[0:00] Good morning, brothers and sisters. My name is David. I'm one of the staff here at Watermark, and I'm responsible for the Mandarin ministry.
[0:18] And Karen is my co-worker here. So I'm thankful for her so that you can understand what I'm saying here today.
[0:37] Today is the last message in our series on Deuteronomy. When we think back over Deuteronomy, we see that God has made a covenant with the people of Israel.
[0:55] He's given them His sacred law. It speaks of God's holiness, righteousness, love and compassion.
[1:08] Not only did He give them this law, and He told them how they ought to love one another. How they should care for the widows and orphans and foreigners among them.
[1:25] And He even told them how they ought to celebrate and party. You know, we can always review and go back and listen to the previous sermons in this series.
[1:39] Today, we see that the people of Israel, they need to turn back to God.
[1:51] This is a weird feeling. Because where are they now? And we think this is so strange, because what is the situation that they are in? Because they are in the situation that they are in.
[2:02] They are in the place of the Lord. They immediately enter the place of the Lord. Actually, they are just outside of the promised land. They are about to enter into the promised land. But in the Bible, they are in the promised land.
[2:14] And why is this passage talking about turning back? This is like a couple of married married to a couple of married married.
[2:25] They say, It's as though you are telling people who are about to get married.
[2:36] In the future, when you are about to get divorced, this is how you repair the relationship. Because here, Moses is saying to the people who are about to enter in the promised land, After you go into exile, this is what you should do.
[2:59] In the future, it reminds us how, in God's perspective, A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
[3:12] I like a movie. There is a movie that I like. There is a type of movie that I like.
[3:23] For example, Back to the Future. Like The Wife of the Time Traveler. Recently, there is a movie that I like.
[3:36] Some amazing professor. Dr. Strange. Sorry, Dr. Strange. So, in Dr. Strange, there is a treasure.
[3:52] He can see the past and future. It enables him to see the past and the future.
[4:02] If you have this treasure, I see the wall on the table. If you look at the wall, it's a wall. You know, if you were to look into it, at my future, you would see I'm Apollo Bones.
[4:15] If you look at it from this angle, then I'm a baby. Now, we see the following. It says, it's a few hundred years. And we feel a little bit like this when we're looking at this passage today.
[4:29] You just look at it a little bit, and it's as though we fast-forwarded hundreds of years. Hundreds of years after Israel entered the promised land, they betrayed God, and God allowed them to go into exile.
[4:53] But God gave them an amazing promise. And as I thought about this promise, I thought it was, it's really an amazing promise.
[5:12] Because in human relationships, it is very rare to find this kind of a promise. Like, for example, if you have a dating couple, or even good friends, the relationship among good friends, if one party offends and does a lot of things against the other party, what typically happens is the other party gets really mad and doesn't want to have anything to do with the first offending party.
[5:47] In most situations, when one party offends the other party, even if the first party wants to come back and be reconciled, the offended party may or may not be willing to continue the relationship.
[6:08] But the God that we see in this passage of Scripture, He's very different. When the Israelites went to the other party, after they were beaten, the other party, the other party would still tell them to go back.
[6:26] Even though Israel has offended God, has gone and worshipped idols, has betrayed God, but God says to them, turn back to me. This is the context.
[6:42] This is what precedes our passage of Scripture today. We need to turn back, return to the Lord. Leave the path to death and return to the path of life.
[6:57] And return to our God. Let's look at our passage today.
[7:15] In verse 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, it repeats and repeats the concept of turning back, restoring, turning again.
[7:27] In the original language, this is the same word repeated again and again. In both the Chinese and English translations, different words are used in these six verses, but the original text, it was the same word.
[7:49] In verse 1, in the ESV translates it, call them to mind. In verse 2, it says return.
[8:03] In verse 3, it uses the word restore and He'll gather you again. The 8th is in verse 8, in English, it uses the word again.
