So good afternoon, dear brothers and sisters. This afternoon, as I was coming out to church, I had a lot of pain in the hip. I was here today, my heart was a little hot, and maybe it has to do with the weather. So when I was in the car, it was very painful. My little grandson was sitting with my daughter in the back. My grandson is four years old. He's already four years old and just learning to become a little chatterbox. He's very happy to speak, so chatterbox is a little tough.
So when he saw that I was in pain, he put his hand on my shoulder and he prayed for me. He thought I had the pain because I knocked myself somewhere, but that doesn't matter. He started to pray for me that the Lord will take away my pain. He told me that the Lord will take away my pain. It was such a lovely little prayer that he prayed. And I said to him, "I'm sure my pain will go away." I told him the Lord Jesus loves to listen to the prayer of little children, even more than listening to the prayers of grown-ups. Because many grown-ups, they pray, but the Lord Jesus is not very willing to listen. Their heart is not so pure. But the little children, he loves to listen to. And indeed, in a short while, the pain disappeared.
真的很奇怪过了一下子我的痛就没有了我带他们去了越南教会因为还没离开加拿大的时候他们是在越南教会崇拜的所以你看咱是多么安典。所以现在我记住一下，我看到今天很高兴看到Bun Tech在我们中间。我过去几个星期没见他，我听说他在中国在教室，他是在北京去教了一下子。很高兴看见。尤其是我最后一个星期日在这里，唯一有点后悔就是我没有和美丽人都要很多的交谈。希望明年在香港给共产党拿回以后我会回来，除非他们要有特别其他的计划，我会很高兴在一起。
我们一起祷告。我们的天父，我们感谢祢给我们的爱，因为祢是一个活活的真神，祢听我们的祷告也会回应我们的祷告，当我们的心是神圣的时候。因为祷告要在祢面前做一个信心的考念。我们为每一个人在这里的祷告，祢会向每一个人有能力的讲话，因为有给他们的需要，祢会吸引他们到祢的面前。我们这样祷告，我们这样祷告是祢的荣耀的名来求。阿们。阿们。
今天因为我们有一个洗礼，我今天要讲一件关于基本的基督徒的生活。我们今天要讲两个经纪，那是腓立比书第三章，verses 13 and 14，腓立比书3:13 and 14。
That verse that Sister Wang Jing just read, the last verse, it says that for all those Christians who are mature, these Christians, they think in this way, which is what is mentioned in verses 13 and 14. A mature Christian, though he is mature, he does not think he has already arrived at what he should be. A成熟的基督徒并不是说他已经得到了他的目标。But what does he do? He forgets all those things behind. He just忘了the behind. And he puts his whole energy to what is in front. He put his whole energy to what is in front.
Now that sounds simple, but in practice it's very difficult. In fact, to do it, it's very difficult. Now in the exegesis or exposition of this verse, it is not that simple to understand. These two verses I will tell you to our family and family, but also to everyone of you. This verse you will often see on the various posters, especially in Christian bookshops. It is a very popular verse. We often see it even in Chinese: 忘记背后，努力面前. Sometimes they have it in both languages. So I was saying Chinese just now. Forget what's behind, press on to what's in front.
