Friday, 26th November 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-8 Just Believe
V1-3 ‘What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ There is nothing we can do for God because He is the Creator of the world, He created everything so what is there for us to do? We only have to believe. Our job is so simple, just believe and God will make us justified in Him. But can we believe this truth? Paul listed out a lot of questions in this chapter to challenge our belief.
V5-8 ‘But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”’ David believed God has grace, he believed God will forgive him, despite of the evil things he did. Do we also believe in it? Or are we still seeking approval from others? We work so hard, and we expect something in return, because we don’t believe that God will give us grace without any hard work produced by us! We try to count our blessings with the worldly calculation, we think one plus one equals two, but in fact, the kingdom’s way of calculation is not like this.
David worshipped God freely and he danced for God, even his wife despised him, but God loved it. He looks into our hearts just like how He looked into David’s heart. We must feel this love, because God loves us and He is always for us. Can we just believe in it?
Section Two V9-12 How is it Calculated
V9-10 ‘Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.’ What makes us the blessed? Do we only believe in it after we receive the blessings we can see from our physical eyes? Or do we believe that we will be blessed even before we see the blessings? The worldly belief is that seeing is believing, but the heavenly belief is that believing before seeing!
Abraham took the action of faith before he saw God’s blessings. He knew God loves him, and he believed every Word from God. God’s promises came true after Abraham died but he never stopped believing. That’s why this faith has the power. The formula for the Kingdom to calculate God’s blessings for us is by faith, the greater the faith, the more powerful the blessings.
Section Three V13-25 Calculate Like This
V13 ‘For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.’ Everything comes from the promise of God and the Word of God. This is how the calculation of the Kingdom works! Whatever God says will be the end result. Sarah’s period was stopped, it was impossible for her to have children, but Abraham believed, because God promised.
V16-18 ‘Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”’ What we see in front of us and what God says often don’t match up, but Abraham believed in it, and he received the blessings from God. We are all blessed sinners, this means that we receive what we don’t deserve, because no matter how hard we work, as sinners, we can never receive such blessings in return if it was not for the grace of God.
