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Many who object to Christianity cite as the reason that there are too many laws and rules. Listener, does that describe you? In his message today, Reverend Daniel brings to light a different perspective that whatever God has set for us in his laws and statutes are really to protect us.

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Katniss Aberdeen is a 16-year-old who lives in the nation of Penham in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercised political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the capital are selected by lottery to compete in a televised contest in which those selected must fight to the death in an outdoor arena until only one remains. So when her younger sister, 12-year-old sister Primrose, was selected to participate in the Hunger Games by Lottery by Lot, Katniss Aberdeen stood up immediately and ran and raised up her hand and volunteered herself while running to protect her sister. I'm not sure whether you have seen the show Hunger Games. So I'm just describing to you a scene which I kind of chanced upon while taking a breather last night while I was preparing the sermon. You know, I took a breather and I thought that was a very poignant uh example of protecting the innocent life. So Katniss Aberdeen stood up and rose to the occasion to protect her younger sister. Can you imagine a 12-year-old girl being in the battle with a male who could be very much older? Right? So Katniss Aberdeen protected innocent primrose from the brutality of participating in a fight death by volunteering herself in her state reminds us that whatever God has set for us in his laws and statutes are really to protect us. A lot of us, if you ask around, why are you not a Christian? Why don't you believe in God, a lot of times uh the response is uh there are too many rules, uh too legalistic. But when God designed the laws in the Old Testament, it was meant to protect us. It was meant to draw boundaries, to tell us that this is as far as you may go to be saved. Going beyond that will put you in danger. Just as how today we uh have laws, uh we have uh uh uh a legal uh department because they are to guide us in terms of the interpretation of the laws and to uh draw boundaries to uh to differentiate and draw distinctions between matters. So similarly, God's laws are given to for our own good, and it's really meant to protect us and not to harm us or to confine us. It is meant for our well-being, to protect the innocent. So we are continuing our sermon series on the book of Deuteronomy. So today's uh topic is on protecting innocent life from Deuteronomy 19, chapter 1 to 21. So uh it actually covers Deuteronomy chapter 19, verses 1 to 21, actually covers the second half of the Ten Commandments. Are we here? Are we familiar with the Ten Commandments? I'm sure some of us are, right? Um, you know, how we need to uh focus on uh loving God, uh not having any idols, and the second half of the commandments actually focus a lot on our communal relationship uh with one another. So that is where we are landing. We are landing on uh Deuteronomy chapter 19, verses 1 to 21 covers the second half of the commandments, uh beginning with shall not murder, shall not commit adultery, you shall not cover, and so on and so forth. Right? But today it doesn't cover you shall not commit adultery. That's left for the next session. But actually the text before us covers very clearly, it is an exposition or a further elaboration of what it means to say you shall not murder, right? And you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, and you shall not cover. So keep this uh chart before you because it's uh important for us to have this sense. So if Deuteronomy 19, verses 1 to 21 can be split into two parts, right? The first part, verse 1 to 13, focus on the theme of murder. You shall not murder, and verses 14 to 19 takes up various issues about stealing, bearing false witness, and coveting. Right? So the first few verses, verses 1 to 13, uh covers most directly relates to the sixth commandment, do not murder, from Deuteronomy 5, verse 17. So it covers aspects of the judicial process by providing provision for the manslayer uh in case in the event of certain conditions, right? So Deuteronomy chapter 19, verses 4 to 6 says, This is the provision for the manslayer who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past, as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor accidentally, so he dies. So there's a provision in the laws of Israel for something called the cities of refuge, in which the manslayer may flee and live, least the avenger of blood in hot pursuit, hot anger pursue the manslayer, overtake him, because the way is long and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. So this law in Deuteronomy 19, verses 4 to 6 is really to protect one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, right? It's to uh draw a boundary around that issue. This is so that he would not be condemned unjustly as a murderer. In other words, innocent blood should not be split. Sorry, innocent blood should not be spilled as a result of a false conviction. So Deuteronomy 19, 10 tells us, least innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of blood shed be upon you. So there are two reasons given for these uh cities of refuge. One, it secures justice for the innocent by protecting him from wrongful retribution. Secondly, the law of refuge protects Israel from the effect of sin in the whole land and its people to ensure the expiation of blood guilt. So in the context of Israel, uh whenever some there is a