So you will see that this verse contains a very important principle. And though you see it so often in the bookshops and posters, it seems few people really understand what it means. What does it mean to forget what is behind? Should we forget everything that is behind? What about the important historical lessons from which we should learn something? 以前我们学到很多的功课，是不是我们都要忘掉它？旧约都是讲历史，历史就是讲以前的事情。So if you forget what is past, then we don't have to study history. 如果我们不愿意读历史，那我们就不需要读历史了。过去的事情叫我们，我们不需要读历史了。That means there's a large part of the Old Testament he needn't bother to read. 所以我们这样讲，就是说，旧约就不需要读历史了。
And when you say press forward, forward to what? 我们说要向前进，那前面是什么呢？It speaks of the goal in front. What is the goal? 我们说前面有个目标，这个目标是什么呢？你问基督徒，他生活的目标是什么？我问你，你的生活的目标，你能不能告诉我？我认为很多基督徒在他信心是非常纯正的，但他们不能说他们到底是什么的目标是什么。他们就是不能说他们到底是人生的目标是什么。是不是就是熟得圣经啊？是不是我们到别的地方去讲道？我们到底我们前面的目标是什么？所以你能看到，这个意思不是那么明显。就这样，知道我们的那个意思不是那么明显。所以下次你再看这句圣经，可能你会明白更多一点。
我现在来用例子来解释这句经句。我觉得当我每天看报纸，我在那里学到很多属灵的功课。我问到你去看新闻怎么看法。每一个新闻都有一个非常重要的属灵的教训在里面。Indeed, God can speak through the news, if we have ears to hear and eyes to see. 神把他的信息从新闻里面和我们讲话，除非我们有耳朵听。
两星期前我们看到事情发生在伊朗。Our old friend Saddam Hussein was coming up again with some ideas. 对，Saddam Hussein又想侵略他们附近的人，国家。You're doing the preaching for me, sorry. You would have thought that after the Gulf War, he would have learned some important lessons. 你以为他在那个Gulf War以后他学了一个功课。After that disastrous experience, you would have thought he had enough of that. 他上次打败的那么坏，他以为他已经学了一个功课。No way. 他还没有。He hasn't seemed to learn anything. 他好像一点都没学到什么东西。Now he wants to start up on the northwest with the Kurds. 他现在要在西北去攻击Kurds. And suddenly the cruise missiles are coming again. 他轮到飞弹就来看那里。Suddenly the airplanes are coming overhead again. 他轮到飞机就在上面飞了。What do you have to do to help him to learn some basic lessons in life? 用什么方法可以让他知道学减功课呢？
But isn't that what we find among Christians as well? 这不是我们的基督徒也是同一样？I see the same thing happening. 我看同一件事情发生。They have one bad experience after another because of disobeying the Lord. 因为不顺服神，他有很多的不好的经验。But have they learned something from that? 可是他们有没有在这个地方学到功课呢？No. 没有啊。They go on and make the same mess over and over again. 他在技术下其实也要做很多错的事情。And you ask the question why? 你就要问到底会怎么他会有这种事情发生。Now think for a moment why? 你想想为什么？
So this case two weeks ago, this news item has to do with an international matter. 两星期中那个新闻是讲国际的新闻。That is concerning the relationship between countries. 说是关于国家和国家的关系。It has to do with politics and military affairs. 讲关于政治的事情。
And then, last week, well this, the week just passed. 上星期。Well I should say about ten days ago now. 大概十天前。Another news item appears. 又有一个新闻。And that one of course you know very well. 你这个你就一定很知道，你很熟悉的。What was it? 这是什么呢？This time a problem of relationships on the royal level. 又是讲到关于国家的关系的问题。Was the official announcement of the divorce of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. 他们是所要关系的离婚就是Diana and Prince Charles.
Of course you don't say Princess Diana anymore. She's not a princess anymore. You can't say she's a queen, because she's not a queen. She's no longer Your Royal Highness. She's now just a common citizen. From the heights of glory down to the ordinary level again. Why would this thing happen after 15 years of marriage? Why would this happen after 15 years? Because they had to get married 15 years. I can't think why. I pose a second question for you to think about. And is the answer to this question similar to the one concerning Iraq? Do you think there is a different relationship? No. So that is the question.