Do we see we are blessed? Or do we see the many responsibilities and tasks we have in front of us? What are our blessings? To have a car, to have a house, to have obedient children, to have pay rise at work… the blessings in our lives are all based on ‘doing’. But the true blessings from God are more than all this! Can we see God’s blessings in our everyday life? Being able to wake up in the morning is a blessing; having a job is a blessing; living in a house with a roof is a blessing. When we really see God’s blessings with us every moment of our lives, then we will no longer complain, we will no longer calculate if we have enough or not, and we will not feel in lacking. It’s never about how much money we have in our bank, but it’s about our heart. Do we have a thanksgiving attitude and live everyday in the love of God?
God is the God, who raises the dead to life; who makes the impossible possible; who creates everything from nothing. Do we believe in it? If we really do, then we will not have bitterness, we will not backslide, and we will not feel hopeless.
罗马书 4 – 天国的算
2021年11月26日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
罗马教会在当时有一些看起来“有信德”又有影响力的人，但教会因此产生很大的问题，甚至拉帮结派。我们现在虽然没有明显的分帮派的行为，但我们是否有爱为人“出头”、“打抱不平”的心？当初的罗马教会分成受割礼的（犹太人）和未受割礼的（希腊人）两派，因此向上的凝聚力很弱，说明他们对天国的的文化并没有真的理解。
一、是这样算 v.1-8
V1 “如此说来”就是接着第3章后面所讲的我们靠自己的doing“没有可夸的了”，连“我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕凭着肉体”都得不到什么。
V2-3 为什么保罗在这里说我们的行为“在神面前并无可夸”？因为我们的神是创造天地万物的神，在神没有难成的事，我们还能为他做什么他不能做的事呢？原来“信神”才是真正的被神算为义。
V4-5 在天国里，我们原本看为飘渺的“信”其实是很有大能的。我们能“信”吗？
V6-7 连统一十二支派的以色列王大卫都说“得赦免其过、遮盖其罪的，这人是有福的！”他相信神有恩典，即使他犯下大罪，神也能饶恕他。我们相信吗，还是靠着自己的doing行为来博取神和人的爱？我们在做事的时候是否想要回报？如果是这样，我们就很容易像旷野中的以色列民那样 – 他们当时在山下等不到摩西，就让大祭司亚伦造了一个金牛犊来拜，自己还以为这“金牛犊”是耶和华神。同样，我们也常常做很多事情来赢取报酬，当得不到的时候，我们心里有苦毒，就没有办法爱神、爱权柄。在doing的模式下，我们会觉得自己被人逼迫压榨。大卫虽然因为敬拜不好而被太太嘲笑，但他真心爱神，就没有苦毒。求神帮助我们跳出为奴为仆的心态，看到自己每一天都活在蒙爱的氛围里。
二、是怎样算 v.9-12
亚伯拉罕是在还没有受割礼的时候相信神讲的话，就被神“算为义”。那时亚伯拉罕年纪老迈，还没有儿子，似乎绝望了，然而神应许说他会作“万国之父”，虽然他当时还未因割礼而分别为圣，但他信神跟他说的一切话，这个信才是天国所看重的。能够进入学房的人是蒙福的，能够毕业就更是祝福，我们相信吗？我们是否看见环境的挑战后觉得自己很辛苦，还是在还未看到“祝福”的时候就相信神的话？我们的信是否像世人那样是要先看到实实在在的东西吗？亚伯拉罕用行动回应神，表明自己的信。我们如果只在行为上抄袭犹太人的割礼，我们就陷入doing的模式里。我们的心态应该是因为我们对神的爱很感恩，才愿意将自己和孩子献给神。我们效法亚伯拉罕，他在还没看到的时候就信神口中一切的话。不是凭眼见的事情来信，而是听见神的话就相信，这是天国的算法。
三、是如此算 v.13-25
V13 神的应许就是神的话。神说什么就算什么，人能被称义都是因为神。神说有就有，命立就立，我们是否相信神话语的权柄，是否相信神的应许？亚伯拉罕在承受神应许的时候，自己什么事情都还没有做，表面上看起来很不公平。其实这份相信是不容易的，毕竟亚伯拉罕的妻子撒拉当时月经已经停了，但他仍然信神给他的应许，神就算他为义。
V16-17 我们是否能像亚伯拉罕这样相信“那叫死人复活，使无变为有的神”？我们的信是凭眼见，还是单纯的信心？我们现在没有受割礼，但我们因着“信”就得以成为亚伯拉罕的后裔。当我们信的时候，我们就蒙恩了。“蒙恩”在原文圣经里的意思是神用恩典厚厚的盖着我们的脸，让我们不再用分辨善恶树来论断是非，而是能够凡事感恩。“蒙恩”第一次在新约圣经出现是在路加福音1:30“天使对她说：“马利亚，不要怕，你在神面前已经蒙恩了。”马利亚还未结婚就从圣灵感孕，这在世人看起来是一件很可怕的事，所以神的使者跟她说“不要怕”。我们看重的“蒙恩”是什么？是有好房豪车这些物质祝福吗？还是当神说我们是蒙恩的时候我们就相信？神知道我们一切所需，我们就要更多借着祷告与神连结。我们的信仰不是用祷告“灵不灵”来判断的民间信仰，而是无论顺境逆境时都相信神对我们的爱不改变。我们能否在每天的日常小事上看到神的恩典，凡事谢恩？
V18 亚伯拉罕“在无可指望的时候，因信仍有指望”。我们在无可指望的时候仍然能相信神，仍然能喜乐吗？我们可能不知道神会怎样成就看似不可能的事，但我们要相信神应许给我们的祝福，才不会被逆境打垮。我们若是要先看到祝福才相信，这个“信”就不算为信。唯有真实的信仰才能让我们愿意为神摆上一切，看轻自己手上的东西。我们在教会听到权柄的教导之后，是否会因为看不到事情成就觉得“不灵”而离开。我们若在无可指望的时候还相信神的话，这才是真的相信，如此，我们才不容易受伤、有苦毒、冷淡退后。
V19 我们因信称义，成为亚伯拉罕的后裔，所以我们的信也是“不软弱的”。若我们信心软弱，我们要反思，我们是谁的后裔呢？
V20 唯有“仰望神的应许”才不会“因不信心里起疑惑，反倒因信心里得坚固”。亚伯拉罕在还没看到事情成就的时候就将自己的信心摆上。我们今天是否在等到买了好房子或生了孩子之后才将荣耀归给神？
V21 神所应许的必能成就。不要用自己的眼光来批评神和我们的权柄，只要单单去相信。
V24-25 保罗在这里教导我们信仰的核心真理。耶稣已经为我们胜过死亡，他已经为我们交出赎价，我们是否相信自己是死里复活的人？我们的信是怎样的呢？