1. Hello, listening friends.
亲爱的朋友，你好！

2. I am so glad you tuned in to listen to this program,
非常高兴你能收听这个节目，

3. and I hope that God is using this series of messages to encourage you along the way.
我盼望神使用这一系列的信息来鼓励你。

4. I want to talk to you about something that I have noticed from my travels around the world,
我想和你谈谈，当我环游世界旅行时所观察到的现象，

5. especially in the last few years.
尤其是近年来，

6. I have noticed that people make promises so easily and break them so easily.
我发觉人们轻易许下诺言却不遵守。

7. In days gone by people thought hard and long before they made a promise.
从前的人不是这样的，他们在答应一件事前，总是经过慎重的考虑才答应。

8. Why?
为什么？

9. Because they intended to keep these promises,
因为他们言出必行，

10. even at a personal sacrifice.
甚至肯牺牲，付代价。

11. There was a time when a man promise was his bond,
从前的时代，人们受自己的诺言约束，

12. somehow today, we make fleeting promises and then tomorrow, well, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t do it,
时至今日，我们随意承诺，明天就食言，

13. and we think we can get away with this.
以为不需要为后果负责。

14. Well I thank God that when he makes a promise, he does not make frivolous promises that he does not keep,
感谢神，祂从不开空头支票，

15. God always keeps his promises.
神一向信守诺言。

16. He has privileged me to experience him in the past thirty-some years enough to know how faithful he is in keeping his promises.
过去三十多年，我有幸经历神是何等信实地遵守祂的应许。

17. I know that his word tells me that and I believe it.
我知道，因为神的话怎么说，我就怎么信。

18. But I have experienced it and walked with him long enough to know he is a faithful God.
我多年与神同行，亲身经历到祂的确是信实可靠的神。

19. There is one thing that God cannot do, and that is not keep his promise.
有一件神做不到的事，那就是，祂不能食言。

20. His promises may not be fulfilled the way you want it or when you want it, but he always keeps his promises.
祂的应许可能不是按照你的方式和你的时间来实现的，但祂必定成就祂的应许。

21. Will you open the word of God please to I Kings chapter 18 beginning at verse 41.
请翻开圣经列王纪上18章，从41节开始，

22. Here we will see Elijah clinging to the promises of God,
以利亚在这儿抓住神的应许，

23. someone said that he was kneeling on the promises of God.
有人说以利亚是跪在神的应许上。

24. Now, before I get to the text, I want to tell you first, that some of God’s promises are conditional.
在我们讲这段经文前，让我先提一提，有时神的应许是有先决条件的。

25. what do I mean by that,
我的意思是，

26. they depend on us to do something before they are answered,
这些应许是否实现，在乎我们有没有做到我们该做的；

27. other promises are unconditional.
有些应许则没有条件。

28. Secondly,
第二，

29. some of God’s promises are personal,
有些应许是针对个人的，

30. they are limited to one person at a given time,
在一个特定的时期，只对某一个人有效；

31. other promises are for all believers all the time.
有些应许则是普遍对所有信徒都有效。

32. Now, let me remind you what happened immediately after that magnificent event of God’s intervention and sending a fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel.
让我们再看看，迦密山上神降下天火，彰显大能的奇妙事件之后所发生的事。

33. Remember,
请记住，

34. the fire supernaturally licked up everything within sight.
天火烧尽了一切。

35. Now you will notice in I Kings 18:41
注意在列王纪上18：41里，

36. that Elijah tells King Ahab to get home quickly because rain is in the forecast.
以利亚对亚哈王说，赶快回家去吧！就要下雨了！

37. Ah, this is a magnificent picture.
这真是伟大的一幕。

38. If I were to translate it literally, it might not make sense,
如果我直接翻译原文，听起来不通，

39. because it says,
是这样的，

40. I hear the feet of rain approaching.
我听见雨水的脚步声了。

41. Did he hear it by faith, or did he hear it literally?
到底他是凭信心听见，还是真的听见？

42. It really doesn’t matter.
其实没有分别。

43. Ahab went down to eat and drink,
亚哈王吃饭去了，

44. but where did the man of God go?
然而神人去了哪里呢？

45. Hhe went back to Mt. Carmel to kneel on the promises of God,
他回到迦密山，跪在神的应许上，

46. he went up to pray.
他去祷告。

47. Please listen to what I’m going to tell you very carefully.
请仔细听我说，

48. The promises of God plus prayer equal the fulfillment of the promises of God.
神的应许，加上人的祷告，就是应许的实现。

49. Let me put it another way.
换句话说，

50. Prayer plus promise equal God’s provision.
祈祷加应许，等于神的供应。

51. Let me put it another way,
再换句话说，

52. keeping the condition of the conditional promises of God plus trusting that God will fulfill them equal the intervention and fulfillment of God’s promises.
遵守了神应许中的条件，加上信靠神，等于应许的实现。

