应许遥不可及时——亞伯拉罕的信心之旅（十）
When Promises Seem Far Away——
Abraham’s Journey of Faith Message of No.10
亚伯拉罕的信心之旅第十篇的信息：『COME HOME归家』——SOFTLY AND TENDERLY GOD CALLS THE WANDERING VICTIM上帝对流浪中受害者的慈声呼唤
《创世记》Genesis 16：7-16
主讲：林慈信牧师_校对：刘加立弟兄
引言Introduction：诗歌《耶稣温柔慈声向你呼唤》HYMN《SOFTLY AND TENDERLY JESUS IS CALLING》
我们来听一首诗歌的歌词《SOFTLY AND TENDERLY JESUS IS CALLING》：第一节：Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling，calling for you and for me耶稣温柔慈声恳切在呼唤；他呼唤你，呼唤我 。See on the portals，he’s waiting and watching，watching for you and for me他耐心在你心门外等候你，他等候你，等候我。Come home, come home. Ye who are weary，come home归家，归家，忧伤困倦者归家。Earnestly、tenderly Jesus is calling，calling“O sinner, come home.”耶稣温柔慈声恳切在呼唤，呼唤罪人快归家。
I.HAGAR AMONG OURSELVES: DISILLUSIONMENT、DEPARTURE、DESERTION我们中间的夏甲：失望、离开、离弃：
1.Hagar: A Familiar Story夏甲：这故事很熟悉吗？
First let us look at Hagar or rather let us look at Hagars among us、the Hagar among ourselves——disillusion、departure、desertion首先今天我们来看看：在我们中间的夏甲——失望、离开、离弃神的人。Is this a story very familiar夏甲这个故事很熟悉吗？The story of Hagar remind us of many people in church circles夏甲的故事让我们想起教会圈子里面很多人的。They may have had some contact with a church他们与教会都会曾有某一个程度上的接触。Then something disappointing happened in life然后他们生命中发生了一些令他们非常失望的事。Or they watched something very unfair or something abusive happened in a church或者他们目睹教会里面一些非常不公道的事或者虐待的事；or are they became victims of abuse themselves或者他们自己亲自被虐待成为受害者。Now what happens next is the key关键在下一步：They became disillusion because of what happened to them or what happened around them他们因为他们所遭遇的或者所看见的完全失望。Not only were they disillusion他们不仅失望，they departed from the church他们离开了教会，with their heart if not with their feet不是亲自人离开，至少人在心不在。Finally最后，some of them deserted their God他们有些人离弃了上帝！They don’t want to be Christians any more不要再做基督徒了！Does this sound like a familiar story这故事听起来熟悉吗？Perhaps you or someone near you are like that可能这个人就是你自己或者你身边所认识的人。
2.Abuse and Oppression are Facts of Life虐待和压迫是人生的事实：
Indeed human institutions can be abusive and oppressive是的，人类的制度往往是压迫性的——虐待的确是事实。Now God established three human institutions at creation上帝在创造天地的时候，他设立了三个制度：First Marriage and family第一婚姻与家庭；the second institution第二个制度the church教会；the third institution Government or the State第三个制度是政府和国家。Institutions are oppressive often because those who are in a superior position sinned这些制度成为压迫人的工具，往往是因为那些在上掌权的人犯了罪：They oppressed others他们压迫了别人。In this story in 《Genesis》16在这个故事中，就是《创世记》第十六章，here are the superiors who sinned犯罪的是这两个‘在上’的人：First Abram首先亚伯兰，then Sarai然后撒莱。For Abram对亚伯兰来说：there is lack of faith and lack of leadership over his wife他没有信心，也没有尽责领导他的妻子。Then Sarai然后撒莱：first she rushed ahead of God首先她跑在上帝的前面；then she oppressed her slave girl然后她压迫她的女仆。Of course we must not forget that we ourselves are sinners as well当然我们不可以忘记我们自己也是罪人。Hagar was certainly not sinless夏甲，绝对不是无罪的。So the story gets more complicated所以故事就越来越复杂就是了。
