| Luke 1:26–38 |
路加福音1:26-28 |
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| Introduction |
引言 |
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| The Impossible Happens |
不可能的事发生了 |
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| One more month and you will have survived 2020. When you look back on this year, what will you remember? What stood out? How did you feel? For me, it was a year where things I never thought I would see in my lifetime actually happened. |
再过一个月，你就能活着熬过2020年了。当你回首这一年，你会记得什么？有什么突出的地方？你的感觉如何？对我来说，这一年，我以为一辈子都见不到的事情居然发生了。 |
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| • A deadly virus descended upon our world so that some people would feel absolutely nothing (asymptomatic), others may get a headache or itchy throat, and others would die or nearly die of this virus. |
•一种致命的病毒降临到我们的世界，所以有些人完全没有感觉（无症状），有些人可能会头痛或喉咙痒，有些人则会死或几乎死于这种病毒。 |
| • All major sports leagues postponed their games indefinitely back in March. The Masters golf tournament and the Boston Marathon had to reschedule their events. The N.B.A. (basketball), N.H.L. (hockey), M.L.S. (soccer), and M.L.B. (baseball) all suspended their games indefinitely. The N.C.A.A. cancelled its March Madness college basketball tournament (the first time it’s been cancelled since it started in 1939). |
•各大体育联盟早在3月份就无限期地推迟了比赛。高尔夫大师赛和波士顿马拉松不得不改期举行。N.B.A.（篮球）、N.H.L.（曲棍球）、M.L.S.（足球）和M.L.B.（棒球）都无限期停赛。N.C.A.A.取消了 "疯狂三月 "大学篮球赛（这是自1939年开始以来首次取消）。 |
| • The 2020 Olympics that was to take place in Tokyo was rescheduled a year. This is an event that costs between $12–24 billion dollars, impacting 11,000 athletes from around the world that was postponed a year. |
•原本要在东京举行的2020年奥运会推迟一年。这是一项耗资120-240亿美元，影响全球1.1万名运动员的赛事，被推迟了一年。 |
| • Wildfires burned up more than 27 million acres of bush, forest, and parks in Australia. Other deadly wildfires burned in California (my home state), as well as in the Pacific Northwest. |
•野火烧毁了澳大利亚超过2700万英亩的灌木、森林和公园。另一场致命的野火在加州（我的家乡）以及西北太平洋地区燃烧。 |
| • 161 million Americans voted in this election, the largest number of voters in a U.S. presidential election in history. It was the highest voter turnout by percentage (about 67%) since 1900. |
•1.61亿美国人在这次选举中投票，是美国总统选举中历史上投票人数最多的一次。这是1900年以来按百分比计算的最高投票率（约67%）。 |
| • And who could forget the protests, riots, and violence that took place in our very own Twin Cities after the death of George Floyd. The Minnesota National Guard had to be deployed to help restore order. |
•还有谁能忘记乔治-弗洛伊德去世后，在我们的双子城发生的抗议、骚乱和暴力事件。明尼苏达州国民警卫队不得不接令去帮助恢复秩序。 |
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| Things we once thought impossible happened in 2020. Unfortunately, nearly all of these surprising events of 2020 have been negative. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some good news? |
我们曾经认为不可能的事情在2020年发生了。不幸的是，2020年的这些令人惊讶的事件几乎都是负面的。如果能有一些好消息不是很好吗？ |
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| Advent: The Ultimate Impossibility |
降临节：终极的不可能之事 |
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| This is where Advent comes in. What is Advent? If you didn’t grow up in church or in a church that didn’t observe an Advent season, it may seem a little odd. Advent is the season before Christmas; the word means “coming” or “arrival”. It is a season where we rehearse the story of the incarnation, Jesus’ birth into our world. People were waiting in a land of deep darkness, waiting for the Light of the world to break in, bringing salvation and forgiveness of sins. |
这就是降临节的意义所在。什么是降临节？如果你不是在教会中长大，或者在一个没有纪念降临节的教会中长大，可能会觉得有些奇怪。降临节是圣诞节前的节期，这个词的意思是“来临 ”或“到达”。在这个节期里，我们要重温耶稣道成肉身的故事，耶稣降生在我们的世界。人们在一片黑暗深重的土地上等待着，等待着世界的光明闯入，带来救赎和罪的恕免。 |
