信息内容简介/Introduction to the Speech:

上帝是我们在天堂的父亲。众所周知人类有责任尊重父母和祖先。所有不同民族的文化都知道我们应该尊重和围护父母的名誉，应该支持父母，表现出爱和礼貌，并为他们提供建议，对他们的不幸或死亡表示悲痛。

对父母和祖先的责任是做人的基本，其中一些民族尤其对此有更深刻的理解。我出生在亚洲的一个美国家庭。在我成长的过程里遇到了很多中国人。我了解到了中国人民比较世界其他各国人民特别刻守基本的人性原则尊老爱幼。

出于这个原因，当我长大并开始学习基督教时，我很感兴趣了解耶稣基督称圣经里的上帝为“父”。这是一个非常有趣和兴奋的标题。我在很长一段时间都好奇用父这个称谓究竟出于什么原因。随后我开始探索做基督徒的意义，学习越多，我越深感自己的变化。随着我对神的了解越多，我的变化也越大。今晚我想和大家分享我所学到奇妙的事情上帝称自己为“父亲”。

一方面，神似乎必须像我们人类的父亲一样。既然称为父亲必有父亲的形象和作为。就像人类先有父亲才有孩子，上帝正是人类的创造者和终极者。现在为什么有人会认为有一位永恒的上帝是造物主，是万物之源？科学能否证明上帝是不存在的吗?

那么，这是令我感到惊讶的事情之一。科学证据表明宇宙有一个开始。在大爆炸之前，什么都没有。又如何从无变有呢？这里的特殊问题是宇宙受到一个称为熵的科学原理的影响。这意味着随着手表的弹簧作用力逐渐消失，手表会停止下来。没有物质世界可以永恒。因此，宇宙有一个开始。但是这引出了另外一个问题：哪个在先？是从无到有？还是从有到无？先生鸡还是先生蛋？

我们只有几个选项：

1. 没有任何东西首先出现，宇宙从无生有，不借助任何东西。这显然不可能。
2. 有些东西首先出现，那是一个有限的物理能量。因此，宇宙是由于这种有限的物理力量而产生的。但是这也受到熵的规律的限制而终会衰退。因此，也是不可能的。
3. 宇宙是永恒的，非物质的力量的结果。这实际上是唯一有意义的选择。

所以我很惊讶地发现，永恒和无限的力量是最合理的选择。然后我发现这种能力 – 这位神 – 告诉我们他是我们的父。这个大能出自造物主，他告诉我们他就像我们人类的父亲。另一方面，又好像上帝一定与我们人世间的父亲完全不同。因为上帝是我们在天堂的父亲。所以他从来都不是人类一般意义的父亲。他不是以一个人的身份出现，而是以某种方式上升到他作为上帝的地位。他永远是万物的上帝。但后来我了解到，父亲在某种程度上像我们人类的父亲，另一方面非常不像我们的人类父亲。

这在约翰福音14章中已经清楚了。腓力说：“让我们看看父亲。”耶稣说：“如果你见过我，你就看见了父。”

这是所有最令人震惊的事情。天堂中的父亲，就像我们人类的父亲带给我们的那样，也非常像耶稣。因为耶稣是神的特别儿子，他将上帝展示出来。那么这个答案让我想到了另一个问题。天上的父神是甚么样的？

耶稣说：“他就像我！”换句话说，如果你看着我，你就会知道天堂里的父亲是什么样子。 所以下一个问题是：耶稣是什么样的？他向我们展示了什么？这就是我的探索故事变得真正迷人的地方。这是耶稣对自己说的。 “我是好牧人。好牧人为羊献出生命。“ 现在我开始明白我的天父和我的生父身上有什么不同。当然，我爱我的人类父亲，但也希望我牺牲自己来为他服务。儿子的主要工作是为父亲服务。 但是耶稣把这一条倒过来。他说，父神的主要工作也是神的主要工作，是为我们服务。事实上，神爱我们，尊重和尊重我们。

如果我们谦卑并以上帝的仆人的身份自居，圣经他就把我们抬起来。 所以我在这里学到了圣经神的令人震惊的现实，上帝不同于曾经存在的任何父亲。 科学证据指向他难以置信的力量和他永恒的存在。 但耶稣基督的见证指出了祂自我牺牲的爱。 我不知道你对圣经中启示的神的儿子耶稣基督的看法。你们中有些人可能相信基督。你们中的其他人可能认为科学反驳了上帝。你们中的其他人可能会疑惑，可能对所有这些事情感到困惑。 我可以给你提供建议吗？你应该自己去检查一下。 试想一下，耶稣是对的。想象一下，他来为我们献出自己的生命。想象一下，他实际上向我们展示了天堂中的父亲是什么样的。 如果这一切都是真的，你会不想更多地了解他？我当初开始研究这些事情时是出于我的好奇，但我越来越惊喜于我的发现。 我相信如果你愿意进一步了解，你会发现我找到的。你只要了解更多信息而不必做任何其它事情。如果你这样做，我预测我们的天父上帝也一定会让你感到惊喜。

God is Our Father in Heaven

It is common knowledge that human beings have a duty to respect parents and ancestors.

