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1. Hello, listening friends, and thank you for tuning in to this broadcast.
亲爱的朋友,你好,很感谢你收听今天的广播。

2. We have been studying the book of Joshua in this series of messages entitled, “You Want Me to do What?”
我们这一段时间都在查考,约书亚记这一系列的信息,题目是:“你让我做什么?”

3. And answering that question will show us how to follow the call of God in our lives.
当你回答这个问题时,你就懂得如何跟随神对你生命的呼召。

4. So far, we have seen five answers.
到目前为止,我们看了五个答案。

5. And today, we’ll learn about answer number six.
今天,我们就要来学习第六个答案,

6. And that is, learning from our mistakes.
那就是:从错误中学习。

7. If you have a Bible, please turn to the book of Joshua, chapter 7 verses 1-15.
如果你手头有圣经,请翻到约书亚记第七章1到15节。

8. Being ambushed can be devastating.
遭遇伏兵偷袭是很不幸的。

9. Do you know what I’m talking about?
你明白我说什么吗?

10. I’m talking about the family in which everything seems to be going fine, then all of a sudden, one of the spouses asks for a divorce.
我说的是,一个看起来很不错的家庭,突然晴天霹雳,其中一个配偶竟提出要离婚。

11. That’s an ambush.
那就是一个伏兵偷袭。

12. I am talking about the person who has be so blessed financially, but then all of a sudden, one business deal seems to threaten the loss of everything.
我说的是,一个在经济上很蒙福的人,突然晴天霹雳,一笔失败的交易将危及他所有的财产。

13. Those are the kinds of ambushes that I’m talking about.
这些就是我所说的伏兵偷袭。

14. When you experience that, you find yourself crying out to God, “Why?”
当你遭遇到这些事,你对神呼喊:“为什么?”

15. Often in due course, we will discover why.
将来,我们迟早会发现原因的。

16. But the question is this—am I willing to confront the reason for failure?
但问题是,我们真的肯正视失败的原因吗?

17. Am I willing to find out the hidden facts?
我们愿意找出隐藏的事实真相吗?

18. Often, we try to ignore that which God wants us to confront.
通常,我们都故意忽略神要我们面对的事实。

19. Often, we want to rationalize a cherished sin when God wants us to purge it out of our lives.
通常,我们为所眷恋的罪找借口,将之合理化,但神却要我们将这罪从我们的生活中完全清除。

20. We cover up our sin instead of exposing it to God’s light and allowing Him to clean it up.
我们宁可遮掩我们的罪,却不愿意让神光照我们,让祂除去我们的罪孽,洁净我们的污秽。

21. We lie about it instead of admitting it and repenting of it.
我们宁可以谎言遮罪,却不愿意认罪悔改。

22. This is where we find God’s people in the book of Joshua, chapter 7.
在约书亚记第七章那里,神的子民就是处在这样的光景中。

23. After a victory in Jericho, when the impenetrable walls collapsed supernaturally,
当那坚不可摧的城墙被超自然的大能摧毁了,在耶利哥战役中大胜之后,

24. after the plan of God was obeyed fully and the people experienced unity and obedience,
当他们经历了团结一心,完全服从神的计画之后,

25. they were ambushed and defeated in a tiny little town by the name of Ai.
竟然在一座名叫艾的小城那里,遭遇伏兵袭击,而尝到打败仗的滋味。

26. Joshua felt devastated and in puzzlement, he cries out to the Lord, “God, why did you do this?”
约书亚备受打击,感到很困惑,他向神呼求说:“神啊,你为什么这么做?”

27. Isn’t that human nature? Whenever we face defeat in our Christian life, the first thing we do is blame God for it.
这不正是人类的本性吗?在基督徒的生活中,每当我们遭遇失败,我们的第一个反应就是责怪神。

28. While in reality, the defeat was the consequence of disobeying God’s injunction.
但事实上,是我们违背了神的指令,而导致失败的。

29. In that case, the reason was hidden sin and breaking of God’s command.
在这次的事件中,失败的原因是,隐藏的罪,以及违反神的命令。

30. The reason was that someone took that which is God’s.
原因就在于,有人窃取了属于神的东西。

31. This is a very familiar scenario in the life of many Christians.
在许多基督徒身上,也会看见类似的现象。

32. When they need God’s supernatural hand in their life,
当他们需要神以超自然的大能来帮助他们时,

33. when they need God’s answer to specific prayer,
当他们需要神答应他们某一项祈求时,

34. they walk closely with the Lord and become prayer warriors.
他们紧紧地跟随神,成为一个祷告的勇士。

