Wednesday, 10th February 2021
Hebrews was an apologetic book that kept the false claims and dark powers surrounding the Jewish believers of that time from influencing their faith. In Chapter 2, it conveys an important message about God’s Salvation and how we can receive it.
Section One: V1-4 The Reality of Salvation
V1 tells us that we need to be completely diving into this message of Salvation. Because if we don’t put ourselves in it, then we may easily drift away. Our church focuses upon following the flow from our Spiritual Authority. But if we don’t put our commitment in the flow from our Spiritual Authority, which is given by God to our church, then we will be drifted away by the flow of the world.
V2-3 through the message from the angels, we are reminded of Acts 7:53, “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it”. It’s so important to receive the Salvation of God, not only the angels told us, but it was also told by God Himself! After Jesus, many witnesses testified the Salvation of Jesus. Today, is our life also showing the Salvation of God? Jesus saves our souls so we can receive eternal life, but many people take it in the wrong way. The Hebrews at the time when this book was written believed in dualism – they believed that Jesus is only a God who has power over spiritual realm and the physical world would fade away, so they though that as long as their souls receive eternal life, they could still live a wilful physical life on this earth.
We need to pray that God will always give us testimonies to share in our church, so people can see God’s Salvation and how He can change our lives. Not only we receive eternal life but also our lives changed from darkness to light.
Section Two: V5-9 Salvation Comes from Jesus
When we live a prideful life, we thought we know everything. The younger generations often tell the older generations, ‘you won’t understand’. Yes, maybe the younger generations receive more updated information than us, but this knowledge cannot help us to live a life that glorifies God. All these things will pass away, only the things from God will not pass away.
V7 God made Jesus a little lower than the angels for a little while, because of that Jesus was able to come as a human form and die for us on the cross. By love, Jesus was willing to be made lower, and because of this, He was given a crown of glory and honour. Jesus’ obedience, humility, and love are His crown of glory and honour. For the world, being crowned is about what clothes we wear, what work we do, what knowledge we know… and it is different to the crown of Jesus.
V8-9 everything will be subject under Jesus, completely obedient to Him. God prepared Jesus because of us, and the Salvation God prepared for us is love. Why do we always want others to understand us? We need to have connection with God, our focus should not be about if people understand us, because if our focus is wrong, then we will easily have bitterness and unforgiveness. Jesus was able to pray for those persecuted Him because He aligned with God, and what people did to Him would not hurt Him.
Our attitude determines our strength. How can we live out love and how can we love our neighbours? It’s when we align with God and receive the complete love from Him!
Section Three: V10-18 Follow Jesus and Enter the Glory
V10 God prepared us Jesus Christ as the captain to lead us into glory as sons and daughters. In order to enter into glory, we need to follow our captain and fight. We need to take the land as inheritance, God has already assigned our portion to us. But do we really treat God’s Word seriously? Do we only read the Bible during Morning Devotion? We cannot separate our lives with God’s Word. Having quality time with God is so important for us and everyday we need to fight for it. The world tries to take us away from the truth, but Jesus taught us in Matthew 28 to win souls for God!
V14 We can have lots of money, but is this what we seek? Are we willing to sacrifice for God? Jesus became flesh and blood and die in His body. By obedience, humility, and love, He replaced the pride, greed, lustful desires, etc. of our life of flesh. We no longer live by the desires of the flesh but in the Kingdom life.
V15 Not only we should destroy the power of death, but also release those who fear of death. Do we fear of losing what we have or fear of not being loved? If we live a life of slaves, we will be afraid of many things, then we will end up only living for people’s praises, love, our future, sense of controlling, etc. but God said these are all lives of slaves.
V16-17 We are all loved by God, through faith become the decedents of Abraham, and Jesus came to save us. We claim to be children of God and we call Jesus our elder brother, but often we didn’t claim to be the merciful and faithful high priest like Him. Our prayers are full of what we want and what we expect instead of praying for others according to the will of God. We should follow God only, not the things or opportunities of this world. We receive the blessings of Abraham, which was given to our Senior Pastor, to leave our father’s household and to win souls for God!
