The scripture reading comes from Philemon. Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen.
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother.
To Philemon, our beloved fellow worker, and Aphia, our sister, and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.
And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet, for love's sake, I prefer to appeal to you.
I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner, also for Christ Jesus, I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.
Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.
I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel.
But I prefer to do nothing without your consent, in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion, but of your own accord.
For this, perhaps, is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother, especially to me.
But how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
I, Paul, write this with my own hand.
I will repay it, to say nothing of your only me, even your own self.
Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you and the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ.
Confident of your obedience, I write to you,
knowing that you will do even more than I say.
At the same time, prepare a guest room for me,
for I am hoping that, through your prayers, I will be graciously given to you.
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you.
And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
This is the word of God.
Great, thanks, Joanne and Annabelle, reading the entire book of the Bible in one sitting.
There we go.
Paul, do you want to come on up and let me introduce Paul to us.
Paul is going to be bringing God's word to us this morning, preaching.
And Chris actually is the one that introduced us to Paul.
And Chris has preached.
So Paul is a pastor at Holy Light Church in Yuen Long.
Is that right?
Yes.
And I don't actually know how you guys met about a year ago or so.
Two years.
Two years ago?
Okay.
Yeah.
And I know Chris has come and preached at your church once or twice.
And the first time he came back, he said, you've got to meet this guy, Paul.
He's an amazing gospel man.
So humble and yet really sure of God's love and the gospel.
And Chris just spoke so highly of you.
And Paul came to our staff meeting probably a year ago, a little bit less, and spoke to our staff.
Yes.
And back then, we decided on this date, almost nine months ago, we decided, okay, February 2020, come and bring God's word.
And then we've actually seen each other twice this week, on Tuesday night and on Thursday afternoon.
Yes.
And Paul, it's really great to have you.
We're so grateful for you coming down this morning and being with us.
So thank you for bringing God's word.
Thank you for your all.
And we're so thrilled that you're with us.
Thank you.
Can I pray for you and just for us this morning?
Yes.
Great.
Let's pray briefly.
Lord Jesus, thank you so much for Paul, for his life and his ministry.
Thank you for his devotion to you, God, how you saved him as a young man, God.
And you've called him to help others discover the hope of Jesus in the gospel.
Lord, I pray that as he brings your word to us this morning, that you will anoint him and empower him.
I pray, God, that it won't just be his words, but it'll be you speaking through him.
We want to hear from you this morning.
We want to encounter you in your word.
And so we pray for him.
We pray for his church, for Holy Life Church, God.
Fill us and fill him and fill them with your spirit, we pray.
We pray these things in your wonderful name.
Amen.
Paul, over to you.
Thank you.
Thank you for Kelvin's.
Actually, I'm humble because I know I'm not good.
I have nothing to be proud of, so I have to be humble because I'm not very strong or anything.
Let me introduce myself.
I come from a local family and local church.
And my father is just a construction site worker, painter.
And my mother worked in a factory as a plastic toy worker.
So I'm born in a very poor house.
I'm born in a broken house.
My grandfather was a drug addict.
And also my uncle was a drug addict.
And the gospel comes through my grandmother.
My father, she led my uncle to believe in Jesus and quit drug taking.
And after a while, my cousin was also become a drug addict.
And God saved me and I bring the gospel to my brother and he quit taking drugs.
So I come from a very broken family.
I have nothing to be proud of.
But it is all the grace of God who saved our family.
And I'm not very academic people.
So I'm not very good at theology or any exegesis, something like that.
I used to minister serving in prison.
I've been serving in the prison for 11 years.
And I still keep going to the prison.
So I used to talk to people face by face individually.
So actually, that's why I ask all of you to pray for me.
Because I'm not used to preach to a bunch of people.
It would make me nervous.
And especially, I'm a local Hong Konger.
So my mother tongue was Cantonese.
It is the third time I preach in English.
So I'm so nervous.
So please pray for me.
And thank you.
Thank you.
All right.
I'll send you one.
Make yourself at home.
Okay.
All right.
Thank you.
Sorry about that.
Hello.
It's okay.
So that's why I used the scripture today.
I will try to use some life story I met in the prison, as well as some story in our family.
Try to demonstrate how the gospel changed people.
And not just individually, but in a community.
So did you ever ask a question like, why you are brought to this world?
What is the meaning of life?
