Isaiah 43:16-19 (NKJV) Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea. And a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
In the Old Testament, every male child had to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant with God. However, in the New Testament, every believer already has that circumcision in the heart as soon as they make the decision that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Saviour. Jesus has fulfilled the Abrahamic covenant and a new covenant has been established through His blood.
Romans 2:28-29 (NKJV) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Israel’s calling is to be God’s servant to fulfil the role of God’s covenant people, and to pave the way for the Messiah to redeem mankind from their sins. Throughout their history, the Jews have experienced God’s faithfulness, from the time of Abraham to their deliverance from oppression in Egypt. The opening Scripture is about their journey back to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Because the journey would be a long and arduous one, God was assuring and comforting them of His presence by bringing into their remembrance His mighty acts in the past when He delivered the people out of Egypt. Instead of just hearing about the exploits of their forefathers, each generation must know God for themselves.
Likewise, all of us need to experience God in our lives just like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. God wants us to know Him, and there is no better way than to experience His faithful presence when we are going through challenges in our lives. Unless we stepped out to trust and have faith in God in bad times, we can memorise the whole Bible and still not know Him. In other words, unless we experience God personally, all our knowledge of Him remains mere head knowledge. Therefore, truly knowing God comes from experiencing Him in our daily lives, by including Him in our struggles and our joy. We share with Him our struggles through prayer, develop faith and stand in faith when He gives us a personal promise from His Word. As we do that, our faith will grow stronger as we experience breakthrough. Growing deeper in our fellowship with God requires us to trust Him.
Sermon Series: Are You Ready for Something New in Your Life?
在信心中体验上帝
以赛亚书43:16-19耶和华在沧海中开道，在大水中开路。使车辆，马匹，军兵，勇士都出来，一同躺下不再起来，他们灭没好像熄灭的灯火。耶和华如此说，你们不要记念从前的事，也不要思想古时的事。看哪，我要做一件新事，如今要发现，你们岂不知道吗？我必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河。
在旧约中，每个男孩都必须受割礼，作为与上帝立约的记号。然而，在新约中，每一个信徒一旦决定耶稣基督是他们的主和救主，他们的心就已经受了割礼。耶稣已经成就了亚伯拉罕之约，并通过祂的血建立了新约。
罗马书2:28-29 因为外面作犹太人的，不是真犹太人，外面肉身的割礼，也不是真割礼。惟有里面作的，才是真犹太人。真割礼也是心里的，在乎灵，不在乎仪文。这人的称赞不是从人来的，乃是从上帝来的。
以色列的呼召是成为上帝的仆人，履行上帝立约子民的角色，并为弥赛亚铺平道路，好让祂来将人类从罪孽中救赎出来。纵观他们的历史，从亚伯拉罕的时代到他们从埃及的压迫中解救出来，犹太人都经历了上帝的信实。开头的经文是关于他们从流放之地巴比伦返回耶路撒冷的旅程。因为旅程将会是漫长而艰巨的，上帝提醒他们记起祂过去拯救人民出埃及时的大能作为，祂以祂的同在向他们保证并安慰他们。每一代人都必须亲自认识上帝，而不是仅仅听闻他们祖先的功绩。
同样，我们每一个人都需要在生命中经历上帝，就像旧约中的以色列人一样。上帝希望我们认识祂，当我们在生活中经历挑战时，没有比体验祂信实的同在更好的方法了。我们可以记住整本圣经却依然不认识祂，除非我们在困难时期踏出去信靠祂并且对祂有信心。换句话说，除非我们亲身经历上帝，否则我们对祂的所有知识都只是头脑的知识。因此，真正认识上帝来自于在我们的日常生活中经历祂，将祂包含在我们的挣扎和喜乐中。当祂从祂的话语中给我们个人应许时，我们通过祈祷与祂分享我们的挣扎，培养信心并坚定信心。当我们这样做时，随着我们经历突破，我们的信心会变得更加坚定。我们与上帝更深刻的相交来自于我们对祂的信靠。
讲章系列： 你准备好迎接生命中的新事物了吗?