[8:16] The 9th is in verse 9, it uses the word again. In verse 9, but in the original language, the term is this idea of turning, returning.
[8:31] God's promise is, after the people of Israel have been exiled, that if the people of Israel turn back to God, God will turn back to them.
[8:54] In verse 3, it says, then the Lord your God will turn back. He'll restore your fortunes.
[9:07] 神,这样的圣洁的神,他竟然向以色列明去回转. This God, this holy God, it is amazing that He would turn back to the people of Israel.
[9:19] It's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. It's amazing. If it's amazing. Again, we think about the illustration of marriage. If one party offends the other party.
[9:31] If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. If it's amazing. Now let's say the party that the offending party. Let's say that he or she turned back.
[9:42] Next 10 years. You have to clean. If it's amazing. You have to clean. I think that person will have to do the dishes in the house for the next 10 years. And we can't buy a dishwasher.
[9:54] But God here says if you turn back I will turn back. Now the theme in the New Testament one theme in the New Testament is a theme of repentance.
[10:14] Our Lord Jesus He starts out His ministry and He says repent for the kingdom of God is near.
[10:35] God tells us here that we can always repent we can always turn back and He is here waiting for us to turn back to Him. Now what are we turning from and what are we turning to?
[10:57] We need to turn from idols and we need to turn to God's word. In verse 8 it says and you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all His commandments.
[11:16] 第九节说你要尽心尽性归向耶和华 In verse 9 in verse 10 it says when you turn to the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and you obey the voice of the Lord your God 就是你要去听从耶和华的话 and you need to keep His commandments and His statutes.
[11:37] 我们转从这个偶像那里去转离 We are turning away from idols 这个偶像呢对大家来说可能不太容易理解 But maybe in our society today we don't talk a lot about idols How do we understand idols?
[11:54] 太简单 Or we might have a very simplified understanding of the concept of idols 因为我们经常会想 是那些庙里的木胎泥塑 Is it those wooden and metal statues in the temples?
[12:08] 那些只是外在的 Those are just external idols 实际上有很多的偶像 是在我们的心里是内在的 But many many idols are internal They're in our hearts 是我们自己的心里的罪 It's our sin 有人说人的心呢 是一个偶像的工厂 A famous preacher said that Our hearts are idol factories 总是会制造出 各种各样的这样的偶像 We produce all sorts of different idols 也有人呢 去制造 就是列出一些表格 然后帮助我们 去看到你的偶像 到底是什么 You know there are actually tools available that help you to identify What's your idol?
[12:51] 不同的人有不同的偶像 Different types of people manufacture different idols 比如说大家都喜欢钱 It's not that all of us love money 但是钱呢 背后所代表的 却是不一样 Or even for those of us who love money We may love money for different reasons 有的人呢 是因为他有钱以后 他可以舒适地生活 For some people They want money Because then they can live comfortably 这种舒适呢 就是他的偶像 And comfort can become an idol 有的人呢 他有钱 为什么呢 因为希望别人 得到别人的这样的称赞 Some people They want money Because they want the acclaim of man 有的人呢 他想得到钱呢 是因为他想呢 能够去控制很多的事情 Some people want money Because money means power 有的人呢 是因为这钱 能够带来权力 Because they can control others 我去对照那表格 去看的时候 一样一样找 然後我自己 看 我是哪一个呢
[13:55] When I used this tool I was wondering Oh, I wonder what kind of idols I tend to manufacture 然后我就找我爱人 让他帮我看 你看 And I had my wife take a look for me too What are my idols 因为我自己看 感觉每一样 好像都有一些的 Because when I was looking through this I was like Wow, all of these are idols in my heart 我爱人可能就是这样 一针直直痛楚地说 舒适就是你的偶像 But my wife She knows me so well She's like Comfort is clearly your idol 所以对我们 很多兄弟姐妹呢 也可以去回想 就是仔细地去看我们心里 我们到底是看中哪些事情 You know, brothers and sisters We can take some time examine our hearts And think about What are idols 让我们去偏离神 What desires What things tend to draw us away from God 我要从那些偶像当中 去转向神
[14:58] We need to turn from these idols And turn to God 我们刚才回顾了说 从哪里去转离 So we've talked about What we need to turn from 现在我们看 我们要转向哪里 Now let's talk a little bit About what we're turning to 在这里我们看到 神说我们要转向神的话 We see here God says Turn to my word 在这里边呢 神也说 这话呢 这诫命呢 离你不远 And here God says that His word It is not far from us 就在你的口里 就在你的心里 The word is very near you It is in your mouth and in your heart 这对我来说 是很不容易理解的 It's difficult for me to understand this actually 为什么呢 Why?
