When the World is So Messed Up

What’s the Point When Our World Is So Messed Up

Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3; 8:14

     I love California oak trees.  When Chris and I first visited CA, we went to the Central Coast in rainy January and saw the green rolling hills populated by our oaks: (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8c/84/15/8c8415db02b603d396f30e371c9686e9.jpg).

     You may know that many of our CA oaks are now in trouble. Some are diseased because of the work of western oak bark beetles that create a lethal fungus in the oaks: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Coast-live-trunk-infested-covered-with-beetle-attack.jpg

Others are dying because of the drought that has been plaguing CA: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green//blogfiles/20409_original.jpg. To remind you of what a CA oak should look like when it is “right”, i.e., when it is not being damaged by disease or drought, let me show you one:  http://media4.trover.com/T/516b2fec26c48d7100000563/fixedw_large_4x.jpg.

     I begin my message with this tutorial on oak trees because, today, we will dedicate and celebrate the new artwork on our Maple Street Children’s Center:

     This piece of art is the work ofKatherine English, a recent graduate of Azusa Pacific University, done while she was completing her final year of study.  At the direction of a Lake Avenue team, Kat pursued the theme of growth through the use of a tree as found in Isaiah 61:3, “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” 

     Our prayer is that all the children who enter that place will become the kinds of “oaks of righteousness” that God speaks of in that verse.  When oaks have been damaged, they must first be made whole themselves.  When they are whole, they begin to bring life to the area around them as growth leads to the production of other trees, of other life.  That’s what we pray will happen, i.e., both that our children will come to God and be made whole and that they will grow to brings God’s life and blessing to others.

     But, why did God use this image of an “oak of righteousness”?  This language is taken from the condition of God’s people during a long captivity that they were to undergo in Babylon, the area now called Iraq. Judah’s homeland, and especially its capitol city of Jerusalem, was destroyed.  Then, it laid for seventy years. Of course all the remains of Israel’s former prosperity under Solomon had decayed.  Nothing in the land was quite right. 

     However, in, Isaiah 60-62, through Isaiah, God prophesied of a day when all would be made right.  Isaiah 61 is at the heart of this.  In 61:1-2, God says he will send a rescuer who will be anointed: to proclaim good news to the poor and to bind up the brokenhearted,      to proclaim freedom for the captivesand release from darkness for the prisoners…, to comfort all who mourn,and provide for those who grieve…,      to bestow on them a crown of beautyinstead of ashes, the oil of joyinstead of mourning,      and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness,      a planting of the Lordfor the display of his splendor.

   Who is this rescuer, this savior, who will make it possible for people once in despair to become “oaks of God’s righteousness who display God’s splendor”?  I think you know.  It is Jesus.  Jesus took this text in Isaiah 61 and, one day in his hometown in Nazareth, said that he fulfilled it (Lk 4:14-20). 

     So, Jesus is the one who can turn people into “oaks of righteousness”, in this unrighteous world. 

     And, that declaration brings us back into Ecclesiastes today and Solomon’s deep concern that, in this world, things are not right.  Remember that he was king in the most prosperous time of Israel’s history, and still he said in 3:16, “I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness…”  The “place of justice” was the judicial system of Israel.  King Solomon was in charge of it.  Yet, he had to acknowledge that what he was in charge of was unjust.

     We might say, “King, you’re the power here.  You, make things right!”  But, somehow, he knew he did not have the power or ability to make unjust things just “under the sun”.  In 4:1, he would say, “I, the king, saw the tears of the oppressed -- and they have no comforter!” “Why, Solomon?” we ask.  And he says, “Power is on the side of their oppressors -- and they have no comforter.”  He goes on to say, “It’s better not even to be born into a world like this in which everything is wrong.

     We might say, “But you’re the king!”  And he says, “But, even I, ‘under the sun’, cannot right all the wrongs. 

     I think we can all relate to him.  In our families (or our schools, businesses, or even churches), we often see so many things that are not yet right – that are unjust and wrong.  We might think, “I’m in charge!  I’m the parent in my family, the boss in my company or the Sr. Pastor in my church!  Why can’t I make things right in my part of this world?”  If you have ever thought that, you can relate to what Solomon says in these passages.