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| Advent is the ultimate season where the impossible happened. And it was not bad news, but rather the greatest and more glorious news in all the world that has shaped and transformed human history. It’s where the best news breaks into the worst situation with eternal ramifications. |
降临节是不可能之事发生的终极节期。而这不是一个坏消息，而是世界上最伟大的、更辉煌的、影响和改变人类历史的消息。这就是最好的消息打破了最坏的局面，带来了永恒的影响。 |
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| These next four weeks we’ll rehearse the best story in all the world once again from the book of Luke. Luke is a historian, who gives us the most extensive and detailed account of the birth of Jesus. He opens his gospel in Luke 1:1 like a good historian: |
接下来的四个星期，我们将再次重演路加福音中世界上最精彩的故事。路加是一位历史学家，他为我们提供了关于耶稣出生的最广泛、最详细的记载。他在路加福音1:1开篇就像一个优秀的史家。 |
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| Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1–4) |
提阿非罗大人哪，有好些人提笔作书，述说在我们中间所成就的事，是照传道的人从起初亲眼看见又传给我们的。3 这些事我既从起头都详细考察了，就定意要按着次序写给你， 4 使你知道所学之道都是确实的。（路加福音1:1-4） |
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| Luke has studied the events, heard the firsthand accounts, interviewed the participants, and now recorded the history of Jesus so that you might have certainty. |
路加研究了事件，听到了第一手的记载，采访了参与者，现在把耶稣的历史记录下来，使你们可以有把握。 |
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| The Advent Context |
降临节的背景 |
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| To understand Advent—waiting, longing, and celebration—we have to first understand the context surrounding the Advent story. It was where God’s people were in an extensive and prolonged season of waiting, longing, and anticipation. |
要理解降临节—等待、渴望和庆祝—我们必须先了解围绕降临节故事的背景。在那时，上帝的子民正处于漫长的等待、渴望和期待之中。 |
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| God had last spoken over 400 years ago. Since then there had been radio silence. No prophets, no judges, no kings, no messengers, and no deliverers. Generations passed, telling the stories and prophecies of the coming Messiah, but dying before ever seeing it come to pass. God’s people were under Roman rule, resigned to life under Caesar, and God seemed silent and distant. |
上帝最后一次说话是在400多年前。从那时起，无线电就沉默了。没有先知，没有士师，没有君王，没有使者，也没有解救者。一代又一代人过去了，讲述着弥赛亚来临的故事和预言，但在看到它实现之前就死了。上帝的子民在罗马人的统治下，甘于在凯撒的统治下生活，上帝似乎沉默而遥远。 |
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| Many were waiting and longing for the Messiah, but they were waiting for a political deliverer to release them from Roman rule. There hope was misplaced, but they hoped nonetheless. 1 Peter says the prophets of old “searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” Throughout the gospels Jesus had to correct these faulty notions of what type of deliverance he was going to bring. |
许多人都在等待和渴望弥赛亚，但他们在等待一个政治上的解救者，使他们脱离罗马的统治。那时的盼望是错位的，但他们还是盼望。彼得前书说，以前的先知们“早已详细的寻求考察，就是考察在他们心里基督的灵，预先证明基督受苦难，后来得荣耀，是指着什么时候，并怎样的时候。”在整卷福音书中，耶稣必须纠正这些错误的观念，即祂要带来什么样的救赎。 |
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| I know that many are waiting and anticipating a vaccine. We have skilled doctors and researchers working to develop and distribute vaccines so that life can return to normal. We have waited 9, maybe 10, months. Imagine if it was delayed another two years, or 400 (!). This is the waiting and longing that has characterized God’s people. |
我知道，很多人都在等待和期待疫苗的到来。我知道，很多人都在等待和期待疫苗的到来。我们有技术精湛的医生和研究人员致力于开发和分发疫苗，使生活能够恢复正常。我们已经等了9个月，也许是10个月。想象一下，如果再推迟两年，或者400(！)年。这就是神的子民所特有的等待和渴望。 |
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| Now turn with me to our passage in Luke 1:26–38. In the midst of this world in waiting—full of longing and anticipation, dwelling in deep darkness—how does the light break in? What makes Advent special and unprecedented in all of human history? Where do we see the impossible come to pass? |
现在请和我一起看一下路加福音1:26-38的经文。在这个等待的世界中—充满了渴望和期待，居住在深深的黑暗中—光明如何闯进来？是什么让降临节变得特别，成为人类历史上前所未有的节日？我们从哪里可以看到不可能的事情发生？ |
