| Mark 12:38-44 |
马可福音12:38-44 |
| 38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” |
38 耶稣教导人的时候，说：“你们要提防经学家，他们喜欢穿长袍走来走去，喜欢人在市中心向他们问安， 39 又喜欢会堂里的高位，筵席上的首座。 40 他们吞没了寡妇的房产，又假装作冗长的祷告。这些人必受更重的刑罚。” 41 耶稣面对银库坐着，看着大家怎样把钱投入库中。许多有钱的人投入很多的钱。 42 后来，有一个穷寡妇来投入了两个小钱，就是一个铜钱。 43 耶稣把门徒叫过来，对他们说：“我实在告诉你们，这穷寡妇投入库里的，比众人投的更多。 44 因为他们都是把自己剩余的投入，这寡妇是自己不足，却把她一切所有的，就是全部养生的，都投进去了。” |
| Introduction |
引言 |
| When we were last together in Mark’s Gospel, we had just witnessed two pictures of devotion to God – the first a fake and counterfeit version and the second as the true version. Jesus presented the scribe as a symbol of fake or counterfeit devotion to God (12:38-40), and the poor widow as a symbol of true devotion to God (12:41-44). |
我们上一次看到马可福音里两幅给神奉献的图景 - 前一幅是假冒伪善版，后一幅是真心版。耶稣将经学家作为对神假奉献的象征（12：38-40），将穷寡妇作为对神真奉献的象征（12：41-44）。 |
| We stated the main point of these two stories is that real Christianity is feeding on God by faith. Fake Christianity is using God to feed on others. The scribe tried to live on the approval and acclaim of others. The poor widow gave all she had to live on because she was living on the Lord fully! Let us retrace the profile we saw of the scribe and the widow. |
我们说这两个故事的要点是，真正的基督教靠信心以神为生。假基督徒是利用神靠他人为生。经学家试图以他人的赞许和称誉为生。穷寡妇奉献了她所有用来养生的，因为她完全倚靠主为生！让我们回顾一下我们看到的经学家和寡妇的情况。 |
| 1. The Scribe |
1. 经学家 |
| We highlighted that the scribe was like a peacock and a parasite and a predator. He was a peacock because he flaunted his devotion to God – he wanted everyone to see his spiritual showmanship. He wanted to be honored in the sight of others, but the irony is that he was dishonored by God in the flesh – Jesus himself. He became a warning to behold, not a model to emulate. |
我们强调说，经学家就像孔雀、寄生虫和捕食者。他是一只孔雀，因为他炫耀自己对神的奉献 - 他希望每个人都能看到他的属灵表演。他希望在别人面前获得荣耀，但具有讽刺意味的是，他被道成肉身的神,就是耶稣自己,嫌弃了 。他成了一个警世公告，而不是一个值得效仿的模范。 |
| He only pretended to be devoted to God – he really trusted in himself that he was righteous. He was trying to live by works and not by faith. Therefore, he used God and was feeding on the approval of others and the honor that they could bestow on him. |
他只是假装奉献给神 - 他真的以为自己是个义人而信靠自己。他试图靠行为而非信心来生活。因此，他利用了神，并以他人的认可和他们可以给他的荣誉为生。 |
| 2. The Widow |
2. 寡妇 |
| Second, we saw that the poor widow is a picture of what it looks like to be rich in faith. The world looks upon her with disdain. She is nothing that gets the world’s attention: no immediate family, husband, wealth, status, or fame. But she is the one that the God of the universe highlights and honors. Jesus presents her as the polor opposite of the scribe. She lived by faith and not by works. Her faith (and giving) were hidden and secret, whereas the works of devotion of the scribe were showy and flashy - performed before others so that they could be seen and recognized. We also have a contrast between the greed of the scribes (devouring widows homes – living on their generosity) and the generosity of the widow (living on God by faith). |
其次，我们看到穷寡妇是一幅富有信心的画面。世人看不起她。她没有任何引起世人注意的东西：没有家庭、丈夫、财富、地位或名望。但她是宇宙之神所彰显和尊重的人。耶稣把她当作经学家的反面。她靠信心而非行为而活。她的信心（和奉献）是隐藏和秘密的，而经学家的奉献是华丽而肤浅的 - 在别人面前表演，以便他们能够被看到和被认可。我们也在文士的贪婪（侵吞寡妇之家，依赖她们的慷慨）和寡妇的慷慨（通过信心以神为生）之间形成对比。 |
| That was all last week. This week we are going to take the exposition from last week and apply it more thoroughly. |
