JY Bible Notes 聖經小筆記

Jimmy Lau Psa 134:3  The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.  Psalm 134 is the last and the shortest of the “Songs of Degrees” or Psalms of Ascent. We have learned that the Psalms of Ascent were originally sung by the pilgrims as they made their ascent up to Jerusalem for the great feasts. With this psalm, they had reached the top of the hill and were standing on top of Mount Zion, with the temple in front of them. The feeling was one of jubilation and the first thought was: “ Come, bless the LORD .”   It is a very important lesson for us: If we desire God’s blessings, we have first to bless Him. The true Zion is the church of God: “ But  ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem , and to innumerable hosts of angels ” (Hebrews 12:22, ASV). Are we in Zion paying our homage to God? The life that first blesses God is a life that will be blessed by God.   Some expect God to bless them first BEFORE th...

Tyler King When we start comparing ourselves with the world, we find depression and dissatisfaction. This is simply due to the fact that we are foreigners in this land.  However, when we relocate our minds with fellow believers, to divine scripture, and to thoughtful worship, we can find our own “Psalm 73:17.”  The holiness of Christ is so much more satisfying and purifying than the worldly prosperity of the wicked. Being connected to His church can help us find like-minded people who are setting their treasures in heaven rather than in this world.   

Jimmy Lau Life is joyous when we curb our passions. Paul is right: “ But godliness with contentment is great gain ” (1 Timothy 6:6). Contentment is finding joy in what God has given to us. The tendency for men is to want more. Contentment is an attitude learned from life. Paul says “ I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content ” (Philippians 4:12, ESV). Discontentment brings anxieties and unhappiness; contentment results in happiness. Choose contentment.   Psalm 131 is a very short psalm but it contains the secret to happiness: 1) Practise humility. 2) Learn contentment. 3) Live in hope.

from Kwan Thai Choon 圣灵的果子如同我们天路历程必经的重要驿站： "圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔、节制。(加拉太书5:22-23)" 1、 仁爱 ：仁是仁爱怜悯之心，爱则是爱人如己之意。爱神、爱人、爱工作，处处仁至义尽，行事为人如皓月长空，光明磊落，无愧于工作，无愧于神，以仁爱和慈悲为冠冕和荣耀。 2、 喜乐 ：喜是高高兴兴，乐则是无忧无虑。要常常喜乐，不住的祷告，在指望中喜乐，在患难中要忍耐。 3、 和平 ：和则是和睦相处，平是平等待人。传和平的福音.，不争竞，要和平。 4、 忍耐 ：忍是忍辱负重，耐是持之以恒。要多多忍耐宽容，在耶穌的患难国度里一同有份，惟有忍耐到底才能得救。 5、 恩慈 ：恩是恩典之理，慈则是慈祥之意，有恩典，有真理，有爱心，有怜悯，有道理，有知识，行事为人心慈面善，和气可亲，平易近人，敬上爱下，扶弱济贫，体验实情，有怜悯的心。 6、 良善 ：良是好之意，善则是义之举。良善是心地善良，行为正直，不好事能吃苦，能忍耐，凡事让三分，过份的话不说，过头的事不做，以信为本，遵守主道，实事求是，助人为乐，常常施恩，施舍于人，有较高圣道造诣。 7、 信实 ：信乃是以信为本，实则是实作实为，信神则是对神的主道，对灵程，对工作所属范畴，凡事信实，凡事依靠，才能因信称义，因信得救，只有信实中才有力量，才能有指望，才能成为圣洁 ,才能脚踏实地，实作实为，一步一个脚印。 8、 温柔 ：温是温暖，柔是柔和，温柔是信爱长存，慈祥温和，朴实随和，态度热情，说话和气，可亲，无论任何人都能和睦相处， 处处给人一种温暖感，对工作热心，细致全面，不为名利，不计较个人得失，不在人前吹角，不骄不躁 ，任劳任怨，默默奉献，时时表明在行为上。 9、 节制 ：节是段和环节，制是约束和限制。节制是有节必有制，有制必有节，节节拉扣，有规有律，各有制约，浑然一体，也就是俗称有板有眼，有起有落之理。

Jimmy Lau The frightening news is that God does keep a record of sins. Read the following verses:   Matthew 25:42 : “ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  [43]  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ” 2Corinthians 5:10 : “ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,  according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad .”  Revelation 20:13 : “ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man  according to their works .”    The truth of the matter is, no one can stand before God  IN  his sin: “ For the wages of sin is death ” (Romans 6:23a). But, fear not, the Psalmist continues: “ But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared ” (Psa...