Now, here we have a fairy tale situation. The marriage of Diana and Charles, that's a fairy tale story. 15 years ago it captured the imagination of the whole world. This beautiful princess, 将来是做英国的女王。每一个小女儿都是在想，有一天我们可能就是做公主，然后做女王。这种就是每一个人的梦想的目标。这种就是在神话的故事里面你能看到。然后它是真实，在上镜上，Diana是可能成为了女王。你看到在电视里面，她说这个女孩子是做了公主，以后可能是做女王。
她不是嫁给一个非常老又丑的王帝，不只是一个非常在意的王子。你看到他穿的那个，上很漂亮，礼服很美。她都有金香金的衣服，还有金的扣子。她还有一个很亮的那个戒在她的旁边。他的很美的那些很美的中年时的头发。每个女孩子都是那么好。将来的英国将来的王帝。这种就是人所梦想的一个目标。
15 years ago, everybody's eyes were glued to the wedding ceremony. 15年前，每个人都是很近地在电视里看他们的婚姻。这是很美的一件事情。然后我们听说他们是离婚的。当然我们也不是很近期，因为我们知道他们两个中间有很多问题。当他们结果是真人的离婚呢，这就是我们醒回来的时候，那个梦已经醒了。
问题就是要问为什么呢？为什么两个那么美的人，为了有那么好的前途，为了他们的世界上拥有一切所需要的东西，为什么他们要离婚呢？你觉得怎么会的吗？你有没有答案呢？如果你说他们的性情不同，每个人都有性情不同，哪有两个人完全一样呢？是不是性格不同就是每一个婚姻就要离婚呢？当然不是。There are ways to overcome these differences. 我们用方法来克服不同的地方，但那些不同的地方，王子和公主都不能克服。
Well, some people cannot afford very good marriage counselors. 有的人不能花钱去请那些婚姻的顾问，但是他们有很多的意思是需要的，他们很有钱啊。可是他们还是不能克服的问题。还有很多不好的宣传，那有什么呢？那些应该给他们有压力，让他们能够在一起啊。还有他们的儿女，那他们的小孩子谁去管他们呢？为什么这件事情会发生？
Let's come to a third story. Now consider this again from another angle. 我们再看另外一个例子。I was looking at the news a few days ago and there is the story of Christopher Reeves. 我看到一个就是一个明星，他叫Christopher Reeves. You know who he is? 你知道他是谁啊？Oh you see Alay knows? He's nodding his head. Anybody else knows? Yes, I see more people nodding their heads. Superman! Ah, even Uncle Don knows. Yeah, he's Superman. 他以前做一个事叫Superman.
This handsome, tall, muscular fellow. 他是一个非常高，非常美的人。And he wears this blue suit, Superman with a big S in front. 他穿了一个蓝衣，还有一个大个S在前面。Oh, he can spread his arms, he can fly in the sky. Wow, this is dreams are made of that. 他能够在天上飞。Don't you love it? We can only fly in our dreams. 我们只能在梦中日里说我们会飞。And when I fly in my dream I don't do a very good job of it. 我在梦里飞的时候我飞不成。Because basically I'm a swimmer, you see. 因为我是游泳的，and so when I fly, I'm also swimming. 当我飞的时候我好像用游泳的那个样式来飞。But he doesn't need to move his arms. 他根本连他的手背都不需要动。He just put his arms forward and zoom like a rocket he goes. 他就把他的手这样过去，他就会飞了。Superman，他就是一个超群的人。
But now, what happened to Christopher Reeves? I guess you know. 你知道现在他发生什么事情发生？He's paralyzed. 他是完全瘫痪，瘫了，太弯。He fell from a horse and he broke his neck. 他从马上跌下来，他把他的那个背就断了。And so from the neck down, he's paralyzed. 从颈下面，他是瘫痪。And there he was, I could hardly recognize him when he was brought onto this stage for a meeting. 因为他现在这个情形我也不能认识他，因为他去了一个会里面。He looked so pathetic. 他很可怜的样子。He was sitting in this chair pushed by somebody. 他坐在一个轮椅，有人推他。He can't even breathe too well, so he had a pipe stuck in his mouth. 他不能呼吸，他要有一个空气的地方放在他嘴里面。And he didn't look like this handsome person that we all thought of in the film of Superman. 他就不像以前那个Superman那么近。He was in this meeting to raise some money for people with spinal injuries. 他去那个开会就是想筹一点钱来做这个背脊的受伤的人的研究工作。
So what lesson is there to learn in this? 那在这方面我们来讲有什么功课我们可以学呢？From the height of the glory, even of his own physical excellence, never mind the dream idea of Superman. 他从他很健康的时候的他自己。He was a sportsman. 他是一个非常好运动的人。His muscles were not phony, you know. 他的肌肉不是假的。So when he put on this tight suit, you have to have a good physique, otherwise what you look, all the ribs sticking out there. 穿那些Superman的衣服，他肌肉一定是要很好，不然的话，你看到他的肋骨。So this kind of tight fitting thing, you have to have the real muscles there. Oh, very impressive. 他一定要有真的肌肉才能够给人家看到。And now he sits bent in this wheelchair. 他现在就坐在一个轮椅上。