这就是上周的内容。本周我们将继续探索并更加全面地应用它。 |
| Sermon Body (Four Observations/General Applications) |
证道正文（四个观察/应用） |
| 1. The first application flows from the observation that these pictures represent polarities on the spectrum. One could not imagine a much more extreme example of trusting in self like the scribe. It would be hard to imagine a more extreme example of living on God than the widow who gave everything she had to live upon. |
1.第一个应用来自观察这两个画面所代表的两个极端。人们无法想象一个比经学家更相信自己的例子， 也很难想象一个比奉献全部的穷寡妇更能彰显以神为生的例子。 |
| So what is the application? Are we all called to empty our bank accounts and give it all to the church so that we can “live only on God?” Do we have to identity with one or the other entirely? If we start with the recognition that they represent the polarities or the ends of the spectrum of devotion, then we can understand that true devotion to God is a journey away from the one and toward the other. It is a journey away from trusting in self to trusting in God. We have to die daily to the inner scribe – feeding upon others for approval and attention and identity. And we have to take steps to move closer to being rich in faith so that in our living we are living upon God and finding our security in him alone. |
那怎么应用到我们的生活中？我们是否都被召清空我们的银行账户，将其全部交给教会，以便使自己“只能依靠神生活？”我们是否必须在两者中选择，非此即彼？如果我们认识到他们代表了奉献谱的两极或两端，那么我们就能明白，对神的真正奉献是离开一端奔向另一端的旅程。这是一段离开相信自我到信靠神的旅程。我们必须每天治死内心中以获得他人的认可、关注和认同为生的经学家。我们必须采取措施，更加接近富足的信心，以便在我们的生活中，我们以神为生，惟独在祂身上找到我们的保障。 |
| 2. The second observation is the link between faith and finances. Jesus makes this connection frequently in his teaching. The poor widow is a model of someone rich in faith. The whole point turns on the distinction between what one gives and what one has left. The widow gave all that she financially had to live on and thus she was living totally on the Lord. Therefore, it is total nonsense to separate our finances from our identity in Christ. What we spend and what we keep and what we give say massive things about what our identity is. There is no way that a disciple can try to claim that Jesus is Lord of everything except their finances – or that we can trust him with everything except money. He is Lord of all! |
2.第二个观察是信心和财务之间的联系。耶稣经常在祂的教导中建立这种联系。穷寡妇是富有信心之人的典范。整个重点指向了人们给出的东西和留下的东西之间的对比。寡妇给出了她经济上所依赖的一切，因此她完全依靠主生活。所以，将我们的财务与我们在基督里的身份分开完全是无稽之谈。我们花费的，我们保留的以及我们给出的东西都极大地说明了我们的身份是什么。门徒不可能宣称说耶稣是一切的主，除了财务之外 - 或者说我们可以在万事上信靠祂，除了金钱之外。祂是万主之主！ |
| 3. The third observation is the recognition that her giving was a specific expression of faith. We are called to emulate her faith, not copy the specific expression of faith as binding upon everyone. There is no normative pattern imposed on everyone. The tax collector gave away half. The rich young ruler was called to give all. All Christians are commanded to give generously and sacrificially. But under no scenario will you find a believer in the New Testament whose wealth does not come *under the Lordship of Christ *as an issue of faith and obedience – trusting and obeying. |
3.第三个观察是看到她的奉献是一种具体的信心表达。我们被召效法她的信心，而不是效法她信心的具体表达方式，从而成为对每个人的约束。我们没有固定的模式强加给每个人。税吏舍出一半的财产。富有的年轻官员被召舍出所有给别人。所有基督徒都被命令要慷慨而舍己地奉献。但你不会在新约中的任何一处场景找到一个信徒，他的财富不属于基督的主权之下，这是信心和顺服的问题 - 信靠和顺服。 |
