Tuesday, 9th August 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-6 To Awake and Rise Up
What is revival? God has created every good thing for us at the very beginning, but because of our sinful nature, we lost all of them, and revival means these good things are all coming back to us! The Israelites are so used to slavery lives in Egypt that they no longer dream of a better life. They have lost the most precious treasures from God, the power to manage the world and the authority above all else. We have lost the passion and hope for the revival, and God is talking to His people today, revival is already here.
V1 ‘Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, o Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.’ If we are in slavery then we cannot see the power and authority already given to us. We are so used to being who we are and not longing for a better Jerusalem.
V2 ‘Shake yourself from the dust, arise; sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, o captive daughter of Zion!’ We must get rid of the bondages and chains because we are already freed, but when we are unwilling to let go, we will continue to live in bonds and chains.
V3-4 ‘For thus says the Lord: You have sold yourselves for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. For thus says the Lord God: My people went down at first into Egypt to dwell there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.’ People chose to go to Egypt because of famines. A lot of time it’s our choices that cause us to dead ends. We must follow God’s guidance for us.
V5 ‘Now therefore, what have I here, says the Lord, that My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them make them wail, says the Lord, and My name is blasphemed continually every day.’ We can’t see our own problems and we thought all the troubles in our lives are from God. We must see our own problems and know God is here to save us not to trouble us. We belong to God and we need God. Can we see God more than things and people? Do not go to God at the last minute but seek Him now!
V6 ‘Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks: behold, it is I.’ When we put God first, then we can see His Works at hand. Do we believe in everything God says? We can experience God now, not until we are in Heaven, but right now when we still live on the earth.
Section Two V7-12 Bring the Good News and Good Tidings
V7 ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns!’ God wants us to awake and spread the Good News to those in slavery. People are lost in this world and become slaves to the world, but when we hear the Good News, we can come out of Egypt, and see God in our lives. Our weaknesses and sicknesses cannot rule over us anymore.
V8 ‘Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion.’ Do we pray for those in need? We tend to think about ourselves and pray for ourselves and what we need. But we fail to see those who need our prayers. In the same way, others will pray for us and when we pray together, we will receive blessings together.
V9 ‘Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.’ Do not stop gathering. We have a lot of excuses not to come to the Temple of God. Our attitude determines everything. Do we really cry out to God and praise God? What do we focus on? It’s easy for us to focus on what is in front of us, instead of the eternal blessings. We see so many problems in our lives and fail to see God as our Salvation.
V10-11 ‘The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.’ We are unwilling to leave the life we are living right now. We still cannot come out of the lifestyle of our forefathers. Leave our parents does not mean moving out of their house, but it’s about leaving the old lifestyle we are used to, leaving our comfort zone, and really seeking the truth of God.
V12 ‘For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.’ God has given us the Tree of Life to follow, to humble to obey, to deny ourselves and benefit others.
Section Three V13-15 Let the Nations See
V13 ‘Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.’ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Do not rely on our own strength because if we do, we cannot see the freedom God has given to us. We thought our lives are restricted by following God but in fact, it was all because of our fear. When we follow God faithfully and willingly then God will lift us up.
V14-15 ‘Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.’ When we follow God truthfully people will see from our appearance. The world might put us down and speak lies to us, but we must know, that when we follow God, the favours will be with us that even the kings can see! The problems we see are not problems in God’s eyes so stop being fearful. Trust in God, He will lift us up.
以赛亚书 52 – 神的子民 复兴要来临
2022年8月9日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
神知道我们活在为奴为仆的日子里，他不要我们认命，而是经历反败为胜。我们如何能在黑暗的日子看到神的荣耀? 神借着第52章对他呼召的每一个儿女说话，释放救赎的福音。复兴是什么？就是恢复神在创造我们时我们本来就有的能力、美好、荣耀。因为罪的缘故，我们安逸在罪的世界里，选择认命，失去了神给我们宝贵的东西、治理的能力、和对复兴的盼望。神的能力一直都在，我们是否要去启动？我们看自己的信仰是否只是精神上的寄托？神要我们跟他的关系不仅是头脑上的认识，更是生活中真实地经历，活出与神同行的能力。
一、v.1-6 要兴起 起来
V1 在被掳的情况下，人看到的都是负面，看不见“能力”或“华美的衣服”。但神说我们在这样的时刻要“兴起”！能力和华美的衣服一直都在，我们的责任就是要披戴能力，穿上那华美的衣服。我们不要对现实社会妥协，不要继续躺在原地。我们看见的是否都是问题、不可能、或者doing？神要我们离开doing, 成为being.
