My name's Linda, for those who don't know me.
I'm just going to do the reading today.
It's from Matthew 15, starting at verse 32.
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said,
I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days
and have nothing to eat, and I am unwilling to send them away hungry
lest they faint on the way.
And the disciples said to him,
Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?
And Jesus said to them,
How many loaves do you have?
They said, Seven, and a few small fish.
And directing the crowd to sit on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish,
and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
And they all ate and were satisfied,
and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
He answered them,
When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.
And in the morning, it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,
but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
So he left them and departed.
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.
Jesus said to them,
Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
And they began discussing it among themselves, saying,
We bought no bread.
But Jesus, aware of this, said,
Oh, you little faith,
why are you discussing among yourselves the fact you have no bread?
Do you not yet perceive?
Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered?
Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered?
How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread,
but of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
My name is Bo, and I want the elders.
Welcome to church.
And for those who are online as well,
I understand that there are quite a number of us who are not well.
And I think over this winter,
as the viruses are spreading around,
I think every week there will be some of us who would not be well enough to come.
But yeah, just gather with us on Zoom.
Today the title that I'm speaking on is
the bread of grace and the leaven of performance.
So on the picture, you can see there are two types of bread.
One has got leaven,
that is more with A inside,
and the other one is unleavened.
At first, I put down the name as
the yeast of performance,
but actually the Lord used the word leaven.
What is the difference between leaven and yeast?
Yeast is just the organism itself.
Leaven means that the organism has infused or permeated the bread.
So that's why it's called leaven.
Leaven on Greek actually translates into English,
I think into the word enzyme.
Enzyme, the same word.
Enzyme is the substance that we use to change.
A little bit of enzyme can change a lot of material
and our body functions on enzyme.
Let us pray before we start.
Father God, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Messiah who has come,
who has done wondrous things,
and who has given us life.
Help us as we read your word
and meditate on your word today
that we might appreciate
and know that we do have this treasure,
great treasure in us.
Help us to live out such a life,
a life that contains the treasure that is unspeakable.
Thank you, Lord.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Thank you, Lord.
About a month ago,
after the elders' meeting,
David Coderwood told us about someone
who was being interviewed for a job.
And he said,
the question the interviewer asked was that,
tell us why we should employ you.
And David was a bit perturbed by such a question.
Maybe he's a bit too old
and he didn't know that this is how the world operates now.
But that is a very common question, isn't it,
for those who have gone to an interview.
But that question actually made me start thinking.
And that's how this sermon came about,
even from his random remarks.
And yes, if the interviewer asked you this question,
why we should employ you,
how will your answer?
And if your answer is,
because I need the money,
then your answer could be the most truthful one
among all the candidates.
But you are not likely to get the job.
Why is that so?
Because a company needs people
to give it life and growth.
It cannot employ people who does not perform.
So just for the young people here,
if you come to an interview,
I can tell you that,
this is from what I experienced this,
I'm not an expert on this,
but there are four EEs that you can remember.
The first one is,
you talk about education or expertise,
what level of knowledge you have,
and how your knowledge is related to the job you apply for.
So they want to know your qualifications.
Number two is experience.
And they want to know if you have done similar jobs before
and for how long and how you perform.
Number three is efforts.
They want to know if you have put in some effort
to find out about this job,
what you know about this job
and how hard working you'll be.
In general, they want to know that.
And the fourth EEs is exceptional skills.
So that one is a bonus.
If you have any exceptional skills or talents,
such as photographic memory
or speedy calculation,
so this will improve your chance of getting the job.
So the fourth EEs,
why am I telling you this?
But this is not a talk about interview.
But I thought this knowledge is useful for young people
if you want to be selected as school captain
or president of a club or employee.
There's good knowledge.
But more importantly,
I'm telling you this
because this is how the world outside your family operates.
Your parents may put up with you
regardless of your performance in any four EEs,
but the world outside will not.
The world outside is a huge place of needs.
It needs capable people to run businesses,
schools, factories, hospitals.
Because we live in this world of needs,
we tend to assess people with respect to their usefulness.
So we come to today's reading.
We see Jesus interacting with three groups of people.
How does the world assess them?
How do we see them ourselves?
And how does Jesus see them?
And how do they see Jesus?
So we just spend some time
looking at these three groups of people.
The first group,
I call the nobodies,
that is from Matthew 15, 32-39.
So in all the history of the world,
there's always a last row of people
who do not make it above the poverty line.
They are dispensable
and they play no important role in their societies.
