288-Receive Complete Forgiveness and Live a Life of Being Loved#
288-Receive Complete Forgiveness and Live a Life of Being Loved
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Matthew 18:21-35,
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.”
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant!’ he said. ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! A new week has begun, and we come before You to receive Your words. You will renew me through Your words, applying Your words in my life, receiving Your love, living out Your love, living a life of being loved. I am willing to enjoy freedom in You. Please lead me, bless this time, and bless everyone who seeks Jesus, in the name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!
The topic we are sharing is: Receive Complete Forgiveness and Live a Life of Being Loved.
Jesus wants us to live a life of complete forgiveness. Some people think that a life of complete forgiveness is a life without personality or dignity, but that is not true. Jesus wants us to live a life of being loved. When a person is completely loved, they do not feel a lack of dignity; on the contrary, they feel very dignified. You are loved by God. May I ask, do you have dignity or not?
You are the most dignified person in the world. If only people say good things about you, but God does not know you, do you still have dignity? People often get filled with self and are deceived.
Some time ago, I read an article that mentioned that only those in the lower classes care about face; those with a higher status do not care about face because they already have it. When we do not know God, we feel a lack of dignity when we forgive others, and others do not respect us. But if we live in love, in God's love, you are free because people's opinions of you, even if negative, become unimportant. You know that there is an unchanging God who loves you forever, and you will not be affected by the environment or people's words. Our salvation is actually very simple; believe, and you will be saved. At that moment, this matter is completed.
However, after believing, we need to spend a lifetime interacting with the Lord and with others. This is a key focus. After salvation, how can we enjoy the freedom of Christ in our lives? How can we overcome when others offend us with the Lord's love? We need to first understand Christ's forgiveness and receive His complete love, which will enable you to overcome all circumstances and enjoy joy in His love.
In the scripture we just read, Jesus had just told the disciples about their authority on earth. Earlier, Jesus said, “Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
At that moment, Peter asked the above question: “If my brother sins against me, and I have forgiven him, how many times must I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Peter meant that seven times was already enough. Should I forgive him without limit? People cannot do that; this is a fact. We can bravely admit, “Lord, I cannot do it.” If one day you do it, that is the strength given to you by the Lord, indicating that you have lived out the true freedom of Jesus Christ.
Many people think that forgiving others is like living in a very humble way. I believe Peter thought that being able to forgive someone seven times was already the greatest limit. First, let’s look at who has offended whom. It is the brother who has offended me. Jesus did not say, “Peter, you are also at fault.” Perhaps Peter was indeed without fault at that moment, but who should forgive whom?
Peter thought that forgiving him seven times was already reaching the limit. This is the greatest expression of human tolerance and generosity. But how did Jesus respond? “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus did not say, “Forgive him four hundred ninety-one times, and then you can get rid of him.” That is not true forgiveness; it is a metaphorical expression.
Luke 17:3-4,
3 “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Brothers and sisters, is this person still worth forgiving? It is hard to forgive; that is a human concept. But do not forget that we do not live on a human level but in a supernatural realm. First, you need to have a supernatural heart so that God can give you supernatural blessings. If a person offends me seven times, and I forgive him, and then he comes back seven more times, we might think that this person is not sincere. I have forgiven you the first seven times, and now you come back again; what does that mean? For us, there can be a first and a second, but no third or fourth. By the fourth time, it is no longer acceptable. Jesus said seventy times seven is complete forgiveness. This is what Jesus is teaching us about forgiving others.
Let me explain these scriptures. If you live under the law, each time you forgive, you may get hurt once. Why should I always forgive him? Why does he always behave this way? How many times have I forgiven him? Why does he not know how to change or be grateful?
What Jesus cares about is not the person being forgiven; Jesus cares about the person who needs to forgive, which is Peter in this case. Many times, when others offend us, it is unintentional. They may say something very hurtful, and this person does not feel anything wrong. The matter should have ended there, but that is not the case. Those hurtful words remain in some people's hearts. From that day on, people are bound, and when they see this person again, they think he is worthless just because he said one hurtful thing that exists in their hearts.
And Jesus means that no matter how many times he offends you, you must forgive him. Jesus cares about you; He does not want you to remember those hurts in your heart. As long as he is willing to turn back, you must forgive him. Please remember: Jesus cares about you! If that person also believes in Jesus, he would not treat you this way. It is precisely because he does not know God that he keeps offending you, and you keep forgiving him. In fact, Jesus wants to release you. We must forgive others in this way; it is actually to release ourselves. In this way, our hearts will not be bound. Jesus wants you to live forever in His love. You should live a life of being loved by Jesus in this world.