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| Three Stunning Statements from God’s Messenger Gabriel |
神的使者加百列的三个令人震惊的宣告。 |
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| Here in our passage we see the birth of Jesus foretold. Luke knows that Jesus’ origin story is foundational to understanding who he is and what he has come to do. It sets the stage for understanding Jesus’ mission. Let’s observe the unusual occurrences in the birth narrative of Jesus. |
在我们这段经文中，我们看到了耶稣诞生的预言。路加知道，耶稣的降生故事是了解祂是谁和祂来做什么的基础。这为理解耶稣的使命奠定基础。让我们观察一下耶稣出生叙事中不寻常的现象。 |
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| #1 Statement: God Gives Unmerited Favor to Sinners (26–29) |
#1号陈述：神对罪人的恩惠是无偿的（第26-29节）。 |
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| 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:26–29) |
26 到了第六个月，天使加百列奉 神差遣，往加利利的拿撒勒城去，27 到了一个童贞女那里，她已经和大卫家一个名叫约瑟的人订了婚，童贞女的名字是马利亚。28 天使进去，对她说：“恭喜！ 蒙大恩的女子，主与你同在！” 29 她却因这话惊慌起来，反覆思想这样祝贺是甚么意思。（路加福音1:26-29） |
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| This narrative begins by indicating the time in which this took place, namely in the sixth month, which is the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. God sent the Angel Gabriel to Nazareth. It’s worth noting here that we go from the temple to a no name town full of nobodies. We went from Zechariah, an old man and priest, to a young peasant girl of no stature. This is signals God’s condescending down to mankind. |
这段叙事首先指出了发生的时间，即在第六个月，也就是伊丽莎白怀孕的第六个月。神派天使加百列到拿撒勒。这里值得注意的是，我们从圣殿来到一个住着无名之辈的无名小镇。我们从撒迦利亚这个老人和祭司，来到一个没有地位的年轻农家姑娘。这是神对人类屈尊降贵的信号。 |
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| An angelic appearance was not a normal occurrence. It was not common place. It was a frightening prospect that would take place. But the unusual and amazing reality isn’t that an angel appears, but rather that the unmerited favor of God came to Mary. |
天使的出现并不寻常。这不是常见的情形。好像有可怕的事情要发生。但不同寻常而又令人惊奇的现实并不是天使出现，而是上帝白白的恩惠降临到了马利亚身上。 |
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| Mary is as unlikely a character as one might expect in the narrative of the birth of Jesus. She was lowly, she was young, and like most people in Israel, was a poor, uneducated peasant living in a small town of no significance. People would say in those days “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). |
正如人们所期望的那样，在耶稣诞生的故事中，马利亚是一个不太可能的人物。她很卑微，她很年轻，和以色列大多数人一样，是一个贫穷的、没有受过教育的农民，生活在一个很不起眼的小镇上。那时候人们会说：“拿撒勒还能出什么好的吗？”(约翰福音1:46)。 |
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| The Advent story is a story of God’s grace for the lowly. An angel appears to a lowly peasant girl, and Jesus would be born into the misery of our lost and fallen world. The central assertion is in Gabriel’s words “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28). The word favor comes from the word grace, meaning undeserved kindness. Martin Luther paraphrased Gabriel’s greeting, “O Mary, you are blessed. You have a gracious God. No woman has ever lived on earth to whom God has shown such grace.”5 |
降临节的故事是一个关于上帝恩待卑微者的故事。一个天使出现在一个卑微的农家女孩面前，耶稣将降生在我们这个迷失和堕落的世界的苦难中。核心的论断在加百列的话中：“蒙大恩的女子，我问你安，主和你同在了！”（路加福音1:28）蒙恩这个词来自于恩典，意思是不配得的恩惠。马丁-路德转述了加百列的问候：“玛利亚啊，你是有福的。你有一个恩慈的上帝。活在世上的女人，没有一个像你这样得到上帝的恩典。”5 |
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| Unfortunately, the angel’s greeting has often been misunderstood. Gabriel wasn’t stating that Mary was “full of grace,” as though she was overflowing and could bestow grace to others, as Roman Catholics often say. Rather, she is the “favored one,” meaning God had shown and given her grace. It’s vital to understand this lest we make the mistake of worshipping Mary. The Bible never says she was without sin, that she remained a virgin, or that she could give grace to others. Rather, Mary, a lowly peasant girl from a no name town, has received grace from God. And Mary is not unusual in this, in that because God shows Mary unmerited favor, it signals that God will show unmerited favor to lowly sinners through the life, and ultimately the death of Jesus. |
