(Matt 12: 33-35) （马太福音12:33-35）

Have you ever planted any fruit trees like apple trees or pear trees or any other fruit trees? 你种过苹果树、梨树、或者别的果树吗？If you plant two fruit trees, how do you discern which is a good tree or which is a bad tree after a few years?假如你种了两棵果树，几年后你怎样看出哪棵好、哪棵不好？We can simply tell by their fruit.很简单，看果子就可以了。If after a few years one starts producing good fruit几年之后，如果其中一棵结了好果子 – apples, pears, peaches or whatever, 苹果、梨子、桃子或其它的好果子，and we realise that the tree is a good tree, 才晓得这是棵好果树，and we enjoy the fruit with our family and our friends. 可以和亲朋好友一起分享。If the other yields nothing or bad fruit that is too bitter to eat, by the fruit we know it’s a bad tree.  如果另一棵树的果子是坏的、苦的，我们就知道那棵树不好。

In the same way, 同样，our Lord Jesus teaches us, 主耶稣教导我们，how to discern whether the inside of our hearts is – good or bad?如何认出内心是好是坏？Who rules in our hearts? 谁在我们内心里掌权？Does the fallen- self rule inside of us or does Christ rule inside of us? 里面是堕落的老我还是基督？Jesus says, to discern whether a tree is good or bad is to discern its fruit. 耶稣说，从果子就知道树是好是坏。How a person speaks exposes the heart. 言由心生。To recognize the heart is to recognize the person’s words. 从人所说的话认出他的心。Let’s continue to look at Matt 12: 33-35. 让我们继续分享马太福音12：33-35。

Last week we talked about how Jesus cast out demons from a blind and mute man, 上周我们分享了主耶稣从一个又瞎又哑的人身上赶出鬼来，and afterwards he could both talk and see. 之后那人又能说话又能看见了。The crowds started to wonder whether Jesus was indeed the Son of David 众人就都惊奇，想知道耶稣是否就是大卫的子孙，– the anointed Messiah King or not.即是那预言要来的弥赛亚。But the religious leaders started to slander Jesus. 但宗教领袖却毁谤耶稣。They said to people that Jesus was the ruler of demons. 说他是靠鬼王赶鬼。Then Jesus started his teaching with an analogy of good trees and bad trees, 于是耶稣开口用好树和坏树的比喻教训人。33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ” “你们或以为树好，果子也好；树坏，果子也坏；因为看果子就可以知道树。 毒蛇的种类！你们既是恶人，怎能说出好话来呢？因为心里所充满的，口里就说出来。” (马太福音 12:33-34)

1, The mouth speaks what fills the heart 心里所想，口里说出来

Some may be shocked that our loving Lord Jesus would speak such curse words, 有人会惊讶，爱人的主耶稣竟会说出这种咒诅的话，like calling people “brood of vipers”. 把人叫做“毒蛇的种类”。Vipers are a family of venomous snakes. Vipers是一类有毒的蛇。This was not because Jesus was offended by the Pharisees’ slandering words, 这不是因法利赛人的毁谤冒犯了耶稣，so that he repaid them with swearwords. 耶稣就以恶言还击。No! Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers.” 不！主耶稣称其为“毒蛇的种类”，Because He knew what lay in the hearts of the religious leaders. 因祂知道宗教领袖心里所想的，So Jesus explained, “how can you being evil, speak what is good?” 于是他接着解释道：“你们既是恶人，怎能说出好话呢？” “for a tree is recognised by its fruit.” “因为看果子就可以知道树。”We are recognised by what we do. 世人因行为认出我们。

Jesus also said, “for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”. 主还说“因为心里所充满的，口里就说出来。” In other words, the mouth speaks what fills the heart. 换句话说，心里所想，口里就说。In the bible, the word - “heart” is not used the same way we think, like heart disease or heart attack.圣经中所指的“心”并不是我们所以为的心率疾病、心脏病等的心。It refers to “a person’s mind and will, attitudes and thoughts”.它指的是人的心思、意志、态度、想法等。A person with an evil heart means someone who has evil thoughts. 心里邪恶的人，指的是心怀恶念的人。If the heart is filled with fear, envy, self-righteous thoughts, bitterness, and unforgiveness, 心里若充满惧怕、嫉妒、自义、苦毒、不饶恕，how can the person speak good words?  嘴里还能说出什么好话呢？The heart really matters in God’s eyes. 在神的眼里我们的心思意念才是关键。