[15:52] 因为当我去想 理解神的话语的时候 Because when I want to try to understand God's word 我呢就需要漂洋过海 I feel like I need to put in a lot of effort 就去看呢 说神啊 你在这里边 所说的到底是什么意思 I need to spend a lot of time and study and try to understand What is God really trying to say in this passage 但是对于以色列人 他们真是蒙福的人 But the people of Israel They were so blessed 他们就从 站在那里 就听到这话语的时候 其实就是他们的家乡话 When they stood there and when they heard these words It was in their own language 他不像我们还要去 翻译成这个中文 或者翻译成中文 去这样的去 When I'm studying the scripture Oh it had to have been translated into Chinese translated into English 所以这话就在他们的口里 就在他们的心里 This word It was in their language
[16:53] And it was in their mouth And it was in their heart 在心里是什么意思呢 But what does it mean That this word was in their heart? 就是以色列人 他们对神的话呢 就不断地这样的重复 不断地去说 不断地去读 最后呢 内化在他们的心里 God told them to keep on meditating on To keep on thinking on And repeating these words Until these words were in their hearts 直到神的话成为他们生命的一部分 And until God's word became part of their lives 这就是神的话呢 要在他们心里 我们如果去以色列的话 会看到很多的人 在这个西墙那边 在那里不断地去诵读神的话 And even when we go to Israel today We find, for example Many many Jewish people At the wailing wall And they're repeating repeating, repeating, repeating God's words 就是要把神的话去记在心里 Until God's words are in their hearts 不同的人呢 对神的话呢 就是这样的记忆呢 不一样 去画的时间读也不一样
[17:58] Now all of us We spend different amounts of time And use different methods To read God's word 但是呢 当我们去读神的话语 彼此读神的话语的时候 我们就会能够 把神的话语 变化成我们的生命 But as we spend time in God's word God's word enters into our lives 因为第30章6节里面 告诉我们 要尽心尽性爱耶和华你的神 In verse 6 it says that We are to love the Lord your God With all your heart And with all your soul 就是我们是怎么样去爱神呢 But then how do we actually love God?
[18:39] 因为主耶稣基督曾经说过 Our Lord Jesus he said 爱我的 遵行我诫命的 这就是爱我了 If you obey my commandments You love me 这就是我们 如果说想去爱神 我们所能够做的 What can we do If we want to love God?
[19:00] We can love His commandments 这个爱神 其实确实是很难理解的 It's very difficult to understand 如果说有一个人 在你旁边 你去爱他 这很容易 I mean when a human being is standing next to you Maybe it's easier to understand how to love them 当然对你来说 或许也很难 Or maybe it's also very difficult 但是对于一个神 你看不见神 你怎么样去爱他 How do you love a God Who you can't see 神告诉我们 就是爱他的话 去遵行他的禁忍 God says if you love His word And you obey His commandments You're loving Him 对于爱这个词汇呢 我前一段时间 去学到了一个 这样一个新的拼写方法 Recently I learned A new way of spelling the word love 就是在 因为我现在是 两个孩子的爸爸了 Because I now have two little ones 我就想 我该怎么样去爱自己的孩子 And I want to learn
[20:00] How to better love my children 然后我听了有人 上了一堂就是这样的一个课 就是说 训练孩子的这样的课 And so I attended a parenting seminar 有一位老爷爷呢 他就是这样说的 And this This grandfather there said 他说 爱你这个词汇是这样拼写的 This is how you spell the word love 现在大家跟我来一起拼写 We can spell it together 他拼写是这样的 爱的拼写是 T-I-M-E I spell love T-I-M-E 什么意思呢 What does this mean?
