2017-08-29 Put God first 把神放第一位 (4)

When you were young, 当你小的时候，how did you feel if your parents or your grandparents or somebody promised you that they would give you something you wanted? 有没有试过你爸妈、爷爷奶奶、或其他人答应送你你想要的东西？A toy? A gift? Or Chocolates?  一个玩具？一件礼物？或者巧克力？How did you feel? 你觉得好不好？Excited! 太棒了！But eventually they forgot. 谁知后来他们忘掉了。Then how did you feel? Disappointed. 你又感觉如何？太失望了。

But you must forgive, because you also will forget what you have promised. 但是，你得去原谅，因为你也会忘记你答应的事。Only our God who is faithful. 只有神是信实的， Jesus will never forget what He has promised to us. 耶稣从不忘记祂的应许。“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil? (Numbers 23:19) 神非人,必不至说谎，也非人子，必不至后悔他说话岂不照着行呢？他发言岂不要成就呢？（民数记23:19）

God will not lie, He promises, He fulfils. 神不至于说谎，祂应许的，祂就成就。So today, we are gonna look at one of His promises, which is in Psa 91:14-16. 我们今天从诗篇91章14-16节，来分享祂的应许。People love Psa 91 very much, 很多人非常喜欢诗篇91章，because in it there are great blessings and powerful promises hidden. 里面隐藏了许多巨大的祝福和大能的应许。But today, we just wanna read v. 14-16 但是，今天我们只读一下14-16节。

Some people after they become Christians, they think that reading the bible is a boring thing, 有些人信主后，觉得读经是件沉闷的事，so they just put aside the bible and do whatever they want, 于是就把圣经放在一边，想做什么做什么，until their lives get messed up, then they start to seek God’s word. 直到他们的生活出了状况，才又开始寻求神的话。A Few people when they become Christians, they start to look for God’s promises, 少数人信主后，会开始寻求神话里的应许，because they try to find out the secret of being blessed in every aspect of their lives. 因为他们想要找到使生活方方面面蒙福的秘诀。Those are smart people, 这才是聪明人，because gold and silver can’t ensure people that they will be kept safe. 金银不能确保平安。Only God can keep us safe. 只有神可以使我们享平安。

I heard a testimony from a person called Robert Matthers, 我听过一个叫Robert Matthers的人的见证，he said, “On their way to the airport, 他说，那天他们在去机场的路上，which was the flight that crashed into the southern tower on September 11th. 就是911事件飞机撞南座大楼的那天，They prayed that God would grant his wife who was pregnant a safe trip, and be with her. 他们祷告，求神赐他怀孕妻子旅程平安，并与她同在。After the prayer, they both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently, 祷告后，他们听到一声巨响，汽车猛地颠簸，guess what? A tire had blown out. 发生了什么事？轮胎爆掉了。

Although he quickly replaced the tire, they missed the flight. 尽管他很快换好轮胎，但还是错过了航班。Was this a good thing? 这是不是一件好事？At that moment, they were upset.可那时，他们真的好沮丧。But that is the way God answered their prayer, to keep them Safe. 但这却是神回应他们祈求的方式，保守了他们的安全。God delivered them from the terror and the danger. 使他们免受惊恐和危险。

Because he loves me.” Says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, will deliver him and honor him.With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. Psa 91:14-16  神说：因为他专心爱我，我就要搭救他；因为他知道我的名，我要把他安置在高处。他若求告我，我就应允他；他在急难中，我要与他同在；我要搭救他，使他尊贵。我要使他足享长寿，将我的救恩显明给他。”这是诗篇91:14-16。

Let’s see how many powerful promises that the Lord has given here? 让我们看看主赐给我们多少有力的应许？ Eight promises.一共8个。 ——"I will rescue him" (deliver, cause him to escape) 我要搭救他（拯救，使他逃脱）

——"I will protect him" (set him on a high place) 我要保护他（把他安置在高处）

—— "I will answer him" (respond to, speak) 我要应允他（回应，说话）

—— "I will be with him in trouble" (in afflictions, in distress) 急难中与他同在（在痛苦中，愁烦中）