Especially when you are suffering, being despised, neglected, or left alone?
Actually, I tell you, I asked this question when I was three years old.
I told you, my father is a painter.
My mother is a factory worker.
So in my memory, I was brought up by my grandmother.
My parents didn't work a whole day.
And after they come back home, they eat their dinner, and then they will sleep.
And very early in the morning, they will go out to work again.
So I have very little time to meet with my parents.
And, you know, when you're kissed, you would like your parents to hug you, to be with you.
I may try to ask them, come, play with me.
Come, spend some time with me.
But they would say, I'm so tired.
Go away, go away.
Find your grandmom.
And if I, you know, I'm naughty, they may even beat me.
So that's why I will, in the year of three, I ask myself, if you don't love me, why did you bring me to this world?
Today, we also talk about a slave.
I think this slave, he may probably ask this question a thousand times in his life.
Why am I a slave?
What is the meaning of my life?
Was it a mistake I came to this world?
Actually, I heard this question a lot in prison, especially some prisoners who come from Africa.
They were cheated to bring some drug to Hong Kong.
And the people who cheated him said, oh, it's very, it's no big deal to bring drugs to Hong Kong.
The penalty is very small.
You just need to stay a few months in Hong Kong and then you come back.
But after they were arrested in Hong Kong, they find the penalties several decades, two decades or several years in Hong Kong.
They were collapsed.
They just wanted to earn a few money for their family.
So they worry about their family and they ask about what is the meaning of life?
Why this happened to me?
And we don't know the reason, but this slave, Omnissimus, left his master, probably stolen some money when he left.
And eventually, he went to Rome, arrived Rome.
In there, he met Paul.
And in there, he heard the gospel.
And in there, the gospel transformed his whole life.
I met some people from overseas, from Africa, from South America, from Vietnam, from Southeast Asia or India, Southern Asia.
They said they have heard about Jesus, but they don't think Jesus did matter to him until he was in prison.
And when he asked the meaning of life, and when they heard about the gospel, their life was transformed.
And some even said their sentence was very short, just a few months.
And some said, oh, this few months sentence for me is not a curse, a blessing.
Because, not because of this, my life will never change.
I will still living in a lie, living under illusion.
I'm chasing something that is not worthy.
But because of Christ, my life was changed.
And also, Omnissimus, when he arrived in Rome, he met Paul.
He heard the gospel, and the gospel transformed his life.
Omnissimus, his name means profitable or good to you.
But to him, he may not think so.
Maybe he was someone's assets, which means profitable to his master, because at least he worth some money.
But to himself, he might think his life was worthless, meaningless, or even a burden.
What was the point doing all the housework, but you never know when will you have your own family or your own house?
I think the youngster in Hong Kong may probably understand this feeling.
Why should I study so hard?
Why should I get into the university?
How many years I need to work and didn't spend a penny in order to save enough money to get an apartment?
What's the point to working so hard?
What is the meaning of life?
And I think Omnissimus might be thinking about why I have this fate.
So he ran away from his master.
Maybe his living from his master was to find freedom or to start a new life.
But what future could happen to a fugitive?
I did meet some prisoner who has been a fugitive running away to mainland China.
He stayed several years in mainland China until all his money was spent.
And after that, he turned himself in back to Hong Kong.
And I met him in Lai Chi Kho.
And he said to me, even though I have money, even though I feel secure in mainland China, but I have no peace.
Every night I was afraid someone would break in and take me to the police.
Or even someone I get against, probably some gangster from the opposite side, may come to take me and beat me.
So even though he has a lot of money, he was worried about many, many things.
Until he came to Hong Kong and turned himself in and he took up his responsibility to confess his sin or his guilty, he finally relieved.
He said he finally can shake off the guilt and the worry he used to have in mainland China.
So we don't know whether Onesimus knew Paul was in Rome, but eventually he met Paul there.
From Paul, Onesimus heard that the problem of his life as well as this world were the consequences of our sin.
Actually, it is sin who divides us or separates us from God.
And the consequences, we're not only separated from God, we're also, we're called alienated or separated from ourselves.
We don't know who we are.
We don't know our true identity.
We rely on many, many other things to define am I a worthy people.
For example, I listen to a lot of gangsters in youth institutions.
He was very young, just 16 years old.
But he just have a grade 9 education.
And he said to me, if I have money, if I can earn enough money to have a company or have a shop, I will be somebody.