The first commandment says, 十诫的第一条，“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your mind.” Matt 22:37. “你要尽心、尽性、尽意爱主－你的　神。 (马太福音 22:37) As God’s redeemed people, 我们作为神所赎的子民，we are called to worship and love God with all our heart. 蒙召全心全意爱神敬拜神。The Pharisees knew this commandment,法利赛人当然知道这条诫命，but why when Jesus was in their midst doing the work of God, 可耶稣在他们当中行神迹时，did they try to kill him?为什么法利赛人还要杀耶稣呢？ Mark 15:10 clearly tells us, (马可福音 15:10) 清楚地说， “it was out of envy that they handed Jesus over.” 祭司长是因为嫉妒才把耶稣解了来。 Why were they jealous of Jesus? 他们为什么嫉妒耶稣呢？“the mouth speaks what fills the heart”. 心里所想，口里所说。so what did the Pharisees say?那么法利赛人说什么了？

In John 12:19, the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him.” 法利赛人彼此说：“看哪，你们是徒劳无益，世人都随从他去了。”(约翰福音 12:19)They hated and were jealous of Jesus because Jesus threatened their security, prestige and leadership. 因耶稣威胁了他们的安全感、声望和领导地位，他们对耶稣又嫉又恨。They felt that Jesus was going to ruin everything they had worked hard for. 觉得耶稣会毁掉他们辛辛苦苦得来的。They called themselves people of God, 他们自称为神子民，but their hearts were filled with fear, envy, insecurity, self-interest,但心里充满惧怕、嫉妒、不安全感、自私自利，and they had actually become enemies of God, 事实上他们已经成了神的仇敌，so that when the Son of God was in their midst, 以至于神儿子来到他们中间时，they tried to kill him.他们就想杀他。What a serious lesson for us to learn as people of God living in the NT! 作为新约时代的神子民，我们该学到何等严肃的一课！

1 Peter 3:10, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and lips from deceitful speech. 因为 经上 说： 人若爱生命， 愿享美福， 须要禁止舌头不出恶言， 嘴唇不说诡诈的话；（彼得前书 3:10） Want to see good days? 想要过好日子吗？We must keep our mouths from speaking evil, like telling lies, speaking boastful words, gossip, judgmental words, foul or abusive language. 我们必须禁止我们的口说恶言，如说谎，自夸，闲言，论断的话，污秽、骂人的话。(Eph 4:29), or idle words (v.36)，或说闲话。But Jesus says, 可主耶稣还说，our words reveal what is in our hearts. 口里所说的显明心里所想的。To deal with our words we need to deal with what is in the heart.  因此要处理我们的言语，就需要处理我们的心。

2, The heart matters. 神在乎心

For 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 善人从他心里所存的善就发出善来；恶人从他心里所存的恶就发出恶来。 (马太福音 12:35) The heart matters.心才是关键。We might think that although our words and our actions may have been wrong, 我们可能会认为，虽然我们说错话做错事，God knows that our hearts are good.神知道我们的心还是好的。But this is not what the Bible tells us about our hearts. 可这不是圣经的观点。In Jeremiah 17:9, the prophet Jeremiah declared: ……先知耶利米在(耶利米书 17:9)中宣告说， “The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure; who can understand it?” 人心比万物都诡诈，坏到极处，谁能识透呢？ 

Then God responded, 神就回应说，“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind” 我－耶和华是鉴察人心、试验人肺腑的， (耶利米书 17:10上) It is only God who judges and reveals and heals our hearts. 唯有神是审判、显明、医治我们内心。The heart reflects who we really are. 我们的心表明我们是怎样的人。Proverbs 27:19, As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the true man. 水中照脸，彼此相符；人与人，心也相对。(箴言 27:19) In other words, 换句话说，the heart is the center of life. 心才是生命的中心。What is in our hearts reflects who we are.我们心里所想的才是真正的我们。The heart refers to our true identity who we are. 心里所想的才证明我们是谁。

Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.(NLT, A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.) 心中安静是肉体的生命；嫉妒是骨中的朽烂。(箴言 14:30) It says that what we can do for health is to make our hearts at peace with God.这里说我们若想健康，就要与神和睦。But we are human,但我们不过是人，and we are so easily to be distracted from focusing our eyes on Jesus,我们很容易就被从定睛在主耶稣身上转移了注意力，by believing our own feelings on what people say, 是因着我们凭别人说什么，or what people do to us, 或者别人对我做了什么就信了自己的感觉感受， “people offend me…people push me down…he is better than me…it’s unfair…是人冒犯了我…人使我跌倒……他比我好……这不公平...”

