重拾神的话 (历代志下34章)
重拾神的话 (历代志下34章)
几年前我在北京向一位出租车师传福音，当时美国正向伊拉克开战。师傅对我说：‘单单看到世上那么多邪恶的事，又叫我怎能相信世上仍有绝对的真理呢？’我说：‘师傅，若世上没有绝对的真理，那你与我又凭什么说撒达母胡申是邪恶的呢？’他回答说：‘唔，你说的也对。但真理又是什么呢？’记得彼拉多在审问耶稣时也问过这同样的问题。但耶稣还没来的及回答他，彼拉多就已经拂袖而去了。我对出租车师傅说：‘师傅，世上只有一个人说过他是真理的化身哦！’师傅说：‘是谁？好样的！’我说：‘是耶稣’。谈啊谈的，在我付了钱要下车时，他对我说：‘看来我倒是要到教堂去买本圣经来看看了！’
在约翰福音五章39,40节，耶稣曾说：‘你们查考圣经（或译：应当查考圣经），因你们以为内中有永生；给我作见证的就是这经。然而，你们不肯到我这里来得生命。’
但是常有人对我说：‘若圣经真的是神的话，有真理，那为什么读起来枯燥无味？’
曾经有位小女孩，十五歳时，父母送她一本小说，但她只翻了一两页，就觉得这本小说枯燥无味，就把书给櫊在一边。后来女孩慢慢长大，廿歳了，懂得，也开始恋爱了，突然发现她的男朋友是位作家，不但如此，以前她认为枯燥无味的那本书，还是她的男朋友写的呢！高与之余，她当天晚上回到家里，一口气就把那本她以前认为枯燥无味的书给看完了！还看了两三次呢！为什么会是这样？我相信你会明白。
没错，对许多人来说，特别是对不信又或是初信主的人来说，开始读神的话时也许会枯燥，但是当你越坚持读下去时，再加上当你的人生面对越来越多的挑战时，人生经历越来越丰富时，你会发现在你成长的同时，你对神话语明白及欣赏的能力，悟性也就越来越深了。当你透过读神的话，开始学习让神在天路上与你同行，小心翼翼但却又充满兴奋的行走的同时，你会发现你越来越喜欢及爱上神的话，以致你开始发现没有神的话，你根本就走不下去。
难怪有人说，圣经乃是上帝写给祂的孩子们的一封情书。读自己的情书只会越读越有味道。但读别人的情书呢？也会有味道，因为好奇啊！但读多了就没兴趣了，为什么？因为不是写给你的啊！人与神之间也是这样，有了闗系，神的话就如蜜一样的甘甜令人喜爱。什么时候你没有了神的话，你与神的关系就越来越疏远，最终你所活所行的一切都会站在真理的另一边了。个人生活是这样，整个国家的命运也是这样！
在今早所读的经文里，讲到一位敬畏神的王帝，名叫约西亚！在约西亚作王之前，犹大国曾被一连串邪恶的皇帝所统治着。特别是约西亚王的祖父玛拿西最为邪恶！第三十三章告诉我们说玛拿西王祭拜事奉天上的万象，观兆，用法术，行邪术，交鬼和行巫术，甚至使自己的儿女们经火等等。当约西亚登基作王时他才八岁！约西亚与他的父亲祖父们不一样，他一生行耶和华眼中看为正的事。34章3节还说他在16岁那年把生命献给神（注：献给神的生命不一定就做牧师传道）！
我是在十八歳的那一年奉献自己事奉神。虽然事奉这条路不容易走，也有遇到过不少困难甚至无理的攻击，但这一切我都已经习惯了，也从未后悔过。但是不是就表示我时刻都很享受事奉神？不是的。只是我把一切的困难都看成是事奉主的十字架的一部份。耶稣也说过若有人要跟随我，就当背起他的十字架。我的十字架与许多人比起来又算什么呢？若我的人生可以重新再来，那怕是我不一定选择做牧师，但我可以说除了事奉神之外，没有任何工作可以给我带来更大的喜乐及满足，特别是当我亲眼看到人的生命因着神的话语得改变的时候。事奉神的道路容易吗？不容易！但我喜欢事奉神吗？答案是肯定的！
当约西亚王到达了20岁的时候，圣经说他下令将犹大国内所有的偶像及邪术给完全除去，到了26岁时，他下令重建耶和华上帝的圣殿。也就是在犹大国举国上下的人在重建神的殿时，这个国家里就发生了一件很美的历史记载！
原来在建圣殿时，有些工匠是全时间的，所以当时的领袖们就从圣殿中取出一些的银钱来，给他们养家糊口。没想到，就当他们把银钱由圣殿的地窖中取出来的时候，他们在银钱的最底层时，他们竟然发现了失去了许久上帝的律法书！这好比一个人一年没读圣经因为圣经不见了。但没想到在新年时为了派红包，你把钱箱从衣柜里拿出来，竟然发现你找了一年的圣经竟然就埋在你的钱箱最下面。这就正是当时的情形。神的律法书已有至少七十年的时间在犹太国中不见天日，被掩盖在许多的钱财下面。注意：这件事不是发生在家里，而是发生在圣殿里！可见当时连最神圣的地方，神的话都被埋在钱财下，整个社会及国家就可想而知了。难怪犹大全国上下弥漫着一股邪恶的文化及拜偶像的风气共达七十多年之久！