     But, when you acknowledge all this, you will begin to understand what the Bible speaks about when it uses the word “saves”.  God alone can save your life and make you right.  God alone can save our children’s lives and make them “oaks of righteousness displaying his splendor.”  God alone can save a world that has gone wrong and make all things right.

     In the very few moments we have, let me show you how this message, rooted in Solomon’s thinking about a world gone wrong that God alone can make right, is put together in Scripture. I’ll use the acronym, SAVES:

• The Standard – God is the benchmark of what is just.

• The Assessment – Everything else under the sun falls short of God’s standard.

• The Vow – God promises a time when all will be made right.

• The Exoneration – God has found a way to make the unjust just.

• The Summons – Those made right are to display God’s splendor in the world.

#1: The Standard – God is the benchmark of what is just.

     Only God can do what Solomon talks about in 3:16-17: In the place of justice—wickedness was there… God will bring into judgment…

     In American society as a whole, we have little idea about what words like “justice” and “righteousness” mean.  When people use the word “justice”, they think about politics.  People committed to justice are often thought of as “liberals” who only want “payback” for times they feel wronged.  And when we use the word “righteousness”, if people have any idea at all of what we mean, they think we are speaking about keeping a bunch of religious rules.  The righteous person, “doesn’t smoke, drink, miss church”, etc. etc. 

     So, don’t miss this: The word “justice” and the word “righteousness” in the Bible are the very same word!  Our translators have just translated the very same word from the Hebrew in the OT and the Greek in the NT in two different ways at different times.  What this word means is that everything is right, everything is the way it’s supposed to be.  And the only thing that is perfectly right in the entire cosmos is God himself.

     Psalm 25:8-14 declares, “Good and just is the Lord” so that only he can instruct and guide those who are not right with him.  This is affirmed in the NT in 1 Thes 1:6 and Rom 3:25-26, i.e., only God is perfectly righteous so that he alone can judge. That’s where we start when we think of salvation, i.e., with God.

# 2: The Assessment – Everything else “under the sun” falls short of God’s standard. 

I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there… (3:16). Under the sun, the righteous get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked get what the righteous deserve (8:14).

     Injustice (or, if you prefer, “unrighteousness”) is systemic.  The affects of evil are everywhere in our world.  And they’re in you and me too.  So, we cannot be arrogant.  We cannot honestly say, “I’m OK.  You’re OK.”  No, if we want to know what is OK, we have to look to God’s ways and to God’s character as Solomon did.

     What did he see in his kingdom that was especially unjust?  He tells us in 4:1 -- I saw the tears of the oppressed -- and they have no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors—and the oppressed have no comforter!

     Do you see it?  King Solomon is sounding like the great prophets of God who would come after him?  He and they looked at God and how he treats people and then they looked at their own nation and what was going on.  What did they see?  That people were not living in keeping with the ways of God.  What was the clear evidence of that?

• Amos preached against those who “oppress the poor” and “crush the needy” (4:1).

• Ezekiel spoke against the mistreatment of the stranger, of the immigrant, within the nation (22:29).

• Zechariah called for the protection of the widows, orphans and poor (7:9-10).

     But, “under the sun”, Solomon, at the end of his reign, saw growing injustice and longed for someone to use whatever power he or she possess to comfort the oppressed.  Twice, he lamented that no one could offer any lasting comfort to them.

     I think this has so much to say to us in this election year about the kinds of candidates we want to elect.  First, none of them will be perfect.  But, we should long, as Solomon longed, for those in power to value what God values.  In application: Prayerfully, consider in the next months whether one candidate or another better shares God’s love for the poor and needy as Amos called for, whether they will treat the stranger within the nation well as Ezekiel called for, whether they will seek to protect widows and orphans as Zechariah called for. 

     No one will do so perfectly for only God is perfectly right and just.  And, as we will see, this must be done through God’s people who spread these splendor-filled ways of God in this world.  But, I think that using God’s measures of goodness will be a good starting point for us in this election year.

    So, second, salvation calls for an honest assessment of your life in light of God’s ways and commands.

