| Luke 1:46-56 |
路加福音1章46-56节 |
| 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” |
46 马利亚说：“我心尊主为大， 47 我灵以 神我的救主为乐， 48 因为他垂顾他婢女的卑微，看哪！ 今后万代都要称我为有福。 49 全能者为我行了大事，他的名为圣； 50 他的怜悯世世代代归与敬畏他的人。 51 他用膀臂施展大能，驱散心里妄想的狂傲人。 52 他使有权能的失位，叫卑微的升高， 53 让饥饿的得饱美食，使富足的空手回去。 54 他扶助了他的仆人以色列，为要记念他的怜悯， 55 正如他向我们列祖所说的，恩待亚伯拉罕和他的后裔，直到永远。” |
| Introduction |
引言 |
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| A. Cell Phone Usage |
A. 手机使用情况 |
| I read a statistic that made me stop in my tracks earlier this month. “The typical cellphone user touches his or her phone 2,617 time every day, according to a study by research firm Dscout. But that's just the average user: The study found that extreme cellphone users — meaning the top 10% — touch their phones more than 5,400 times daily.” (Dscout, Jul 13, 2016) |
本月初我读到了一份令我非常诧异的统计数据。 “根据Dscout公司的一项调研，普通手机用户每天会触摸其手机2617次。 但这只是平均水平。该研究发现，极端的手机用户（即排名前10％的用户）每天触摸手机超过5400次。”（Dscout，2016年7月13日） |
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| Now what is mind-blowing about that statistic is that there are only 1440 minutes in a day. That means that the average smart phone user touches their phone almost two times per minute. That was the average user. The top 10% of cell phone users touch their phones almost four times a minute (5400 times daily). |
该统计数据令人震惊之处是每天只有1440分钟，这意味着普通智能手机用户每分钟大概触摸手机两次，这只是平均水平。前百分之十的手机用户每分钟大概触摸手机四次（每天5400次）。 |
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| Over 65% (2 of every 3 people surveyed) of people sleep with their cell phone next to them. 31% said that they could not sit through a whole movie without checking their cell phone. 30% of people now have significant separation anxiety when they are away from their cell phones. I won’t tell you all the crazy survey results of what people would be willing to do rather than lose their cell phones. But I will highlight a couple things. |
超过65％人（每3个接受调查的人中有2个人）把手机放在枕边睡觉。 31％的人说，如果不看一下手机，就无法看完整部电影。有30％的人离开手机就会感到明显的分离焦虑。 我不想告诉你这项调查的所有疯狂结果，比如有些人们宁愿什么都做也不愿失去手机。但我还是要强调几件事。 |
| • Twenty-one percent of respondents would give up their shoes for a week instead of their phone. |
•21％的受访者表示宁愿一周不穿鞋子也不能没有手机。 |
| • Twenty-eight percent of Apple users said that they would rather go a week without seeing their significant other than give up their phone (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/infographic-what-would-you-give-up-to-keep-your-smartphone/243237/). |
•28％的苹果手机用户表示，他们宁愿一个星期看不到自己的另一半，也不愿放弃手机(https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/infographic-what-would-you-give-up-to-keep-your-smartphone/243237/). |
| We definitely have a problem. Here is the question: what does cell phone usage have to do with advent? Why start the sermon this way? You will have to wait until the end to hear the answer, but I think it is very significant. |
我们肯定有问题。 问题是：手机的使用与降临节有什么关系？ 为什么以这种方式开始讲道？你得等到最后才能听到答案，但是我认为这非常重要。 |
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| B. Advent 2019 |
B.降临节2019 |
| Let’s recap the journey we have been on as we have made our way through Luke 1:26-56. |
让我们回顾一下路加福音1章26-56节我们所经历的旅程。 |