How do we deal with the heart affecting the way we live? 怎样处理心决定了我们怎样活？Do we live a life reflecting the life of Christ?我们是活出基督的生命？Or reflecting the life of Adam? 还是活出亚当的生命？It depends on what we allow to get into our hearts? 取决于我们的内心接受了什么？If we harbour the sense of being offended, 但我们怀藏被冒犯感，or of unfairness,或是被不公平感，and it will produce bitterness,就会生出苦毒，blame,责怪, unforgiveness,不饶恕, gossip,说闲话，or condemnation,定罪, which causes our hearts lose peace. 内心就会失去平安。The heart without peace leads to an unhealthy body. 心中失去安宁身体就不会康健。That’s serious! 这是严重的事实！

That’s why the bible teaches us, 因此圣经教导我们，proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart; for out of it flows the issues of life. 你要保守你心，胜过保守一切（或译：你要切切保守你心），因为一生的果效是由心发出。(箴言 4:23)  It tells us the truth, 这里揭示一个真理，that the issues of our life are not determined by outside of our life. 一生的果效（生命的问题）不是取决于外在。The issues of life mean the limitations, the boundaries of the life we live, 生命的问题是指这个生命里的受限受控制，and the things we want to do can’t do. 想做却不能做到的事。The relationships where we need a breakthrough, 当我们想突破人际关系，but we can’t make it happen. 但我们却不能。Something blocks our intimacy with God although we have the Holy Spirit. 我们虽有圣灵内驻，却被拦阻使我们不能与神亲密。The truth tells us, 真理告诉我们，that the issues of life are not determined by what we have. 一生的果效不取决于我们有什么。They are not determined by our education,不取决于我们的教育程度，not determined by our background, 不取决于我们的出身背景，not determined by our wealth, 不取决于我们拥有多少财富，nor anything we struggle for outside of our hearts. 不取决于我们努力要得的、在心之外的任何东西。

The issues of life are determined by what we think about; 一生的果效取决于我们所想的; and by what we believe in; 取决于我们所信的; and by what is operating or influencing us from within our hearts. 取决于我们内心深处所运行、并影响我们的。The medical field has confirmed 医学界证实that stress weakens our immune systems 紧张的情绪可以降低免疫系统能力which can cause lots of diseases,引发很多疾病，like heart disease, 像心脏疾病，ulcers,溃疡, even cancer.甚至癌症。A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful body. 平安的心给人健康的身体。

So “Above all else, guard your heart”, 所以“你要保守你心，胜过保守一切”，we are to be the watchmen, 我们是守望者，and full-time workers to guard our hearts;  是全职工人时刻保守自己的心;we are to be responsible for what we allow to enter our hearts, 我们该对进入自己内心的意念负责，which determines how our life goes.  这决定了我们生命的光景。This isn’t God’s job. 这不是神的职责。Some pray, 有人祷告说，“God, please guard my heart.神啊，求你保守我的心。” No, no, this is not God’s job,不，不，这不是神的职责，the Scirptures says,经上说，“above all, guard you heart.你要保守你心，胜过保守一切。” It’s our job to choose what we allow to get into our hearts.选择允许什么进入内心，是我们自己的职责。‘A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 【太12:35】善人从他心里所存的善就发出善来；恶人从他心里所存的恶就发出恶来。  ‘Treasury’ means a place where valuable things are stored.  ' Treasury '（“宝库”）指存放贵重物品的地方。A good person brings good things from his storeroom of good in his heart, 善人从他内心善的宝库里带出善，an evil person brings evil things from sin in his heart.恶人从他内心的罪里带出恶。