3.God’s Plan and Good News for the Oppressed上帝的计划和对被虐待者的好消息：
There is good news for the oppressed对那些被虐待的人有好消息的：God has plan and God has good news神有计划；神有好消息。See the fact remains that we are subordinates or servants
in institutions of systems一个不变的事实：就是我们都生活在这些
制度里，都有人在我们上头的——我们都是下属；what is the family、the church or the state不论是家庭、教会、政府。There is good news for those who are abused、oppressed or those who are sinned against（对于）那些受过虐待的人、受压迫的人、别人在他们身上犯过罪的受害者，好消息是：God sees上帝看见；God hears上帝听到。God sees and hears not only our condition上帝不仅仅看到、听到我们的困境，more importantly God sees and hears our hearts上帝更加看到、听见我们内心。God is merciful上帝是充满怜悯的；God takes action上帝会采取行动。And God has a plan for us and for the world那么上帝对我们每一个人和对全世界都有祂的计划。Very interestingly God’s plan has never been frustrated by sin很有
趣的是，上帝的计划从来就不会因罪的缘故受到挫败。God’s standards also have never been lowered上帝也从来没有降低祂对人类的标准的。
So we read in the next Chapter《Genesis》17：1所以我们到下面一章《创世记》第十七章第1节，God still demands that Abram be perfect and blameless上帝仍然要求亚伯兰完全无过——that’s
God’s standard这个是上帝的标准。God’s plan also doesn’t change 上帝的计划也不改变的：God’s creation institutions don’t get abolished上帝的‘创造制度’，就是家庭、教会跟政府不会毁灭的。God’s plan of salvation——the Covenant of Grace also will not be abolished祂的救赎计划——恩典之约也不会毁掉。
Today，softly and tenderly God is calling you to come home今天，他仍然以温柔慈声来呼唤着你：归家吧。Now this soft and tender call includes rebuke and command这个温柔慈声包括责备和命令的。He is God after all祂毕竟是上帝！Nevertheless he is a God of mercy不过，这位主宰是有怜悯的上帝。
II.GOD FINDS US WHERE WE ARE上帝来找到我们的；WHERE WE HAVE SINNED AND WANDERED AWAY FROM HIM就在我们犯罪离开祂的时候的地方上帝找到我们
1.Where did Hagar go夏甲跑到那里？
Well，wherever it was，it was away from her mistress无论她跑到什么地方，总之，她逃离她的女主人；away from God、away from her duty离弃上帝、离弃她的责任；toward her home country
Egypt她朝着她的祖国埃及逃跑。
2.The Lure of Egypt埃及的诱惑。
Now there is a frequent theme in the Bible圣经里面有一个主题：Egypt is the land of the lure of might and fertility埃及是一个诱惑上帝子民的地方；埃及往往是繁荣和繁殖的象徵。And often man surrendered to the lure of Egypt往往人会被埃及的诱惑所吸引的。(1)Abram in《Genesis》12 during （11：01）famine亚伯兰——《创世记》十二章要面对飢荒。(2)Lot in（《Genesis》）Chapter 13 罗得在（《创世记》）十三章：Sodom was a land like Egypt所多玛就『好像埃及』那么的繁荣。(3)Now Hagar——（《Genesis>》Chapter 16现在来到夏甲（《创世记》）第十六章了。Then once we get to the《Exodus》当我们到了《出埃及记》时期的时候，in《Numbers》11、
14 & 20在《民数记》十一、十四、二十章：The people Israel complained about the wilderness and wanted to go back to Egypt以色列民抱怨不想在旷野，想要回埃及去。
- Consequences——Disaster流浪的后果：大祸。