As far as the rest of the world is concerned,
they are the nobodies.
You know that for most of us,
we live above the poverty line.
We have education.
We have a comfortable life.
This is not common in the history of the world
or even today in many parts of the world.
because for people to live as we do,
we need to have a stable society.
We need to have good healthcare.
Otherwise, people get sick and they die young
and they are not productive.
And if the society is not stable,
you can't be sure that what you earn
will not be robbed by other people.
And so it's hard to put in any effort to do things.
But most people who are poor,
not because of laziness,
but because they do not have any opportunity
to get education or healthcare
or such thing that we enjoy.
And if you're not in those societies
or those people,
it's very difficult to understand
the feeling of happiness and desperation of the poor.
We just simply don't.
I didn't until I went to the Philippines
and Cambodia
and lived and see how those young, poor people lived.
I would not actually have felt very much for them
or understand their situation.
It's difficult to imagine the pain of parents
when they can't afford to get their children
to have any healthcare,
a child has a toothache,
what do you do?
And it's difficult to understand the hunger
that people suffer,
people who don't know
whether they can have the next meal.
And that is still very common in our world today.
In Matthew 15, 32 to 39,
we see Jesus living among this group
of mostly Gentile,
Gentile nobodies for three days.
He went through hunger with them.
Right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry,
he was led by the Holy Spirit
to be in the wilderness
and went through hunger for 40 days.
Why did he do that?
Jesus was identifying with the poor and needy.
He knew what it was like to be hungry.
We see these thousands of people
over these three days,
they enjoyed their starvation,
but they did not go home
because they found one who cared for them
and they latched on to Jesus
to get some relief from their sufferings.
Were they worthy to be helped?
Not really.
Nobody was worthy to get help from Jesus.
Like us,
they were foolish people.
They were disobedient people.
They were led astray
by their sinful desires.
They were slaves
to their various passions and pleasure,
passing their days in malaise and envy,
hated by others
and hating one another.
This is what Paul said in Titus.
But Jesus had compassion on them.
The disciples said,
where are we to get enough bread
in such a desolate place
to feed so great a crowd?
When we read this,
we would be surprised.
Didn't Jesus just fed the 5,000
not too long ago
at a similar situation?
Didn't Jesus just heal so many people
over the last three days?
So,
were those disciples slow?
Were they dumb?
I don't think so.
I think they were just tired
and they have had enough.
After spending three days
serving these people,
they wished that Jesus
would send them away.
They had already done so much for them.
What more would they expect?
The disciples could not see
any benefit for them
to keep helping this group of nobodies.
And so,
as a contrast,
we see the grace of Jesus.
The Canaanite woman,
as what
Gareth mentioned just now,
might be asking
just for some crumbs,
but Jesus was giving
these Gentiles bread.
And he did not care
for these people
because they were useful
to him,
but because he had
compassion on them.
He fed them
with so much bread
that they could
not eat anymore
with seven baskets
full of broken pieces
left over.
And this is the grace of God.
It is free
and satisfying
and he will feed you
until you overflow with it.
The next score of people
we can read from
Matthew 16,
1 to 4,
I call them
the sunbodies.
For
a society
to be established,
we need
sunbodies
to unite,
to organize,
to judge
the population,
to keep
the law and order.
These people
usually have more education,
experience,
and skills.
and they tend
to rule the society,
to rule the nobody
with iron fees.
They knew that
if they were soft,
people would become
disobedient and defiant.
They could not afford
to rule with compassion
because people
would take advantage
of their compassion.
They saw Jesus
feeding the 4,000.
They might think
that Jesus was a fool
for giving up
free food.
If you give people
free food,
they will become lazy.
a wise leader
will always make
people work
for their needs.
They do not
appreciate Jesus'
generosity,
even if it was
a miraculous act.
However,
they need to do
something about Jesus
because more and more
people were
being attracted
to Jesus
and they were
losing control
of the crowd,
of the people.
so they
wanted Jesus
to either join
their rank
and to be
one of them
or to disappear
from their circle.
Jesus did not
have any
formal education
like they did.
Jesus did not
have many years
of experience
in leadership
and Jesus
did not
even want
to uphold
somebody's
creed
and their
direction.
Jesus
tended to
oppose
to what
they,
the way
of doing
things.
So,
as far as
somebody's
are concerned,
Jesus failed
to qualify
regarding
to the law.
Perhaps
Jesus could
join the ranks
as a prophet.