几千年前是这样，廿一世纪的今天也一样。不论是在那一个国家，在一个经济挂帅的社会里，当那超越物质世界的卓越绝对价值观因着人的私利，变成相对时，随之而来的是许多邪恶的势力在社会中冉冉上升。不同形式的贪婪也无形中成为了社会中不成文的美德。在一个以经济挂帅的年代里，只要把经济搞好，管它谁当政，管它是什么政策。在最近三年里，许多中国的传道人对我说，许多曾经很热心的基督徒对神话语的渴慕已经大不如前，用他们的话说：爱世界去了！
有一位作者叫Ian Breward博士，他写了一本书名叫：［天下最没有神的地方－The Most Godless Place on Earth］（即指澳大利亚）。在结论时，他这样说：“早期的澳洲社会还存在着一种公认的基督教道德价值观，而这种的价值观也正是塑造澳洲社会的基本。”我很爱澳大利亚我的国家。但每一天拿起报纸，我总觉得我们的国家好像在那里出了问题。
不晓你还记不记得在多年前，澳洲社会及政治家在讨论是否要保留女皇制还是改成共和制时，当时支持共和制的一个代表在堪培拉建议把神的赐福写在共和国的序文里。这句话是这样的：“澳大利亚共同体谦卑的依赖全能上帝的恩福！” 但这个建议被压倒性的给推翻了。在98年二月10日堪培拉早报还这样的报导说：“是对是错，神的赐福被否决了”！
当上帝的绝对与赐福被否决时，正常的就变成不正常，不正常的就变成正常（我们称为怪现象）。有一位弟兄告诉我他曾经亲眼目睹好几次有趣的事件：澳洲人把狗放在小孩的手推车里，而妈妈切用一根绳子拉着小孩在行人道上行走！
今天的社会不缺乏物质生活，但人人心中就是有一种莫明的不安感，我相信是与我们心中的惧怕有关。我们害怕毒品及艾滋病会如何的影响我们的孩子，害怕失去我们所珍惜的自由，害怕环境污染的问题，害怕与日俱增的罪案事件，害怕恋童癖的前犯着是否就住在我们家隔壁，我们害怕逐渐下降的道德标准，害怕未知的未来，最近又害怕越来越多的移民会否把我们及我们的孩子们的工作机会给抢去。其实真正的原因是我们内心深处存在着一种道德的真空，一种因失去异象 – 个人或国家 – 而产生的不安感。为什么会这样? 我想这与我们在生活中不再有神的话，不再相信神的话有着直接关系。曾经有一位作家说：英国创造了莎士比亚，但圣经创造了英国。今天，一个不再以神的话作为最高准则的英国已大不如前了。
一位著名的神学家曾经这样说：“对于我们的祖父母那辈子的人来说，宗教 – 基督教 – 意谓着一种的个人信念。对于我们的父母来说，基督教至少还是一种很好的遗传及礼仪。但对于他们那己被解放了的孩子们来说，基督教己逐渐成为了一种过时的时尚。犹有进之的是今天许多的父母正眼睁睁带着困惑的眼神看着道德与宗教一同的消失了。”
社会是这个，国家是这样，家庭也是这样，个人也是这样。今天的世界给我发出太多不同同时又相互冲突矛盾的信息。比如说我们应如何处理怒气？有节制的人生对我们真的好吗？美的标准又是什么？真正的智慧又是什么？诚信真的那么重要吗？祷告真的可行吗？宇宙中真的有绝对的标准吗？若没有，我们又凭什么说自由肯定比被压制来的好？公义比贪婪好，爱比仇恨好，和平比战争好？当我们把那超越的拿去，每个人都在自说自话，做自己眼中看为对的事，这与士师时代，与春秋战国时代不是很像吗？
约西亚王很清楚这一点。他知道他的国家的存亡与神的律法书有着不可分割的关系。所以当他的秘书将找回来的律法书读出来时，约西亚王就撕裂衣服在神前悔改。因为他的悔改及谦卑，神就在26节对他说：“因你听了我的话，便心里敬服，在我面前自卑，向我哭泣，所以我应允了你。。。你可以平平安安的离开人间。”
重拾神的话语！弟兄姐妹们，耶稣说的再清楚不过：‘人活着不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话！’若你稍微注意，教会为了鼓励弟兄姐妹们注重神的话，鼓励大家带圣经来，自己学习翻圣经，所以不再把经文投射出来了。我们也已经开始透过约翰福音的解经讲道教导大家如何读神的话，且读的有兴趣。我们也按讲道经文出了题目给生命小组去讨论，帮助大家学习将神的话应用在生活里。同时在［门徒之路］季刊里鼓励大家天天读经，一年将之读完。
圣经说天地都要过去（太五18），但神的话一点一划也不会过去。我们都在天天变老，有一天当一切都成为过去时，我们不再如年轻的时候来去自如的时候，看看不清，听觉也越来越差，说话也不清楚，越来越少人对你说的话有兴趣时，当言语再也不足于表达你内心深处因生活所累积的心声及经历与精华时，在你生命里还剩下什么呢？当这时刻到来时，一切突然变的是那么的微不足道。这时候，我们来到一个与永恒面对面的时刻。当永恒向我们招手呼唤时，没有任何一件东西比神的应许更能预备我们去面对那一天的到来了。