35. They confess their sins and turn away from that which is not pleasing to the Lord.
他们承认自己的罪,脱离那些不讨神喜悦的事。

36. Then God, in His mercy, answers their prayer.
于是神施恩怜悯,应允了他们的祷告。

37. They become thankful and grateful to God—ah, for a short time.
他们对神满心感恩,但只维持了一段很短的时间。

38. But then the euphoria of gratitude gets crowded out with all of the problems of life.
生活中有无数的烦恼重担,很快就把感恩的喜乐挤出去了。

39. The thankfulness for God’s past intervention becomes hazy with all of the new temptations of life.
当生命中出现许多新的试探和诱惑时,对于神过去的作为所存的感恩,渐渐模糊了。

40. Prayer becomes sporadic and time with God becomes infrequent.
祷告与灵修的时间越来越稀少。

41. They only focus on the blessings that God will give them until they experience terrible defeat.
他们只专注于神将要赐什么福给他们,直到他们遭遇悲惨的失败。

42. And then they find themselves, like Joshua, crying out to the Lord, “Why?”
这时候,就像约书亚一样,他们才呼求神,问神:“为什么?”

43. My listening friend, I want to give you three stages of defeat and restoration here from the book of Joshua.
亲爱的朋友,我要从约书亚记里,为你指出失败的三个阶段,以及如何重新站起来。

44. Number one, there’s carelessness.
第一个阶段是疏忽大意。

45. Secondly comes calamity.
第二个阶段是灾难临头。

46. And number three is closure.
第三个阶段是结束失败。

47. Now let’s look at number one—carelessness.
现在,让我们来看第一个阶段,疏忽大意。

48. This is stage number one for defeat.
这是失败的第一步。

49. Someone said that the greatest problem of believers is that they underestimate the power of sin.
有人说过,基督徒最大的毛病就是,他们低估了罪恶的势力。

50. They often try to explain it this way—
他们如此自圆其说,

51. they say, “I know what the Bible said about this sin, but it is different in my situation.”
他们说:“我知道圣经怎么讲罪,但我的情况不同。”

52. But, my listening friend, nothing can be an excuse for carelessness with sin.
我亲爱的朋友,对罪掉以轻心,疏忽大意,是没有借口可推托的。

53. And that is why the Bible said you must fulfill your salvation with fear and trembling.
因此圣经告诉我们,当恐惧战竞作成你们得救的工夫。

54. Let me give you some examples of how we rationalize disobedience.
让我举几个例子说明,通常我们怎样为自己的叛逆找借口。

55. God said that your integrity, ethics, and behavior are your testimony to a sinful world.
神说,你的品格,操守,行为,都是你在这个罪恶世界里作的见证。

56. But we explain away our unethical behavior by saying, “Well, it’s part of doing business these days.”
但我们却找借口开脱责任,对我们不道德的行为如此解释说:“这个时代作生意就得这样。”

57. In the book of Joshua, we read that Achan heard God’s command.
从约书亚记的记载里我们知道,亚干明知神的命令。

58. And the command said that, “You must not take any of the spoils, for they belong to the Lord.”
神的命令是,不可取那当灭的物,那是属于耶和华的。

59. But then, when nobody else was looking, Achan coveted the gold and the silver and the clothing that he saw.
但亚干趁着没有人注意的时候,贪爱他所看见的金子,银子和名贵的衣服。

60. So he stole them and hid them away
就偷了这些东西,并把它们藏起来。

61. and he thought that he could get away with it.
他以为不会有人发现。

62. My listening friend, here is the problem.
亲爱的朋友,问题是,

63. Sometimes, when we disobey the Word of God and God does not immediately react to our disobedience, we mistakingly think that we got away with it.
有的时候,我们违背了神的话,神没有立刻处理我们的悖逆,我们就误以为自己侥幸脱身了。

64. Achan probably, out of fear, said, “Oh, I need to provide for my family.
亚干害怕了,他可能托辞说:“我……我得养家呀!”

65. I need to store up some provisions for the future and take care of myself.”
“我得未雨绸缪呀!人不为己天诛地灭!”

66. Remember from the last message when I said, “When fear is up, faith is down?”
还记得上一讲中我说过吗?恐惧高涨,信心低落。

67. Here, Achan had forgotten God’s past provision of manna in the wilderness.
亚干忘了,神在旷野中曾信实地供应他们吗哪为食物。

68. Achan had forgotten God’s crossing them over the river of impossibility.
亚干忘了,神带领他们渡过艰难的大河。

69. Achan had forgotten the supernatural collapse of the mighty walls of Jericho.
亚干忘了,神超然的大能使耶利哥坚固的城墙完全崩塌。

70. Achan seemed to be saying, “Yes, God did this in the past, but will He do it in the future?”
亚干似乎在说:“不错,过去神做了这些事,但将来还会再做吗?”