Perhaps
Jesus had
exceptional
skills
that would
promote
his status.
And so,
in Matthew
16,
1-4,
we see the
Pharisees
and Sadducees
coming together
to test
Jesus.
So,
both of
this group
of people
were the
religious
elite
of the
Jews.
They
actually
dislike
each other.
They have
their own
stand.
but now
that they
have a
bigger
threat
to their
status,
they work
together
to see
what they
can do
to Jesus.
So,
they request
Jesus to
perform a
miracle,
one that
will
validate
or
disqualify
Jesus.
Depends
on what
Jesus
could do.
So,
Jesus
said,
you can
associate
the appearance
of morning
sky,
with the
weather
of the
day.
You
should
also
be able
to
associate
what
I
have
done
so far
with
what
the
scripture
has
prophesied
about me.
So,
what the
scripture
has
foretold
about me.
You read,
you knew,
and you
should be
able to
associate
that
with
what
I
have
done.
You
do not
recognize
my
identity,
not because
there was
not enough
evidence,
it is
because of
your
rebellious
heart.
In
Psalm 18,
25-26,
we read,
With the
merciful,
you show
yourself
merciful.
With the
blemeless man,
you show
yourself
blemeless.
With the
purified,
you show
yourself
pure.
With the
crooked,
you make
yourself
seem
torturous.
mercy.
So,
these
assemblies,
they work
hard to
establish
and maintain
their
position.
They did
not know
what mercy
was.
They
know that
if they
did not
work hard,
they won't
get what
they want,
and they
don't expect
any mercy
from anyone.
So,
they therefore
could not
appreciate
the mercy
of Jesus.
They
thought Jesus
was either
a fool
or he
had
ulterior
motive in
helping the
people.
No one
would give
out free
lunch.
Jesus
must be
seeking
something
from the
crowd.
Because
their hearts
had not
been purified
by God,
they could
not see
the purity
in Jesus.
Because
their minds
are crooked,
they could
not associate
what Jesus
has said
and done
with purity
and righteousness.
They could
only assume
there's
something
Jesus was
after
in what
Jesus
has done.
For an
evil
and
adulterous
generation,
nothing
Jesus
could
do
would
convince
the
somebody
because
they
did
not
know
what
mercy
and
purity
were.
However,
Jesus
remained
merciful.
While
these
people
could
not
accept
him,
Jesus
would
still
give
them
an
ultimate
sign,
the
sign
of
Jonah.
In
chapter
12 of
Matthew,
which
has
gone
through,
Jesus
explained
what
the
sign
of
Jonah
was.
Matthew
12,
40,
it
says,
For
just as
Jonah
was
three
days
and
three
nights
in the
belly
of the
great
fish,
so the
Son of
Man
will be
three
days
and
three
nights
in the
heart
of the
earth.
Jesus
was
telling
them
that
there
is
one
sign,
the
ultimate
sign
that
will
happen.
You
just
have
to
wait
for
it.
Jesus'
death
and
resurrection
will
prove
Jesus'
purity
in
his
motive
and
his
righteousness
in
his
action.
In
Jesus'
death,
we
know
that
Jesus
gave
his
life.
What
more
could
he
do
to
prove
his
compassion?
His
death
was
only
restricted
to
only
three
days.
His
resurrection
will
prove
that
death
could
not
hold
on
to
him
because
it
was
without
sin.
So
what
he
has
done
were
all
righteous.
So
this
is
the
group
of
the
sun
bodies.
The
last
group
we
read
from
Matthew
16
5
to
12.
The
third
group
of
people
were
those
who
followed
Jesus
as
their
masters.
I
call
them
the
antibodies
because
they
were
walking
on a
path
opposite
to
that
of
Jesus.
They
were
a group
of
nobodies
hoping
to
become
somebody
by following
Jesus.
Like
many
people,
they put
in a
lot of
effort
to
upgrade
their
social
status.
However,
without
education,
experience,
or
exceptional
skills,
they could
not advance
themselves
on the
lateral
status.
How do
I know
they did
not share
the same
aspirations
with
Jesus?
You can
see this
in their
failure to
understand
what
Jesus
said.
They
failed to
understand
not because
of lack
of
intelligence,
but their
mindset
has been
contaminated
with the
level of
performance.
The most
obvious
example was
when
Nathaniel
heard about
Jesus
in
John 1.
He said,
can
anything
good
come
from
Lazarus?
He did
not
believe
that
somebody
can
come
out
of
a
nobody
town.