(14 years ago, 14年前，when I just became a Christian, 我刚信主时，I deeply desired a life changing experience in Christ, 我深深渴慕在基督里经历生命的更新，so I prayed for a resurrected (a renewed) life,所以我祷告求主赐我复活（更新）的生命，and also I prayed for my husband and my teenage daughter to be transformed. 我也祷告求主翻转丈夫和十几岁的女儿的生命。But God clearly said to me, 但是，神清楚地对我说，“You wanna change your life?你想要改变生命？You need to change your heart!; 你需要先改变自己的心; Do you wanna change your marriages?想要改变婚姻？change your hearts! 改变自己的心！You wanna change your child, 想要改变孩子？change your heart…改变自己的心…

Do we wanna change our relationships with God and with others? 我们想要改变与神、与人的关系？Change our hearts. 改变自己的心。This is what Jesus wants to do in us.  这是耶稣要在我们里面所做成的。He doesn’t want us to be like these religious leaders,祂不愿我们如同那些宗教领袖，who did ‘good things’ according to their own corrupted hearts, 照着自己堕落的心“行善”，they gave offerings outwardly, 外面奉献、they fasted and prayed twice a week, 一周两次禁食祷告，but inwardly they stored fear, 里面却藏着惧怕、envy, 嫉妒、insecurity, 不安全感、greed 贪婪and all kinds of sins in their hearts.和种种罪恶。That’s not what God wanted them to do and to be.  那并不是神要他们所做、所成为的样子。For we were created in the image of God.  因我们是照神的形像被造的。God wants to heal and restore us, 神要医治和复兴我们，God wants us to be like Him from the inside outside, 神要我们从内而外像祂，we are to be like the righteous and loving Father.像我们公义慈爱的父一样。The heart matters in God’s eyes! 神最看重的是我们的心！God wants to heal our hearts.  神要医治我们的心。Because out of the heart flows the issues of life, 因为一生的果效是由心发出，if the heart is full of love，我们的心若充满爱、peace and joy,平安和喜乐，from it will flow peace, love and joy这平安、爱和喜乐会从里面满溢出来to people we reach out. 传递给我们身边的人。The good fruit can be seen from a good tree. 好树就会结好果子。

3, Jesus wants to heal the heart.耶稣要医治人的心

Isa 61:1, The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. 【赛61:1】主耶和华的灵在我身上，因为耶和华用膏膏我，叫我传好信息给谦卑的人（或作“传福音给贫穷的人”），差遣我医好伤心的人，报告被掳的得释放，被囚的出监牢； Our Lord Jesus wasn’t anointed to lead us to do religious things outwardly, 我们的主耶稣受膏不是领我们搞外在的宗教形式，the Lord we serve is interested in our hearts.  我们所事奉的主关心我们的内心。He was sent to heal the broken hearts.  祂被差遣乃是为医治我们破碎的心。He wants to set us free from the things that bind our hearts, 祂要救我们脱离罪的捆绑，so that we can’t do what we want to do.  这些罪使我们不能做所愿做的事。‘I wanna read the bible verses in front of people, 我想在众人面前读圣经，but I can’t但我做不到，because I’m so scared of standing in front of people…因我太害怕站在众人面前……I wanna do it,  “我想做，but I can’t但是我不能,because I’m so scared…因为我很害怕…’ The limitations that bind us 捆绑我们使我们受限制or hinder us from what God has called us to do,  或拦阻我们做神呼召我们做的事，or what God has called us to become拦阻我们成为神呼召我们成为的人，are from the broken heart. 都是源于这颗破碎的心。