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| First, we saw Mary received the good news and responded to it in four stages: Mary starts out skeptical – saying how can these things be? Then she receives what the angel says with submission – saying “may it be to me according to your word.” Then she receives confirmation as Elizabeth speaks by the Spirit. Then she bursts into celebration with a song of praise we now call the “Magnificant.” |
首先，我们看到马利亚收到好消息，并在四个阶段对之做出回应：马利亚开始持怀疑态度–说怎能有这事？ 然后，她接受并顺从天使所说的话–说“愿意照你的话成就。”然后，当圣灵通过以利沙伯对她讲话时，她得到了确认。 然后，她用赞美的歌声欢呼庆祝，我们现在将其称为《尊主颂》。 |
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| Second, we zoomed in on verse 47 in order to understand what worship is. We looked at the subject (soul/spirit), action (magnify/rejoice), and object (Lord, God my Savior). That led to a natural question: what is Mary magnifying God for – what is she rejoicing in – that is, what are the reasons for rejoicing? Here is the way I would answer the question: the Magnificant is Mary’s act of rejoicing in reversal and rejoicing in remembrance. |
接着，我们集中查看第47节以了解什么是敬拜。 我们研究了主语（魂/灵），动词（尊…为大/以…为乐）和宾语（主，我的救主）。 这就引出了一个自然的问题：马利亚尊主为大的原因是什么-她以什么为乐-也就是说，喜乐的原因是什么？ 我将用以下方式回答这个问题：《尊主颂》是马利亚为神的逆转工作而欢喜，也是为神的记念而欢喜。 |
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| Third, last week’s message looked at rejoicing in reversal. Mary rejoices that in the Messiah God is doing a work of sovereign subversion – undermining all the power structures of this fallen world. God is turning the world upside down. Because this is a fallen world in rebellion against God, turning the world upside down is actually turning it right side up. Today we turn to the last two verses of this poem of praise. |
第三，上周的信息着眼于逆转带来的欢喜。马利亚为上帝藉着弥赛亚进行主权性的颠覆而欢喜，这破坏了这个堕落世界的所有权力结构。 上帝正在颠覆整个世界。 因为这是一个悖逆上帝的堕落世界，所以将世界颠倒实际上就是将其反正。 今天我们来看这首赞美诗的最后两节。 |
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| Text: Luke 1:54-55 |
经文：路加福音1章54-55节 |
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| 54 He has helped his servant Israel, |
54 祂扶助了祂的仆人以色列， |
| in remembrance of his mercy, |
为要记念祂的怜悯 |
| 55 as he spoke to our fathers, |
55 正如祂向我们列祖所说的， |
| to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” |
恩待亚伯拉罕和他的后裔，直到永远。 |
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| In these two climactic verses, we see Mary rejoicing in remembrance. To understand these two verses we will have to do some x-ray work and zoom in on a few of these important words/phrases. Remember that Elizabeth has just exclaimed that the baby in Mary’s womb is actually her Lord. Now Mary responds with praise about what the coming of this baby really means. We will look at these three phrases: (1) he has helped his servant Israel, (2) in remembrance of his mercy, (3) as he spoke to Abraham and our forefathers. |
在这两节高潮的经文中，我们看到马利亚为神的记念而欢喜。 要理解这两节经文，我们将需要做一些X射线检查，并放大其中的一些重要单词/短语。 请记住，以利沙伯刚刚大喊马利亚子宫中的婴儿实际上是她的主。 现在，马利亚颂扬了这位婴儿到来的真正含义。 我们将看这三个短语：（1）祂已经扶助了仆人以色列（2）为要记念祂的怜悯，（3）正如祂对亚伯拉罕和我们列祖所说的。 |
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| 1. He has helped his servant Israel (v. 54a) |
1. 祂扶助了祂的仆人以色列(第54a节） |
| The birth of this child means that God has “helped” his servant Israel. Mary presents herself as the Lord’s servant in the first half of the poem and now in this second half she presents her people (the Jewish people) as God’s servant. |
这个孩子的出生意味着上帝“扶助”了祂的仆人以色列。 马利亚在诗的前半部分将自己作为主的仆人，现在在下半部分中，她将自己的人民（犹太人）作为上帝的仆人。 |