shedding of blood or murder happening, the whole nation becomes unclean because of the murderer, right? Something we cannot conceive of in modern terms, but that was what happened, right? So the law is meant to protect Israel also as a nation against the uh blood guilt over the whole nation, right? So um how however this law in Deuteronomy 19, 4 to 6 does not cover every aspect or every case, right? It just uh covers certain aspects of the judicial process, but not everything. So, as in all writing and and literature, anyone who writes today is always selective, right? They write a particular angle to emphasize particular things. So it's uh we live in a day and age that none of us can claim like comprehensive knowledge of all things, right? But so similarly in Deuteronomy, he writes with a particular angle. He doesn't cover everything. For example, he doesn't cover every case issue, such as the accidental killing of a known enemy or a deliberate action not intended to kill, but nevertheless has the result. So let's move on to Deuteronomy chapter 19, verses 14 to 19. So this kind of covers the eight to ten commandments, not stealing, not bearing false witness, and not coveting. Deuteronomy 19, verse 14 reads, You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. So there's a boundary drawn uh in terms of the property ownership. So as a way of respecting the means of others, your neighbor's landmark. It deals with the human tendency of our hearts to steal and cover, to maybe take a bit more of the land. So the landmark draws the boundaries. This is as far as you can go. Uh fall short of saying that you are coveting or taking over what belongs to your neighbors. Right? Deuteronomy chapter 19 concludes in verse 15 to 21 on the laws concerning weaknesses. Uh this is uh protect, this is to protect against false witnesses. So any crime, it tells us, any crime or offense committed must be based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is to guard against malicious and false witnesses, intending to bring harm and evil. So false and malicious witnesses are tantamount to evil. So Deuteronomy 19, verse 19 tells us you shall purge the evil from your midst. So, what can we learn from all these laws, you know, that seems that seemingly amplifies the commandments of not murdering, not stealing, not bearing false witness, and not coveting what does not belong to us. At the heart of it all is really to respect and protect life and the means of others. So God's laws are given to protect uh the other, our neighbor. So the prohibition against murder, stealing, coveting, and being a false witness, because all these are sins against someone else. It's not uh our own personal sins, but sin towards someone else. So the principle is striking because it's more than just a law that's being enshrined, but if you notice, Deuteronomy chapter 19 uh mentions twice about hating our neighbor, right? So it's not so much about even committing the offense, but once you have hatred towards your neighbor, it's almost, you know, Jesus would stretch it, right? If you're angry with your brother, you know, you are already a murderer and so on. But hatred is key because it reveals an inner condition of your heart. So someone who unintentionally uh kills uh someone due to accident did not have a prior hatred or anger towards the person, right? So the principle of not hating your neighbor uh applies in the Old Testament. You look at Deuteronomy chapter 19, verse 6c, it says, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. Again, uh verse 11 of Deuteronomy 19, but if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him. So the presupposition is hatred. Hatred is tantamount to murder, leading to sin. Right? So it's noteworthy that hatred in the Old Testament is often the motivation for murder, right? Think about Cain and Abel, you know, about the first murder, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, right, because of his jealousy. So the bloodshed, the first brothers in the Bible. So the New Testament in 1 John 3.15 reminds us that everyone who hates his brother, strong words by John. He says 1 John 3.15, anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. So God holds a very high standard in our relational kind of connection with one another, that we should not come to a position of hating one another in the body of Christ. So the Old Testament way of enshrining the principle to respect life and the means of others is the law of Talion. Uh the law of Talion, which will is a principle, all that we talk about is summarized in Deuteronomy 19 verse 21b, which is the last verse in the whole chapter. Deuteronomy 19 verse 21b says, it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. So this is also mentioned in other parts of the Old Testament in Exodus 21, verse 23 to 25, and also Leviticus 24 verse 17 to 20. So the principle of the law of Talion that says life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, is to draw, again, draw boundaries such that one would not go beyond the initial offense to do further harm. For example, if someone today in the Old Testament injures your feet, you know, kicks you and you fell and uh your feet is injured. Uh the law of Talion says an eye for an eye, right? So perhaps you may be able to do that the same. Of course, we usually don't literally do that. Kick him back, you know? That is fair. But if you start to mane him, break his leg, uh, and worse still murder him, then you're going far beyond the original offense, right? So the law of Talian is meant to guard the boundary, to say this is as much as you can go, you know, to protect life. Uh