——"I will deliver him" (rescue, to bring into safety) 我要搭救他（救拔，带到安全之处）

——"and honor him" (to make him rich and strong, regard with great respect) 使他尊贵（使他富有、强壮，有极大的尊荣）

——"With long life will I satisfy him" (to have abundance in the journey and lack nothing) 使他足享长寿（在生命旅程中得享丰盛，无有缺乏）

—— "and show him my salvation" (let him see my deliverance & victory) 将我的救恩显明给他看（使他看到我的救恩和得胜）

There are eight promises, which are great blessings.这8个应许，都是极大的祝福，But they are conditional, 但都是带条件的。The requirement is just one - “Because he loves me.” 前提条件只有一个：因他爱我。“Because he loves me, 因他爱我，so that I will…rescue...protect…所以我就要……搭救……保护，answer…be with him…deliver…应允……与他同在……拯救，honor…satisfy…show…”使他尊贵……享有……向他显明， Namely, I will do all these good things for you, 就是说，我要为你做这所有的美事，and you will have a wonderful and peaceful life, if you love me.使你有精彩平安的人生，只要你爱我。The only requirement is to love God. 这唯一条件就是——爱神。“Because he loves me” says the Lord, “I will rescue him. 神说：因他爱我，我就要搭救他。

Today, we only have time to look at v.14. 今天，我们只有时间分享14节。V.14” Rescue, means deliver, or to cause him to escape. 这里的rescue，搭救，指的是拯救，使他逃脱的意思。Like in the story we just now shared. 就如我们刚分享的见证。God caused his wife to escape from the terror of September 11th.  神使那人的妻子逃脱了911事件带来的惊恐。In V.14, God does not say, 在14节里，神没有说：“because he is without sin, 因为他没有罪，because he is perfect, 因为他完美，or because he has merit 或因他有优点，and is worthy to be rescued, 配得被拯救，so that I will deliver him. 所以我要搭救他。”

Rather, God is saying, 但神却这样说，“though he will stumble, 虽然他会跌倒，he is imperfect, 他也不完全， and he has no merit, 他也没有优点，yet, because he loves me, 但是，因为他爱我，he has set his heart not on others but on me, 他专心爱我超过其他一切，I will deliver him.我就要搭救他。”

1, What does it mean to love God?  到底什么叫爱神？Love God by obeying His words. 爱神的就遵行他的话语。

Jesus said, “whoever has My commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him .Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. John 14:21, 24a” 耶稣说，有了我的命令又遵守的，这人是爱我的；爱我的必蒙我父爱他,我也要爱他，并且要向他显现不爱我的人就不遵守的道。（约14:21, 24上）

What does it mean to love God? 爱神，到底是什么？To “Love Him by obeying His words.遵行祂话语的就是爱祂。 Before Jesus calls us to love Him ，在耶稣呼召我们来爱祂之前, He first loved us by laying down His life for us while we were still His enemies .他先为我们这些做他仇敌的把命舍了。 It is not He who commands us to love him first, 不是祂命令我们先要爱祂，but He, the Almighty God who came to love us first by giving His life up for us.而是这位全能神先为我们舍命，把爱给了我们。He wants to establish a relationship of love with us,祂想和我们建立爱的关系, because He knows that a religion can’t set us free from all kinds of fear. 因祂知道宗教不能使我们脱离各种惧怕。

Our souls once were imprisoned by various fears. 我们的灵魂曾被各种恐惧拘禁着。A person in fear does nothing, 惧怕中的人什么也做不了，fear causes a person to focus on himself,  惧怕使人关注自己，“I don’t know what to do? how to do it? 我不知道要做什么？怎么做？I don’t want to be blamed if I do it wrong我不想因做不好被人说“no I don’t it’s not me不，我没有，不是我。If you continually allow yourself to focus your attention on your outward appearance, 要是你继续再关注外表，how tall or how short, 有多高有多矮，how pretty or how plain, 有多漂亮，有多平凡，how people look at you, 别人会怎样看你，and how people judge you, 别人怎么评价你，or look forward to seeing people to come to you, and say, “Hi, I like you.  希望人们来到你面前说，“嗨，我喜欢你。”