What is being said to us from all this? 从这个方面对我们讲什么话呢？I think God is saying something. 神在和我们讲话。The thing that God wants to say is not concerning Christopher Reeves himself. 神要和我们讲话并不是说关于Christopher Reeves. It's not as though he did something bad in himself. 并不是说他做了一点不好的事。But there seems to be a message to all mankind. 这好像在这方面给我们人人有一个信息。You think you are Superman. 你说你是一个超群的人。And Superman, as you know, can solve every problem. 因为一个超群的人可以做什么事情都可以做。He can even stop the rockets flying in the sky. 他可以连飞弹他也可以叫它停下来。You think man can become something that doesn't need God anymore? 你觉得人在这个时候不需要神呢？Man can do it all. He only needs to be super. 人可以做一些东西如果他是超群的话。如果你能够置一个超群的人呢？那你就把神放在一边，不要想他。
如果每一个人仔细再想一想，就是叫你看一下这个Superman. Superman他连他自己都不能挽救，更不要说他去救别人了。Every time now every child looks at Christopher Reeves, he thinks, oh dear, what happened to Superman? 每一个小孩子看到这个Christopher Reeves现在就说，啊，到底这个Superman变成这样子。Of all the stars in Hollywood, this didn't happen to anybody but to Superman. I mean, is that coincidence? 所有所有的那个明星，每一个人都没有发现，就是发现发生在这个Superman的身上。觉得是很很偶然吗？When we read the news, are we listening? Are we learning something? 我们看这个新闻，我们学到这种功课吗？We don't learn spiritual lessons only from the Bible. 我们总是在圣经里面读这个属灵的功课。God is speaking to us from everywhere if we have ears to hear. 神用不同的方法对我们讲话，只要我们有耳朵听。
So what is there in common through these three lessons? 在这个三个例子上面中间有一个同一样的事情是什么呢？One on the international level. 一个就是在国际的政策上。One on a personal level, on a social level. 一个就是说人与人之间的问题。And one regarding an individual. 第三个是所有个人的问题。And interestingly in that order, that I got the messages of these. 很奇怪的就是在这种次序下。
The lesson here: the fundamental problem of man. 人的最大的问题，他的问题就是他自己。If you don't correctly diagnose a disease, you can't treat it. 如果医生不把你的问题解释出来，就不能去治疗你的问题。If you get the wrong diagnosis, you might even kill the patient by the wrong treatment. 如果断症不对的话，可能那个病人也给他弄死了。And if the treatment deals only with symptoms, we call it symptomatic treatment, it doesn't deal with the root of the problem. 如果我们就是治标的话，根本的就和那个根源的原因就不理了。The root problem in man is what? 人的基本的根源的问题是什么？What is the root problem in you? 你生命的根源的问题是什么？If we don't deal with that, we never solve the problems. 如果我们不根治的话，我们永远不会把问题解决。
The fundamental problem of man is what is called the self. 人最基本的问题就是自我。The ego. 我们的自信。That's the thing. That is the most difficult thing to deal with. 这是最难解答的问题。
Because as we saw, look again at our friend Saddam. 我们在看我们Saddam. Why does he want to swallow Kuwait? 为什么他要去经历Kuwait? Everything that Saddam does is motivated by self-glorification. 每一件事他做都是为了他自己的荣耀而做。He even rebuilt the ancient city of Babylon from the Bible times. 把巴比伦重建起来。And on the bricks of that rebuilt Babylon he put his own name there. Each one of the bricks has his name. 他把巴比伦那个城建的时候，每一个石头上都有他的名字。It's his own glory he wants to build. 因为他是要建立他自己的荣耀。He wanted to be in history books as the conqueror of Kuwait. 他要在历史上说他是征服的Kuwait的征服者。他还有更大的雄心，如果他在那里不得人家停了他，他不晓得将来会圆满到什么地方。
他那次失败了以后，啊，now you will learn the lesson. No, nothing will stop the self. 你以为他学那次打败了以后他一定学了一个功课，其实他们根本没有学到。So now he wants to find another way. 他现在又要找另外一个目标。To establish his glory. 要去做他的这个荣耀出来。
But is he so different from the rest of us? 请问他的做法和我们是不是很相同？Look into your heart, what motivated you to do what you did? 请问你的动机做事情是什么东西令到你去做这种事情？If it is not for your pleasure, your satisfaction, your glory, why did you do it? 如果不是为了你的荣耀，你的自满，你为什么要去做呢？人总是为了充满自我，他就去做很多事情。
And when we look at the relationship of Diana and Charles, why should such a wonderful marriage break up? 你在看Diana和Charles的婚姻，她们为什么要离婚呢？The clash of self. 因为他们两个人自我的冲突。Neither will give in to the other. 每一个，他们两个都不肯让步。So something has to break. 结果婚姻就分离了。
So in the case of Iraq, it is the clash of wills between nations. 在伊朗就是我们看到这个国家和国家中间的冲突。So Saddam wants Kuwait and the world says no. 所以当他要Kuwait可是联合国说不行。So there is the clash. That's how wars arise. 所有的战争也是这样发生的。And so also in marriages, the clash of self destroys the marriage. 如果在婚姻里面，自我的挣扎的时候，相得的时候，就婚姻有一个问题。
