623 中翻英 (323) God's blood bled for us. That is His love. 主為我們流血, 這就是愛. 12/26/2023

623 中翻英 (323)  God's blood bled for us.  That is His love.  主為我們流血, 這就是愛.                                     12/26/2023

十二月二十六日的曠野筵席啟示跟隨祂的信徒,   祂為我們在十字架上流的寶血,   就顯明了祂的愛.

「神愛我們的心，我們也知道, 也信。神就是愛，住在愛里面的，就是住在神里面，神也住在他里面。」（約壹  4:16   新國際版   ）

什么叫愛呢？愛不是話語，最深的愛，不是話語所能表明的。那個浪子預備見了他的父親就要說：「父親，我得罪了天，又得罪了你，從今以后，我不配稱為你的儿子，把我當作一個雇工罷。」但是，他离家還遠時，他父親就動了慈心，跑去抱著他的頸項，連連与他親嘴。跑去！哦，一個父親的心，是要縮短罪的距离。當父親向他親嘴時，他知道他父親的心了。他的父親并沒有說，我愛你，他一親嘴，浪子就知道他父親的心了。他不能再說：「你把我當作一個雇工罷」這句話了，他心里只能說：我父親愛我。請你們今天不要誤會神的心，請你來到十字架下。耶穌已經替你死了，這已經把神的心告訴你了。你看見主耶穌的血，就知道神是何等的愛你了。

December 26

"We know and believe that God loves us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1 John 4:16  NIV)

What is love? Love is not words. The deepest love cannot be expressed by words. The prodigal son was ready to say to his father, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. From now on, I am not worthy to be called your son. Treat me like a hired servant." However, he left. While he was still far away from home, his father was moved with compassion, ran to hold him around his neck, and kissed him repeatedly. Run! Oh, a father's heart is to shorten the distance of sin. He knew his father's heart when he kissed him. His father did not say, I love you. The prodigal knew his father's heart as soon as he kissed him. He could no longer say: "Treat me as a hired hand." He could only say in his heart: My father loves me. Please don’t misunderstand God’s heart today. Please come to the foot of the cross. Jesus has died for you, which has revealed God’s heart to you. When you see the blood of the Lord Jesus, you will know how much God loves you.

When the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman.   Galatians  4:4

 

When Jesus was born, Israel was a subject nation.   The greatness of the kingdom was but memory, and the people of God paid the tribute to Caesar.  These were the days of Augustus, and Rome ruled the world.  Yet I spite of appearances, He was born in the fullness of time. Everything was prepared.  The Gospel of Christ was for all men; it could not be confined to one tiny nation.  So God permitted Rome to absorb the world, and Jesus Christ was crucified in the Roman empire upon a Roman cross.

 

Rome’s communications were good.  Her roads and her ships went everywhere.  Jews could come to Jerusalem at Pentecost, hear the gospel and carry it back home without crossing hostile national boundaries.  Because Rome ruled, the apostles might travel freely from city to city within the empire, speaking to men of the Savior.  The book of the Acts demonstrates the neutrality and the fairness of  the secular authorities.  Rome is likened in Scripture to a wild beast, but God who shuts lions’mouths had tames her for His instrument.  He shuts and no man opens; He opens, and no man can shut.