an eye is for an eye, don't go beyond an eye. A tooth is for a tooth, you know. So this is um, this is the Old Testament. But what I thought, uh, which is my main point this morning, I want us to think about and focus about, also in terms of our application, our discipleship journey uh together as the people of God, is really to see how Jesus himself uh brought us beyond the law of Talion. Right? He in fact he raised the bar and the standard so high, much beyond the law of talion. So let's look at Matthew 5, uh 38 to 42 together. So it's on on the slide, it says Matthew 5, verse 38. You have heard that it was said, the law of Talian, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus said, but I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone would so sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to one who backs from you. Do not refuse the one who would borrow for you. Wow. What strong cutting and radical words. D.A. Carson, in his book, Jesus Sermon on the Mount and his confrontation with the world, explains that prior to the time of Jesus, there are two things that must be remembered regarding the law of Talian. Firstly, it was meant to be restrictive. It is an excellent tool for eliminating blood fields and intertribal warfare. Because when people are angry, they go beyond what is uh the boundary. So the law of Talian was meant to be restrictive. As I said earlier, suppose someone cuts off my brother's hand and I go and knock off the assess uh the enemy's head, that would be too much. Immediately the initial violence had been escalated, and the the those who have the murderer who had his head chopped off, the family may feel honor bound to butcher both the whole family of the one who did the offense. So where will it end? But if instead the initial act of violence is met with reprisal in precisely the same kind and the same degree, that is the end of the matter. So it was meant to be restrictive, you know, and that's all. It wasn't meant to be read beyond uh just a boundary drawn to prevent further bloodshed. Secondly, to note the law of Talent was given to the Jewish people as a nation. It was not to be designed to be discharged by individuals swept by the need to take personal revenge. So it's not a personal thing, right? Uh for wrongs done. But judgment was actually in the Old Testament times in the hands of the judiciary. So they are the ones based on the law of Talian will map out certain judgments. So it's not for individuals to say, oh, you pull out my eye, I will pluck out your eye, kind of thing. Otherwise, it'll be a chaos. So those were the two main purposes of the law of Italian. Restrictive, and it was meant for the nation, uh, safeguarded by the judiciary. But by Jesus' day, both these fundamentals were frequently overlooked. It became all too easy to see the law not as restrictive but as prescriptive and only marginally restrictive. The question then became how far may my personal retaliation extend without breaking the law? Worse, the law was was thus being dragged into the personal arena where it could scarely foster even rough justice, but only bitterness, vengeance, malice, and hatred. So it becomes, how far can I go? Right? How much revenge can I take? So it moves on from being restrictive to prescriptive. They wanted to do more to exert revenge. So we see here Jesus' works are striking and radical. He responds with sweeping authority. He said, You have heard in the Old Testament this was what Moses gave his people, but as the master rabbi, as the teacher of the law, I'm saying, you know, but I say to you, you know, but Jesus, by saying that I say to you this, he's overriding uh the Old Testament law of Talian to bring about a higher principle. And the higher principle is this do not resist an evil person, right? So you notice the context that Jesus addresses just now in Matthew 5, 38 to 42, it's all about a personal context of being abused in some way and to forgo our personal rights. Uh so he's addressing the issue where people in the context of the time of Jesus begin to be very calculative and want to more prescription so that they can do harm to their neighbor. So Jesus is writing in that kind of context. When you face person, when your personal rights are violated, when people do evil things towards you personally, how should you respond? So Jesus bears this out in four examples. The first example is a sharp backhand slap to the cheek. So all of us know, right? If today someone comes and slap you, it's an insult, right? You know, it's a gross insult to you, right? So Jesus said in the terms and words of Jesus, we should turn the other cheek and be prepared to be slapped rather than to retaliate against the person. So we should be willing to turn the other cheek. And then the second example is even more radical, I would think. It concerns a lawsuit in which a man is likely to lose his tunic, right? So if he loses a lawsuit, he will lose his tunic, which is during the time of the day, is a garment that helps to. Protect his body against the cold. But other than the tunic, there's actually something else, a cloak that's over that. In fact, it's so important that in Exodus 22, verse 26 to 27 says, if you have taken your neighbor's cloak in pledge, please return it before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body. In what else shall he sleep? So Exodus tells us that. Yet Jesus said, you know, if someone comes to you and would sue you and take your tunic, that's not enough. Don't stop there. Give him more. Even your cloak, take out and give him. So, wow, I mean, it's really radical words. In other words, even those