[20:45] 就是说当你爱什么 你就会花时间在什么事情上 Whatever you love You're going to spend time on 如果说你爱爬山 你就花很多时间去爬山 If you love hiking You're going to spend time hiking 若你爱打球 你会花很多时间去打球 If you love playing basketball You're going to spend time playing basketball 若你爱你的男朋友和女朋友 你就会花很多的时间跟他在一起 If you love your boyfriend or girlfriend You're going to spend a lot of time with them 若你爱你的妻子或丈夫呢 你也一样会花时间与他们在一起 Also if you love your spouse You're going to spend time with them 对我来说 就是说我要 如果说我去爱我的孩子 我就要花时间在他们身上 And so for me I realized If I want to love my children I need to spend time with them 当我去检验自己都发现 哇 其实如果按这个标准来说 其实我对孩子的爱真的是很少 And for me I realized That if I use this standard I don't love my kids that much 所以对我来说 我就要有一个回转
[21:48] So I need to turn to them 我就要花时间在他们身上 I need to spend time on them 对于这里边呢 也就是说我们爱神 回归到神的话有哪里 我们到底花了多长时间在哪里 And so we kind of have to ask ourselves If we are turning to God If we're turning to His word Are we spending time in God's word?
[22:10] 我们是不是也把神的话放在我们的心里? Are we putting His word into our hearts? 我们是不是也把神的话呢 放在我们的嘴里? Are we putting His word on our lips?
[22:22] In our mouths? 彼此去说神的话? And speaking God's word to one another 彼此教导神的话? And even teaching one another 这就是神说告诉我们 我们向哪里就回转?
[22:35] And this is the way that God tells us 因为神是这样的爱我们 Since God has so loved us 祂就把所有我们生命当中需要知道的话语 都记录在祂的圣经当中 He's given us the Bible Which has all the words that we need for life and godliness 让我们知道该怎样爱他 怎样爱世人 These words tell us how we can love him And how we can love one another 在这里边我们看到 神呢就在以色列 他们去离开 被逐出应许之地以后 神呢去应许他们 让他们去回到这应许地 So this is something A promise God offers to the Israelites After they have left the promised land They have been taken off into exile And God says This is how you are to turn back 神就一直在等待他们的回转
[23:37] And God is waiting for them to turn back 神呢也说在 这话语当中呢 是第19节 我今日忽天换地向你做见证 我将生死或福沉命在你面前 这里边是生死 福祸 Here we see in contrast 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 很多这样对立的观念 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 来说 我可以看到 来说 来说 我可以看到很多条不同的道路 In our lives We see so many different paths 但是其实 归根界里 只有两条道路 But actually It all boils down to two paths 一条呢 是死亡的道路 One is a path toward death 一条呢 是生的道路