When
he
later
saw
Jesus
having
exceptional
skills
because
Jesus
could
see
him
at a
distance
and
knew
what
he
was
thinking
about,
so
he
changed
his
mind
and
acknowledged
that
Jesus
was
his
king.
But
Jesus
told
him
to
hold
on
to
his
impression
until
he
saw
Jesus
on
the
cross.
So
Jesus
asked
to
not
to
be
impressed
by
what
miracles
sign
that
he
had
done
but
the
last
sign
to
prove
who
Jesus
was
that
is
on
the
cross
when
he
was
there.
So
these
disciples
were
hoping
that
Jesus
would
move
them
from
being
nobody
to
becoming
somebody.
However
Jesus
was
on
the
path
from
being
somebody
to
being
nobody.
So
they
were
crossing
in
their
aspiration.
The
disciples
wanted
to have
authority
and
influence
in
the
society.
Maybe
they
have
good
intention.
They
might
want
to
bring
justice
and
equity
to
the
society.
The
disciples
would
be
happy
to
see
Jesus
calling
down
lightning
to
strike
all
their
opponents.
They
wanted
Jesus
who
was
like
a
superman
who
would
bring
justice
and
order
to
the
world.
But
Jesus
was
sending
them
like
sheep
into
the
world.
And
Jesus
himself
was
living
like
a
lamb
that
was
led
to
the
slaughter.
in
the
scripture
we
read
today
Jesus
was
again
helping
them
to
align
their
aspiration
with
his
this
time
they
forgot
to
bring
bread
with
them.
They
might
have
given
the
seven
basket
full
of
bread
away
or
they
might
eaten
all
after
all
these
days.
And
then
after
Jesus
interacting
with
the
religious
leaders
Jesus
warned
the
disciples
to
beware
of
the
leaven
of
the
Pharisees
and
of
Sadducees.
Upon
hearing
the word
leaven
the
disciples
associated
it
with
bread.
The
association
itself
was
correct
because
leaven
at that
time
was
only
used
to
make
bread.
Where
they
went
wrong
was
thinking
that
Jesus
was
admonishing
them
or
hinting
them
that
they
were
doing
something
wrong
for
forgetting
to
bring
some
bread
or
food.
They
feared
their
failure
to
perform
would
displease
Jesus.
Jesus
reminded
them
about
the
leftover
bread
in the
feeding
of
5,000
and
of
the
4,000.
Jesus
was
saying,
Don't
you see,
my grace
is free
and
overflowing.
I'm
not like
the
rulers
of this
world
who
would
give
you
rewards
based
on
your
performance.
Your
thinking
has
been
contaminated
by the
level
of
the
religious
leaders.
That is
the
level
of
performance.
In
this
world,
we all
live
the
mindset
of
performance.
Part of
becoming
an adult
is for
us to
learn
that
there is
no
free
lunch
in the
world.
You
need to
pay
to get
what
you
want.
We
also
want
to
pay
for
it
because
that
shows
that
we
are
capable
and
worthy
of
what
we
get.
And
that
is
the
mindset
that
we
grow
up
in.
Mindset
is a
part of
our
life.
That
is what
controls
what we
are looking
for
in life.
What
we do
right
now.
Talking
about
mindset
reminds
me
that
Brendan
asked
me
how
the
coffee
was
last
Sunday.
I
said
I
don't
drink
coffee.
Then
Brendan
said
what's
wrong
with
you?
And
then
he
proceeded
to tell
me
that
he
spent
seven
hours
including
last
Sunday
morning
from
2am
to
6am
trying
to
calibrate
the
coffee
machine
to
make
the
best
possible
coffee.
You
see
there's
a
different
mindset.
To
Brendan
coffee
is
such
an
important
thing.
he
needs
to
perfect
it
for
himself
and
everybody
else.
For
me
water
is
important
so
coffee
doesn't
taste
anything
unusual
or
extraordinary
to me.
for
different
mindsets
we
see
different
things
and
there's
something
wrong
with
me
not
drinking
coffee
but
there's
something
wrong
with
Brendan
for
spending
so
much
time
on
such
a
thing
as
coffee
so
there's
the
mindset
that
we
live
in.
So
today
we
have
two
different
mindsets
in
this
scripture.
The
first
one
I'll
talk
about
is
11
of
performance
11
improved
appearance
and
palatable
lust
of
bread.
The
teaching
of
Jesus
is
like
unleavened
bread.