All cultures know that we should respect and protect our parents good name, we should support parents them, show love and courtesy, advise them well, and display proper sorrow at their misfortune or death.

Our responsibility to parents and ancestors is a basic human duty that some cultures understand particularly well. I was born in Asia to American parents. I encountered many Chinese people during my years of growing up. I learned that Chinese people, among all the peoples of the world, have a deep commitment to this basic human principle. I don’t know of any peoples who surpass the Chinese in their understanding of this crucial principle. Indeed, through the example of Chinese people, I learned the importance of respect for my elders from an early age.

For this reason, as I grew up and began to learn about Christianity, I was intrigued to learn that Jesus Christ calls the God of the Bible “Father.” This is a very interesting and provocative title. I wondered for a long time about what it might mean.

The more I began to explore what it means to be a Christian, the more surprised I became. And the more I understood about God, the more surprised I became. And I would like to share with you tonight the surprising things I learned about God who calls himself “Father.”

On the one hand, it seems as though God must be like our human father. After all, there must be a reason this image is used as a title for God. Just as a human father is the source of my being, so God is the Creator and the ultimate source of my being.

Now why would anyone think that there’s an eternal God who is the Creator, the source of all things? Doesn’t science prove that God does not exist?

Well, this is one of the things that surprised me. Scientific evidence suggests that the universe had a beginning. Before the Big Bang, there was nothing. How did something come out of nothing? And the special problem here is that the universe is subject to a scientific principle called entropy. That means it’s winding down as a watch spring winds down. No physical universe can be eternal.

The universe, therefore, has a beginning. But that raises another question: Which came first, something or nothing?

We only have a couple of options:

1. Nothing came first, and the universe came into existence out of nothing, by nothing. Impossible.
2. Something came first, and that was a limited, physical universe. Thus, the universe came into existence as the result of this limited, physical power. But that’s also subject to the law of entropy. Therefore, impossible.
3. The universe came into existence as the result of an eternal, non-physical power. This is actually the only option that makes sense.

So I was surprised to learn that the existence of an eternal and infinite power is the most reasonable option. And then I found that this power—this God—tells us that He is our Father. This power, Who is the Creator, tells us that He is like our human father.

On the other hand, it also seems as though God must be quite unlike our human father. For God is our Father in Heaven. So he was never a human father. He did not start as a human being and somehow ascend to his place as God. He has always been, eternally, the God of all things.

But then I learned that the Father who is in some ways like our human father, is in another way very much not like our human Father.

This became clear in John 14. Philip said, “Show us the Father.” And Jesus said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”

Here’s the most shocking thing of all. The Father in Heaven, who like our human fathers brought us into being, is also very much like Jesus. Because Jesus was the special Son of God who put God on display.

Well, that answer just led me to another question. What is God the Father in heaven like?

Jesus said, “He’s like me!” In other words, if you look at me, you’ll know what the Father in heaven is like.

So the next question is: What is Jesus like? What is he showing us? And here’s where my story of exploration became truly fascinating. Here’s what Jesus says about himself.

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”

Now I began to understand how my Father in Heaven was so different than my human father. I do love my human father, of course, but also I was expected to sacrifice myself to serve him. The main job of the son is to serve the father.

But Jesus turned that on its head. He said that the main job of the Father, the main job of God, was to serve us. In fact, God loves and respects and honors us.

If we are humble and take our proper place as the servant of God, the Bible does not say God simply receives what we give only to ask for me. No, the Bible says that if we properly humble ourselves before God, he lifts us up.

So here I learned the shocking reality of the God of the Bible. He is like no other Father that has ever existed.

Scientific evidence points to His incredible power and His eternal existence.

But the witness of Jesus Christ points to His self-sacrificing love.

I don’t know your thoughts about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, revealed in the Bible. Some of you may believe in Christ. Others of you may have thought that science disproves God. Others of you may be wondering, may be in a state of confusion about all these things.

May I offer you advice? You owe it to yourself to check this out for yourself.

Just imagine for a moment that Jesus is right. Imagine that he came to give his life for us. And imagine that in so doing, he actually shows us what the Father in Heaven is like.

If all that is true, would you not want to know more about it? I know I was curious. As I began to study these things, I was surprised by what I learned.

I predict that, if you take a step to explore, you will find what I found. You don’t have to do anything except learn more. If you do, I predict that the God who is Our Heavenly Father will surprise you as well.