感谢神！有2890人参与的东岸华人差传大会今天在巴尔的摩的展览中心开幕！ 大会除了介绍大会的历史以及播放林书豪的录像讲话外，今晚的重点无疑就是来自Bob Sjogren的主题信息！
Bob Sjogren (pronounced “show – grin”) is the president of UnveilinGLORY, a non-profit ministry geared toward awakening the church to a new awareness of God’s glory in all areas of life and seeing that glory go to all peoples of the world. A driving theme throughout all of Bob’s messages is living passionately for the Glory of God. Living for God’s glory should be the highest priority of our lives. Everything else is secondary.
以下是信息的梗概：
How you view cross?
Just as there are two sides to every coin, there are two sides to the cross: He died for me/GLORY
Are these two sides equal or one is primary or the other is secondary?
It is very difficult to answer. Because there has been conflicting and confusing communication in the church.
Some Survey:
What is the primary purpose of the church?
- To worship God
- To save sinners
- To glorify God
- To fellowship
- To be an example
What is the primary purpose of christ’s death?
- To save us from sin
- To give us an example
- To fulfill prophecy
- To do the father’s will
- To glorify God
Then the next question is to vote only one answer!
- What is the primary purpose of the church? To glorify God! Life is all about God
- What is the primary purpose for Christ’s death? To save us from sin. Life is all about us!
Conclusion:
- Half time we said life is about God, half time is about ourselves. The same for other things like music selection as well!
Question: why Christ come to cross to die?
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Salvation is not the end goal! Salvation is the stepping stone
How did christ death affect the glory of his father?
There ways christ dearth points us to his father’s glory!
1 Christ death upholds/restores his father’s reputation
Why was christ concerned for his father’s reputation ? Could it be the God was looking like a hypocrite?
Exodus 21:14 14But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.
there is No exception! Put him to death!
But for the story for David and Bathsheba, whose husband is one of the 35 soldiers helped David. When David make Bathsheba pregnant, David has the plan to get out! Plan A not work, plan B not work, then plan C. It is David who killed him.
2 Samuel 12:5David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
13Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lordhas taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
“You are the man”! Nathan: “You are not going to die”
What do Israel think? Maybe God is not holy at all. David and millions of other’s sins were not being dealt with ?
Romans 3:25,26 25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,
through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.Jesse death upholds restores the reputation of his fathers’ glory
2 Christ death will restore creation to tis original state
Genesis 3:17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
Cursed is the ground because of you;
How is the ground cursed? To wish or invoke evil, calamity injury or destruction. Do you thinks storms, earthquake etc are curses?
Revelation 21:1 1Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.Do you there will be storms/earthquake? …
Romans 8:20,21 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.The creation was subjected to frustration.
We will see his glory in its original design. Is this spiritual?
Colossians 1:19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Reconcile: to make good again, repair. Jesue reconsile all things (People, not just people, things on earth and on heaven) Not just for people, for everything . Jesus also did for heaven.
Acts3:21 21Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Restore: to bring back to the former, original, or normal condition
Jesus also die for animals!
Revelation5:13
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
After curse, no talking. After this, saying. Be praise and the honor and glory and power. It is not just about us, it is about his GLORY. The curse will have been broken
3 Christ Death Allow humanity to to fulfill their original purpose
Isaiah 43:6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
whom I have created for my glory? We are created to glory God, that’s the reason for our marriage, school and works etc. This is the primary reason for everything. Do my work to glory God, love my spouse to glorify God. To raise childen to glory God. We cannot glory God as we should.
Romas 15:8,9
8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of Godʼs truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
on behalf of Godʼs truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing the praises of your name.”
so that the gentiles(not just Israel) “might not go to hell” (x). Christian is not about avoid hell. This is a terrible way! It is not right. The gentiles may glorify God for his mercy!(V) We were created to glorify God!
Not only us but all the nations.
Psalm 86:9All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
All the nations they will bring glory to God.
This is how you define Missions! Missions is ” leading people to be restored to their original purpose”!
Salvation is a stepping storm to glorifying God in every are of our lives.
Does Jesus agree?
John 12:27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.28Father, glorify your name!”
Father save Jesus this hour? No! its for this very reason I came to this hour. FATHER! (Not talking with disciples) Jesus knows he will experience the worst death. He is talking with father. Primary reason or secondary reason? Primary reason is what? Save these kids wonderful worthy people from hell they don’t deserve it? NO He even didn’t mention us! It is not about US!
What did he say: Father! Glorify your name!
The primary reason is to glorify his father!
Back to Sunday school! If church’s primary reason is the glorify God, then the primary
Its all about glorify God and his nations! The message is consistent all through the Bible!
People may ask: did christ die for our sin or not? Yes to glorify his father!
1 corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Primary: Glorify God. Secondary he die for us!
Cats and Dogs
If you don’t see the differences you will see two Christians.
There is a joke about cats and dogs that conveys their differences perfectly. A dog says, ” You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.” A cat says, “You ped me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.”
This difference between cats and dogs is very similar to how christian theology is being lived out today, We call it “Dog Theology” and “Cat Theology.”. Dogs say, “Lord, You love me, you bless me abundantly, You gave your life for me, Yo must be God.”
Whereas Cats say, “Lord, You love me, you bless me abundantly, You gave your life for me, I must be god.” Its all about us! Baby! God did everything for us! We are so special to us!
Cat Christians:
- He died for me! Jesus left the father’s glory for me.
- He suffered for me.
- He did for me
- He building a mansion for e. He is interceding o m
- H coming back in for me.
- He must live for me!
- No wonder I love God! I am glad that I am Christian.
- He give his son to me!
- He gave me everything.
Ephesians5:1Follow Godʼs example, therefore, as dearly loved children
Be imitators of God… I will live for me! I will work a very comfortable I’ve He lives for me. I lives for me! We are good friends.
Dog Christians:
- Jesus left the fathers to glory him
- He suffered to glory him
- He died to glory him
- He build a mansion to glory him
- He is interceding to to glory him
- He’s coming back agin to glory his father!
2 different lessons : are learned from the cross!
When we look at cross!
- Cat: He surfer for me. I don’t need surfer, he choose: safest easiest. Softest, most comfortable from birth to death!
- Dog: He surfer to glorify: I not going to suffer! Form birth to death: what will bring God the most glory?
Before 5 different jobs: Cat: which one benefit me most? Dog: what glorify God the most!
Now church is cat church! What can God do for me?
Seamless christianity its all about glorifying God! Consistent theme!
- Cat parents: good education/ good job!
- Dog parents: global vision for kids! It’s about God’s glory!
In conclusion: they used to say that the sun run around the earth, they are wong
They the words that the earth is flat, they are wrong.
They say that man can never walk on the moon, they are wrong,
they says that Christ died for our sins. There are not wrong. But they are very incomplete!
This is the greatest question in our live!