Tuesday, 16th February 2021
Hebrews 5 – Passionate Pursuit
Ps Kathy Poon
Why a lot of time we feel like we can never see God’s promises come true? It’s a lesson of faith. The Book of Hebrews was written for the Jews, so why does it say that the Jews cannot enter this promise (as mentioned in Hebrews 4:1 – “any of you seem to have come short of it”)?
Section One: V1-10 Jesus Christ the High Priest of Heaven and Earth
V1-4, What does the High Priest do? To do the Work of the Lord, and to give gifts and offerings, sacrifice for the people. The High Priest of this world is a human being, so he himself can understand the ignorant and the people going astray. The High Priest is chosen by God, they don’t appoint themselves. The Book of Hebrews is about preaching Jesus to the Jews so it’s trying to explain how the High Priest is chosen.
Verses 5 & 6 quote Psalm 2:7 and Psalm 110:4 to show the prophecies for the Messiah, proving that it was God who chose Jesus Christ, whose calling was like the calling of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus’ order was higher than Aaron, and it’s an order of the Heaven. Even Abraham needed to give offering to Melchizedek. Jesus can overcome all weaknesses of human high priests.
V7, this is referencing to Luke 22, which talks about Jesus cried out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) This is the essence of Jesus’ prayer, He knew He came to this world to fulfil God’s Will, not His own Will. Angels came to serve Jesus after He prayed, God gave Him the strength to overcome.
V8-10, The prayer in Luke 22 is a prayer fighting the flesh, and at the end He chose obedience. Jesus was being perfected and forever become the author of eternal salvation for those who trust Him. If we want to be saved in our problems and difficulties, we need to obey, and salvation will come. When we respond to God’s calling, be obedient to His Word, and He will become the author of our eternal salvation.
So we need take away all our limitation, the impossibilities, just obey and we will see the salvation come to our life and our circumstances, and we will become the vessel God uses greatly. Jesus became the lamb, the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, so the way of salvation was opened, and we can follow.
Section Two: V11-14 Grow into Maturity
In the beginning of Hebrews 4, it says that many people were not able to follow. Because they did not understand the revelation of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek. The Jews knew Aaron is the High Priest, but they cannot understand how Jesus become the High Priest. Because they did not empty out their old thinking, they did not have faith to receive and their thoughts cannot be reasoned.
They have believed in God for so long, but they can only drink the milk like babies. Milk we can easily drink but eating solid food we need to chew. A lot of time our belief only based on drinking the milk others provide, but we need to learn the Word of God and chew with our own mouth. We need to enter complete salvation of Jesus by being obedient and having a clear understanding. A clear understanding needs to be practice, so we can use it easily.
If we want to grow into maturity, we need to start practicing. Such as praying, pursing, reading the Bible, and prophesying, the more we practice the more we can use it and have a discernment, to know what’s from God and what’s not. We need to wear Jesus, to be like Jesus, be obedient to His Word and His teaching. Pray His prayer, “not my will but Yours be done”. Every day we should put on the armour of God, wear Jesus, and we can come to the throne of God to find mercy and grace in time of need.
We cannot listen and not willing to obey, this is the root of stubbornness, and through today’s Morning Devotion we see Jesus is our High Priest, He understands our weaknesses. Through Jesus and our obedience to His Word, may we all enter into Jesus’ salvation.
Pursuit & Respond
Dear Lord, we come to You, we see that in our past years, often we cannot reach Your promises. We tried so hard, but we cannot enter it. This morning we see our lives are still like a baby having milk. Shine upon us, oh Lord, do we hear Your Word then we just forget about it? This morning Your Word says that we will grow into maturity, we want to have a deeper longing for Your Word. Give us the Spiritual appetite, let us experience greatly how to be more like Jesus! You have already opened the Way for us so we can follow You. Let our faith be lifted up more in You, chase out all the disobedient, all the stubbornness, so that our lives can be completed in You. Amen!