53. The promises of God are certain,
神的应许是确定的，

54. but they do not always mature in 90 days.
但并一定非要90天后兑现。

55. I often say, that when God makes a promise,
我常说，神应许了，

56. and faith believes it,
我们就相信、

57. and hope anticipates it,
盼望、

58. and patience quietly awaits it,
忍耐等候，

59. it will happen.
必定成就。

60. Now I want to make a confession to you,
老实对你说，

61. I trust in the promises of God,
我信任神的应许，

62. I believe the word of God,
相信神的话，

63. and even when it comes to hope anticipating it, it is a little harder, but I still go along with it,
虽然不容易做到，我仍愿意抱着盼望，

64. but I have the hardest time with the last one,
但最难做到的就是最后一项，

65. patience quietly awaits it.
也就是忍耐等候。

66. I am not very patient by nature,
我不是个有耐性的人，

67. I want things to happen very quickly.
我喜欢速战速决。

68. Let’s look back at Elijah,
让我们回头看以利亚，

69. what kind of promise did God make Elijah regarding the rain?
神答应以利亚会下雨，这是哪一种应许？

70. It was a conditional promise.
是有条件的应许。

71. When Elijah was in Zaraphath with the widow, God said to him,
当以利亚在撒勒法的寡妇家里，神对他说：

72. “Go and present yourself to Ahab and I will send the rain.”
“你去，使亚哈得见你，我要降雨在地上。”
73. That was the condition for rain.
这就是下雨的条件。

74. Here’s what God was saying,
神的意思是说，

75. “If you will do that, I will send rain.”
你若肯这么作，我就会降下雨来。

76. Remember, it had not rained for 3 ½ years,
别忘了那时已三年半没下雨了，

77. but Elijah's obedience was the condition for the fulfillment of God’s promise.
但以利亚的顺服，就是神应许实现的先决条件。

78. There are so many promises in the Scripture that are conditional promises,
圣经里有许多应许是有条件的应许，

79. many Christians tend to confuse these two type of promises,
很多基督徒不能区分这两种应许，

80. and they end up frustrated simply because they have not understood the Biblical principle here,
以致于他们感到很气馁，因为他们不明白圣经的原则，

81. they did not understand how God works.
他们不明白神如何动工。

82. Many Christians today love to claim the promises of God,
今天许多基督徒乐意得到神的应许，

83. but they want to escape the conditions of these promises.
却逃避这些应许的条件。

84. However, God must be true to his word.
然而神说话算话，

85. God is the one who sets these things in motion.
这是神定的规矩，

86. He is not going to change them.
祂不会更改的。

87. The Bible says that you sow and you reap.
圣经说，你种什么，就收什么。

88. Write these verses down,
请记下这些经文，

89. II Corinthians 9:6,
哥林多后书9：6，

90. the book of Hosea chapter 10 verse 12 and 13,
何西阿书10章12到13节，

91. and in Luke 6:38, the Bible says,
路加福音6：38，圣经说，

92. give and it will be given to you.
你们要给人，就必有给你们的。

93. There is a period of waiting between the time you sow the seed and the time you reap the harvest.
在撒种和收割之间，有一段等候期，

94. I have never seen a farmer dig up the seed to see how it’s doing.
我从没见过一个农夫去把种子挖出来看看它长成什么样子了，

95. He has to wait.
他必须等待。

96. There is a time for waiting,
有一段等候期，

97. even so he may get some setbacks in his harvest,
有时即使他等了，收成时仍可能收不到他预期的，

98. but God’s law of sowing and reaping always work.
但神的定律是，撒种的必有收成。

99. The kind of things that you sow you will reap.
种什么，就收什么。

100. I have never seen a farmer who sowed cotton and reaped wheat or corn,
我从没见过一个农夫种瓜得豆的，

101. if you sow wheat, you get wheat,
种瓜得瓜，

102. if you sow cotton, you get cotton.
种豆得豆。

103. This picking and choosing goes something like this,
但人们喜欢任意挑选，

104. people say,
他们说，

105. I will believe this part about God, but not this part,
我只相信神的这部份，但不信那部份；

106. I will live by this part but I will not live by that part,
我遵行这部份真理，不遵行那部份；

107. this is what I call cafeteria Christianity,
我称这种人为自助餐式的基督徒，

108. pick and choose.
任意挑选。

109. They want this passage and that passage from the Bible but they don’t want other passages,
他们接受圣经中部份经文，却不愿意接受其他部分，

110. but God’s word is one word.
然而神的话是完整如一的。

111. In fact, when I was thinking about this, how people pick and choose I thought about the 3 little sisters who had just returned from a wedding,
这种人使我想起一个故事，有三姊妹参加了一个婚礼之后，

112. and they decided to play their own game of wedding.
他们决定玩婚礼的游戏。

113. each little girl had a role to play,
每人扮演一个角色，

114. one was a bride,
一个扮新娘，

115. one was a groom,
一个扮新郎，

116. and the other was the minister.
另一个扮牧师。

117. As the game began,
游戏开始，

118. bride and groom stood next to each other and the minister asked a question,
新郎新娘并肩站着，牧师问道：

119. do you take this man for richer or for poorer?
无论贫富你都愿意嫁给他吗？

120. The little bride replied,
小新娘回答说：

121. for richer.
只嫁有钱的。

122. Now we as adults do some things like that,
其实成年人也会这样，

123. we want to pick and choose,
我们喜欢任意挑选，

124. we want to believe that part but we don’t want to believe the other parts.
我们相信这部分，却不愿意相信那部分。

