Title: Faith with Repentance (Matthew 21:28)
Contents
repentant faith
Matthew 21:28-32
People sometimes make mistakes in their lives, and sometimes make mistakes or fail to keep promises. At that time, there are people who admit their mistakes and know how to correct them, while there are people who try to justify their mistakes until the very end. The most important element of salvation in Christianity is repentance. Repentance is repentance when enlightenment comes, and repentance when repentance comes, turning and returning to the right path. This is the beginning of the life of faith and the first step in the life of salvation. And the process of continuous maturation of the saved is repentance.
Today's text has an important message for modern people. The image of me living today is found as one of these two sons. If you are serious, you can say that the second son is the better one, but do not misunderstand it as a story about living like the second son. It is wrong to start with the negative starting point that nothing can be done without thinking. You need to know the meaning of the words Jesus wants to say in the parable. What is? The crucial positive thing found in the second son was that he had repentance. In other words, there must be an important element called repentance in order to receive grace.
The eldest son in the text is a model of a person who is very docile. A person who swears by an illusion and lives in prestige and hypocrisy. When his father tells him to go to the vineyard and work, he answers with face that he should become the eldest son and disturb his father's heart. It is hypocrisy. It's extremely rude. They seem to be obedient, but they are not. Outwardly, he looked like a good, obedient firstborn son, but in reality he was disobeying his father's commands. No, maybe I didn't have the heart to obey in the first place. They obeyed with knowledge and obeyed with words. They obeyed both formally and politely. Even today, there are many people who say they do it but do not do it. There is no such thing as holy when you say it is holy. There is nothing to love when you say you love it. They say they serve, but they say it. I gave it to you, but I never gave you anything. He is a person who lives in moderation and moderation as if he has accomplished nothing, knowing nothing, becoming nothing, and doing nothing. In terms of faith, there is a form of godliness, but no power of godliness. I always swore and made a decision, but never did anything.
I had to think of my father's will, not mine, but I regretted the fact that it was only my self-centered thoughts. And I changed my mind. There is a saying, folks, that if you change your mind, the world will change. If you think about it differently, it becomes a funny saying that if you don't change your mind, you won't be able to live in a changed world. Likewise, our faith does not change unless we repent.
It is said that there are three levels of repentance in repentance. The first is there. This speaks of enlightenment. The first step is to change your mind when you realize it. Then there is this. This means changing your values. What I once thought was the most precious thing now I know that something else is precious. It requires a moral conversion that completely changes your values about the good and the bad, the do's and don'ts, the enjoyable and the not enjoyable. And the third important thing is that. From the thought that always centered on me, now the center is God. We must think of the Father's will first. And we have to think about the future, not just dwell on the present. That is the final stage of repentance, and it can be said that it is the most precious and beautiful peak of repentance.
The parable in today's text is a parable given to the priests in answering a challenging question while refusing to acknowledge Jesus' authority when Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem. It is a bold statement that risked your life to the point of wondering if you could survive even after saying these words. At that time, I saw the Pharisees and scribes, the religious leaders who somehow did not acknowledge Jesus and tried to accuse him, and in front of the priests, "Taking publicans and prostitutes go to heaven before you." and prostitutes, but they have repentance. Therefore, prostitutes and tax collectors are saved before you who do not know how to repent.??What a wonderful word.
Dear saints!
How much do you regret in your life? We must continually repent, change our thoughts, change our values, and change our actions. I have to change my mind today, even if it's something I've thought was right my whole life. We must repent and obey the Father's will. You must follow your father's will. There is a blessing there. I didn't ask if you were a prostitute or a tax collector. Those who repent are children of God. Those who repent and obey God's will will receive God's blessing.