[24:37] One path is toward life 神说呢 你们要选择生命 离开死亡之路 选择生命 And God says Choose life Don't choose death 在这里面呢 让我想起来 上周我碰到的一个人 This makes me think of Someone I met last week 这个人过去的生活 是什么样子的呢 How did this This is how this person used to live 他过去的生活 可以说是 五毒俱全 It seemed that he had everything 他曾经吸毒 Everything in terms of drugs And alcohol 他也曾经 具有这样不正当的关系 He had all sorts of Sexually immoral conduct 其实他的生活呢 其实如果说 从这个富裕的条件来说 倒也还不错 I mean materially He was pretty well off 比如说 他曾经开过夜总会 就有六件
[25:41] He had owned 很多不同的网站 但是呢 他在这种罪的生活当中的时候呢 他就 他自己是不知道的 But as he was living in these ways Like he didn't know really What he was living for 他也跟妻子离婚了 He divorced his wife 当然就是在这种 毒瘾当中 生活当中 他会过得 也是有很多挣扎的 Obviously he was also going through a lot of struggles from all of his addictions Be it to drugs alcohol or sex 直到有一天 一位传道人 跟他去传讲福音 But one day he heard the gospel from a preacher 在这种福音的教导当中 慢慢地他就有了转变 And as he started to receive the teaching of the gospel His life started to change 他就完全转离了 他过去这种罪的生活 He turned away from his entire previous lifestyle 而且他又去 用尽千方百计 去让他的妻子要回来
[26:50] And he even put a lot of effort into pursuing his wife back 当中经历了很多很多的挣扎 After many more struggles 当他去回转了以后 他就花很多时间 在神的话语上 As he turned to God He spent time in God's word 现在呢 也在不断地去传讲神的话语 And now he spends a lot of his time actually sharing God's word with others 每周讲道可能要两次 On typical Sunday He'll preach twice 查经班就得带三次 当他在回到过去 一起生活的那些 比如说黑社会啊 或什么那些人身边的时候 And when he goes back to his old friends including some who are gang members 他说 哇 你真的是不一样 They say You are a totally different person 当那些人来到他家中的时候 He invites them over to his house
[27:51] When they come over 他说 你们家真的有平安 And they say There's a sense of peace in your home 你们家有神 There's God in your house 这就是回转 This is what it means to turn back 也就是悔改 And it's related to repenting 圣洁的神 跟这个罪是一点关系都不可能有的 当我们有在罪中生活的时候 我们是无法去面对 没法去在上帝的同在当中 If we're living in sin We cannot be living with God who is holy 而且当我们是这个罪人的时候 我们自然而然就会过罪的生活 And because we're sinners We very naturally live sinful lives 就像我们面前的这些以色列人一样 Just like these Israelites 他们就最后拜偶像 然后被逐出允许之地
[28:55] They worship idols And then they were driven out of the promised land 所以最后呢 还是神要去解决这个问题 And our God He takes the initiative And He solves this problem 他就拆检他的独生子来到这个世界当中 So He sent His only Son into this world 并且为我们的罪被钉在十字架上 To die for our sins on the cross 这个罪是如此之大 The magnitude of the sin Was born by Him 当主耶稣基督在十字架上的时候 祂都要去跟父说 我的神 我的神 你为什么离弃我 On the cross Jesus said My God, my God Why have you forsaken me?