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| What does the word “helped” mean? “Helped” feels a little weak and watered down as far as translations go. The word most directly means to lift up. Israel has been cast down. They are defeated – thrown down – by an enemy too great for them. They are living in captivity and they feel forgotten. |
“扶助”一词是什么意思？ 就翻译而言，“扶助”会显得有些虚弱和淡化。 这个词最直接的意思是举起。当时以色列已经被压倒了。 他们被强大的敌人击败打倒了。 他们生活在牢笼中，感到被神遗忘了。 |
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| Let’s put this into perspective. The last prophet to speak was the prophet Malachi. That was 400 years earlier. The voice of God has not come for 400 years. That is why it is so earth-shattering to have all these references to people speaking by the Holy Spirit. A new day has come! God is speaking to us! |
让我们把这放在正确的视角下。 最后一位说话的先知是先知玛拉基，那是在耶稣降生400年前。这400年间再没有听到上帝的声音。这就是为什么所有这些人受圣灵感动说话会如此令人震惊。 新的时代到来了！ 上帝在对我们说话！ |
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| I think that is why Luke goes out of his way to say that all of these people are really old (Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna). They have been waiting and they represent the past generations. Mary as the young teenager shows that a new age is dawning – the age of the new covenant. It is time to move from promises made to promises kept. That is why the next phrase defines this help as a remembrance. |
我认为这就是为什么路加（Luke）竭尽全力地说所有这些人都真的老了（撒迦利亚，以利沙伯，西缅，亚拿）。 他们一直在等待，他们代表了过去的世代。 马利亚代表一个新时代即将来临–新约时代。 现在是从应许转为应验的时候了。 这就是为什么下一个短语将这种扶助定义为记念的原因。 |
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| 2. in Remembrance of his mercy (v. 54) |
2.为要记念祂的怜悯（54节） |
| 54 He has helped his servant Israel, |
54 祂扶助了祂的仆人以色列， |
| in remembrance of his mercy, |
为要记念祂的怜悯 |
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| Mary says that the birth of this child represents remembrance. But what does God remember? Mary says that he remembers his mercy. Let us recall what we said last time about mercy. What is mercy? Perhaps the clearest distinction we can make is to compare and contrast mercy with grace. Grace is God’s love and kindness to those who do not deserve it because they are guilty. They need a Savior. Mercy is something intimately related to grace. Mercy is God’s love and kindness to those who are not only guilty but in misery because of their guilt. God looks down and sees people in their misery, agony, and pain as they struggle with the effects of living and participating in a fallen world. |
马利亚说，这个孩子的出生代表了神的记念。 但是上帝还记得什么？马利亚说祂记得自己的怜悯。 让我们回想一下我们上次关于怜悯的话题。 什么是怜悯？ 也许我们所能做的最清楚的区分就是将怜悯与恩典进行比较和对比。恩典是上帝把爱和仁慈赐予那些因罪疚而不配得的人，他们需要救主。怜悯与恩典息息相关。 怜悯是神把爱和仁慈赐予那些因有罪而深感罪疚和痛苦的人。 上帝俯视看到人们在堕落世界的生活中挣扎时的悲苦、煎熬和痛楚。 |
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| How often in the Old Testament do we hear that God heard the groaning of his people and he looked down upon them and then visited them with mercy? The gospel is not good advice for those who need a little guidance, but good news for those who have completely lost their way. They don’t just need a little help. They are a mess and can’t fix it. So God must come to them in their misery and rescue them. But what mercy does he remember? The answer comes in the next phrase because it starts with the word “as.” |