Corey Sawyers Someone says, "Okay, I see the importance of being a husband who submits to the Lord by submitting to my wife. What does that have to do with fatherhood?" It is important for three reasons: FOR OUR SONS' SAKE. We are modelling for them what kind of husband and father to be. FOR OUR DAUGHTERS' SAKE. We are modelling for them what kind of man they should look for in a husband. FOR THE LORD'S SAKE. Our sons' and daughters' view of God will be directly affected by us. Their Father in Heaven will be skewed based on what kind of father they have on earth. Furthermore, their view of Jesus and His relationship with the church will be directly affected by the way we treat our brides. Submission in any relationship involves the same spirit but is expressed differently depending on the relationship. A husband and a wife do not submit to one another in the same way that a child does a father. Nevertheless, the spirit of humility and putting othe...

Jimmy Lau Life is a continuous struggle. Do you think that after you have retired from your work, you will not have any more struggles? Far from it. A new phase in life has its own struggles – old age diseases will start to appear, loneliness may come in especially if you have lost your life partner, and money may be an issue if you did not save enough for retirement. Life is a continuing battle, and it only ends when we cross over to the other side. Only true FAITH will win.   The Psalmist was an old man recalling the things since his youth. He had been there, done it. God was his victory (Psa. 129 v.4). He wants us to feel and live the FAITH we preach about. We need to trust that God will get us through the hard times: “ The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked ” (Psa. 129 v.4).

June 14, 2020   by  Jack Wilkie    https://www.focuspress.org/2020/06/14/self-hatred-vs-the-gospel/   The following is a feature from the June 2020 issue of  Think  magazine, an issue focused on worldly self-love vs. Biblical self-care. To subscribe,  click here . I apologize as this may be a weird, uncomfortable, challenging article, but I write it because I was led to a weird, uncomfortable, challenging conclusion recently: I hate myself. I’ve long been familiar with the term self-loathing or self-hatred, and naturally, it has always sounded like a terrible condition. I’ve always felt bad for those who struggle with it. But I assumed it entailed walking around all day telling yourself how terrible you are, not being able to look at yourself in the mirror, and the like. The symptoms aren’t always quite that extreme, though. They can seem normal, and it’s easy to convince one’s self that everybody probably goes through the same things. A f...

From:  https://truthfortheworld.education/mod/lesson/view.php?id=42&forceview=1  In describing the unity of the theme and plan of the Bible, perhaps Wayne Jackson summarized it the best.  “The Book of Genesis tells of man’s fall into a sinful state. In Exodus through Deuteronomy, by the giving of the law, sin is defined and vividly characterized. The Historical Books of the OT portray man’s inability to justify himself on the basis of law-keeping, hence, they underscore the need for a Justifier. The Prophets herald the coming of that illustrious Justifier. After four silent centuries, the Gospel Writers inform us that Christ has come, bringing justification. The Book of Acts demonstrates how first-century men and women appropriated Jehovah’s justifying grace unto themselves through loving obedience. The various Epistles to churches and individuals instructed saints how to grow toward spiritual maturity, and finally, the Revelation pictures the ultimate and comp...

from Kwan Thai Choom 对你……神有办法！ 你说你的素质不好，但也绝不会比雅各更诡诈。 他连亲兄弟也舍得骗，遇难时把妻子孩子，都当成自己的挡箭牌……可是神祂有办法，使雅各变成了以色列：神的勇士。 你脾气再坏，也不能比约翰更暴躁。 有人只对主嘟囔了一句，他就想让主降火来烧灭他……可是神自有祂的办法，不久后这个雷子深情地说：神爱世人！圣经里这个人说：神就是爱！ 你再偏激，也不可能偏激过保罗。 他拿着绳子去捆绑呼求主名的人，并且参与了司提反的谋杀……他要爱神，却不知为何就成了神的仇敌。 可是神总有办法：使他变成了新约最大的使徒，却又是最谦卑的，他说自己是"罪人中的罪魁"，比众圣徒中最小者还小。 你再软弱，也软弱不过彼得。 他三次否认主之后，重新扎到海里去打渔，他自怜到一个地步，认为自己没有希望了……然而主拿他有办法：主不厌其烦地下到海边，重新来呼召彼得，让他牧养主的羊。 你再委屈，也没有主耶稣委屈。 他是创造万物的伟大之神，地上唯一无罪而完全的人，却被他造的人钉在木头上，圣洁全能的神却被剥夺了衣服，与强盗同列。他不仅被无辜地处死，更是被羞辱地处死……然而神"凭自己的意旨而行"，使他刚强壮胆，使他举起无愤怒的手祷告说："父啊，赦免他们。”  阿们！"神从创立世界以前，在基督里拣选了我们，使我们在他面前成为圣洁，无有瑕疵。_以弗所书1:4"

From:  https://truthfortheworld.education/mod/page/view.php?id=36&forceview=1 An example of Scripture that shows how important each word is in the Bible is written by Paul. “ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. ” ( Galatians 3:16 ) Paul makes an argument that literally hinges on whether or not a noun is plural or singular. He is talking about whether the word should be “ seeds ” (plural) or “ seed ” (singular). Each word can make a difference in meaning. The Holy Spirit guided the writers and made sure that each word is accurate and approved of by God.  Specific thoughts take specific words. “ For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that w...