That’s the old way we all live in actually.事实上，我们都曾活在那样的道上，But now it’s the time to change,现在是改变的时间了，Because no one wants to be hurt. 因为没有人想要受伤害。If you still live in that way, the devil will send people to put you down, 若我们仍然那样的活着，魔鬼会使用人让你跌倒，then you feel hurt and heart broken. 让你觉得伤心难过。Who should be responsible for our ongoing feeling of hurt? 谁该对我们持续的感到受伤害来负责？We, ourselves! Because we didn’t choose trusting in God’s word, so that we can be healed inwardly. 我们自己，因我们没有选择信靠神的话，所以我们里面没有得医治。

Fear of people can increase selfish egocentrism, and even paralyzes, 惧怕人会加剧人的自私自利，成为无用像瘫痪的人一样。It’s the time for you to make a decision of what you gonna choose to believe? 是该下决定，你到底要选择信什么的时候了,  God says, Love,神说，去爱，Only divine love can drive fear out, and your inner being can be healed if you accept love and choose to love God and love others.只有神的爱，可以赶走惧怕，你里面的人才能被医治。只要你接受爱，选择爱神爱人，God knows our weakness, 神知道我们的软弱，Jesus Christ, in love he came, 耶稣基督，他为爱而来，suffered and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins, 为我们罪得赦免受苦流血，including the sin of fear. 包括为我们惧怕的罪，His love drives out all our fears.祂的爱可以驱走所有惧怕。

You maybe think that weakness is a shameful thing, 或许你认为软弱是件羞耻的事，because it reminds you that you are inferior than someone else who maybe doesn’t have the same weakness as you have.  它老在提醒你 ‘你比别人差’，因别人可能没有这些弱点。But don’t forget everyone is imperfect, 但是别忘了，每个人都不完美，and all fall short of the glory of God, but Jesus, 都亏缺了神的荣耀, 除了耶稣，We all have weakness. 我们都有软弱。

What does God say in our weakness? 听听神怎么说？“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. "我的恩典够你用的，我的能力是在人的软弱上显得完全。2 Cor 12: 9林后12:9 Thank God for His wonderful promise, 感谢神奇妙的应许，Our weakness links us to God’s grace and His great power.我们的软弱把我们带到神的恩典和大能里。His power is made perfect in our weakness.祂的能力是在我们的软弱上显得完全。

That’s why Paul the apostle says, 这是为什么使徒保罗说，I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. 我以软弱、凌辱、急难、逼迫、困苦为可喜乐的，For when I am weak, then I am strong. 因我什么时候软弱，什么时候就刚强了。You know why? 你知道为什么？Because in our weakness, in hardships, 因为在软弱中，在急难中，we can do nothing but pray.我们除了祷告，什么都做不了。And His love will pour out on us through His Holy Spirit ,这时神的爱会借着圣灵浇灌在我们身上，and we then will be able to love. 于是我们就可以去爱了。

Last week, the first time we had a prayer meeting during the lunch time, 上周日，我们在午餐时间有了第一次的祷告会，God started bringing new people into our service again, 神又开始把新人带进我们的聚会， and we all were touched and strengthened by God’s love. 我们也被神的爱大大感动和坚固。The goal of the commands of obeying His words is Love. 神要我们遵守祂话语的命令都是出于爱。 It’s all about love, All about a relationship of Love.这全是关乎爱，是关乎建立爱的关系。

2, But How can we obey His words to love? Can we obey His words by our flesh? 但怎样遵行祂的话去爱？我们的肉体可以守住祂的话吗？

The answer is: Yes，we can obey His words. 答案是我们可以遵行祂的话，But by ourselves it is impossible.但靠我们自己完全不可能。Before Adam had eaten the fruit, 亚当还没有吃下禁果之前, he couldn’t even keep one word of God.就算神的一句命令,他也守不住。 God said, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 神说：只是分别善恶树上的果子你不可吃。” How can we who have a sinful nature within us keep the whole law. 何况我们有罪性的人，能守全律法吗?