Jesus does not want us to have even a little bit of bondage and condemnation in our hearts. We all know this, but how can we achieve it? How can we have the strength to achieve complete forgiveness? Let’s look at the story Jesus told next. First, Jesus mentioned that there was a man who owed his master ten thousand bags of gold, and the master came to settle accounts with this servant. Let me explain this story.
The King of Heaven can be understood as our Heavenly Father. The debtor represents every person in the world. Some owe a lot, and some owe little. It can be understood that some people are full of evil in this world and have committed many sins, so they owe God more. Some have committed fewer sins, like the hundred silver coins. But they are all debtors.
How should he face his master? How does the master treat the debtor? The first man owes a huge debt and is unable to repay it. Verse 25 states clearly that since he had no way to repay, the master ordered that he and his wife and children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
This was the way debts were repaid at that time. Unlike now, where companies can declare bankruptcy, people can default, or even disappear. Today, some people say, “If you want money, I have none; if you want my life, come on!” They can use many ways to deny their debts. In that era, it was not the case. In Israel at that time, if you owed a debt, you had to repay it, and the way to repay was to sell yourself into slavery to work for the master until the debt was paid off. If the debt was huge, the creditor had the right to sell your wife and children to repay the debt, so the whole family would become slaves to repay the debt.
In 2 Kings 4, there is a record of a widow who came to Elisha. After her husband passed away, she was unable to repay the debt, so the creditor wanted to sell her two sons as slaves. This was the way debts were repaid at that time. Back to the scripture, since this person was unable to repay, the creditor's actions were reasonable and lawful. Did this person feel it was excessive? He did not feel it was excessive because the law stipulated it.
Let’s think about it. All people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Shouldn't we go to hell? Is there anyone who can say they have sinned and still deserve to go to heaven? No one has the right to negotiate conditions with God. That is where we should go. When God comes to settle accounts with us, do we have the ability to repay our debts? Paul said that each of us is a debtor, owing a debt to the gospel, a debt to God, which we cannot repay.
What will you do when God comes to settle accounts with you? Will that day come? Yes, there will be a time of reckoning in this world. One day, God will settle accounts with all people. What will happen to those who cannot repay their debts at the time of reckoning? They can only be eternally separated from God and go to the place of punishment, receiving just judgment.
Now this person is unable to repay and does not want to sell himself and his family into lifelong slavery. What should he do? He fell on his knees and said, “Master! Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything.” After this verse, the master changed his mind and generously canceled all his debts. When reading the Bible, pay attention to the context expressed.
This master, or our Lord, suddenly changed his mind. There must be something particularly important in between, just like in Exodus 19, where God suddenly changed His mind and said to Moses, “Go and tell the people to consecrate themselves for three days and come near to me. No one may touch the mountain; whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.” Did God suddenly change His mind?
We need to see what happened before this. The previous master said, “Since you cannot repay, then sell yourself and your wife and children to repay the debt.” The key is in the middle; the servant fell on his knees before him. The word “worship” here uses the term for worship.
When we come to church to worship our God, what does it mean? Is it singing? Is it shouting hallelujah? It is relying on Him from the heart. In the original meaning, it is to kiss the hand or cheek to express the highest degree of admiration and worship. You can capture that scene. The master says, “Well, since you cannot repay, then sell yourself and your wife and children to repay the debt.” This person kneels down and kisses the master's hand, saying, “Master! Have mercy on me; be patient with me, and I will pay back everything.” After this scene, the master changed his mind.
In verse 27, the servant’s master took pity on him, released him, and canceled his debt.
If this master did not cancel his debt, could he walk away today? His family could not either. Just because he fell on his knees and begged him, saying, “Master, have mercy on me; I will pay back everything,” could he really repay it? It was his heart that the master saw. It never says whether this person was sincere, but it mentions that the master took pity on him. Sometimes we may say insincerely, “Lord, have mercy on me.” God actually accomplishes it for you, and you might say, “I just said it casually, and God accomplished it for me.” Is it the same as this person?
This person could not possibly repay his debt, but he had no choice; he was just scared and begged the master, saying, “Have mercy on me; I will repay everything.” This means, “Please let me and my family go; I need your grace.” Here it mentions that the master took pity on him, relinquishing his legal, reasonable, and lawful judicial rights, and freely forgave his servant.
