[0:00] It's good to be back with you. I'm happy to come back to you again. Now, if I haven't met you, sorry, my name is Matt. If I haven't met you, I'm Matt.
[0:11] And I'm here in August. I've talked to you last year. Now, it was actually around the time of the last federal election.
[0:24] Now, you might actually remember it. Kevin Rudd was forced out of office.
[0:37] Julia Gillard was facing off against Tony Abbott. Now, I remember three major issues.
[0:49] Now, I remember three major issues. There was the budget, the health system, and the asylum seekers. This is the budget, the health system, and the asylum seekers.
[1:04] Now, for the first two, it's pretty easy to understand why they were issues. It has to do with our money and our health.
[1:15] Because it's about our money and our health. But the third one, though, is just a little bit different. Now, when you have all the facts about the asylum seekers, it's actually quite hard to ignore.
[1:30] Now, at that time, all of the news headlines kept telling us how many boats had come in. And last time, I remember it was about 200 boats that had arrived in Australia.
[1:47] Now, on the one hand, it's actually a very difficult situation. For every person that arrives, it's said to cost about $80,000 per year. Now, on the one hand, it's actually a very difficult situation.
[1:58] Now, on the one hand, it's actually a very difficult situation. For every person that arrives, it's said to cost about $80,000 per year. For every person that arrives in Australia, they have to spend $80,000 per year.
[2:13] So last year, that was $344 million taxpayer dollars. So last year, it was $34,000,000.
[2:28] Yes, that's the one. Now, so hundreds and millions of taxpayer dollars were being spent on illegal immigrants.
[2:39] It's also a very difficult situation. It's also a very difficult situation. Now, for those who have paid thousands of dollars just for their visa application, you'd find this very unfair. So that's one side of the story. Now, on the other side of the story, there's a human side.
[2:53] The human side is a people's side. They came to Australia with nothing. They came to Australia with nothing. Now, most of them can't speak English. Now, w they left everything behind. The only reason they take such a big risk is because they're so desperate for help.
[3:03] To ask people to help us. Now, you can still write the government papers. It's just such a Christmas.
[3:20] So this is one. Now, you know, we're in this world. They risk sinking and drowning. They risk being locked up in refugee camps.
[3:42] They risk their very lives. And all of that is based on just a slim hope that the Australian people might have some mercy on them.
[4:01] Now for me, as I was sitting in my comfortable chair, watching my TV, eating my home cooked meal, I started to think, what would it be like to be one of the asylum seekers?
[4:21] To be locked up just outside the country,被关在这个国家的外面,完全不知道自己可不可以进来,想象着自己是不是有一天会获得自由,或者是更差的情况,经过这些所有的困难的时候,眼看就要到达了,却要被送回去。 Now, see if you can imagine that for yourself, while we're listening to the rest of this passage.
[5:02] Now, let's see if you can imagine that for yourself, if we're listening to the rest of this passage. Now, I'm going to pray for us. So, let's pray.我们先来祷告。 Dear Lord, we thank you for your word, dear Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your grace and your love for us.
[5:17] 我们感谢你的恩典,感谢你的爱。 Lord, please help us to never stop being amazed by your grace.神啊,请保守我们,让我们永远不会对你的恩典而感到惊奇,让我们可以更深入地了解今天的经文,所以我们可以被改变,为了是荣耀你的名。we pray those things in your hands,in your name, sorry,Amen.
[5:45] 以将祷告奉主耶稣的名求。Amen.All right.So, in the reading today,Paul talks about grace.今天的经文,保罗讲到了恩典。Now, he talks about grace in a lot of his letters.
[5:58] 他在很多信中都讲到了恩典。And actually, if you look at all of his letters,All of his major letters talk about the grace and love of God.如果大家翻看他写的那些主要的信件,几乎都是在讲恩典和爱。Now, I think a lot of you knowPaul's story very well.
