你牧師的講道應始終引導你到耶穌面前的三個理由3 REASONS YOUR PASTOR’S SERMONSHOULD ALWAYS LEAD YOU TO JESUS
作者:
Adriel Sanchez 譯者: Maria Marta
1. 以基督為中心的講道符合聖經
這是最重要的原因，我將從這點開始。當我們閱讀新約，就會清楚了解早期教會的講道都是圍繞耶穌進行的。彼得在使徒行傳的講道不是關於「讓生活變得美好的秘訣」的信息，而是向人展示耶穌如何是舊約應許的盼望（徒二14-40; 三12-26）。
許多學者認為，希伯來書是古代基督徒勸誡或證道的手稿，它專注於耶穌基督的超越性。 作者向我們展示耶穌超越天使（一5-14）、 摩西（三1-6）、舊約的安息日（三7至四13）、 祭司亞倫（七11-28）、大祭司（八1-6）、舊約的牲祭（九11-14）。 這意味著我們有記錄的最早講道之一全是關於耶穌比一切更好的信息！
今天的講道應向世人展現基督比我們常常寄予希望的事物------無論是牲祭抑或年薪------更好，藉此吸引人到基督的面前。
在這兩個場合，耶穌自己說得很清楚，祂是聖經的主角。 第一個場合在約翰福音五章，祂告訴宗教領袖，「你們查考聖經 ，因你們以為內中有永生。給我作見證的就是這經，然而你們不肯到我這裡來得生命」（約五39-40）。 根據經文脈絡，耶穌指的是舊約聖經（實際上祂接著說摩西自己會責備祭司們忽視這一點）。 只有當舊約聖經引導我們到耶穌那裏，它才賜人生命，宗教精英應該明白這一點。
在另一個場合，在耶穌復活之後，祂向祂兩個在以馬午斯路上的門徒顯現。 他們對基督的受難感到困惑，因此耶穌親自給他們授課，打開他們的眼睛，讓他們明白。耶穌對他們說：「這就是我從前與你們同在之時所告訴你們的話說：摩西的律法、先知的書和詩篇上所記的，凡指著我的話都必須應驗。」（路廿四44）。
這裏值得注意的是，耶穌訴諸舊約的每個主要部分。律法書 (有時稱為妥拉Torah) 是指舊約的首五卷書。先知書 (希伯來文是נְבִיאִים，英文拼寫是Nevi'im) 不僅包括以賽亞書、約珥書，還包括歷史書，如約書亞書、士師記。引用詩篇就是引用聖卷/文集 (希伯來文是כְּתוּבִים ，英文拼寫是Ketuvim)。這部分包括詩歌智慧書、以斯拉記與尼希米記。律法書、先知書、聖卷全是舊約聖經的內容，耶穌教導它們是指向祂!
2. 以基督為中心的講道符合歷史
縱貫歷史，忠心的基督徒認識到整本聖經都是為要引導我們來到基督的面前。 瑞典歷史學家和神學家哈格倫德 (BengtHägglund) 曾說，在馬丁路德的神學中，
基督是聖經的中心。「聖經應該被理解為是關於基督，而非反對祂的信息。是的，若聖經不是指向祂，那就不是真聖經。」「將基督從聖經中除去，你還能發現什麽？」......路德相信舊約是對基督的直接見證，而不僅僅包含一些關於祂的預言而已。 （History of Theology, 220 & 222）
這裏路德的觀念不是嶄新的。 根據另一位歷史學家，古老教會的帕利坎 (Jaroslav Pelikan)著作，
「......堅信『摩西的著作就是基督的說話』，......基於這種信念，將舊約錯誤地當作基督教書籍來閱讀；和不僅在詩篇廿二章的段落中看到『基督的說話』，如新約聖經所明確指出的那樣，而且在雅歌這樣的書卷也能看到，都是有可能的。」《基督教傳統》（The Emergence of
the Catholic Tradition, 61）
也許更為重要的是，如早期基督教專家凱利（J.N.D. Kelly）所寫的，
「舊約作為初期教會教義規範的重要性怎樣誇大，都不能算過分……這一階段只需要確定三點。首先，舊約所賦予的教義權威建立在一個顯然確信無疑，被正確解釋了的假設的基楚上，即它是一本基督教書籍，特別是先知書，確實證實了基督和祂的榮耀。遊斯丁（殉教者遊斯丁）堅持認為猶太聖經不屬於猶太人，而是屬於基督徒，它是普世共享的。 其次，這種假設之所以成為可能，是因為基督徒有意識或無意識地使用一種特殊的釋經方法……第三，這種釋經原則並非在第二世紀初發明的。正如我們應該看到的，使徒們使用此種釋經方法，並且有充分的理由假設我們的主自己開創先例——猶斯丁明確承認這一事實。（Early Church
Doctrines，pg. 32）
不僅歷史上的教會承認基督是舊約和新約的實質，早期教會也相信這是耶穌和使徒教導他們如何閱讀聖經的方式!
