Friday, 14th January 2022
Pastor Kathy Poon
Section One V1-5 Everything on Earth is According to the Heavenly Image
V1-2 ‘Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.’ The seat on the right-hand side is the most important seat. What is Jesus doing on the right-hand side of God? He is the Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. It’s just like a servant running towards their Master to respond to the Master’s calling and request, Jesus runs towards the Father in response to His calling. In the same way, Jesus is also running towards us to respond to our prayers.
V3 ‘For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.’ As the priests, we have to offer both gifts and sacrifices. However, it’s often easy to give gifts but not sacrifices. We like to offer our talents and what we are good at, but when it comes to sacrifices, we tend to want to justify for ourselves and unwilling to be wronged by people, to sacrifice ourselves for God’s better plan.
V4-5 ‘For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”’ When the Tabernacle was built, the people built it according to Moses’ instructions, which were from God. In the same way, every good thing on this earth is also create according to the heavenly images. As human beings, it’s natural for us to seek fulfilment of the dissatisfactions in our lives, because we long for the better images and the better things that are in heaven.
Section Two V6-9 The Better Covenant
V6 ‘But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.’ This world has many defects, limitations, shortcomings… and that’s why a lot of times we feel hopeless and tired. Even the Tabernacle is just a shadow of what is in Heaven, the only way for us to be fully satisfied is to seek the Kingdom of God through Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, through Jesus, who is the promise to the better covenant.
V7-9 ‘For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.’ It seemed that the Israelites were hesitant to leave Egypt that God had to took them by hand to lead them. We are all sinners, and we are often blind to see God’s better plan for us, we must humble ourselves, trust in God and know that only He can take us to the better covenant and the better promise.
Section Three V10-13 Make a New Covenant in My Heart
V10 ‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ God will be our God, not through the High Priest and not through the Tabernacle anymore, but our personal God. When Jesus became our Mediator, the vail was ripped and we can be reconnected with God. Each one of us can build a personal relationship with God through Jesus, we can receive God’s Word, revelation, and Rhema; an important bridging has been established.