[6:15] 我相信大家都不陌生保罗的故事。And if you knowPaul,如果你们知道保罗,it's not hard to see why grace is such a major theme in all of his letters.
[6:26] 就不难看出为什么恩典在他的生命中是多么的重要。Now, you remember before meeting Jesus,大家都知道,在遇见耶稣之前,Paul was a Pharisee.
[6:38] 他是一个法利赛人。So, he thought that being extremely good and righteous,他认为,做一个正直的义人,做非常好的事情,and doing everything exactly as the law told him to,就是要遵循那个法律让他做的一切事情。Doing all of that would make him good enough for God.
[6:58] 做这些事情就可以让他在神面前变成一个好人。Now, on top of that,而且在那之上还有,He thought that murdering Christianswas what God wanted him to do.
[7:11] 谋杀基督徒,就是当时神让他做的事情。And you can read that in Acts chapter 8,if you're interested.如果大家有兴趣,可以读一下《使徒行专》第八章。Now, when Paul actually met Jesus face to face,但当保罗跟耶稣一对一见面的时候,He understood who Jesus was.
[7:29] 他知道耶稣是谁。And understanding that,He could never be good enough for God.当他知道耶稣是谁的时候,他就发现自己再也不可能那么样的好。And he realized that killing God's peopleHe was doing all of the wrong things.
[7:51] 他也明白了杀神的子民,他在做的一切都是错事。Now, despite all of that,God forgave him through Jesus.但无论怎样,神都借着耶稣原谅了他。And so you can see thatPaul experienced God's grace and love for himself.
[8:07] 大家可以看到保罗在这边经历了神对他的爱,对他的恩典。And he was forgiven by God.他也被神宽恕。Now, in all these years after meeting Jesus,在见了耶稣这几年之后,You can see from all of his lettersthat he never lost his passion for God.
[8:26] 大家可以在他的信念中发现他从来没有失去他对神的那种热情。So if you look at the passage in verse 4,大家看第四节。When he talks about God's great love and mercy,当他讲到神的爱和恩典的时候,他知道那个爱,他自己就很了解那个爱。因为那个爱就是拯救了他的。And looking at verse 5,第五节,我们因过犯死了,他就讲的是我们。他知道无论他自己认为自己有多么的好。遵守所有的法律,做所有正确的事情。他也是当时Temple的一份子。尽管这样子,他还是要死。这对我们来说也是一样的,无论我们有多么的好。也不在乎我们这一教会做了多少事情。我们也需要死。大家要记得,一个死人他没有任何的权利。一个死去的人他不可以拥有任何东西。他也不可以做任何事情来帮助自己。他接着说,耶稣的死而复生,让我们可以在耶稣中与他合一,让我们可以重新复活。同样,这边他也真的是说我们。对他来说,这就代表要活出一个侍奉神的生活。他的20年的侍奉生活都是神奇的,充满神奇色彩的。他花了20年的时间,不断地向那些非犹太人说,耶稣就是我们的神。这就是第五节所讲的。那是因为你被救了。借着恩典我们被得救。我们可以想象,如果当初神没有借着保罗把他的福音传给那些非犹太人,我们几乎今天不可能坐在这边。第六节,他提醒耶稣所教会,也提醒着我们,我们现在正在坐在哪里。我们现在不只活着,我们同时在天堂有一处地方。他说的意思就是说,如果你知道自己在神的恩典之中,如果我们确实信靠耶稣死,而且为我们复活,那我们的座位,我们在天堂上的一个位置,就有了保证。不是因为我们做的任何事情,因为我们那时候已经死了,但却因着神的恩典。所以我们已经死了,我们又赋予了一个新的生命,这是一个免费的礼物。这就是神对我们的恩典。是一个免费的礼物。
[12:27] 那让我们先看一下第七节,为什么我们要被拯救,被复活呢?
