Friday, 11th March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Every morning we must have a humble heart and wait for God to talk to us. it’s like an adventure, we never know what God will say to us, but we know it’s what we need for today. Psalm 50 was written by Asaph, a Levite, and a priest. He was telling the people about what God is about to do during the difficult time. Today, Psalm 50 is also talking to us, in this dark time, there are so many uncertainties, we must see what God will do, and trust in Him.
Section One V1-6 God will Gather
V1 ‘The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down.’ God has spoken up and called the people, in the dark time, He called His own people to come. New Zealand is the place where sun rises first, it’s a place God called us to be. V2 ‘Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.’ This is the place of perfection of beauty, because God created it, but we must maintain it and manage it so it can stay as how God created it to be.
V3 ‘Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.’ This is where God will stay, a place that shines and a place full of power. V4-5 ‘He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ God will call His people to come to this place, He will judge them, which means He will set His people apart. God does not only come when we are lacking, or when we are abundant, but He will also come in the darkness, and gather His people.
V6 ‘Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah.’ God will first gather and set apart those who believe in Him and make a covenant with Him by sacrifice. We cannot hide from God’s calling, no matter where we are in this world, He will call us out, but we must respond.
Section Two V7-15 God will Testify Against
V7 ‘Hear, O My people, and I will speak, o Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!’ God is not only God, but He is our God! God is the ‘I Am Who I Am God’!
V13 ‘Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?’ We thought coming to church is to sacrifice and offer all we have to God, but the Truth is, everything belongs to God. Why does God want us to give sacrifice? He does not need our sacrifice! He wants us to sacrifice for our sins! When we are willing to offer, then He can give us more! But what is our attitude in offering? We give our time and our money for God, we thought we will be in lack, but God will give us more. Everything God wants us to do is not for Him, but it’s actually bringing us blessings!
Can we see the intention behind every requirement and every commandment in the Bible, at church, or during classes? It’s all for our own benefits! V14 ‘Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.’ God loves our willing hearts and loving attitude for Him. It’s not about how good or how expensive our offering is, but it’s about our hearts! This is what God treasures the most! God wants us to give thanks, not because He needs us to appreciate Him, but when we have this attitude, our lives will be built up more and our hearts will be closer to Him. When we learn to give thanks more and complain less, then we can see everything in our lives are worth give thanks for. On the other hand, if we always complain, then we can only see the things that upset us, and our lives will be more miserable.
V15 ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.’ When God bless us, do we testify for Him? When others help us to go through hard time, do we give thanks? Or do we magnify our hardship and overlook the blessings? God wants us to call upon Him in the day of trouble, to connect to Him, not to focus on the problems. It’s easy for us to focus on the problem and try to solve it straight away, but it’s not easy for us to stop what we are doing and seek God first.
God has already prepared everything for us, but we tend to use our limited knowledge to see God’s Great Work. Therefore, today God wants to remind us to see and observe His Great Work and Wonders. Because God’s Work will definitely be more effective than our own work! In trouble times, God will help us, but we must let Him do it! When God help us, then we won’t need to be afraid, and we know good things will come, because He wants us to testify for Him and to glorify Him.
Section Three V16-23 God will Count
V16-17 ‘But to the wicked God says: What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?’ Who are the wicked people? Not the non-believers but the believers, who speak against God! We thought we are being friendly with the people of the world, but we did not realise that we have become part of the wicked world and sinned against God!
V22-23 ‘Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.’ In the trouble times, God is reminding us to turn back, God is setting us apart from this world, and God is calling us now! Do we know we are wicked? We think that we are praying, we are reading the Bible, we are observing the commandments… but we don’t see that we are wicked! God does not want to put us to shame but He wants to wake us up, because He does not want to tear us apart.
God is calling us to turn back, to offer praise glorifies God. He gave us the identity of the royal priests and holy nation, but do we really see this identity and this authority? Let us turn back, worship Him wholeheartedly, and see His Wonderful Works in our lives!
