Changed by the Mercy of God

Study Notes

Re-set:  Changed by the Mercy of God

Romans 12:1‑2

     When I first started using a “smart phone” , I had a day in which my phone wasn’t working right.  My email wasn’t downloading.  I couldn’t get my old BoxOffice app to give me information, etc.  So, I called my son, Brandon – whom I was quite certain would know more about this sort of thing than I did – and asked him what I should do.  He said, “You probably don’t need a new phone or even to take yours to an Apple repair store.  Before doing anything drastic, just try re-starting it. IPhones sometimes seem to like to be re-set.”  So, I did.  And, at least on that occasion, it worked.  The emails flooded in again.  Everything was re-set and re-synced.

     That day came into my mind as I began praying about what God would have happen in our lives individually as well as in our church family.  Let me tell you why.  Over my many years of walking with Jesus, I have learned that there are times when I too need a re-set in my spiritual life.  It’s not like I need to start all over.  It’s more like things have gotten out of sync. 

    In those times, which often require some silence and alone-time with the Lord, I discover so many things, e.g., the need to get rid of clutter in my life, to reorient my life around biblical priorities, to make things right with others, etc.  When I take the time to stop and allow the Lord to realign my life, I find my strength renewed and my joy restored.  I imagine we all could use a re-set in our journeys with Jesus.  Just as much, I believe that the time is at hand that we could use a re-set as a church family.

     Romans 12-13 is a Bible passage that can help us.  After writing eleven chapters of sound theology speaking of God’s gospel that offers salvation to all who place faith in Jesus, the Apostle Paul turns in Chapter 12 from explaining the gospel to telling us how to live our daily lives in response to it.  In his opening words to this section of his letter (12:1a), he tells us the life God wants us to live after we trust Jesus is to be lived “in view of God’s mercy.”   That’s the “re-set” phrase I want you to take home today: Live in view of God’s mercy.

     It’s clear to me that this phrase is foundational for every part of our lives as followers of Jesus.  That phrase points us back to and summarizes everything that the Apostle Paul has said about the gospel of Jesus Christ – and it points us forward to all the ways that the Apostle Paul wrote about how experiencing God’s mercy changes our daily lives in practical ways.  The foundation for re-setting our lives is this:  Our Christian faith, different from other religions, is not one of earning the favor and love of God but of responding to the mercy and love God offers us in Jesus.

 

Looking back at Romans 1-11:  A Description and Declaration of God’s Mercy

     I find the book of Romans to be not only deeply theological but also deeply pastoral.  The Apostle Paul seemed to understand well the minds and hearts of people who would have heard this letter being read in the house churches meetings so long ago in Rome.  Regarding this matter of God’s mercy, it seems to me that he makes several points to them in Romans 1-11 that are as important now as they were then:

1. Some think they do not need God’s mercy (Rom 1:1-3:20) – There is no one righteous – not even one!

    Romans begins with Paul saying, “God has good news for you.  The good news (1:16) is that everyone who believes in Jesus will be made right with God even though we have all lived lives filled with what is not right.  And, when we are made right with God through faith in Jesus, we will begin to live a life that is right with God – “those who are right with God will live by faith” (1:18), i.e., genuine faith in Jesus will lead to us living righteous lives.  Salvation from our sin is a gift of mercy received by faith – not something we can earn.

     But, there were people – mostly non-Israelites or “Gentiles” -- sitting in the churches who felt they didn’t need mercy.  Thy felt that they had never before had God’s Word, and the laws and commands found in it, so they could not be held accountable to live right before God.  See 2:12-16. But, to them the Bible says, “God has written right and wrong in people’s hearts (2:15).”  It shows up in the consciences that all human beings have.  Even though people may not have God’s written laws in writing, all people know a lot about right and wrong – and all people do what is wrong anyway.” So, the Bible teaches that all people have done wrong.  All people need forgiveness.  All people need to be shown mercy if we will ever have any hope.

     But, there were others in the churches, mostly Paul’s Jewish relatives, who felt that God had chosen them personally to be his people and that, because of that privilege, they were fine as they were and did not need mercy. “So,” they said, “we’re not like those people out there in the world.  We may not be perfect but we don’t do the kinds of awful things the rest of the world is doing!” 