71. Oh, my listening friend, this deadly type of thinking will always lead you to the second stage of defeat.
我亲爱的朋友,这种致命的思想,总是把你带到失败的第二个阶段,

72. And that is calamity.
就是大祸临头。

73. Achan’s unfaithfulness did not only bring disaster to himself, but to the whole community.
亚干的悖逆,不但使自己遭殃,也祸及全民。

74. Consider the person who is not spending time with God.
想想,一个不花时间亲近神的人;

75. Or the person who is keeping his or her mouth from testifying to the work of God in their life.
或者,一个不肯开口为神在他身上的奇妙作为来做见证的人,

76. They can continue like this for a short time.
他们可以在一段短暂的时期内保持这种状态,

77. But then the consequences of their carelessness leads to calamity.
但迟早他们的疏懒会导致灾祸临头。

78. When God gave His people victory by taking them across the river Jordan,
当神带领祂的百姓渡过约旦河,神赐他们胜利;

79. when God gave them the victory when the walls of Jericho collapsed,
当耶利哥的城墙崩溃塌陷,神赐他们胜利;

80. God wanted them to go from one point of glory into another,
神要他们荣上加荣,

81. from one level of experience with God to a greater level of experience with God.
从经历神的一个层次,攀上另一个更伟大的层次。

82. And, my listening friend, that’s what God wants for you.
亲爱的朋友,这就是神要你去经历的。

83. As you develop intimacy with God, He uses you to touch someone’s life,
当你越亲近神,神就能使用你去影响别人的生命;

84. and then another, and then another, and then another,
一个一个不断地,让生命影响生命,

85. then to claim all of your environment for Christ.
为基督赢得你整个社区。

86. But then when you allow the cares and the material possessions of this world blind you,
然而,你却容让这世界的物质享受蒙蔽了你,

87. you keep going until you find yourself in the face of full-blown calamity.
你继续沉沦,直到你发觉自己大祸临头。

88. Satan knows that.
撒但知道,

89. If he can get you to become careless, you will not only bring calamity on yourself, but your testimony will be tarnished.
如果他能引诱你,渐渐松懈疏懒下来,你不但会为自己惹祸,你的见证也要蒙上污点。

90. Your witness will cease.
你不再为主作见证,

91. Your passion will cool off.
你的热心会冷淡,

92. Your love for others will die down.
你对人的爱也会逐渐熄灭。

93. If Satan succeeds in getting you to become careless with sin,
撒但只需要让你对罪恶掉以轻心,

94. he knows that not only will you become impacted, but the whole community around you will suffer.
他知道,不但你会受到冲击,你身边的人群都要一同遭殃。

95. And that is why it is vitally important to know about stage number three.
因此,至关重要的就是,你必须明白第三个阶段。

96. Stage number three is the step for restoration.
第三步就是:重建更新。

97. And it is how to bring that carelessness about sin and its calamitous results to a close.
也就是说,要中止对罪的疏忽松懈,和所导致的灾祸。

98. Stage number three is putting closure on that sin.
第三阶段就是,要结束这项罪。

99. The man whom we refer to as St. Augustine, reveals to us in his confession that as a young man, he often prayed, “Oh God, give me chastity, but not now.”
圣奥古斯丁在他的忏悔录中表白,当他年轻时,他常常祷告说:“神啊,赐给我纯洁,但不是现在。”

100. Some of us may identify with young Augustine.
有些人可能跟年轻的奥古斯丁有同感。

101. You know that there is carelessness with sin in your life that is constantly causing you calamities.
你明明知道,忽视你生命中的罪,往往会带来灾难。

102. You know that carelessness with sin is keeping you from being an effective witness for Christ.
你明明知道,疏忽你的罪,使你不能有效地为基督做见证。

103. You know that it is hindering you from experiencing victorious life.
你明明知道,这会拦阻你过得胜的生活。

104. But through it all, you say, “Lord, I want to repent of that, but not now.”
但你明知如此,却说:“主啊,我是想悔改的,但不是现在。”

105. “Lord, I want to extract it out of my life and be fully obedient to You, but not yet.”
“主啊,我愿意完全顺服你,求你除去我生命中的罪,但不是现在。”