| 4. The fourth observation is the connection between money and value. We sometimes use the word “treasure” to cover both concepts. What I mean is that all money (the copper coins of the poor widow, the silver and gold of the wealthy, the paper money and coins today) has value as currency by which we exchange it for something we really value. If you value really good food, you value money because it affords you the opportunity to buy more expensive, high quality food. If you value entertainment, you will treasure the fact that money gives you the opportunity to many different entertainment experiences. Money gives us an opportunity to display faith – faith that is a value statement – it shows that we treasure God more than any earthly treasure – we trust in him more than any earthly thing. |
4. 第四个观察是金钱和价值之间的联系。我们有时使用“珍宝”这个词来涵盖这两个概念。我的意思是，所有的钱（穷寡妇的铜币，富人的银币和金币，今天的纸币和硬币）都有作为货币的价值，我们用这种货币换取我们真正看重的东西。如果你是个吃货，你看重金钱是因为它让你有机会购买更贵、更优质的食物。如果您重视娱乐，那么您将珍惜金钱为您提供许多不同娱乐体验的机会。金钱给了我们体现信心的机会 - 信心是一种价值陈述 - 它表明我们珍视神甚过任何属世的财宝 - 我们信靠神甚过属世的万物。 |
| 4 Points of Practical Guidance |
实践指导4要点 |
| These observations lead to some specific application – I really want to provide some helpful orientation concerning the journey of generosity. I want to be specific enough to be helpful and avoid being so specific that it becomes a straightjacket in which I am playing the Holy Spirit in your life. |
这些观察给我们带来一些具体的应用 - 我真的想提供一些有关慷慨之旅的有用指南。我希望具体到足以帮助你，同时又避免变得太过具体而使它成为一件拘束衣（译注：给暴力犯或精神病人穿的长袖衣，通常用坚韧物料制造，以限制其活动），以免我在你的生命中扮演圣灵的角色。 |
| Do not hear these words as if giving is merely something you have to do. Joyfully following Jesus means that giving should move from something we have to do to something we want to do. Jesus himself taught us it is more blessed to give than to receive. We are called not just to believe that truth, but experience it. |
不要听到这些话就以为奉献仅仅是你不得不做的事情。快乐地跟随耶稣意味着奉献应该从我们必须做的事转变为我们想要做的事。耶稣自己告诉我们，施比受更为有福。我们不仅要相信真理，还要经历它。 |
| As we preach about giving, it is not because we want to get something from you, but want to give something to you: the joy of generosity and obedience and being rich in faith and walking with Jesus. |
当我们宣讲奉献时，并不是因为我们想从你那里得到一些东西，而是想要给你一些东西：慷慨和顺服的喜乐，以及富有信心地与耶稣同行。 |
| Not giving at all One time gift Proportional giving Tithe Increasing % |
根本不奉献 一次性奉献 比例奉献什一奉献 增加百分比 |
| 1. Those who are not giving at all (we have no record of giving). |
1.根本不奉献的人（我们没有其奉献记录）。 |
| 40% of active households have not given to BBC (operating fund) so far in 2019 (1/1/19 through 5/31/2019): 1,011 (40%) |
2019年到目前为止（1/1/19至5/31/2019），参与教会活动的家庭中有40％未曾向BBC（运营基金）奉献：1,011个（40％） |
| For member households, this number drops to 28%. That number concerns me even more. Because members make covenant promises to this body. |
对于会员家庭，这个数字下降到28％。这个数字更让我担忧。因为会员是对这个教会身体作出了盟约承诺的。 |
| Part of Covenant pledge #2 says we pledge “to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.” |
盟约承诺＃2的一部分说，我们承诺“乐于并常规地奉献给教会，为支持教会事工、教会开支、穷人救济以及福音在列国的传播做贡献。” |