V18 we are being tempted every day, it’s easy for us to see the entertainment of the world. We need to live out a life of testimony, to walk in the clear way and to share the testimony for God. When we wanted something we would pray for it, and when we received it, we thought it’s from God, but the important thing is to ask why did God gave it to us? What is next? If we don’t know what’s next, then we need to be very careful. God has given us many life experiences of Him because He wants to lift us up to be His salt and light.
Through Hebrews 2, we know God not only prepared the eternal life for us but His guidance for our lives on this earth is also especially important. Seek His will for us today and live more like Jesus!
Pursuit & Respond
Lord Jesus You are our greatest example. Your humility, obedience and love are Your crown. Have we lost our faith? Have we listened but not acted on it? Are we seeking the love of the world instead of the love of God? Let us pray for ourselves and seek the first love.
Thank You Lord for giving us Jesus Christ, who leads us into life. Reveal to me this crown of humility, obedience, and love, so we can learn how to enter glory just like Jesus did. We want to take the land as inheritance, to fish for people, to be the salt and light for God in this world. Teach us to pray and to come closer to You. We want to enter the flow of our Spiritual Authority, not of this world. Thank You for Your message today to sustain us. Amen.
2021年2月10日 星期三
希伯来书 2
神给我们的预备
–
希伯来书是一本护教的书卷，让当时的希伯来人信徒周围的错误讲论、黑暗权势无法影响他们的信仰。第一章讲到我们不能拜受造物，耶稣不是受造物，而是三位一体神中的圣子。第二章讲的是救恩，我们如何得到救恩以及耶稣的使命。
一，真实的救恩（v.1-4)
1，“郑重”- 原文是“投身于”，我们听到道理不是听过而已，而是要全身心投入进去，不然我们就会“随流失去”- 意思就是“被冲走”。我们教会很注重跟我们的属灵权柄在同一个“水流”。然而我们周围也有从世界而来的水流。如果不进入神所给我们教会的水流，我们就会被世界的水流冲走。
2，圣经这里在所指的是使徒行传7:53 “你们受了天使所传的律法，竟不遵守。” 犹太人当时相信律法是天使所传。
3，如果连天使所传讲的信息都要去遵守，不然会遭报应，更何况我们主所给我们传的救恩呢？神所预备给我们的这个救恩是很真实的，并且“后来是听见的人给我们证实了”，就是身体力行的活出救恩。我们要问自己，我们是否彰显我们所领受的救恩？