According to the law, this master would not be wrong to sell him and his family into slavery. But now this master, because of this worship, relinquished all his legal rights and no longer executed the law. What do you think of? When you worship God and say, “Lord! I believe in You; I need Your grace.”
God says, “Okay! I will not remember your sins, and I will release you.” This is called the grace of forgiveness; all debts are wiped away without leaving a trace. Is our sin forgiven in this way? If even a little remains, we cannot stand up; if not a penny is repaid, we cannot leave.
Let’s look at a verse. I now want to tell you how blessed you are, Psalm 32:1-2,
1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Does this mean this person has no sin? Yes, he has sin. Where did his sin go? Who covers and forgives? It is all done by our Lord. Our Lord has covered him, forgiven him, and no longer remembers his sin. This person is blessed. Just like the one who owed ten thousand bags of gold, he is blessed simply because he encountered a good master. There is nothing else; it is not because of his good behavior or enough piety; none of that matters.
Blessed is the one whose spirit is free of deceit, and the Lord does not count as guilty. Does this person have deceit in their heart? Yes, they do. But God says, “I do not count it, I do not look at it, I do not remember it.” Isn’t this good news? If we really stand before God as we originally are, no one can stand firm. But now our Lord says, “I do not look at your sin; I have covered your sin; I have forgiven your sin; I see you as sinless.” So you are a blessed person! Always remember this.
Psalm 130:3-4, 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
Have you ever sung this song? People often do not express the latter part. In fact, this should be joyful and full of hope. If we do not know the Lord’s grace, if the Lord keeps a record of our sins, who can stand? This means that no one can repay the Lord’s debt. “But” means a strong turn, negating everything before it. People often encounter such situations; they must listen to what others say until the end. You look beautiful today; your outfit matches well, but... Just listen to the but, and you can ignore the previous part.
Now the question is, will the Lord keep a record of sins? Yes, the Lord will keep a record of everyone’s sins, but with Him, there is forgiveness, so that people may serve Him with reverence. Today, many churches talk about fearing God and that God is a consuming fire. Many people think that those under grace do not fear God. What exactly is fear?
Please listen carefully, brothers and sisters. If your relationship with your child is like this, you need to be careful and change yourself. For example, when you return home, the child says, “Mom is back; hurry and hide.” If the child is afraid when they hear your voice, your relationship is very bad. If the child hears your voice and immediately comes out to greet you, hugging your leg tightly without caring about etiquette, but you say, “Be careful; don’t you see who I am? I am a pastor...”
The child does not care about that. We need to understand what fear means. Many people think that fear means being very afraid of God. In some places, there are two words: silence. For example, in a hospital, people either save lives or deal with death. Some people do not want to go to the hospital because they are afraid of dying, while others want to go to the hospital because they want to recover.
Our Lord looks at how you see Him. He has forgiveness, which causes people to fear Him. I tell you what fear means. In the New Testament, Jesus personally explained it; fear means worship.
You admire this person from the heart, kissing this person’s hand or feet. Is there a woman who broke a jar of perfume to kiss Jesus? This is worship. Can you say that the woman’s actions were called fearing God? She clearly did not follow the rules. Did Jesus say it was wrong? No, instead, He said, “Wherever you preach the gospel, remember to mention this woman’s story.” In what context did Jesus change it to worship? Shouldn’t we take Jesus’ words as the standard?
Let’s look at a verse, Matthew 4:8-10,
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
This is what the devil said to Jesus: If you bow down and worship me, what is worship? Jesus used the words of the Bible to refute the devil, saying, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Where does this scripture come from?
Let’s look at Deuteronomy 13:4, You must follow the Lord your God and fear Him; keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.
Isn’t it the same meaning? Here it uses the word fear, but Jesus changes it to “You must worship Him, worship the Lord your God.” Brothers and sisters, God wants us to understand His grace of forgiveness and worship Him in spirit and truth. When Jesus discussed the way to eternal life with the Samaritan woman, did He not also use this term? Those who worship the Lord must worship in spirit and truth. If you do not understand God’s forgiveness towards you, how can you worship Him in spirit and truth? If you do not know what Jesus has forgiven you for, when you see others shouting, “Lord, You love me so much,” you shout, “Lord, You love me.” Both people are shouting, but their expressions are different. One person truly understands how much Jesus has forgiven him, while the other person is just mimicking what others say. This is called imitation. Many people’s prayers are imitations, and the effects are completely different. Imitation has no effect. The person who truly has a heart of worship may not say much, but their words are heard by God.
