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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Receive the Blessings Prepared by God

Sunday, 25^th September 2022

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

Isaiah 41:8-10

“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

Today is the time New Zealand farewells to winter and enters summer, and it is also the day when the Jews farewell to 5782 and enter 5783. The Jews blew the trumpet on the first day of the new year, calling on everyone to examine their lives for the past, to use ten days as the Day of Atonement, and to usher in the new year with confession and atonement. Every new year, God gives us new hope. The 66 books of the Bible are full of God’s promises and His love for us, but many times, we don’t see these promises and blessings, but feel that they are far away from us. In the past year, we have lived in panic due to the pandemic, the economy, security, and other issues. As we enter the year 5783, how can we receive the promises and blessings that God has prepared for us.

1. My Servant

To receive God’s blessing, we must first know how to be God’s servant, just as God said in Isaiah 41:8 that only Israel is “my servant.” However, many times, we do not want to be servants, we only have many expectations of ourselves, turning God into our servants, asking God to do things for us through prayer, and letting God follow us, and we are only willing to believe God when he answers our prayers. . This unwillingness to become God’s servants prevents us from receiving all the promises and blessings God has in store for us in the Bible.

2. My Chosen One

God’s blessings do not belong to all servants, because God has His choices. The story of Jacob wrestling with God and changing his name, recorded in Genesis 32:24-30, tells us what kind of man God has chosen. Even though Jacob sprained the socket of his thigh while wrestling, he still held on to “the man” and said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” God’s chosen people hold on to God tightly and do not let go. They are very eager for God’s Word, promises, and blessings. Are we thirsty for all the words and promises in the Bible? Do we give up easily when our prayers have not been answered after we prayed only once or twice? God said to Jacob, who did not let go, “Your Name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you wrestled with God and men, and prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). The Israelites’ names represented their lives, and Jacob’s renaming represented that him no longer belonged to the old Jacob. When we decide to believe, be baptized, and follow Jesus, are we willing to let go of our past lives, or take our dead bodies and old selves with us? Are we willing to let go of our old selves and receive a new destiny from God like Jacob did? Are we willing to let go of things that we couldn’t let go and forgive in the past? We must forget the back and strive to run toward the goal to receive the blessings God has prepared for His chosen ones.

3. My Friend

To receive God’s blessing, we must also become God’s friends. God did not make us slaves, but to be “the seed of his friend Abraham.” We do not become Abraham, but “the seed of Abraham.” When God called Abraham out of his own father’s house, Abraham followed God by faith and received the blessings God would give him and his descendants. As the descendants of Abraham, do we believe in God’s promise to Abraham, do we believe that the place where we step on is a blessed place, and are we willing to let go of the enjoyment and temptation the world offers us? When we are willing to receive this blessing, we must be sanctified from the world, just as Abraham left his own country and his father’s house and never returned.

God’s blessing to us is that we should be the top and not the bottom, the first and not the last. He wants to lift us up and bless us to be rich and able to help the poor and yet we still have a lot of problems and depression because we don’t take the time to connect with God. Do we believe that God’s Word to us never changes? We must be willing to be God’s servants, God’s chosen ones, and God’s friends, because the thoughts of the Lord God are thoughts of peace. As we enter the year 5783, let us use these ten days to carefully examine our past lives and attitudes toward faith, and receive God’s blessings for us in the new year!

主日讲道记录 – 2022年9月25日

#领受神所预备的祝福

• 潘锡安牧师

*经文 – 以赛亚书 41:8-10

今天是新西兰挥别冬季、进入夏季的时候，也是犹太人挥别5782年、进入5783年的日子。犹太人在过年的第一天就吹角，呼召所有人为过去省察自己的生命，用十天的时间来做赎罪日，用认罪赎罪来迎接新的一年。每一个新年，神都给我们新的盼望。圣经的66卷书里充满了神的应许和他对我们的爱，但很多时候，我们看不到这些应许、祝福，反而觉得它们离我们很远。过往的一年，我们因着疫情、经济、治安等方面的问题而活在恐慌中，在进入5783年的时刻，我们要如何领受神为我们预备的应许和祝福呢？