So he tried to do some drug trafficking.
And you know, drug trafficking is really, really very profitable in Hong Kong.
He said to me, one month he can earn 200,000 by drug trafficking.
So he just want to do one year and earn several million dollars and then he can set up a company.
And then he can no longer deal with drugs and he will be somebody.
So that's the problem.
We all define our value, our identity with something outside ourselves, something outside God.
So that's the problem.
We create a lot of problem.
We just care about ourselves and didn't care about other people's well-being.
So, and also the sin also bring other consequences.
We don't know how to treat the nature properly.
We don't know how to enjoy but not exploit the nature, the natural resources.
So we see a lot of pollution, a lot of environmental problem.
It's all the consequences of sin.
After that, after Omnissimus knows that the problem is our sin.
And not only that, he heard from Paul that the creator of this world has become flesh and died for our sin, who is Jesus.
He died instead of us.
He substituted us to bear the price of sin on the cross.
By receiving Jesus, Omnissimus received a new identity.
He became God's favorite son.
He was no longer belong to this world, even though he's still living in this world.
But he knew he belonged to a heavenly family, a kingdom of eternity.
So even though our life on this earth is very short, but our life story didn't end after we died.
We belong to an eternity kingdom.
So now Omnissimus knew the meaning of his life, why he was a slave.
He become an ambassador of God using his role as a slave.
He's not just a slave, but also an ambassador of God.
Now, before he's doing all the housework, he don't know what's the meaning.
But at that time, Paul was in prison in Rome.
He couldn't leave the house freely.
He needed to stay in the house until his case was trialed.
So he needs someone to take care of his daily life.
And he opened his house.
People can visit him and listen to the gospel.
At that moment, Omnissimus finds his purpose.
He can serve Paul.
He can participate in the mission of preaching the gospel.
His life is not useless.
His life is meaningful and useful.
I met a man.
I called him Mr. Chow several years ago.
At that time, he was 60 years old.
And he told me he was discharged from prison when he was 58 years old.
58.
He has been in prison for 17 times in all his life.
17 times in prison.
The first time he was in prison was 17 years old.
He was very young.
And because he took drugs, he was a drug addict.
So he went in and went out to prison many, many times.
17 times.
All his life is to cheat money for drugs.
And because he used needles to inject the drug, his left leg, the blood vessel of his last leg was blocked.
And so his left leg was swollen and difficult to walk.
He was so afraid his left leg would be needed to cut off.
And in his last imprisonment, he met a friend who used to take drugs with him.
But this time, his friend looked healthier and fatter than before.
So he was so curious as, what happened to you?
So his friend told him, well, I quit taking drugs by the gospel.
But this time, I was in prison because I was fighting with others.
So it doesn't matter with the drug.
So Mr. Chow was very curious.
Oh, I used to look down on this guy.
Even though we are all drug addicts, but I looked down on him because I think he's not worthy or not better than me.
But how come he can become so healthier and look better than me?
I must quit the drug also.
So after he was discharged, he immediately joined St. Stephen's Society to treat the drug.
So two years later, he kept living in St. Stephen's Society.
He quit taking drugs.
And not only he quit drugs, but also he became a volunteer.
He went to Guangzhou station.
You know, there's a back street of Guangzhou railway station.
Many drug addicts used to inject drugs in there.
He joined other volunteers to go to Guangzhou and spread the leaflet and told them about the gospel,
how you can quit taking drugs by the gospel.
He became useful.
He said he didn't think he can be useful even when he was 60 years old.
He think his life was over.
He was rubbish.
He couldn't bring any good to this world.
But by God's grace, he can bring some good to this world.
After knowing Omnissimus was escaped from his master Philemon,
Paul wrote this letter to ask Philemon to forgive and receive Omnissimus again.
Paul knew Philemon because it is Paul who brings the gospel to Philemon,
and Paul has been visiting the church in Philemon's house.
Paul and Philemon has a very close relationship.
So, Paul praised Philemon for his love and his faith towards Jesus and all the saints.
And Philemon did live out the gospel transformed life because his good doing,
his good deed was not just because the law requests me to do or because other people expect me to do so,
so I do the good thing.
No, he do all the good thing because it is all out of the love and faith of him towards Jesus.
Paul also quoted other saints' testimony.
Paul said,
Philemon, many people report to me, you had refreshed their heart.