You must first understand God’s grace of forgiveness towards us in order to worship Him. After that, your relationship with others will be different. You will no longer care how others mistreat you or how unfairly they treat you because your eyes are on God, knowing that He will always forgive you. If a person does not understand God’s forgiveness, they will misuse forgiveness, allowing themselves to live under grace while not wanting others to live in grace, still living out the law.
Let’s look at this person. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
Did you notice when this person came out? He had just understood Jesus’ grace and immediately did this. He had just been forgiven a debt of ten thousand bags of gold, and his family was also forgiven. After he came out, he encountered a fellow servant who owed him a hundred silver coins, and he grabbed him, choking him, saying, “Pay me back.” What was that person’s reaction? If he truly received Jesus’ forgiveness and His love, what he gives out must be the forgiveness and love that comes from Jesus. If he has not received it, what he gives out is still the original thing.
What that person did was the same as what this servant had done to his master: “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.” Can that person’s words be realized? Yes, it is just a hundred silver coins. But this servant, who had just been forgiven, refused and had him thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. Compared to his ten thousand bags of gold, this person’s hundred silver coins is too little.
So brothers and sisters, you say, “I do not have the strength to forgive others, to forgive the person who hurt me.” Think about how much Jesus’ forgiveness is to you. The fear is that you become this servant, forgetting what you just heard as you walk out of church, and you have not received it in your heart. So you live out the old law mentality. He choked his fellow servant, making it impossible for him to breathe, insisting on repayment. His fellow servant indeed knew that the money should be repaid and said, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.”
His fellow servant’s plea was exactly the same as his plea to his master, but this person did not forgive others. Do not forget, this is Jesus teaching us how to have the strength to forgive others. Now think about it. This person who was just forgiven ten thousand bags of gold is still in bondage. He does not truly understand grace. I hope you understand Jesus’ forgiveness, understand Jesus’ love for you, and then live out that part, which is the part you have received. We live in the world not to become theologians but to fill our lives with the power and authority of Jesus. Hallelujah!
Earlier, Jesus had just told them, “Where two or three gather in my name, I am with them. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Jesus is letting them use His authority to forgive others, to forgive others, to love others. Some people say, “There is another saying: ‘Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,’ I want to bind this person because he owes me a hundred silver coins.” Is He letting you bind people? In fact, it is to bind the devil. The authority Jesus gives us is to bind only the devil and release people. Do not get it wrong.
Did this person understand? He bound this person. Just now, Jesus taught us how to forgive others. He said, “If your brother sins against you and asks for forgiveness, you must forgive him seventy times seven.” Seventy is a complete number in the Bible; seven is also a complete number. Together, it means complete and complete forgiveness, which is infinite forgiveness.
Immediately after, Jesus told the following story to help us understand how the Lord forgives us and how the Lord forgives us. This is the source of our release and freedom in life. Hallelujah!
If you are filled with bitterness over a hundred silver coins, thinking about this person every day and getting angry, you are still in bondage. First, this master forgives him, and that is the master’s love. Although this person is unlovable, the master is filled with love and has compassion on him, so he forgives him.
Many people still live under the law: “Why should I forgive him? What good does forgiving him do for me? The fault is not mine!” This kind of thinking itself is living under the law, hoping that others will have a bad end, which is actually because they are in bondage. Have you ever thought that when your opponent or someone around you unintentionally says something hurtful to you, they have long forgotten it, but you have cursed that person in your heart for ten years? Are you not in bondage? Jesus does not want us to live in bondage. Let us come to know His love more and receive His forgiveness and grace.
One more thing, if we do not understand Jesus’ love, we will be bound by resentment and unforgiveness in ourselves, living in bitterness and pain. Love is the most powerful force in the world, especially when the other party is unlovable, unworthy of love, and undeserving of love. When you can love them, that is God’s love. Hallelujah!
The Bible calls it double love, agape. This kind of love only Jesus has; no one else has it. Look at how Jesus forgave His disciples. Wasn’t it this kind of love? All the disciples ran away, but when Jesus saw them again, did He not accept them? Not only did He accept them, but He also gave them food. Did Jesus accept you like this? Often think about how Jesus accepted you, and you will have the strength to live in His love.
Please remember, you are a person living in Jesus’ love, living a life of being loved every day. You do not live in the opinions of your friends, nor do you live in the eyes of your enemies. You live in the eyes of Jesus. Human nature is to seek justice and to demand an explanation, which often leads to anger and even retaliation. But our Lord says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” This requires faith to receive. Only by understanding Jesus’ love, understanding how Jesus forgives you and loves you, and repeatedly thinking about these things will you not retaliate. Some enemies you can overcome, but what if you encounter some enemies you cannot overcome? Your wounds will be even greater, so we need to have faith to receive these.