4，当时的希伯来人信徒相信一个二元论 – 他们觉得耶稣是个神，无法成为肉身，所以他只能救人的灵魂而不是肉体。因此他们当时虽然信耶稣，但只是为了得永生，在地上还是过着一样混乱的生活。但是，神要我们用我们的生命一起来见证他的救恩。我们要来求神给我们讲不完的见证，让人看见我们的生命因着神得以改变，不仅有永生，还能出黑暗入光明，有新的生活方式。
二，救恩是出自耶稣（v.5-9)
5-6，在这里看到神是爱，而人算什么？我们常活在骄傲里面，就好像孩子拥有了更新鲜的知识就跟父母说，“你们不明白”。我们在世界上学到的知识并不能让我们得到荣耀神的生命，因为这些暂时的好处都会过去，唯有从神而来的不会过去。
7，天父叫主耶稣暂时比天使小一点，让他能成为人为我们死去（因为灵体不会死）。因为爱，耶稣愿意这样被委屈，反得到了荣耀尊贵为冠冕。耶稣的荣耀尊贵是: 1 – 顺服; 2 – 谦卑; 3 -爱 (爱神爱人)，这才是耶稣所戴的冠冕，是神国度里荣耀尊贵。我们眼里的荣耀尊贵是什么呢？是否只是这个世界里的荣华富贵、吃穿用度？我们的主的准绳跟这个世界是不一样的。因着这样，神就将他手所造的都派耶稣管理。
8，“万物”- 无论是在灵里的或在世上的，都要服在耶稣基督的脚下。以前动物在被打倒后，胜利的一方都踩在败的一方身上，败的都是全身匍匐在地 上。这一节表明了耶稣完全的得胜，叫万物都顺服他。
9，“他因着神的恩为人人尝了死味”。神预备耶稣是为了我们，这是何等的爱。为什么我们会计较别人是否了解我们？因为我们不知道，在地上我们最重要的事是与神连接，而不是看人是否了解我们。耶稣在被人钉十字架的时候还能为他们代求，因为他知道要与神对齐，当他能与神对齐时，人所做的就不能伤到他。我们的心态如何，我们的力量就如何。我们的爱不是放在人身上，而是在神身上。
三，跟从耶稣 进荣耀里（v.10-18)
10，原来神为我们预备的主耶稣基督是要带领我们这些儿女出黑暗，入到光明的荣耀里。“元帅”本是指军队的首领。所以要进入荣耀，就要争战，好像约书亚记里写的去得地为业。我们是否珍惜神给我们地业？我们的作息是否只是围绕着生活的柴米油盐酱醋茶？我们花多少时间读经祷告，背诵神的话语？我们的信仰是否只在教会聚会中？我们信仰大起大落，是因为我们将信仰和生活分开了。我们什么时候在家里分别为圣一个地方跟神筑坛献祭？要求神的真光真理进入我们的生命。我们活在地上是要花时间与神同在，为神赢取灵魂，活出马太福音28章的使命。我们的元帅受苦，我们还在世上吃喝玩乐吗？我们不是一定要去受苦，但我们是否远离受苦呢？我们所追求的是这个世界吗？还是愿意为神受苦、摆上？
14，血肉之体 – 耶稣在人的骄傲叛逆上都死了，用顺服谦卑和爱对待这一切。”败坏“ – 就是使之失去力量。我们靠着耶稣基督使我们的邪情私欲失去能力。我们不是为世上属血气的而活，是为天国大使命而活。
15，“怕死”是指恐惧贫穷，恐惧会失去自己能够控制的感觉，害怕别人不爱我们，害怕失去，但神在这里说，他要释放我们，不再为奴为仆。我们是否活在一个奴仆的生命，一直在为自己的生活和别人的爱里面奔走？
16，神不会救拔天使或魔鬼，他救拔的是亚伯拉罕的后裔，就是我们。
17，“他凡事该与他的弟兄相同”, 我们宣称我们是耶稣的弟兄，却没有成为“慈悲忠信的大祭司”，祷告的时候只想要自己的事成就，而不是神国度的事，没有为别人祷告。我们要知道神的心意，而不是自己开心就好。我们教会里的每个人都是与锡安牧师一同领受亚伯拉罕的祝福，离开家乡，来到这里，不是为了享福，而是要得地为业，得人如得鱼。
18，我们每一个人都在被试探，注重世界上的享乐，以为得到永生就够了。可是我们没有在生命中活出见证，没有在混乱里找清楚道路。当我们祷告求得一个祝福后，我们要问，接下来怎样呢？我们蒙福的经历不是只让自己开心而已。神要我们借由生命的提升能在世上作盐作光。
我们的信仰不只是得永生，也要知道神给我们的命定。我们要高举耶稣，像主这样去顺服、谦卑、去爱。
追求：
耶稣你是我们最好的榜样，你的顺服、谦卑和爱就是最好的冠冕。我们是否失去了自己的信仰？是否听道却没有行道？是否忘了自己的命定？没有为人也没有为自己好好祷告，只看见自己的需要而没有看见神在我们生命中的预备。让我们谦卑来到神面前祷告：
天父我们感谢你为我们预备生命，谢谢你将耶稣赐给我们，让我们有新的生命，让我们学习耶稣基督的顺服、谦卑和爱，是我们能像主一样进入荣耀。开我们的眼，像约书亚一样得地为业，得人如得鱼，做盐做光。主我们生命还有很大提升，教我们如何祷告，与你亲近，让我们听道而行道，多多倾听，进入从权柄而来的水流。帮助我们，今早的信息进入我们里面，保守我们的一天。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们！