So, Paul appealed to Philemon.
Paul warned Philemon to keep showing his kindness, especially to an old man and a prisoner for Christ, which is Paul.
Paul appealed to Philemon for his child Omnissimus.
He warned Philemon could forgive and receive Omnissimus.
True forgiveness and acceptance cannot be requested by compulsion or by force.
Because this must come from a willing heart.
And it also means willing to give up the right to revenge.
I think it's very hard for us to ask for forgiveness.
And I also think it's very hard to forgive someone truly hurt you.
Without the grace of God, I don't think it would be possible.
Mr. Chow, the 60-year-old brother I mentioned, he told me one day he prayed to God.
He said,
God, I have brought a lot of hurt to my family.
My father, my sister, moved to other places.
They changed their telephone number because they want to avoid me.
I cheat them a lot and I let them disappoint a lot.
And my wife and daughter, she has a wife when he was very young.
And his wife gave birth a daughter for him.
But also, his wife, his daughter forsake him.
And he said,
And I couldn't contact them.
I don't have their telephone number.
And I am also too ashamed to try to search them by myself.
Please help me.
So after this prayer, a few days,
he joined a volunteer activity of his church.
He helped to clean an elder person's home in Chinhwan.
He arrived early in Chinhwan MTR station.
So arriving in the MTR station,
he checked his mobile to see where other church members were.
And when he was checking his mobile,
a woman come to him and asked him,
Are you Sam Go?
Are you the third brother?
Are you Sam Go?
I am Sam Go?
I am the third brother's wife.
How are you?
You look better.
You look healthier.
What happened to you?
And Mr. Chow told her sister-in-law about he was receiving gospel drug rehabilitation service.
He was living with other brother in the rehab center.
He was going to the church,
and now he was going to do some cleansing work for an elder person.
And one week later,
one week later,
his two elder sister,
his younger brother and his sister-in-law,
come out to have lunch with him.
And one month later,
another younger brother,
fly to Hong Kong from Europe to have dinner with him.
And a few weeks later,
her sister-in-law find her daughter.
Her daughter forgave him and accept him as father again.
So,
Mr. Chow said,
drug has taken everything from me.
I have never dreamed of having my family accept me again.
People used to look me as a worm,
as a rubbish,
or invisible.
People will not respect me.
But now,
God gave me a new identity.
God gave me dignity.
And God break back my family.
Not just a heavenly family,
but also my blood family.
So,
having my family forgive and accept me again
is the grace of God.
So,
it is not by the grace of God,
I don't think Mr. Chow can
reconsolate with his family.
Forgive is very difficult,
especially if someone hurts you
deep and very long time.
And ask to forgive is also very difficult,
because
we are afraid,
we don't like the feeling of shame.
We don't like the feeling
to plead guilty before man.
But,
Paul warned,
or Paul appealed to Philemon,
remember the grace of God.
Remember the love of Jesus Christ.
And,
let the love of Jesus Christ
be your energy,
be your strength and power
to forgive.
So,
Paul reminds Philemon that
he might not just
have received,
he might have not just received
Omnissimus
as a born servant,
but more
than a born servant.
Although,
Omnissimus
was still
a slave.
But,
slave is not his primary
identity anymore.
He was a son of God.
Slave
or master,
these identities
couldn't divide
the relationship
we have in Christ
because of Christ.
We can put down
the hatred
because of Christ.
We can put down
all the debt before.
We can reconcilate
with each other.
In
Shakpik prison,
every Wednesday,
I will have,
we will have
religious class
in Shakpik prison.
People from
South America,
people from
Africa,
people from
Asia
will come
to our
religious class.
We all
worship together
using different
languages.
religious,
we try to learn
the Bible.
Sometimes I will
speak in Cantonese,
someone will
translate it into
English,
and someone will
translate it from
English to Spanish
because I'm from
South America.
So, you know,
Cantonese,
Mandarin,
English,
Spanish,
we all speak
in the same
religious class.
Language didn't
become a bearer.
Our nationality,
our color,
it doesn't
matter because
we know
we are all
sinners.
We all need
the grace and
salvation from
Christ.
Some of them,
they are well
educated.
Some of them
are accountants.
Some of them
are lawyers.
Some of them
are teachers.
And some of
them are not
very well
educated.
They may have
a grade
six or
grade seven
education.
they were
a gangster.