When you understand how much Jesus loves you, you will not be filled with rage. The Bible says that anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. Anger cannot achieve the righteousness of God, but gentleness, joy, self-control, and kindness can reveal God’s righteousness. Hallelujah!
Only when you live in a life of being loved will you experience the joy of Jesus every day. God hopes that we live this way; He hopes we live this way every day. He does not want you to be constantly complaining and criticizing. Although we do encounter some unfair things in this world, the way God’s children live is different from that of the world. Those who do not know Jesus live by the law.
No country’s laws surpass the principles of the Ten Commandments. You can study this carefully. For example, the Ten Commandments mention an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand. Is this not the content of the old law? Even if the laws of the world are strictly controlled to this extent, it is still like this. God has already spoken about this matter. Under the law, if you knock out someone’s tooth, the other party most hopes to knock out your front tooth, which resolves the hatred.
But our Lord Jesus means to forgive him; do not be bound by this matter. The fear is that this matter has passed, and our hearts are bound by it, living in bitterness. So Jesus forgives His disciples in this way, especially after Peter denied the Lord three times. He thought, “I do not know how to live in the future; I will go back to fishing.” The other disciples said, “We will go with you.” That night, they caught nothing. History repeated itself, right? It was exactly the same as three years ago. At that moment, a voice on the shore said, “Children, do you have any fish?” He said no, they had not caught anything. The person on the shore said, “Throw your net on the right side, and you will find some.” Peter remembered the words Jesus had first said to him.
If you say, “I am very angry today; I cannot forgive this person,” think back to what Jesus said to you at the beginning. At the beginning, we were all receivers. Some people later learned more theological knowledge and more biblical knowledge, but in the end, it became knowledge, and they became further away from God. Think back to the love God had for you at the beginning. At that time, Jesus did not say, “You all come here and see who I am. Do you think what you are doing is right?” Did Jesus have the right to say these words? Yes, the disciples had already gone astray. Jesus could have come to correct them. But look at how a person full of love faces this group of people who betrayed Him. This is our Lord’s forgiveness and mercy towards you; you must gain this strength. Amen!
Did Jesus mention their betrayal from beginning to end? No, the most thoroughly fallen Peter heard the Lord, did not even bother to put on his clothes, jumped into the water, and swam to the shore, running to the Lord. He ran the fastest. According to the teachings we have heard in the past, is this a big deal or a small deal? It is a huge deal; he denied the Lord three times. What else is there to say? When Peter saw the Lord, did he kneel down and say, “Lord, I am a sinner; please leave me.”
No, in the scripture we just read, “If you do not forgive your brother from your heart, my heavenly Father will treat you this way.” What does this mean? If you do not understand the change before and after Jesus’ resurrection, you will apply this scripture to yourself: “Oh! It turns out that the person did not have mercy on his brother, and as a result, his master knew and became very angry, handing him over to the jailers until he paid all his debts.” Can he repay all his debts?
Some people misinterpret these scriptures, saying, “Be careful; if you offend God, He will hand you over to the devil and let the devil deal with you.” Unless you are not His son, He will hand you over to the devil to deal with you. What does the Lord mean? This person’s heart is full of the law, and what he ultimately receives is the law. A person living under the law can receive blessings or curses? It is curses. The latter part is what Jesus wants to tell us: “If you do not forgive your brother from your heart…”
Is forgiveness required under the law? You must forgive even if you cannot forgive; many people forgive on the surface.
After Jesus’ resurrection, we understand His grace of forgiveness and willingly worship Him. God hopes we understand His grace of forgiveness and worship Him from the heart. After Peter experienced this, did he really develop a heart of worship for Jesus? Do you remember what worship is? He wished he could fall at Jesus’ feet, kissing His feet and hands. At that moment, Jesus was preparing breakfast for this group of disciples who had betrayed Him. Did they do useless work the night before? Were they busy with the world?
How many pastors say, “You are busy with the world; be careful, God will take everything from you.” On the contrary, the disciples did not catch any fish, but Jesus was on the shore preparing food for them. They wanted to catch fish, and Jesus said, “Okay! Listen to my words, throw your net on the right side, and you will catch fish.” As a result, they caught one hundred fifty-three large fish. Wasn’t this Jesus’ blessing? According to the disciples’ current character, did they deserve this boat of fish? This is called the grace of forgiveness. After forgiveness, what they receive is grace. Hallelujah!