| I have to tell you that I am *not *afraid to speak to you and address you very personally. I think sometimes people are a little afraid to talk about money – it is awkward or personal. We don’t want to speak too personally or people will feel bad. But that is not love – that is just self-love masquerading as concern for you. I am not afraid of you; I am afraid for you. My fear is that your devotion to Christ is fake because you are not a slave of Christ, but a slave of money. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Jesus said incredibly direct and forceful things to people that just wanted to build bigger and bigger barns, but not be rich toward God. If you are stiff-arming Jesus in terms of his command to give, then you should have no rest for your soul until you are right with him on this issue. All I am doing is facilitating a conversation that you need to have with him about why you don’t trust him with money. Why you do you call it your money? Do you deny that it, including all of you, belongs to him as Lord? |
我必须告诉你，我并不害怕以个人名义对你讲这些。我想一般人们有点害怕谈论金钱 - 感觉非常尴尬或针对个人：“我们不想太针对个人，或让人感觉不好。”但那不是爱 - 这就是自爱伪装成对你的关心。我不是怕你；我是为你感到害怕。我担心你对基督的献身是假的，因为你不是基督的奴仆，而是金钱的奴仆。贪财是万恶之根。耶稣向那些一心只想建造更大更大谷仓却没有向神奉献多少的人说了一些令人难以置信的直接而强有力的话。如果你在祂对奉献的命令上顽梗抵抗，那么你在灵魂里将得不到安息，除非你与祂一起处理这个问题。我正在做的就是促使你和祂谈谈为什么你不在金钱上相信祂。你为什么称它为你的钱？你否认这一点吗？你们所有人是否都以祂为主？ |
| 2. Those who are not yet giving proportionally |
2.那些还没有按比例奉献的人
|
| Just start with disciplined, consistent giving. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. God is honored in what we do with our wealth. We are commanded to set aside the amount we have purposed to give. I will say here that electronic giving is a huge blessing and help in obeying what the Bible has commanded us to do. What happens when the offering basket goes by and it is empty? You should hold onto it and say a prayer of thanksgiving for what you gave electronically and say a prayer that God would use it for his glory and pray that he would make you even more joyful and thankful in your giving. |
从自律的、稳定的奉献开始。如果你没有计划，计划注定失败。神为我们对财富所做的事得到荣耀。我们被命令划出我们有意奉献的金额。我要在这里说，在线奉献是一个极大的祝福，并有助于遵守圣经吩咐我们做的事情。当奉献篮传过去而里面空空如也是怎么回事？你应该抓住它，并祷告感谢你已经在线奉献，并祈祷神会因祂的荣耀来使用它，并求祂让你更加快乐和感恩地奉献。 |
| 3. Tithers |
3.什一奉献
|
| Please do not think of tithing as the holy grail of generosity – or the giving ceiling – it is more like the giving ground floor. There are many mistaken notions about tithing because of how clear it is in the Old Testament. Despite popular ideas of stewardship today, no New Testament text commands believers to give ten percent of their income to the church. The tithe commandment came from a paradigm relating to the twelve tribes of Israel. The Levites did not own land like the rest of the eleven tribes, and thus the tithe was an essential part of ensuring that they could continue to survive and minister. Nehemiah 13:10-12 highlights an example of how much the Levites depended upon the tithe. |
请不要认为十分之一就是奉献的追求目标 - 或者是奉献的天花板 - 它更像是奉献的底线。关于什一奉献有许多错误的概念，因为它在旧约中十分清楚。尽管这是今天流行的管家观念，但新约经文并没有命令信徒将百分之十的收入捐给教会。什一诫命来自于以色列十二个支派有关的范例。利未人没有像其余十一个支派那样拥有土地，因此什一奉献是确保他们能够继续生存和服事的重要部分。尼希米记13：10-12突出了一个例子，说明利未人对十分之一的依赖程度。 |
| The Christian lives under a new paradigm. Paul addresses financial themes frequently, but he never specifies an amount or percentage. He calls the Corinthians to set something aside to give “in keeping with how he prospers” (1 Cor. 16:2). But Paul does not make reference here to a new paradigm. What is the standard of giving? The most sustained exposition of stewardship in the New Testament (2 Cor. 8-9) says that the grace of Christ’s sacrifice is the new point of reference. |
