Wednesday, 17th February 2021
Ps Kathy Poon
Section One: V1-8 Leave the Elementary Principles
V1-2 the Christian path of faith is a process, we need to leave the elementary principles of Christ and enter maturity. It doesn’t mean to forget the foundational truth, but to build our faith upon this foundation, continue to build up in faith. From repentance, to believe in God, baptism, receive the Holy Spirit to be sent out, and the final judgement in Jesus’ second coming. But this process is only the beginning of the Christian faith.
V6 in here the author was not trying to answer whether we would lose salvation, but to encourage the Christians to be diligent to pursue, to build upon faith, neither to look back nor to give up, like a teacher encouraging the students not to be content with just passing the exam. For those who have experienced God and the works of the Holy Spirit, if they backslide then they are again put Jesus on the cross.
V7-8 our spiritual life is like a field, and we need to decide how we labour on this field. If we look after the field, then it can bear herbs and fruits useful for others. If we do not fertilize and water this field, then it will bear thorns and briers, at the end will be burned. The thorns also represent the earthly desires, which stop us to seek God.
Do we always go back to the beginning of our faith 10 or 20 years ago? Do we experience God more than we did last year? Can we give our most recent testimony or only the old one long time ago? These are the questions we should reflect upon as we pursue God passionately.
Section Two: V9-12 Receive the Promise by Faith
V9 we are already connected with the salvation, which is a continual process that we should experience every day, so as long as we continue to go forward with God then we can reach the eternal promise. To continue in faith we need to live out the Christian testimony in our family, our work, our school, etc.
V10-12 Whatever work we do – big or small – if we show love to the people around us for God’s name, God will remember it. The early churches focused a lot on the ministry of hospitality, they strived to share the Good News without rest. We should fervently pursue and learn from those who received the promise by faith. In faith we should never go back but show diligence in all things.
Section Three: V13-20 God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ
V13-15 In this section, the author used the example of Abraham, with the promise and the oath from God. The promise God gave to Abraham appeared four times in Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-18, 15:12-16, 17:1-8.
V16 at the end Abraham responded to God by sacrificing his only son Isaac, then God gave him an oath in Genesis 22:16, where God swore by Himself. God’s promise and His oath are the Double-Guarantee God has given to Abraham.
V17-18 God swore by Himself because there is no one greater than Him. For those who inheritance the promise, God also give us the Double-Guarantee, two things which cannot be changed – His Promise and His Oath.
V19 Jesus became the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, He enters the veil for us, in the same way we can go through the veil with Him. This hope that God has given us is like an anchor, sure and steadfast.
When do we lose the passion for God? A lot of time we stop pursuing in this path of faith. The biggest reason is that we lost the hope on the way, but in Hebrews 6, it tells us not to lose hope because God already gave us this Double-Guarantee and it’s like the anchor, sure and steadfast, as long as we don’t give up our hope to passionately purse Him!
Pursuit & Respond
Dear Lord, this morning we see our life is like a field, please reveal to us how we have been labouring on this field. May the Lord reveal to us, if we need His rain, need to fertilise, need to cultivate, need to weed, etc. There seem to be so many places that are hardened in our field, the thorns and briers have grown, and the field seems fruitless…
Lord, help us see what has been stopping us from pursuing You and remove all the fears and disappointment within us. Let us see our field bearing fruits and vegetables, oh Lord, not only bless our family but also be used by You to bless others. No matter how our life is, we want to connect to You, our hope in You is like an anchor, which will not be moved. Burn and take away the thorns in our field, pour down Your rain of faith, let us pursuit You passionately! May we experience the work of Your salvation continually every day! Amen!