在旧约中，我们是不是经常读到上帝听到祂的子民的呻吟，祂低头垂顾他们，然后施予他们怜悯？ 对于那些只需要一点指导的人来说，福音算不得一个好建议，但对于那些完全迷路的人来说，福音是一个好消息。 他们并不是只需要一点帮助。 他们是一团糟，不可救药。 因此，上帝必须在他们的悲惨境况中来到他们身边，营救他们。 但是祂还记得什么怜悯？ 答案在下一个短语中，因为它以“正如”开头。 |
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| 3. Spoke to our fathers/Abraham and his offspring |
3.向我们列祖/亚伯拉罕和他的后代说话 |
| 55 as he spoke to our fathers, |
55 正如祂向我们列祖所说的， |
| to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” |
恩待亚伯拉罕和他的后裔，直到永远。 |
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| God spoke to Israel. But Mary gets more specific – “he spoke to our fathers,” that is “to Abraham and his offspring forever” (v. 55). God did not just talk to Abraham, he spoke promises to Abraham. What promises did he speak to Abraham and the Jewish forefathers? Of course, the clearest promise is that the Messiah would come through Abraham. Listen, for example, to Genesis 22:15-18 |
上帝曾对以色列说话。 但是马利亚说得更具体-“祂对我们列祖说过”，就是“对亚伯拉罕和他的后代，直到永远”（第55节）。 上帝不仅向亚伯拉罕说话，还向亚伯拉罕许了诺言。 祂对亚伯拉罕和犹太祖先说了什么诺言？ 当然，最明确的应许是弥赛亚将通过亚伯拉罕降生。 听听，例如，创世记22章15-18节 |
| 15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” |
15 耶和华的使者第二次从天上呼叫亚伯拉罕，16 说：“耶和华说：‘我指着自己起誓，你既然作了这事，没有留下你的儿子，你的独生子，17 我必定赐福给你，比使你的后裔繁多，像天上的星，海边的沙；你的后裔必占领仇敌的城门。18 地上万国都要因你的后裔得福，因为你听从了我的话。’” |
| The word “offspring” or “seed” is a collective term – that is, it can refer either to an individual or to a group. Sometimes only the context can tell you if the offspring or seed of Abraham is a collective group (Israel) or an individual (Messiah). The personal pronoun connected to the term can tell you whether offspring is singular or plural. God promises to multiply Abraham’s offspring (his family), but then he moves to a singular offspring (the gate of his enemies). Think about that verse next time you read Jesus saying, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not be able to stand against it” (Matt. 16:18). Jesus, the seed of Abraham, is the one who crushes the head of the serpent and takes possession even of the gate of his enemies. Through Jesus, that singular seed, blessing is coming to all the nations of the earth. The apostle Paul makes both parts of the promise emphatically clear in Galatians 3:16 and 3:29. Verse 16 points to Jesus as the singular seed. |
“后裔”是一个集合名词-就是说，既可以指个体也可以指群体。有时，只有上下文可以告诉你亚伯拉罕的后裔是指群体（以色列）还是个体（弥赛亚）。与该术语相关的人称代词可以告诉你这个后裔是指单数还是复数。上帝应许亚伯拉罕的后裔（他的家人）繁衍增多，但随后祂转到一个单数的后裔（他的仇敌的城门）。下次你读到耶稣说，“我要在这磐石上建立我的教会，阴间的门不能胜过他 ”（太16:18）的时候要想到这一点。耶稣是亚伯拉罕的后裔，祂打碎了蛇的头，占领了敌人的城门。通过耶稣，那一位单数的后裔，祝福降临到了地上万族万民。使徒保罗在加拉太书3:16和3:29中强调了应许的两个部分。第16节指出耶稣就是那位单数的后裔。 |
| 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. |
16 那些应许本来是给亚伯拉罕和他的后裔的。神并没有说 “给众后裔”，好像指着多数；指着一个，就是基督。 |
| Verse 28-29 shows how Jesus as the singular offspring brings blessing to all the nations so that they are part of God’s people as the offspring of Abraham. |
第28-29节说明了耶稣作为那位单数的后裔如何给万族万民带来祝福,使他们作为亚伯拉罕的后裔而成为上帝子民的一部分。 |
| 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Gal. 3:28-29). See also Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14. |
28 并不分犹太人或希腊人，作奴仆的或自由人，男的或女的，因为你们在基督耶稣里都成为一体了。 29 如果你们属于基督，就是亚伯拉罕的后裔，是按照应许承受产业的了。（加拉太书3:28-29）亦见创世记12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14. |