基督徒生活在一种新的范式之下。保罗经常提及财务主题，但他从不指定金额或百分比。他吩咐哥林多人“按着自己的收入抽一些出来留着”（哥林多前书16：2）。但保罗在这里没有提到一个新的规范。奉献的标准是什么？新约中最持续的管家论述（林后8-9节）说基督舍己的恩典是新的参照点。 |
| The New Testament stipulation or ideal is not 10%. That is like the ground floor of giving, not the ceiling. Giving is an obedience issue, not a fixed percentage issue. Give what Jesus puts into your heart to give. And then pray for the capacity to trust God with all of your finances – so that money does not have a vice grip on your heart. If God is your security, then giving away money won’t feel like losing your security, but will feel like the wings of faith being extended to fly further. |
新约的规定或理想不是10％。这是奉献的底线而不是天花板。奉献是一个内心顺服的问题，而不是一个固定的百分比问题。奉献出耶稣放进你心中的东西。然后祈求用你所有的财富信靠神的能力 - 这样钱就不会对你的内心产生负面影响。如果神是你的保障，那么放弃金钱就不会失去你的安全感，但会觉得信心的翅膀张得更大飞得更远。 |
| A Christian hedonist believes that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is more blessed to give than to hoard. Your life does not consist in what you have, but in whose you are. |
基督教喜乐主义者相信，施比受更有福。奉献比积存更有福。你的生活不在于你所拥有的，而在于你属于谁。 |
| Therefore, I have never liked the language of top givers being measured by total amount given because the widow had a greater faith than any of the top givers in the temple. The kingdom of Christ turns these considerations upside down and makes them a matter of faith expressed, not an overall amount given. |
所以，我从不喜欢通过总金额来衡量最高奉献者的说法，因为寡妇比圣殿中的任何顶级奉献者都更有信心。基督的国度将这些考量颠倒过来，使它们成为一种表达信心的问题，而不在于奉献的数量。 |
| 4. Giving beyond the Tithe – Increasing Percentage |
4.超越十分之一 - 增加百分比
|
| Continue to grow in generosity. Do not be like the wealthy that put money into the treasury, but it did not really make a dent in the wealth they had left over. Growth in generosity is growth in faith – leaning more decisively and desperately on God. Get rid of the illusion of independence that says I give to God and then I can do what I want with the rest of my money. Let the language of “my” be gone from our vocabulary. It is his. It is on loan to us. We are kingdom stewards, not worldly masters. This world is not our own. We are citizens of heaven and this world is not our home. We are storing up treasures in heaven. Become a kingdom steward and investor. That means we are encouraging generosity not just to Bethlehem, but to other kingdom causes. When you go beyond proportional giving to responsive giving, you become a kingdom investor. You want the Lord’s money to go to the Lord’s mission and what he is doing in the world. |
继续在慷慨乐捐上成长。不要像富人那样把钱投入圣殿银库，实则给自己留下的更多，对财富毫发无损。乐捐的增长是信心的增长 - 更加果断和坚定地倚赖神。去除独立的幻想，说我已经奉献给神了，所以剩下的钱想怎么花就怎么花。让“我的”这个词从我们的字典中消失。这是祂的，是借给我们的。我们是国度的管家，而不是世俗的主人。这个世界不是我们自己的。我们是天国的公民，这个世界不是我们的家。我们积攒财宝在天上。成为国度的管家和投资者。这意味着我们不仅鼓励向伯利恒教会乐捐，也鼓励奉献给国度的其他事工。当你从按比例奉献上升到热情奉献时，你就成为了国度投资者。你希望主的钱能够用于完成主的使命以及祂要在世上做的事。 |
| If you want to grow in your discipleship in this area and yearn for it to be part of your life message, we want to help you. To that end, we have some practical classes you can take to find out more detailed, tangible help. We know that some are in debt or financial difficulty and they have questions about how much to give while they are still difficult financial scenarios. |
如果你想在这个领域成长并渴望它成为你生命信息的一部分，我们想帮助你。为此，我们有一些实用的课程，您可以找到更详细、切实的帮助。我们知道有些人处于债务或经济困难之中，他们对于在财务状况仍然困难时要奉献多少存在疑问。 |