可惜的是，天使的问候常常被误解。加百列并不是像罗马天主教徒常说的那样，说马利亚“恩典满盈”，好像她是满溢的，可以把恩典赐给别人。相反，她是“蒙恩的人”，意思是说，神已经向她显明并给予她恩典。了解这一点至关重要，以免我们犯了崇拜马利亚的错误。圣经从来没有说过她没有罪，没有说过她一直是处女，也没有说过她可以给别人恩典。反倒是，马利亚，一个来自无名小镇的卑微农家女，得到了上帝的恩典。而马利亚在这一点上也不例外，因为神对马利亚的恩宠是不配得的，这就预示着神将通过耶稣的生，并最终通过耶稣的死，对卑微的罪人赐予不配得的恩宠。 |
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| Advent is remembering that God came to show unmerited grace to lowly sinners through the birth of Jesus. Jesus says in John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” This was unprecedented grace that broke into a world dwelling in deep darkness. In this Christmas season, remember that we do not live in darkness any longer, but that Light has broken through, and unmerited favor comes to all those who call upon the name of Jesus. |
降临节是记念上帝藉着耶稣的降生，向卑微的罪人施予不配得的恩典。耶稣在约翰福音3:17中说：“因为 神差他的儿子到世上来，不是要定世人的罪，而是要使世人藉着他得救。”这是前所未有的恩典，闯入了一个沉没在黑暗中的世界。在这个圣诞节，请记住，我们不再生活在黑暗中，而是光明已经冲破了黑暗，所有呼唤耶稣之名的人都会得到无价的恩典。 |
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| #2 Statement: God Has Sent the Messiah (30–33) |
#2号陈述：神已差遣弥赛亚（第30-33节） |
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| 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30–33) |
30 天使说：“马利亚，不要怕！ 因你已从 神那里蒙了恩。 31 你将怀孕生子，要给他起名叫耶稣。32 他将要被尊为大，称为至高者的儿子，主 神要把他祖大卫的王位赐给他，33 他要作王统治雅各家，直到永远，他的国没有穷尽。”（路加福音1:30-33） |
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| In this second amazing assertion about the birth of Jesus we see Gabriel’s assert that Mary will be the unwed, virgin mother of the Messiah. In verse 27 it is mentioned twice that Mary is a virgin. She is betrothed, the bride price has been paid, but she is not yet married. Within this assertion, we see seven predictions about this birth. |
在这第二个关于耶稣诞生的惊人宣告中，我们看到加百列断言马利亚将是弥赛亚的未婚童贞母亲。在27节，两次提到马利亚是处女。她已经订婚了，彩礼已经交了，但她还没有正式结婚。在这个论断里面，我们看到了七个关于这次出生的预言。 |
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| (1) He will be born of a virgin: Mary, an unwed virgin, will conceive (31a). This is contrasted with the prophecy of John the Baptist in Luke 1:13, “your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” Here it does not say Mary will bear a son for Joseph. |
(1)祂将由童贞女所生：马利亚是一个未婚处女，却要怀孕(第31a节)。这与路加福音1:13中关于施洗约翰的预言形成鲜明对比：“你妻子以利沙伯要给你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫约翰。”这里没有说马利亚要为约瑟生一个儿子。 |
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| (2) His name will be Jesus: His name will be Jesus (31b). |
(2)祂的名字将是耶稣：要给他起名叫耶稣。（第31b节）。 |
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| (3) He will be great: In 32a we read that “he will be great.” This is the description of God himself used in Deuteronomy 10:17, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” This is contrasted with John who “will be great before the Lord” (Luke 1:15). |
(3)祂要为大：在第32a节中我们读到“他将要被尊为大”。这是申命记10:17中神对自己的描述：“因为耶和华你们的 神，他是万神之神、万主之主、伟大有力和可畏的 神；他不徇情面，也不受贿赂。 ” 这与“他在主面前要被尊为大”的约翰形成鲜明对比（路加福音1:15）。 |
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| (4) He will be the Son of the Most High: Next Gabriel tells Mary that he will be the Son of the Most High. “Most High” is a description of God (see Luke 1:76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17). The point here is that Jesus is not just like the prophet Samuel or Elijah and he’s not like King David. He is in a category all his own: Son of God. |
(4)祂将成为至高者的儿子：接下来加百列告诉马利亚，祂称为至高者的儿子。“至高”是对上帝的描述（见路加福音1:76；6:35；8:28；徒7:48；16:17）。这里的重点是，耶稣不只是像先知撒母耳或以利亚，祂也不像大卫王。祂只属于自己的一类：神的儿子。 |