It
is
full
of
substance
but
it
is
a
bit
difficult
to
chew
and
swallow.
The
teaching
of
the
Pharisees
and
Pharisees
is
like
leavened
bread.
It
appears
to
be
good
for
food
and
delight
to
the
eyes
but
it
is
also
full
of
air.
Jesus
teaches
that
we
can
do
nothing
to
gain
us
and
we
receive.
The
religious
leaders
teach
that
we
can
do
something
to
earn
God's
favor.
We
perform
and
God
rewards
us.
We
all
want
to
prove
ourselves
to
be
performers
that
we
can
do
it.
We
therefore
naturally
listen
to
the
religious
leader.
And
in
so many
at
the
funeral
one
of
the
favorite
songs
you
know
that
is
that
I
do
it
my
way
that
is
what
people
want
to
show
how
we
can
do
it.
And
that
is
the
level
of
performance.
The
Pharisees
and
Theresees
are
no
longer
around
their
age.
You
don't
know
about
them.
But
their
level
is
still
as
prevalent
now
as
it
was
during
their
days.
Think
about
the
themes
of
movies
and
story
book.
They
usually
tell
you
that
you
can
be
the
hero.
You
can
change
yourself
and
make
yourself
great,
make
yourself
powerful,
attractive.
You
can
change
the
world
around
you
or
you
can
do
something
to
earn
God's
favor.
Think
about
the
money
we
spend
on
things
in
weddings.
We
want
to
tell
our
wedding
guests
how
successful
and
perfect
we
are.
We
accept
the
level
of
performance
and
act
we
feel
ashamed
when
we
cannot
afford
an
expensive
wedding
or
holiday.
Sometimes
we
might only
come to
church
when it
is our
turn to
lead
or to
serve
because
we
earn
our
respect
from
performing
such
services
and
that
is
very
much
part
of
our
thinking.
But
Jesus'
mindset
is
different.
Jesus
wants
to
give
us
bread
without
leaven.
That
is
the
bread
of
grace.
In
John
6
41
we
read
that
so
the
Jews
scrambled
about
him
because
he
said
I
am
the
bread
that
came
down
from
heaven.
To
the
Jews
Jesus
was
talking
nonsense.
First
isn't
Jesus
the
son
of
Joseph?
How
can
he
say
he
come
down
from
heaven?
Second
how
can
a
man
say
it
is
the
bread
who
in
his
right
mind
will
offer
himself
to
be
eaten?
To
the
Jews
Jesus
was
just
a
lowly
man
born
in
a
lowly
family.
They
thought
that
anything
from
heaven
would
appear
majestic
like
the
conorration
of
a
king.
And
that
is
the
performance
mindset.
If
Jesus
was
from
heaven
he
should
have
shown
it
by
being
born
in
a
royal
family.
Jesus
was
a
nobody.
Jesus
is
the
bread
of
grace.
He
came
to
serve
and
not
to
serve.
He
came
to
give
his
life
away.
Many
who
were
fed
by
Jesus
eventually
left
him
when
they
found
Jesus
work
difficult
to
digest.
Like
unleavened
bread,
God's
words
may appear
hard to
chew,
but
if
you
chew
them
slowly
and
patiently,
you
will
find
them
sweeter
than
honey.
Jesus
is
the
bread
in
giving
his
body
for
us.
He
is
also
the
bread
as
he
brought
us
the
eternal
truth,
God's
word.
I
hope
you
can
spend
more
time
reading
and
meditating
in
his
word.
At
the
gate
of
heaven,
if
you
are
interviewed
by
God
and
the
question
is
why
should
I
let
you
in?
I
hope
your
answer
is
not
because
I
it
doesn't
matter
what
you
say
because
I
do
something
then
I
think
you
will
be
disqualified
from
getting
into
heaven.
There's
only
one
acceptable
answer
to God
is
because
Jesus.
At the
gate of
heaven
there are
not
four
criteria
or
three
criteria
or
two
criteria
there's
only one
criterion
for
anyone
who
wants
to
enter.
It
is
not
my
performance
that
saved
me.
It
is
the
performance
of
Jesus
and
the
grace
of
Jesus
that
saved
me.
Jesus'
obedience
to God
fulfilled the
requirement
of God's
law.
Jesus'
step on
the cross
and removed
God's
wrath.
Jesus'
grace
towards us
humbles
us
and
changes
us.
Like
the
disciples
you can
never fully
understand
the
grace
of
Jesus.