2021年2月16日 星期二
希伯来书 5
竭力追求
– Kathy 师母 –
神的应许就在这里，为什么有些人常觉得没看到，“似乎是赶不上了”（希伯来书4:1）。神要让我们进入的安息，我们如何能进入他的应许？正如希伯来书4:14 所说，就是要坚持、紧紧抓住神的道，这是信心的功课。本书作者用希伯来信徒（犹太人）能够理解的方式来更深入的解释为什么有些人 “赶不上”。
一、天上人间的大祭司耶稣 （v.1-10)
1，大祭司是亚伦的后裔，被神拣选，工作是“替人办理属神的事，为要献上礼物和赎罪祭”。
2-3，他们因为是人，是百姓中的一位，所以他们能体谅人的软弱 – 就是无知的和迷失的人。
4， 人间的祭司不是自封的，而是必须“蒙神所召”。
5-6，这里用两段旧约的经文（诗篇2:7和诗篇110:4）来给希伯来信徒解释神拣选耶稣基督，证明基督成为大祭司是出于呼召，如同亚伦的呼召，但是照着“麦基洗德的等次”。麦基洗德是在亚伦之前的大祭司，是高过亚伦，高过人间，是属天的，连亚伯拉罕都要给他献祭。耶稣在人性方面超过一切被软弱所困的人间大祭司。
7，“基督在肉体的时候既大声哀哭，流泪祷告…” 这里讲的是在路加福音22:44耶稣在客西马尼园祷告，当时他“极其伤痛，…汗珠如大血点滴在地上”，所以“恳求那能救他免死的主”。但是，耶稣最后还是死在十字架上，要如何看呢？我们要在路加福音22:42来看耶稣完整的祷告 “父啊！你若愿意，就把这杯撤去！然而，不要成就我的意思，只要成就你的意思。” – 这才是耶稣所蒙的应允，他死在十字架上是父神也是他自己的意思。这是耶稣祷告的精髓 – 我们要学习耶稣，即便是做“信心”的祷告，也是这样跟神求。耶稣知道自己在世上的命定就是要成就神的旨意，所以愿意放下自己面临死亡的伤痛。因此，当耶稣祷告完后，撒旦离去，天使就来服侍他，神给他力量来胜过这一切。
8-9，基督从肉身的苦难学习了顺服，因为肉体最大的试探就是“不顺服”，路22:42就是跟肉体争战的祷告。因着这份顺服，耶稣就“得以完全”，成为“得救的根源”，永远为我们代求。第9节是希伯来书第5章的精髓。我们若想在我们生命的各个领域得救，就要像耶稣一样“顺从”。就好像在马太福音说的，先寻求神的国和神的义，其它一切都要加给我们。当我们愿意来回应神的呼召时，我们生命中的问题都能得到“救赎”，虽然会经历痛苦，但末后的荣耀大过先前的荣耀。因着我们的顺服，救赎不仅临到我们，也要临到我们的环境，让祝福透过我们流到我们周围的人。
10，耶稣超越我们人的不完全，是全然的救赎。因着他成为赎罪的羔羊，神为我们开出这一条路，让我们可以跟随。
二、长大成人 （v.11-14)
11，这节回应第4章的“赶不上”。当时的犹太人不明白耶稣是照着麦基洗德等次的大祭司的启示，就没办法持定真道。这是因为他们旧有的思想太顽固，只相信一半的真理。 耶稣既然得以完全，所以借着我们的顺服，神也会将这个完全赐给我们。
12-14，吃奶和吃干粮有什么不一样？吃奶是很方便的，吃干粮是要用力、要小心的，区别就是“咀嚼”。当我们领受神的话语的时候，我们若是“吃奶”，就会囫囵吞枣，按部就班，但若是“吃干粮”，就要好好“咀嚼”，是要用力的。他们没有办法进入完全得救，是因为他们“不熟练仁义的道理”，只听得进简单的道理。唯有顺服，竭力进入耶稣的完全，我们的悟性才能“练得通达”。就像要学会弹钢琴、祷告，或者发预言一样，要在平时不断操练。我们若要迈向灵命成熟，就要在多多来操练，才能“分辨好歹”。
如何竭力追求，长大成熟，进入完全，就是要披戴耶稣，每天穿上全副军装，学习顺服神的话语和他的教导（像耶稣一样祷告，愿神的旨意而不是我们自己的旨意成就），我们才会经历基督救恩的果效，在神的施恩宝座前“得怜恤，蒙恩惠，做随时的帮助“（希伯来书4:16），我们也就可以跟耶稣一样起来争战得胜（5：7）。
我们听不进去，是因为里面有悖逆顽梗的心。今天的经文让我们看见耶稣是一个从天而来大祭司，他明白我们的软弱。所以我们要用信心竭力追求，顺服他的话语，借着耶稣进入到神给我们的应许。
追求：
我们的过去好像很多时候都赶不上的，似乎很努力也进不去你的应许。我们其实好像一个吃奶的婴孩。求主来光照我们，我们是否只是对你的话语听到就过去了，没有实质的回应。我们要来思想在我们的生命中，在哪一些从神而来的话语上我们还是婴孩，求神给我们话语，帮助我们长大成熟。
主求你帮助我们，让我们在你的话语上更多用力、下功夫。求主帮助我们对你的话语有更深的渴望，把这个属灵的胃口赐给我们，特别是在禁食祷告中，帮助我们跟多倒空自己，不是受苦，而是更大地经历如何效法耶稣的生命，在各样的事情上应用主的话语、我们的恩赐。我们原本是没有的，但因着我们不断效法耶稣的样式，我们才可以长大成熟。耶稣你已经为我们开出一条又真又活的道路，以至于我们每个人都能跟从你，让我们的信心能得到提升，赶出里面旧有的思想、顽梗、悖逆，让我们更多经历你，在我们所知的话语上学以致用，帮助我们的生命在耶稣里都是完全的。奉耶稣基督的名祷告。阿们！