In our flesh, no one can obey His word. 在肉体里，无人能够守住神的话。the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Roms 8:7)罗8:7肉体与神为仇；因为不服神的律法，也是不能服。So in the context of John 14:21, 在约14:21, it is talking about the time, when Jesus was about to go to the cross,当耶稣就要上十字架,  He comforted His disciples because they had been troubled, 门徒们很愁苦，他就安慰他们, he said, that He would not leave them as orphans,他说他不会撇下他们为孤儿, but would send the Counsellor, the Helper, to be with them.会差保惠师，那帮助者，与他们同在。

 “When the Holy Spirit comes”, Jesus said, 耶稣说：只等真理的圣灵来了, He will teach and remind and guide us into all truth .他要教导我们、提醒我们、引导我们明白一切的真理。 Although Jesus isn’t physically with us, 现在主耶稣虽然不是肉身和我们在一起，yet He is with us by the Holy Spirit.却以圣灵的形式与我们同在。How can we receive help from the Holy Spirit to keep God’s word? 怎样才能得着圣灵的帮助来遵行神的话? By spending time reading His words and in prayer through faith.就是凭信心花时间读祂的话和祷告。

And acting in the way of dying to ourselves and living according to the Holy Spirit and the truth. 和行在向己死，向圣灵和真理活。Jesus Christ the Son of God set an example for us, 神的儿子耶稣基督给我们做了榜样, when he was on earth, he prayed a lot. 他在地上的时候，花很多时间祷告. Matt 14:23太14:23, after he had fed the five thousand,在以五饼二鱼喂饱五千人后, the bible says that he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.经上说，他就独自上山去祷告。

After he had healed a leper, his fame spread,在治好大麻风后，他的名声传开了, Luke 5:16 says，Jesus withdrew to lonely places and prayed.路5:16说耶稣却退到旷野去祷告。 Mark1:35, In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and prayed. 可1:35说,次日早晨，天未亮的时候,  耶稣起来，到旷野地方去，在那里祷告。In the Garden of Gethsemane,在客西马尼园, Jesus prayed earnestly three times,耶稣三次恳切祷告,  so that the Father strengthened him.父就加他力量。and he fulfilled the task of shedding his blood for the forgiveness of his people’s sins.使他完成流血使罪得赦的使命。

Jesus didn’t teach his disciples to preach in the bible?圣经里，耶稣没有教导门徒怎样讲道？but he taught them how to pray?却教导他们怎样祷告？Later on, we will share a series of messages about the Lord’s prayer. 改日我们会有一系列的分享，分享主的祷告。I hope that God will reveal His will to us personally on how to pray. 我盼望神赐给我们每个人有启示，教导我们怎样祷告。

3, How to acknowledge His name? Acknowledge His name by prayer. 如何知道神的名？以祷告来认出神的名。

V.14 b, for he acknowledges my name, I will protect him. 14节，因为他知道我的名，我要把他安置在高处。How does the bible explain the name of Jesus? 圣经中怎样解释耶稣的名？Matthew 1: 21 And she shall bring forth a son, 太1:21，他将要生一个儿子，and thou shalt call his name Jesus: 你要给他起名叫耶稣：for he shall save his people from their sins. 因他要将自己的百姓从罪恶里救出来。Psa 91:14 says, For he acknowledges my name, 诗篇91:14说因为他知道我的名，which implies he first knows Jesus name as a sin hating, sin avenging Saviour, and the holy God. 这里暗指他首先知道耶稣的名，是恨恶罪恶，向罪报仇的救赎者，就是圣洁的神。

Do you remember in Luke 5, after Jesus had finished teaching, 记不记得路5章，耶稣教训完之后，he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, 他对西门说，把船开到水深之处，and let down the nets for a catch. 下网打鱼。” Simon and other disciples caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 西门圈住许多鱼，网险些裂开。What would you have said if you were there? 要是换了你，你会说什么？“Master, it’s good to be with you, so that we won’t worry about catching anything. 主啊，和你在一起真好，就不用担心捕不到鱼了。”

