Tuesday, 1st March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-6 Do Not Love the Riches
V1 ‘Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!’ The rich people here mean those who focus on materialism because their hearts cannot follow God. The Bible already told us not to worship God and mammon at the same time. It’s so easy for us to focus on the problems in front of us more than focusing on God, we always worry and fearful, but we put God in our last priority.
V2-3 ‘Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.’ All the gold and silver belong to the world and cannot last forever. Do not let it take away our eyesight from God, do not be afraid of lacking, otherwise our lives will be swallowed by all these worldly gains. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, they gave the authority to the devil, but today we are the ones being called, we are no longer the slaves in Egypt, and we should stop letting all the problems in this world stop us living a life of freedom. Do we believe that Jehovah Jireh is the God who provide?
We will all face problems and obstacles in lives, but all these things are helping us to experience God. But do we really rely on God in all our problems? We try to do everything by ourselves, to solve our own problems and the problems of others, but where is God in all these? We must leave room for God, walk with Him, and let Him perform signs and wonders in our lives. V6 ‘You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.’ Jesus Christ came to save us and to help us turn back to God.
Section Two V7-11 To Persevere and to Love
V7 ‘Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.’ What are our riches? What is our inheritance? Our children! God has already given us our children, who are our most precious treasures! But people nowadays focus more on earning money and left their children for other people to take care of.
How to persevere and to love? V8 ‘You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.’ We do not believe in Lord’s second coming, but the Bible has been reminding us that this day is near. There are wars, the pandemic, the earthquakes, the storms, the volcanic eruptions… the end time is near, have we not yet realised it?
We need the spring and autumn rains for our plants to grow. The rain is so important for the farmers, they plant the seeds, weed the land, dig the soil, then wait for the rain. Are we also able to do this? To do what we must do then wait upon the Lord. Yes, we have to work, there is work for us to do, but when we have done our part, can we stop and wait upon God? Do not think that when we work then we cannot serve God, can we not see God’s blessings in our lives? If we make working as our excuses then we will never prosper, because everything is from God, and the devil is trying to keep us held back, not to serve God and not to experience God’s blessings.