| But we do not have to go to Paul to see this point. It shows up in the very next chapter. This is exactly what Simeon sees later in chapter 2 by the power of the Holy Spirit. |
但是我们不必非得去保罗那里才能看到这一点。 它就出现在路加福音的下一章。 这正是西缅在第二章藉着圣灵的大能所看到的。 |
| 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32) |
29 “主啊，现在照你的话，释放仆人平平安安地去吧！ 30 因我的眼睛已经看见你的救恩， 31 就是你在万民面前所预备的， 32 为要作外族人启示的光，和你民以色列的荣耀。” |
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| Why is this fulfillment presented as mercy? Elizabeth just said that you are the mother of MY LORD! So Mary immediately erupts in praise: “When I give birth to this child, I am giving birth to the Savior, the One promised, predicted, and prophesied, the One we have been waiting for. All that was promised to Abraham – all of this great mercy, it is here because he is here. |
为什么将这种应验称为怜悯？ 以利沙伯刚刚说你是我主的母亲！ 马利亚就立刻赞美道：“当我生下这个孩子时，我就是在生出救世主，那是应许、预言中的那位，是我们一直翘首以待的。 对亚伯拉罕应许的一切–所有伟大的怜悯，就在这里，因为祂在这里。 |
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| The incarnation is the supreme example of God’s faithfulness. Mary’s poem reaches a climax on this very note: what child is this in my womb – “the promise kept.” The incarnation is the supreme example of God’s faithfulness: the fulfillment of his promise and through this promise – the fulfillment of all of his promises. |
道成肉身是上帝信实的至高典范。 马利亚的诗在这一点上达到了高潮：我子宫中的孩子是什么-“信守诺言”。道成肉身是上帝信实的至高榜样：实现应许，并通过这一应许-实现祂所有的应许。 |
| Luke 1:68-74 |
路加福音1章68-74节 |
| 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, |
68 “主，以色列的 神，是应当称颂的，因他眷顾自己的子民，施行救赎， 69在他仆人大卫家中，为我们兴起救恩的角， 70 正如主自古以来藉圣先知口中所说的， 71 救我们脱离仇敌，和恨我们的人的手； 72 向我们列祖施怜悯，记念他的圣约， 73 就是他对我们祖先亚伯拉罕所起的誓， 74 把我们从仇敌手中救拔出来，叫我们可以坦然无惧，用圣洁公义， 在他面前一生一世敬拜他。 |
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| But don’t miss what all of this means. It is not just that the promises of the Old Testament were about the coming of Jesus and now all of those promises are fulfilled. Jesus is the fulfillment and guarantee of all the promises by his blood. |
但是，请不要错过这其中的所有含义。 不仅仅是旧约的应许是关于耶稣的到来，而现在所有这些应许都实现了。 凭着祂的宝血，耶稣是祂所有应许的实现和保证。 |
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| 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory (2 Cor. 1:20). |
因为 神的一切应许，在基督里都是“是” 的，为此我们藉着他说“阿们” ，使荣耀归于 神。（哥林多后书1:20） |
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| The incarnation is the supreme example of God’s faithfulness. But don’t forget. The fulfillment of this promise that Jesus would come also brings the fulfillment of all the promises! Now we are ready to move to application. |
道成肉身是上帝信实的最高典范。 但是不要忘记。 耶稣要来的应许的实现本身也带来了所有应许的实现！ 现在，我们预备好了进入应用环节。 |
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| Application: Advent and Cell Phones |
应用：降临节和手机 |
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| Pastor and author John Ortberg found himself busy and tired. The hustle and bustle was getting to him and he started to feel like a shell of himself. He was tearing through life and missing out on the moment – and what is life, but a series of moments? He calls up his mentor Dallas Willard. What do I need to do? |
牧师兼作家约翰·奥尔特伯格发现自己又忙又累。 他越来越感到喧嚣纷繁，开始觉得自己像被掏空了一样。 他感觉生命匆匆而过，却错过了其中的瞬间—但生活是什么呢，不就是一系列瞬间的堆积吗？ 他打电话给他的导师达拉斯·威拉德。 我需要做什么？ |
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| “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” |
“你必须毫不留情地改掉生活中的忙乱。” |