What does ‘broken’ mean?  “破碎”是什么意思？Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, 自从亚当夏娃违背了神的命令，the whole world fell into brokenness because of rebellion, disobedience and sin.  整个世界就因悖逆、不顺服和罪恶而陷入破碎。People are born into brokenness.  人在破碎中出生。Everyone in this world experiences sadness, pain, or accidents, or abuse, or trauma. 世上的每个人都会经历伤心、痛苦、事故、辱骂或创伤。Without turning to Jesus, 若不转向耶稣，our painful experiences open legal access in our hearts for the evil power,我们就会因伤心的经历给邪恶势力打开合法进入的通道，to build its strongholds让它在我们心中筑起坚固的营垒，of fear, lies, rejection, anxiety, insecurity, unforgiveness, bitterness or whatever binds and controls life.  惧怕、谎言、拒绝、忧虑、不安全感、不饶恕、苦毒或任何捆绑、控制我们生命的营垒。And they can become idols you serve.  它们会成为你事奉的偶像。“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your mind. 你要尽心、尽性、尽意、爱主你的神。” Why can Christians still be offended so easily, 为什么基督徒还是很容易被冒犯，when a small thing happens, 只因一件小事、 like a word, 一句话，or an action people take not our liking?或别人一个不合己意的动作？Why do some Christians get negative thoughts so easily, when things seem to be out of their control?  为什么有些基督徒在事情看着不受自己控制时，就很容易有消极的意念？Because the heart is broken and damaged.  因为心破碎了，受伤了。Whenever the heart feels insecure,每当内心感到不安全，whenever the heart feels hurt,每次心里感到受伤，people try to protect themselves 人就会自我保护and cope with the pain by their own way, 用自己的方式应对痛，and so they build a wall in their hearts,他们会在心里筑起一堵墙，by making vows, 发誓说，“I’ll never be hurt again…我不要再受伤…I’ll never trust a man…我不再相信人…I’ll never say anything to him…我不再告诉他任何事…I’ll never be like my dad, or my mom…我绝不会像父母那样…” and when you make these kinds of vows in bitterness and unforgiveness, 在苦毒不饶恕中，你起了这些内在誓言，you shut the door for light,就关闭了通往光明的门，and allow pain and rejection to control the way you think and walk…. 让痛苦和拒绝来控制你的思想和行为。

During these 14 years of ministry, 在这14年的服事中，I witnessed some Christians, 我亲眼目睹一些基督徒，who were very hard to talk to.  你很难和他们说话。No one could talk to them.  人没办法跟他们交谈。They twisted the words you said to them, 他们会曲解你的话，they assumed that you were looking down on them, 认为你看不起他们，or whatever the negative thoughts were.  或有其它消极的意念。This is because the heart is still operated by the old and broken way, 这是因为他们的思维仍照旧人破碎的方式里运转，which is controlled by the past pain.  被过去的伤害牢牢地捆住。So they always feel rejection, 所以他们总感到被拒绝，and don’t really know who they are.  并不清楚自己的真实身份。We need to be set free from rejection.  我们需要从被拒绝中释放出来。Set free from whatever in our hearts that have become idols to be worshipped as gods,从所有那些在我们心里被当作神来拜的偶像中解救出来，“he showed me less respect…啊，他不怎么尊重我….she didn’t care about me…她不关心我…” Stop cooperating with those thoughts! 不要再接受这些意念！These places we keep something hidden in the heart, 在那里我们将一些心思隐藏起来，and we don’t want people to know about them,不想人知道，and we try to forget them, 我们试图忘记，because they are painful or shameful, 因它们是痛苦或羞耻的，these places have become dwelling places of darkness, 这些地方已经成为黑暗的所在，which give power to fear, 它们释放能力使人惧怕、insecurity, 感到不安全、envy, 嫉妒、rejection, 被拒绝、bitterness苦毒、and unforgiveness不饶恕，that control the way we think and walk.  控制我们的思想和行为方式。And it blocks us from intimacy with God, 它拦阻我们与神有亲密的关系，and blocks the full restoration of our relationships with others. 拦阻我们与他人关系的完全修复。

Break the agreements from the evil thoughts.  让我们砍断一切邪恶意念对我们的束缚。Repent, 悔改，and turn to God转向神，by fixing our eyes on Jesus!  单单定睛在耶稣身上!Declare your identity in Christ!  在基督里宣告你的身份!Forgiveness is powerful enough to set us free!  饶恕的大量必能使我们得自由释放！Only forgiveness can get us through, 只有饶恕才能使我们突破，and only forgiveness can heal our broken hearts.  只有饶恕才能医治我们破碎的心灵。If we hold anything against anyone, 我们若对人有任何怨恨，we will ourselves be condemned.  就是定了自己的罪。But if we forgive, 我们若饶恕人，we will be forgiven.  就必蒙饶恕。Forgiveness sets our own hearts free! 饶恕可以让我们自己的心得自由释放！where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  因为主的灵在哪里，那里就得以自由。Do you wanna come to the Lord to be set free? 你要来到主前得释放吗？Do you wanna to be healed your heart?你要你的心得医治吗？Do you wanna your heart be willed with God’s love to love, 你愿意被主爱充满去爱爱吗？and your life will be good tree which produce good fruit? 让你的生命成为好树结好果子吗？Let’s come to the Lord, and pray…让我们来到主前来祷告…