0701 – God Will Restore 神必恢复

Luke 9:54-56 NKJV And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.The day that Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden of Eden, the land was cursed and suffering entered the world. From that day onwards, all of mankind have sinned against God and no one can blame or accuse another of greater sin. The world will get darker by the day as the sin of man increases and there will be great sufferings until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One may look at the suffering during this pandemic, the tragedy of the many that die because of COVID-19 and conclude that God is punishing people for sinning against him by rejecting Him, but this is not in His divine plan for mankind. As Jesus rebuked his disciples when they asked Him if they should command the killing and destruction of the Samaritans who rejected Him, He showed us that He was sent by God to save and not destroy mankind; in Luke 9:55-56 (NKJV) “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

Jesus who is the exact image of the Father, is one with Him. Whatever Jesus said and did on earth was aligned with God’s will and instructions. When he said that He came to save and not destroy, it shows us that God does not intend to destroy our lives but instead, He loves us and His love is perfect. However, He knows that we as sinners have no ability to stand righteous before Him based on our abilities. This is the reason that He sent His Son Jesus, to show grace and save the ungodly. He continues to reach out today to the people who suffer during this crisis through the church and possibly reveals Himself to those who are lost when they are at the end of their ropes. We are no longer in animosity with God because Jesus has redeemed us and brought peace between us and God, He has no reason to punish or destroy us.

Job 42:10 NKJV And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

James 5:11 NKJV Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

This is all proof that God is a restorer and He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He will restore whatever has been stolen from us as we can see at the end of Job’s suffering. While God is definitely not the source nor the cause of COVID-19 or the global economic crisis, He will ultimately use it to seek and to save those who call upon His name. We as believers have to persevere through our sufferings and trust that our God is indeed very compassionate and merciful.

Sermon Series: Resurrection Sunday – Job & I (Part 1)


神必恢复

路加福音9:54-56他的门徒雅各、约翰看见了,就说:「主啊,你要我们吩咐火从天上降下来烧灭他们,像以利亚所做的吗?」 耶稣转身责备两个门徒,说:「你们的心如何,你们并不知道。 人子来不是要灭人的性命,是要救人的性命。」说着就往别的村庄去了。

自亚当夏娃在伊甸园得罪神的那一天起,地就被咒诅,苦难也来到世上。从那日起,全人类都得罪了神,没有人能责怪或控告别人犯了更大的罪。当人的罪越发加重的时候,世界会变得更黑暗,必有极大的苦难直到主耶稣基督再来。

看到这场瘟疫中的苦难,看到许多人因为COVID-19而死亡的悲剧,有人会断定因为人拒绝神而得罪了祂,所以神正在惩罚人类。但这并不在祂对人类神圣的计划之中。耶稣责备门徒当他们向祂提出是否该杀害和灭绝那些拒绝祂的撒玛利亚人,祂让我们看到,神差遣祂来是为了救人,而不是要灭人.

路加福音9:55-56 你们的心如何,你们并不知道。 人子来不是要灭人的性命,是要救人的性命.

耶稣是天父的真像,与祂合一。耶稣在地上所说所做的,都是与神的旨意和指示一致的。当耶稣说祂是来拯救我们而不是要灭我们的时候,这说明神的旨意并不是灭我们的生命,而是爱我们,祂的爱是完美的。然而,祂知道我们作为罪人,无法靠自己的能力在祂面前站立称义。这就是为什么祂差他的儿子耶稣来彰显恩典,拯救那不敬虔的人。如今,祂继续通过教会向在这场危机中受苦受难的人们伸出援手,也许祂会向那些在困境中迷失方向的人彰显自己。我们不再讨神的憎嫌,因为耶稣救赎了我们,使我们与神和好,祂没有理由惩罚或毁灭我们。

雅各书5:11那先前忍耐的人,我们称他们是有福的。你们听见过约伯的忍耐,也知道主给他的结局,明显主是满心怜悯,大有慈悲。

这一切都证明神是一位复兴者,祂希望我们与祂恢复关系。无论我们失窃了什么,神都会一一复原,正如我们看到约伯苦尽甘来一样。虽然神绝对不是COVID-19或全球经济危机的根源或起因,但祂最终会用它来寻找和拯救那些呼唤祂名字的人。作为信徒,我们必须在苦难中坚忍到底,并坚信我们的神确实富于同情和怜悯。

讲章系列:复活主日-约伯与我 (第一部分)