3. 以基督為中心的講道切實可行
我們的生命得到改變，不是因為聽到雄辯言辭，或重新包裝的自助方法。當忠心牧師所傳講的關於耶穌基督的信息進入我們的內心時，真正的轉變就發生了。若牧師不願意藉著聖經帶領會眾來到耶穌的面前，羊群就被迫自己尋找祂。 牧師們應該認識到，一份行為準則清單最終不能滋養羊群，羊群也不需要我們聰明的言語吸引他們，使他們過更尊崇上帝的生活 (林前二4)。唯一有能力帶給我們想要的實際成果的事是，耶穌基督釘十字架周而覆始地活現在我們的眼前(加三1)。
當我們心中的眼睛藉著宣講的話語被照明，明白耶穌是誰時，我們的生命就會反映出耶穌基督的形象（林後三18）。 這並不是說我們的證道不應充滿實際應用，而是說帶來實際改變的唯一希望就是耶穌。沒有耶穌的實際應用會產生過度自信於自己的順服的法律主義者，或因未能達到所期望的標準而感到壓抑的基督徒。
Adriel
Sanchez is pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church, a congregation in the
Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In addition to his pastoral
responsibilities, he also serves the broader church as a contributor on the
White Horse Inn radio program. He and his wife Ysabel live in San Diego with
their three children.
3
REASONS YOUR PASTOR’S SERMON SHOULD ALWAYS LEAD YOU TO JESUS
Adriel
Sanchez
1.
Christ-centered preaching is biblical.
This
is the most important reason, so I’m going to begin with it. When we look at
the pages of the New Testament, it’s clear that the early preaching of the
church revolved around Jesus. Peter’s sermons in the book of Acts weren’t tips
for better living, but demonstrations of how Jesus was the promised hope of the
Old Testament (Ac. 2:14-40; 3:12-26).
The
book of Hebrews, which many scholars believe is the manuscript of an ancient
Christian exhortation, or sermon, focuses on the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The
author shows us that Jesus is superior to the angels (1:5-14); Moses (3:1-6);
the Old Covenant Sabbath (3:7-4:13); the Aaronic priesthood (7:11-28), with its
high priest (8:1-6); and the Old Covenant sacrifices (9:11-14). This means that
one of the earliest sermons we have on record is all about how Jesus is better
than everything!
Preaching
today should draw people to Christ by showing the world that Christ is better
than the things we often place our hope in, whether they’re animal sacrifices,
or annual salaries.
Jesus
himself made it clear that the Scriptures were about him on two occasions.
First, he told the religious leaders in John 5, “You search the Scriptures
because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear
witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (Jn.
5:39-40) In the context, Jesus was referring to the Old Testament (he actually
went on to say that Moses himself would accuse the priests for missing this).
The Old Testament Scriptures are only life giving insofar as they lead us to
Jesus, and the religious elite should have understood this.