[12:37] 为的是要在将来的世代中,显明他在基督耶稣里赐给我们的恩典。所以我们就可以认识神。所以我们就知道神是多么的有恩典,有怜悯,有爱。神这样做,就是为了给我们证明他有多么的好。这也是神的恩典对保罗所做的事情。所以他可以有一个新的生命。就算大家第一次没有记得的话,保罗在之后的经文也重复提到这个问题。for it is by grace you have been saved.
[13:33] 借着恩典你们得救。not of your own doing,不是出于你们自己,and not the result of works.也不是你们的功。it is a gift of God,是神给你们的礼物,so that no one may boast.
[13:47] 所以没有人可以夸口。Now, I'll repeat that again.It's a gift of God,so that no one may boast.那我现在重复一次,这是神的礼物,我们不可以夸口。hold on to that,we'll come back to it.
[14:01] 大家记住,我们等一下还会再回到这一点。Now, verse 10 talks about God's glory and our good deeds.第十节讲到了神的恩典跟他的好作为。But notice it doesn't actually say that our good deeds give him glory.
[14:17] 他并没有说我们的好作为带给神的荣耀。Now, that doesn't mean that we can't glorify God in what we do.并不是说我们不可以通过我们的所作所为来荣耀神。But what it does mean is that the way that we glorify God might be different from what we think it is.
[14:33] 也就是说我们认为我们荣耀神的方法和神想的可能有说不一样。See, our being created in Jesus,我们借着我们在耶稣中被造,Living under grace,活在恩典中,and giving praises to him because of his goodness to us,因为他的好,我们要献上感恩跟奉行,这就给了神荣耀。And reading on,if we happen to do anything good,如果我们做了任何好的事情,we're actually simply doing what God's created us to do.
[15:08] 我们只是在做神要我们,创造我们要做的事情。We're just living the way we're supposed to.我们只是活出了应该有的样子。But we're living in response to God's love.
[15:19] 但是我们的活是要回应神的爱。Not because we're trying to make God love us more.并不是说我们活着是为了要神更爱我们。Now I think so far that's pretty basic stuff.
[15:29] 所以直到现在都是很简单的东西。It's something that I hope most of you understand now,that God is gracious to us.这是我想让大家了解的一点,神是有恩典的神。And that we're dead to sins,我们因为罪而死,and alive to Christ.
[15:47] 因耶稣而活。And that we know that if we have faith in him,we have a place in heaven.我们知道如果对神有信心,我们在天堂就有一席之地。Now if you read the rest of the book,如果大家读剩下的以弗所书,剩下的以弗所书,剩下的经文讲的都是合一。也就是让教会在一起,让大家的关系在一起。等一下可以自己读。But Paul starts his letter about unity with a message of grace.
[16:27] 保罗在这封书信中讲的是合一,可是却是由恩典而开始。Now this is for a very good reason.这有一个非常好的理由。I would say that if there were any threats to church unity,我会说如果有任何危险到教会合一的事情,You can be almost certain.
[16:46] That's right.You can be almost certain that love,the love and grace that God has shown us,has been forgotten.我可以几乎很肯定地说,那就是神对我们的爱和恩典被我们忘记了。And not necessarily because we're not loving each other,并不是说我们并不爱对方。But because we've forgotten how God has loved us first.
[17:06] 而是因为我们忘记了神是如何先爱我们的。Now I know this year is a big change for all of you.我知道今年会对大家来说是一个很大改变的一年。With Ivy going to minister to the congregation in Burwood,Ivy离开我们到Burwood的教会去了,新的同工,新的堂,I can see God using this church in great ways.
[17:34] 我可以看到神正在大力地使用这个教会。Now I know that not because I know all of you all that well,我知道这点并不是因为我认识你们中的所有人,But I know that because I know God.
[17:47] 我知道因为是我认识神。Now there are also many opportunities that things could go wrong as well though.同时也有很多事情是有可能出错的。There are times where your unity or where your fellowship or your friendships might be challenged.
[18:04] 有些时候我们教会的统一和我们人大家之间的关系很可能会破裂。I visited a lot of Chinese churches.我去过很多中国教会。And I've talked to a lot of their leaders.