things that we regard as our rights by law, you know, and for our own shelter and protection, Jesus is saying we must be prepared to abandon. The third example refers to the Roman practice of commanding civilians. So the Roman soldier may say to a civilian, go run one mile. But Jesus said, if he does that to you, go with him two miles. An ordinary Roman soldier could legally command a civilian to do that, to help him. For example, to carry his luggage over a prescribed distance. So Jesus said, go beyond that one mile if the Roman uh commander asks you to do so. So Jesus, the followers of Jesus are not to feel hard done by and irritable in such cases as if personally insulted, but are to double the distance and accept the imposition cheerfully. The last example of Jesus demands giving and lending that is cheerful and willing. Right? It tells us, Jesus tells us if give to the one who begs from you, do not refuse to the one who would borrow from you. The issue is not about wisdom or foolishness of lending money to everyone who comes to you. The burden of these verses is that Christ will not tolerate a mercenary, tight-fisted, penny-pinching attitude, which is the financial counterpart of a legal, under legalistic understanding of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. So Jesus said, give freely, give to those who ask of you. Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Don't be asking yourself all the time, what is in for me? What can I get out of it? So the legalistic mentality which develops retaliation and fairness makes much of one's rights. So what Jesus is saying to his disciples in these few verses, more than anything else, is that those who follow Jesus must be prepared to give up their personal rights. And it applies to us today, right? And D.A. Carson goes even further than this, which I'm hesitant to say, but anyway, I'll say it. This is what he says. He says, Jesus' disciples and followers have no rights. But that that precisely uh cuts it very neat, as in that's what it is. If you read uh the verses from Matthew 5, verse 38 to 42, right? But I would think it will mean a willingness to forego our rights. They have no right to retaliate and met out their own vengeance. They don't have the right, even to their possessions, right? Tunic and cloak. If someone uh wants it, give it to them more and give them everything, nor to their time and money. Even their legal rights may sometimes be abandoned. Does this sound hardgoing for many of us? Can I have a show of hand? How many of you feel that this is a hard teaching by Jesus? Can I have a show of hand? I agree, you know, that it's a hard teaching. I think it's one of the most challenging teachings that Jesus offered to us. Yet, if we say that this is what God requires, is it is in his word, then it means that it's doable, right? If it's not doable, God wouldn't, you know, Jesus wouldn't tell his disciples to do that, right? So even though it sounds hardgoing, uh, I'm moving on to application, how can we apply the teachings of Jesus on going beyond the law of Talian? How can we do that? Is it even possible? The answer I like to suggest to us is really to walk the way of the cross. There's no other way for us to fully obey Jesus in this sense, literally, except to be willing to walk the way of the cross. There are many Christians today, uh not trying to judge anyone, but including myself at times, you know, we we steer away from walking the way of the cross because it's suffering, right? And we don't like to hear that. We we prefer to hear of victory and a power, resurrection, but scripturally there is a place for suffering. There is a place for Christians to willingly subject and themselves to accept abuse without retaliating in a revengeful way. This is the Jesus way, this is the way of the cross. So with Jesus, personal self-sacrifice displaces personal retaliation. Because this is the way the Savior Himself went, the way of the cross. So the way of the cross is not notions of my right and your wrongs. But that is not the final bottom line in the Christian principle of conduct. And the only way that this is possible for us is because Jesus Himself set the pattern and shows us the way. You know, none of us can do that. You know, none of us, if if we stand up and do that today, we'll be a martyr. Because none of us have that strength and natural capacity to. So Jesus must lead us in the way of the cross. He must be the one that shows us it is possible. It's possible to walk the way of the cross. Like to bring us an example from uh Isaiah chapter 50, verses 5 to 6. Uh, this is talking about the servant of the Lord and uh likely referring to Jesus. So this is about, you know, when Jesus was uh was smitten on his way to the cross when he was beaten, scourged, and all. So this is what he says the Lord God has opened my ear and I was not rebellious. I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hide not my face from disgrace and spitting. So of course Isaiah 50, verses 5 to 6 foretold uh the messianic sufferings of Jesus. But it reminds us that Christians can turn the other cheek. Christians can do far more because Jesus paves the way. Davis and Allison writes, Jesus himself was struck and slapped, and his garments were taken from him. If his followers then turn the other cheek and let the enemy have their clothes, will they not be remembering their Lord, especially in his passion or in his suffering? So I have uh two points to share with us in terms of application. Firstly, the way of the cross is to forgo our personal rights. Sounds difficult, right? In Singapore. We are all very entitlement conscious, my