125. Proverbs 3:5 &6 is a conditional promise,
箴言三章5到6节就是一个带着条件的应许，

126. if you commit your ways to the Lord,
你若肯将人生的道路交在主手中，

127. he will bring it to pass,
祂必带领你走过来；

128. but if you want to pilot your own ship your way,
但你若靠自己导航，自作主张，

129. and then when you are in trouble cry out to God to bless your plans,
当你遇到困难时才呼求神让你一帆风顺，

130. you have violated the conditions of the promise and therefore the fulfillment of it.
你已经违反了应许的条件，怎能使应许成就呢？

131. If you have violated the condition of the promise,
你若不履行条件，

132. you should not expect the fulfillment of it.
就不该期待应许实现。

133. In I John 1:9,
约翰壹书一章9节，

134. is used by some of those carnal Christians.
有些属肉体的基督徒常常引用。

135. When they get themselves into sin they just say, we’ll dial I John 1:9,
当他们犯罪跌倒时，就翻开约翰壹书一章9节，

136. if we confess our sins,
我们若认自己的罪，

137. that is the condition,
这是先决条件，

138. then he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.
神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪。

139. This is the fulfillment of the promise.
这是应许的实现。

140. Carnal Christians just want to live any which way they want and then use this text to please themselves,
属肉体的基督徒任意妄为，却用这节经文来自我安慰。

141. and their confession is only a lip confession,
他们只是口头上认罪，

142. lip confession without determination to change is a cheap repentance and does not obligate God to forgive you.
仅仅口里认罪却不下定决心改变自己的行为，这不是真实的悔改，神不会赦免的。

143. Confession must include the decision to forsake sin.
真实的认罪，包括下定决心离开罪恶。

144. Some of God’s promises are not only conditional,
神有些应许不仅具有先决条件，

145. some of them are also personal.
有些是专给某一个人的。

146. There are personal promises and universal promises.
有给个人的应许，也有普遍的应许。

147. This promise to Elijah was a personal promise made specifically to one person at a definite time.
以利亚所得到的应许，是在一段指定的时期内，专给一个人的。

148. You get into trouble when you make personal promises to be universal promises.
如果我们不懂得分辨属于个别的应许，或普遍的应许，就会惹上麻烦。

149. For example,
比如说，

150. in Mark 16:16,
马可福音16章16节，

151. Jesus made a personal promise to the disciples for a definite time.
这是耶稣在一段特定的时期内，单单给祂的门徒的应许。

152. The promise found in Mark 16:17 & 18,
这应许记载在马可福音16章17，18节，

153. it is to do with treading on vipers and drinking poison,
关于手能拿蛇，以及喝毒物，

154. that was a personal promise for a period of time.
这是个别的，有时间性的应许。

155. Anyone who would take a personal promise and make it a universal promise will tempt God.
如果我们以个别性的应许，当作普遍性的应许，就是在试探神。

156. Many Christians get into trouble because of that.
许多基督徒就因为这样而惹上麻烦。

157. We often think that we have to spend hours in prayer convincing God to bless what we are trying to accomplish,
我们常以为，必须花长时间祷告来说服神赐福，使我们能达成心愿，

158. instead we should be spending hours in prayer for God to reveal his purpose to us.
其实我们应该恒久祷告，求神向我们显明祂的心意。

159. I can tell you from personal experience the following,
我可以分享我自己的经历，

160. whenever you bring your efforts into alignment with God’s purpose for your life you will be blessed.
每当你尽力跟从神对你生命的计划时，你必蒙神赐福。

161. And Elijah understood that whenever you align obedience to God with God’s promises, God will answer.
以利亚体会到，只要你肯顺服神的计划，神的应许必会实现。

162. Whenever you fulfill the conditions of the promises you can safely claim the promise and the promise will be fulfilled.
每当你遵守了应许的先决条件，就可确保应许必定成就。

163. God cannot lie,
神决不说谎，

164. he cannot deny himself.
祂不会出尔反尔。

165. If you are spending many a night on the side of your bed instead of sleeping in it,
如果你晚上不睡觉，总是跪在床边祷告，

166. asking God for what you want,
求神让你心想事成，

167. save your time and energy and begin to ask him what he wants you to do.
倒不如省省力气，求神告诉你，祂对你的旨意是什么。

168. Will you do that with me tonight?
今天就和我一起这么作吧！

169. Will you pray that God will reveal to you what he wants you to do?
你愿意祈求神显明祂对你的旨意吗？

170. Our Heavenly Father,
我们在天上的父，

171. we thank you for your promises,
感谢你给我们的应许，

172. teach us to distinguish between conditional promises and universal promises,
教导我们懂得区分有条件的应许，和普遍的应许，

173. and give us the power to live up to those promises,
赐给我们力量能活在你的应许中，

174. so that we may bring glory to your name.
使你的名得荣耀。

175. In Jesus name,
奉耶稣的名祷告，

176. Amen.
阿们。