| 2 Corinthians 8:10–15 |
哥林多后书8：10-15 |
| 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” |
10 我在这里表示我的意见，这对你们是有益的：你们不仅一年前就在办这事，而且早就想这样作了， 11 现在就应当把这事办好；这样，你们既然有愿意作的心，因着你们尽了自己所能的，就可以完成。 12 因为人要是有愿意作的心，按照他所有的，必蒙悦纳，不是按照他所没有的。 13 这不是要别人轻省，你们受累，而是要大家都均等。 14 现在你们富裕，就要补助他们的缺乏，到了他们富裕的时候，也可以补助你们的缺乏，这样就均等了； 15 正如经上所记：“多的，没有剩余， 少的，也不缺乏。” |
| This passage contains the only command found in chapters 8-9. They started the work of the collection a year ago (v. 10) and now Paul commands them to finish what they started (v. 11). Paul focus is on the attitude of the heart. He wants more than mere completion; he cares about the eager attitude of readiness. He uses this word five times in this section (8:11,12,19; 9:1,2). God’s grace made the Macedonians eager to give (8:3-4) and now Paul wants to see the same readiness and eagerness on the part of the Corinthians. Paul even says that attitude matters more than the amount: the heart attitude of readiness, not the amount, makes the gift acceptable to God (v. 12). |
本段包含哥林多后书第8-9章中唯一的命令。他们一年前就发起筹款（第10节），现在保罗命令他们现在就应当把这事办好（第11节）。保罗的注意力集中在心灵的态度上。他想要的不仅仅是完成；他关心的是愿做的渴望态度。他在本节中五次使用了προθυμία（readiness，愿做的心）这个词（8：11,12,19; 9：1,2）。神的恩典使马其顿人渴望奉献（8：3-4），现在保罗希望看到哥林多人同样的愿意和渴望。保罗甚至说态度比数量更重要：愿做的心态，而不是数量，更蒙神悦纳（第12节）。 |
| 8:13–15 Paul gives further rationale (“for”) in his overall call to give eagerly. He does not want the giving to feel forced. He grounds this assertion in the distinction between old covenant manna and new covenant money. The manna story in Exodus 18:14-21 shows that God ensured equality by intervening when hard-hearted people tried to hoard more manna than they needed. The manna that was left would start to smell and get filled with worms. God does not do the same thing in the new covenant. He does not intervene when we have more money than we need by making it moldy and worm-infested. Under the new covenant, he does not change the molecular structure of the money; he changes the heart. Giving is not forced upon us from the outside, but it arises as willing desire from within. |
8：13-15保罗在他的总呼召中给出了进一步的理由（“因为”），以便热切地奉献。他不希望奉献感觉是被迫的。他将这种主张与旧约的吗哪和新约的金钱区分开来。出埃及记18：14-21中的吗哪故事表明，当心硬的人试图囤积比他们需要的更多吗哪时，神通过干预来确保平等。留下的吗哪开始腐臭并生虫。神在新约中没有做同样的事。当我们拥有超过我们所需的钱财时，神没有介入让钱发霉生虫。根据新约，祂没有改变金钱的分子结构；祂改变人心。奉献不是来自外在的强迫，而是来自内在的愿望。 |
| Diagnostic Question: |
诊断问题： |
| We want you to obey the Lord in your giving. So here is an obedience question: how do I know what I am supposed to give? Maybe I could take a rash challenge and decide to give half of my money away and then I may put my family in a hard situation where we are scraping by. |
我们希望你在奉献上顺服主。所以这是一个顺服的问题：我怎么知道我应该奉献什么？也许我可以轻率地接受挑战并决定拿出一半的钱，然后我可能会让我的家人陷入困境，难以维持生计。 |
| What is the difference between faith and presumption? When we were called to adopt, it was going to cost $38,000. I didn’t even make $30,000 a year at the time. It felt like being financially irresponsible. We had paid cash for all our vehicles and made sure we did not have any debt except for a mortgage. So we wrestled with the difference between faith and presumption. |
信心和鲁莽之间有什么区别？当我们家被召要收养孩子时，需要花费38,000美元。那时我甚至每年赚不到3万美元。感觉这在经济上是不负责任的。我们买车都是现金支付，并确保除了抵押房贷外我们没有任何债务。所以我们一直在琢磨信心和鲁莽之间的差异。 |