     When I read what Paul says to them in 2:17-3:8, I find it strikes home to many people, like me, who have grown up in the church and therefore tend to think that others in the world simply have to be worse than we are.  Can you relate to that?  To his Jewish relatives, and to many of us as well, Paul says, “The fact that you have heard God’s Word is evidence that you know right from wrong.  But, when you continue to do the very things you teach against in church, you show you need mercy as much as the rest of the world.”  He sums all this up in 3:10-20 in which Paul declares, “There is no one righteous – not even one!”  All people need God’s mercy.

2. Some think they are beyond the reach of God’s mercy (Rom 7) – God’s law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (7:14-15).

     Paul tells about his own struggle with feeling trapped by his own sinfulness in Rom 7 giving testimony to what so many in church feel deeply, i.e., that even after we have placed our faith in Jesus, we continue to fall short of living as God would have us live. Can you relate to his words in 7:14-15?  The great Apostle Paul genuinely felt, when he wrote this, that his slavery to sin seemed to be at times more powerful than God’s ability to set him free.  He was so overwhelmed by his own failure that he felt that the seriousness of his sin had put him beyond the reach of God’s mercy.  He expressed this agonizingly in 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will – who can – rescue me?” Do you think this is true of many who show up in church in our own day?  Indeed, have you ever wrestled with the fact that there are things in your life that have a grip on your life?

     If that is true with you, then today, you need to remember what Paul remembered in 7:25.  He shouts out the good news of God, “That’s be to God!  He is the one who delivers me though our Lord Jesus Christ!”

     No one is beyond the reach of the mercy of God offered through Jesus.

3. God’s mercy is needed by all and is sufficient for all (Rom 3:21-6:23; 8:1-39). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

    From the hopelessness of hearing that there is no one right with God, the Bible breaks forth with a statement that many people feel expresses the heart of the gospel more succinctly than any other.  It’s in 3:21-25a:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known... This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Are you in that “all”?), and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Are you in that “all? Have you placed your faith in Jesus?).  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.

    This was a costly mercy, requiring the blood of Jesus. That’s what God has done. Do you think you need it?

     And, there is also a promise!  To those who, like Paul, wondered whether the mercy of God was sufficient to forgive and save them because their sins were so serious and deep-rooted, the Bible makes a promise in Romans 8.  After teaching about God’s wonderful promise to all who trust Jesus promise, Paul adds 3 chapters, Romans 9-11, to assure his own Jewish people that God keeps his promises.  What is that promise?

     God promises that when you place your faith in Jesus, you will no longer face any condemnation (8:1).  Your sins are gone.  And, when you place your faith in Jesus, you receive God’s Holy Spirit who will work in you until you no longer will continue to sin because, using Paul’s words, God will re-make you until you are “conformed to the image of his Son, i.e., Jesus Christ (8:29).  And, until God finishes his work in you, He promises that nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (8:39)!

      This is all a gift of God’s mercy.  Therefore!! – “in view of God’s mercy…”, live your life.

Looking Forward to Romans 12-16 – A Life Lived in View of God’s Mercy

   Our changed lives as Christians flow out of the mercy of God.  We live in response to what God has done.  That's what's different about Christian commitment.  We're not motivated by pride, fear, habit, self‑interest, not even primarily by duty.  We're motivated primarily by gratitude for the mercy and love of God.

   So, the more you are thrilled by God’s mercy to you, the more you will be ready to live your life in ways that please him.  "Live in view of God's mercy", says Paul. 

     The two ways he specifically says we should do this are these 1) offer your body and 2) offer your mind:

Offer your body to God (12:1b). In view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…

     I'm sure you don't think that Paul is suggesting that we should offer our physical limbs to God instead of our minds or our affections or any other part of our human make-up.  The New Testament constantly calls us to give every part of our lives to God. And yet, Paul chooses to use the word "body" right here when he could have easily written, "Present yourselves to God," or "present your lives to God."  Why?

     What the Bible is teaching is that what you and I do with these physical bodies is a big part of our commitment to God.  This has many implications for us as followers of Jesus.  By saying “in view of God’s mercy, offer your body to God”, the Bible is saying you should make commitments like these:

• Wherever you want me to go with this body, I’ll go.
• Whatever you want me to do with this body, Lord, I’ll do.
• Whatever you want me to put into this body, I’ll put into it.

     This, he says, is what true worship is all about, i.e., a life lived with God at the center.  It means that every part of our lives must be committed to God ‑‑ our sexual habits, our eating habits, our exercise patterns, etc.  Paul calls this “a living sacrifice”.  The Jewish people had always taken animals to the altar to be sacrificed.  Now, that Christ has paid the sacrifice for our sins, we bring our lives to God to be lived for him. 

