10.16.2024 Sermon
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 Turn from injustice to the poor, that you may live
Psalm 90:12-17 Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. (Ps. 90:12)
Hebrews 4:12-16 Approach the throne of grace with boldness
Mark 10:17-31 Teaching on wealth and reward
God’s Kingdom
What is the kingdom of God? Jesus imparted a great deal of knowledge to us on this subject. If asked, how would you describe the kingdom of God in one phrase? And how can we discover the kingdom of God in our midst?
神的國度是甚麼呢？耶穌在這個主題上向我們傳授了不少的知識。如果被問起，你會如何用一句話來形容神的國度呢？我們又如何能在我們當中看到神國的臨在呢？
The kingdom of God started in the beginning as part of God’s creation that was ruled by God’s sovereignty. In the kingdom of God, we see God’s justice, love, forgiveness, and peace. Lamentably, as humans began to distance themselves from God’s reign, they gave birth to earthly kingdoms that created endless chaos, competitions, hatred, conflicts, and wars.
神在創造一切的開始，神的國也是被創造的一部分，並由神的主權來統治。在神的國裡，我們看到神的公義、慈愛、赦免與和平。可悲的是，當人類開始遠離上帝的統治時，地上的王國也隨之誕生，導致了無盡的混亂、競爭、仇恨、衝突和戰爭。
In our world, we often see that God’s justice without partiality is not kept; God’s love with expectations is overlooked; God’s forgiveness with mercy is taken for granted; God’s peace with trust is brushed off. How can we discover the kingdom of God in our midst?
在我們的世界裡，我們常常看到上帝不偏不倚的公義沒有被遵守；上帝賦予期待的愛不被重視；上帝賦予憐憫的饒恕也被認為是理所當然的；信靠上帝的平安也被忽視了。我們如何能在我們當中看到神國的臨在呢？
Simply put, the kingdom of God is present wherever the king is found. It was made known at the Advent of Jesus Christ through the angel's announcement to Mary. It became tangible to the world when baby Jesus was born. Then it was taken more seriously after the proclamation of John the Baptist and later Jesus Christ himself. The kingdom of God was finally actualized by all through Jesus’ resurrection and its ruling was reaffirmed by God.
簡單地說，凡有王的地方，神的國就存在。當透過天使向瑪利亞宣告耶穌基督降臨的時候，神國存在的事實就使世人知曉。當嬰兒耶穌誕生時，神的國就變得有形於世。當施洗約翰和之後耶穌基督自己宣講神國的到來時，人們開始看重神國這件事。最終透過耶穌的復活神的國為所有人實現成真，神也重新申明祂對神國的統治。
In Mark 10, Jesus was asked by a wealthy man, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” To this, Jesus taught his disciples that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God; it is even harder than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Jesus concluded, “For humans, it is impossible but all things are possible for God.”
在《馬可福音》第 10 章中，一位富翁問耶穌：「我當做什麼事才可以承受永生？」對這件事，耶穌教導門徒，說:「倚靠錢財的人進神的國是何等地難哪！ 比駱駝穿過針的眼還難呢！」耶穌總結，說：「在人是不能，在神卻不然，因為神凡事都能。」
Our Context
Jesus assures us that all things are possible for God, including us entering God’s kingdom. Please keep in mind that the word ‘entering’ is referring to ‘experiencing’ God’s presence in our lives. Our faith teaches us that God is omnipresent; therefore, God’s kingdom is always in our midst; it is us who can’t or don’t pay attention to its existence. Our ignorance or unawareness doesn’t cancel out God's presence and God’s reign.
耶穌向我們保證，在神凡事都能，包括我們進入神的國這件事。 請記住，進入神的國的「進入」這個辭彙，是指在我們的生命中「經歷」上帝的臨在。我們的信仰告訴我們，神是無所不在的；因此，神的國永遠在我們當中；是我們自己無法看見或不關注神國的存在。我們的不關心或無知並不能否認神與我們的同在和神的統治。
Most of us would agree that it’s easier to talk about God’s Good News among believers than share it with non-believers through words and deeds. That was the reason I pointed out the importance of knowing our “Why” of being light and salt of the world last Sunday.
我們大多數人都會同意，和信徒們 談論有關神的福音比透過言語和行為與非信徒分享要容易的多。這就是我上主日指出我們自己要清楚為什麼是世上的光和鹽的重要性。
When our WHY of sharing God’s Good News is clear, people can truly experience the Kingdom of God. Don’t we all agree that experiencing God’s kingdom personally is much better than just knowing about it or seeing others experiencing it?
當我們自己清楚為什麼要分享有關神的福音時，人們就能真正的經歷到神的國度。 我們應該都會認同，親身經歷神的國要比僅僅知道有關神國的事或是看到他人經歷神國要好得多，對吧？
A well known Chinese proverb goes like this: "Reading ten thousand books is not as beneficial as traveling ten thousand miles." It emphasizes the value of practical experience and firsthand knowledge gained through travel over theoretical knowledge obtained from books. Experiencing is more valuable than knowing.
中國有句俗話，說：「讀萬卷書，不如行萬里路」 (dú wàn juǎn shū bùrú xíng wàn lǐ lù)。它強調透過旅行獲得的實務經歷和第一手知識比從書本獲得的理論知識更有價值。親身體驗比擁有知識更有價值。
Youtube, the free video sharing platform, has grown into a business giant since its founding in 2005. New entrepreneurs known as YouTubers created a revolutionary wave of what we call user-generated content on the internet where people could participate, not simply just scroll and read. It provides experiential content. We can travel around the world in one sitting as long as we can handle the lengthy time staring at the screen.
