Wednesday, 23rd November 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
We must have the Word of God, without the Word, we will easily follow the teaching of the world and we will slowly lose our direction. Through the Word of God, we can walk in this path, and we will not need to be afraid. The Holy Spirit will guide us and lead us on this path, He is love and He will lead us into the Promised Land He has prepared for us. Where is the Promised Land and what is in the Promised Land? We will use our own expectations and definitions to see this Promised Land, but it’s actually not just one particular physical place, but it’s a place with God’s presence, and it’s a place we can experience God.
Section One V1-10
When the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, they faced the death of Moses and their forefathers, the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho, and the giants in the land. What do we rely on in the Promised Land? Not money, not fame, not our family, not our friends, but God. We don’t need to go to Israel, and we don’t need to go to the land of Canaan, in the place we fully rely on God, this is our Promised Land. God has led us this far because He wants us to rely on Him. We can never hide from God, and we should not hide from God, for He is a merciful God. He will call us back to Him, no matter where we are and no matter how far we have gone away.
V6 ‘And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.’ When we return, when we repent, God’s blessings will be with us abundantly. A lot of times, we feel like we are in a dark pit, and we cannot go on anymore, but by action, we can show our faith to God. We can never deal with our own problems but only by God. We must take the first step, to return in the impossible situation, and to follow God no matter what. Then God will be able to heal us and guide us to the right path.
In Jesus’ time, the woman with the blood disease came to Jesus first, then Jesus healed her. Can we come close to God even when it seems impossible? We humble ourselves and let go of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We must not wait until we are ready or when we feel better, but we must action now. God can solve all the problems in our lives, He is God, and He is our Father. We cannot solve our own problems by our own hands, only God can, but He is waiting for us to completely surrender.
V9-10 ‘The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the [b]fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.’ Do we live in God’s Promises? Everything and everyone born from us is blessed, and therefore we must believe in it, we have been blessed and we are loved. Everything and everyone belong to us is also loved. God is love, He gives us this opportunity to return and to repent.
Section Two V11-14 To Obey God’s Commandments
V11 ‘For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.’ Following God is not only by proclaiming it but also by following the commandments of God. We feel this is difficult to do, but God knows our weaknesses and He will not let us do what we cannot do. What is coming out from our mouth has power, so we should proclaim the Word of God, which is the truth. When we proclaim it, we also must believe in our heart, He is our Creator God, He is Powerful, and He is able. Do not give ourselves excuses not to read the Word of God, the Torah.
Section Three V15-20 To Choose Life
What do we listen to and what do we follow? It’s so easy for us to listen to and to see the teaching of men, and we feel the Bible is difficult to read. But is this true? We tend to choose the easy way, to listen to how others interpret the Bible, and not to read the Bible ourselves. Why do we tend to choose the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life? Because we want to be our own God, we want to make our own decisions, and we don’t want to let go of what we have right now. This is our choice, to put down our own lives and to choose the life from God.
申命记 30 – 在应许之地唯有神
2022年11月23日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
我们是否凭字面来判断“应许之地”的意义？应许之地其实是神同在、神与人建立关系的地方。以色列人要进入应许之地前先要遇到约旦河，约书亚面对的是摩西和亚伦的离世并自己带领第二代以色列人的责任，在进入耶利哥前还要做出一系列被人嗤笑的行动。应许之地不是一帆风顺，但经历神的同在、有神荣耀的彰显才是真正的应许之地。我们是否愿意放下过去对应许之地的错误认知，回到圣经里所启示的应许之地？在应许之地我们不能倚靠自己或任何其他人，最重要的是“唯有神”- 唯有信靠神，我们所在的地方才是应许之地。当我们软弱跌倒的时候，我们千万不要放弃。
一、v.1-10 要相信神的怜恤
V1 人在犯罪之后很习惯想要躲起来，因为害怕自己的错误被发现，不相信神的怜恤。当我们离开神，被赶逐到列国时，不要因为害怕犯罪而忘记神的怜恤。
V2-4 神不仅在对我们说话，也在对我们的子孙说话。虽然我们会犯罪，但只要我们愿意“尽心尽性归向耶和华你的神……听从他的话”, 神就会将我们召聚回来，哪怕我们已到了天涯海角。他是何等的爱我们。
V5 神是良善的阿爸父，当我们偏离神，活在咒诅中时，只要我们愿意回转向神，神就能将咒诅变为祝福。
V6 我们犯罪后会有很多担心，然而神教导我们忘记过去，用行动显明自己的悔改，我们自己无法处理生命中的软弱，是耶和华神他才能将我们“心里的污秽除掉”。唯有在不可能中我们先在行动上离开那些偏离神的事情、回转跟从神，神才会医治我们。不要等到神医治我们才跟从神，要听道而行道。神是怜悯的，我们要主动靠近他，承认自己是不能的 – 当我们在不可能的时候还愿意靠近神，就是在表明自己的谦卑。
V8 不要用我们的软弱或所面临的困难当做无法行动的借口，世上没有任何人事物是我们的神，在即使遍体鳞伤的时候我们还是听从神，才能真正经历神。
V9-10 “遵守”就是愿意去委身。当我们愿意委身，并且心里完全归向耶和华，先神后人再大地，神“必使你手里所办的一切事，并你身所生的，牲畜所下的，地土所产的，都绰绰有余”。我们不要用外在的表现来判断我们“身所生的”孩子，当我们相信他们是有福的，他们就是我们的祝福。我们也要宣告我们手所做的事都是被祝福的，前提就是我们要听从、谨守遵守神的话，并且尽心尽性归向神，让我们原本归向世界、情欲的心完全归向他。本来我们选择叛逆、诅咒，但是当我们选择回转的时候，神就会再次喜悦我们。神一直给我们机会，他是何等的良善、何等爱我们。
二、v.11-14 要遵行神的诫命
神亲自告诉我们，他给我们的诫命不是难行的，也离我们不远，而是离我们“甚近”。我们要背诵神的话，口中所宣告出来的话才有能力。我们真的相信神是创造天地、使无变为有的神吗？不要再给我们自己借口，而要花时间和精力扎根在神的话语里。
三、v.15-20 要选择生命
V15-16 我们听从的是人的教导还是神在圣经里的教导？我们是否觉得圣经里讲的东西只是属于以色列人的？耶稣来并非废掉律法，而是成全律法。耶稣所做的，我们还要做得“更大”。不要择易避难，要天天查考圣经。
V19 神已经将“生死祸福陈明在你面前”，我们要“拣选生命”，让我们和我们的后裔“都得存活”。
V20 人想要选择分辨善恶树，因为我们想有自己的生命，不愿意放下自我的想法、权力。然而，我们没有那个“我”的时候，神就成为我们的生命，我们“日子长久也在乎他”。在神带我们来到的土地上，让我们单单倚靠神，让神成为我们的 生命。
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church 
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