1. Hello, listening friends.
亲爱的朋友，你好。
2. Thank you for tuning in to this broadcast.
感谢你再次收听这个节目。
3. It is our joy to know that this is ministering to you.
能帮助你更多认识神，是我们最大的快乐。
4. We have just started a series called, "Biblical Compassion."
我们正在播出一个叫做“上帝的怜悯”的新的系列信息。
5. We are studying the Book of Jonah.
这个系列出自圣经的约拿书。
6. In our last two broadcasts, we spent some time learning about the will of God.
在上两次的节目中，我们讲到有关神的旨意这方面的话题。
7. We also learned how different people respond to God’s will.
我们也谈到，人对神的旨意有不同的回应。
8. Have you ever been in a situation where you tried to ignore the will of God in your life?
在你过往的经历中，你可曾忽视过神在你生命中的旨意呢？
9. I have!
我就有过这种经历！
10. If you’ve never been there, I pray to God that you never will.
假如你从来就没有过这种经历，求神保守你以后也不要遇到。
11. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew clearly what the Word of God said,
你有没有遇到过这种情况：你明明知道神对你所说的话，
12. have you ever been in a situation
你有没有遇到过，
13. where you knew clearly what the Word of God said regarding a specific situation in your life;
你明明知道神在某件事情上对你的心意是什么，
14. but you went against It anyway?
但是，你就是偏偏不愿意听呢？
15. Have you ever had the Word of God speak clearly to you;
你明明知道神对你说了些什么，
16. but It did not fit your own goals, so you went in another direction?
可是，这些话不合你的胃口，因而你就一意孤行呢？
17. Only those people who have been there know the consequences.
只有经历过的人，才会清楚这样做究竟会带来什么样的后果。
18. To some, these consequences may not surface for a while;
有时候，后果不会立竿见影地出现；
19. but, make no mistake about it. Surface, they will, unless you repent.
但是，迟早有一天，这种后果会临到你，除非你悔改。
20. Only those of us who have been there know the overwhelming grace of God when we repent and turn back.
也只有那些经历过悖逆又回转的人，才能够深深体会到上帝那无限的赦罪之恩。
21. Maybe, there is someone listening right now who is adamant about doing his or her will and not God’s,
今天，也许你执意按照自己的意思行，而不愿顺服神。
22. and God has been sending all kind of signals and warnings and prodding, and He has been patiently waiting for you to respond.
神也正在给你发出各种的信号和警告，并耐心地等着你回应。
23. Perhaps, there is someone listening right now who is toying with the thought of flirting with sin.
今天，也许你正在心猿意马，想要尝尝罪中之乐。
24. Perhaps, there is someone who is listening right now who is trying to test the patience of God.
今天，也许你正打算要试试神的耐心到底有多大。
25. Perhaps, there is someone who is listening right now who is testing the patience of God,
今天，也许你正在挑战神的忍耐力。
26. or, perhaps, there is someone listening right now who is convincing himself that it is okay to take short cuts at work or at school.
今天，也许你正在说服自己说：在工作或学业上投机取巧，没什么大不了的。
27. We learned in our last broadcast that there are only two types of Christians:
上一次，我讲到，世界上一共只有两类基督徒：
28. those who are traveling with the will of God,
一类是遵行神旨意的基督徒，
29. and those who are traveling against the will of God.
而另一类是违背神心意的信徒。
30. There is no third.
没有第三类的信徒。
31. We saw also how Jonah decided to travel against the will of God.
我们讲到，约拿决定不听神的话，走自己的路。
32. We saw that, when you travel against the will of God,
我们看到，当我们远离神的时候，
33. you pay the full fare,
我们会自食其果，
34. you never complete the journey,
既达不到目的地，
35. and you never get a refund;
还要落得个血本无还；
36. but, when you travel with the will of God,
然而，当我们遵行神的旨意时，
37. you will always complete the journey.
我们就会马到成功。
38. God pays the full fair.
神会为我们负责到底。
39. Jonah, instead of going east, as God asked him to do,
约拿没有按照神吩咐他的往东部去，
40. he decided to buy a ticket and travel as far west as it was humanly possible to go in those days;
相反的，他买了一张往西行的船票，打算逃到远得再也不能远的西方去。
41. but the God of Heaven was watching him.
但是，天上的神却在注视着他的一举一动。
42. Listen to Jonah, Chapter 1, verse 4.
请看约拿书第1章，第4节。
43. "Then, the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up."