Why do we need power? 为什么我们要有能力？So that we can overcome an opposing will. 我们就可以cover对方的自益。Then we can get our way. 我们就可以做我们要做的事情。That's why Superman is so appealing. 因为Superman is so welcome. To get done what we think is right. 去做那些东西我们觉得是对的。Please notice the words "what we think is right." 请记得说他们觉得是对的，我们所觉得是对的。
You see, we may think even in the Christian life there are clashes. 在基督徒里面我们也觉得有冲突。Because there are people in the church who think they are right. 在教会里面有的人说他们是对的。The leaders are wrong. 领袖是错的。But the leaders say, "I am more spiritual, I am right, you are wrong." 领袖说我们是更属灵，所以我们对你是错。So clash. 所以就这样有冲突。
That means to say the self is so subtle that it will not say, "I am doing this for my glory." I mean that's a little bit too bold to say. 其实他们并不是说我们做了为我们自己的荣耀而做，这是很夸张来这样讲。But you will find some glorified reason. "It is for the glory of Iraq." Of course the glory of Iraq is his glory. 它说为了伊拉克的荣耀，其实就是说萨达姆的荣耀。We hide our real motive behind nice sounding words. 我们把我们自我的动机都放在后边。That's very scary. 这是很恐惧。And in the spiritual life that is not only scary, it is disastrous. 在属灵的，这是不但是坏，这是很可怕。
"I would say you got to do it because I am more spiritual. I tell you to do it." 你应该这样做，因为我是比你属灵，你就要服从我。It's like I've heard more than one case of a boy said to a girl, "You got to marry me." 有一个男孩子对着女孩子说你一定要嫁给我。And when the girl said why, 那女孩子问，为什么呢？"Because it is God's will that you do it." 因为神的旨意，你要嫁给我。How do you argue with that? 你怎么会反驳呢？And how do you know it's God's will? 你怎么知道神的旨意呢？"I've been a Christian two years longer than you have. I know the Lord better than you do. So you have to marry me." 我做了基督徒比你还长了两年，我知道神比你更多，所以你要嫁给我。Well, that's some way to propose, isn't it? 这是一种求婚的方法。But I'm not joking. This in fact has happened. I know at least two cases of this in my own experience. 我的，这不是讲相话，真的有发生的。
So dear sisters, be careful. 所以的弟妹们，你们要小心。Some brother is going to come to you one of these days and tell you that it's God's will you marry him. 有一个弟兄会来到你面前说，因为神的旨意，你要嫁给我。You see, he does what he wants, but he uses God's name to do it. That is the worst thing. 他用他想做他的东西，就用神的名字来做。But this is unfortunately rather common in the church. 可是这种事情在教会里是非常普通。
And of course, what's the right answer to this kind of proposal? 能让这种求婚，这个准确的答复对这样的问题，要准确的答复对这种问题。Well, like the one sister when she was asked by the brother, or not asked, but told by the brother, that's God's will for her to marry him. 有一个姐妹，她说为神的旨意她要嫁给那个男孩子。She said, "I will marry you when God tells me that it is his will." 她说，我会嫁给你，如果神也对我这样同样的讲。
So I want to share with you this matter: the self and the cunning of the self. 我要和你讲就是自我和那个自我的狡猾。But now you're asking me, what's this got to do with the text that you read at the beginning? 那你就问我，今天我们读的圣经和这个有什么关系呢？What was our text? 我们的经文怎么讲？Forgetting what's behind. 我们要忘记背后。And we ask the question, forgetting what? 就是要问，到底我们要背后忘掉什么？
Well, Saddam Hussein already forgot what's behind. He forgot about Kuwait a few years ago. 萨达姆Hussein已经把他和Kuwait的那件事情忘了一件事。And he is pressing forward to go. 他还是继续要去清理其他的国家。The goal of his own glorification. 因为他的目标是要为了他自己的荣耀。
# The Fundamental Question of the Christian Life (Philippians 3:13-14) - Part 2
He is certainly not saying we should forget all historical lessons of the past. What he said earlier in that passage is important. He said, "The things that I regarded as desirable, now I have abandoned as rubbish." Now that's very important. The things that were important to me are not important anymore, and now I seek something else. He says that I may know Jesus. And in order to know him, I have regarded all this behind me as rubbish.