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| (5) He will reign as King: In verse 32 it says, “And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.” This calls to mind the Old Testament promise to establish a king (2 Sam 7:12–16; Pss 2:7; 89:27–29; Isa 9:6; 55:3–5). The prophecy of Isaiah 9:6–7 will be fulfilled: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” Your child will rule and reign as King. |
(5)祂要作王：32节说：“主 神要把他祖大卫的王位赐给他”。这使人想起旧约中关于立王的应许（撒下7:12-16；诗2:7；89:27-29；赛9:6；55:3-5）。以赛亚书9:6-7的预言将应验：因为有一个婴孩为我们而生，有一个儿子赐给我们；政权必担在他的肩头上； 他的名必称为“奇妙的策士、全能的 神、永恒的父、和平的君” 。7 他的政权与平安必无穷无尽地增加，他在大卫的宝座上治理他的国， 以公平和公义使国坚立稳固， 从现在直到永远。 万军之耶和华的热心必成全这事。你的孩子将以国王的身份执政掌权。 |
| (6) His reign will be forever and (7) his kingdom will never end: In verse 33 we read, “and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” These two final parallel promises predict that this child will reign as the king of Israel. In passages like Daniel 7:14 it tells us about the kingdom of the Son of Man who would come: “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (see also Micah 4:7). |
(6)祂的统治将是永恒的，以及(7)祂的国度将永不结束：在第33节中我们读到：“他要作王统治雅各家，直到永远，他的国没有穷尽。”这两个最后的平行应许预示着这个孩子将作为以色列的王掌权。在但以理书7:14这样的经文中，它告诉我们关于人子要来的国度：”得了权柄、尊荣和国度；各国、各族和说各种语言的人都事奉他。 他的权柄是永远的权柄，是不能废去的； 他的国度是永不毁灭的。“（亦见弥迦书4:7） |
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| What’s the point of these seven predictions? It is to show that God is sending his Messiah. The angel’s announcement is that the Messiah is coming—a great Savior, the Son of God, the King of Kings, in the line of David, who will reign forever, and will be born of a virgin to reveal that this would be unlike any other birth that had come before and any birth that will come after. Advent is about the greatest and most glorious unprecedented news breaking into our world. |
这七个预言有什么意义？这是要表明，神要差遣祂的弥赛亚。天使宣布的是，弥赛亚要来了—一位伟大的救主，神的儿子，万王之王，是大卫的血统，祂将永远作王，而且将由童贞女所生，以显明这将不同于以前的任何一次出生和以后的任何一次出生。降临节是关乎一个最伟大最荣耀的前所未有的消息闯入我们的世界。 |
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| In a world of brokenness and deep darkness, Light has broken through. Yet we don’t often see the pervasiveness of the brokenness of our world. We perhaps got a glimpse of it here in 2020. The global pandemic that brings about death to hundreds of thousands is only a small glimpse. Since Genesis 3 we have been battling an even greater global pandemic. Its death rate is 100%. The lasting effects reach into eternity. It destroys lives, relationships, families, and individuals. No one is asymptomatic. In fact, we all show symptoms, and those symptoms take a toll on all of our relationships and in all of our interactions. This deadly global pandemic is sin. And the Good News is that God has come to bring the vaccine for our sin-sick world. His name is Jesus, Messiah, Son of God, Lamb of God, Light of the World, and he’s here. Advent is where we confess, Christ has come, Christ will come again. |
在这个破碎和深陷黑暗的世界里，光明已经破土而出。然而我们却往往看不到我们这个世界破碎的普遍性。2020年，我们或许在这里看到了它的影子。带来几十万人死亡的全球大瘟疫只是一个小花絮。自创世记第3章以来，我们一直在与更大的全球流行病作斗争。其死亡率为100%。持久的影响达到永恒。它破坏了生命、关系、家庭和个人。没有人是无症状的。事实上，我们都会出现症状，而这些症状会对我们所有的人际关系和所有的交往造成影响。这种致命的全球流行病就是罪。而好消息是，上帝已经来为我们这个罪恶的世界带来了疫苗。祂的名字是耶稣，弥赛亚，神的儿子，神的羔羊，世界的光，祂在这里。降临节是我们承认，基督已经来了，基督还要再来。 |
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| And Advent is a time for every person to wrestle with this question: would Christmas still be Christmas without Christ? Too often we live in a world where we want peace apart from the reign of Christ. We want salvation apart from a Savior. We want forgiveness without repentance. We want celebration apart from worship. We want grace apart from God. But Christmas is a reminder that all the things we love at this time of year find their fulfillment only in the person and work of Jesus. There is no peace, no salvation, no forgiveness, no celebration, and no grace apart from God sending his Son Jesus to break into a world. |