2021年2月17日 星期三
希伯来书 6
竭力追求（二）
– Kathy 师母 –
一、离开基督道理的的开端（v.1-8）
1-2，基督信仰的道路是一个不断前进的过程。我们不是不需要学习基要真理，这些都很重要，因为我们的一切成长都是建造在这个基础上，就好像我们信主受洗了会有受洗课程，初信造就、苗圃八福，但我们不能一直停留在同一个阶段，就像学生不能只停留在小学。信仰的基础道理包括懊悔死行（就是认罪悔改），信靠神，各样洗礼，按手之礼 （就是领受圣灵的差派），死人复活 （经历主在我们里面复活的生命），以及基督再来时的最后审判等。这些都是基督道理的开端。
6, 作者没有在回答我们是否因没有追求而失去救恩，而是像一个老师激励学生不要只满足于考试及格那样，鼓励基督徒不断奔跑，达到更高的境界，在神的真理根基上面竭力追求、努力建造，不后退、不放弃。经历过上帝大能的工作的人，若冷淡退后，就是把耶稣基督“重钉十字架，明明地羞辱他。”
7-8, 我们的生命就好像一块田地，我们若是殷勤照顾，使土地滋润，它就很容易“生长菜蔬，合乎耕种的人用” （“耕种的人”就是比喻神），能够祝福别人；若没有人去辛勤施肥、耕种、除草，就会长荆棘（就是属世的牵绊），没有办法结出果实，就会被神废弃，结局就是焚烧。学如逆水，不进则退。我们的信仰也是如此。我们是不是还在怀念很多年前信主的光景？我们今年是否比去年更经历神？我们的见证是否能时常更新而不是停留在多年前？作者在这里警诫我们要竭力追求神。
二、凭信心承受应许（v.9-12)
9，得救是一个持续的过程，我们要每天经历神救恩的工作，在我们身上不断发生。
10，我们无论是做什么工 – 是大是小，只要是你为了神的名所向周围的人显明爱心，神都会记念。初代教会很看重的 “伺候圣徒”就是这些慈善的事和 “接待”。
11-12，我们要殷勤在我们生命各个领域去展现我们的信仰，就能“有满足的指望，一直到底”，并且也要 “效法那些凭信心和忍耐承受应许的人” （这些信心的伟人在希伯来书后面会提到）。我们要在信仰上坚持到底，绝不退后，得时不得时都要传福音。
三、神在基督里永不改变的旨意 （v.13-20)
13-15，亚伯拉罕是信心之父。上帝给亚伯拉罕做出了4次应许 （参考创世纪 12:1-3，13:14-18，15:12-16,17:1-8），亚伯拉罕也逐次回应神，最后在亚伯拉罕凭信心向神献上儿子以撒后，神指着自己的名给了他起誓（创22:16）。 应许和起誓是从神而来的双重保证。
16-17，没有比神更大的，所以他就指着自己起誓，做双重保证，给那些承受应许的人 – 也就是我们。
18，“两件不更改的事” – 就是神的双重保证，使“我们这逃往避难所、持定摆在我们前头指望的人可以大得勉励”。我们是有指望的，要效法亚伯拉罕的信心，神的应许就必然成就。
19-20，耶稣是“照着麦基洗德的等次”成为永远的大祭司，这是从神而来的应许，也是起誓，他为我们进入幔内，我们也能通过他一同进入幔内。神给我们的指望，就如将一艘船固定在岸边的锚，使我们的信仰坚定不动摇。
我们在竭力追求的过程中，是什么拦阻我们停止追求，跑跑停停？我们是否相信神给我们的指望是永不落空的，给亚伯拉罕应许也会成就在我们身上？我们冷淡退后的最大原因是对神、对人、对环境失望，但神给我们指望 – 就是双重的保证，如灵魂的锚，又坚固又牢靠，我们竭力追求，一定会跑到终点，所以不要放弃。
追求：
主啊，我们看到你是一个给我们双重保证的神，成为我们永恒的中保。我们的生命好像一片田地，求主帮助我们看见在过去的日子是如何耕种的，我们是否需要领受恩雨、除虫、翻土、施肥，求神光照我们，看我们需要的是什么。
主，我们看见我们的生命还有很多坚硬的地方，求主帮助我们做翻土的工作，让我们顺服，成为好土。我们的生命当中不知不觉长出了荆棘。我们怀念刚信主的时间，似乎那时是火热、竭力追求的。求主启示我们为何里面长出了荆棘，这些让我们止步追求的牵绊是什么？求主挪去我们里面的惧怕、失望，帮助我们看见你的应许不是空话，而是看见你要使我们的田地能够长出菜蔬，喂养他人，不仅自己得福，更能合乎主用。主你已做成永恒的工作，就是耶稣基督成为我们灵魂的锚，不管周围环境如何动荡，个人生命如何起伏，当我们的生命 与你连接，我们的生命就是牢固的，因为我们的指望在你，必不动摇。求再次兴起我们的信心，借着耶稣基督进入幔内，与你全然连接。焚烧我们里面的荆棘，不是一次得救永远得救，而是让得救的生命持续不断地每一天发生，让我们奔跑不疲乏，不要回头，努力向前。奉耶稣基督的名祷告，阿们！