    So, let me ask you:  Are some things that you’ve been doing with your body that you should surrender to him?  Let me remind you that using your body as the God loves you wants you to do it will not ruin your life.  It will lead you to real life. 

Offer your mind to God (12:2).  In view of God’s mercy…, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

   In 12:2, two key words are put in contrast to one another: conform and transform.  The word "conform" meant "to take the external shape of."   There is always a danger that even committed Christians might slip into taking the shape of the world, of thinking like our fallen world without God thinks. Let’s face it: much of our behavior is learned behavior.  We learn to behave from our parents and our peer groups. we learn it through the media and the social media.  Unfortunately, much of the culture that shapes us is godless.  It's materialistic, it's self‑centered, it's amoral, it's often immoral.  All this is what the New Testament often calls "the world."  And the NT consistently warns us as Christians to beware of being like the world.  Paul says, "Don't let it happen!" 

     What can rescue us from conformity to the world?   The Bible says that the key to our lives being God-directed rather than self-directed or world-directed is "being transformed by the renewal of your mind."  The word "transform" is the word from which our word metamorphosis is derived.  Like the word conform, transform also means to change shape.  But, the word "conform" usually means to take the external form of something else, like ice being shaped by an ice cube tray.  But, “transform means to change from the inside out.

    The key to transformation begins in our minds.  We will be applying this to our lives throughout this series we’re calling “Re-set”.  So, in this first message, let me summarize three elements of mind renewal:

1. Faith in Jesus – Our salvation begins with our minds – and from there flows into the entirety of our lives. Do you remember Pastor Tim Peck’s message last fall about “sola fide”, faith alone?  He said saving faith includes 1) knowledge, 2) assent and 3) trust.  With our minds, we first must hear and understanding the truth about Jesus.  Then with our minds, we must believe that it is true.  And then, with our minds we decide to trust Jesus and follow him. Have you placed your faith in Jesus in this way?

2. Setting your mind on the things of God – In Rom 8:5, the Bible says, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” The point here is that when you dream about what you want to do or to become, you start by setting your mind intentionally on what you believe would be honoring to God – not just on the things our world advocates.

3. Filling your mind with things pleasing to God – The key verse about this is probably Phil 4:8 -- Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. What does this say to us?  It tells us we must be careful about what we put into our minds.  We're not going to discern God's will if our minds are being filled with trash.  What am I talking about?  You can apply it to your own life better than I can.  You know what's been going on in your mind and I certainly don't.  This text has an undeniable message, however, to us all about examining the books we read, the websites we go to, the movies we watch, the things we daydream about. 

     The secret of living distinctively as Christians is to begin thinking differently.

 

     The point of all this is that, when we have our hearts captured by an experience of God’s mercy, we surrender our bodies and minds as a response of gratitude to God.  The beginning step to resetting our lives so that our lives are God-directed rather than world-directed is to have a fresh view of the mercy of God.  

     Why?  Our Christian faith, different from other religions, is not one of earning the favor and love of God but of responding to the mercy and love God offers us in Jesus.

     So, let’s do so by coming together to the communion table today, a table that is a powerful reminder to us of the cost of God’s mercy, the reality of God’s mercy and the sufficiency of God’s mercy…

 

Chinese Study Notes

 

重新啟動：被神的恩典所改變

羅馬書12:12

           

            当我第一次使用“智能手機”時，有一天它出問題了，我的電子郵件也不能下載了，我也無法從舊的應用程式裏得到任何信息。所以我就給我的兒子布蘭登打電話。我很確定，在這方面他比我知道的要多，我問他該怎麽辦。他說：“你可能不需要換新手機，甚至都不用把手機拿到蘋果店裏去修。在你做任何维修之前，先重新啟動它，蘋果手機的重啟功能很重要。”所以我按他說的做了。至少在當時的那種情況之下，這個辦法有效了。郵件又再次湧進，一切都因著重新設置而得以重新同步。

            我在新年伊始時開始禱告，求神使祂的計劃在每個人的生命中和我們的教會家庭中得以實現，這時，那天重啟手機的情形又浮現腦海。讓我來告訴你為什麽會如此。在與耶穌同行多年的過程中，我明白到，有時候，在我的屬靈生命中，也需要這樣的重新啟動。這並不是說我需要從頭開始，而更像是要讓所有功能能夠再重新同步。