而降临节是每个人都要纠结这个问题的时候：如果没有基督，圣诞节还会是圣诞节吗？我们所生活的这个世界，常常是只想要平安，却不想要基督掌权。我们想要救恩，却不想要救主。我们想要的是赦罪，而不想悔改。我们想要庆祝，却不想敬拜。我们想要恩典，却不想要上帝。但圣诞节提醒我们，每年这个时候，我们所爱的一切，只有在耶稣的身上和祂的工作中才能找到满足。如果没有上帝差遣祂的儿子耶稣闯入一个世界，就没有平安，没有救恩，没有赦罪，没有庆祝，也没有恩典。 |
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| #3 Statement: Nothing is Impossible for God (34–38) |
#3号陈述：对神来说，没有什么是不可能的（第34-38节）。 |
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| 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” |
34 马利亚对天使说：“我还没有出嫁（“我还没有出嫁” 原文作“我不认识男人”），怎能有这事呢？” |
| 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:36–38) |
35 天使回答：“圣灵要临到你，至高者的能力要覆庇你，因此那将要出生的圣者，必称为 神的儿子。36 你看，你亲戚以利沙伯，被称为不生育的，在老年也怀了男胎，现在已是第六个月了，37 因为在 神没有一件事是不可能的。” 38 马利亚说：“我是主的婢女，愿照你的话成就在我身上！” 天使就离开她去了。 （路加福音1:36-38） |
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| Mary believes the angel’s prophecy, but asks “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (34). Mary was betrothed, like an engagement, which typically lasted a year during which the couple did not live together nor did they engage in marital intimacy. I think Luke is making a distinction between Zechariah’s response in Luke 1:18 where he says, “How shall I know this?” and Mary’s response, “How will this be?” (34). Zechariah wasn’t sure if he should believe the angel, so he wanted confirmation. Mary instead wanted to know how this would happen. |
马利亚相信天使的预言，却问：“我还没有出嫁，怎能有这事呢？”(第34节)马利亚已经订婚了，一般持续一年的时间，在这一年里，夫妻俩没有住在一起，也没有发生婚姻里的亲密关系。我认为路加是在区分撒迦利亚在路加福音1:18中的回答，他说：“我怎么能知道这事呢？”和马利亚的回答：“怎能有这事呢？”(第34节)撒迦利亚不确定是否应该相信天使，所以他希望得到证实。马利亚倒是想知道这一切会如何发生。 |
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| Scottish theologian Donald Macleod writes, “The virgin birth is posted on guard at the door of the mystery of Christmas; and none of us must think of hurrying past it. It stands on the threshold of the New Testament, blatantly supernatural, defying our rationalism, informing us that all that follows belongs to the same order as itself and that if we find it offensive there is no point in proceeding further” (Person of Christ, 37). |
苏格兰神学家唐纳德·麦克劳德写道：“童贞女的降生被贴在圣诞节的奥秘之门前守候着；我们谁也别想匆匆过去。它站在新约的门槛上，光明正大地超自然，藐视我们的理性主义，告诉我们，后面的一切都与它本身属于同一秩序，如果我们觉得它令人反感，就没有必要再继续下去”（《基督的位格》，37页）。 |
| Gabriel says, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Gabriel goes on to tell Mary of a confirming sign, Elizabeth, your barren relative, is nearing the end of her second trimester. The Holy Spirit is to miraculously enable Mary to give birth as a virgin. She is a passive recipient of this divine action. The word “to come upon” appears seven times in Luke-Acts and has no sexual connotation, nor does the word for “overshadow you.” While we, like Mary, want to know the mechanics of how this is possible, but what we get is the confirmation that this child is of God, born of woman and of Spirit, and would be the Son of God. |
加百列说：“圣灵要临到你，至高者的能力要覆庇你。”加百列继续告诉马利亚一个确凿的征兆，伊丽莎白，你那不孕的亲戚，已经快到第二个孕期了。圣灵要行神迹让马利亚作为一个处女生子。她是这一神圣行动的被动接受者。“临到”这个词在路加福音-使徒行传中出现了七次，都没有性的含义，“覆庇你”这个词也没有。虽然我们和马利亚一样，想知道这怎么可能发生的机制，但我们得到的是证实这个孩子是神的，是由女人圣灵感孕所生的，将是神的儿子。 |
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| What this language of “overshadow” should also remind us is that the Holy Spirit has been at work since the very beginning of time. At creation the Spirit overshadowed the waters of the earth (Genesis 1:2), at the Exodus the Spirit overshadowed the tabernacle in the cloud of glory (Exodus 40:34–35), at Jesus’ baptism the Spirit would descend on Jesus empowering him for ministry (Luke 3:22), it was by the Spirit Jesus was raised from the dead (Romans 8:11), and the Spirit would overshadow the church (Acts 1:8). What Luke is conveying is that this account is not of man, not human ingenuity, not human creativity, and not the clever origin stories that were written in a cave to give meaning to the myth of Jesus. No, if one was to write an origin story to be believable, you wouldn’t write it this way. The only way this account works is if it’s true, and in fact God is at work in it. |
