1. Hello, listening friends.
亲爱的朋友，你好，

2. We are glad you tuned in to listen to this program.
我们很高兴你能听这个节目。

3. In the past few messages,
在前几次节目里，

4. we have been seeing how Peter is counting God’s blessings for us.
我们看到彼得如何为我们数算神的恩典，

5. There are seven of them.
一共有七重福气。

6. In I Peter, Chapter 1, verses 1 and 2,
在彼得前书第一章 1-2节里，

7. we see the first blessing is the blessing of God’s call and election to salvation.
我们看见第一重福气，就是神呼召，并拣选我们来得救恩之福。

8. In verse 3, the second blessing is the blessing of the new birth.
第三节里记载第二重福气，就是重生之福。

9. In verse 3, also, the third is the blessing of a living hope.
第三节里又记载了第三重福气，就是活泼的盼望。

10. In verse 4, the fourth is the blessing of an inheritance.
第四节里记载了第四重福气，就是承受基业之福。

11. In verse 5, the fifth is the blessing of God’s protection and security.
第五节里记载了第五重福气，就是神的保护和平安。

12. In verses 6 to 9,
在第六到第九节，

13. we see the sixth blessing and it is the blessing of suffering for the sake of Christ,
我们看见第六重福气，就是为基督受苦。

14. and the seventh blessing is found in verses 10 to 12, which is the blessing of grace.
在 10-12节里我们看到第七重福气，就是蒙恩的福气。

15. We already looked at 5 of these blessings.
我们已经看过五重福气了，

16. Now, let’s look at the sixth blessing.
现在让我们来看第六重福气，

17. We have the blessing of suffering for the sake of Christ.
我们有为基督受苦的福气。

18. If you have your Bible, you can look at verses 6 to 9 of I Peter, Chapter 1.
如果你有圣经，请翻开彼得前书，第一章 6-9节。

19. There is a lot of confusion regarding this whole issue of suffering.
有关受苦这方面，有许多混乱的概念，

20. People have all kinds of ideas about suffering.
许多人对苦难各有各的看法。

21. Please listen carefully to what I am going to tell you.
请仔细听我说，

22. The reason there is confusion about the whole issue of suffering
为什么人们对受苦有这么多混乱的概念呢？

23. is because many people want to pick and choose verses from the Scripture as if they were choosing food from a buffet table.
因为每个人都随自己的喜好，从圣经中选择不同的经文加以解释，就好像在自助餐桌上选择自己喜好的食物一样。

24. Can you hear someone say, “I like this verse, but I don’t like this one;”
你有没有听人这么说过：我喜欢这节经文，不喜欢那节。

25. and they end up with confusion.
结果就形成了混乱的观念。

26. You have to look at the whole Scripture.
你必须看整本圣经怎么说，

27. You cannot just look at it in bits and pieces,
你不能断章取义，

28. but you must look at the whole of the Bible.
你要看整本圣经。

29. There are some people who see every affliction in life as suffering for Christ.
有些人把生活中任何困难都当作是为基督受苦，

30. These people mention everything from the ridiculous to the sublime.
他们提到所有的事情，包括很可笑的小事到很严重的大事。

31. They would say if you get a flat tire, it’s a suffering for Christ.
有人说汽车爆胎是为基督受苦；

32. Others include serious things, like losing a loved one, as suffering for Christ.
有些人则说严重的事，好像丧失亲人，是为基督受苦；

33. Some people see everything as suffering for Christ,
有些人说所有的事都是为基督受苦，

34. but that’s wrong.
这是不正确的。

35. There are different types of suffering in the world.
世上有各种不同的苦难，

36. There are sufferings that are result of sin.
有些苦是犯罪的后果；

37. There are sufferings that are result of Satan’s attack.
有些苦难是魔鬼撒但的攻击；

38. There are sufferings that are the result of other people’s stupidity.
有些苦是因为犯了愚昧的错误；

39. There is suffering just because we live in this fallen, sinful world.
有些苦难则是因为我们活在一个堕落罪恶的世界里；

40. There are all kinds of sufferings.
有各种各类的苦难。

41. Now, these are all real sufferings and I’m not minimizing them;
我不是小看它们，这些都是真实的痛苦，

42. but none of these are meant here in I Peter.
但这些都不是彼得在这里所说的苦难。

43. Peter is speaking about suffering that occurs as a result of being a follower of Jesus Christ.
彼得所说的，是指着那些因为跟随基督而带来的苦难。

44. If you lose your job because you are a follower of Jesus Christ,
如果你因为是耶稣基督的跟随者，而导致失业，

45. then you are suffering for Christ.
那么，你就是为基督受苦。

46. If you get by-passed for a promotion on the job simply because you are a follower of Christ,
如果仅仅因为你是基督的跟随者，就使你失去升迁的机会，

