Thursday, 19th May 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1 God Will Draw His Sword
V1 ‘In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.’ What is the status we are living in right now? Sickness, disappointment, darkness, unforgiveness, hopelessness, hurt… through ups and downs in life, we must know God’s principals of doing things, then our hearts will be calmed. The Will of God for us is full of peace, to give us hope so we will not be trapped.
Joshua 5:13-15 says, ‘And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.’
No matter what situation we are in, God will draw His sward and He will be with us, just like how He was with Joshua. We may be facing the creatures of the deep sea, the monsters from the devil, but God will draw His sword and cut off all these troubles and difficulties. Do we believe that God will draw the sword for us? God will set us apart from this world, He will protect us, He knows our fears and weaknesses, and He will deliver. God gave us His Word not to allow us to give up, but to hold onto Him, to trust in Him, He is the everlasting God, nothing can change Him, but He can change everything! Do we believe that He is the Lord of hosts? When we know this, then we will not be singing the songs of defeat but the songs of victories.
Section Two V2-11 God Will Prune
V2-3 ‘In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine! I, the Lord, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.’ God will plat us and prune us, He teaches us so we can be better, but what is our attitude when we are being disciplined and corrected?
V6 ‘Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.’ Are we willing to take root? Are we willing to stay in one place, to blossom and to bear fruits all over the land? There may be thorns and briers, cutting and pruning, but God wants us to go to the right direction. He will measure, He knows how much we can bear, and He will protect us to the end. Through this process, we can be reborn, to leave the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and to go back to the Tree of Life. God has prepared everything for us, we may feel angry and upset, but if we focus on God instead of the problems, then we will see God’s principals.
V9 ‘Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.’ We must destroy all the idols and all the things we rely on, then we can see the power of God. What do we really rely on? Money, authority, social status, people, our own strength… God will destroy everything because they are all stumbling blocks, which stop us from entering into eternity. Do we want to give up on the inheritance from God? David did not give up, he did not complain, and he did not compromise with this world. David lived as a leader of God wherever he was, in the cave or in the palace. Do not run away from our problems, do not let this world overcome us, do not give up on God’s church, and do not let go of our godly identity.
