坐在宝座上的羔羊
我们被造为的是要赞美神。基督教改革宗传统宣称，我们存在的主要目的就是 “荣耀神，并永远以祂为乐” (威斯敏斯德小要理问答)。荣耀神包括我们能享受我们得救的喜乐，意思是说，神在基督里为我们所作的一切，是我们生活和感谢的基础。
启示录第5章指出，从被杀的羔羊倾流出来的恩典，是我们赞美的中心。一首古旧的圣诗说得好：“全能真神，万福源头，恳求使我常歌颂；恩泽无穷，不息涌流，应当颂赞主恩宠。” 正如乐器需要被调音，我们的心也需要适当的调较好来歌颂神。
我们往往很想标榜我们自己的成就，然而圣经清楚说明，我们得到的福气，并不是我们配得的。我们的责任，是要称颂那位以祂的话创造我们，又藉着无罪和尊贵的羔羊耶稣基督的牺牲、来拯救我们脱离罪和死亡权势的神。
我们在世上所有的专长，就是我们一切的成就和我们对神和平国度的贡献，都是源自神救赎的恩典，因此，我们应当向在宝座上的羔羊献上感谢，祂的恩典完全遮盖我们的罪和羞辱，祂的恩典将来也会领我们归家。今天，你有没有好好调较你的心去感谢神呢？
慈爱的神，求祢帮助我们调较我们的心，使我们常常歌颂祢的厚恩。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
启示录 4:9-11; 5:13-14
9每逢四活物将荣耀、尊贵、感谢归给那坐在宝座上、活到永永远远者的时候，
10那二十四位长老就俯伏在坐宝座的面前敬拜那活到永永远远的，又把他们的冠冕放在宝座前，说：
11我们的主，我们的神， 你是配得荣耀、尊贵、权柄的； 因为你创造了万物， 并且万物是因你的旨意被创造而有的。
13我又听见在天上、地上、地底下、沧海里，和天地间一切所有被造之物，都说： 但愿颂赞、尊贵、荣耀、权势 都归给坐宝座的和羔羊， 直到永永远远！
14四活物就说：“阿们！”众长老也俯伏敬拜。
The Lamb On The Throne
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" — Revelation 5:13
We were made to praise God. As the Reformed tradition confesses, our chief purpose is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). To glorify God means to enter into the joy of our salvation. It means that all that God has done for us in Christ directs our living and thanksgiving.
Revelation 5 shows that the grace poured out on us by the Lamb, who was slain, is at the center of our praise. An old hymn says it well: “Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.” Just as an instrument needs to be rightly tuned, so do our hearts.
It’s so tempting to want praise directed at our own accomplishments. But the Bible is clear that we are unworthy of the blessings we receive. We’re called to declare the praise of the God who spoke us into being and rescued us from the power of sin and death by the self-sacrifice of the worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ, who had no sin.
All else that we do well in life—all we accomplish and all we contribute to God’s kingdom of peace—flows from God’s saving grace. So in gratitude we raise our thanks to the Lamb on the throne. His grace covers all our sins and shame, and his grace will lead us home. Is your heart tuned for gratitude today?
Gracious God, tune my heart to sing your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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