 Or “Master, please go with us next time when we go to catch fish.” 或者是“主啊，下次还请和我们一起捕鱼吧。” Or anything else? 还有什么？But you know what Simon Peter did say? 但西门彼得怎么说？“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man. 主啊，离开我，我是个罪人！” Have you noticed? 有个地方你注意了吗？ Luke 5:5, Peter called Jesus “Master” not “Lord,” 路5:5，彼得起先称耶稣为“夫子”，而不是“主”，he said, “Master, we have worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” 他说：“夫子，我们整夜劳力，并没有打着什么。”But after he did what Jesus commanded, 但当他照着耶稣吩咐的做了，He called Jesus, ‘Lord” he acknowledged Jesus, who is the holy Lord. 他叫耶稣，主啊，他认出了耶稣，就是圣洁主。

Peter called Jesus from Master (teacher) to the Lord. 彼得于是不再称耶稣“夫子”（教师的意思），而是“主”。This is a turning point for Peter of acknowledging who Jesus is from the teacher to the Lord. 这是彼得对耶稣的认识， 从夫子到主，的转折点。When he acknowledged Jesus as the Lord, 当他承认耶稣为主，he realised what a sinner he had been that he needed to be saved. 他发现自己是何等的罪人，何等需要被拯救。

When people are aware of the presence of God, 当人察觉到神的同在，and they acknowledge the Lord, 并且知道祂的名，How do they pray? 人会怎样祷告? Peter prayed, “Away from me, Lord, I’m a sinful man.” 彼得祷告说，“主啊，离开我，我是个罪人。”When Isaiah acknowledged the presence of God, he immediately prayed, 当以赛亚认出神的同在，他马上祷告说，“woe to me, I’m ruined. 祸哉！我灭亡了。For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. 因为我是嘴唇不洁的人，又住在嘴唇不洁的民中。”  Isaiah 6:5 赛6:5

When people acknowledge God’s name, 当人知道神的名，they acknowledge His Holiness and loftiness, 他们认出神的圣洁和崇高，and they revere Him and ask for cleansing and forgiveness. 就会敬畏神，并求神的洁净和赦免。This knowledge will lead the person to a deep awareness of what a sinful man he is, 这个认识会让人深深意识到自己是有罪的人，without feeling condemnation and accusation, 却没有被定罪感和控告感，rather with reverence he will acknowledge God’s gracious love and His forgiveness. 而是带着敬畏，认出神满有恩惠的爱和饶恕。

Many people pray that God would change their circumstances, 很多人祷告求神改变他们的环境，but God wants to use circumstances to change our inner being to His-likeness. 但神的意思是使用环境来改变我们的内在，可以象祂。We as human beings like to change our outward actions, 作为人，我们喜欢改造外在的行为，but I can tell you ,但我可以告诉你，that no one can through his outward good deeds change his corrupted heart.任何外在的好行为，不能改变败坏的内心。

Moreover, even if our circumstances have been changed, 而且就算我们的环境改变了，but the way we think remains in the old, 我们的思维方式还是旧的，what would be the benefit of experiencing that for the growth of our spiritual life? 对我们属灵生命成长又有什么益处呢? It’s just wasting time if we only want to change the circumstances and not change our minds and attitudes into Jesus likeness. 若我们只想改变环境，却不改变自己的心志像耶稣，那只是浪费时间。We need to acknowledge Jesus, who is Holy. 我们要认出耶稣，他是圣洁的，we need to be transformed into His likeness from our inward being to our outward actions. 我们需要从里到外地被改造，成为祂的样式。

Then we will be renewed indeed. 这样我们就真实地被更新了。For this purpose, 为了这目的，by prayer in faith in our circumstances, 在环境中我们借着信心的祷告，by confessing our minds and attitudes are not like Christ’s in our circumstances, 借着承认我们的心在环境里不像基督，But if we willingly turn to Him, 但若我们愿意转向祂，if we call on God’s name, 若我们呼求神的名，God will protect us from evil and change our inner being.神就会保护我们，脱离恶者，并且改变我们的内在生命。

so that we may receive multiple blessings from the loving God in this way. 这样行，我们就会从慈爱的神那里得到许多的祝福。“Because he loves me” says the Lord, “I will rescue him, 神说，因为他爱我，我就要搭救他，I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 因他知道我的名，我要把他安置在高处。”

Let’s watch a quick video我们来看短片。