[18:18] 我也和他们的领袖谈了很多。Now I'm not talking about this church,But other churches,我不是在讲这个教会,而是在讲其他的。I've seen some very scary things.
[18:28] 我看过一些很恐怖的事情。Now it's scary to me becausethe same problems keep coming up over and over and over again.对我来说很可怕,是因为同样的问题在不断地重复着自己。And I see the biggest threat,我看到最大的危险,这是我们的期望。Now Caucasians or Aussies,they sometimes ask me this question.
[18:54] 有时候呢,有一些白人,他们会问我这样的问题。Sorry,Big word.Why are Asians so smart?
[19:07] 为什么亚洲人都这么聪明呢?They're all doctors or lawyers or accountants.他们都是什么医生啊,律师啊,会计师啊。Now I usually laugh,我通常只是笑一笑,not because I don't agree with them,并不是说我不赞同他们的看法,but because I don't quite know how to explain the expectationsthat are placed on us.
[19:29] 而是我不知道该如何向他们解释,在我们身上的那些期望。并不是完全地从家长而来的。也可能是那些叔叔阿姨或者是朋友。But we know that one way or another,they'll talk about what school they're sending their children to,但无论如何,他们都会讲说他们把自己的孩子送去了哪一所学校,他们的孩子娶了谁啊,或者他们的女儿又得了什么样的分数,或者他们是在向别人夸耀,又或者他们就只是皱着眉头不说任何事。但无论如何,我想大家都可以感觉到这个不可言喻的压力。尽管有时候可能是内心里的,但有时候我们就感觉说我们要证明自己,像我们的朋友,像我们的家人证明自己,也可能向别人证明我们对教会的承诺。有时候我们会认为我们要向神来证明我们自己,但如果我们有的只是这些期望在我们脑中的话,那我们就忘记了恩典。大家看这就是期望如何运作。如果我们成功,如果我们做得非常好,我们有了的是家人和朋友的尊敬,我们就会觉得被什么充满了。但如果失败的话,我们就会失去这个尊重,我们也会丢脸。我们就会觉得非常的空洞。通常情况下,我们就会更加努力来赢得他们的尊重。顺便讲一下,这就是教会统一分裂的时候。因为不可以赢得所有人的尊重,因为所有人都有不一样的期望,到最后就非常的混乱。大家都会夸口说自己会帮助教会成功,但他却把自己的期望寄托在所有人身上。当然没有任何人有统一观念什么是成功,所以也没有办法达到。但是恩典,我想可能花了我十年的时间来了解恩典。尽管在我脑中我知道神给了我一个免费的礼物,但是我还是会感到有一个没有讲明的期望在我身上。当然了,神可能期望我每个礼拜都要来教会,读圣经,去小组学习,每天祷告,或者在讲道的时候记笔记,或者在教会事工,或者带Sunday School,或者是奉献。神作为天父,他有期望我这样做。