Some from
America,
they didn't,
Africa,
they didn't
receive any
much well
education.
But,
they knew
education,
our intelligence,
couldn't help
us overcome
the dark side
of our humanity.
Even though
you are a
lawyer,
even though
you are
a professional
just like a
teacher,
when the
temptation
comes,
you will
still fail.
They commit
crime because
of money,
because of
sex,
some maybe
because they
couldn't control
their anger.
So,
they hurt
people and
they were
in prison.
So,
they understand
all,
we all
need the
salvation,
the grace
of God.
God.
So,
in this
little room,
we truly
share what
is grace,
no matter
what social
status,
or how
many money
you have,
or where
you come
from.
We are
all in
a family,
a heavenly
family.
We are all
brothers and
sisters of
a family.
I don't
know how
you feel
about this
teaching.
Maybe you
understand this
teaching very
much in your
head a long
time ago.
But I
should remind
you,
it is very
hard to
put what
we learn
in our
head to
our heart
to live
it out.
Because
the world
is,
we are
living in a
world used
to judge
or compare
people by
many things
outside of
ourselves.
We use
education
to compare
people.
We use
where do
they live
to compare
people.
And because
I live in
Taiwan,
I live in
a public
estate,
and I
was very
poor.
So every
time I
went to
Central,
I was so
afraid,
anxious,
because I
felt I'm
not worthy
walking in
Central.
I'm lower
than the
people living
in Central.
They are
well-educated,
more educated
than me.
They have
more money
than me.
I dare
not to
speak to
them.
That's what
when I was
young, I
was like
that.
The world
teach me
like that.
We judge
people by
many our
things rather
than in
God.
people.
But in
this
religious
class in
Sepik
prison,
we truly
experience,
not in
our head,
but in
our heart,
because many
people,
Christian
volunteer,
they are
professors,
they are
musicians,
they are,
many come
from different
social classes,
come to the
prison and
worship together
with them,
and love
them,
show their
care to
them,
but not
as a role
of I'm a
rescuer,
I try to
rescue you.
No,
they really
come to,
I want to
make friends
with you,
I want to
be your
brother,
I want to
be your
sister,
I want to
walk with
you through
a journey,
especially
in a low
time of
your life.
So they
truly experience
the grace
of God in
their heart.
So I
think
maybe
it is a
very blessed
place,
somehow
maybe more
blessed than
in this
place,
because we
are all
sitting here
with a
proper
dressing,
we have
air
condition,
and we
all look
like very
civilized,
you know,
so people
will respect
you,
people will
love you,
probably because
of your
dressing,
because you
are speaking
very nice
to me,
but in
the prison,
they're
dressing
prisoner's
clothes,
they got
their
uniform,
and they
strip off
all their
social
titles,
even though
they're
a lawyer,
they're
accountant,
no,
they become
a number,
three,
five,
six,
so one,
come,
someone
visit you.
So when
he experiences
this and
someone didn't
care about
how he
dressed,
what people
call him,
they experience
someone truly
accept them,
love them,
and share
God's love
to them,
they experience
the power
of the
gospel,
it breaks
all the
dividing
wall,
we become
a body,
we become
a family,
no matter
what language
you're speaking,
no matter
what color
you are,
and I
saw that
is the
power of
the gospel,
so I
think I
can only
share my
experience,
I want you
to understand
and try to
learn in
this place,
we shouldn't
and we need
not to learn
it in the
prison,
I don't want
you all to
go to
prison to
experience this
experience,
but I
truly want
you to
experience
the power
of the
gospel in
here,
we can
love each
other no
matter what
social status
you are,
what language
you are speaking,
what color
you are,
where you
live,
in Christ
we are all
one family,
so Paul knew
that Omnismos
takes some
value thing
from Philemon,
maybe money,
maybe anything,
but Paul knew
it might bring
some hurt
to Philemon,
Paul was
willing to
take the
debt
of Omnismos
or Philemon
into his
account,
he was
imitating
Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ
bear our
sin and
pay the
debt of
our sin
on the
cross,
Paul was
willing to
take the
debt of
Omnismos
as his
own,
is there
anyone hurt
you,
that you
find it
very difficult
to forgive,
what do
you think
if Jesus
Christ
was not
only
die for
you,
but also
the one
who hurt
you?
