Tuesday, 15th March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-2 God Chooses, God Blesses
V1-2 ‘Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.’ We hold onto the world and forget the importance of the eternity. We focus too much on what we have to do today and fail to manage our eternity, at the end, lose the eternal blessings God has prepared for us. What God has given to us is everlasting and unbreakable, when we don’t want to let go of the things of this world, then we will never receive this blessing!
Section Two V3-12 Have Faith, Have Joy
V3-5 ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ How can we have this eternal joy? We must have faith! The churches nowadays have lost their influence to the society, many church buildings are desolate, some churches have rented out their halls for the meeting of other religious, our education and our society have twisted the ways we think of our faith…
It was not our ability or ‘doing’ that keep us safe and bless our lives; but it was God, who has the ability and authority to protect us and guide us! We must humble ourselves and know how much we need God. This world will fade away, we cannot focus on the short life we have but the eternity. There is nowhere we can run, even if we go to another planet, we will still face life and death. Therefore, we must invest in our spiritual life, because only our spirit will live forever.
V6-9 ‘In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.’ We have lost the ability to preach the Gospel, have we made our church into a Christian club? We thought meeting up together, gathering together, and praying together are good enough as Christians, we fail to see the Great Commission of Jesus.
Why did the disciples face trails and hardship? They were scattered and prosecuted because they were preaching the Gospel! They don’t have to preach then they wouldn’t be found, and they wouldn’t be prosecuted, but then they also wouldn’t receive the eternal blessings. We receive the Gospel freely and we should also preach the Gospel freely. How many people do we need in a day? God has created so many opportunities for us to share the Good News and to testify for God. The world is full of suffering and people need to see Jesus! We can be the light and salt for God, we can encourage others with the faith in our lives!
V10-12 ‘Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.’ We have already received this great present, the Gospel, and God is examining into our hearts to see if this Gospel has really rooted in our lives.