It is not what they should receive; it is what Jesus is willing to give them. Like this good master, since you are willing to worship me, I will forgive all your sins, and then you will live with my grace of forgiveness, receiving even more grace. This is the message we want to proclaim. Only by knowing that you are continuously loved can you overcome the contemptuous eyes of the world.
These days, I have been in contact with some unbelievers. They say some people have a very bad temper. In a restaurant, if someone looks at them, they say, “What are you looking at? What’s it to you?” They end up fighting, and one stabs the other to death just because they looked at them. Does such a person have even a little bit of grace of forgiveness in their heart? No, they do not know God’s grace. I hope all brothers and sisters live in God’s supernatural grace, looking at everyone around you through spiritual eyes. They just do not know Jesus. You pray for them, and when that person’s soul changes, you will be filled with great joy. Hallelujah!
Jesus prepared food for the disciples on the shore, saying, “Children, now bring me one of the fish you have caught.” This means that although it was Jesus’ words that allowed you to catch this fish, in Jesus’ eyes, that was your fish. When you forgive others, the strength comes from Jesus’ words. You cannot forgive on your own, just like Peter, who had struggled all night without catching a single fish. But Jesus’ words, “Throw your net on the right side,” led them to catch fish.
Similarly, you say, “I cannot forgive; I really cannot forgive on my own.” But Jesus says, “Receive my love, and continually meditate on my love for you, and you will have the strength to forgive.” At that time, Jesus considers it as your doing, and you will also receive a reward. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, God will always find a way to righteously reward you. Where is this reflected? To love the unlovable is God’s love in you, and you will have a reward. This is full of joy and hope. Hallelujah! When the disciples reached the shore, Jesus had already cooked bread for them, saying, “Bring the fish you caught and prepare it for you to eat.” Who is serving whom?
The disciples became extremely quiet, especially Peter. In the past, he might have spoken, but now he is very quiet. Only Jesus is speaking. After they finished eating, He spoke. The Bible does not record that they said, “Look at how Jesus cooked this bread...” There are no such trivial conversations. In fact, everyone understands more than anyone else: My Lord is truly amazing. How could He love me so much? I went off into the world yesterday, but my Lord did not say a word and even prepared food for me.
After that incident, the disciples knew Jesus’ love and never went back to fishing again. This is the worship brought about by the grace of forgiveness. Although Jesus went back, they could worship God every day, living in joy, peace, and freedom. I hope brothers and sisters receive Christ’s forgiveness and grace, living in such worship. I do not want everyone’s worship to be limited to the church; that is too short.
Worship your Lord every day in life. Do you remember what worship means? To admire this person to the utmost, kissing their feet, face... It does not mean you really have to kiss that person’s feet. It means you truly admire this person: You love me so much, you have forgiven me like this, and I am so unworthy, yet you have not discarded me. Unless you understand what Jesus has done for you, you cannot live every day in being loved.
Some sisters indeed lived in being loved for a while. When they were in love, many people have very beautiful memories. In the heavy snow, the other person waited downstairs for three full hours while I watched from above, letting him wait. Looking back now, I feel so warm inside. Is this not the feeling of being loved? Yes, but today, being able to say this proves that it is far worse than before.
However, Jesus’ love for you never has a “but.” Whenever you think of Jesus’ forgiveness and love for you, you are always in a state of being loved. One day, when you return to the kingdom of heaven, you will find: Wow! Jesus is still serving me with a belt on. You might think that in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus is high and mighty, and He has finished all He needs to do, and now it is your turn to serve me. No, Jesus is still serving us.
So, after truly understanding Jesus’ love, you will always live in being loved, every day, and even when this world ends, you will still live in a life of being loved by Jesus. Thank and praise the Lord! This is to receive complete forgiveness and live a life of being loved. May everyone experience Jesus’ love like this. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for helping us through these words. I want to receive Your complete forgiveness. Only Your forgiveness is complete; I cannot do it on my own. Every day, when I think about Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your provision for me, I am loved. In Your love, I live out a life of being loved. This is the fruit produced by the strength You give me. I continually receive Your words, using these words to renew me. I live in the supernatural.
Jesus! I thank You! Thank You for all that You have done for me. Heavenly Father! I also thank You for giving me Jesus, allowing me to return to Your love, understanding Your grace of forgiveness. I am willing to worship You. Hallelujah! In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!