Sermon - Stephen Tong Sunday Service 12/13/2020 Matthew 7:3-5

Note this is about fellow Christians judgment amongst themselves in the Church. Why? Because Christians already know right from wrong.

Plank (梁) is horizontal, unlike the vertical one (柱). Thus plank is long and heavy.

One's like & dislike of another already reflect how one deals with them. If like, hard to see problem, if dislike, hard to see the good in the other.

We love to find faults in others. Shhh he stole money, etc. But those who love doing this, are hypocrites. verse 5.

Often times we don't see our own faults and God forgives; so likewise, we must be forgiving to others.

Andrew Sang a pastor in HK, died 30+ years ago, said, before you go judge someone, first pray for him, love and care for him first. e.g. "I have prayed 20+ months for you...now I tell you..." So they would be touched. "please pluck out the thorn in my eye"

So judge with not just truth but with love. Many lack love. I would add: Fake love.

Tong's dentist waited for 8 months with slow injection, until his senior doctor returns to pull out his back tooth, about 3 days ago. Otherwise, it's dangerous due to the big tooth size, also Tong's diabetes (slow healing in bleeding). Thus, the lesson is be patient in love for others.

On Job, to comfort people is not to be talkative. Why all doubled but not children of Job in the end? Because animals were lost. But his first 10 children weren't lost but in heaven.

Interesting he didn't mention David Tong vs. his old Indonesian driver. Probably the wisdom of not doing this in Indonesian.

Chinese Sermon:

吹毛求疵。

How is it a reference to our eyes? They are the most sensitive parts. When we first meet a person, we also look first at the eyes. No normal people look at shoes first, etc.

If so sensitive, how is one not realizing the dust/thorn in his eyes? Either he really has no sense (which is rather unlikely) or you judge it wrong.

Job was the one sad, but he prayed for his friends instead. The friends who were good at first for traveling great distance to comfort Job in silence, until the started to make judgment. Many women love to advise and think others listen.

We judge others so easily but we have sins that even ourselves are hard to get rid off.

Visual aid presented. A dot on a paper. All audience observed the dot, but not the white area of the paper. Selective Perception in Telecommunication (传播学). We see the small bad, but not the much goodness in others.

David Tong's accident is mentioned again. Kids broken here and there. Stephen Tong's driver who has not much degree, drove them so many years, no accident. David Tong with high education, careless. So, we must be humble.

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