曾有一人在沙漠上行走。突然他听见一个声音对他说：“拿起一些小石子放在你的口袋里。你明天会为此同时感到高兴又伤心。” 这人照着去做。没想到第二天当他把手伸进袋子时，这些小石子竟一粒粒的变成了钻石，玛瑙，及翡翠。他因此感到高兴但又伤心。高兴是因为他至少拿了一些的小石子。伤心是因为他拿的不够多。我想对于神的话也应该是这样，你说不是吗？
曾有人说，英国创造了莎士比亚，但圣经创造了英国！没有神的话，我们什么都不是。再华丽再先进再大的享受，只会把人带到一个更空虚更虚无的人生。一个国家尚且如此，更何况是人呢？我鼓励你由今天开始，爱神的话，读神的话，热心传讲神的话。
一有机会就参加查经班，生命小组，与神的儿女们一同沐浴在神的话语中，让神的话语装饰你的生命，让神的话语来洗涤你的灵魂，让神的话来更新你的思想，让神的话来快活你的心，你会发现你的生命再也不一样。
诗篇84篇1-8：
（可拉后裔的诗，交与伶长。用迦特乐器。）万军之耶和华阿，你的居所何等可爱。
我羡慕渴想耶和华的院宇。我的心肠，我的肉体，向永生神呼吁（或作欢呼）。
万军之耶和华我的王，我的神阿，在你祭坛那里，麻雀为自己找着房屋。燕子为自己找着抱雏之窝。
如此住在你殿中的，便为有福。他们仍要赞美你。（细拉）
靠你有力量心中想往锡安大道的，这人便为有福。
他们经过流泪谷，叫这谷变为泉源之地。并有秋雨之福，盖满了全谷。
他们行走，力上加力，各人到锡安朝见神。
耶和华万军之神阿，求你听我的祷告。雅各的神阿，求你留心听。（细拉）
[Re-discovering the Word of God 2nd Chronicles 34: 1-3,8, 14-21 21/Feb/2010Asian Four Services]
Beijing：A few years ago I was sharing Christ with a taxi driver in Beijing. At that time, the war in Iraq was at its height. The taxi driver said to me: “How can I believe that there is Truth in this world when there are so many evil things going on around us?” I said, ‘Well, if there is no truth, on what basis do you and I judge Saddam Hussein and call him evil?” In response to that, he said: “What you say makes sense. But, what is Truth?” Now, this sounds familiar doesn’t it? It is exactly what Pontius Pilate asked of Jesus. But before Jesus could answer, Pilate had already walked away. In the end, I said to the taxi driver: ‘Listen, my friend, there is only one man in the entire human history who ever claimed to be the ONLY Truth – that man is Jesus!’ At the end of our journey, he said to me: “Looks like I need to get a bible!’
Eternal Life in Bible：（John5:39 – 40）Jesus once said this to the learned scholars in Jerusalem: ‘You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.’ Now, if you do not yet have Jesus in your life, are you willing to come to him for life? If you profess to be a Christian, what is preventing you from loving and reading the Bible?
