God is the source 证道题目 : 上帝是源头 Alec Wallis 10 April 2016 Series Understanding and living 理解和生活系列 33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. 35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. 36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word Psalm 119:33-37 诗篇 119 章 33-37 节 : 33. 耶和华啊, 求你将你的律例指教我, 我必遵守到底! 34. 求你赐我悟性, 我便遵守你的律法, 且要一心遵守 35. 求你叫我遵行你的命令, 因为这是我所喜乐的 36. 求你使我的心趋向你的法度, 不趋向非义之财 37. 求你叫我转眼不看虚假, 又叫我在你的道中生活 Question: What does obeying the Bible mean to you? 问题 : 依照圣经而行, 这对你来说意味着什么呢? 1) Request 要求 This is a painting by Vincent van Gogh titled Still Life with Bible Van Gogh father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church For Van Gogh the Bible represented everything he saw in his father: blind devotion to religion and faith Unknown 这是一幅梵高的油画 与圣经一起静止的生命 梵高的父亲是荷兰新教教会的牧师 一位不知名的人说 : 对梵高来说, 圣经代表了他从父亲身上看到的一切 : 对于宗教和信仰的盲目忠诚 www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 1
God teaches us what need to understand to obey 上帝教育我们要理解的道理, 然后去遵守 Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible 诗篇 119 是圣经里最长的一章 The theme running through this chapter is a love for God s laws 贯穿这一整章的主题就是对于上帝律法的爱 At the start of each verse of this passage we find an instruction aimed at God 在这一段话里所有章节的开头, 我能看到向上帝提出的要求 Interesting that the Psalmist could make strong requests 有意思的是, 诗篇的作者可以以如此强烈的口吻提出要求 The words used are teach me, give me, direct me, turn my heart, turn my eyes 用的词都是 指教我, 给与我, 引领我, 改变我的心, 叫我转眼 Most people would struggle with making such strong requests of God 大部分人都会不敢向上帝提出这样强烈的请求 Only can be done from an understanding that it is good to ask what they have asked for 只有当我们理解了, 最好还是把心中的渴求向上帝提出来, 才能做到这样 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 1 Kings 3:10 列王记上 3 章 10 节 : 所罗门因为求这事, 就蒙主喜悦 God is pleased with us when we ask for good things 当我们向上帝求一切好事的时候, 他是喜悦的 We can therefore approach God with such bold requests as in this passage because they are the right things to ask for 因此我们可以向上帝坦诚的提出要求, 就像这段话里所述那样, 因为这些事情是该求的 One of the most holy requests is that people might be saved 最神圣的请求之一, 就是求人们能得救 "In the Troy Revival, as in previous ones, a sincere spirit of prayer prevailed. We had prayer meetings in different houses every day at 11 o'clock. 在特洛伊的复兴时期, 正如前述的一样, 虔诚祷告的精神十分盛行 我们每天 11 点, 在不同的地点都有祷告聚会 I remember that in one of these meetings a Mr S., who was a teller in the town bank, was so burdened by the spirit of prayer that after the meeting was finished (we had all knelt while we prayed) he was not able to get up off his knees. 我记得在 S 先生家的某一次祷告聚会中,S 先生是镇上银行的柜台职员, 那次祷告中他完全被祈祷的灵所感动, 以至于在祷告会结束后,( 我们在祷告时都是跪着的 ) 他居然都站不起来了 He stayed on his knees weeping in agony for souls. He said "Pray for Mr...", who was the director of the bank where he worked. The director was a wealthy, unconverted man. 他继续跪 www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 2
