The Matter of Mission

宣教的事

2015-10-04

Speaker: Kyle R. Allen

Scriptures: Is. 66:17-24

Memorization Scripture:Is. 66:18, 20

I. MISSION PURPOSE (vv. 19-20) Those who have not heard God’s fame or seen His glory will know Him. Having come into this salvific, covenant relationship with the one true God, His children join God in His kingdom mission to go and love others, declaring His glory and bringing the lost to the Father. Mission reconciles man to God and reunites nation to nation, even enemies into brothers (v.20). True mission addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

一 ．宣教的目的 (vv. 19-20) 那些尚未聽過神的名或見過祂的榮耀的人將會認識祂。一旦與這位獨一的真神有了這種救贖，立約的關係，祂的兒女們就與神一起參與祂國度的宣教，去愛人，去宣揚祂的榮耀並把失落的人帶回到父那裡。宣教使人與神和好， 並且使國家與國家聯合，甚至使敵人變成兄弟（20節）。真正的宣教會顧到人身體，情緒和靈魂上的需要。

II. MISSION MOTIVATION The narrative of the Bible is missions-God seeking to heal and save those who do not know or have rejected knowing Him. We are motivated by God in:

二．宣教的動機 整個聖經的故事就是宣教 －神來尋找，醫治和拯救那些不認識或是拒絕認識祂的人。我們在這幾個方面被神激勵：

a. God’s desire to save the nations (v.18) God rescued Israel, dwelling with and creating them as a light for the nations so that all people shall come and see My glory. God desires to save the nations by using His redeemed (you and me) as mission agents. (See 66:2 for the kind of person God desires)

a。 神想救萬國的心意（18節）神拯救了以色列，與他們同住並製作他們成為萬國的光，好讓所有的人都來看見我的榮耀。神渴望用祂救贖的民（你和我）成為宣教的管道來拯救萬國。 （參看 66:2 什麼樣的人是神所要的）

b. The joy of bringing a beautiful offering to God in worship (v.20) This offering resembles the firstfruits thanksgiving offering of Deuteronomy 26 and it is what Paul lived out as a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God (Rom. 15:16). This is an act of worship, responding to all God has done for us.

b。把一個美的供物在敬拜中獻給神的喜樂（第20節）這裡的供物與申命記26章中獻上初熟的土產為感恩祭相似，這也是保羅所活出的 －為外邦人做基督耶穌的僕役，做神福音的祭司，叫所獻上的外邦人因著聖靈成為聖潔，可蒙悅納（羅15:16）。這是個敬拜的行動，來回應神為我們所做的一切。

c. The need to rescue the lost dying in wrong worship (vv.15-17, 24) – There is no neutral soul—everyone is worshipping something (sanctify, purify, pig flesh and mice here refer to pagan religious practices). Mission is not religious imperialism but liberation to the only true worship, of the one true God. It frees dead people into life eternal with God (contrast vv.22-23 with v.24).

c。需要拯救死在錯誤的敬拜中迷失的人（15-17，24節） - 沒有中立的靈魂－每個人都在敬拜某樣東西（在這裡的分別為聖，潔淨自己，吃豬肉和倉鼠都是指外邦的宗教習俗）。宣教不是宗教的帝國主義，而是釋放人去敬拜獨一的真神。它釋放死人進入與神永遠同在的生命（22-23節與第24節的對比）。

e. God’s command to love and to go (v.19) and I will set a sign among them and from them I will send. In John 13:34 Jesus commands His disciples to love one another as a sign of right relationship with Him. Jesus came doing signs to announce the kingdom time to draw all people to God had arrived. Then through the ultimate sign, the Cross, He drew all men to Himself (Jn. 12:32). After drawing in, loving, and saving Israel (represented in the 12 disciples), Jesus sent them out to do what Israel was designed to do—be a light to the nations (Matt. 28:16-20). All Christians have a choice—go and do likewise or disobey Christ’s command.

e。神命令我們要愛，並且要去（19節）我要顯神蹟在他們中間．．．我要差他們。在約翰福音13:34耶穌吩咐門徒們要彼此相愛，因為這表示他們與祂有一個對的關係。耶穌來的時候藉著行神蹟來宣告那吸引萬民來就近神的國度時代已經來到。然後，藉著最終的神蹟，十字架，他吸引萬人來歸祂自己（約翰福音12:32）。在吸引，愛和拯救以色列之後（以12個門徒為代表），耶穌差派他們出去做原來以色列命定所要做的 －成為萬國的光（太28：16-20）。所有的基督徒都有一個選擇 －照樣去行或是不順服基督的命令。

Somewhere along the way we have subtly and tragically taken the costly command of Christ to go, baptize, and teach all nations and mutated it into a comfortable call for Christians to come, be baptized, and listen in one location. — David Platt

曾幾何時，我們巧妙而又悲哀的把基督那要付代價的命令 －去，施洗，並教訓萬國 －改變成一個對基督徒舒適的呼籲 －來，受洗，並在一個地方聽道。大衛 普拉特 （David Platt）

III. MISSION HOPE (vv.20-23) Mission is sustained and encouraged by the reality that God’s plans are coming true and no power can stand against His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What seemed impossible is being made so through God’s working to undo all tears and heartaches (Rev. 21:4-5), transform enemies into family (v.20), and bring all flesh to come worship Him (v.23). Rev. 5:9 and 7:9 tell us Christ’s blood purchased persons from every nation and language, a great multitude that no one could even count. What a beautiful hope!

三。 宣教的盼望（20-23節）宣教之所以可以持續是因為一個事實 －神的計劃正在現實中，沒有任何一個力量可以攔阻祂的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。原來看起來似乎是不可能的事都可以因著神的工作而成就，神擦去一切的眼淚和哀痛（啟21：4-5），把敵人變成家人（第20節），讓凡有血氣的都來敬拜祂（第23節）。啟5：9和7：9告訴我們，基督的血從各國，各民中買了人來．其數眾多，沒有人能數得過來。多麼美麗的盼望！

YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN MISSION

While we are afraid people might reject the Gospel, the problem is not the harvest, but the lack of workers to reap what God has already produced. We must cross oceans, but we must also cross the street as we live among the nations in Silicon Valley. Family and friends, coworkers and classmates, neighbors and strangers you meet—Christ is calling you to bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord.

你的宣教的一生

我們都怕人可能會拒絕福音，但其實問題不在收割，而是缺乏工人去收割神已經作成的。我們是必須飄洋過海，但當我們住在矽谷的萬民當中的時候，我們也必須穿過馬路。家人和朋友，同事和同學，鄰居和你所遇到的陌生人－基督在呼召你從列國家中把你們的弟兄帶來兄弟作為供物獻給耶和華。

We do not go or do mission as much as we live missionally. Every second, every facet, and every act of the Christian life is one of mission.

我們的宣教腳蹤和行動不會超過我們宣教式的生活．每一秒，每一個方面，和基督徒生活的每一個行為都是宣教的一部分。