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| Ok – that is great. What else? |
好的-太好了。 还有什么？ |
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| “No, you don’t understand. There is nothing else. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life today.” |
“不，你不明白。 没有别的了。 忙乱是当今属灵生活的头号敌人。” |
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| Not many people would list “hurry” as the great enemy of the spiritual life today. There are certainly ways in which liberal theology, prosperity gospel, prejudice, internet filth, and materialism are all greater dangers. |
没有多少人会把“忙乱”列为当今属灵生活的头号敌人。 当然，在某些方面，自由神学、成功福音、偏见、网络污染和物质主义都是更大的危险。 |
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| But here is the connection between “hurry” and cell phone usage. What cell phone technology and social media try to do is compete for your attention. Your attention is the new real estate market. All of these devices and outlets are designed to grab your attention. They are designed to make you uncomfortable with doing something else until you check again. That is why so many people have separation anxiety with their phone and social media. They think that they could be missing something. |
但是，这里“忙乱”和手机使用之间有一定的关联。 手机技术和社交媒体正努力争夺你的注意力。 你的注意力就是新的角逐市场。 所有这些设备和渠道均旨在吸引你的注意力。 它们的设计就是让你在做别的事情时会感觉不舒服，直到你回头查看它们为止。 这就是为什么这么多人对手机和社交媒体感到分离焦虑。 他们总以为他们可能会错失什么东西。 |
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| This whole new world of hurry definitely has wreaked havoc on our attention spans. We used to have an 11 second attention span and now it is at 8 seconds. To put that into perspective: a goldfish has a 9 second attention span. You heard that right – we are getting beat by goldfish, people! |
这整个新的忙乱世界无疑对我们的注意力持续时间造成了极大的破坏。 我们过去的注意力持续时间为11秒，现在是8秒。 可以这样看：一条金鱼的注意力持续时间为9秒。 你没听错-我们被金鱼打败了，人们！ |
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| But I am not just talking about decreasing attention spans or our ability to focus. I am not talking so much about focus as about formation. John Mark Comer says it just right in his book on Eliminating Hurry. |
但是，我谈的不仅仅是减少注意力持续时间或专注的能力。 我谈的不是注意焦点，而是品格形成。 约翰·马克·科默（John Mark Comer）在他一本关于消除忙乱的书中说得恰到好处。 |
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| "There is more at stake [with technology] than our attention spans. Because what you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to." (John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, 55) |
“（与技术相关的）风险远远不止于我们的注意力持续时间。因为你所关注的正是你所要成为的。换句话说：头脑是通往灵魂的门户，而你头脑中所充满的将塑造你品格形成的轨迹。最终，你的生命只不过是你所关注的内容的总和。” （约翰·马克·科默，《毫不留情地消除忙乱》，55页） |
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| Here is my huge concern right now – not only as a pastor of people I love, but for myself. Robert Murray McCheyne said that it is spiritually vital to put Christ in the right perspective. For every one look at yourself, take 10 looks at Christ. Here is my concern: with cell phones and social media we have an exacerbated problem: for every one look at Christ we are taking 2500 looks at something else – what other people had for lunch or the latest movie trailer or what some kitten did that was cute. It is not that those things are wrong. It is that those things have a cumulative effect – that distract us from setting our mind on things above – they draw us away from looking at the promises and therefore standing on the promises. In some cases, they can actually make you feel so much less content by focusing on what you don’t have – instead of setting your attention and your hope on what you do have and can’t lose. |
