於2022-08-03發佈


DAY 42
嫉妒與謀殺
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯:Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處:國度禱告網

該隱與他兄弟亞伯說話;二人正在田間。該隱起來打他兄弟亞伯,把他殺了。(創世記4:8)

當地球上只有兩兄弟時,他們無法相處。當紐澤西州只有兩輛註冊的汽車時,他們就發生了碰撞!我們在相處上有問題。剝奪人類永生的過犯很快導致了奪取生命,即謀殺。人類已經具有了他們在園子裡聽從的那個惡者的本性。正如主在約翰福音第8章第44節中責備法利賽人時所說的那樣:

"你們是出於你們的父魔鬼,你們父的私慾你們偏要行。他從起初是殺人的,不守真理,因他心裡沒有真理。他說謊是出於自己;因他本來是說謊的,也是說謊之人的父。"

撒旦在世上的目的是殺人和毀滅。他通過謊言做到這一點。約翰一書3:8中告訴我們:"神的兒子為此而出現,要消滅魔鬼的作為"。主來了,通過賜予生命和揭示真理來摧毀謊言和謀殺。主在約翰福音17章18節中禱告說:"你怎樣差我到世上,我也照樣差他們到世上。"同樣,我們在世上的目的也是通過走在主的生命和光中,來摧毀這些魔鬼的作品。主在馬太福音16章18節中應許,陰間的權柄(權柄:原文是門),不能勝過教會。在基督裡的生命比死亡更有力量。在基督裡的真理比任何謊言更有力量。生命和真理最終將獲勝。

要瞭解生命和真理如何得勝,我們必須瞭解 "陰間的門"(見馬太福音16:18)。門是指門,或入口處。陰間的門是地獄用來進入世界、教會、甚至我們自己生活的門。最初的陰間之門是在花園裡。牠通過說服被賦予世界權力的男人和女人相信牠的謊言而獲得進入世界的機會。一旦人聽從了魔鬼,因為魔鬼 "從起初就是殺人的"(見約翰福音8:44),人成為殺人犯是不可避免的。牠用來導致釋放謀殺的謊言是羡慕,或嫉妒。

該隱讓他對他兄弟被主接受的嫉妒心驅使他犯了更嚴重的罪--謀殺。嫉妒,或者說羡慕,仍然被發現是世界上謀殺的根源。我們甚至被告知,耶穌被釘死是因為嫉妒(見馬太福音27:18;馬可福音15:10),而針對使徒和早期教會的迫害也是因為嫉妒(見使徒行傳5:17;13:45)。

教會將如何被用來關閉這扇甚至會導致謀殺的地獄之門?首先,如果魔鬼在我們自己的生活中紮根,我們就不會在別人身上有權柄。嫉妒最終會導致謀殺,但它也是許多看似較小,但具有破壞性的罪的根源。正如我們之前在雅各書3:16中讀到的,嫉妒通常與自私的野心有關。其結果將是混亂,或分裂,並可能成為"各樣的壞事"的開端。

嫉妒幾乎總是被發現是今天基督的身體內分裂的真正根源。人通常會試圖為自己的行為辯解,聲稱他們的理由是別的,但真正的根源通常是嫉妒。它可以在我們任何人的心中升起。如果它發生了,而我們不悔改,嫉妒就會破壞基督的工作,或者至少會對它造成損害。即便如此,最終教會將戰勝這個可怕的地獄之門。怎麼會呢?愛是最終將戰勝嫉妒的真理。哥林多前書13:4-8告訴我們:

愛是恆久忍耐,又有恩慈;愛是不嫉妒;愛是不自誇,不張狂,
不做害羞的事,不求自己的益處,不輕易發怒,不計算人的惡,
不喜歡不義,只喜歡真理;
凡事包容,凡事相信,凡事盼望,凡事忍耐。
愛是永不止息...

嫉妒使前兩個兄弟分裂,但愛最終將使那些在基督裡的人團結起來,所以沒有任何邪惡能夠阻擋他們。我們被告知,"地獄的門不能勝過教會,"單數(見馬太福音16:18)。當我們團結一致時,地獄之門無法戰勝我們。當我們分裂時,他們就會。但是愛最終會勝利,在末日之前,會有一個教會因為彼此相愛而團結一致。讓我們現在就在心裡決定,我們要被愛所控制,而不是嫉妒。如果我們這樣做,我們就不會失敗,因為 "愛是永不止息"。 


DAY 42
Jealousy and Murder
Rick Joyner

And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him (Genesis 4:8).

When there were just two brothers on the earth, they could not get along. When there were just two cars registered in the state of New Jersey, they had a collision! We have a problem getting along. The transgression that robbed mankind of everlasting life quickly led to the taking of life, murder. Man had taken on the nature of the evil one they had listened to in the Garden. As the Lord said in John 8:44, when He was chastising the Pharisees:

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies."
Satan's purpose on earth is to kill and destroy. He does this through lies. We are told in I John 3:8: "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." The Lord came to destroy lies and murder by giving life and revealing the truth. The Lord prayed in John 17:18: "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." It is likewise our purpose while on the earth to destroy these works of the devil by walking in the life and light of the Lord. The Lord promised in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. The life that is in Christ is more powerful than death. The truth that is in Christ is more powerful than any lie. Life and truth will ultimately prevail.

To understand how life and truth will prevail, we must understand the "gates of hell" (see Matthew 16:18). Gates are doors, or access points. The gates of hell are doors that hell is using to gain entrance into the world, the church, and even our own lives. The original gate of hell was in the garden. He gained access to the world by convincing the man and woman, who had been given authority over the world, to believe his lies. Once man listened to the devil, because the devil was "a murderer from the beginning" (see John 8:44), it was inevitable for man to become a murderer. The lie that he used to lead to the release of murder was envy, or jealousy.

Cain allowed the jealousy he felt toward his brother's acceptance by the Lord to drive him to an even worse sin, murder. Jealousy, or envy, is still found as a root cause of murder in the world. We are even told that Jesus was crucified because of envy (see Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10), and the persecutions that rose against the apostles and early church were because of jealousy (see Acts 5:17; 13:45).

How will the church be used to shut this door of hell which can lead even to murder? First, we will not have authority over the devil in others if he has a root in our own lives. Jealousy can ultimately lead to murder, but it is also the root of many seemingly lesser, but destructive sins. As we read before in James 3:16, jealousy is usually linked to selfish ambition. The result will be disorder, or division, and can be the opening to "every evil thing."

Jealousy is almost always found to be the true root of divisions within the body of Christ today. Men will usually try to justify their actions by claiming that their reasons are something else, but the real root is usually jealousy. It can rise in the heart of any of us. If it does and we do not repent of it, jealousy can destroy the work of Christ, or will at least do it damage. Even so, in the end the church will prevail against this terrible gate of hell. How? Love is the truth that will ultimately overcome jealousy. We are told in I Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails...

Jealousy divided the first two brothers, but love will ultimately unite those who are in Christ, so no evil will be able to stand against them. We are told that "the gates of hell will not prevail against the church," singular (see Matthew 16:18). When we are united, the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. When we are divided, they will. But love will ultimately prevail, and before the end there will be a church that stands together in unity because they love one another. Let us determine in our hearts right now that we are going to be controlled by love, not envy. If we do this we cannot fail because "Love never fails."