《天命与你》_23_清楚的呼召(续)

Called to the ministry session twenty three 天命与你第23讲

主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立_文字:_杨姐妹

page75,中文第112页。

In the process of proving the things that are pleasing to God当我们在这个过程中,察验何为讨神喜悦的事情的时候,we keep learning to obey his Word and to trust his hand.我们持续的学习,如何遵行祂的话,同时,信靠祂的恩手。

The two are not identical,两者不是同义词。for we must distinguish between that which God requires of us我们要分辨出两件事,第一,是上帝向我们有什么要求,his will in the sense of his commandments就是说,从祂的诫命的角度来看祂的旨意是什么。

第二,and the mysterious providence by which第二是,祂奥妙的护理,祂的带领。he brings all his purposes to pass藉着这个护理,上帝成全祂诸般的旨意。his will in the sense of his sovereign decrees就是从祂的主权永恒预旨的角度,来看祂的旨意。

When Peter tells us that it is God’s will that by well-doing we should silence the ignorant charges of foolish men(1Pet.2:15).当彼得跟我们说,上帝的旨意乃是藉着我们的行善的,我们要堵住,那些愚蠢无知的人控告的口。

彼得前书2:15,你们行善可以堵住那糊涂无知人的口,he is speaking of the commandment of God.他所指的是上帝的诫命。He then says in the next chapter,然后在下面一章,彼得说,for it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil doing(1Pet.3:17).然后在彼得前书第三章了,彼得又说,假如上帝的旨意是让你们为了行善而受苦,不是为了行恶犯罪受苦的话,那就更好。

Here he is speaking of the rule of God.这里他是在讲上帝的护理,上帝的统治。

再来哈,一方面是上帝的吩咐命令,一方面是祂的护理跟带领。

God’s will in this sense includes the death of Christ, to which Peter refers(v.18,see Acts2:23),从这个意义上来说,上帝的旨意就包含了基督的死,彼得在彼得前书3:18是提到的。参考使徒行传2:23,按着上帝的定旨先见,耶稣被交给人。and the sufferings of Christians.另外就是基督徒的受苦,也是这种的上帝的旨意,就是上帝的护理、上帝的统治。

We do not know as we are known;我们所知道的,不如上帝知道我们的那种的知道。we cannot understand the mystery of God’s decrees.我们不可能明白上帝永恒计划,就是上帝所预定的计划的奥秘。We only know that God used the cross, the greatest crime of history, to bring redemption,我们只知道,上帝用十字架,就是在历史中最大的一次的罪案,就是彼拉多犹大人钉耶稣十字架,这个是最大的罪案,来成就救赎。

and that no suffering enters our lives that does not bring with it grace now and a weight of glory in the future.我们也知道,也只知道在我们生命中,没有任何的苦难,临到我们了,不同是,现在带来恩典,将来带来尊贵的荣耀。

The distinction between the Word of God that we hear and the hand of God那么我们所听到的上帝的话一方面;第二方面,我们所信靠上帝的恩手,这两者之间的区别,that we trust is most important for our proving of God’s will.对我们察验上帝的旨意,这个区别是非常或者最重要的。

Our task is determine what is right, not to divine what will happen.我们的任务是要决定,究竟什么是对的,不是预测将来会发生什么事,We interpret the situation by God’s Word;我们要用上帝的话,来诠释目前的情况。we do not adjust God’s commandments to the situation.我们万不可以用上帝的话,把上帝的命令,调整符合现今的处境。

To prove God’s will means察验上帝的旨意的意思就是说,to discover how his revealed will applies to our present situation.察验上帝的旨意的意思就是说,要发现上帝所启示的旨意,是如何应用在我们现今的情况中。

Do you remember the disobedience of King Saul ? 你还记得扫罗王的不顺服吗?Samuel the prophet had not come at the appointed time;先知撒母耳,没有按照所指定的时间来到,the Philistine host had camped at Micmash;非利士的军队在密抹扎营,Saul’s army was melting away.扫罗的军队,就开始没有这种斗志了,Saul could wait no longer for the man of God.扫罗不能再等神人撒母耳来到。he offered the sacrifices himself,他擅自献祭了,disobeying God’s commandment.这样子就违背了上帝的诫命。

Was not Saul’s action justified by the circumstances? 扫罗所做的,岂不是从环境来看,是合理的吗?so he pleaded with Samuel latter;他就是这样子和撒母耳解释的。But God rejected him as king(1Sam.13:13,14).可是,上帝就已经弃绝了他作王。1Samuel13:13-14,参考撒母耳记上13:13-14,his action was not wisdom他所做的不是智慧,but foolishness乃是愚蠢。

Satan reasoned with Jesus撒旦和耶稣讲理说,that he should be guided by the circumstances in the wilderness.说耶稣必须要从旷野的环境来得到指示,God had brought him there by the driving of the Spirit,上帝藉着圣灵的催逼,就把耶稣带到旷野的,but God had provided no food.可上帝并没有供应食物。

