害怕死去的麦子
决定的时刻

经文
哥林多后书六1-18
1我们与神同工的,也劝你们不可徒受他的恩典。
2因为他说:在悦纳的时候,我应允了你;在拯救的日子,我搭救了你。看哪!现在正是悦纳的时候;现在正是拯救的日子。
3我们凡事都不叫人有妨碍,免得这职分被人毁谤;
4反倒在各样的事上表明自己是神的用人,就如在许多的忍耐、患难、穷乏、困苦、
5鞭打、监禁、扰乱、勤劳、儆醒、不食、
6廉洁、知识、恒忍、恩慈、圣灵的感化、无伪的爱心、
7真实的道理、神的大能;仁义的兵器在左在右;
8荣耀、羞辱,恶名、美名;似乎是诱惑人的,却是诚实的;
9似乎不为人所知,却是人所共知的;似乎要死,却是活着的;似乎受责罚,却是不至丧命的;
10似乎忧愁,却是常常快乐的;似乎贫穷,却是叫许多人富足的;似乎一无所有,却是样样都有的。
11哥林多人哪,我们向你们,口是张开的,心是宽宏的。
12你们狭窄,原不在乎我们,是在乎自己的心肠狭窄。
13你们也要照样用宽宏的心报答我。我这话正像对自己的孩子说的。
14你们和不信的原不相配,不要同负一轭。义和不义有甚么相交呢?光明和黑暗有甚么相通呢?
15基督和彼列(彼列就是撒但的别名)有甚么相和呢?信主的和不信主的有甚么相干呢?
16神的殿和偶像有甚么相同呢?因为我们是永生神的殿,就如神曾说:我要在他们中间居住,在他们中间来往;我要作他们的神;他们要作我的子民。
17又说:你们务要从他们中间出来,与他们分别;不要沾不洁净的物,我就收纳你们。
18我要作你们的父;你们要作我的儿女。这是全能的主说的。
信息分享
在过去两天,我们都在讨论记载在约翰福音十二章的一件事情,就是有几位希腊人来见耶稣。让我们一起来听听当耶稣知道希腊人要来见祂的时候,祂说了甚么:「我现在心里忧愁……」(约十二27)。「忧愁」的希腊语是tarasso,意思是极度激动。耶稣是神,却同时是人,祂很自然的与我们一样,对即将来临的死亡感到恐惧和担忧。
有些人在这种时刻并不会感到忧愁,因为我们接受了时代的精神,选择接受邀请而不是拒绝,选择了人的喝彩而不是十字架的钉伤。我们害怕死亡,因而只是肤浅的活着。在这里我们看到主基督再次呼喊:「我说甚么才好呢?父啊,救我脱离这时候!」(约十二27)。祂会要求父免去祂所要付上的代价吗?在这种关键的时刻,我们当中有些人可能会有这样的要求;我们会要求「获救脱离这时候」。但是你看耶稣怎样迎接这一刻?约翰福音十二27告诉我们,耶稣的回应是:「但我原是为这时候来的」。
你明白祂的意思吗?「历世历代都等待我面对这时刻,世人的呼求使我不得不面对这危机。我现在不能退缩,因为这会令神和世人失望。」你心里是否也感受到神正将你带到这危机点上去呢?对一些人来说,特别是那些仍未把自己的生命降服在神面前的人,这是命运关键的一刻。现在,有人已经把你带到这一刻来了,那就是神自己。
「我们在接受公义的主的时候,内心是否有挣扎?」
进深研究
徒二十六1-32;诗三十二6,六十九13;申三十19
1. 阿基帕怎样回应挑战?
2. 你会怎样回应神的挑战?
祈祷
天父,我感到内心面临一个挣扎,就是决定让谁来作我生命的主。求您帮助我作出最后的降服。奉耶稣奇妙的圣名祈求,阿们。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
The hour of decision

Bible reading:
2 Corinthians 6:1-18
1 As God's co-workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
2 For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."[a] I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;
5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;
6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;
9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.
12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.
13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."[c]
17 Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."[d]
18 And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."[e]
Message
Listen to Jesus as He receives the news that the Greeks have come to interview Him: "Now is my heart troubled..." (John 12:27). The Greek word used here for "troubled" is tarasso, which implies extreme agitation. And well might He be troubled, for being human as well as divine, our Lord would have felt as keenly as you and I the horror of impending death.
Some of us are not troubled at this point because we fall in with the spirit of the age, and choose acceptance rather than rejection - the plaudits of men rather than the nails of a cross. We are afraid to die, and thus live on to experience only shallowness. Again our Lord cries: "And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' " (John 12:27). Would He ask to be excused, from paying the supreme price? Some of us may be asking that at this very moment. We are asking to be "saved from this hour" Listen to how Jesus meets this moment: "No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour" (John 12:27).
Can you see what He is saying? "All the ages have matched me against this moment, all the yearnings of men have brought me face to face with this crisis. I cannot fail now, for I would fail both God and them." Can you sense in your own heart right now that God has been working to bring you to this crisis point? For some of you, particularly those of you who have not yet fully surrendered your lives to God's purposes, this is a moment of destiny. Someone has brought you to this hour - that Someone is God.
"Do we struggle to accept our rightful Lord"
Prayer
O Father, what can I say? I feel a struggle going on inside me - the struggle concerning who is to be my soul's rightful Lord. Help me to make the final surrender. I do it now, fully and finally. In Jesus' worthy and wonderful Name. Amen.
Further study
Acts 26:1-32
Psalm 32:6; 69:13
Deuteronomy 30:19
1.What was Agrippa's response to the challenge?
2. How will you respond to God's challenge?
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