V13 ‘In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.’ God sees everything we are doing in this world; people may not appreciate but God knows it all. When Jesus was serving in the world, we saw miracles, signs and wonders. It gives us a sense of purpose on this world, to be like Jesus, to carry out the Great Commission, to preach the Gospel and to disciple the nation!
希伯来书 8 – 渴慕更美之约 更美之应许
2022年1月14日 星期五
Kathy 师母
一、v.1-5 地上的一切是反照天上的形状和影像
V1-2 “大祭司”耶稣基督现在已经“坐在天上至大者的宝座右边”- 他在神的“右边”做“执事”，执事原文是“溅起灰尘的人”。在古代，仆人去到主人身边有两种方式：骑马和快跑。当主人一开口吩咐，仆人听到后就快跑到主人那里甚至跑到“溅起灰尘”，这个执事就是一个做事有效率、听主人的声音、很快回应主人的仆人，不是现在一些在教会中只会指责牧者或其他人不足之处的“执事”。耶稣在天上为我们代求，当我们奉耶稣的名祷告时，他成为那会马上回应我们的执事。“真帐幕”表示耶稣已经在天上了。
V3 大祭司所献的不仅是“礼物”（gifts），也有“祭物”(sacrifices)。当我们说我们是新约所讲的“君尊的祭司”时，我们不仅要献上礼物 – 就是神给我们的各样恩赐，比如讲道、敬拜、传福音，我们还要献祭物。然而我们因着属地的限制或欲望，我们很难接受要献sacrifice，比如被要求多做一些事、多花一点时间、或是受委屈。我们似乎更容易献我们做得好的地方，却不愿意被错待或吃亏让人受益处。当我们越要争对错的时候，关系反而更糟糕。要相信人虽然不了解我们，神必了解我们。
V4-5 圣经记载的两个人（比撒列和亚何利亚伯）最会建造帐幕，他们是透过摩西在山上被神指示的样式来知道如何照着造帐幕和里面的物件。在地上的摩西的帐幕是照着天上的形状和影像（copy and shadow）, 反映天上原本的样式，不是跟天上的事完全一样的。人很自然会渴望美的事情，只要是人，总会有不满足。有些宗教会说这些不满足是不对的，然而，这些对现状的无奈、限制和“不满足”反映出来我们对天上应有的美好渴慕，比如当我们周围都是不好的人时我们会渴望有好的朋友，觉得无聊时就想找有趣的事情，孤单时就想找灵魂伴侣，难过时想要有开心的事情。人对更美好事物的渴望是很自然的，在地上却经历很多无能为力和限制，因为地上仍是黑暗掌权。我们的渴望不是单纯的心愿，是有确据的（V6）。
二、v.6-9 更美之约的中保
V6-7 我们在地上所看见和经历的人事物都是有瑕疵的，即使是地上的帐幕、教会，也只是反映天上的”形状和影像”。然而，“如今耶稣所得的职任是更美的，正如他做更美之约的中保。这约原是凭更美之应许立的”- 这就是我们渴望的确据。我们从有瑕疵的“前约”进入完美的“后约”，就要经过一个桥梁（bridging） 。耶稣是道路、真理、生命，他不是只是一个shadow, 而是使我们与天上更美的新约连接的桥梁、中保、媒介，带我们进入更美之应许。
V8-9 从经文上看，以色列人的祖宗似乎是不愿意的，要神“拉着”他们的手才出埃及。我们人从小就有悖逆顽梗的根，看到神的诫命，反而更想去做不该做的事。
三、v.10-13 在我的心上做我的新约
V10-11 地上的旧约律法是刻在石头上的，但耶稣成为中保之后，我们领受天上的新约，这新约是放在我们的心上，这也是为什么我们常祷告求神让我们的石心变肉心。原本我们只是刻意要去遵守那刻在石版上的诫命，但如今我们有耶稣成为中保，就明白了神的道，知道自己可以进入更美的应许。今天我们在地上有不满意的东西，现在我们借着耶稣领受到更美好的、天上应有的样式，唯有这天上的才能真正满足我们。耶稣在主祷文说“愿你的国降临，愿你的旨意行在地上如同行在天上”，因为我们现在的国是有瑕疵的。过去地上的旧约律法刻在石版上，后来律法写在心上，“神做我们的神，我们要做他的子民”，不再需要地上的献祭。地上的帐幕本来只有大祭司能进去，但耶稣成为中保后，帐幕中的幔子就裂开，我们就可以与神有直接的关系。神直接把他的律刻在我们的心版上，我们不再需要地上的大祭司，而是透过耶稣来到神面前，得怜恤蒙恩惠。我们不再借着人认识神，而是借着耶稣基督与神建立直接的关系, 领受神借着他的话语给我们的灵粮。
V12 在新约里，我们靠着耶稣，罪能得赦免，坦然无惧来到神面前得救赎的恩典。
V13 这是新旧交替：从地上的到天上，从旧约到新约，从石心到肉心（刻在心版上）。
我们或许会问，人为什么要活在世上。没有耶稣，一切事情都没有意义，但相信耶稣后，我们在永恒里就有更美的应许、盼望，我们在今生就可以为着那美好的永恒而活，我们是聚宝在天上。我们在世上所做的每一件事，是否能带出永恒的意义？我们所做的事情，所受的委屈，或许人看不见，但神都看见了。我们在世上的时间是短暂的，或许有很多无奈和限制，但借着耶稣，我们有更美的应许在天上。然而，我们的信仰也不是我们逃避现实的方式，耶稣是道路、真理、生命，他在地上服事的时候，我们看到病得医治、瘸腿的能行走，我们每一个基督徒在地上也都有一个使命，就是神在以赛亚书61:1-3（路加福音4:18）所吩咐的。我们信主后还活在世上，因为我们身上有未完成的使命，让神的国借着我们临到我们和我们的环境、家庭、职场、国家。我们所献上的sacrifice或许听上去毫无道理，但我们若愿意献上这些礼物和祭物，耶稣在地上曾借着所行的神迹奇事给人尝到天上的美好的滋味就能真实发生我们的生命和周遭环境中。