称兄道弟，而是像亚伯拉罕对待罗得那样的关系，在罗得一家被掳走的时候，亚伯拉罕不顾危险去救助，而在两人分地的时候，亚伯拉罕让罗得先选择。我们很容易看重自己的利益，所以在一段关系中，我们只看到对错，就轻易跟人争执。我们批评论断我们的老板、配偶，因为我们在争对错，却没有看到关系是双向的。若我们学会看重地上的关系，我们就能看重天上的关系。我们因着相信耶稣基督为我们钉死在十字架上而进入一段盟约的关系，这就是“起初的爱”。我们能与神有一段brotherhood，不是靠我们自己妥协付出，而是神先降卑。当初神与亚伯拉罕有非常的好的brotherhood, 并非是亚伯拉罕一开始就很有信心，因为在圣经中记载了很多他软弱不信的例子。在任何一段关系中，我们不要看到自己的利益得失，而是要看到神先放下自己来跟我们建立brotherhood – 就是不去看我们的对错，而是体谅、成全对方，爱人如己。
V2 “客旅”不是指普通的朋友，而是指神的仆人。在过去，传道的人旅行时没有什么好的交通工具，主要靠走路。当这些服事神的人经过外地时候，沿途的信徒们就招待他们。我们或许没有机会去接待从远方来的传道人，但我们是否看重、尊荣神放在我们身边的传道人、牧者？我们尊荣神的仆人，就是尊荣神，因为是神拣选了他的仆人。“天使”指的是神的使者。我们要有一个款待、尊荣的文化。我们不是因为自己已经拥有很多才招待神的仆人，而是我们愿意给予，将神的仆人当作VIP（贵宾）来看待，因为神配得最好的。当我们愿意如此摆上的时候，神知道我们看重他，他会被我们愿意奉献的心吸引。
V3 “被捆绑的人”在这里指的是那些为神摆上而受苦的圣徒，圣经教导我们要纪念他们。我们是否纪念我们牧师师母的辛劳，愿意一起分担？我们若不愿意，是因为所担心的都是自己的问题，害怕为神摆上后自己会受损失，却不愿意先看神国度的需要。我们是否愿意相信无论经过什么风雨，神对我们所怀赐平安的意念是永不改变的？当神与我们同在，谁能抵挡我们？
V4 教会与耶稣的关系就是一段“婚姻”的关系。希伯来书年代的人家庭信仰背景复杂，有信神又有拜偶像的，但圣经在这里教导信徒们不可以这样“行淫”，不然会被神审判。
V5-6 神是不会让我们羞愧的，因为他不会撇下我们。我们贪财、害怕贫穷，是因为我们不相信神会供应我们，我们相信只有靠自己才能赚钱。这份对神的不信任其实就是骄傲，如撒旦当年因为骄傲不信神而堕落那样。我们只看到我们的牧师师母家越住越好，却没有看到他们一路专心相信、跟从神，神祝福他们，没有让他们羞愧。我们对神是否能有信心？当我们不相信神的时候，我们将所有事情都扛在自己肩上，结果就会承受很多不必要的压力，让自己身体和情绪都不好。求神帮助我们对神有爱有信任。对神来说，金钱是很简单的事，遇到缺乏的时候，神自会用他的方法做工。我们要因着爱神信任神而愿意给予。
二、v.7-17 蒙召的功课
V7-8 我们很容易跟从那些独立机构的有属灵“恩膏”的人，但却没有看重生命。圣经在这里教导我们要留心看那些人“昨日、今日”的生命。他们是否有被好好的牧养？我们的主耶稣“昨日、今日、一直到永远，是一样”，我们是否看到人因着跟从主而经历生命的改变，还是只看到别人“今日”的风光？
V9 对于要跟从的人我们要谨慎，因为末世有很多假先知，他们并不是建立在神话语的教导上。“诸般怪异的教训”就是建立在某一两节的经文，正如撒旦用一两节经文来试探耶稣那样，而不是一章一章系统的去看圣经。圣经经文不是用来支持自己的观点，而是让我们去跟从的。我们不要被那些人表面的“神迹奇事”带偏，而没有在神的话语中扎根。我们不要只看重能够行神迹奇事的能力，而要活出谦卑顺服、舍己利他的生命树气息。”恩”就是恩典，是神的话，人靠着神的话得坚固才是好的。恩典不是doing, 而是being，我们平时的感恩是否能散发出喜乐平安而不是苦毒？我们的眼目若都放在柴米油盐酱醋茶这些“饮食上”，我们是得不到益处的。
V10 我们都是祭坛上的祭物，当祭物被摆在祭坛上时，是不能再拿下来的，因为血已经从身体里流出来。我们若在祭坛上，生命就不再属于自己，而是为神“焚烧”。我们是否愿意按照马太福音28章的教导那样摆上自己的身体、生命？我们看到牧师师母蒙神祝福，不要只看到表面的东西，而要效法他们对神信心的跟随，我们要有先神后人再大地的摆上，才能经历神的祝福。
V15 我们在努力帮忙、服事后，是否在嘴里或心里抱怨？由心而发的去感恩、颂赞神，我们就能结出生命树的果子。
V16“行善”指的是做神看为对的事，“捐输”是指支持教会、圣徒。我们在十一奉献之后，是否还愿意把我们认为属于自己的给出去？我们给不出去，因为我们看到的只是自己的部分。我们要知道，十分之一本来就是属于神的，我们能有那十分之九就要感恩神。我们不要对神斤斤计较，要愿意多奉献，“因为这样的祭是神所喜悦的”。
V17 我们是否像幼儿园的小孩子整天被老师提醒同一件事情那样常常被权柄提醒做某件事而不听？我们不要让那些要为我们交账的权柄在向神交账的时候“忧愁”，因为他们若忧愁对我们就“无益了”。让我们的权柄在交账时快乐，我们就蒙福了，这是我们蒙召的人要做的功课。
三、v.18-25 祷告交托
道理我们都知道，但要做到不容易，所以要更多祷告。当我们愿意祷告交托、相信神的时候，神会加添我们力量。