诗篇 50 – 在黑暗的日子 神要做的事
2022年3月11日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
“亚萨”是大祭司，他在这篇诗篇讲到了一个重要的信息，就是神要做的事。在如今这个困难的时刻 – 疫情严峻、物价攀升、无人知道前面的方向，我们的心容易被环境影响。我们常会期待看到我们的政府能做什么事来解决眼前的问题，但身为蒙召的人，在这个动荡黑暗的时刻，我们要看的是神要做什么事情。
一、v.1-6 神要招聚
V1 “发言”原文是招唤，说明在黑暗的日子神主动出手，“招呼天下”。我们来到新西兰这片土地，不是因为政府给我们签证，而是因为神的招聚。
V2 “全美”在原文是指全然美丽。人们留在教会，是因看到在这里很美好。神招聚来的地方是全然美丽的，所以我们要看守、治理、经营好这里。
V3 我们的神要来造访我们这个全然美丽的教会。神要用烈火和暴风将这里不属于他的东西燃烧、吹走，因为神同在的地方是圣洁、有光芒照耀的。
V4 神不会忘记任何一个民。“审判”原文是分辨。神不是只在人凡事亨通的时候来，他在黑暗的日子也来到这里，不是要审判全世界，而是来分辨。
V5 神要招聚的并不是全世界，而是他的“圣民……就是那些用祭物与我立约的人”。
V6 无论我们躲在哪个国家，只要我们与神立约、跟从神、向神献祭，神都要招聚、分辨。
二、v.7-15 神要劝诫
V7 每天的晨祷、主日的时候，我们是否有听神的话？神对我们说：“我是神，是你的神！”
V8-13 很多时候我们以为来到教会我们就要给：奉献金钱、时间等，但神告诉我们，天地都是属于他的。“公牛的肉、山羊的血”是为我们赎罪，而我们的献祭是向神感恩。神把一切丰盛都赐给我们，当我们愿意给出去的时候，神会给我们更多。我们在教会服事的态度是怎样的？是否心不甘情不愿，是否怕给出去后不够用、是否抱怨时间不够？我们做这一切，不是为了神，因为他完全不需要这些东西，他让我们透过做这些事来祝福我们。
V14 我们是常常感谢神，还是抱怨说自己很忙很累、然后怀着苦毒服事？我们能走到如今，都是神的恩典，他祝福我们和我们的家，我们要感谢神，更加愿意为神服事、摆上。神是如何看我们献上的祭物？当我们送权柄礼物的时候，他们不会批评论断，正如神在第8节说的，是怀着感动接受。神看重的是我们如何回应他。神曾借着他的先知撒母耳对我们说：“耶和华喜悦燔祭和平安祭，岂如喜悦人听从他的话呢？听命胜于献祭，顺从胜于公羊的脂油。 悖逆的罪与行邪术的罪相等，顽梗的罪与拜虚神和偶像的罪相同。你既厌弃耶和华的命令，耶和华也厌弃你做王”（撒上 15:22-23）。我们以为自己能够给神什么，其实天地都是神的，他不缺乏、不“饥饿”（V12），当我们给出去，祝福就属于我们。我们愿意送东西去关心我们的权柄时，我们其实是做在神的身上。当别人愿意送东西给我们的时候，我们也不要有拒绝别人的心态，以致阻拦别人领受祝福的管道。我们要有感恩的心，别人帮助我们，我们要说谢谢。来到教会，来到学房，我们不要只看到自己不开心的地方而没有感恩神在这里给我们的祝福。为什么我们不开心、看不见权柄对我们的爱？神要的是我们能“以感谢为祭献于神”。当神祝福我们，我们的小组长或其他权柄帮助我们经过高山低谷，我们是否有作见证、“向至高者还你的愿”？
V15 “求告”就是与神连接。在“患难”的时候我们倾向于立刻去解决问题，但我们有及时感谢神吗？我们不知道神的心思意念，只用人有限的智慧去看神，但神劝我们在逆境中要更多与他互动，因为他出手，比我们自己横冲直撞的结果要好太多。他必搭救我们，让我们也能荣耀他。我们只看到神的要求很高，却没有看到这一切都是要荣耀他，是对我们好的事。神不会呼召我们来教会或读学房后就家破人亡，因为神要我们荣耀他，让我们成为这个黑暗时代的明灯。
三、v.16-23 神要数算
V16 “恶人”并非不信主的人，那些与神立约的圣民中的人中就有恶人(V5)。
V17-20 我们虽然都是蒙召信主的人，但当我们恨恶管教、将神的言语丢在背后、乱传是非，在神眼中我们就是“恶人”。
V21 我们在神的教会不要以为自己还可以跟那些拜偶像、拜玛门的人混在一起。神将这些事摆在我们面前，亲自责备我们，让我们知道原来我们做的是如此大逆不道的事。
V22 神要这个黑暗的时候帮助我们分辨，让我们能够提升，因为“天国近了，你们要悔改”。我们不知道自己是恶人，还以为自己很会读经祷告、又有关怀别人，但神提醒我们的罪，让我们警醒，免得神把我们“撕碎，无人搭救”。
V23 神要挽回我们这些蒙召、有祭司身份的人，让我们回转。神是爱，没有留下一个好处不给我们。我们是否相信，是否愿意回转，是否愿意以感谢来回应神？