然而，耶和华使海中起大风，海就狂风大作，甚至船几乎破坏。”
44. Let me stop right here and ask you this:
我们就读到这里，我问你一个问题：
45. Do you know why God pursues His children?
你知道，神为什么老是跟着祂的儿女吗？
46. Do you know why God pursues you?
你知道，神为什么老是要跟着你吗？
47. Do you know why, no matter where you go, God will go after you?
你知不知道，为什么无论你走到哪里，神都跟在你后头吗？
48. Do you know why God doesn’t just say, “Oh, well, it’s too bad. He just wandered off from me.
你知道，为什么神不说：“算了，就随他远离我吧。
49. Well, I’m sorry that she decided to go her own way.
哎，我感到很遗憾，她非要偏行己路。
50. Well, he went against My will and My Word and I am dumping her and I am getting somebody else.”
好吧，既然他已经决定要违背我的心意和我的话语，我就放弃他，重新找人吧。”
51. Before I answer the question, let me tell you this:
在我回答这问题之前，我要告诉你一件事：
52. God never deserts His own.
神绝不会放弃属祂的人。
53. God never lets a true Christian lose his or her salvation.
神绝不会让一个真正得救的基督徒失去救恩。
54. God never lets one of His sheep fall into the abyss.
神决不会让属于祂的羊坠落深渊而弃之不顾的。
55. Listen to what Jesus said, in John 6:39.
请听耶稣在约翰福音6：39所说的话：
56. "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."
“差我来者的意思就是：他所赐给我的，叫我一个也不失落，在末日却叫他复活。”
57. Back to the question, as to why God pursues His children.
我们再回到刚纔的问题：为什么神老是跟着祂的儿女呢？
58. Why, indeed?
为什么呢？
59. Because He loves you so much
因为神实在爱你，
60. and God is not willing to let you go.
神永远都不丢弃你。
61. Through the years, I have seen many a loving spouse.
在我一生当中，我见过许多爱自己配偶的人。
62. When one spouse, in blind selfishness, wanted out of the marriage,
当夫妻一方，很自私地提出来要离婚，
63. the loving spouse is unwilling to let go;
另一方因着爱，却不愿对方离去；
64. but, ultimately, they do not have the power to hold on and they have to let go.
但没办法，最后，只能眼巴巴地让他离开。
65. They have no other option;
他们除了分手，别无选择；
66. but this is not so with God,
但神却不是这样的，
67. because He has all power on Heaven and earth.
因为祂有统管万有的权柄。
68. He will not let you go
祂不会让你任意离开祂，
69. until you obey.
祂等你顺服。
70. You will bring pain and suffering to yourself and your loved ones.
你会使自己和你的亲人受到伤害和痛苦。
71. You will bring suffering upon your whole community, until you obey.
你会把伤害带给你周围的人，直到你悔改顺服神。
72. There is no clearer example in the Old Testament about the tenacious love of God than in the Book of Jonah.
在旧约中，约拿书比其它书卷更体现了神那坚定不移的大爱。
73. The pagan sailors were terrified of the storm.
那些不认识神的水手都快被这惊涛骇浪吓坏了。
74. Obviously, this was unlike any other storm that they had ever encountered.
显然，他们一辈子也没有遇到过这么可怕的风浪。
75. In all their years of crossing the Mediterranean Sea, they had never seen anything like this.
在横跨地中海的生涯中，他们从来没有见过这么大的风暴。
76. Pagans, in general, are fearful of natural phenomena.
不认识神的人通常对自然现象都怀有一种畏惧感。
77. Why?
原因是什么呢？
78. Because, to pagans, nature is God;
因为，对非信徒来说，自然界就是他们的神；
79. and, if their gods are angry,
假如他们的神发怒的话，
80. they can’t appeal to the creator of nature,
他们就求助无门了，
81. because they do not know Him.
因为他们根本不认识创造大自然的主宰。
82. Where was Jonah when all this was taking place?
那么，狂风大作的时候，约拿在哪里呢？
83. Look at verse 5 of Jonah, Chapter 1.
请看约拿书1章5节。
84. Let’s read it.
我们一起来读。
85. Jonah does not only represent the individual disobedient Christian, who is asleep in the midst of spiritual turmoil,
约拿不仅代表那些在属灵风暴中，沉睡打盹、不肯顺服神的基督徒，
86. but Jonah also represents the church of Jesus Christ,
更代表了现今的教会，
87. a church who is asleep in the midst of a wholesale departure from the faith.
代表那些灵性迟钝、几乎离开基督信仰的教会。
88. Let me tell you something very important
我来告诉你一些非常重要的事情。
89. that, when a church goes to sleep, the forces of evil begin to take over.