这种“覆庇”的语言也应该提醒我们的是，圣灵自始至终都在工作。在创世时，圣灵覆庇了地上的水（创世记1:2），在出埃及时，圣灵在荣耀的云彩中覆庇了会幕（出埃及记40:34-35），在耶稣受洗时，圣灵降在耶稣身上，赋予祂能力，使祂能够事奉（路加福音3:22），耶稣是靠着圣灵从死里复活的（罗马书8:11），圣灵也覆庇了教会（使徒行传1:8）。路加所要传达的是，这段记载不是人的记载，不是人的聪明才智，不是人的创造力，也不是为了给耶稣的神话赋予意义而写在山洞里的自作聪明的起源故事。不，如果要把一个起源故事写得可信，你不会这样写。只有当它是真实的，并且事实上神在其中工作时，这个叙事才会有效。 |
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| The angel Gabriel states the main point of our passage: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (37). [Main Point] Nothing is impossible for God, therefore put your faith in him. Advent is a reminder that God causes the impossible to come to pass, so that we can trust God in all of life. Gabriel states this in reference to Elizabeth being of advanced age and barren—nothing is impossible with God. Yet Gabriel’s word captures the spirit of Advent: absolutely nothing is impossible for God. |
天使加百列说出了我们这段经文的主要内容。“因为在 神没有一件事是不可能的”（第37节）。[要点] 对神来说，没有什么不可能的事，所以要信祂。降临节是在提醒我们，上帝使不可能的事成真，让我们在生活中都能信靠上帝。加百列这样说，是指以利沙伯年事已高，不孕不育—在神那里没有什么是不可能的。然而加百列的话却抓住了降临节的精神：对上帝来说，绝对没有什么是不可能的。 |
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| Application |
应用 |
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| So how should we respond to the Advent story? To this story where God makes the impossible happen? |
那么，我们应该如何回应降临节的故事呢？在这个故事中，上帝让不可能的事情发生，我们该如何回应？ |
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| We are to respond like Mary: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She responds with faith—choosing to believe God despite her questions, reservations, and fears. God has said it, therefore I believe it. |
我们要像马利亚一样作出回应：“我是主的婢女，愿照你的话成就在我身上！” (路加福音1:38)她以信心回应—尽管她有疑问、保留和恐惧，但还是选择相信神。既然上帝说了，我就相信。 |
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| Advent is remembering that God came to show unmerited grace to lowly sinners. |
降临节是记念上帝来向卑微的罪人施行不配得的恩典。 |
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| The Christmas story is remembering that God came to show grace to lowly sinners. I know that there are some who feel the brokenness of our world all too acutely. Perhaps a lost loved one this year causes you to dread this holiday season facing a new loss. Perhaps unemployment dampens every celebration with the uncertainty of the future. Perhaps the risk of sickness or even death is like a straightjacket that tempers our joy and happiness. Perhaps the widespread division around us is like a pebble in our shoe that we can’t quite shake. |
圣诞故事是记念神来向卑微的罪人施恩。我知道，有些人对我们这个世界的破碎感触太深了。也许今年失去的亲人导致你害怕这个节日面临新的损失。也许失业会让每一次庆祝活动都被未来的不确定性所打消。也许，疾病甚至死亡的风险就像一件约束衣，束缚了我们的喜怒哀乐。也许我们身边普遍存在的分裂就像鞋里的鹅卵石，我们无法完全抖掉。 |
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| Yet the Good News of the gospel reminds us that in the midst of all the darkness, all the brokenness, and all the sin-sickness, light came in the world, and Jesus has come to show unmerited grace to lowly sinners. |
然而，福音的大好消息提醒我们，在所有的黑暗、所有的破碎、所有的罪病中，光明来到了世界上，耶稣来了，向卑微的罪人展现了不配得的恩典。 |
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| Advent is about the receiving the Messiah as Lord. |
降临节是关于接受弥赛亚为主。 |
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| What we are to do is to again prepare our hearts to receive the Messiah as Lord and Savior. Christmas isn’t Christmas without Christ. So we take this season to prepare our hearts to receive the greatest gift: Jesus has come, Jesus will come again. |
我们要做的，就是再次预备我们的心，接受弥赛亚为主和救主。没有基督，圣诞节就不是圣诞节。所以，我们借着这个季节，准备好我们的心，接受最大的礼物。耶稣已经来了，耶稣还会再来。 |
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| Advent is a reminder that nothing is impossible for God. |
降临节提醒人们，对上帝来说，没有什么是不可能的。 |