Surely he did not intend that the Son of God should perish of hunger.诚然,上帝的定义,肯定就不是上帝的儿子会饿死,Let Christ then use his power as the Son to deliver himself from suffering.所以让基督用祂身为圣子的大能,来搭救自己免得受苦吧,Let him make the stones into bread.让祂把石头变为面包吧。Christ’s reply must seal our daily behavior;基督对撒但的回应,必须成为我们每天生活行为的印证,seal。

“It is written经上记着说,Man shall not live by bread alone人活着不是靠食物而已,but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”(Matt.4:4).乃是靠从上帝的口中出的每一句话,马太4:10。

Jesus quoted the Word of God and obeyed it,耶稣引用上帝的话,耶稣顺服上帝的话。and as God had cared for his people in the desert正如上帝在旷野中照顾祂的百姓,so he now cared for his Son.现在上帝照顾祂的圣子,angels came and ministered unto him.天使来到,服侍基督。

Living by God’s Word means按照上帝的话而生活的意思就是,obeying the Word of his commandment第一,顺服祂的命令的话,二,and trusting the Word of his decree第二,信靠祂永恒旨意的话。to deliver us at last.祂必然最后搭救我们的。

Yet,然而,while we cannot discover what is right from the situation,是的,我们不能够从这个环境中,发现什么是对的,we must discover what is right in the situation.我们却要在这个环境里面发现,在这个情况中,怎么做才是对的。

我再讲一次,你不能从环境里面去判断,按照环境来说,什么是对的。但是在环境里面,我们要判断,如何做对的事,是如何顺从上帝的话。

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There are two elements in every conviction as to duty:当我们满有信念,知道我们的责任是什么的时候。这种的信念,包括两个因素,what God’s Word says上帝的话说什么,and what the situation is.二,现在的处境,环境是什么。

God’s Word is infallible,上帝的话是无谬无误的,but our understanding and application of it are not.可是我们对上帝的话的理解,和应用却不是无谬无误的。

我停一下,这个infallible这里,因为我们的老师写这本书,是大概1970之前吧,看一看,没有错,1964。所以,infallible这个词应该翻译成无谬误。到了1970年,富勒神学院不再要求老师们相信《圣经》无误之后,infallible这个字就挂空了,就是无谬却不无误,所以要用inerrant来讲“无误”,但是1970年以前,用无谬这个字就包含了无误,所以我翻译无谬误。

我们对上帝的话的理解跟应用,却不是无谬误的,the level of our spiritual maturity,我们属灵的成熟,是在什么程度,our growth in grace,我们在恩典中的长进,will affect the degree of wisdom with which we understand the application of the Word to our froblems.这些都会影响着,我们究竟有什么程度上的智慧,来了解上帝的话,该如何应用在我们的问题上。

Discernment grows with wisdom.判断力是智慧,是一同成长的。

This ought not to dismay us,这样子说来,不应该让我们失意,for the Lord knows our needs.因为主知道我们的需要的,he does not permit temptations to come upon us that we cannot bear,祂不会让一些的试探,临到我们是我们不能担当的。来自哪一些经文?哥林多前书10:13。

and his hand corrects us祂的恩手会纠正我们,and leads us back into the paths of righteousness,带领我们回到,走义路,诗篇23:3。for his name’s sake.为了祂的名字的缘故。

Sometimes Christians speak of each decision of their lives as though they were launching a moon-shot有的时候,基督徒他们认为,他们将要做的决定,就好像要把火箭送到月亮,就这么天大的事。where a single miscalculation would send the capsule into a trackless void.你只要计算不对一点点,这个火箭,就会进到一个太空的虚空里面。

Even space scientists do better than that,连太空科学家也做的比这个更好,correcting the flight of their space-probes by radioed signals.因为他们也会通过无线电,来纠正他们这个火箭,所走的路径的。

God does much better.上帝做得更好更好。he knows that we are often incapable of distinguishing trivial decisions form momentous ones ,祂知道我们常常不能够分辨,是哪些的决定,是微不足道的,哪些是天大的事。and that we are foolish and imperceptive.祂知道我们是愚蠢的,是没有洞察力的。He knows祂知道,and keeps us in his hand.同时把我们放在祂的手中的。

There we may trust,在祂的手中,我们可以信靠,even when we do not understand.虽然我们不明白,we cannot look for certainty in every decision.我们不可能在每一次做决定的时候,都找到完完全全的确定。If we always knew,假如我们每一次都完全知道,if we always had a strong assurance that a given action was the only right course,假如我们每次,都有这种的很强烈的确据,知道我们所做的,是唯一正确的道路,we would not learn to trust God in the midst of suffering and darkness.我们就不会在苦难的黑暗中,学习信靠上帝了。