47. then you are suffering for Christ;
那么，你就是为基督受苦。

48. but if you lose your job because you are lazy or incompetent,
但如果是因为你懒惰、不称职而失业，

49. that is not suffering for Christ.
那不是为基督受苦。

50. If they drag your reputation through the mud because you are a follower of Jesus Christ,
如果因为你是基督徒而污蔑你，使你名誉扫地，

51. that is a suffering for Christ;
这是为基督受苦，

52. and He will bless you for that.
神会因此赐福给你。

53. My listening friends, Peter does not say that suffering does not hurt.
亲爱的朋友，彼得并不是说，在苦难中你可以免去痛苦。

54. Will you listen to me very carefully, please?
请留心的听我说，

55. What Peter is saying is this:
彼得的意思是：

56. when you are allowed to go through suffering that is specifically directed at you because of your unwavering commitment to Christ,
当你因坚定不移的顺服基督，却遭致受苦；

57. when you are allowed to go through suffering because of your unwavering commitment to His Word,
当你因坚定不移的顺服神的话，却遭致受苦；

58. then God will use that suffering to bless your life.
神会使用你的苦难，赐福给你的生命。

59. God will use it to bless you in ways you would never understand otherwise.
神使用苦难赐福给你，这是你在其他情况之下经历不到，也无法理解的。

60. God will use that suffering to refine your life as precious metal.
就像锻炼那些稀有贵重金属一样，神使用苦难来精炼你。

61. God will use that suffering to bring you closer to Him in a way you never thought possible.
神使用苦难来催逼你更贴近祂，这是你以为不可能的。

62. God will use that suffering to bless you in ways that makes the human mind boggle.
神使用苦难赐福给你，但在我们的头脑中却觉得难以明白。

63. Peter is obviously thinking about how he failed to trust in the Lord Jesus.
很显然的，彼得想到自己曾经失败，让主失望。

64. Peter is remembering how he denied Jesus instead of standing with Him.
彼得记起自己没有与主并肩而立，反而否认主。

65. The Peter before the resurrection was afraid of suffering.
在主复活前的彼得，害怕吃苦；

66. The Peter before the resurrection could not take suffering for Jesus’ sake;
在主复活前的彼得，不能为耶稣受苦；

67. and that is why Peter denied Jesus and denied any knowledge of Him;
所以彼得否认耶稣，甚至否认自己认识祂。

68. but the Peter after the resurrection was given many opportunities to suffer and pay dearly for following Christ,
但主复活之后，彼得遇到很多苦难，而且必须为跟随基督付出很大的代价，

69. and he did.
他做到了。

70. In fact, tradition said that he was crucified upside down for the sake of Christ.
事实上，根据传统的说法，他为了基督，被倒钉十字架而死。

71. That is something that very few of us have ever experienced,
很少人会有这样的经历，

72. and, if and when the time comes, we will be able to count it a blessing.
但如果真的发生了，我们也会把受苦看为福气的。

73. Peter said those times of suffering are short lived and unlimited.
彼得说，这些苦难是百般的试炼，却是暂时的，

74. Those times are not forever;
不是永远的。

75. but, in the midst of those times, you will experience joy beyond measure.
但在试炼的时候，你却可以有无法衡量的大喜乐。

76. Now, let’s recount the blessings.
现在让我们再数一次这些福气：

77. Count your blessing of election.
数数你被拣选的福气；

78. Count your blessing of the new birth.
数数你重生的福气；

79. Count your blessing of the living hope.
数数你活泼的盼望；

80. Count your blessing of the inheritance.
数数你永恒的产业；

81. Count your blessing of God’s security and protection.
数数神的保护和平安之福；

82. Count your blessing when you suffer for Christ.
数数你为基督受苦所蒙的福；

83. Finally,
最后，

84. Count your blessing of the grace of God.
数数你蒙神恩典之福。

85. Look at verses 10 to 12 of I Peter, Chapter 1.
请看彼得前书第一章 10-12节。

86. Probably nothing overwhelms me more than when I take time to reflect upon the grace of God.
当我思想神的恩惠时，再没有比这恩典更能折服我的了。

87. It is grace that is totally unmerited favor.
这是我完全不配得的恩典，

88. It is grace that I do not deserve.
这是我不该得的恩典，

89. It is grace that overwhelms me,
这是使我口服心服的大恩典，

90. and that grace can only be possible through Jesus Christ.
唯有透过耶稣基督才有的恩典。

91. In fact, Peter said that the prophets in the Old Testament foretold of this grace.
事实上彼得说，旧约的先知早已预告了这救恩。

92. They foretold of it by faith.
他们是凭信心预告的，

93. The prophets of old did not experience that grace themselves.
这些古代的先知自己并没有经历过这救恩，

94. They longed for it.
他们渴望能得到，

95. They hoped to see it with their own eyes.
他们盼望能亲眼看见，

96. They peered into its horizon,
他们只能远远的眺望。

97. but we in the New Testament are privileged to be recipients of it.
但我们这些活在新约时代的人，却有幸可以得到，