We
can
be
followers
of
Jesus
and have
a
mindset
that is
opposite
to
that
of
Jesus.
Like
the
disciples
you
may
hope
that
the
Lord
Jesus
will
improve
our
social
status
but
the
Lord
is
doing
more
than
that.
He
wants
to
change
our
mindset.
I
hope
that
we
can
have
more
and
more
freedom
from
the
mindset
of
this
world
and
as
our
minds
are
being
renewed
by
God's
word
daily.
Once
you
understand
that
we
have
been
accepted
by
God
not
need
to
prove
ourselves
anymore
and
we
will
be
free
to
be
nobody.
What
difference
does
becoming
nobody
make?
Many
I can
mention.
One
with
regard
to
church.
You
might
think
that
you
don't
have
any
education
experience
or
exceptional
skill
to
contribute
to
the
church
and
therefore
feel
a bit
useless.
Church
is
a
place
for
the
gathering
of
nobody.
Church
is
a
place
for
people
to
know
that
they
are
not
because
of
their
performance
but
because
Jesus
loved
them.
And
when
we
serve
in
the
church
we
are
free
from
the
fear
of
failure
or
making
a fool
ourselves.
It
doesn't
matter.
We
are not
performing.
Church
is
also
a
place
for
people
to
learn
to
love
others
the
same
way.
Loving
others
when
we
become
nobody
we
can
begin
to
have
compassion
on
others.
There
is
this
episode
of
To
Dianatus
written
in
13080.
It's
quite
early.
Actually
this
letter
I didn't
know
about
the
letter
until
I
heard
this
from
Tim
Kailar
who
passed
away
yesterday.
This
letter
is
from
a
Christian
written
in
Greek
to
a
non-Christian
experience
explaining
why
the
Christianity
became
even
being
persecuted
why
the
Christianity
was still
spreading
in the
Roman
Empire.
It's a
long
letter
only
it's
very
well
written
I
only
could
just
a
small
portion
of
it.
He
says
as
citizens
they
share
in
all
things
with
others
and
yet
enjoy
all
things
as
if
foreigners.
Every
foreign
land
is
to
them
as
their
native
country
and
every
land
of
their
birth
is
as
a
land
of
strangers.
They
marry
as
to
all
other
people.
They
beget
children
but
they
do
not
destroy
their
offspring.
They
have
a
common
table
but
not
a
common
bed.
They
are
in
the
flesh
but
they
do
not
live
after
the
flesh.
The
part I
want to
say
is that
these
Christians
treat
other
people
differently
and
that's
why
Christianity
becomes
such
an
attraction
to
most
people
especially
those
who are
nobodies.
They
as
this
person
in the
letter
said
they
share
in all
things
with
other
people.
They
just
naturally
share
even
non-Christians
they share.
They
do not
treat
their
homeland
as if
it is
their
permanent
place
but
they
live
as a
stranger
sojourners
in the
land.
They
marry
the
five
people
they
have
children
but
they
do
not
destroy
their
offspring
it
means
that
if
they
like
during
that
time
it's
basically
for
girls
they
will
throw
them
in
the
river
because
to
them
girls
are
not
youthful
but
they
have
the
changed
mindset
they
learn
to
love
their
children
regardless
whether
they
are
youthful
or
not
in
future
they
have
a
common
table
it
means
that
they
share
the
table
food
with
people
but
not
a
common
bed
it
means
that
they
are
not
promiscuous
they
respect
and
love
people
so
they
respect
sex
because
of
that
and
they
are
generous
with
their
food
and
their
money
so
that
is
the
change
that
makes
to
us
and
to
ourselves
as
well
so
we
are
no
longer
driven
by
the
need
to
have
titles
and
position
and
when
we
become
nobodies
we
can
be
free
from
having
to
prove
ourselves
we
can
own up
our
failure
and
sinful
behavior
and
makes
life
so
much
easier
when
we
can
own
up
to
our
sinful
behavior
when we
become
nobody
we can
also face
our guilt
and shame
because it's
not dependent
on our
performance
because we
know that
there's now
no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ
Jesus
and we
know that
Jesus
has paid
it all
may we
be free
from the
Lebanon
religion
and have
the freedom
to love
God and
other people
let us
pray
Father we
thank you
for your
goodness to
us
that you
send the
Lord Jesus
to free
us
that we
might
to live
in
freedom
how
does
that
we
might
truly
have
our
mindset
change
that we
might
live out
a glorious
life
for your
own
glory
thank you
Lord
we pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen