Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Thursday, 29th September 2022

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

Section One V1-7 To Keep a Pure Heart and Not be Moved

In Peter’s time, after Jesus resurrected, the people gradually lost their faith, all they saw were failures and prosecutions. They didn’t see Jesus’ second coming, they didn’t see the end time, and they didn’t see the new heavens and earth. 

What did the people want? They wanted to see the revolution of the Roman Empire, they wanted to see the new kingdom come. We are also like this, we believe in God, hoping to see our lives change, and to receive prosperity. But our hearts are fearful, and we’re facing various challenges and hardships in life. We lost our first love for God and we no longer desire to stay in God’s presence only. We start using our ways to live everyday life on this world.

We know it is the end times now, with the wars, the earthquakes, the famines… we have more confirmations than the people in Peter’s time that the end time is coming.

V1 Peter reminded us that he’s our family, and he’s writing a letter to remind us to keep a pure heart. Everything prophesied about Jesus came true, therefore we must believe everything Jesus said and obey His teaching. Jesus taught us to disciple the nation, to love God and love people.

Section Two V8-13 To Live a Godly Life and Wait Upon God’s Promises

V8 For Jesus it was only two days! We feel like we’ve suffered a lot but it’s only a short time in God’s perspective. God continued to call us to return and to repent. Can we hear God calling us? We must not stay in our comfort zone, but to go out and preach to those who need God’s teaching.

V13 Everything will pass away, and God will bring His new heavens and a new earth so He can live with us. We will no longer be orphans but have a dwelling place.

Section Three V14-18 To Grow in Hope

There are a lot of things we may not understand now, but we try to research and seek answers, but at the end we do not find anything. Peter reminded us that the Bible is not a puzzle for us to solve, because the most important part is to live a godly life. God will only reveal to us why He wants us to know, and when our lives are not according to God’s ways, then we can never understand His Word in the Bible.

When we really love God, love people, submit to authority and disciple the nations, then we can gradually understand  the mysteries God wants to reveal to us. Do we know what is the flow we follow? What is our desires? To gain knowledge or to really receive the wisdom?

We need to step out, Jesus did not just stay there and pray, but He also put His revelations in actions, He fully lived His life on earth not for Himself but for the Kingdom of God.

彼得后书 3 – 在末后的日子如何生活     

2022年9月29日 星期四

潘锡安牧师 

彼得借着彼得后书在提醒每一个跟从耶稣的人。当时的人听了耶稣再来的信息后，日子一天天过去，人就开始麻木，因为他们所期待的事情仍未发生，人曾经愿意传福音、期待看见主再来、看见新耶路撒冷的心慢慢冷淡。人们期待的是脱离罗马政府的压迫，不再过水深火热的生活，所以心不踏实。现在的我们信主后听着天国的信息、关于生命树气息的教导，但面对日复一日的挑战，开始为自己谋算，无法安心，慢慢觉得神离我们太远，不相信神的守护和应许，于是用自己的方法来过世上的每一天。在现今的世代，我们要做真门徒，慎防假教师，可我们的心不再单纯，所以彼得告诉我们在末后的日子如何生活。

一、v.1-7 存纯净的心不被摇动

V1 “亲爱的弟兄”就是有关系的家人，“诚实的心”就是纯净的心，彼得对我们说，他跟我们是有关系的家人，提醒我们要存纯净的心。

V2 从旧约到新约，耶稣给我们的命令就是爱神爱人。“使徒”是神所按立的，我们领受的不是随便而来的，是从主而来的。

V3-4 日复一日、年复一年，人们开始质疑耶稣的再来。当洪水要来之前，挪亚警告大家洪水要来，可惜无人相信，直到最后一刻才后悔莫及。

V5-7 神本可以用大洪水再次将天地淹没，但他不愿有一人沉沦，因他怜悯我们的闭塞、蒙蔽。我们以为审判的日子还远，或者干脆不生育儿女，却不知道耶稣再来的时候我们是与我们的后裔一起进入新天新地。我们只想顾好眼前的生活，却不管永生，有谁能预知明天能如何呢？地震等灾祸突然到来的时候，我们能事先知道吗？因此，我们要为罪为义为审判鉴察自己里面的蒙蔽、自私，求神怜悯、拯救。

二、v.8-13 敬虔度日 仰望神的应许

V8 “主看一日如千年，千年如一日”- 我们以为两千年太久，但在神眼里不过是两天。

V9 神的心意是“不愿有一人沉沦，乃愿人人都悔改”。我们不喜欢那些跟我们不一样的人，只喜欢那些听我们的话的人。然而我们要效法主耶稣和保罗那样，愿意去向那些不听从我们的人传福音。

V11-13 过去的一切都要被烧尽，但是神会照着他的应许再创出“新天新地”，他要与我们同住在一起，我们不再是被撇弃的孤儿了。

三、v.14-18 在盼望中要有长进

V14 在末后等候神应许的时候，我们不是干坐的什么都不做，而是“当殷勤，使自己没有玷污，无可指摘，安然见主”。

V15-16 保罗的很多书信我们可能看不懂，若是勉强上网找解经书去解释，就会“自取沉沦”。最重要的事其实是敬虔度日。我们花很多时间追求解开奥秘，却没有花时间方言祷告或来晨祷听教训，当我们没有自己去牧养、带门徒的时候，我们根本不明白保罗书信所说的话。当我们愿意放下自己而专心追求神的时候，神就亲自开启圣经的奥秘给我们。我们渴慕的是圣经知识还是圣经给我们的生命？

V17-18 我们要有长进，而不是原地踏步。唯有当我们愿意跨出自己的舒适区、像主耶稣那样不仅祷告还有行动，我们才能“在我们主救主耶稣基督的恩典和知识上有长进”。不要为自己活或为儿孙而活，当我们为神的国而活的时候，神没有留下一点好处不给我们。