[29:45] 这就是神的作为 That is what God did 是我们人所做不到的 We could not do that for ourselves 这也是第六节当中所告诉我们的道理 And this is what it's talking about in verse 6 第六节当中是这样说的 耶和华你的神 必将你心里和你后裔心里的污秽除掉 And the Lord your God Will circumcise or get rid of what is unclean In your heart and the heart of your offspring 中文我们看得不清楚 在英文里面它是表达比较清楚 就是说要去 在人的心里去行一个割离 The English uses the word circumcision directly Which is to have a surgery on your heart 而且这个手术呢 只能神去做 And only God can do this surgery 就像我们刚才所说的这个奇异博士一样 他曾经是一个最高明最高明的一个医生
[30:48] Just like Dr. Strange He was once a brilliant doctor 有很多人在那个手术台上 都已经被宣布死亡了 然后他呢又把他那个病 知道到底是出了什么问题 然后把那个病给治好 然后能够活过来 Where many patients were already declared dead on the operating room And he was able to understand what was the problem And bring them back to life 但是当他自己去有了这样的病的时候 他就无能为力 But when Dr. Strange himself When he became sick He could not heal himself 他必须找到他的最好的助理 然后去帮他把这个心脏呢 让他重新去运转起来 He needed to find an assistant He needed to have someone else Who could save his own heart 之前看他那么的风光 但是在这种状况面前 他是无法自救的 He seemed so strong and so brilliant But in light of his own mortality He could not save himself 在这里面我们看到 神他去做的这样的一个手术
[31:49] Here we see that God did a surgery for us 当然这也就是 让我们看到 在旧约当中 这个心里的割离 实际上就是 之前谈到歌里的时候 讲的是这个立约的记号 In the Old Testament Circumcision is a mark of a covenant 神呢在那时候知道 人所有所不能行的 就预备了这样的一个新的约 神在旧约的时候呢 是律法写到石板上的 神在那个时候就预言说 时候将到我要与以色列家另立新约 这就是神要去做的 神要在人的心里面去动工 让罪人能够去转向他 完全地转向他 也就是36节说 好叫你尽兴尽信 爱耶和华你的神
[33:12] In order that we may love the Lord our God The Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul 在主耶稣基督 在上次十字架之前 Our Lord Jesus Before he went to the cross 有一个门徒彼得 One of his disciples, John 曾经发誓赌咒 要跟他在一起 Said He declared I will definitely stay with you 但是在基教两遍以前 他有三次不认主 But before the rooster crowed twice He had already denied Christ 当基教了以后 他就心里是痛悔莫及 但是耶稣基督复活以后 是主耶稣基督找到他
[34:12] But after Christ rose from the dead Jesus Christ went and sought Peter out 问他 你爱我吗 And he asked him Do you love me 你爱我吗 Do you love me 你爱我吗 Do you love me 神这样的爱彼得 就在他犯了罪以后 完全地离弃他以后 还是这样地爱他 God loved Peter so much That even when Peter betrayed him And denied him God sought him out 但彼得呢 就有这样的一个回转 他是在那个时候呢 是忏悔 就悔改 And Peter repented And Peter turned to Christ Turned back to Christ 我们今天也要去想 我们自己的罪到底是什么 So today We also need to spend time Reflecting on What is our sin 有的时候需要彼此的去提醒 And sometimes we need to remind one another 然后我们要回到神面前 回到神的话里
[35:13] And we need to turn back to God And turn back to God's word 回到永生神的面前 And come back to the presence of the living God 因为二十节里边说 Because verse 20 says 因为他是你的生命 For he is your life 主耶稣基督也告诉我们 Jesus also tells us 我是道路真理生命 I am the way The truth and the life 若不借着我 没有人能到父那里去 Apart from me No one can come to the Father 这就是我们 做人所能够去做到的 去回转归向神 归向神的话语 And this is what we must do As people We need to repent And turn to God And turn to God's word 因为他那里有生命 Because He has the words of life Let's pray Let's pray 慈爱大爸父 我们感谢你 Our loving heavenly Father
[36:14] We thank you 感谢你是这样的慈爱的神 Thank you that you are a God of such love 在我们还是罪人的时候 Even when we were still sinners 你说一下主耶稣基督 You sent the Lord Jesus Christ 来到世间 To come to earth 拯救我们 To save us 拯救我们这些无助的罪人 To save us We were helpless sinners 并把你的话语 不断地去传讲给我们 And you continually speak your word to us 让我们能够认识你 So that we can know you 让我们知道该怎样去爱你 怎么样去把你的话语 去记在我们的心中 And so we know how to put your words into our hearts 也去传讲你的话语 And also to speak your words to others 让我们能够跟身边的人 一起去回转 Lord we pray that you would help us and those around us 去走这条生命之路 And to take this path of life that you've given us 感谢主
[37:14] Thank you Lord 奉主耶稣基督的命祈求 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray Amen Amen Correct 谢谢 screens oud And always 下集 oud