#3: The Vow – God promises a time when all will be made right.

     In 3:1-15, Solomon had said there is a time for every activity under the sun.  But notice that he specifically takes on our topic of things being made right in 3:17: “God will bring into judgmentboth the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”

     People say they don’t like this message that all evil must be judged or there is no real justice – but that’s simply not true.  Deep inside us all, we believe that evil must be judged.  Have you followed the outrage in Palo Alto after the young man who violently and sexually assaulted a young woman received only a six-month jail and probation sentence?  I won’t comment on the judge’s decision.  I only mention that our nation has been outraged by what people call injustice!  Over 1M petitions have been sent to say the verdict was unjust!

     This should amaze you in light of the fact that we live in a world in which many people say there is no absolute right or wrong. Where are those who usually say that morality is subjectively determined – that we all individually decide what is moral and immoral?  No, when we see what we believe is evil, we want it to be judged.  Human beings have a deep intuition that evil should be punished.

     Back to my 1st point: God is the standard of what is right and wrong, just and unjust. He appoints authorities in this world to work for justice.  But, our world’s authorities often fail.  So, God promises both in the OT and NT, “Vengeance is mine,” declares the Lord, “when there is injustice, I will repay (Dt 32:35; Rom 12:19).” 

     That’s what Solomon is promising us here.  God has made a vow to bring justice.  He will do it in his time.

#4: The Exoneration – God has found a way to make the unjust just.

     Solomon did not know how God would – or even could – do this.  He only knew that all the powers under the sun he knew of were not acting with justice and compassion for those under their authority. 

     Have you ever put yourself in the shoes of those who lived before Jesus came?  Those who were perceptive saw what Solomon saw, i.e., that everything under the sun was messed up.  There was injustice and evil everywhere.  How could the just and holy God do anything but judge and destroy the entire world he had made – but that had walked away from him?  “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23).  So, how can God say that we who have sinned are now right with him and all our sins are exonerated?  Will he just ignore them and sweep them under the proverbial carpet? The question is this: How can a just God say that the unjust are just and still be just himself? 

     Of course, we know the answer: “God made the One who never experienced sin to become sin for us that that we might be declared right with God (2 Cor 5:21).”

     Jesus died for our sins.  He bore the punishment we deserve so that we might be set free and live.  He alone lived a fully righteous life – a life that was just in every day.  When we see how he lived, we see how life is o be lived.  Then, listen to the Apostle Peter’s words, “Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed’ (1 Pet 2:24).” Hallelujah!

#5: The Summons – Those made right by God’s grace are to display God’s splendor in the world.

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor (61:3).”

     This brings us back to Isaiah 61:1-3.  In the first 2 verses, a Rescuer is going to come who will take all the wrongs and injustices in this world, and, when he is done with his work, will make it all right.  He will heal the sick, give sight to the blind, set those in prison free, and bring comfort to all who are living under the oppression of sin.  Jesus said that he is that Rescuer.

     Then, in v.3, those who follow that Rescuer, that Savior are to be known as “oaks of righteousness who display the splendor of God. When we follow Jesus, we align ourselves with his standards of what is right justice/righteousness and are called to “display his splendor”.

     That means that those who are rescued by faith in Jesus must grow, as oaks must grow, to become completely whole and just ourselves.  We are all still in that process of God transforming our lives so that we might be what God intended us to be before sin entered the world.  But, through the work of the Holy Spirit and the nurture and instruction in wisdom in the local church, we are promised that God will complete his work, he will make you and me complete in Christ.

     And, while we are growing and being made right ourselves, he calls us to be involved in our world.  We are to give witness to Jesus so that others may believe.  We are to work for God’s justice in this world as Jesus did.

     And I believe, one of the main things we must do as individual Christians and as a church is lead our children to Jesus – and then invest in their growth.

     I’ll end with this:  I was speaking with a botanist about this message and he pointed me to an online article about oaks called The Natural Healing Power of Oaks and Acorns.  Here’s part of it:

Recent research confirms that oak possesses the following healing properties: astringent, fever reducing, tonic, antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory actions. In addition, oak has been used to get rid of worms and other parasites (Dr. Patricia Bratianu, Botanist).