Boring: The one question many people ask today is this: “Well, if the bible really is the word of God, then why is it so boring to read?’ Once, a little girl was given a story book on her birthday! After flipping through the first few pages, she shelved it away because she thought it was too boring to read! Over the years as the little girl grew up into becoming a young and beautiful lady, she started going out with a handsome young man. One day, she discovered that her boy friend was actually a novelist and the very story book she thought boring was actually written by him! Upon learning that, she quickly went home, closed the door, and devoured the entire story book with great interest. Well, the reason is obvious. I think it is the same when it comes to the reading the bible. However boring bible reading may be, especially to a beginner, the more persistently you read, and the more life begins to present you with different expectations, the more you will grow, and so too will your ability to comprehend and appreciate how important and meaningful God’s words are to you. As you begin your spiritual journey with both hesitance and excitement, do so with the anticipation that the further you walk, the more you will love and enjoy reading His Word, so much so that it will become your lifeline!
Love Letter: No wonder some people call the Bible God’s love letter to his children. You see, nothing is the same as reading your own love letters, is it? Reading others’ love letters may be fascinating at first, but before long, you will lose interest. Likewise, having a special relationship with God through Jesus, the bible becomes as sweet as honey and pleasing to your heart! Without it, your relationship with the Lord will become more and more distant, and you will find yourself on the other side of the truth. This is not only true for individuals, but true for the destiny of a nation!
Joshua & Me: In the passage we have just read this morning, we are told of a godly king by the name of Josiah. Preceding his ascension to the throne, the nation of Judah had long been ruled by a succession of evil kings for at least 70 years. His grandfather Manasseh was the worst of all these. In chapter 33, we are told that King Manasseh worshipped the starry hosts, he practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and he consulted mediums and spiritualists – quite a New Age guy. He even sacrificed his own sons and daughters in the fire. However, when Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight, he broke this terrible tradition and chose to do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father David. Verse 3 even tells us that King Josiah actually committed his life to God at the age of sixteen.
I committed my life to serve God at the age of 18. Since then, as a ‘church minister’, my life has not always been easy and I have had my fair share of unjust treatment and false accusations. However, I see trials and difficulties as part of the cross one must to bear in order to serve the Lord. I never look back! Even if my life were to start all over again, or even if I had chosen a different career path, there is nothing that can compare to the joy I have found over the years in serving people and in seeing many lives changed as a result of ministering to people with the word of God. Is it easy to be a pastor? No! But do I like my job? Yes, you bet I do!
Idol & Temple: Now, when King Josiah turned 20, the bible says he gave an order to have all idols and evil practices throughout the land of Judah removed and destroyed! When he turned 26, he gave another order to have the temple of God rebuilt. As the whole nation responded to the call of the Lord, something beautiful happened in the history of Judah!
Law Discovered: To rebuild the temple, workers were needed. Moreover, these workers had to be paid. So the leaders took this pay from the temple money that had been collected from the people in the past. But as they were bringing out the money, verse 14 tells us that Hilkiah the priest discovered the Book of God’s Law that had gone missing for so long! This is interesting. Picture this in your mind: When you open your cash box during Chinese New Year, suddenly, hidden under piles of cash, you find the bible that you have not touched for years! This is exactly what happened to the Jews! The book of God had been concealed for years, lying at the bottom of all their worldly treasures. And guess what? This incident happened in the holiest of places – the temple of God! Think about this, my friend – if the bible – the holy word of God – cannot even be found in the church, hidden beneath piles of money and treasure, then what hope is there for the entire nation? It is of little wonder now, why the nation of Judah had been plagued by a culture of evil for almost 70 years!
Society the Same: As economy takes precedence over God’s law in almost every society today, a widespread degradation of morality has caused many evils to emerge in the world. Greed, in one form or another, has become an unwritten virtue. The dominance of an economic agenda in our society, stripped of transcendent moral values, has slowly become the standard by which we judge what is right and wrong. We see government after government using economic performance as a measure of their success rather than abiding by a higher code of ethics and principles. “So long as the economy is good”, people say, “Who cares about the government and what policies they make!”
There is a book called “The Most Godless Place Under Heaven” written by Dr Ian Breward. In his conclusion, Ian said, and I quote: “In the early days, there was broad agreement that the major moral emphases of Christianity were essential for the well-being of the Australian society.” I love Australia, but I think our society has gone astray somewhat. If you still remember – in early 1998, amidst the heat of constitutional debates between the Republicans and the Monarchists, a proposal was made to include the following words in the Republic prelude. These are the words and I quote: “The people of the commonwealth of Australia, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God!” But this proposal was later rejected so overwhelmingly that on the 10th of Feb the same year, an article came out in the Canberra Times entitled: “Right or Wrong, Blessings Denied!”