一、我的仆人

要领受神的祝福，首先要懂得去做神的仆人，正如神在以赛亚书41:8这里说唯有以色列是“我的仆人”。然而很多时候，我们不愿成为仆人，只有很多自己的期待，把神变为我们的仆人，用祷告来要求神帮我们做事，让神跟着我们，只在神答应我们祷告的时候才愿意相信他。这种不愿成为神的仆人的态度致使我们无法领受神在圣经里为我们所预备的一切应许和祝福。

二、我所拣选的

神的祝福并非属于所有的仆人，因为神是有所拣选的。创世纪32:24-30里所记载关于雅各跟神摔跤、改名的事情告诉我们神所拣选的是怎样的人。雅各即使在摔跤时大腿窝扭伤了，他仍然抓住“那个人”不放，说“你不给我祝福，我就不容你去”。神所拣选的人是紧紧抓住神不放手的，他对神的话语、应许、和祝福是非常渴慕的。我们对圣经里面所有的话语和应许是否渴慕？当我们祷告一两次还没有被应允的时候，我们会轻易放弃吗？神对那不放手的雅各说：“你的名不要再叫雅各，要叫以色列，因为你与神与人较力，都得了胜”（创32:28）。以色列人的名字代表他们的生命，雅各的改名代表神让他不再属于过去的雅各。当我们决志相信、受洗跟从耶稣的时候，我们愿意放下过往的生命吗，还是带着过去的死尸、老我？我们是否愿意像雅各那样放下自己的老我，去领受神所赐新的命定？我们是否愿意放下过去所不能放下、不能原谅的事情？我们要忘记背后，努力向着标杆奔跑，领受神为他所拣选的人预备的祝福。

三、我朋友

要领受神的祝福，我们也要成为神的朋友。神并没有让我们做奴仆，而是成为他的“朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔”。我们不是成为亚伯拉罕，而是“亚伯拉罕的后裔”。当神将亚伯拉罕从他的本族父家呼召出来的时候，亚伯拉罕就凭信心跟从神，领受神要给他和他后裔的祝福。我们身为亚伯拉罕的后裔，是否相信神给亚伯拉罕的应许，是否相信我们脚踏之地就是蒙福的地方，是否愿意放下世界给我们的享受、诱惑？当我们愿意领受这份祝福时，就要与世界分别为圣，正如亚伯拉罕离开本族本乡父家之后就再也没有回去了。当我们跟从神的时候，我们真的愿意不再效法这个世界吗？我们平时接触到的信息大部分都是不属神的，我们不需要躲到山洞去生活，而要像圣经所记载的先知但以理样 – 他曾在充满偶像的巴比伦生活、还按照皇宫的规矩而服事外邦君王，却仍然能从中分别为圣，一日三次向神祷告，甚至不吃拜过偶像的食物，不让世界沾染自己，所以他经历神。如今的我们活在这个世界要如何过分别为圣的生活？我们不是什么事情都不做，而要像但以理那样时常与神连接。我们若没有花时间向神祷告，我们其实就是在与这个世界连接。很多回教徒可以为了能定时定点祷告而不顾周围的状况，他们对信仰的坚持甚至影响了西方国家，而我们基督徒是否只想要自由、爱，只在自己觉得舒服方便的时候才祷告？我们的祷告生命弱，我们与神的连接就少，于是就成为世界的好朋友了。我们对世界流行的趋势了如指掌，对圣经的知识却不熟悉，因为我们将与神的关系变成宗教信仰。

神给我们的祝福是要我们居上不居下，居首不居尾。他要提升我们，祝福我们成为富裕、能以帮助贫穷的人，然而我们却仍处在很多问题、忧郁当中，因为我们没有花时间与神连接。我们是否相信神给我们的话语永不改变？我们要愿意成为神的仆人、神所拣选的、神的朋友，因为耶和华神所怀的意念是赐平安的意念。在进入5783年的时候，让我们用这十日好好鉴察我们过往的生命、对信仰的心态，在新的一年领受神给我们的祝福！