What is our attitude when we come to church? Very often we put other things before church, we have all kinds of excuses not to come to church, such as feeling tired and working overtime… do we see church as a club? Or do we really see the blessings we can receive at church? Why do we come to church? To make friends or to have fun? People have spent so much time sharing with us the Gospel, how many times we have rejected them when they tried to welcome us to church and cell groups? We receive the Gospels freely and we must also share freely!
Section Three V13-25 To Grip Up and To Love
V13-16 ‘Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, be holy, for I am holy.’ We often give ourselves excuses, saying to ourselves that we are not good at sharing the Gospel. Do not lie to ourselves, we all need to be accountable to God.
彼得前书 1 – 神活泼常存的道
2022年3月15日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
彼得前书是使徒彼得在大约主后60年写给散居在小亚细亚（今土耳其境内）外邦信徒的书信。当时跟从耶稣的人所处的大环境是很不容易的，生活也很困难，彼得写这些书信去鼓励他们徒渡过难关。我们所信所跟从的是过去式吗，还是知道我们所信的是永存、活泼有生命的道？当年的信徒心中有恐慌，如今我们在新西兰面对疫情、经济，内心也有恐慌。我们在如今这个动荡的大环境下读彼得前书就更能感同身受，被神的话语鼓励。
一、v.1-2 神拣选 神赐恩
“使徒”原文意思是“被差遣的”，使徒彼得在一开始告诉读者自己的身份，跟我们说话的不是一个普通人，而是神所拣选的人。很多时候我们面对挑战我们就失去信心，这时我们要起来宣告我们的身份。彼得提醒信徒们他们是蒙召的人。我们被拣选不是靠自己的努力，在母腹中神就已经拣选我们。耶稣胜过死亡，回到天上，所以我们就得到父曾应许子、子所賜下的圣灵。圣灵像一位教练不断督促我们、为我们代求、帮助我们成为圣洁。我们不是靠着知识、行为跟从神，而是靠着圣灵去顺服。我们也需要耶稣基督的宝血洁净，使我们重生。当我们愿意顺服、回应圣灵的教导、靠耶稣的宝血洁净生命中的罪时，恩惠、平安就多多加给我们。平安不是我们努力得来的，而是因为神同在。神拣选我们，也赐恩给我们，只要我们活在生命树的气息下。
二、v.3-12 有信心 有喜乐
V3 使徒彼得因此提醒我们，我们能走到如今，所靠的是神的“大怜悯”。有时候我们会觉得跟从神后反而更辛苦，于是质疑神。我们不信主时的“开心”是在在永恒中会毁坏的一部分，正如我们在做四舍五入时，小数点后的数字是不算的。这个会毁坏的部分在永恒里面就如一粒尘埃，很快会过去，当我们常常就只抓住这个微不足道的尘埃不放手，忘记了永恒，反而失去了生命，失去神预备给我们的祝福。神是爱，不愿我们失去这份永恒的祝福，所以赐给我们耶稣基督。我们借着耶稣得到重生，“叫我们有活泼的盼望”。这个盼望是真正存在的。
V4 这节经文讲的就是永恒的基业。
V5 要得到永恒的基业、活泼的盼望，就要有“信”。新西兰过去有很多教会，但如今很多都衰落，教会的聚会场所甚至荒废或租给外邦人。我们被世界的教育欺骗，以为我们靠自己就可以成事。其实我们能得保守，是因有能力的神，若我们知道这一点，就会更加珍惜学习神的话语，“得着所预备、到末世要显现的救恩”。这个世界必有灭亡，人没有能力拯救地球，我们会如何选择？我们就算飞到外太空，也还是会经历生老病死。我们知道死后自己的灵魂去哪里吗？
V6 我们都会遇到试炼。信主后我们不仅感觉开心、被爱，也会在面对百般试炼时在神所给的教会里得到大家庭的保护和训练。耶稣给我们的是传福音的大使命，我们是否只想沉浸在表面上大家都“好”的属地的快乐中，却没有盼望永恒里的奖赏？在受逼迫的环境中传福音是辛苦的，如试炼一般，初代教会的信徒也因此被迫分散在各地，但无论得时不得时他们都传福音。我们在试炼中虽然暂时觉得忧愁，但要有永恒里的大喜乐。
V7 传福音不是今天才有的任务，因为福音是白白得来的，也要白白给出去。我们为什么觉得困难，害怕被人拒绝？因为我们不相信福音是有力量的，看不到生活中值得向神感恩的地方，所以也不想跟人分享。每天遇到的人都是我们可以传福音的对象，我们是否看到那些失丧灵魂对耶稣的需要，是否抓住神给我们的机会去见证神？我们只想着照顾好自己家的事，却把神的家放在最后一位，例如我们会用身体不舒服、夫妻吵架、工作或学习忙当借口不来教会，但我们若不来寻求神，如何在这些事上经历神的保守和祝福？不要把自己当作神去处理所有事情，要单单信靠神。唯有经过试炼才“得着称赞、荣耀、尊贵”。
V8 我们不是喜乐了才来教会，而是到了教会才有喜乐。不要让我们的教会成为闲聊家常的俱乐部。
V10-12 我们接受福音这个大礼物，要察验我们这礼物的喜乐到底是什么。不要只是因为在这里有吃有喝才快乐，要想到别人是怎样负上代价、千方百计给我们传福音。我们不要以自己没有恩赐或暂时被拒绝来当不传福音的借口，因为传福音是生命影响生命。
三、v.13-25 要约束 要有爱
V13 福音传到我们这里若不传出去，我们就如死海一样。耶稣再来时，我们每个人都要交账，我们从主那里得到五千、两千、一千两恩赐，是否好好运用，还是像那又懒又恶的仆人一样只做自己的事？
V 23-25 这“种子”就是门训万民的种子。当初因为有人的传扬我们才有福音。神的道是永存的，然而我们是否让我们生命中的道流出去？让神活泼常存的道成为我们和我们子孙后代的祝福！