在地上, 因为灵魂上极大的痛苦而啜泣 他说 为 * 先生祷告, 那人是他上班的银行的主管 他是一个富有的, 还没有归顺上帝的人 When the others saw that his soul suffered birth pains for this man, the others knelt down and wrestled in prayer for his conversion. As soon as Mr S.'s mind was peaceful enough that he could go home, we all withdrew; soon afterwards the bank director expressed his hope in Jesus Christ. Until then, I think, he had never been to any meetings, and it was not known that he was ever concerned about his salvation. 当其他人看到 S 先生为这个人所遭受着的如同分娩一样的巨大痛苦, 其他人也都跪了下来, 努力为他的归顺而祷告 当 S 先生的内心平复之后, 他就能回家了, 我们也都离开了 不久后, 那家银行的主管就表现出了兴趣, 要从耶稣那里找寻希望 我想, 在那之前, 他没参加过什么聚会, 他也不知道自己有那么关心自己的救赎问题 But prayer took over and soon God took the case in His hands". Charles Finney 1826 Charles Finney 于 1826 年说 : 然而祷告接管了一切, 很快, 上帝的双手就把这事承担 2) Learn 学习 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Psalm 119:33&34 诗篇 119 章 33&34 节 : 33 耶和华啊, 求你将你的律例指教我, 我必遵守到底!34 求你赐我悟性, 我便遵守你的律法, 且要一心遵守 God teaches us what we need to understand 上帝教育我们要理解的道理 God teaches through scripture 上帝通过圣经来教导我们 Scripture gives us the instructions of how to live 圣经指导我们该如何去生活 Our greatest source of understanding comes from God s teaching through scripture 上帝通过圣经给予我们的教导, 是理解的最主要来源 This involves us spending time reading scripture 这就需要我们花时间去读经 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Psalm 119:97 诗篇 119 章 97 节 : 我何等爱慕你的律法, 终日不住地思想 God teaches us His laws 上帝教给我们他的律法 God is therefore the source of understanding for us 因此上帝就是我们理解的来源 Sometimes Biblical instruction is logical e.g. 有时候, 圣经的指示是合乎逻辑的 Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1 马太福音 6 章 1 节 : 你们要小心, 不可将善事行在人的面前, 故意叫他们看见, 若是这样, 就不能得你们天父的赏赐了 Instructions like these are simple enough 像这样的指示是再好懂不过了 www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 3
In this case we should not do good things to be rewarded by others because we miss out on being rewarded by God 这句话就是说, 我们不应该为了获得别人的褒奖而做善事, 因为我们因此会忽视了上帝对我们的褒奖 This verse speaks of the intention behind someone doing good works 这段话说的是行善事背后的动机 Other times instructions are not so simple to follow 还有些时候, 这些指示并没有这么好懂 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 雅格书 1 章 22 节 : 只是你们要行道, 不要单单听道, 自己欺哄自己 It makes sense to not just be listeners but be doers. 不要光听不做, 这是有道理的 The problem is how do we do what the Bible says, how do we apply it to our lives 问题是, 我们怎么 依照圣经所说的来做 呢? 我们如何在生活中去实践呢? This is where the Holy Spirit helps people to know the application 这就是圣灵, 她会帮助我们知道如何去实践圣经的道理 The only way to keep laws and obey them with all our hearts is with the help of God leading us every day of our lives 我便遵守你的律法, 且要一心遵守 的唯一方法就是让上帝在每一天都领导我们的生活 God teaches us if we pray and ask for the understanding He gives us 上帝教导我们要祷告, 求他给我们正确的理解 The simple prayer Lord, what do I do now can reveal to us what we should do 最简单的祷告语 主啊, 我现在该何去何从 就能让我们知道我们该怎么做 If we give God the opportunity to teach us and we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, we learn what we should do each day. 如果我们给了上帝机会来教导我们, 我们也让圣灵来引领我们, 我们就能学会每天我们该怎么做 Bible Holy Spirit Learning 3) Obey 遵守 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 4