YouTube 是一個免費影片分享平台，自2005 年成立以來，已發展成為一個商業巨頭。人們可以參與其中，而不僅僅是滾動滑鼠來瀏覽內容。它提供體驗式的內容。只要我們能忍受長時間盯著螢幕，我們就可以一口氣環遊世界。
There are many pros and cons of how we experience and learn to enrich our lives. Such an easy participation platform makes the line between knowing and experiencing blurrier. Our theoretical knowledge is tested and experienced by YouTubers, not tested or experienced by ourselves.
對於我們是如何藉著這樣一個簡單的參與平台的體驗和學習, 來豐富我們的生活, 有很多優點和缺點。其中的缺點是, 在親身體驗和擁有知識之間的區別, 變得更加模糊。我們所具有的理論知識是由 YouTuber 來代替我們測試和體驗，而不是我們自己親身來測試我們自己理論或體驗自己擁有的知識。
Conundrum in Faith
Let’s go back to the topic of experiencing God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God sounds abstract to most people, including believers. How can we lead others to discover the kingdom of God and experience it? Through the internet? Maybe or maybe not!
讓我們再回到經歷神的國的這個主題。對大多數人（包括信徒）來說，神的國聽起來挺抽象的。我們可以如何帶領別人看見並經歷神的國呢？透過互聯網？也許是或也許不是！
After the man with great wealth asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go and sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me.”
當那個富有的人問耶穌他必須做什麼才能繼承永生後，耶穌看著他，愛著他, 說：「你還缺少一件：去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上；你還要來跟從我。」
He left grieving, feeling sad and distressed. He couldn’t imagine living a changed life without his great wealth. He wasn’t willing to commit his life to Jesus at the expense of his wealth. What did he miss by walking away from Jesus? Did he know that God can save all, the rich and the poor?
他帶著悲傷離開，感到傷心和痛苦。他無法想像一個沒有巨額財富而改變的生活。 他不願意以犧牲自己的財富為代價，將自己的生命交託給耶穌。因離開耶穌, 他錯過了什麼呢？他錯過了一位可以拯救所有人的上帝，無論是貧是富!
Jesus wanted to emphasize that it is impossible for both rich people and everybody else to enter the kingdom of God on the basis of personal good behavior, namely, obeying the Ten Commandments. Jesus wasn’t requiring renunciation of wealth as a prerequisite for salvation. It is about acknowledging Jesus’ authority over his life and accepting Jesus as his savior, his master, and his rabi.
耶穌想強調的是，富人和任何人不可能只憑個人的好行為（即遵守十誡）進入神的國度。耶穌並沒有要求放棄財富作為得救的先決條件。唯一的要求是承認耶穌在祂生命中的權威，並接受耶穌為祂的救主、祂的主人和祂的拉比。
Most people don’t necessarily want to be rich, but merely want to have enough money so that they don’t feel anxious of scarcity. Our conundrum is when we get lost in our own definitions of enough and scarcity. What is enough to you? And what is scarcity to you?
大多數人不一定想變得富有，而只是想擁有足夠的錢，這樣他們就不會因為匱乏而感到焦慮。 我們的難題是當我們迷失在自己對足夠和匱乏的定義中。對你來說足夠的定義是甚麼呢？對你來說匱乏又意味著什麼呢？
Psalm 90 teaches us the heart of knowing how to experience God’s presence in our day to day life. The Psalmist recalled the story of his ancestors spending nearly 40 years in the wilderness. In the beginning of each day, God provided enough food and protection; at the end of each day, no one experienced scarcity. Accumulating or wasting is prohibited by God. Because once we get used to the habit of accumulation and waste, we create our own little kingdom. Our little kingdom is where we put our trust and where we have the power of control.
詩篇 90 篇教導我們知道如何在日常生活中體驗神臨在的核心。詩篇作者回憶了他的祖先在曠野度過近四十年的故事。每一天的開始，上帝都會提供足夠的食物和保護；每天結束時，沒有人經歷過匱乏。神禁止他們堆積或浪費。因為一旦我們習慣了累積和浪費的習慣，我們就建立了自己的小王國。我們的小王國是我們託付信任的地方，也是我們擁有控制權的地方。
Good News
Entrance into the kingdom of God is possible only if and when God himself ‘transports’ people into the realm of his dominion. Only God can grant eternal life in his presence; only God can give salvation to those who believe in Jesus Christ, who has accomplished what humans can not do through the cross. The Good News for today is: all things are possible for God.
只有神親自能將人「送」到祂的統治範圍，進入神的國。只有神才能在祂的臨在賜與永生；只有神才能拯救那些相信耶穌基督的人，因祂透過十字架完成了人類無法做到的事。今日的好消息是：在神凡事都能。
Wherever our Lord Jesus Christ is, there is the kingdom of God for he is the lord of lords, the king of kings. In the kingdom of God, we experience that God’s justice without partiality is kept; God’s love with expectations is prioritized; God’s forgiveness with mercy is cherished; God’s peace with trust is sought out. Thanks be to God. May all seek and discover the kingdom of God through all we say and do.
我們的主耶穌基督在哪裡，哪裡就有神的國，因為祂是萬主之主，萬王之王。在神的國裡，我們經歷到: 上帝不偏不倚的公義被遵守了；上帝賦予期待的愛被重視而擺在首位；上帝賦予憐憫的饒恕也被珍惜了；信靠上帝的平安也被尋求了。感謝上帝。願所有人透過我們分享的言行來尋求並找到神的國。
Amen. 阿們。
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