Romans 8:35,37-38 (NKJV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Bible tells us that some believers will stumble, fall away, and leave the Lord. It also tells us that tribulation and persecution will arise for the Word’s sake to steal the Word from our hearts. Jesus wants us to allow the Word to take root in our lives so that we can stand firm during tribulation and persecution.
Why do we sometimes hear people say, “I tried Jesus but it didn’t work for me!”? It is because they were looking for a formula or quick fix to meet their need. Therefore, even though they received the message with joy, they stumbled because they didn’t receive what they asked for, such as miraculous healing. The Word of God works like a mirror by revealing to us the condition of our lives and our hearts, not to condemn us but to help us get back into right alignment with God by making the necessary adjustments.
Many Christians are passionate and enthusiastic about God and His Word especially after a church service, conference, or Bible study, but all of a sudden, they’ve lost the zeal and returned to the world. Perhaps their prayer was not answered in the way or the timing that they had expected, and there is no depth or proper foundation. This can happen to us too when we are disappointed with God, undergoing stress or challenges. God did not promise us a life free from tribulation, but He did promise that we can overcome it.
So what convictions do we need to weather through the storms of life? First, we need to know the character and nature of God. He is a promise-keeping God. He will never violate His covenant, leave us or forsake us, and His grace will sustain us during tribulations. We will be more than a conqueror since His presence, assurance and resources are made available to us. No tribulation will be able to harm us because He will walk through it with us and deliver us in His timing. Secondly, we need to build our identity in Christ. This solid foundation will help us to be strong and stable during tribulation. If we build our identity on anything else, it will be easily taken away by a recession, health issues or old age.
We have already been warned of the enemy’s scheme, so let’s pre-empt him from stealing and robbing us of our joy and faith by deciding to make our hearts good soil. It is our best defence.
Sermon Series: The Seed San be Stolen but It Is Difficult to Uproot the Tree! (Part 2)
好土是我们最好的防御
罗马书 8:35,37-38 谁能使我们与基督的爱隔绝呢？难道是患难吗？是困苦吗？是逼迫吗？是饥饿吗？是赤身露体吗？是危险吗？是刀剑吗？……然而，靠着爱我们的主，在这一切的事上已经得胜有余了。 因为我深信：无论是死，是生，是天使，是掌权的，是有能的，是现在的事，是将来的事， 是高处的，是低处的，是别的受造之物，都不能叫我们与神的爱隔绝；这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里的。
圣经告诉我们，有些信徒会绊跌、疏远并离开主。它还告诉我们，因着圣言的缘故会有患难和迫害，这是为了从我们心中窃走神的话语。耶稣希望我们让神的话语在生命中扎根，这样我们才能在磨难和迫害来临时屹立不倒。
为什么我们有时会听到人说：“我尝试过信耶稣，但对我来说没什么用！”？这是因为他们在寻找一个公式，或快速解决方案来满足他们的需求。因此，尽管他们欣然接受了福音，却会因为没有得到心中所求，例如神迹的医治，而跌倒。神的话语就像一面镜子，向我们揭示我们的生命和内心的状况，不是因为要谴责我们，而是要帮助我们做出必要的调整来重新与神保持一致。
许多基督徒在教堂礼拜、大会活动或查经班之后会对神和祂的话语充满热情与积极性，但突然间，他们又会失去激情而回归到世界。也许是因为他们的祷告没有在预期的时间为他们带来所期待的回应，而且对基督的认识也没有深度或适当的基础。当我们对神感到失望、或正在承受压力或挑战时，这种情况也可能会发生在我们身上。其实神并没有应许我们没有苦难的生活，但他的确应许了我们可以克服苦难。
那么，我们需要什么样的信念来度过人生的风暴呢？首先，我们需要知道上帝的品格和本性。祂是守约的神。祂永远不会违约、永远不会离开我们或撇下我们，当我们在苦难中，祂以恩典扶持我们。因得着祂的同在、应许和资源，我们将得胜有余。患难无法伤害我们，因为祂会与我们一起走过，并按照祂的时间拯救我们。其次，我们需要在基督里建立我们的身份。这个扎实的基础将帮助我们在患难中坚强和稳定。如果我们将自己的身份建立在其他任何事物之上，那么当出现经济衰退、健康问题或年华逝去时就很容易迷失。
我们已经被提醒过关于敌人的阴谋，所以我们要先发制人，通过决定让自己的心成为良好的土壤，来阻止牠偷走我们的喜乐和信心。这是我们最好的防御。
讲章系列：种子会被偷走，但很难把树连根拔起！ (第二部分)