rights as a citizen or my rights in this company I work with, you know. Anything wrong, the fine detail, even the minuscule detail, we will, you know, we can take up a lawsuit, perhaps. Right? So the way of the cross, if we really want to follow Jesus' way, it's the willingness, the choice. We can choose not to do that, right? Because God doesn't override our will. But, you know, we it's really to forego our personal rights. I think that's very difficult for myself and for many of us. So the law of Talion in the Old Testament uh is to encourage one to not go beyond the initial offense done, right? So doable, right? You know, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life, doable. But for us today, in terms of application, it's more than just not going beyond the initial offense, but even to forego our personal rights and extend ourselves to go further than the law of Talian, just as Jesus demonstrated by his example. According to Matthew 5, verse 38 to 42, we are to turn the other cheek. When someone wants our tunic, let them have everything, our cloak as well. Go two miles. Don't refuse the one who borrows from you. Secondly, the way of the cross is not to retaliate revengefully by evil means. Uh I repeat again, it's not to retaliate revengefully by evil means. Notice that Jesus is not saying in Matthew 5.39, do not resist evil, right? Matthew 5.39 says, Do not resist an evil person. He's not saying do not resist evil, because Jesus in his time fought against evil injustice. That must be fought against, right? He resisted evil, he confronted Pharisees who excluded outcasts, you know, Peter who told him that he will not suffer and go to the cross. Jesus said, get thee behind me, Satan. Uh he confronted the wealthy who hoarded their possessions and the disciples who lacked faith. Meaning that he's not uh he's not a soft punching back, you know. Jesus confronted evil, he cleared the temple. So what Jesus didn't do is he never confronted evil by evil means. I think that is the distinction. And that is why, as Christians, whenever we do not return evil from evil, we are uh exhibiting Christlieness. Because Jesus, even though he confronts evil, should we confront evil, we should. Should we be angry at injustices? Yes, we should, right? But never by evil means. And that's a challenge because we are very impatient society. We always say, just one more inch, you know, and I'll punch you, that kind of thing, right? So, yeah, so we are always tempted as Christians to go uh and attack by evil means. But notice Jesus never in his whole lifetime, if you read the Bible, the gospels, if you come across that, tell me. I'll be interested to know. Wherever every part, any part in the gospel that says Jesus confronts evil with evil means, let me know.

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So Jesus repeatedly confronts evil, but never by evil means and never by revengeful violence. Right? So this is uh the supreme example of how we are meant to follow Jesus. So Paul himself taught in Romans 12, verse 17 to 21 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of God. Verse 19, beloved, never avenge yourselves, uh, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it's written, Vengeance is my I will repay, says the Lord. So Romans uh Paul again tells us if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. For by doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not overcome, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 1 Thessalonians 5.15 similarly says, see that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. How can we today uh walk the way of the cross by foregoing, firstly, our personal rights, and secondly, not retaliate revengefully by evil means. I believe our only recourse, as I said earlier, is to walk the way of the cross. Or another way of saying this is to behold Jesus, to be willing to share in his sufferings and to bear the reproach he bore. So, two passages in the New Testament exhort us to this. Paul says that I may know Christ, I may know him in the power of the resurrection. Not only that, not only the resurrected life of Jesus, but I may share in his sufferings. And what are the sufferings that will make us like Jesus in his death? Precisely Matthew 5, 38 to 42. These are the sufferings, you know, where we bear up under abuse without retaliating, trusting God to be the one that will avenge us. We will never resort to evil by evil means, because if we walk the way of the cross, then God help us. And the second verse is from Hebrews 13, verse 12 to 13. The author of Hebrews, in his closing exhortation to the believers, said Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore, therefore, people of God, let us go to him there, where he is, and bear the reproach he endured. Right? I think there's not much of uh thinking being done on the suffering of Christ. We have a lot of literature being written on the power, the victorious life, but how about the sufferings of Christ? How can the suffering of Christ help us in our discipleship journey? Often we glory in the resurrection of Jesus and really desire to live the victorious life, which is not wrong. But before the resurrection comes death, right? It's not natural. Uh now bringing back to uh concrete terms, applying to our lives. I'm not saying it's easy, I'm saying it's not natural. Our human instinct in most situations is to exert our personal rights and to correct wrongs done to us personally, sometimes revengefully, just to get even with those who have hurt us. Yet, if we truly be followers of Jesus Christ, we need to live a counterintuitive life. I say counterintuitive