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| And Advent is a reminder that nothing is impossible for God. Luke 18:27 says “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” That is what the Christmas story reiterates for us. Forgiveness of sins, salvation, making sinners righteous, and repairing a world full of pervasive sin and brokenness? Impossible! But with God, the impossible becomes possible in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. |
降临节是提醒人们，对上帝来说，没有什么是不可能的。路加福音18章27节说：“人所不能的，在 神却是可能的。” 这就是圣诞故事对我们的重申。赦罪，救赎，使罪人称义，修复这个充满罪恶和破碎的世界？不可能！但在神那里，不可能的事在神的儿子耶稣基督的道成肉身中成为可能。 |
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| Sermon Discussion Questions |
讲道讨论问题 |
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| Sermon Title: Advent: The Impossible Made Possible |
讲道标题：降临节：不可能变为可能 |
| Sermon Text: Luke 1:26–38 |
讲道经文：路加福音1:26-38 |
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| Main Point: Nothing is impossible for God, therefore put your faith in him. |
要点：在神没什么事是不可能的，所以你要相信祂。 |
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| Outline: Three stunning statements from the Angel Gabriel: |
纲要：天使加百列的三个惊人陈述： |
| 1. God Gives Unmerited Favor to Sinners (26–29) |
1. 神对罪人的恩惠是无偿的（第26-29节）。 |
| 2. God Has Sent the Messiah (30–33) |
2. 神已差遣弥赛亚（第30-33节） |
| 3. Nothing is Impossible for God (34–38) |
3. 对神来说，没有什么是不可能的（第34-38节）。 |
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| Intro Question: When you consider the events and unfolding of 2020, what words seem to capture the year best? What did you feel most? |
引言中的问题：当你考虑2020年的事件和进展时，什么词似乎最能形容这一年？你感受最深的是什么？ |
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| Discussion Questions: |
讨论问题： |
| 1. Take a moment to read Luke 1:1–25 and compare and contrast the foretelling of John’s birth with the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. What are key similarities and differences? |
1. 花点时间阅读路加福音1:1-25，将约翰出生的预言与耶稣出生的预言进行对比。关键的相同点和不同点是什么？ |
| 2. Why does Gabriel greet Mary the way he does, and why was she troubled (28–30)? |
2. 加百列为什么要这样问候马利亚，她为什么会惊慌（第28-30节）？ |
| 3. What are some of the predictions Gabriel makes about the birth of Mary’s son (31–33)? |
3. 加百列对马利亚儿子的出生有哪些预言（第31-33节）？ |
| 4. What is the point of Mary’s question (34) and Gabriel’s answer (35–37)? |
4. 马利亚的问题（第34节）和加百列的回答（第35-37节）有何意义？ |
| 5. How does Mary respond (38)? Why do you think she responded the way she did? |
5. 玛丽如何回应（第38节）？你觉得她为什么会有这样的反应？ |
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| Application Questions: |
应用问题： |
| 1. What does this account tell us about God’s purposes, and why we should trust him? |
1. 这段记载告诉我们神的目的是什么，为什么我们要相信祂？ |
| 2. What does this account tell us about Jesus, and why we should surrender to him? |
2. 这段记载告诉我们关于耶稣的什么，为什么我们要降服于祂？ |
| 3. What does this account tell us about God’s power and why we can believe his word? |
3. 这段记载告诉我们什么关于神的大能和为什么我们可以相信祂的话？ |
| 4. What should be our attitude and disposition this Christmas towards God and his word? |
4. 今年圣诞节，我们对神和祂的话语应该持什么态度和意向？ |
| 5. How can we allow the Advent story to reorient our hearts and minds these next four weeks? |
5. 在接下来的四个星期里，我们如何让基督降临的故事来调整我们的心思？ |
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| Prayer Focus: |
祷告焦点： |
| Express praise, thanksgiving, and worship to God for sending his Son Jesus to save sinners. Confess any areas of sin, unbelief, or grumbling towards God during this past year. Thank God for breaking into our sin-sick world through his Son Jesus. Ask God to help you to love him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, to trust his word, to reorient your heart and mind to his purposes, and to love our neighbors with the love of Christ. |
表达对上帝的赞美、感恩和敬拜，感谢祂差遣祂的儿子耶稣来拯救罪人。承认在过去的一年中，有什么罪、不信、或对神有怨言的地方。感谢上帝通过祂的儿子耶稣闯入我们这个罪恶的世界。求神帮助你全心、全意、全性、全力地爱祂，相信祂的话语，调整你的心思，使你的心思符合祂的目的，用基督的爱去爱我们的邻舍。 |
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