On
another occasion, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of his
disciples on their way to a place called Emmaus. They were confused about
Christ’s crucifixion, so Jesus gave them a personal lesson, and opened their
eyes to understand. He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44).
What’s
noteworthy here is that Jesus is appealing to each of the major divisions of
the Old Testament. The Law (sometimes called the Torah), referred to the first
five books of the Old Testament. The prophets referred to the Nevi’im (the
Hebrew word for “prophets”) and it didn’t only contain books like Isaiah and
Joel, but also historical books, like Joshua, and Judges. The reference to the
Psalms was a reference to the Ketuvim (the Hebrew word for “writings”). This
section contained the wisdom literature of Scripture, along with books like
Ezra, and Nehemiah. Together, the Torah,
Nevi’im, and Ketuvim referred to all of Old Testament Scriptures, and Jesus
taught they pointed to him!
2.
Christ-centered preaching is historical.
Throughout
history, faithful Christians have recognized that all Scripture is meant to
lead us to Christ. Swedish historian and theologian, Bengt Hägglund said that
in Martin Luther’s theology,
Christ
is the center of the Bible. “Scripture ought to be understood for Christ, not
against Him; yes, if it does not refer to Him it is not true Scripture.” “Take
Christ away from the Bible and what more do you find there?” … Luther believed
that the Old Testament is a direct witness to Christ, and not simply that it
contains some predictions about him. (History of Theology, 220 & 222)
Luther’s
idea here wasn’t novel, either. According to another historian, Jaroslav
Pelikan, the ancient church,
…had
the conviction that the ‘writings of Moses are the words of Christ,’… On the
basis of this conviction it was possible to read the Old Testament as a
Christian book and to see “the words of Christ” not only in such passages as
Psalm 22, as was explicitly warranted by the New Testament, but also in such
books as the Song of Songs.” (The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition, 61)
Perhaps
even more to the point, early Christian expert J.N.D. Kelly wrote,
The
importance of the Old Testament as a doctrinal norm in the primitive church
cannot be exaggerated… three points only need to be established at this stage.
First, the doctrinal authority ascribed to [the Old Testament] was based on the
apparently unquestioning assumption that correctly interpreted, it was a
Christian book, and that the prophets in particular were really testifying of
Christ and his glory. Justin’s (Justin Martyr) insistence that the Jewish
Scriptures did not belong to the Jews but to the Christians was universally
shared. Second, this assumption was only rendered possible because Christians
were using, consciously or unconsciously, a particular method of exegesis…
Third, this principle of interpretation was no invention of the early second
century. The apostles, as we shall see, had employed it, and there is every
reason to suppose that our Lord Himself set the precedent – a fact which Justin
explicitly acknowledges. (Early Christian Doctrines, pg. 32)
Not
only has the church historically recognized that Christ is the substance of the
Old and New Testaments, the early church believed this was how Jesus and the
apostles had taught them to read Scripture!
3.
Christ-centered preaching is practical.
Our
lives aren’t changed by hearing powerful rhetoric, or repackaged self-help.
True transformation comes when Jesus Christ is preached into our hearts by
faithful pastors. If pastors aren’t willing to lead their people to Jesus
through the Scriptures, then the sheep are forced to search for him on their
own. Pastors should recognize that a list of do’s and don’ts isn’t ultimately
what will nourish the sheep, and the sheep don’t need our clever words to woo
them into leading more God-honoring lives (1 Cor. 2:4). The only thing that has
the power to bring about the practical fruit we want is the crucified Christ
placarded before us week-by-week (Gal. 3:1).
As
the eyes of our heart grasp Jesus through the preached word, we are made to
reflect Jesus in our lives (2 Cor. 3:18). This is not to say that our sermons
shouldn’t also be filled with practical applications, but that the only hope
for any practical change is Jesus. Practical applications, without Jesus,
create legalists who are overly confident in their obedience, or depressed
Christians who feel crushed by their failure to live up to the expressed
standard.