1月21日

標 題：成聖與差遣

經 節：求你用真理使他們成聖；你的道就是真理。你怎樣差我到世上，我也照樣差他們到世上。（約翰福音十七章17∼18節）

在神差遣你之前，神總是先使你成聖。天父分別十二使徒，藉著真理-祂的愛子-使他們成聖。當他們與耶穌-也就是真理（約翰福音十四：6）在一起時，使徒們受真理的鍛鍊與預備，好被差遣出去傳福音。耶穌駁斥他們的個人野心（路加福音九：46∼48）、責備他們的小信（馬太福音十七：19∼20）、斥責撒但的影響（馬太福音十六：23），並且指責他們的驕傲（馬太福音廿六：33∼35）。當耶穌完成對門徒的訓練，門徒們被差遣出去，改變了世界。

撒但會試圖使你相信，你的罪使你在神面前一無可用。這是謊言之父的謊言。只要你一犯罪，那欺騙者會在你的耳朵低語：「你失敗了！現在你在神面前是個無用的人。」這種思想使身為基督徒的你，感到挫敗與絕望。然而，沒有一件事比因神的恩典得自由能夠更自由的。當神的百姓容許神的真理重新連結他們與神的旨意和標準，神的大能將會藉著他們釋放出來，正如同神在第一代使徒身上的作為一樣。

真理必使你得自由。這真理是：「我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。」（約翰一書一：9）我們將會被重建成為神有用的器皿。

Sanctified and Then Sent

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (John 17:17-18)

God will always sanctify you before He sends you. The Father set aside the twelve disciples and made them holy by the Truth, His Son. As they related to Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), the disciples were refined by that Truth and were prepared to be sent out to preach the gospel. Jesus challenged their ambitions (Luke 9:46–48), chastised their lack of faith (Matt. 17:19–20), refuted Satan’s influence (Matt. 16:23), and denounced their pride (Matt. 26:33–35). When Jesus had finished preparing them, the disciples were sent out in such power that their world was never the same again.

Satan will try to convince you that your sin renders you useless to God. That is a lie from the author and father of lies. As soon as you sin, the Deceiver will whisper, “You failure! You are now of no use to God.” This can bring a deep sense of defeat and hopelessness to a Christian. Yet, there is no freedom that compares to a soul set free by God’s grace. When God’s people allow God’s truth to realign them to God’s will and God’s standard, then the power of God will be released through them the same way it was through the first disciples.

The Truth will set you free. The Truth is: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and we are restored to usefulness to God.