98. Many of us have experienced that grace of God.
许多人已经得到神的救恩了。

99. Here’s what Peter said,
彼得说：

100. “Even angels desire to look into the wonder of the grace of God.”
天使也愿意详细察看这些事。

101. Why are the angels filled with wonder when they see the gospel of grace?
为什么当天使看见恩典的福音实现时，这么惊奇呢？

102. Well, there are two things that you must understand about angels.
我们对天使要有两方面的认识：

103. One:
第一，

104. they are servants of the living God.
他们是永生真神的仆役，

105. God tells them what to do and they do it.
神叫他们做什么，他们就做什么。

106. They have no will of their own.
他们自己没有自由意志，

107. They cannot be your guardian angels unless God tells them to.
除非神吩咐他们，他们不会自动来担任你的守护天使。

108. The second thing we learn about angels right here in this verse is this:
我们从这节经文里，可以认识到天使的第二方面。

109. the reason why the angels are filled with wonder when they see the gospel of grace
当天使看见福音救恩时感到惊奇，是因为：

110. is because they have never experienced such mercy.
他们从来没有经历过这样的恩慈。

111. Angels have never experienced grace themselves like many of us do.
天使不像我们许多人那样，经历过神的恩典。

112. They have never needed mercy because they have always lived sinless lives.
他们没有犯罪，所以他们不需要神的怜悯。

113. After the fall of Lucifer from Heaven,
自从明亮之星路西弗从天上坠落以后，

114. the angels in Heaven were never tempted to sin.
天使就不再被引诱犯罪，

115. They have never wandered from the Father’s will in their lives.
他们不再违背天父的旨意，

116. They have never needed to be redeemed because they are sinless beings,
他们纯洁无罪，所以不需要救赎。

117. and that is why these angels who minister to believers are absolutely in awe of the mercy of god.
因此当这些服役的天使看见神的恩慈时，他们感到彻底的惊讶，并充满了敬畏。

118. Angels are in awe of the grace of God that is given to you and to me.
天使为了神赐给你我的恩典而敬畏，

119. They have never experienced it, but they see it as an awesome thing.
虽然他们自己没有经历过，却因这奇异的恩典而敬畏神。

120. The next time you are tempted to take the grace of God for granted in your life, stop and think.
如果你把神赐给你生命的的恩典看为平常，觉得没什么了不起，请你停下来想一想。

121. They next time you begin to tell God about what He is not doing, stop and think.
如果你埋怨神没有为你做什么，请你想一想。

122. Remember that it is His grace that has worked in your life that makes angels baffled.
天使因着神的恩典在你身上所发生的作用，感到不可思议。

123. We are the ones who are sinners. The angels are not.
我们是罪人，天使没有犯罪；

124. We are the ones who deserve hell. The angels are not.
我们本该下地狱，天使不会下地狱；

125. We are the ones who need to be redeemed by the grace of God,
我们才需要神的救赎之恩，

126. and we were redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus;
我们是借着主耶稣的宝血被买赎的。

127. and, yet, the angels get more overwhelmed by that experience than we do.
天使都因着我们的经历而折服，

128. We just take it for granted in the daily tasks of our lives.
我们却照常生活，无动于衷。

129. Do you remember the verses I quoted when we started looking at our blessings?
你还记得当我们开始讲这些福气时，我所读的诗歌歌词吗？

130. They are good words to live by.
这是值得我们引为座右铭的。

131. Count your blessings.
“主的恩典，

132. Name them one by one,
样样都要数，

133. and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
必能叫你惊讶，立时乐欢呼！”

134. If you have never experienced the grace of God,
如果你从没有经历过神的救恩，

135. if you have never experienced the peace that comes from knowing the grace of God,
如果你从没有体会过，从神的恩典而来的平安，

136. you can ask Him today.
你今天可以向神祈求，

137. He will give it to you.
祂就会赐给你，

138. That is His promise.
这是祂答应的。

139. Will you ask Him?
你愿意向祂祈求吗？

140. Today.
今天就这么做，

141. He will never let you down.
祂绝不会令你失望的。

142. It is my prayer that you would say, “Yes, Lord.”
我祈求神，让你对主说：“主啊！我愿意！”

143. Until next time, I wish you God’s richest blessing.
愿神大大的赐福给你，下次节目再会。