| The difference came down to a push from the Lord. We felt so convicted and it felt like such an obedience issue. We had to do it – we felt like we would be disobedient with a capital “D” if we didn’t. So we stepped forward in faith and believed that if the push came from the Lord then the provision would come from the Lord as well. And it did. Miracles happened. People got three times the normal amount for a Christmas bonus and they would tell us we knew that it wasn’t for us – we needed to look for someone to give it to – and then we heard about your adoption and we knew the Lord wanted us to give it to you. |
这个差异的问题得以解决是出于主的推动。我们感到如此有罪，感觉这是一个顺服的问题。我们不得不这样做 - 如果我们不这样做的话，我们觉得就是大大地悖逆神。所以我们凭着信心前行，并相信如果主推动，那么主也会供应。确实如此。奇迹发生了。有人获得了圣诞节奖金的正常金额的三倍，他们告诉我们，他们知道这个奖金不是给他们自己的 - 我们需要找到人奉献出去 - 然后我们听说你要准备收养的事，我们知道主希望我们把它给你。 |
| Now why did the Lord do it that way? He wanted us to know his presence – and he wanted to use his people to bless us (and they were blessed as well). We have seen it time and time again. You can live by faith! With the push from the Lord comes the provision from the Lord. |
那么为什么主那样做呢？祂希望我们经历祂的同在 - 祂想用祂的人来祝福我们（他们也受祝福）。我们一次又一次地看到这一点。你可以凭信心生活！主的供应随着主的推动而来。 |
| The poor woman is even poorer than before – which means the dependent woman is even more dependent upon the Lord than before. There can be no illusion of independence for her. Even though the amount she contributed was small in comparison, what she had left to live on was the greatest contrast. If extravagance is put on a sacrificial scale, she put all the rest to shame by giving all and leaving herself to rely completely on the Lord (“all she had to live on”). How was she going to make it? She had to rely on the Lord, not on money. The Lord was her hope and trust and security and treasure, not financial security and hope and treasure. |
这个贫穷的寡妇比以前更穷 - 这意味着这个孤苦无依的女人比以前更依赖主。她没有独立的幻想。虽然她奉献的金额相对较小，但她留下来养生的却是最大的对比。如果将奢侈浪费放在舍己奉献的天平上，她就会让所有其他人感到羞愧，她完全依赖主（“所有她用来养生的”）。她要怎么做？她不得不依靠主，而不是钱。主是她的希望和信任，保障和财富，而不是金钱。 |
| Conclusion |
结语 |
| Sam Houston (1793-1863) was a colorful soldier and politician and is best known for his role of bringing Texas into the United States. He surprised everyone when he became a Christian. He surprised everyone even more when after his baptism he said he wanted to pay half the local minister’s salary. When someone asked him why, he responded, “My pocketbook was baptized, too.” The conversion of our wallets should be included in our conversion to Christ. Generosity tests whether or not we know the grace of Christ. |
萨姆·休斯顿（1793-1863）是一位充满传奇色彩的士兵和政治家，最出名的历史功绩是将德克萨斯州纳入美国版图。当他成为基督徒时，他惊呆了所有人。受洗之后，他说他来支付地方牧者薪水的一半，更是惊呆了每一个人。当有人问他为什么时，他回答说：“我的钱包也受洗了。”我们的钱包重生应该包含在我们皈依基督里。乐捐测试出我们是否真知道基督的恩典。 |
| The word “test” or “prove” is one of the lynchpin terms in this section (8:2, 8, 24 and 9:13). It means “testing in order to form a judgment or conclusion.” A person’s claim is tested and approved (if they pass the test) or disproved (if they fail the test). |
“考验”或“证明”这个词是哥林多后书8章中的关键术语之一（8：2,8,24和9:13）。它意味着“进行测试以形成判断或结论。”一个人的主张通过考验，及格（如果他们通过了测试）或不及格（如果他们未通过测试）。 |
