Thursday, 31st March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-7 To Set Apart
V1-4 ‘Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ Are we using our 24 hours to preach the Gospel? God created people to have a fellowship with Him, and repeatedly He is telling us that the end times are near. Because He did not want to destroy His beautiful creations like what He did in Noah’s time. When the wicked people refused to repent and return, God then had to wipe out the earth.
V5-7 ‘For this they wilfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.’ God wants us to set apart our time, our money, our lives… where is our focus? In this world that will fade away or in the eternity.
Section Two V8-13 To Hope for the New Heaven and Earth
V8-9 ‘But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.’ We need the Spirit of Truth to come inside us, for us to examine ourselves, have we really tried our best for God? Have we really followed God’s commandments?
V13 ‘Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.’ The new Heaven and Earth has God lives among it; it’s even better than the Garden of Creation, because God not only would visit it, but He will also dwell in it with us.
Section Three V14-18 Be Diligent be Steadfast
V14-16 ‘Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.’ Do we hear the small voices inside us to teach us and urge us to stop sinning? If we cannot hear the voices of truth, then we must examine ourselves. Jesus was willing to give all His life to God, He has left us with so many treasures, but what is our focus? There are still a lot of things we don’t understand, but when we are diligent and have the reverence for God, then the Holy Spirit will help us to understand.
V17-18 ‘You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.’ When we hear, do we act it out? We must grown in the Word of God, we have been taught so much truth, the teaching has been challenging us to get out of our comfort zone, and this is the truth, are we willing to listen and follow?
彼得后书 3 – 在末世里应有的生命
2022年3月31日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-7 要分别出来
V1 彼得很直接地说明他的两封信是”提醒你们，激发你们诚实的心”。我们是否有“诚实的心”？我们是否真的力行圣经、广传福音，成为忠心又良善的仆人？神给我们的这个吩咐在我们生命里到底占多大分量？当我们知道周围有人确诊新冠，是否除了祷告之外在行动上也去关爱他们？我们是否有为了福音的缘故付出代价？在末世里，我们要诚实面对自己，先神后人再大地，就是先满足神的需要。我们不要欺骗自己，不要用交功课的心态去行事，要利用好神给我们的24小时去广传福音。
V2 “主救主”就是耶稣基督，我们虽没有亲耳听到圣先知和耶稣说话，但要听那与我们一起同奔天路的“使徒”对我们说的话。
V3-4 大家只想听那些实际的话题，例如疫情当中如何应付确诊，而福音似乎不如那些事情实在，所以人们不愿听。
V5 神并非用大洪水淹没大地来作为惩罚，而是神收回他的创造，因为地是从“水”出来，所以地回到水就是顺理成章的是。神造大地是为了人，而神造人是要跟人有关系、有团契的生活。原本地让人可以在其上建立与神相交的亲密关系，但人太过邪恶，于是神就把地收回，用洪水吞没大地，只让挪亚一家八口存活。我们为了这会消灭的土地努力奔波，却不知道终有一天这地将会被神收回去。
V6-7 无论是在古时，还是现在，神不断提醒我们要分别出来。我们的能力、时间、心思意念都在那里呢？是在这个会被淹没、焚烧的土地，还是在永恒的国度里？
二、v.8-13 要盼望新天新地
V13 这“应许”是从耶稣而来，“新天新地”是一个全新的创造，“义”就代表神。新天新地里，有神与我们同在，就比初次创造时的伊甸园更加实在 – 当初神只是去探访，如今耶稣预备新天新地，神要“居住”在其中，是更高层次的创造。
V8-9 主知道我们所做的每一件事，知道我们的生命是如何分割 – 在教会和在外面表里不一。我们可能在教会很虔诚，但回到生活中只在乎柴米油盐酱醋茶这些个人生活和娱乐活动。我们在禁食祷告中的态度是什么？是否只是完成任务，还是愿意放下平时所在乎的东西，像以斯帖那样有“死就死吧”的决心？当我们愿意以神为中心的时候，人会看见；当我们生命有分割的时候，就没办法有清洁的心。如今的我们是否能专心力行出神给我们在地上的托付？在末世，神的审判快到了，我们不能再处在混乱中，要求真理的灵帮助我们鉴察自己，看生命中有哪些东西绊倒我们？当我们出去传福音、牧养关怀的时候，是否像撒母耳的母亲哈拿那样心里有一份神圣的的不满足，因而迫切祈求神除去自己无儿女为产业的羞愧？
V10-11 所有蒙召的人都应当“圣洁”、“敬虔”。耶稣最受不了的是不冷不热的基督徒，他们只会拿“我尽力了、没办法了”为借口。在末世里要人心归向神，是不容易的，我们是否能克制己身、叫身服我，是否能得人如得鱼？
V13 彼得知道“我”可以，那我们每一个人呢? 我们不要做那个最后被丢在外面的人。
三、v.14-18 要殷勤要坚固
V14 “指摘”我们的就是我们里面的圣灵，我们为什么听不到？因为我们容许我们的情欲大过圣灵的声音，所以只听到混乱。
V15 “长久忍耐”是不容易的，我们要效法耶稣在地上33年的时间将一生都交给神。
V16-17 “无学问”就是对神没有敬畏之心的人；“不坚固的人”听了道却行不出来，因为生命有问题。当这些人去强解圣经的时候“就自取沉沦”，因为我们若只讲“爱”，给理由体贴自己的肉体，最后就是沉沦。我们要防范这些人的教导，不然“被恶人的错谬诱惑，就从自己坚固的地步上坠落”。
V18 我们听道就要行道，要在神的话语上长进。本章经文所启示的真理挑战我们里面很多体贴肉体的地方，求神帮助我们不仅听进去，也要行出来。