假如一个教会灵命上昏昏沉沉，撒但的势力就会兴风作浪。
90. When the church goes to sleep, we begin to experience moral decay.
如果这个教会沉睡不醒，信徒就会面对道德的败坏。
91. When the church goes to sleep, we begin to lose our families.
教会如果不儆醒，就会导致家庭的破碎。
92. When the church goes to sleep, we begin to embrace sin.
教会不儆醒的话，我们就会姑息罪恶。
93. 93) Jonah was snoring so loudly that he could not hear the raging winds on deck above.
约拿沉睡不醒，甚至连甲板上的狂风巨浪也察觉不到。
94. Was that the peace of God?
是不是因为约拿心里有平安呢？
95. No, it was false peace.
不是的，这不过是自我麻醉罢了。
96. How could Jonah sleep in the midst of the storm?
约拿为什么能在风暴中沉睡呢？
97. That is because he has drugged himself with the drug of disobedience.
这是因为，约拿的悖逆成为他灵性上的麻醉剂。
98. So many are asleep right now in the midst of a raging storm
今天，很多人也在风暴中沉睡。
99. and they are being lulled about by smooth-talking people.
他们被那些油嘴滑舌之人的甜言蜜语所蒙骗。
100. Be very careful.
要小心啊。
101. Be careful of false peace.
千万不要被虚假的平安迷惑。
102. It could be just the sound of your snoring that is drowning out the noise of a brewing storm.
也许，正在你呼呼大睡的时候，你就听不见狂风大作。
103. The pagan sailors did everything they knew to do.
水手们使出浑身解数来拯救和保护这艘船。
104. They dumped cargo overboard.
他们把船上的货物抛在海里，
105. They used logic.
他们运用他们的逻辑推理。
106. They used nautical science.
他们利用航海知识，
107. They used common sense;
他们甚至借用一般常识；
108. but, here, the problem was not the pagan sailors.
然而，问题并不出在水手身上。
109. The problem was a disobedient man of God.
而是因为有一位不听神话语的人在船上。
110. The problem was a man of God that was drugged with indifference.
问题在于，一个属神的人反而对神的命令漠不关心。
111. The problem was a man of God who was oblivious to the Word of God.
问题在于，一个属神的人竟然把神的话语抛诸脑后。
112. The problem was a man of God who put himself ahead and above the Word of God.
问题出在，一个属神的人把自己放在首位，却没有把神的话语当回事儿。
113. My listening friends, I want to tell you something very important.
我亲爱的朋友，我要告诉你一些很重要的事情。
114. This is a far greater problem than the pagans.
这个问题要比不信神更加严重。
115. God knows how to deal with pagans;
神知道怎么对待那些不信的人；
116. 17) but what irks the heart of God is a disobedient child.
可是，不听话的孩子却伤透了神的心。
117. In fact, I want you to notice several ironies here.
在这里，有几件事颇具讽刺意味，我想请你留心。
118. The first irony is in verse 6 of Chapter 1.
第一件事记在第一章第六节。
119. The second irony is in verse 10 of Chapter 1.
第二件事记在一章十节。
120. The third irony is in verses 14 to 16 of Chapter 1.
第三件事记在一章14到16节。
121. I will only introduce the first irony
今天我只把第一件讽刺的事介绍一下。
122. The first irony is that the pagan captain wakes up Jonah.
第一个讽刺是：由船长来叫醒约拿的。
123. Now, listen to the reading of verse 6 of Chapter 1 of the Book of Jonah
现在，请听我把约拿书1章6节读出来。
124. Sometimes, the unbelievers rebuke Christians.
有时候，就是由非信徒来责备基督徒的。
125. The captain did not know who Jonah’s god was.
船长根本不知道约拿的神是谁。
126. He thought,
他认为，
127. “Well, our gods have given up. This man’s god may be able to help us.”
“既然我们的神无能为力，也许这位先生的神能够帮得上忙。”
128. Even the pagans recognized that this was an extraordinary storm.
就连外邦人也察觉到，这场风暴非同寻常。
129. In fact, if you will remember that verse 4 tells us that this was not a natural storm.
假如你回过头来，看一下第4节，就会发现，这场风暴并非自然界所致。
130. It was the consequence of Jonah’s disobedience.
这场风暴乃是由于约拿悖逆神而引起的。
131. 32) So, what happened next?
那么，究竟发生了什么事情呢？
132. I want you to tune in to our next broadcast to find out,
我会在下次节目里告诉你，盼望你能够按时收听。
133. and, until then, I wish you God’s richest blessing.
好，我们下次再见，愿神大大地赐福给你。