Fear, drugs, freedom, environ, moral, future, migrants: Despite a good standard of living, we all know that Australia and, in fact, many other affluent countries in the west today are undergoing a profound sense of malaise. The reason is partly fear – fear of what drugs and Aids might do to our kids, fear of losing our freedom, fear of environmental problems, fear of crime, fear of recession, fear of terrorism, fear of declining moral standards, fear of the unknown future, and now what? Fear of the increasing number of migrants robbing us of our jobs. At the heart of the problem there is a moral vacuum – a restlessness that betrays the loss of vision both at the national and the individual level. Why? Because we have lost the transcendental authority and the moral consensus based on the Holy Scriptures widely accepted in the early days. We have lost the book of God by which we prioritize our life and on which we base our human values of what is right and wrong. Hans Kung, a famous theologian pointed out at least one of our fundamental problems today:
For our grandparents, religion – Christianity – was still a matter of personal conviction. For our parents, it remained at least a matter of tradition and good manners. For their emancipated sons and daughters, however, it is becoming increasingly a matter of the past that is no longer binding – passed away and obsolete. Moreover, there are parents today who observe with perplexity that morality has vanished together with religion.
Anger, Discipline, Honesty, Prayer, Wisdom, Beauty, Freedom, Righteous: Indeed, our world sends many conflicting signals on the important issues of life. How should we approach anger? Is discipline a good thing or not? Why speak with honesty? Is prayer for real? What is true beauty and wisdom? What is the true definition of freedom? Is there such a thing as righteous war and, if there is, by whose righteousness? To the end, everyone seems to be listening to themselves and doing what is right in their own eyes. Isn’t this a bit like the time of Judges in the Old Testament?
King Josiah knew very well: that the survival of his nation was inextricably tied to the book of God that they found in the temple. He needed only to look around to see the degradation of Judah over the past 70 years- Immorality was everywhere and his country was near bankruptcy. So when his secretary read from the book of God which they accidentally found, the king literally tore his robes and repented. Because of his humble response, God says to him in verse 26: “Because you heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what He spoke against this place and its people…you will be buried in peace.”
Bible, Exegetical, LG Qs, Reading Plan: My friend, what is the most important thing in life? Jesus has made it so clear when He said ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by the word of God’! You must have noticed by now that as part of our plan to encourage people to get familiarised with the Bible, we no longer project bible verses on the screen. We have also started preaching on the gospel of John exegetically and systematically, so as to teach our members how to read and interpret the word of God, and learn to apply it to your daily life via LG discussion. In addition to that, a bible reading plan has also been designed as you can find in your Discipleship Pathway Booklet.
Immobile, Hear, Interested, Can’t hear u, Insufficient: Jesus once said in Matthew 5:18 that until heaven and earth disappear, the word of God will not! You see, we are getting older each day. There will be a day when you and I will become senile – no longer able to move around as freely as we used to be, no longer able to hear as clearly as we used to, when no one seems to be interested in what we say anymore, neither can they hear you clearly, and when words simply become insufficient to express how we feel and think as a result of years of hardship. When that happens, what else will we have left? My friend, at such a time, everything else becomes insignificant. As we draw close to the end of our lives, as eternity bids us closer, nothing can prepare us well enough for that day other than the eternal Word and faithful promises of God our Father and creator!
A man was out walking in the desert when a voice said to him, “Pick up some pebbles and put them in your pocket, and tomorrow you will be both sorry and glad.” The man obeyed. He stooped down and picked up a handful of pebbles and put them in his pocket. The next morning he reached into his pocket and found diamonds and rubies and emeralds. And he was both glad and sorry. Glad that he had taken some — sorry that he hadn’t taken more. And so it is with God’s word.
Britain: As the saying goes – Britain makes Shakespeare, but the Bible makes Britain! Without God and His eternal words, we are nothing –whether we are a nation or an individual!
Love & Read, Bath & Adore, Cleansed, Renewed, Pleasure: My encouragement for you today is this: Start loving and reading His word today. Let your life be bathed by and adored with His Word, let your soul be cleansed by His word on a daily basis, let your mind be renewed by His word, and take pleasure in nothing but the word of God, and you will find yourself no longer the same as we walk along life’s journey each day!
Psalm 84: How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.
澳大利亚. 温牧师
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