            每當這時，我們往往都需要與主單獨同在的安靜時光。比如當我需要擺脫生活中的雜亂事物的時候，重新按照聖經的優先次序來調整我的生活、調整與他人之間關系的時候等等。當我花時間停下腳步、讓主來重整我的生活時，我發現，我的力量得到了更新，我的喜樂也漸漸恢復。我想，在與耶穌同行的路上，我們都可以使用重新啟動的功能。同樣，現在，我們的教會也可以重新啟動。

            羅馬書12-13章可以幫助我們理解這點。在寫完了十一章關於因信得救的完整福音理論之後，在第12章，使徒保羅的話鋒從解釋福音轉向告訴我們如何按照福音去過每一天的生活。他在這封信的開頭（12：1a）告訴我們，神盼望我們在信靠耶穌之後，在“神的憐憫”之下生活。這就是我今天想讓大家明白的“重新啟動”：在神的憐憫之下生活。

            我清楚地知道，對於耶穌的跟隨者來說，這句話是引導我們生活中每一部分的根基。這節經文帶領我們回顧並總結了使徒保羅關於耶穌基督的福音所闡述的一切；它也很切實地指出經歷神的憐憫如何會改變我們每天的生命。我們重啟生命的基礎，就是基督的信仰，這基礎與其他宗教不同，它不是靠自己來賺取神的恩寵和喜愛，而是對神在耶穌裏所賜下的憐憫和慈愛的回應。

回顧羅馬書1-11章：對神的憐憫的描述與宣告

            我發現，羅馬書不僅是深刻的神學，也是深刻的牧養學。使徒保羅似乎完全理解許久以前在羅馬教會的聚會中聽到這封信的那些人們的思想與心意。在我看來，保羅就神的憐憫的問題對當時的人們所提出的幾個要點，對我們來說，也同樣重要：

第一：有些人認為，他們不需要神的憐憫（羅1：1 – 3：20） ---- 沒有義人，連一個也沒有！

            在羅馬書的開始，保羅說：“神將福音賜給我們。這福音（1：16）就是，每個相信耶穌的人都會與神和好，盡管我們的生命中充滿了不討神喜悅的東西 ---“義人必因信得生”（1：17），也就是說，在耶穌裏真正的信心，會引導我們過公義的生活。我們在罪中得到的救恩，是我們藉著信心所得到的神憐憫的賞賜，而非我們所能賺取的。

            但是，有些人 ---- 大部分是非以色列人或是‘外邦人’ ----坐在教堂裏，覺得自己不需要憐憫。他們覺得他們以前從來沒有神的話語，也沒有神的律例典章，因此他們在神面前過著公義的生活。但是，請看2：12-16，聖經說，“律法的功用刻在他們心裏”（2：15）。它在所有人的良知裏顯明出來。即使人們沒有神的書面律法，所有人還是能夠判斷一切的是非，而且人們還是繼續去做錯事。因此，聖經教導說，所有人都做了錯事。所有人都需要赦免。若想要有盼望，所有人都需要神的憐憫。

            但是，教會中還有另外一些人，他們大部分都是保羅的猶太同胞，他們認為，神親自揀選他們做祂的子民，因著這個特權，他們滿足現狀，不需要憐憫。他們說，“所以，我們不像那些世俗的人，我們可能並不完美，但是，我們不會去做世人所做的壞事！”

            當我讀到保羅在2：17 -- 3：8所寫給他們的話時，我發現很多像我一樣的人都是這樣想的，我們在教會中長大，因此認為，其他的世人理所當然要比我們糟糕。你能理解嗎？保羅對他的猶太親屬、也對我們說：“你們聽到神的話語，就是你們明白是非曲直的證據。但是，當你們繼續做那些與你們在教會中的教導背道而馳的事情時，就顯明了你們與世人一樣需要憐憫。”保羅在3：10-20中總結了這一切，他宣告說：“沒有義人，連一個也沒有！”所有的人都需要神的憐憫。

第二：有些人認為，他們超出了神憐憫的範圍（羅7） --- 我們原曉得律法是屬乎靈的，但我是屬乎肉體的，是已經賣給罪了。因為我所做的，我自己不明白，我並不做，我所恨惡的，我倒去做。（7：14-15）