life because it won't be easy, because everything within us will call us to respond, to fight for our rights, to take revenge as almost like a knee-joke reaction. So it's counterintuitive. Because God is calling us to be a people not led by our natural appetites and instincts, but a people led to walk the way of the cross. The way of Jesus, the supreme example He has set for us. A counterintuitive life of forgoing our personal rights and not retaliating revengefully is what Jesus is calling us to today. This is the way of the cross that we must intentionally and consciously walk daily. How many of us find living a counterintuitive life difficult? I particularly do. So I just want to, in closing, share with us two quick stories about my own journey. So I'm not sure whether here of us, some of us here who are coaches, whether we are familiar with the anagram, uh, the Christian anagram. Of course, it's a circular tool, but recently there are a lot of writings that actually use the anagram, right? So they have type one to type 9 personality. So they map out your personality and gives you your strength and weakness, the anagram, and tells you, you know, what are your pitfalls and what are your strengths. So personally, I'm quite a type 1 personality, meaning that by nature uh I'm a perfectionist. But I've already mellowed down through the years. I've learned how and what situations not to be too perfectionistic. I learned in what and other situations, especially in working in a team, I should uh hold back and draw back. But there are certain things outside the church, right? My daily walking out, coming in, go to the coffee shop and buy drink, you know. There are there are situations that I get uh very irritated. One incident is uh whenever I buy Copy C, right? So I mean I always want, I mean, the Copy C that you must have enough milk, the right proportion. So there was a time, a few times uh, uh Danny will know. I'll always go back to the uncle and say, this is too black. Can you add a bit more milk? So there was a recent situation where you know he tried to do it, but he did wrongly again. It looks even more black. So I told him to change again. So he was fumbling a bit. But as I reflected on it, I felt quite bad. Because it's I'm pushing it too much, right? But because the Singaporean in me say, must get your money's worth what you're paying now, copy C price increase, right? Now it's what 150, 150, right? So yeah, you give me a black coffee, it's not enough C. How can how can how is it drinkable? Right? So I would try to, yeah, kind of argue and try to get it right. Another incident which happened a few weeks back is uh I was at KFC, but not to, you know, that was a chicken anniversary, right? How many of us bought the chicken? I didn't, yeah, because we our family were recovering from uh uh bulk of sore throat, so we didn't get the chicken. But so a few uh weeks we we kind of on a Saturday I went to this uh KFC. So it's e-payment now, right? So I paid, right? So it cleared, it says uh transaction approved. So by visa, lah, so it paid. But the receipt didn't come out. But I say transaction approved, then lady come. No receipt, that means never go through. I say, strange, but transaction approved. So I said, never mind, uh, I'll pay first la. So I I did a double payment la. So a few weeks, days later, I checked my uh transaction record and realized that, yeah, it's really a double payment. So it was a Monday, so I was with Daniel, I said, uh, let's go back, I must get this right. So I was I was quite excited to know that yeah, I need to do it rightly. So I went to the counter and I talked to the manager, and he's she's also a bit like Tidaapa, you know, what it's okay, take your time, you know. It's not it's not my business kind of thing. So I was a bit uh I was a bit cheese off la. So I say, uh, okay, I I give you my receipt. This is the evidence, right? So uh please give me back my refunds. Oh, wait, wait, I need to call the finance department. Say, uh, okay, uh, can you call them now? I'll be I'll be waiting here for you. Right? So I said such things. So I felt a bit bad because she was a bit fumbling again, you know, because she expected me to go back and come back again. So I said, actually I don't have a time. Can you give back my refund now so I can I can move for? So I kind of pressed things a bit too hard. And I realized that's because again, my type one personality, you know, that I always want to correct things. I want to make sure things are right and things are good. So I will always make sure that things are done the right way. I mean, that's my uh type one personality. So it gets me into a bit of trouble, and it's really challenging, you know, to give up personal rights and not wanting for me, my own journey to uh so-called uh exact something from someone. But I guess all of us have our own journey as we wrestle with this text. Now, I don't think all of us will be like me. I hope you are not like me, right? All of us are different, you know. Some of us are really good uh peacemakers, we can really bear up under a lot of things, right? Some of us are more short-fused, some of us have longer patience, but nevertheless, you know, we are still called to do the same. Forego our personal rights and as much as possible, never return evil for evil. Do not retaliate revengefully, right? So only Jesus can help us, right? Only beholding Christ can help us. So let us let me close with a reading from 1 Peter 2, verse 21 to 23. This is what Peter says in his epistle, for this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued and trusting himself to him and judges just.