| The Macedonian church had a severe “test” of affliction (8:2). They passed the test and became a paradigm of giving: (1) God’s grace came down (8:1), (2) abundant joy welled up (8:2), and (3) a wealth of generosity flowed forth (8:2). Now Paul tells the Corinthians that it is their turn to take the test (8:8). They should excel in giving so that they can prove that their love is genuine (8:7-8). Giving is the proof (8:8) of knowing gospel grace (8:9). Paul says that generosity gives proof of “your confession of the gospel of Christ” (9:13). |
马其顿教会经受了苦难的严峻“考验”（8：2）。他们通过了考验，成为了一种奉献的典范：（1）神的恩典降临（8：1），（2）满溢的喜乐（8：2），（3）流出丰盛的慷慨（8： 2）。现在保罗告诉哥林多人轮到他们接受考验（8：8）。他们应该长于奉献，以便证明他们的爱是真实的（8：7-8）。奉献是证明福音恩典（8：9）的证据（8：8）。保罗说，慷慨证明“你承认基督的福音”（9:13）。 |
| Therefore, if Christians represent Christ, then Christian giving will reflect Christ’s giving. When the chance to give comes, can you imagine Christ closing his heart and giving nothing? Preposterous. Look at what he gave in 2 Corinthians 8:9. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Sacrificial giving (8:8) flows from the sacrifice of Christ (8:9). Therefore, a call to believe the gospel and a call to give cannot be separated. Dear friends, if our wallets and checkbooks and purses took the witness stand, what would they speak for or against our confession of Christ? |
所以，如果基督徒代表基督，那么基督徒的奉献将反映基督的奉献。基督有机会奉献的时候，你能想象基督闭上祂的心，什么都不给？荒谬。看看他在哥林多后书8：9中所给的。 “你们是知道我们的主耶稣基督的恩典的：他本来富足，却为你们成了贫穷，要使你们因他的贫穷成为富足。”舍己的奉献（8：8）源于基督的舍己（8：9）。所以，相信福音的呼召和奉献的呼召是不可分割的。亲爱的朋友们，如果我们的钱包和支票簿站在证人席上，它们会对我们在基督前的认罪作怎样的见证呢？ |
| Sermon Discussion Questions |
讲道讨论问题 |
|
Sermon Text: Mark 12:38-44 |
讲道经文：马可福音12:38-44 |
|
Sermon Title: The Poor Widow: A Profile of Being Rich in Faith |
讲道标题：穷寡妇：丰富信心的表率 |
|
Main Point of Text from Last Week: Real Christianity is feeding on God by faith. Fake Christianity is using God to feed on others |
上周经文的要点：真正的基督教靠着信心以神为生。假基督徒利用神以他人为生。 |
| Outline |
大纲 |
| I. Introduction |
I.引言 |
| II. Sermon Body |
II. 证道正文 |
| 1. Observations |
1. 观察 |
| 2. Specific Applications |
2. 具体应用 |
| 3. Diagnostic Question |
3. 诊断问题 |
| III. Conclusion |
III. 结论 |
| Discussion Questions |
讨论问题 |
| 1. Does this text expect every Christian to give away all that they have to live on so that they can live on the Lord completely? |
1.经文是否希望每个基督徒都放弃他们赖以生活的所有东西，以使他们能完全依靠主生活？ |
| 2. What is the relationship between faith and finances in this story? |
2.在这个故事中，信心和财务之间有什么关系？ |
| 3. What is the relationship between money and what we value or treasure? |
3.金钱与我们重视或珍惜的东西之间有什么关系？ |
| 4. What are some mile markers on the journey of generosity? |
4.慷慨之旅中有哪些里程标记？ |
| 5. What is the difference between faith and presumption? |
5.信心和鲁莽之间有什么区别？ |
| Application Questions |
应用问题 |
| 1. Where are you in the journey of generosity? What would it look like to follow Jesus and take the next step in that journey? |
1.你处于慷慨之旅的什么位置？ 跟随耶稣走那段旅程的下一步是什么样的？ |
| 2. Have you experienced and tasted the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive? Share a specific time you tasted that truth. |
2.您是否经历过并尝过这样一个事实：施比受更有福？ 分享您的具体经历。 |
| 3. How would you answer the closing question of the sermon: Dear friends, if our wallets and checkbooks and purses took the witness stand, what would they speak for or against our confession of Christ? |
3.你如何回答证道的结尾问题：亲爱的朋友们，如果我们的钱包和支票簿站在证人席，它们会对我们在基督前的认罪作怎样的见证呢？ |
| Prayer Focus |
祷告焦点 |
| Pray for a grace to take the next step on the journey of generosity |
祈求恩典，在慷慨之旅中迈出下一步 |
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