这是我现在极大的关切–不仅是针对作为牧师的我-我要牧养我所爱的人-也是针对我自己。 罗伯特·默里·麦凯恩说，从正确的角度看待基督在属灵上至关重要。 每看一次自己，就要看十遍基督。 这是我关心的问题：使用手机和社交媒体，我们面临的问题更加严峻：每看一次基督，我们就要看别处2500次-看的都是什么别人吃的午餐或什么最新电影预告片，或者什么萌呆小猫。 并不是说那些事情本身是错误的。 关键是这些事情产生了累积的影响，使我们无法专注于上头的事情，它们使我们无法定睛应许，并在应许中站立得稳。 在某些情况下，它们可以让你专注于自己所没有的，从而让你不再知足，而不是让你把注意和盼望都置于你所拥有且永远不会失去的。 |
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| If 28% of people would give up seeing their significant other rather than be without their phone, I wonder how Jesus ranks in the battle for your attention. People are commenting more and more about feeling the absence of God and heightened levels of anxiety. Jesus is Immanuel, God with Us. And God is omnipresent and so the problem of his absence is not first and foremost about his distance from us, but our distraction away from him. How much time have we given to “treasuring these things in our hearts” like Mary does later in Luke 2? How much time have we spent pondering the promises and praying the promises and feeling the stability and security that comes from the guarantee of the promises as we stand upon them? |
如果28％的人宁愿放弃另一半也不愿没有手机，我不知道耶稣在争夺你注意力的战斗中排名第几。 人们越来越多地谈到自己感觉上帝缺席和焦虑加剧。 耶稣是以马内利，与我们同在的上帝。 上帝无所不在，所以祂的缺席，问题不在于祂与我们之间的距离，而是我们的注意偏离了祂。 有多少时间我们用来“把这一切放在心里”就像马利亚稍后在路加福音2中所做的那样？ 有多少时间用来默想应许，祈祷应许，并因着应许有保障而感受那份安稳与安全？ |
| Conclusion: Christmas is a Celebration of All the Promises Kept and All the Promises That Will Be Kept |
结语：圣诞节是在庆祝所有已得保守的应许和所有将得保守的应许 |
| It reminds me of the story of the little girl that told her sister that she had three nickels. She stretched out her hand and showed them to her sister. The older sister said, “you only have two nickels in your hand.” Yes, but I have three. How? Daddy promised me another one tonight when he got home from work. Well, then, you actually only have two and you will have three. No, she said emphatically. Daddy promised. So I have three nickels. |
这让我想起了一个小女孩告诉姐姐她有三个五分硬币的故事。 她伸出手，把它们展示给姐姐看。 姐姐说：“你手中只有两个五分硬币。”是的，但我有三个。 怎么回事？ 爸爸答应我今晚下班回家再给我一个。 好吧，你实际上只有两个，但你将有三个。 不，她坚定地说， 爸爸已经答应了 所以我就有三个五分硬币。 |
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| Christmas is a celebration of all that our Father has promised. Our closing song says it just right: “Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.” Jesus is the incarnation of all the promises of God. They find their “yes, and amen” in him. All of them. Not just the promises fulfilled in his first advent, but all of the promises that are true now and will be fulfilled at the second advent. |
圣诞节是庆祝我们天父所应许的一切。 我们的结束歌曲说得很对：“父真道，藉肉身来显明。”耶稣是神所有应许的化身。 它们都在祂里面找到了自己的“是的”和“阿们”。 全部。 不仅包括在祂的第一次降临中实现的应许，也包括所有现在是真实而将在第二次降临时实现的应许。 |
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| Closing Song: O Come Let Us Adore Him |
结束歌曲：《齐来崇拜歌》 |
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| Sermon Discussion Questions |
讲道讨论问题 |
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| Title: Rejoicing in Remembrance |
标题：为神的记念而欢喜 |
| Text: Luke 1:46-56 |
经文：路加福音1章46-56节 |