What is to be forgotten behind are the things of the self. For example, he said, "I was a Pharisee." That in fact today is regarded as a Pharisee or something bad. In those days, Pharisee was something glorious. He said, "I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, the purest kind of Hebrew." He said, "I was the most famous of the apostles." All these good things, he said, thank God, it's rubbish now. It doesn't matter. In the past, it made me proud. I felt good. But now it doesn't matter. Now it's not important.
What about us? Maybe our family upbringing. We did our family upbringing, makes us feel good. Made me feel good. Maybe all the degrees that we have collected. 就是我们学问的很多的degree我们觉得非常骄傲，各种寒头文凭，文凭，寒头那些。All these I have left behind. It doesn't matter anymore. 现在我觉得这个对我来讲没有什么意思。Because these things make the self proud. 这种事情会令到我们非常骄傲。
我告诉你，世界上没有事情比骄傲更危险。你有没有祷告，你祷告又祷告，可是神从来不听？我想神从来都不会答应我的祷告。因为要清心的人，清心的有福了，因为他们能够见神。如果你的心是充满骄傲，你就不是清心了。如果你的心里面，不是说完全满的骄傲，就是有一点点骄傲，你也不能忍耐，也没有。因为有的人是时常经验到神，可是有的人就一点经验都没有。分别在哪里呢？一人有自己的心，其他人没有。有一个人他就是已经把他自我克服了，有一个人就没有。
这是一个成熟的基督徒。这是为什么Paul says, 每个成熟的基督徒都觉得这样。这是保罗说的秘密就在这里。一个成熟的基督徒，每个人都是同样这样想法。I have left behind. I forget all the things pertaining to self. 我把我的观自我的一切事情，我都已经放在后边。And now I press on towards the things of God. 我现在要竭力去前进去那些东西是与神有关的事情。If you have that mentality, 如果你有这种性情的话，you pray and God answers. 如果你祷告，神一定会听。If he doesn't answer, you come and look for me. 如果神不听，你就来问我。I have complete confidence. 我有完全的信心。In my God. 在我的神。
This is based on a very long experience. 因为这是我的经历。From 1953, since the time I came to the Lord. 到现在。Is how many years? 一九五三年到现在。That's 43 years. That's quite a long time. 43年，很长的时期。There is no prayer that I can ever recall, through the many many prayers I've prayed, that God didn't answer. 我的祷告，祷告很多很多祷告，每一个祷告是入空的。Sometimes I have to wait quite some time before he answers. 有的时候我要等候很久，神才答应我的祷告。The answer will come. 可是他的答应是一定会来的。
And sometimes he answers so fast that I had hardly got the words out of my mouth, the answer is already there. 有的时候他的回应是那么快，我还没讲完已经做成了。And there are times when he answered before I even asked. 有的时候他答了我的祷告，我还没讲祷告的时候，他已经答了我的祷告。I was stunned. I thought, wow, I haven't even asked for this yet, it's already arrived. 我真的是很惊奇，因为我还没问了，你已经答复了我的祷告。That's exactly what it says in Isaiah, "Before you call, I will answer." 好像Isaiah说你们还没问我的时候，我已经答应了你。
So I say to our sister who is going to be baptized, 我今天就和今天的瑞琳几妹姐姐讲：Baptism, what is it? 什么是洗礼呢？That is precisely this point. It is from this point on, you forget what is behind. 就是说从今天起，你要把以前的事都要忘掉。All that has to do with yourself. 所有对自我的事情都要把它放下。Your selfish ambitions. 你自己的雄心。Your selfish pride. 你的骄傲。Indeed also the past hurts. 因为有很多是以往的是为了令到你的痛心。The things that people did to you which were wrong. 有的人做一点事情对你是有害的。You forgive and don't forget it. 你应该完全完全饶住他们。Don't let the past be a millstone around your neck. 不要把以往的在你的颈上做了一个石头。
I have to counsel很多人，因为我要去劝勉很多的人。And I see many people walking around in life with a big burden from the past. 我们看到很多人，他把以往的事情都放在他背后。You can't go forward with this great thing choking you around the neck like a millstone. 你不能找什么路，因为后边的东西是那么重。Jesus wants to set you free from the past. 耶稣要叫你得自由，从以前的事情得自由。That's why you have these two parts of the same verse. You must be freed from the past so that you can go forward. 你一定要把以往的得到自由，然后你才能前进。
Now baptism is the beginning. 洗礼就是这个开始。The word "forget" in the original, 这个忘在希腊文，is the present participle. 是继续的意思。That means you keep on forgetting. 你一定要继续的要忘记背后。And you keep on. And the other word, "straining forward," is also a present participle. You keep on straining forward. 你一定要继续的向前走。The Greek "pressing forward" is a very intense word which doesn't quite come out in the English. 希腊文的向前是一个非常有能力的一个字。