Now what are the consequences of wondering away from God逃离上帝流浪有什么后果呢？The consequences is disaster后果就是大祸。(1)Abram in《Genesis》12 in Egypt亚伯兰在《创世记》第十二章跑到埃及。He created a huge mess他闯大祸，only God could get him out there唯有上帝才能够搭救他。(2)Lot choose a place like Egypt in《Genesis》13 & 14罗得在《创世记》第十三、十四章……选择一个好像埃及的地方，and he almost lost his life差不多丧命了。(3) Now Hagar现在夏甲——《Genesis》16《创世记》十六章almost starve to death差不多饿死。
4.What is God doing上帝在作什么？
Now we always must ask this question when we read this human stories in the Bible我们读到圣经这些人物的故事的时候我们必须要问一个问题：What is God doing神在做什么？God never stops working上帝从来不会停止工作的。God allows her、allows us to wonder before we see our foolishness or so that we see our foolishness上帝容许我们流浪，直到我们看到自己的愚拙或者好叫我们看到自己的愚拙的。Now God doesn’t allow us wonder forever上帝不会容许他的子民永远流浪，if he does，that will be a curse若是如此的话就是一个大咒诅！So when Gold allows his children to wonder for a while所以当上帝容许他的儿女流浪一阵子的时候，that’s a tremendous mercy是莫大的怜悯！Because God brings us to the wilderness因为上帝‘领’我们到旷野去。And God meets us there in the wilderness而上帝在那里——在旷野与我们相遇！
Yes, God is there，where we have wandered too是，上帝在那里；我们流浪到什么地方，上帝就在那里的。God’s presence can be a blessing，or can be his judgment上帝的同在，可能是祝福，也可能是审判的；here, it is both在这裡，两者都是。God cares上帝是关心的，God sees， God hears上帝看到，上帝听到。
This remind of 《Exodus》Chapter 3 verse 7这个让我们想起《出埃及记》三章第7节的：He hears，he sees，because he cares他听到、他看到，因为他关心。And he speaks his covenant words of command and promise祂就讲出祂‘立约守约’的话——命令的话、应许的话；that is how he cares这个是祂‘关心’的方法。
III.REVIEW: SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCE温习：罪和罪的后果
Thirdly，let us review again: sin and its consequences我们再来温习一下罪和罪的后果。Nobody is sinless没有人是无辜的。
1.Abram’s sin is similar to Adam’s sin亚伯兰的罪很像亚当的罪。
He didn’t heed God’s word他没有听神的话。He did not seek God’s will没有追求神的旨意。And he let his wife lead in decision making 他让妻子带领着抉择。
2.Sarai along with Abram’s sin撒莱的罪与亚伯兰的罪一样
And Sarai along with Abram’s sin那么撒莱的罪跟亚伯兰一同的所犯的罪。It’s the faith should be waiting rather in a hurry信心本来是应该等候的，不是匆匆成事的。Now Sarau try to help God out撒莱想要帮上帝一忙。Everybody must bear our own responsibility每一个人要为自己的罪负责。Abram？Yes；Sarai？Yes是的，亚伯兰要负责，撒莱要负责。
3.Hagar——despised her mistress夏甲——她藐视她的女主人
And now thirdly Hagar现在我们来看夏甲：（1）she also must be responsible for this despising her mistress她藐视她的女主人，她也要为这个心态负责的。（2）And then secondly she flet from her mistress第二她逃离她的女主人。
4.THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS STORY这个故事的后果：
The consequences of the sins of these three people这三个人犯罪的后果brought all kinds of bad results带来各种的恶果：For Abram，headaches对亚伯兰，大头疼；Sarai likewise撒莱也是如此。Hagar，so much headache——she flet对夏甲，一团糟——她跑掉了；consequences for Ishmael后来对于以实玛利有他的后果的……and for Isaac对以撒。
In summary the consequences last for years which say for MILLENNIA我们可以说好几千年的后遗症。You see，there is no short cut in the Christian life各位，基督徒没有捷径的——no short cut、no escape to freedom要得到自由，没有捷径。Instead of the freedom they found entanglement他们并没有得到自由，只有纠缠在罪和痛苦（罪的后果）中！