From:  https://truthfortheworld.education/mod/page/view.php?id=35 The Bible does claim to be inspired by God. “ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ” ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ) The Bible claims that all the words in it are from, or approved of, by God. The word “ inspiration ” here does not just mean “inspired” as in getting a good idea. Instead, it comes from the Greek word that means “God-breathed.” The Bible claims that it is a product of the Divine breath. It claims that the writers were guided by the Holy Spirit as they wrote, which made sure that all the information in it was accurate.  Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would teach them after He left and help them to remember everything He had said. “ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Fat...

Tyler King A ny time I read a passage in 2 Timothy, I am reminded of how intimate of a letter it is. This is the last letter penned by Paul that we have before he was shipped off to Rome where he met his death. In this last letter, Paul gave his son in the faith, Timothy, several pieces of advice and words of encouragement. Among these final instructions, we come across chapter 4 and verse 2 where Paul instructs Timothy to do five actions (preach, be ready, reprove, rebuke, and exhort) . The first of the imperatives that Paul gives is “preach the word.” In an effort to better digest that command, it’d be good to break that down into the two words of “preach” and “word.” There is a verb (preach) and a noun/subject (the word) involved with this particular imperative. Before you discount this passage by saying, “well, I’m not a preacher so I can tune this one out,” unfortunately, that kind of thinking doesn’t work in totality. While Timothy was most certainly the...

Brett Petrillo Now is the moment for us to show the world we are true disciples of Christ. Now is the moment to make efforts of unity that bridge racial barriers. Now is the moment to reexamine and adjust our wrong, perhaps even sinful, mindsets. Now is the moment, above all else, to show love (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). The question is, “How?” Here are some suggestions: Go blind  to skin colour. We are all family and heirs with Christ (Galatians 3:26-28; 1 Samuel 16:7). Listen , without judgment, to brethren who have a different perspective than you (Proverbs 12:15; 18:13; Matthew 7:1-2). Examine yourself  honestly (Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 139:23-24). Repent  of false judgments, biases, and prejudices (Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19). Pray  for our mistreated brethren, for the church, for perspective, for our country, and for so much more. Even better, go pray with the brethren of other races (1 Timothy 2:1-3). Team up  with congregations of different race...

From:  TFTW Bible College Creation clearly involves a miracle. Creation would be someone causing everything to come into existence. It takes a Creator; it takes someone to do the creating. We call that being, that Creator, God. But, science deals in understanding the laws of nature, not in explaining miracles. The scientific method cannot test a miracle, and so some scientists may simply dismiss any kind of miraculous or supernatural action whatsoever. Creation takes a Creator, and by a miracle, you and I exist today.  Creation implies a Creator and therefore Creation automatically implies a God.

From: https://truthfortheworld.education/mod/page/view.php?id=17       Is performing all these Steps to Salvation trying to “work our way to Heaven”? Not at all. When we talk about works, we need to realize there are two different types of works: 1) works of merit, and 2) works of obedience. A work of merit is working to earn something, like working at a job to earn a salary. Works of obedience are done to be obedient, even if you don’t earn what you get. Jesus was baptized, but He didn’t have any sins to wash away. He said He did it to “ fulfill all righteousness. ” " And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. "  ( Matthew 3:15 ) Righteousness is the commandments of God.  " My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. " ( Psalm 119:172 ) Therefore, Jesus was baptized as a work of obedience to God’s commands, even though He d...

Jimmy Lau Psalm 109 is known as an Imprecatory Psalm . The word “Imprecatory” means “to swear, curse, or blaspheme, to invoke or bring down (evil, a curse, etc)” ( www.dictionary.com ). Imprecatory Psalms, are those that invoke judgment, calamity, or curses, upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God. In this psalm, we see David wishing calamities and destruction upon his enemies.   Psalm 109 begins with an appeal by David to God to hear his complaints about his enemies (v.1-5). He prays that they will be cursed and destroyed (v.6-20). He prays to God to bless him (v.21-31).   I feel uncomfortable when I read David’s prayer. Our Lord’s teaching is that we should “ Love your enemies,  bless them that curse you , do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you ” (Matthew 5:44).   The word “bless” means to speak well. Hence, as Christians, there is no room for us to curse our enemies. We should instead sp...