     (Put up pic of artwork).  When we say that we pray our children will become “oaks of God’s righteousness, we are not only saying that we pray that in our church they will come to know Jesus and become whole people themselves.  We are also saying that we pray that they will become people who make a positive difference in every part of this world – bringing encouragement and comfort to those who need it, working against all that has gone wrong in the world our Father loves, and calling people to find eternal life in Jesus.

    And, in case you wonder, I’m praying the same thing will happen in us adults as well.  Then, we will surely “display God’s splendor.”  We and all the children who enter this church family will find that Jesus SAVES – and our lives will grow to display God’s glory to Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley and the world.

 

如果我們的世界如此混亂，那麽一切意義何在？

傳道書 3:16-4:3; 8：14

      我喜歡加州的橡樹。我和克麗絲第一次來加州的時候，是在一月的雨季，我們去了中央海岸，看到布滿綠色橡樹的綿延起伏的丘陵：(https://s-media- cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8c/84/15/8c8415db02b603d396f30e371c9686e9.jpg).

      你也許知道，許多加州的橡樹目前都面臨著一些問題。有些問題是由西部橡樹皮甲蟲在橡樹內生出致命的真菌所導致：https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Coast- live-trunk- infested-covered- with-beetle- attack.jpg 還有一些樹因為一直困擾著加州的幹旱而瀕臨死亡: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green//blogfiles/20409_original.jpg. 這張圖片是加州橡樹健康的形象，也就是沒有被疾病和幹旱所毀壞的形象：http://media4.trover.com/T/516b2fec26c48d7100000563/fixedw_large_4x.jpg.

      我的信息以橡樹為開始，是因為今天，我們要慶祝教會楓樹街兒童中心的新的藝術作品：

      第一幅作品是近期畢業於阿蘇薩太平洋大學（Azusa Pacific University）的凱瑟琳在她最後一個學年完成的作品。在教會團隊的引導下，凱瑟琳根據以賽亞書61:3所說的一棵樹的成長為背景，表達了追求成長的主題：“使他們稱為公義樹，是耶和華所栽的，叫祂得榮耀。”我們的禱告是，使所有進入教會的孩子們都成為神在這節經文中所說的“公義的橡樹”。當橡樹被毀壞之後，它們首先需要的是重新成為完全，這樣它們才能為周圍帶來生命，因為自身的成長會帶來其它樹木、或生命的生長。我們希望我們這樣的禱告能得蒙垂聽，使孩子們能來到神的面前，成為完全，使他們得以成長、並將神的生命帶給其他人。

      但是，神為什麽要使用這個“公義的橡樹”的形象呢？這種語言源自神子民的經歷之中，他們有很長的一段時間被擄到巴比倫，也就是現在被稱為伊拉克的地方。猶大的家園，尤其是它的首府耶路撒冷被摧毀。然後它閑置了七十年，當然，在這期間，以色列從前所有的的繁榮都衰退了。那塊土地上的一切都不同了。

      然而在以賽亞書60到62章，神通過以賽亞預言說，一切都將會更新。以賽亞書61章是重點。在61:1-2，神說，祂會差遣一位被膏抹的救贖者：

叫我傳好信息給謙卑的人，差遣我醫好傷心的人，

報告被擄的得釋放，被囚的出監牢。

報告耶和華的恩年，和我們神報仇的日子。

安慰一切悲哀的人。

賜華冠與錫安悲哀的人，

代替灰塵，喜樂油，代替悲哀，贊美衣，代替憂傷之靈

使他們稱為公義樹，是耶和華所栽的，叫他得榮耀。

    這位救贖者是誰呢? 誰能使那些曾經絕望的人們成為彰顯神榮美的公義之樹呢？我想，你應該知道，那就是耶穌。以賽亞書61章預言了耶穌。在耶穌的家鄉拿撒勒，這個預言得以實現（路加福音4：14-20）。