Now the picture of this is quite simple. We can look at it like this. 你这个用图画来讲是很容易，你就可以这样看。What is the picture? 你是一个什么样的图画？The picture is one of discipleship. In front is Jesus. Behind is us. Behind is us. Discipleship is to follow. You follow him in front, I'm behind. 你要跟他前面，要后面，你在他后面。So what is behind? 后面是什么呢？It's me. 是我。What do I forget? 我应该忘什么呢？It's me. 要忘记自己。Now if you can do that, you will know what freedom is. 你如果能够忘记自己，你就知道自由是怎么回事。
I've had to deal with a number of people with serious mental problems in my time. 我和一些精神病的人，精神病，很严重的精神病。And I find that the main characteristic of these people with serious mental problems, 那些严重精神病的人有一个很相同的地方，你知道是什么吗？The complete preoccupation with the self. 他是完全自顾他们自己。They are locked into themselves. 他完全把自己守在里面。
I picked up a booklet at the doctor's office the other day. 我在医务所找到一本小的册子，我去身体检查。And this booklet had to do with mental problems. 他是讲关于精神病。You know as you are waiting for the doctor, you don't want to waste time, so you pick up some booklet they have there. 你在他的后诊所里看一种小杂志。And one sentence immediately struck me there. 有一句话令到我思想。"The symptom of this mental illness is the turning inward, complete obsession with the self." 他就有那些病人，他是完全完全地自我把转。
What's your situation now? 你的情形怎么样？I think given that standard, most people are a bit got mental problems. 如果这个是定义的话，我想每一个人都有一点精神的问题。Because maybe not to the point of obsessive. 当然是不是完全征服的这个情形。But it can develop in that direction. 这可以变成，如果不小心就会变成这样。When you talk to such people, 当你和他们谈话的时候，they always talk about themselves. It's always themselves, themselves, themselves. They never get away from themselves. 他们总是讲自己，自己，自己，从来不会讲别的东西。And do you know in the end, they don't have a single person who wants to talk to them. 结果没有一个人像和他们谈话。Who wants to talk to a person who only talks about themselves? 谁要和他们讲话，因为他总是讲关于他自己。So in the end, they have no friends and they're very lonely. 最后他一点朋友都没有，他非常孤独。
Many people are obsessed with themselves, but they are clever enough, as I said like Hussein, not to talk about, but to talk about the glory of their country and so on. They have moved this verbal commitment to something else. 虽然好像虎仙他说不是说自己是这个国家的荣耀，其实他就是把他那个目的转了去国家一样。But like Hitler, he was completely obsessed with himself. That's why he's regarded as a madman. Hitler he was also, so he said, 人家说他是外人。But he keeps talking about Germany, of course. 他当时一定是说关于德国。But like Louis XIV, he meant Germany is me. Just like Louis, you said France is me, I am France. 他说路易，他说法国就是我。You can see this complete obsession with the self. 你看到他们完全是给自我征服。
There was somebody in the church once who kept coming to me with her problems. 有一个朋友，他来到教会，总是要和我谈话，总是是说他自己他自己，令得我非常累。Every time I talk to her, it's the same thing. It's always me this, me that, me this. Oh, it was so tiring. And various co-workers tried to help her, but it's no use. She was always going around the same thing. 有的同工要和他谈话，他也是同样的就是说他自己。Because they are actually loving to talk about themselves. 因为他很喜欢讲他自己。And yet they also hated because of their problems. So it's a kind of love-hate relationship to themselves. 他也恨，所以他是有一个爱和恨的关系。
Finally all the co-workers gave up, still don't know how to help her. 因为最后我所有的同工都放弃，因为他不知道怎么去帮着她。So she came back to me again. 后来他又来到我们，想要问我。I said okay, I'm going to give you an instruction. 我给你，我说好，我给你一个条件。And you must stick to it. 如果你一定要服从不合，如果你要征服你的问题。He said, "What is that?" 他就问你到底是什么呢？I said, "From this moment on, you are forbidden to talk about yourself, even once. Never talk about yourself again." 从现在开始，你不能讲你自己，一句都不能讲。She said, her mouth opened, she said, "How can I talk if I don't talk about myself?" 她说她的嘴就打开，她说我又怎么可以讲呢，如果我不讲我自己。I said, "You don't talk about yourself to anyone, not even to your husband. Never talk about yourself to your husband." 我告诉了征服人，你不要讲你自己，对任何人，连你的丈夫，你也不讲。And I told her husband, "See to it, you never talk to her about her." 你也和他的丈夫说，你也不要和他讲关于他自己。