            在羅馬書第七章，保羅講述了自己在罪的漩渦中的掙紮，見證了教會許多人所深刻經歷的。即使在我們信靠耶穌之後，我們還在繼續虧缺神對我們的期盼。你能理解他在7：14-15中所說的嗎？偉大的使徒保羅在寫這封信的時候，真誠的感到，罪對他的奴役，有時似乎比神使他得自由的能力更大。他因著自己的失敗而不堪重負，他感到自己的罪的嚴重性已經使他超越了神憐憫的範圍。在7：24，他痛苦地表達了這種掙紮：“我真是苦啊！誰能救我脫離這取死的身體呢？”你認為在今天這個時代，來教會的人們之中，會不會有很多人都是這樣的呢？事實上，你是否也曾經掙紮在這樣的現實之中？那就是，在你的生活中，有一些東西使你的生命被轄制？

            如果真是這樣，那麽請你今天記住保羅在7：25中所說的。他大聲宣告了神的福音：“感謝神，靠著我們的主耶穌基督就能脫離了”！

            藉著耶穌，沒有人能超越神憐憫的範圍。

第三，神的憐憫是每個人都需要的，也是對每個人都有功效的（羅3：21-6：23；8:1-39）。那些在耶穌基督裏的人不會被定罪。

            在世上沒有義人的令世人絕望的宣告之後，聖經又宣告了一個許多人認為更加簡明與重要的福音信息，那就是3：21-25a：

            但如今神的義在律法以外已經顯明出來……就是神的義，因信耶穌基督，加給一切相信的人，並沒有分別。因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀（你是否也在其中？）。如今卻蒙神的恩典，因基督耶穌的救贖，就白白地稱義（你是否也在其中？你是否信靠耶穌？）。神設立耶穌作挽回祭，是憑著耶穌的血，藉著人的信，要顯明神的義。

            這是一個昂貴的憐憫，需要以耶穌的血為代價。這就是神所做的，你覺得你需要它嗎？

            在羅馬書第八章，對於那些像保羅一樣，懷疑神的憐憫是否足以赦免和拯救他們的人，聖經做出了一個承諾。神應許說，如果你信靠耶穌，你就不會被定罪（8：1）。你的罪就已得蒙赦免。並且，當你信靠耶穌時，神的聖靈就與你同在，直到你不再犯罪為止。因為，用保羅的話來說，神將使你成為新造的人，直到你長成祂兒子耶穌基督的模樣（8：29）。而且，直到神在你裏面做成祂的工，祂都應許我們，無論何事都不能使你與那在主耶穌基督裏的神的愛隔絕（8：39）！

            這都是神憐憫的禮物。因此，要“在神的憐憫中……”生活！！（在這段經文之後，保羅加了羅馬書9-11章，為要向他的猶太同胞再次肯定神的應許。

期待讀羅馬書12-16 --- 以神的憐憫為視角的人生

作為基督徒，我們生命的改變來自於神的憐憫。我們乃是活在對神的作為的回應之中。這就是基督徒不同於世人的委身。 我們活著的動力乃是來自於神，而不是我們自己，因為我們感恩於神的憐憫。因此，你越是感動於神對你的憐憫，就越是會按照祂所喜悅的方式去生活。保羅說：“要活在神憐憫慈愛的面光中”。

他特別說到我們應當做到的兩種方式1) 獻上你的身體，2) 獻上你的心思意念：

將身體獻上（12：1b）。 我以神慈悲勸你們，將身體獻上，作為活祭。

我相信，你們不會認為，保羅是在暗示我們應該把自己的肢體奉獻給神，而不是我們的思想，情感或其它部分。新約經常要求我們把生命的每一部分都交給神。然而，當保羅可以很容易地寫出“將你自己獻給神”，或者“將自己的生命獻給神”的時候，他卻選擇用“身體”這個詞來表達。為什麽？

聖經的教導是，人們用自己的肉身所做的事，就是我們對神委身的一個重要部分。 這對於耶穌的跟隨者來說，影響深遠。 聖經說“我以神的慈悲勸你們，將身體獻上”，是要告訴你應該做出以下的委身：

• 無論你想要我身在何方，我都會服從。
• 無論你想要我用身體做什麽，主啊，我都會去做。
• 無論你想讓我以何物裝備、填充身體，我都會遵從。

他說，這就是真正的崇拜，就是以神為中心的生活。 這意味著我們生命的每一部分，都必須委身於神，包括我們的兩性習慣，飲食習慣，鍛煉方式等。保羅稱之為“活祭”。 猶太人一直以來曾把動物帶到祭壇去獻祭。 現在，基督已經為我們的罪付出了代價，我們也將生命交托給神並為祂而活。