      因此，耶穌能夠在這不義的世界中，將人們變為“公義之樹”。

      今天，這個宣告將我們帶回到傳道書和所羅門的深切關懷之中，那就是，這個世界上的一切都是不對的。請記得，他是以色列歷史上最富庶時期的王，卻仍然在3:16說：“我又見日光之下，在審判之處有奸惡。在公義之處也有奸惡……”“審判之處”指的是以色列的司法系統，由所羅門王掌管。然而他卻必須要承認，他所掌管的這個系統是不公義的。

      我們可能會說，“國王，你有權柄啊，你可以將一切都納入正軌，變為正確!”但是他卻知道，在”日光之下“，他並沒有權柄或能力將不公義之事變為公義。在4：1，他說， “我又轉念，見日光之下所行的一切欺壓，受氣壓的流淚，且無人安慰。”我們會問：“所羅門，為什麽？”他又接著說：“欺壓他們的有勢力，也無人安慰他們。”他又繼續說：“因此，我贊嘆那未曾生的，就是未見過日光之下惡事的，比這兩等人更強。

      我們可能會說，“但是你是國王！”他說，“即使如此，我在“日光之下”，也無法糾正錯誤的事情。”

我想我們都與他所說的這些有關聯。在我們的家庭（或者我們的學校，企業，甚至教會）裏，我們經常看到許多不正確的事，就是那些不公義和錯誤的事情。我們可能會想，“我可以負責，在家裏我是家長，在公司裏我是老板，或者在教會裏我是主任牧師！我為什麽不能使一切都變為正確？”如果你曾經這樣想過，你就與所羅門所說的有關系了。

但是如果你了解這一切，你就會開始明白，當聖經使用“拯救”這個 詞時，它是在表達什麽意思。唯有神能救你的生命，使你完全，唯有神能拯救我們的孩子，並使得他們成為“公義的橡樹，彰顯祂的榮耀。”唯有神可以拯救一個出了問題的世界，並使一切變為正確。

在接下來的這段時間裏，我想在信息中告訴大家，所羅門對於這個出了錯的世界、以及神對它的改變的思考。我將以下的經文放在一起，並將每句的第一個字母集中在一起，組成了“拯救”(SAVES)這個字。

•標準 - 神是公義的準繩

•評估 - “日光之下”其它的一切都無法達到神的標準

•應許 -- 神應許我們，有一天，萬物都將按神的旨意變為正確

•赦罪 –神找出一條使不義成為義的道路。

•呼召–這些因著神的恩典被稱為義的人，要向世界彰顯神的榮耀

第一：標準：神是公義的準繩。

只有神可以做到所羅門在3章16-17節中所講的：在審判之處有奸惡，在公義之處也有奸惡。神必審判義人和惡人。

在整體性的美國文化之中，我們對“正義”與“公義”這些字眼的意思所知甚少。當人們使用“正義”這個詞時，他們就會想到政治。委身於正義的人們常常被認為是那些遇到不平就想“討回公道”的“自由派”。而當我們使用“公義”這個詞時，不少人都會覺得我們指的是持守一大堆宗教規則。義人“不抽煙喝酒，也不在教會缺席，”等等。

所以，不要漏掉這層意思：“正義”和聖經中的“公義”是兩個相同的字！翻譯聖經的人是在兩個不同的時代，以兩種不同的方式，翻譯了希伯來文舊約和希臘文新約中出現的同一個詞。這個詞的意思是：一切都是正確的，一切都是本來該有的樣式，並且，整個宇宙中唯一完美的惟有神自己。

詩篇25：8-14說，“耶和華是是良善正直的”，只有他才能指導和引導那些不義的人，這一點在新約的帖撒羅尼迦前書1：6和羅馬書3：25-26得到了肯定，即：只有神是完全公義的，因此唯有祂可以判斷是非。這就是我們思考救恩的出發點，那就是神。

第二：評估 - “日光之下”其它的一切都無法達到神的標準。

我又見日光之下：在審判 之處有奸惡.....（3:16）。“日光之下”，世上有一件虛空的事，就是義人所遭遇的，反照惡人所行的；又有惡人所遭遇的，反照義人所行的。（8章14節）。

不公義（你也可以說 “不義”）是全體性的。邪惡影響到世界的每一個角落，也包括你和我。所以，我們不能自以為義。當我們說：“我是“義”的，你是“義”的時，不可能是誠實的。如果我們想知道什麽是“義”，我們必須來看看所羅門所告訴我們的，神的方式和神的品性。