And you know what happened? 你知道怎么结果怎么样？She was healed. 她就好了。她就没有问题了。她就很高兴了，因为她就在自我的得到自由。她忘了自己，她觉得生活上非常好。她现在一直都不在讲自己，所以她现在变成非常好的。以前很多人都怕和她在一起，因为她的故事已经人听了很多次。现在有很多朋友，because she's concerned about other people. She can't talk about herself. Once you forget yourself, sounds simple, the power of this is remarkable.
So what happens in baptism is when you go into the water, the past is gone. What does it mean to die with Christ? It means that the past is gone. When you die, then the past is gone. What does it mean to be raised from the dead? You press to a new direction. Now you're free to go to something else, then free from yourself. You do have the ability to go to the place. Now you can follow Jesus in front. Now you can follow Jesus in front. In other words, discipleship is impossible. 换句来讲，做门徒，it's not possible unless you forget what is behind. Now remember, what is behind is yourself. And then you press forward to the Lord Jesus, to become like him. Just like Jesus, press on to become like him. That's in front.
So our time is gone. I mentioned that this pressing forward in the Greek is very intense in the word that is used there. That is something else that I don't see in many Christians. Very few Christians have that intensity. I see this kind of追求 of the heart. You see that it's very light. No intensity there. Because they are very light. I'm not going to speak Chinese anymore. There is not this extraordinariness that attracts other people. Because they have a very strong character to tempt others.
So I say to our sister, let the Lord set you on fire. I say to our sister, let the Lord set you on fire. Let the Lord set you on fire. That you become a light in the darkness. You become a light in the darkness. I find there's no point being a Christian unless you become something outstanding as a Christian for God's sake. Because that is what our calling is. That is what our calling is.
I close with some few words from some famous servants of God. I'm a famous philosopher. There was David Livingstone. David Livingstone. He's a famous explorer in Africa. He's a famous explorer in Africa. And David Livingstone wrote in his diary these words. He said, "I have no unusual intellectual endowments. I actually don't have a natural mind. My knowledge is not natural." But he said, "I determine this day, I resolve this day to be an uncommon Christian." At the same time, I am a not-uncommon Christian. That is something that every Christian, I hope that our sister said, will say, "I determined by the grace of God to be an unusual, an uncommon Christian." I hope that I will be an unusual, an unusual Christian. Because the church is already full of very ordinary people, ordinary Christians. No fire.
Somebody asked Wesley, "Why is it that when you preach, crowds of people come to hear you preach?" He said, "Well, it is for this reason." I set myself on fire. I set myself on fire. And the crowds come to see me burn. Because the people are looking for me to see me burn. That is very interesting. Then he summed up the secret. Why wherever Wesley went, multitudes came to hear because he was on fire. Wesley, why did he take so many people? Because he is一个灵活的an unusual. That is wonderful. There you see the intensity of that word, "I press forward." We can see the intensity of that word, "I press forward." That is a true.
So I close here for today. I pray that the Lord will make each one of you a spiritual fire. I pray that the Lord will make each one of you a spiritual fire. That will not happen unless you forget yourself behind. That will not happen unless you forget yourself behind. And with the whole heart, press forward. To become like him. To become like him. That is closing.