Thursday, 17th March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-7 Husband and Wife Walk Together
V1-2 ‘Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.’ God created man and woman different that they should work together and support one another, it was a beautiful partnership, but when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, we lost the ability to work together and caused many conflicts between the husband and wife. Women must bear the pain of giving birth and men will focus on their work so much that they often fail to see God in their lives.
In order to understand I Peter 3; we must first know God’s intention in creating men and women. Women should not look down on their husbands, because God created men to focus on one thing at a time. When a man of God can focus, he will also be able to focus on God’s Word and live a godly life with God’s authority and power. Let us learn to respect one another, to see God’s unique creation in each other, not to look down or to despise. God does not want the wives to listen and do everything their husbands say, but to know God’s Word well to discern what are from God and support their husbands to walk on the path of God. It’s easy for men to put their focus back in this world therefore their wives should stay alert and support their husbands to focus on godly things.
V3-4 ‘Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.’ Apostle Peter was teaching the women not to use outward appearance when their husbands don’t listen to them. Women should never hope for their husbands to listen to them, because their relationship is a partnership, to walk together. But when we are disappointed in ourselves and disappointed out other half, then we will try the worldly way to please one another. We must learn to please God first, to seek to be previous in the sight of God, then God will restore the relationship between the husband and the wife.
V5-6 ‘For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.’ Being obedient and submissive to the husband is not to listen and follow everything he says with bitterness, but to really pray and know the Word of God, have discernment, and have faith in God. God will vindicate for us and when we trust Him, He will give us a way out.
V7 ‘Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.’ Husband and wife are not enemies but are partners. To walk in the calling, we must be submissive in our marriages. If we are single, then we must be submissive to Jesus and to the church. Know our worth and know our stand, be who God creates us to be and where God appoints us to be. We should not be jealous or ask for the things God has not yet given to us, but to seek God wholeheartedly in prayers. If God did not give us marriage, then we focus on serving God; when God gives us a marriage then we receive it with joy.
Section Two V8-16 Love as Brothers
V8-9 ‘Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.’
Section Three V17-22 Walk with Jesus Christ
As the ones being called, we cannot just live in theories, but to have our lives transformed. We must step out from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and enter the Tree of Life. This is the path being called, and the path with Jesus Christ that we must walk!
彼得前书 3 – 蒙召的人的道路
2022年3月17日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
现代生活的“安逸”让人觉得末世很遥远，与己无关。其实末世来了，耶稣再来审判的日子也要来了，作为蒙召的人，我们是否做好准备呢？本章经文教导我们如何行走在我们的道路上。
一、v.1-7 夫妻要同心
V1-2 当时在外邦人的教会，很多妇女信主了，但丈夫还没有。使徒彼得对姐妹们讲的“做妻子的，要顺服自己的丈夫”是按着神起初造男造女的次序而说的真理。男人和女人被造时的being(特质)有很大的不同: 男人在一个时间内只能专注一件事，而女人相对容易能在同一时间处理多项任务。神先创造男人（亚当），给他看守、治理的任务。原本神与亚当的关系很亲密，彼此的沟通没有阻碍。然而，神看到亚当“独居不好”，因为他要处理的任务很多，容易陷入doing中而失去原本渴慕与神沟通的being，无法专心与神连接，因此，神创造女人（夏娃）来帮助男人看守、治理。在一个家庭里，各人因着being不同而各司其职，发挥不同功能。男人作为一个家的遮盖，本来是负责与神连接，领受神对这个家的异象、方向；女人则发挥自己的实力和潜能帮助丈夫完成使命；在人类没犯罪的时候，人与所有动物和平共处，这是神创造原本的美意。然而人的罪使这一切改变。仇敌撒旦要破坏神所定下的美好次序，就诱惑夏娃，使夏娃怀疑神的安排，让她也想自己做神；而亚当听了夏娃的话，没有在神的教导中站稳，结果夫妻双双犯罪。
犯罪后的男女也受到了跟他们原本的being相对应的惩罚。女人本来自己就很厉害，很有能力做事，结果要承受生产的痛苦，变得脆弱，并恋慕自己的丈夫，以为没有丈夫就不行；男人去做了原先不擅长的工作，所以做得很辛苦，失去了与神的深度相交，无法专心领受从神而来的异象、信息。这也解释为何女人容易接受福音，因为她们在生活中有很多被卡住的地方，没办法将原本神给她们的美好本质发挥出来，心里就有一个很深的渴望没有被满足，需要神来帮助；而男人一旦被工作吸引，就很难再“分心”来信福音。
“若有不信从道理的丈夫，他们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来”，所以信主的姐妹要记念自己软弱的丈夫，才能生命影响生命，让丈夫被感化。妻子不要轻看自己的丈夫，若批评论断他，就是在帮撒旦做工，自以为厉害，结果因着骄傲反而堕落。我们蒙召去牧养别人，如果只看到下面的人很“差”、因他们的不改变而厌烦，我们就无法真正去爱他们。妻子要比男人更熟读圣经，才能鉴察他们的话是否从神而来还是从世界而来，若是不属神的话，就要迫切为丈夫祷告，使自己成为丈夫的帮助者。弟兄若心里想的都是世界的事情，就无法专心在神的话语中，此时也要警醒祷告，回到神的话语里。 我们要恢复到神原本创造人的美好本意 。
V3 妻子可能会因为丈夫不重视她而觉得要在外表上打扮自己，用世界的方式吸引丈夫，让他听自己的话。然而，妻子不要要求丈夫去听从自己，因为夫妻本该是同伴，在跟随神的道路上同工同行。
V4 妻子这样的品行在“神面前是极宝贵的”，而不是在丈夫面前显得宝贵。
V5-6 亚伯拉罕没有在法老面前保护好撒拉，不敢承认自己是撒拉的丈夫，然而撒拉并没有直接去对抗亚伯拉罕 – 其实撒拉若出言反对，亚伯拉罕极大可能是会听从的，正如他当初听从撒拉的建议与婢女夏甲生子一样。我们相信撒拉一定有祷告，于是才有神出手阻止法老。所以姐妹们不要跟自己的丈夫吵架，也不是表面服从丈夫心里却怀着苦毒，只要屈膝在神面前祷告，求神出手，神必会垂听、帮助。
V7 姐妹们本来在灵里就是比弟兄们软弱，很容易被外界不同的信息影响, 因此弟兄要更努力在神的话语中扎根。妻子和丈夫是”一同承受生命之恩”的伙伴、搭档， 所以丈夫要敬重妻子。
对于处在单身时期的人，主耶稣就是我们的丈夫，不要因看到别人出双入对而嫉妒或羞愧，只要感谢神给我们的恩典，可以更专心的委身在神给我们的教会中。我们专心祷告，神在对的时候就会赐给我们所需要的。
二、v.8-16 相爱如弟兄
V8-9 “总而言之，你们都要同心，彼此体恤，相爱如弟兄，存慈怜谦卑的心。 不以恶报恶、以辱骂还辱骂，倒要祝福，因你们是为此蒙召，好叫你们承受福气。”
三、v.17-22 与基督同行
我们要走耶稣的道路，就是十字架、为神摆上的道路。基督徒不是只在教会查考圣经而已，也要让自己的生命被改变，从分别善恶树的气息出来，恢复神原本创造我们的美好being。