My sister
was adopted
to my
family
when I
was born,
at that
time she
was just
two years
old,
her birth
father
abandoned
her
when she
was two,
and she
knew this
truth when
she was
five.
Her
birth
father
will
occasionally
visit her
a few
times a
year,
but every
time her
birth father
visits her,
he will
ask my
sister,
take her
homework,
take her
test paper
to let
him have
a look,
and her
birth father
will ask
her,
kneel down,
ask about
how come
you got
so low
score in
the school,
and her
birth father
will beat
her.
So she
suffered a
lot in
her childhood,
and she
wasn't getting
very well
with my
family,
especially to
my parents
also,
so she
left our
family,
live by
herself when
she was
16 years
old,
and she
just got
grade 9
education.
So for
her,
it's very
difficult to
make a
living with
a grade 9
education,
16 years
old girl,
she need
to take
care all
by herself.
but eventually,
she settled
down with
a stable
income,
and he
met a
boyfriend,
living with
her boyfriend.
But happy
days were
very short.
At her
early 30,
I couldn't
remember,
it's 31
years old,
or 32
years old,
my sister
was diagnosed
with phase
4 cancer,
and at
the same
time,
she found
her boyfriend
was in
love with
another
woman.
So she
was so
shocked and
so heart
broken.
Her
boyfriend
don't want
to be with
her anymore,
so my
sister come
back to my
family,
live with
us.
Suffer and
heart
broken and
exhausted,
she started
to go to
church with
us.
And in
the church,
he heard
the gospel,
he heard
Jesus.
She told
me, she
think about
all his
life, he
suffered a
lot, and
she also
did many
mistakes.
She was
so
self-centered,
sometimes
she was so
pried,
so
he asked
Jesus to
forgive her
sin, and
also he
asked Jesus
to heal
the hurt
in her
heart.
She said
she wanted
to find
love from
her father,
but her
father didn't
love her.
She wanted
to find love
from her
boyfriend,
but the
love from
her boyfriend
was very
short,
very temporal,
but finally
he found
the love
in Jesus,
and this
love never
failed her,
so she
received Jesus
and baptized,
and thanks
God, by the
grace of
God, her
cancer was
under control,
and her
health
eventually
restored.
In the
meantime,
her boyfriend
come back,
want to make
up with her
and live
with her
again,
so they
tried to
work it
out again,
but they
enjoyed a
few years
of happiness,
but ten
years later,
in my
sister,
42 years
old,
the cancer
came back,
and this
time,
he died
at 43
years old.
The day
she died,
every family
member came
to farewell
her,
and when
she breathed
out her
last breath,
it is
her birth
father
and her
husband,
the two
who hurt
her deepest
in her
life,
accompanied
her,
and when
my sister,
before she
died,
she said
to her
birth
father,
I
forgive
you.
She
knew
that
Jesus
Christ
not just
died for
her sin,
but also
those who
hurt her.
Jesus
has already
paid the
price.
She no
longer
hates
them.
She
needs no
revenge,
and she
left the
world without
hatred,
without
regret.
I saw
a beautiful
picture.
Two men
hurt my
sister
most
in her
life,
but it
is
day,
it is
them
accompanying
her to
walk to
the end,
to live
this world.
And what a
wonderful picture
is,
when my
sister
died,
he
reconsolates
with her
father,
and also
he
affirmed
her love
and her
husband's
love.
It's by the
power of the
gospel.
It is
Jesus
healed
the
wound,
the
hurt in
my
sister's
heart,
that she
can have
the love
to forgive
and to
put down
all the
debt.
He didn't
ask anyone
to pay
back the
debt they
own her.
I
witnessed,
I experienced
how Jesus
became our
peace.
I'm not
an academic
people.
I don't
know how
to explain
the scripture
very
reachfully
to you.
I can
only use
this life
story example
to tell
them what
I witnessed,
what I
experienced
in my
life,
how Jesus
has broken
down the
dividing wall
of hostility,
how he
created in
himself one
new man in
a place of
the two.
Did you
also experience
this?
I want
you to
think about
I want
to share
my experience
not to
earn your
like or
earn your
clap hand.
I just
want to
share with
you is
God is
true.
The power
of the
gospel is
very true.
It changed
my whole
life.
It changed
my family's
life.
It changed
the history
of my
whole family.
So I
want you
also to
experience it.
not just
stay in
our head.
Do you
think you
are most
related to
Omnisimus or
to Philemon?