May God give us wisdom, so that we will not give up in sharing the Good News and disciple the nation. V9-10 ‘Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.’ Are we living the lives of the slaves in Egypt? Or can we stay patient for God’s best timing? He is always with us and wants us to receive His blessings, but without us knowing it, we become the slaves of this world, we only want to receive the entertainment of this world, and do not see God’s hands with us!
Section Three V12-20 Humble and Follow God
雅各书 5 – 如何在末世预备主再来
2022年3月1日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
雅各书虽然是两千年前写的，却也十分切合我们现在的状况。神借着雅各书对着分散在各地的信徒说话。在末世，主快来的日子，蒙召的人要如何预备自己？施洗约翰和主耶稣在世的时候就已经警告过世人：“天国近了，你们要悔改。”
一、v.1-6 不要贪恋财富
V1 “富足人”是在物质上富裕的人。当我们将眼目放在物质上，我们就有苦难临到我们身上，因为我们没有办法专心跟从神。我们不能又跟从神又跟从玛门。跟从神就是先神后人再大地，当我们愿意如此行的时候，神给我们的必是丰盛有余。我们常会注重所处的黑夜、看我们所害怕的大过于神，但神不要我们追求这个物质世界，要看到我们有神。
V2-3 我们所追求的财物都不能够长久，甚至金银都会长“锈”- 为要“证明你们的不是”，让我们看见这种价值观是不对的。“吃你们的肉”就是吞没我们的生命的意思。金银本该回到神的圣殿，而不是流露到外面，被次等的铜和铁代替。若金银生锈，说明这金银是不纯净的，是属于世界的，不讨神的喜悦。我们的眼目落在这个属世界的金银里，害怕钱不够，结果自己本来有君尊祭司的生命就被吞灭的。如今我们是蒙召的人，是否还活在埃及的为奴为仆之地，整天只为着自己而活？当我们眼目只专注物质的东西，生活就很容易失去方向，看不到神的丰盛。
V4-5 当我们太过注重金银，我们会亏待别人，甚至自己都不知道。注重物质的时候，我们就很喜欢享福，要住好房子，享受吃喝玩乐。耶稣当初虽然也跟罪人一起吃喝，但他是为了将那些罪人带回到神的家中。我们与人觥筹交错后，带了多少人信主？神看的不是我们的doing，而是我们结出的果子。若没有为主得人，我们就要察验自己，是否太看重自己的问题？我们都会遇到困难拦阻，这些都是帮助我们经历神的。若我们只想倚靠自己来解决问题，那我们将神放在哪里呢？很多时候，我们会为了一样东西求神，但当我们得到自己想要的东西，我们就围着自己在乎的事打转，反而把神放在一边。我们蒙召的人遇到问题，更要祷告寻求，而不是退步、放弃。我们每个人都在赛场上，要专注的只有一个方向，就是向前奔跑。先寻求神的国和神的义，我们才能真的经历神的供应。我们用世界的方式，就没有给神施行奇事的空间。“娇养”就是喂养 – 我们若只用属世的、情欲的东西喂养自己，就要求神怜悯、帮助我们。
V6 “义人”就是耶稣基督。他来是为了拯救，帮助我们悔改、回转，真正来认识阿爸天父。可惜我们被这个世界欺骗，成为埃及的奴仆。
二、v.7-11 要忍耐，要相爱
V7-8 我们要忍耐，“因为主来的日子近了”。我们做很多不信靠神的事，是因为我们不相信这日子近了。我们觉得离最后审判的日子很远，但现实是世上“民攻打民，国攻打国”，地震火灾不断，各国政府无力应对新冠疫情，只能选择与病毒共存。我们要警醒过来，知道自己是不行的，就要来倚靠神。我们不要被这个世界上的物质拿走我们里面真正有价值的东西。耶稣基督给我们的大使命是门训万民，我们若整天忙碌自己的事，就没空去行出大使命了。我们要忍耐，真正的富有是经营好神给我们的一亩良田 – 儿女是神赐给我们的产业，我们是否只忙着赚钱而忽略了教养他们? 忙完工作，周末想要休息，就选择“宴乐”，两千年前人所面对的试探跟我们现在是一样的。”农夫忍耐等候地里宝贵的出产”- 当时的以色列很干旱，住棚节之后，农夫会撒种，然后祈求神给他们秋雨春雨，这样他们撒的种子才能发芽生长。农夫能做的只是松土、将前一年留下的种撒进土里，做完这一切就只能等候神。我们是否有做完自己该做的一切后就等候神？我们确实需要工作，但我们是否为了赚太多的钱而牺牲了本该服事神的时间？我们为了退休后的享福努力赚钱，但没有人知道明天如何。神给我们机会去服事，我们就要珍惜当下。神若给我们一个房子住，我们就可以开放，邀请人来。撒旦知道耶稣来的日子近了，就在我们心中放下恐惧，让我们不敢传福音。求神帮助、保护我们，让我们在疫情 严峻的时候仍然能门训万民。我们不要自己做神，因为凡劳苦担重担的来到他面前就必得安息。
V9-10 我们要学习的是那些“奉主名说话的众先知”，不要让物质的东西将我们带回埃及，每天只为了要砌的砖而活，只处理自己生活的事，以埃及法老为我们的神。求神帮助我们先神后人再大地。
V11 约伯失去了一切，自己也满身生疮，但他没有放弃神，神后也赐给他加倍的祝福。忍耐的结果是约伯在曾经耻笑他的人面前被神高举。我们愿意在忍耐中不批评、不抱怨，反到彼此相爱吗？
三、v.12-20 要谦卑，要跟从神
V12 我们“起誓”，因为别人不相信我们，我们想让人知道我们说的是真的，但我们的生命如何？别人不相信我们，是否因为我们自己没有活出我们说的话？
V13-18 我们有没有跟从神？我们是否谦卑，看自己所拥有的都是从神而来，还是以为这一切都是靠自己努力赚来的？
V19-20 门训万民比我们手上的工作重要，因为“叫一个罪人从迷路上转回，便是救一个灵魂不死，并且遮盖许多的罪”。我们每一天都得罪神，都做错事情，但当我们愿意去传福音，叫人信主，救他们灵魂不死，就能遮盖许多罪。我们是否愿意去帮助人来经历福音的大能，还是只将我们的眼目放在金钱上？我们是否相信主来的日子近了，是否愿意先神后人再大地？求神帮助我们在末世能得着从神而来平安！