30th March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 The Destruction of the Heresies
V1 ‘But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.’ The false teachers will twist the Word of God and lead people on the wrong path. They lead people to connect with the world and allow worldly values to enter churches. We come to church not because the people in the church are holy, but because we are rooted firmly in the Word of God. We will also fail, but we can see our problems and ask God to help us.
V2-3 ‘And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.’ The heresies must lead to destruction, there is no way out unless we turn back to the Word of God.
Section Two V4-11 The Safety of the Godly
V4-5 ‘For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.’ God did not spare the angels, who sinned, but He saved Noah and his family. When we see unjust things around us, what is our attitude? We have the righteous nature of God within us and therefore we must pray for the unjust things happening around us, and act wisely at the right time. God is love and He knows our hearts, He has created us with many abilities, are we willing to use these abilities to fulfil the work of God?
V9-11 ‘Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.’ We need to know to have the fear of the Lord, and do not let our lustful desires rule over us. Don’t let temptations overcome our faith, even the twelve disciples of Jesus failed in the first place. Everyone wants to choose the easy way, but God gave us abilities and skills to serve Him, not to satisfy our own desires.
God wants us to use the abilities we have to serve our church and to follow the direction of our authority. We have a lot of inner vows, which stop us from receiving teaching willing and serving wholeheartedly. But when we make the choice to humble and obey, then God will lead us to the green pasture and beside the still waters.
Section Three V12-22 False Teachers will find Self-Destruction
彼得后书 2 – 假教师的下场
2022年3月30日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-3 异端必灭
V1 彼得提醒我们,在困难、动荡的时刻,人群中必出现假先知、假教师。我们要知道假教师是怎样的,才不会被欺骗。“异端”指不在真理里的东西,也就是情欲的东西。假教师教的不是真理,真理唯有在圣经里面,因此我们的晨祷每天按着圣经书卷的顺序一章一章来学习是非常重要的,这样就不会刻意用圣经某一章节来配合我们的想法或将自己的意思加在圣经上。历代的先知、使徒所传讲的信息带来的是永恒的国,而假先知、假教师宣传的是要我们享乐、一直抓着世界、放纵我们里面的情欲、将神的真理歪曲。主耶稣来到世界时并没有享受生活而是活出世界, 我们要效法的是主而不是那些假教师。
V2 “邪淫的行为”是跟世界连接,让世界的价值观进入教会。很多时候我们看见未信主的人比信主的更好,其实我们没有看到我们都是蒙恩的罪人。我们不是看教会里的人有多好,而是要在神的话语中扎根。当我们跌倒、知道自己的问题时,就要求神帮助。神的真理是不改变的,神不仅有慈爱,也有公义,我们不能只选择那让我们觉得容易接受的神的爱而忽略了神公义的教导。
V3 跟从假教师是容易的,他们只讲“爱”或“自由”或“王子公主的身份”这些话题,为要让我们随自己的心意而行。然而,我们因着罪的缘故,心是不正的。我们知道真理,但“行出来的由不得我”,因为人心诡诈。所以我们要有节制,不要看自己过于所当看的。异端让人只随从自己的情欲,是必会“灭亡”的。
二、v.4-11 敬虔必得救
V4-8 神没有宽容犯罪的天使,“却保护了传义道的挪亚一家八口”,烧毁了罪恶之城所多玛和蛾摩拉,“只搭救了那常为恶人淫行忧伤的义人罗得”。我们里面是否有为失丧灵魂担忧的心,是否有传福音的热情,还是觉得自己得到救恩就好了?当我们“看见听见他们不法的事”,是否只懂得批评论断,或者自保,还是会为那些人“天天伤痛”?我们的心是有公义的,因为我们有神的话语在我们里面。我们若只高举神的爱和我们神儿女的身份,就是忘了主耶稣贵为神的独生子,在地上的时候却只求父的旨意而不是自己的旨意成就。异端的教导是让我们放纵自己的情欲,但圣经的教导是让我们克制己身、叫身服我。主耶稣在地上正是没有放纵情欲,才甘愿牺牲在十字架上,让我们得到救恩,使我们有了这传承千年的信仰。
V9-10 我们是否随从自己的情欲,任意妄为,毁谤权柄(“在尊位的”)还不知道惧怕?我们不要只会怜悯自己的软弱,放纵自己的情欲,明知故犯,其实神已经给我们能力去改变了。假教师让人可以任意妄为,人就喜欢跟从了,因为人就是喜欢选择走轻松的路。我们不能只讲爱、只想要发挥恩赐才干实现自我价值,却忘了,神给我们的恩赐不是为了满足自己,而是要我们在权柄的带领之下去使用在神的家中。有些人用自己的个性来当作我行我素、无法改变的借口,这其实是内在誓言,因而他们没有委身在神的家中。教会若因为“爱”的缘故而没有教导、帮助这些人走在生命树的气息下 – 他们就不能谦卑顺服、舍己利他。我们要愿意安妥在神的溪水旁,才能按时候结果子,叶子也不枯干。
三、v.12-22 自取灭亡
V12 “没有灵性”就是没有圣灵同在,这些人只用圣经的话来支持自己想做的事,但我们若想推动任何事都是先从神的话语中有感动、领受,然后才跟从。
V13-14 “心不坚固”就是没有神的话,这些人虽然很容易接受外界来的信号, 但他们没有神的话,就只能吸收到灵界、异端、情欲的信息。 我们若有先知的恩赐,就更要在圣经中扎根,更加服在属灵权柄之下,不然很容易被自己的恩赐绊倒。在晨祷中,神的教导、心意、给我们的方向就会出来。
我们要明白神给我们的心意:他给我们的是他的独生儿子、是十字架的救恩、是主耶稣舍下自己的情欲来满足父神的心意。我们是否只有批评论断而不愿为神多走一里路、不愿为失丧的灵魂大发热心?要相信,在这条跟随主的道路上,即使在干旱疲乏无水之地,神也必供应我们。