[23:34] 但这不是恩典的方式。第八节,你们得救是靠着恩典,借着信心,这不是出于自己,所以不可夸口。有两件事是真的。在神的眼中,在耶稣之前,我们就是非法移民。无论我们是学生也好,或者是律师,医生,会计师,无论是任何人都好。无论我们是带领小组学习,还是敬拜崇拜小组,无论我们是年长的,还是年幼的。无论我们多么努力地工作,无论我们是谁,我们都一样。我们被困住,无助,没有尊敬。我们只需要从一个人那边得到尊敬,就是从神那边。没有耶稣,我们就没有这一切。无论我们现在做的,还是我们将来做的,没有任何事情可以让我们在神面前是值得的。但神是好的。非常的好,他甚至不希望我们可以做任何事。我们无论怎么样也是不配的。但是就像神把我们带领出了难民营养,他给了我们一个家。而且是免费的家。现在,作为亚洲人,我们非常喜欢免费的东西。但有些事情看起来太好了,我们常常会变得不愧。好的,我们都觉得有点奇怪。如果有时候我们有了自己,不应该得到,就觉得这好像是假的。但这就是神的恩典的礼物。它没有关系我们到底值不值得。而是完全是看神有多么的好。去年我认识了一个年轻人。他是去年12月份跟RMIT的一个CU小组来的。他是从西巴布亚来的。他来的时候就是一个难民。他有一个非常奇妙的故事。他来的时候已经是一个青年。不怎么讲英文。大多数人都对他没有抱太大期望,认为他会失败。这就是他们期望他做的事情。他完全可以就是坐在那边什么都不做,因为这是别人对他的期望。但他没有。他有了一个启示。神是真真正正的拯救了他,把他带到了澳洲。
[27:44] 神给了他和别人同样的权利。所以别人认为他可以不可以,完全不重要。他并没有要借着这个证明什么。但他知道他有了一个在澳洲可以努力学习工作的机会。所以他去读书了。现在他在做航空工程。他从几乎不会英文到学习科学。直到现在他都是一个非常好相处,非常谦虚的人。他知道并不是因为自己的努力神给了他来澳洲学习的机会。他只是对神表示感谢。所以他就努力地工作。神是好的。非常好,他可以带出我们当中的好。并没有会通过还是不通过的压力。这个压力存在于周围所有的人,但不是在神。他的观点才是最重要的。只要我们可以了解到神给了我们一个免费的礼物,借着耶稣。我们就在我们的心中有了做好事情的权利。并不是因为我们要证明我们自己,而是因为我们确实想要这么做。这就非常地有力量了。或者像保罗,也像那个西巴布亚的朋友,神的恩典可以使我们做出那些出人意料的事情。并不是因为我们好,而是因为神是好的。那我现在跟大家讲的这个经文主要是在讲说神的恩典,以更深层的意义。但他们只是字而已。我们真真正正要自己亲身经历这些。所以今天的讲章只有一个点。如果现在大家可以安静一下,想象一下这个礼拜你所做的所有的事情。它可能是在家,或者是在教会,工作,或学习。也想一想接下来这个礼拜你想要做的事情。有些事情你想做,可能是有人希望你这么做。把这些事情找出来。那么大家这个礼拜的功课呢,就是要记住一件事情。神的恩典是真实的。那么如果神的恩典是真实的话,无论你做不做你想要做的事情,也无论别人对你有多么大的期望,
[31:47] 如果你真真正正地相信耶稣为你而死,这些所有的事情都不会让耶稣更加爱你,或者是不爱你。大家仔细地想。想象一下,如果没有这么些期望的话。如果我们这样做的话,我们就会感觉到平静和平安。当我们可以想到这个,我们就会非常的感谢神为我们所做的一切。那时候也就是你知道你自己绝对不可以停止来敬拜神,服侍神。这就是那个热情的来源。但对有些人来讲,也可能这就意味着要做更多的事情。并不是因为你觉得你需要做,但是你觉得这样做是感谢神。也可能别人对你的期望让你却步了。但对于其他人来讲说,或者在别人问你要你做一件事情的时候,你不会觉得说不要是一件错事。通常那些只会经常说好的好的的人,通常他们觉得自己应该要去做。因为这是对他们的期望。但不要做那些别人期望你做的事情。做他们因为神准备了你做那些好的事。那我们继续低头祷告。神啊,感谢你在我们死的时候拯救了我们。感谢你赐给了我们不配得的恩典。感谢你在天堂给了我们一席之地,让我们有了家,尽管我们是那么的不配。我们感谢你因着耶稣的名,我们要向你献上感谢。神啊,请求你让我们可以继续在恩典中生活。让那恩典带领着我们可以做更多好的事情。神啊,我也尤其向我们继续成长,向你提出祷告。我们不要把自己的期望,但是我们却可以在你的恩典中继续地成长。我们把这些交错在你手中。我们把这些交错在你手中。