Message From The Pastor for June 1

Message from the Pastor for Second Sunday after Trinity
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35
While we live amongst people, inevitably we encounter people that wrong us, persecute and hurt us. Sometimes we wrong them first. Other times both have wronged each other. But even when others are completely wrong, according to the Lord’s teaching we should still forgive. Do not remember other’s wrong. Do not bear grudges or try to revenge. The reason is very clear. It is because the number of times we wrong God, and sin against God, exceeds the number of times others wrong us and do injustice to us. Just like the parable in Matthew 18:23-35. Comparing the ten thousand talents with a hundred denarii is the difference of one million times. The Lord has forgiven us thousands of wrongs, cancelled us thousands of debts. We should do like wise to others. God forgives us not just seven times, or seventy times seven, but countless of times. As such we should not count the number of times we forgive others.
If we do not forgive others God will not forgive us. The consequence is like what is said in the parable. His master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. Since the ten thousand talents can never be re-paid we have to forgive all those who owe us so that our Father in heaven will forgive us. This way our prayers will be heard. Often times our prayers are not heard. It is because when we do not forgive others, God also do not forgive us and do not listen to our prayers. On the one hand we bear grudges; remember other’s wrongs and refuse to forgive. But on the other hand we ask God to forgive our wrongs, cancel our debts, have mercy and listen to our prayers. Something obviously absurd and contradictory is going on here. Proverb 19:11 says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offence.”
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“你們各人若不從心裏饒恕你的弟兄，我天父也要這樣待你們了。”馬太18：35.
我們活在世上人們中間，難免有人得罪我們，對不起我們，甚至逼迫，傷害我們。雖然有時是我們先得罪人，對不起人，又或者互相都有錯。但就算完全是對方的錯，按主的教訓，也應該饒恕人。不可記住人的惡，懷恨人，甚至報復人。這原因很清楚，因為我們得罪神，對不起神，遠超過人得罪我們，對不起我們。正如馬太福音18：23-35 的比喻說，一千萬銀子和十兩銀子相比，是差一百萬倍，神既饒恕了我們一千罪過，赦免了我們一千虧損，我們也當照樣饒恕人。神饒恕我們不止七次，或七十個七次，而是無數次。所以我們也不當計較饒恕人的次數。
如果我們不饒恕人，神也不饒恕我們的過犯。那結果就像這比喻所說的，要被交給掌刑的，等還清所欠的債，那一千萬銀子是無法歸還的。所以要饒恕一切得罪我們的人，好叫天父也饒恕我們。這樣我們的禱告才蒙垂聽。許多禱告不蒙主應允，是因為不饒恕人。因此神也不肯饒恕我們，不肯聽我們的禱告了。我們一方面恨人，紀念人的惡，不肯饒恕人。另一方面卻到神面前求赦免，饒恕，求神施恩，應允所求，顯然是有矛盾的，不相配的。箴言19：11說“人有見識，就不輕易發怒，寬恕人的過失，便是自己的榮耀。”