            因此，我要問大家：是否有任何你用身體所行的事情，是你應當交托給祂的？讓我提醒大家，以神所喜悅的方式來用你的身體行事為人，是不會對你的生命有害處的，反而會引導你走向更真實的生命。

把你的心獻給上帝（12：2）。 我以神的慈悲勸你們......要心意更新而變化。

在12：2中，保羅比較了兩個關鍵詞語：更新和變化。 “更新”一詞的意思是“采用外在的形式”。常會有這樣一種危險，那就是，即使是委身於神的基督徒，也常常會陷入世俗的方式之中，或是像不信神的墮落的世人那樣思考。讓我們面對現實：我們的許多行為都是後天學來的。 我們從父母和同齡人那裏學會行事，我們也通過媒體和社交媒介學習行事。不幸的是，塑造我們的許多文化都是無神的。它是唯物主義的，是以自我為中心的，是無道德可言的。 這就是新約所常說的“世界”。 新約一直警告我們，作為基督徒，不要效法世界。 保羅說：“不要讓這事發生！”

有什麽可以將我們從世界的掌控中拯救出來？聖經說，我們的生命若要成為由神引導而非自我與世界引導的關鍵，就是要“心意更新而變化”。 “變化”這個詞就是從“變形”這個詞衍生而來的。 就像“更新”這個詞一樣，變換也意味著改變形狀。 但是，“更新”這個詞通常意味著改變外在的形式，比如制冰模型能改變冰塊的外在形狀。但是，“變化”的意思是從內而外的改變。

改變的“關鍵”是在我們的頭腦中開始的，通過我們稱之為“重新啟動”的這個系列，我們將把這個“關鍵”應用到我們的生活中。 所以，在這第一個信息中，讓我總結一下心靈更新的三個要素：

一．在耶穌裏的信心 --- 我們的救恩從我們的心意開始，再從那裏深入到我們整個的生命中。 你記得去年秋天，蒂姆·派克牧師關於“唯有信仰”的信息嗎？ 他說，得救的信仰包括1）知識，2）贊同3）信靠。 首先，我們必須用心聽到和理解關於耶穌的事實。 然後，我們的頭腦必須相信這是真的。 接著，我們要定意信靠耶穌，跟隨他。 你是否是以這種方式來信仰耶穌呢？

二． 關註神的事 - 在羅馬書8：5中，經文說：“隨從聖靈的人，體貼聖靈的事。”這裏的要點是，當你夢想著去做你要做的事，或成為你想成為的人時，你就要在開始的時候有意識地將自己的心意註目在你認為會榮耀神的事情上，而不是註目在世界所倡導的事情上。

三．用神所喜悅的事來充滿你的心思意念 -- 關於這點的關鍵經文是腓力比書4：8：“凡是真實的、可敬的、公義的、清潔的、可愛的、有美名的，若有什麽德行，若有什麽稱贊，這些事你們都要思念。”這段經文要告訴我們什麽呢？ 它告訴我們，我們必須謹慎對待自己的心思意念。 如果我們的思想裏充斥著垃圾，我們不會去辨別神的旨意。 這是什麽意思呢？ 你應該可以比我更好地將它應用到你自己的生活中去。你知道自己的心思意念是什麽，而我當然不知道。無論如何，這段經文有一個不容爭辯的信息，是告訴我們去反思我們所閱讀的書籍、瀏覽的網站、觀看的電影以及我們所夢想去做的事情。

要過獨特的基督徒生活的秘訣，就是要開始做不同於世俗的思考。

所有這一切的重點是，當我們的心被神的憐憫所觸摸時，我們就將身體和思想交托給神，作為感恩的回應。重啟我們生命的第一步，就是要重新認識神的憐憫，如此，我們的生命才會由神所引導、而不是由世界所指引。

為什麽？ 與其他宗教不同，我們基督徒的信仰不是去賺取神的恩寵和慈愛，而是回應神在耶穌裏賜給我們的憐憫和慈愛。

因此今天，讓我們一同聚集，來到聖餐桌前，它強有力地提醒著我們，神憐憫的代價，祂慈悲的現實，與這憐憫的豐厚。

榮耀歸給神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師