V2 我们要将为奴为仆的生命“抖下”，“起来坐在位上”，因为神为我们每个人都安排了一个位置。我们是否愿意坐在神呼召我们所在的位置上，还是留恋这个世上我们想要的东西？我们不明白神的心意，只明白自己和世界的心意，结果只能随波逐流。我们不要眷恋埃及为奴为仆的生活，也不要坐在原地等神为我们做事，神要我们自己去解开“颈项的锁链”。
V3-4 当初神的百姓看到饥荒，因为害怕就下埃及，并非神要他们去。 我们落到如今的光景，不是因为神欠缺什么而将我们卖掉，是我们自己选择活在为奴为仆之地。因此，神不需要向世界偿还什么来赎回我们。我们愿意解开自己的锁链吗？
V5 能力、尊荣一直都在，我们愿意相信吗？世界会质问我们，“你的神在哪里？”我们也看不到自己的问题，反而还埋怨神，但造成问题的其实都是我们自己。神是创造穹苍的神，我们是靠神过活的，要先神后人再大地，而不是先看别人才来看神。神要我们放下世界，先寻求他，让神带领我们进入他奇妙的光明。
V6 当我们愿意先寻求神的时候，我们一定能看见神彰显能力。很多人想要过自己喜欢的生活，但神要我们兴起、起来经历他，在我们的生活、工作上看见神的同在，经历他的大能大力。
二、v.7-12 要传佳音好消息
V7 神不仅要我们兴起，也要我们将这个好消息传给那些迷失中的人，知道“你的神做王了”。神要我们告诉其他神所拣选的人神做王的日子到了，我们已不再活在黑暗、疾病、死亡的权势下。
V8 我们是否有为那些失丧的灵魂守望代祷？我们对福音不感兴趣，只想到自己的需要，然而，神要我们做“守望之人”，并且不是单打独斗，而是“一同歌唱”。
V9 今天我们看见的是什么呢？我们看见的是生命里的荒场，但神要我们不要停止聚会，而要“发起欢声，一同歌唱”。我们会觉得自己的事情很多，忙于处理自己的问题，但我们是否有那无论如何都要寻求到神的渴慕？我们遇到问题，是怨天尤人，还是去赞美那可以帮助我们战胜一切如巨人般问题的、拯救我们的神？我们看到都是眼前的问题，所以无法看到耶和华是“安慰”、“救赎”的神。
V11 神知道我们不愿意离开巴比伦，就好像那些不愿意离开埃及的以色列人。我们不愿意离开自己舒适的环境，安逸于父母祖辈所期待我们的生活方式。真正的“离开”不是从父母家搬出来，而是离开自己旧有的思想和行为模式、与神连接，活出在地如在天的生活。正如耶稣三十岁前只是一个木匠，顺服自己在地上的父母，但当神的时刻到来时，他就起来传道，成为“夫子”，成为拯救神百姓的弥赛亚。神也对我们这群跟从他的人说，我们“务要自洁”，不要过着两面派的虚假生活。
V12 很多时候我们跟从神，就觉得一定要按照某一个方式来做事，不愿意活在生命树下，因为我们会觉得要谦卑顺服、舍己利他太麻烦了。但神要我们跟从他的带领，因他必做我们的后盾。
三、v.13-15 要让列国看见
V13 敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端。当我们敬畏耶和华的时候，我们“必被高举上升，且成为至高”。我们可能会抱怨在教会要做很多事，担心自己没有时间去赚钱顾家。这些都是我们的害怕，但只要我们跟从神，神就高举我们，使我们成为至高。
V14-15 我们注重我们的外表，在乎别人的看法。然而神不要我们为了赚得这个世界而失去生命。我们看到的是自己的外表，害怕别人说我们跟从神怎么会变成这样，但当我们被神高升后，别人会看见我们生命不一样，连君王都要来请教我们。我们是否会被世界恐吓，失去对神的信心？复兴要来了，关键在于我们如何去回应，使这祝福临到我们和我们的子孙后代！