To demand complete certainty我们若要求上帝,给我们完完全全的确定,就是决定了、确定,is to run grave risks;是冒很大的险,we may make our own emotional states or convictions a private Urim and Thummim,我们可能冒险,冒这个险。我们认为自己的情感上的情况,或者我们的信念,是一种私有的乌陵、土明。concluding that an action cannot be God’s will because we do not “feel right” about it,因为我们感觉的不对嘛,所以就不可能是上帝的旨意。

or plunging into some enterprise because we have interpreted our own strong impulse as the Lord’s leading.或者我们就投一个企业(进取心),一个释放,因为我们就把自己的强烈的,那种的冲动力,就误解为是主的带领。We must remember我们必须要记得,that the Holy Spirit sanctifies us圣灵使我们成圣,but does not give us new revelations.可是圣灵,不赐下新的启示给我们的。

Our convictions must be grounded on God’s Word.我们的信念我们的确据,必须是建立在上帝的话的基础上。we are illumined圣灵会光照我们,to understand it,去明白上帝的话,but not inspired to write it.可是圣灵没有默示我们,把上帝的话写下来。

This is not at all to say that feelings are unimportant.这完全不是意味着说,我们的感觉不重要。the wisdom that discerns what is pleasing to God察验上帝喜悦什么事情的那种的智慧,is the believing response of the whole person,是全人信心的回应,not a detached academic exercise.这种的智慧,不是一种的抽离的、无情的、学术上的操作。

how often have you been surprised by your own instant reaction to a sudden situation你是否曾经多次的,觉得很惊讶,突然之间发生了事情的,你是如何马上回应的呢?only much later到了好久之后,were you able to analyze the reasoning implicit in your response.你才能够去分析,你当时的回应背后的推理是什么。

Similarly,同样地,a sense of unease often witnesses to a violated conscience.有的时候,我们有一点点感觉到不舒服,其实是在见证着,我们已经违背了我们的良心了。

Joy and peace are Christ’s gifts to those who seek to do his will.喜乐、平安,乃是基督赐给那些,追求遵行祂旨意的人,赐给他们的恩赐,他们的礼物。You may confidently thank God for these blessings as you continue in his service.当你继续服侍神的时候,你可以满有信心的感谢神,把这些福份,就是喜乐、平安赐给你。

They abound as God’s will is discerned,当我们察看上帝旨意的时候,喜乐平安是洋溢着的。and true wisdom takes account of such fruits of grace.真正的智慧,会考虑到这些恩典所结出的果子,就是喜乐平安等等。

God has not authorized us, how-ever, to use such evidences of his goodness as a system of signals for discerning our course of action.可是上帝没有批准我们,用这些祂的美善的证据,就是喜乐平安等等了,没有批准我们用这些,来作为一个系列的记号,来引导我们察验,我们该如何行。We are being proved in our deeds;当我们做我们所做的时候,是在考验我们,God is not to be proved.不能够察验、考验上帝。

The child of God will yet cry with the psalmist,上帝的儿女仍然会与世人一样的会喊叫说。”Lord, why castest thou off my soul?耶和华啊,为什么丢弃我的灵魂?why hidest thou thy face from me?”(Ps.88:14).为什么向我掩脸。诗篇88:14,主啊,你为何丢弃我,为何掩面不顾我?

God’s answer comes:上帝的答案来到,你们中间谁是敬畏耶和华,听从祂仆人之话的?这人行在暗中没有亮光,当依靠耶和华的名,仗赖自己的上帝。以赛亚书50:10。

We live by faith, not sight,我们行事是,不是凭看见,是凭信心。and the pilgrim of faith而靠信心而活的过路客,天路客,sometimes must go out without knowing his immediate destination.有的时候,不知道自己的目的地是什么,就出去了。it is enough that he journeys toward the city whose builder and maker is God.知道他的目的地,是上帝所造的城,就够了。

God will hear his prayer for wisdom上帝会听他求智慧的祷告的,and he will direct his steps.上帝会指示他的脚。How, then, in the wisdom of faith, ought you to consider your calling of Christ?那么,在信心的智慧中,你又该如何考虑,基督对你的呼召呢?

One thing is clear:一件事情是很清楚的,your calling is total.基督对你的呼召,是全人的呼召。every Christian is called to “full-time service.”基督呼召每一个基督徒,从事所谓全时间的服侍。He must say with Paul,他必须与保罗一样,这样说,” To me to live is Christ ” (Phil.1:21).我活着就是基督。腓立比书1:21。

It is not enough to be willing to give your life to Christ,你把自己的生命献给基督,还不够,you must take up your cross and follow him.你必须提起自己的十字架跟随祂,the spiritual service of every Christian每一位基督徒属灵的服侍,is to present himself as a living sacrifice就是把自己献上,当作活祭,and in that total dedication在那种的全人的奉献,to prove the acceptable will of God(Rom.12:1,2).在这种的奉献的人生中,察验何为上帝可喜悦的旨意。罗马书第12:1-2。

Only such dedication唯有这种的奉献,proves God’s will in the Christian’s life.唯有这种的奉献,才能够在基督徒的生命中,察看到上帝的旨意的。But what determines the form of his service?但是,又是什么事情来决定,祂用什么形式来服侍基督呢?Paul goes on to deal with that question.保罗就继续处理这个问题。

我们下一讲,继续。

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