V11 ‘When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; the women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, and He who formed them will show them no favor.’ God is reminding us again and again, not to give up, He created us not to be like a pot plant, but like a tree, to be planted and to bear fruits. We must see that all the difficulties will pass, and He will lead us until the end.
Section Three V12-13 God Will Receive Victory
V12 ‘And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, o you children of Israel.’ God will gather us up, He will not give up on any one of us. We only see the defeat of today but God sees the victory of the future. Can we see ourselves as how God see us? Can we see our church as how God sees it? Can we see our children as how God sees them?
V13 ‘So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; they will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.’ Do we believe praises will be filled on the mountain? Victory will come, because God will receive the final victory. We must see it now!
以赛亚书 27 – 到那日 耶和华必会做的三件事情
2022年5月19日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
我们现在的光景如何，是在软弱、颓废、放弃、受伤、患难、还是生病？经过人生的高山低谷，我们要知道神的法则，知道他如何做事，我们的心就能安定。神借着今天的经文让我们知道，到那日他必做的三件事情，让我们无论遇到什么景况都有指望。
一、v.1 耶和华出刀
约书亚记 5:13-15记载：“约书亚靠近耶利哥的时候，举目观看，不料，有一个人手里有拔出来的刀，对面站立。约书亚到他那里，问他说：‘你是帮助我们呢，是帮助我们敌人呢？’他回答说：‘不是的，我来是要做耶和华军队的元帅。’约书亚就俯伏在地下拜，说：‘我主有什么话吩咐仆人？’耶和华军队的元帅对约书亚说：‘把你脚上的鞋脱下来，因为你所站的地方是圣的。’约书亚就照着行了。”无论我们所面对的事有多大，神都能为我们拔出刀 – 当神拔出刀的时候，说明神在那里（5:13），他已经分别为圣（5:15）。
V1 我们看为穷凶极恶的鳄鱼或蛇，或者代表从世界、撒旦而来的“大鱼”，神都能用“刚硬有力的大刀”刑罚、杀灭，并使我们分别为圣。在又大又难的事面前，我们是否相信神掌权、神与我们同在、神会为我们出刀，还是投降放弃？当约书亚面对耶利哥城的高墙时，神知道他心里的害怕；当我们面对疫情或家里突发的事情时，我们是否心虚，是否生气，还是相信神在我们难过羞耻的地方会为我们出刀，使我们分别为圣？神给我们的是盼望，没有任何人或事能使他改变，因为创造穹苍的就是这位万军之耶和华。当我们知道这一点时，我们就不会再唱哀歌，而是凯旋之歌，在人前不再垂头丧气，而是能昂首挺胸。
二、v.2-11 耶和华修理
V2 神不仅是对外出刀，将问题解决，对内他也会修理我们, 因为他的“葡萄园”要产出芳香的酒。我们愿意被神修剪、被神提升吗？唯有愿意被修剪，我们才能结出影响世界的生命。我们若被外面的事情攻击，就要先鉴察自己，看生命有什么破口，不要生气、指责他人，而要感恩。
V3 神不会让我们羞愧，他要昼夜看守我们。面对修理，我们的态度是什么？是放弃或逃避吗？
V4 神看的不是我们的今天，而是将来，甚至允许“荆棘蒺藜”与他交战。我们不是随时被挪来挪去的盆栽或插花，转瞬即逝，我们要成为扎根在土壤里的千年巨木，在狂风暴雨中始终不离开，因为神栽种、神浇灌、神看守。
V5 神要让这些荆棘蒺藜看到我们愿意倚靠神的能力，与神和好。我们是否能让周围的人看到神的能力在我们身上，还是在遇到问题的时候选择放弃？
V6 我们很容易羡慕别人开花结果，却没有看到神修理他们的过程。你愿意扎根、愿意发芽开花、愿意万国万民都看见你的果实吗？你愿意经过这些被荆棘蒺藜搅扰的不舒服吗？你愿意忍受被刺扎伤，接受神的修理吗？
V7-8 神会击打他的百姓，甚至我们会经历死亡。很多时候我们自以为了不起，做事都很顺，但这时我们反而会掉进永远的死亡，神要我们的“死亡”却不是这样。神会衡量(measure)，他知道我们能承受多少，他会保护我们，让我们知道我们的生命要如何“死”才能经历重生，从分辨善恶树回到生命树。神驱散我们，但他都有预备。神让环境中的人和事发生在我们身上，我们若不知道神的法则，就会觉得受不了。大卫成为以色列的君过程非常坎坷，但神不是想整死他，而是要修理他生命中罪。
V9-10 唯有我们愿意将我们拜偶像的木偶、日像全然毁掉，我们才能看见神。我们今天所倚靠的的什么呢？是金钱、势力、口才、人际关系、或自身努力吗？神要将这些全部打碎，让我们看见，我们自己的“坚固城”或“居所”不能让我们进入永生。我们身边所发生的事情是否让我们放弃神给我们的产业和祝福？大卫在患难中没有放弃神，没有抱怨，也没有与世界妥协，即使在亚杜兰洞中，那些跟随他的乌合之众也被他带领成为勇士。儿女是神给我们的产业，教会是神给我们的居所，我们是否遇到问题就想放弃神给我们的身份？
V11 若我们真的放弃，我们就是“蒙昧无知”的百姓。神修理，不是要让我们羞愧，而是要我们能扎根、开花、结果，他的恩手必与我们同在。
三、v.12-13 耶和华必得胜
V12 到那日，耶和华必得胜，所以我们不要放弃。到那日，被赶散的人会被神一个一个的“收集”，好像捡起打在地上的果子一样。我们看到的是今天的困境，神看到的是将来的得胜。我们看我们现在的教会、儿女、婚姻、祝福好像神看到的将来的样子吗？
V13 我们是否相信，将来“在耶路撒冷圣山上”必有“敬拜耶和华”的声音？让我们不放弃，看到神必得胜，现今的一切困难将来都要成为祝福。