所羅門在他的王國裏看到了什麽特別不公義的事情？他在4：1告訴我們：“我又轉念，見日光之下所行的一切欺壓：看哪，受欺壓的流淚，且無人安慰；欺壓他們的有勢力，也無人安慰他們。”

你看到了嗎？所羅門王的話語是否像後世偉大的先知們？他和那些先知都首先仰望神，看祂如何對待世人，然後再看他們自己國家所發生的一切。他們看到了什麽？他們看到，人們沒有按照神的方式去生活。此事是否有明確的證據呢？

•     阿摩司宣揚反對那些 “壓迫窮人”和“壓碎窮乏” 的（阿摩司書4：1）。

•     以西結發言反對全國內那些“一味地欺壓，慣行搶奪，虧負困苦窮乏的，背理欺壓寄居的。”(22:29)

•     撒迦利亞呼籲保護寡婦，孤兒和貧困的(7:9-10).

但是，所羅門在他執掌王權的末期，在“日光之下”，看到越來越多的不公義，並渴望有人使用任何權力，去安慰那些被壓迫的人們。他曾有兩次感嘆：沒有任何人能給予那些被壓迫者持久的安慰。

在今年的大選之際，對於我們想要推選出哪種候選人，這段經文給了我們很多的啟示。首先，他們都是不完全的。但是我們應當像所羅門所期待的那樣，期待那些珍惜神所看重的價值的當權者。我們應當以禱告的心，思考一下，在未來幾個月是否有某一個候選人或其他候選人，能夠像阿摩司所呼籲的那樣，更好地將神的愛分享給那些窮苦和有需要的人，他們是否像以西結所說的那樣對待寄居者，他們是否會像撒迦利亞所呼召的那樣保護寡婦和孤兒。

      沒有人能做得非常完美，因為只有神才是絕對的正確和公正。而且，正如我們將要看到的，這件事必須要藉著那些在世上傳播神榮耀法則的子民們來成就。但是我認為，在大選之際，用神善良的標準來衡量一切將會是一個良好的開始。

所以，第二點，你所得到的救恩呼召你，以對神的方法和命令的理解為根基，來誠實地做出評估。

第三： 應許：神應許我們，有一天，萬物都將按神的旨意變為正確。

   在3:1-15, 所羅門說，在日光之下，萬物都有定時。但是請註意，他特意在3：17提到萬物歸正的話題："神必審判義人和惡人，因為在那裏，各樣事務，一切工作，都有定時。"

           有人會說，他們不喜歡這個信息，就是一切的惡都要受到審判，或者世上沒有真正的公義。然而，在我們內心深處都相信，邪惡一定要受到審判。你有沒有繼續關註Palo Alto的一個年輕女人被一個年輕人強暴的新聞？他只被判了半年監禁和獄外查看。我不想評論法官的判決。我只想提一下我們的國人們對此不公之事的群起眾怒！超過一百萬的人簽名請願說這樣的判決是不公平的！

           在這個許多人認為沒有絕對的對與錯的世界裏，這種事應該讓你感到驚奇。那些認為道德與否都是主觀與個人決策的人們都在哪裏呢？當我們目睹惡事，我們就會希望它受到公義的審判。人類對邪惡應受審判有著深刻的直覺。

   回到我的第一點：神是對錯公正與否的標準。祂在世上設立掌權者秉性公義。然而，世上的掌權者卻常常失職。因此，神在舊約和新約中都曾應許：“申冤報應在我，”（申32:35）。主宣告說，“申冤在我，我必報應”（羅12:19）。