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word Psalm 119:35-37 诗篇 119 章 35-37 节 :35 求你叫我遵行你的命令, 因为这是我所喜乐的 36 求你使我的心趋向你的法度, 不趋向非义之财 37 求你叫我转眼不看虚假, 又叫我在你的道中生活 God shows us where to go 上帝指引我们该往哪里去 Having understanding is not enough 只理解是不够的 We need to put it into practice 我们还要去实践 We need the Holy Spirit and wisdom to help us to know how to follow what the Bible is saying 我们需要圣灵和智慧来帮助我们明白如何去依照圣经所说的去做 The Holy Spirit not only helps reveal to us what God is saying to us through the Bible. It also helps us to know how to apply it and therefore obey God. 圣灵不仅有助于让我们明白上帝通过圣经对我们所说的是什么, 也能帮助我们明白如何去实践这些道理, 从而顺服上帝 God, by his Spirit, gives a right understanding. But the Spirit of revelation in the word will not suffice, unless we have the Spirit of wisdom in the heart. Matthew Henry Matthew Henry 说 : 上帝借着圣灵给我们正确的理解 然而这个词本身所具有的灵的启示还依然不足够, 除非我们有智慧的属灵住在我们的心里 When we continue to spend time reading the Bible and asking God for help to put it into practice we become people of righteousness 当我们坚持花时间读圣经并向上帝求助帮我们在生活中去做到这些事, 我们就成了公义的人 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. Psalm 119:9 诗篇 119 章 9 节 : 少年人用什麼潔淨他的行為呢? 是要遵行你的話! Interesting to see that the Psalmist is asking God to help them to obey God 看到诗篇作者求上帝帮助他们去顺从上帝, 很有意思 Surely this is something that is in our control 这理所当然是我在我们控制范围内的 What this passage shows us is the opposite 而这段话所说的却完全相反 When we think that our Christian living and our character is up to us alone, that is when we stuff up. 当我们认为我们基督样的生活和我们的性格都完全取决于自己的时候, 我们就有麻烦了 So many believers I have met that have been Christians longer than I have been alive often share that they don t see themselves as strong Christians even though their lives display that they are. The reason is because they become more and more aware of how weak they are in their own strength and how strong they are with God. This has been learnt over years and years of fellowship with God. 我遇到过好多基督徒, 他们在基督里的时间甚至比我的都长, 他们都常常跟我说他们觉得自己并不是坚强的基督徒, 即便根据他们在生活中表现, 他们完全是坚强的基督徒 这是因为他们越来越感觉到自己力量的弱小以及在上帝身边力量的强大 这是经过很多很多年, 才逐渐体会到的 www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 5
The Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me 2 Corinthians 12:9 歌林多后书 12 章 9 节 : 他對我說 : 我的恩典夠你用的, 因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全 所以, 我更喜歡誇自己的軟弱, 好叫基督的能力覆庇我 We must realize that we are in partnership with God in our understanding and our living God is not just the source of our understanding, He is also the source of the strength we need to obey 我们必须要明白, 我们在理解上是与上帝为伴的, 我们鲜活的上帝不仅仅是我们理解的来源, 他也是我们力量的来源, 让我们能做到顺服 We must ask God to help us to live lives of holiness 我们必须要请求上帝来帮助我们过上圣洁的生活 To put this into a process 要开始这样做 We begin by learning and understanding 我们首先要学习和理解 This comes through scripture and the Holy Spirit helping us to apply it in each situation 这是通过圣经和圣灵的帮助, 让我们在每种情况下都能应用我们所学的道理 When we know what to do, we then obey it 当我们知道该做什么了, 我们就遵照去行 Continuing to obey and follow God s instructions for us leads to lives of righteousness 继续遵从跟随上帝对我们的教导, 这样才能活得公义 Learning Obedience Righteousness Takeaways 记忆要点 1) Request God s help for understanding and for being Christlike 请求上帝帮助我们理解, 帮助我们像基督徒那样去行事 2) God is the source of learning and strength 上帝是教诲和力量的来源 3) The Holy Spirit helps us to understand and to obey 圣灵帮助我们去理解 去遵行 www.hurstvillecofc.org.au 6