106. My listening friend, I want to tell you that in many ways there is a little bit of Achan lurking inside all of us.
我亲爱的朋友,让我告诉你,在很多方面我们多多少少有点像亚干,他的贪婪常在我们心里作祟。

107. And that is why we must constantly purge these sins out of our lives.
所以,我们需要经常清除生活中的这些罪。

108. When Achan was identified by God, he confessed.
当神找出了亚干,他俯首认罪。

109. Achan realized that he disobeyed God’s commands and betrayed his community.
亚干明白,他违背神的命令,也背叛了他的族群。

110. How did he do that?
他怎样违令的?

111. He said, “I saw, I coveted, I took.”
他说:“我看见,我贪爱,我窃取。”

112. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
这不就是:眼目的情欲,肉体的情欲,和今生的骄傲。

113. Achan could have rationalized things like we do by saying, “I have been deprived as a child.”
亚干可以找借口推脱,就像我们常说:“唉,我有一个不幸的童年。”

114. “I have taken what I think I deserve.”
“我只不过拿了我分内该拿的。”

115. “I have taken that which is due to me.”
“我拿了本来该给我的。”

116. “Furthermore, what are these small things in comparison to all the rest?”
“再说,我只拿了这么一点,何必小题大作?”

117. “I am entitled to some pleasures in life.”
“我有权享享福。”

118. “I deserve some good, even if I help myself to it.”
“就算我私自拿的,也是我该得的好处呀!”

119. My listening friends, had Achan made these excuses, his repentance would not have been sincere.
亲爱的朋友,如果亚干说了这些托辞,他的认罪就不算真诚。

120. Sin must be confessed, purged, turned away from.
要彻底对付罪,就必须承认罪,清洗罪,远离罪。

121. And that is why Hosea chapter 2 verse 15 said that the valley of Achor is the door of hope.
这也就是为什么在何西阿书第二章15节那里说:亚割谷是指望之门。

122. The very valley in which sin was purged.
亚割谷就是彻底清除罪的地方。

123. The valley where Achan paid the consequences of his sin
在亚割谷这里,亚干为他所犯的罪付出代价,

124. becomes the door of a new hope.
这样,才成为了新希望之门。

125. My listening friend, please listen carefully as we conclude.
我亲爱的朋友,在快结束的时候,请注意听。

126. The very place where you confess and purge sin out of your life
你在什么地方承认你的罪,并求神洁净你,

127. is the beginning of a new beginning in your life.
那里就是你开始新生的地方。

128. It is the beginning of new hope and a new faithfulness in your life.
那里就是你开始新希望,重新立志对主尽忠的地方。

129. It is the beginning of a new ministry and a new testimony in your life.
那里就是你开始新的服侍,展开你新的生命见证的地方。

130. You can be no more careless with sin than being careless with cancer.
就像你对癌症不能掉以轻心,同样的,你也不能对罪疏忽大意。

131. My listening friends, I tell you from firsthand experience that disobedience is like a cancer growing inside of you.
我亲爱的朋友,我就有亲身的体验,违抗神跟癌症细胞一样,会在我们体内生长蔓延。

132. You may dismiss its symptoms and ignore its impending consequences, but the truth is, there’s only one way to deal with it.
你可能不理会所有的症状,也不留意可能产生的后果,但事实上,只有一个办法对付它,

133. And that is purging it.
就是彻底的清除。

134. And then watch the victory that God will give you immediately after purging it out of your life.
一旦你将罪彻底从你的生命中清除,你立刻会看见神赐给你的胜利。

135. The city of Ai was defeated by God’s people, but only after sin was purged.
神的百姓终于打败了艾城,那是在彻底对付了罪之后。

136. My listening friend, do not wait until it’s too late.
亲爱的朋友,不要拖延,以免为时已晚。

137. Purge your sin today by the power of God.
今天,就靠着神的大能,洁净你的罪污。

138. Only you know what your sin is.
只有你自己才知道你的罪。

139. Is it pride?
是骄傲吗?

140. Is it bitterness?
是苦毒吗?

141. Is it unfaithfulness in your stewardship?
是在管家的事上不忠实吗?

142. Whatever your sin is, confess it and repent to God today in prayer.
不论什么罪,今天就向神作出认罪悔改的祷告,

143. Then write to us and tell us.
并来信与我们分享你的经历。

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