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| Main Point: |
要点： |
| Mary rejoices in how God lifts up Israel in remembering his promises. |
马利亚因上帝如何记念祂的应许而扶助以色列欢喜快乐。 |
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| Outline |
纲要 |
| We will look at the three phrases of verses 54-55: (1) he has helped his servant Israel, (2) in remembrance of his mercy, (3) as he spoke to Abraham and our forefathers. |
我们将看第54-55节的三个短语：（1）祂扶助祂的仆人以色列，（2）为要记念祂的怜悯，（3）正如祂对亚伯拉罕和我们列祖所说的。 |
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| General Questions |
一般问题 |
| 1. What were your initial responses to the sermon? What was the Holy Spirit doing in your heart during or after the sermon? Was there a new insight gained? Any questions prompted? What did you find convicting, helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? Explain. |
1.你对讲道的最初反应是什么？ 讲道中间或之后，圣灵在你心中做了什么？ 是否获得了新的见解？ 有什么问题吗？ 你发现定罪，有帮助，大开眼界或令人不安的是什么？ 请解释。 |
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| 2. What point from the sermon landed on you with the most weight of joy or conviction? What things did you see and savor that you feel like you need to share with others? |
2.讲道中哪一点最能使你感到喜悦或为罪痛心？ 你看到并品尝到想要与他人分享的东西吗？ |
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| Discussion Questions |
讨论题 |
| 1. What is the main point of verses 54-55? |
1.第54-55节的要点是什么？ |
| 2. Can you summarize the four messages of Advent 2019? How do they fit together to help us understand Mary’s poem of praise? |
2.你能否总结Advent 2019的四个信息？ 它们如何组合在一起，以帮助我们理解马利亚的赞美诗？ |
| 3. What does it mean that God has “helped” Israel? Why is this portrayed as mercy? What is the difference between mercy and grace? |
3.上帝“扶助”了以色列意味着什么？ 为什么将此刻画为怜悯？ 怜悯与恩典有什么区别？ |
| 4. What particular promises are mentioned in verse 55? |
4.在第55节中提到什么特别的应许？ |
| 5. How is Jesus the offspring of Abraham? How does he bring the Gentiles into the family of God as the offspring of Abraham? |
5.耶稣是亚伯拉罕的后裔吗？ 祂如何将外邦人作为亚伯拉罕的后代带入上帝的家庭？ |
| 6. What is the connection between cell phone usage and the point of advent, which is to look to Jesus and adore Jesus? |
6.手机使用和要定睛耶稣敬仰耶稣的降临节要点有什么关联？ |
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| Application Questions |
应用问题 |
| 1. Were you surprised by some of the statistics about cell phone use? How would you assess your own usage? How does it impact your spiritual life and your ability to look to Jesus? |
1.你对有关手机使用的一些统计数据感到惊讶吗？ 你将如何评估自己的使用情况？ 它如何影响你的属灵生活以及你定睛耶稣的能力？ |
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| 2. What needs to change in order for Jesus to win the war for your attention? What practical/tangible changes can you make? |
2.为了使耶稣赢得争夺你注意力的战争，需要改变什么？ 你可以进行哪些切实可行的改变？ |
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| 3. What part of this sermon or passage do you need to share with others? Plan and pray for who to share this with and then when and how to share it. |
3.你需要与他人分享此讲道或经文的哪一部分？ 计划并祈祷与谁共享，然后何时以及如何共享。 |
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| Prayer Focus: Pray for a grace to rejoice in God’s faithfulness to his promises through Jesus and pray for a grace to trust him for the guarantee of all of his promises. |
祷告焦点：祈求恩典为神藉着耶稣信守诺言而欢喜。也祈求恩典来信靠祂作为一切应许的保障。 |
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