   這就是所羅門所給我們的應許：神應許要將公義帶給人類。祂會按照祂的時間來成就這事。

第四: 赦罪 –神找出一條使不義成為義的道路。

   所羅門並不知道神是否願意，或者能夠成就此事。他只知道，他所看到的日光之下的一切政權都毫無行公義好憐憫的能力。

你是否曾對那些生活在耶穌降生之前的人們換位思考過？那些觀察敏銳的人看到了所羅門所看到的，就是日光之下的萬事都是混亂的，地上充滿了不義和邪惡。聖潔公義的神除了要審判和毀滅這個祂所造的、卻又背離祂的世界之外，又能做什麽呢？"世人都犯了罪，虧欠了神的榮耀"（羅馬書3：23），並且 "罪的工價就是死（羅馬書6：23）。"那麽，我們都犯了罪，神怎麽說我們如今在祂裏面得稱為義，一切的罪都得以赦免？祂是否只是在忽略他們，或是自欺欺人？問題是，公義的神如何能將不義的人稱為義人，而祂卻仍然是公義的？

   我們當然知道答案： “神叫那無罪的，替我們成為罪，好叫我們在他裏面成為神的義。" （林後 5:21).”

   耶穌為我們的罪死。他擔當我們應受的懲罰，叫我們可以得到自由與重生。唯有他的生命是全然公義的，祂所過的每一天都是公義正直的。看到祂的生活，我們才知道應當如何去生活。請聽使徒彼得的話：“他被掛在木頭上親自擔當了我們的罪，使我們既然在罪上死，就得以在義上活; ‘因祂受的鞭傷，我們便得了醫治’ (彼得前書2:24).” 哈利路亞！

第五，呼召--–這些因著神的恩典被稱為義的人，要向世界彰顯神的榮耀

“使他們成為公義樹，是耶和華所栽種的，叫他得榮耀 (以賽亞61:3).”

   這節經文將我們帶回以賽亞書61:1-3。在前兩節經文中說到，一位救贖主要來擔當世界一切的不義，當祂工作完成的時候，一切都要重歸正道。祂要醫治一切的疾病，叫盲人得看見，被囚的得自由，叫那些在生活在罪的壓迫之中的人們得安慰。耶穌說，祂就是這位救贖主。

接著在第三節，那些跟隨救贖主的人，要認識那位“彰顯神榮耀的公義之樹”的救主，當我們跟隨耶穌的時候，我們就依照祂的是非公義的標準行事，這就是“彰顯祂的榮耀”。

   這就意味著，那些在信心中得救的人必須成長，正如橡樹一定會成長一樣，滿有完全正直的身量。我們現今仍在被神改變的過程之中，好讓我們成為當罪還未進入世界以前，神定意要我們成為的樣式。但是藉著聖靈的工作，在教會的栽培和教導中，我們得到神的應許，就是神要完成祂的工作，祂將要使你和我在基督裏成為完全。

   同時，在我們成長和歸正的過程中，神呼召我們進入這個世界，為耶穌作見證，叫人們也得以相信耶穌。我們要在世上行神的公義，如同耶穌一樣。

   我相信，作為基督徒，我們無論作為個人還是教會，所要做的一件重要的事就是，要引導孩子們歸向耶穌，並且在他們的成長中投註心力。

    在這篇信息快要結束的時候，我想和你分享這樣一件事：我和一位園藝家談到了這個信息，他給我指出網絡上的一篇有關橡樹的文章，叫做橡樹和橡子自然治愈作用。這是其中的部分內容：

近期研究確認，橡樹具有以下的治愈作用：收斂，退燒，滋補，防腐，抗病毒，抗癌，抗炎癥的效果。另外，橡樹也可用來驅蟲和排寄生蟲等。

   當我們為我們的孩子禱告，使他們成為"神公義的橡樹"的時候，我們不僅僅在為他們認識耶穌、成長為完全的人而禱告，同時，我們也求神使他們可以給今天世界的每一部分都有積極正面的影響，將鼓勵和安慰帶給需要的人，在天父所愛的世界中力挽狂瀾，呼召人們在基督裏找到永恒的生命。

   我也同樣為成年人禱告，使我們一樣能夠"彰顯神在世上的榮耀。"使我們和所有來到教會的孩子們一起認識到，耶穌是施行拯救的主，祂使我們的生命得以在巴塞蒂娜，聖蓋博乃至全世界彰顯神的榮耀。

榮耀歸給神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師

 

 

祂的荣耀，

格雷格Waybright博士
主任牧師

Greg Waybright • Copyright 2015, Lake Avenue Church