Did you
hurt someone
that you
dare not
to ask
forgiveness
from him
or from
her?
Or does
anyone hurt
you before
that you
find it
very difficult
to forgive
him or
forgive her?
Or do
you find
the social
status,
slave or
master,
educated or
uneducated?
It becomes
a barrier
for you
to connect
to people,
to love
the people,
or be
united
together in
Christ?
We all
need to
face the
dark side
of our
humanity.
We are
very fragile.
We are
just broken
human.
But there's
hope.
We should
just look
in ourselves
and don't
look to
God.
We should
look to
ourselves,
but also
we should
look to
Jesus Christ,
what he
did for
us.
It is
Jesus who
helped us
or saved
us.
It is
Jesus who
delivered us
from the
guilty,
from shame.
It is also
Jesus who
gave us
power,
strength to
forgive or
to ask for
forgiveness.
Don't let
yourself trapped
in hatred
or trapped
in guilt
or shame.
It is
Jesus who
promised us
to have a
joyful life
through a
freedom.
I can freely
love people.
I am not a
slave of
sin.
I am not a
slave of
my shame.
I am not a
slave of
my pride.
I can freely
love people
just as
Jesus loved
me.
So I just
want you to
enjoy the
love of
Jesus.
And let
the love
of Jesus
help you
to ask
for forgiveness
or to
forgive or
to love
someone very
different from
you.
And let
the grace
and the
love of
God flow
through you
to the
people around
you.
And if
every one
of us can
truly experience
this,
we may
truly transform
this community,
this city.
people will
no longer
pointing their
finger to
other people,
blaming other
people's
responsibility,
or just
care about
themselves,
don't love
each other,
don't want to
connect with
each other.
It is God's
grace who
divides this
wall of
hostility.
It is God's
grace, it is
Jesus' love
bringing us
together.
We can
humbly
confess to
each other,
ask forgiveness
from each
other.
We can
love and
walk with
each other
by the
grace of
God.
I truly,
truly want
to share
my experience
so that you
may also
experience this.
If it is
your situation
today, no
matter you
are ashamed
to ask
forgiveness,
or you
are hard to
forgive some
people, or
you are hard
to love
someone very
different from
you, I
ask God
here, his
Holy Spirit,
pour the
love of
God, the
love of
Jesus into
our heart,
that we may
have the
strength, have
the love
from God
truly to
forgive, to
ask for
forgiveness, to
truly love,
not by our
judgment or
by our
standard.
I truly
hope God
may do
that.
Let us
pray.
Let us
pray.
Amen.
Lord Jesus,
we are all
broken people.
We cannot
boast anything
in front of
you.
We are so
fragile.
We have our
limit, and
also we
have our
dark side.
We cannot
save by
ourselves,
and also
we hurt
each other.
We hurt
people, people
hurt us, and
this hurt
divided us.
But Jesus,
thank you.
You died
for our
sin.
You've
already paid
the debt.
You've
already
canceled our
punishment on
the cross.
because we
receive in
you our
sin transferred
to you, and
your righteousness
transferred to
us.
We become
children of
God.
We join
your family.
We need
not any
other
outside thing
to judge
who we
are.
In
Jesus Christ,
in you, we
are all
beloved.
We are all
your children,
and we can
love each
other sincerely,
not by our
standard to
judge who
is deserved,
who is not
deserved.
Everyone in
Christ is our
family member,
is our body.
So we thank
you for your
love.
If today we
still angry
with some
people, we
find it very
difficult to
forgive,
please help
us.
Heal our
wound in
our heart,
heal our
sorrow or
hurt, and
fill our
heart with
your love.
That we
forgive not
because you
requested me,
or someone
requested me,
that we
forgive because
we truly
experience your
love, and
we're truly
willing to
forgive.
Lord, help
us.
Help us to
let your
gospel not
just stay in
our head,
but go to
our heart,
melt our
heart,
transform our
heart,
take away all
the bitterness,
take away all
the pride
or shame
out of our
heart.
Let us
freely,
joyfully,
enjoy your
love, enjoy
your grace,
and we
can share
willingly,
share your
love, your
grace willingly
to the people
around us.
Change our
family,
change our
city,
and may
your glory
shine to
the city
through us,
and may
your love
show to
the people
in this city
through us.
Hear our
prayer in
Jesus' name.
Amen.