Title should have a good ending
Contents
Matthew 21:28-32 The end must be good.
Let's get to the main topic today. Today's text gives us a great lesson as we approach the last Sunday. A father, the owner of a vineyard, had two sons. The grapes were ripe. In Israel, it is said that there are times when the grapes ripen and suddenly there is a storm. So when ripe, you should pick it up soon. Otherwise, the whole year of farming will be ruined. So I ordered my two sons to go and work in the vineyard <today>. There is a sense of urgency. The eldest son said he would go, but the conclusion did not go, and the second son said he would not go, but the conclusion was that he went and worked. The eldest son affirmed and the conclusion was negative, the second son was negative and the conclusion was positive. Who is the firstborn? The eldest son knows but does not act. He knows everything, but he doesn't know how to act. The eldest son is not responsible for his words. A person who answers conveniently and does not take responsibility for it later. The eldest son is someone who changes his mind from place to place. In front of my father, I wanted to obey, so I said <Yes>, but after leaving my father, I did not feel like it, so I refused.
He is a person who makes decisions when stimulated, but changes after a while. He is a person who prays and clings to God diligently during tribulation, but changes his mind after the tribulation is over. The eldest son is good at first, but bad at the end. When you first start dating, you seem nice and nice, but as time goes on, it gets worse. When I first believed in Jesus, I was passionate and good, but as the years go by, I am a person who is getting colder.
Who is the second son? The second son said in front of his father, "No." I later found out that he was a son who worked in a vineyard. The second son is someone who can't stand hurting others. The second son broke his father's heart and continued to do so. So I wouldn't be able to sleep. I wouldn't be full if I ate. So I finally went to the vineyard.
The second son was a man with a guilty conscience. He had a personality that couldn't stand the slightest clumsiness. The second son was a man who knew how to put things into action. As soon as he realized practically, he went to the vineyard. The second son was a person who got better with each passing year. Like the wine at a wedding in Cana, the latter is better than the first. In a word, he's a good guy.
Now it is time to draw conclusions for 2009. Which conclusion is a good one and a beautiful one? How do I end this year for a beautiful end? If the ending is good, then everything is good. When you end well, you start well. So how do you end up with a good ending?
1. It is best to end with repentance.
There is a catchy phrase in today's text. “After that he repented and went away” (verse 30). The end of the second son was repentance, that is, repentance. The second son said to his father, "No." and went to another place, but as the saying goes, "After that, he repented and went away." The conclusion was repentance. We must repent of even the smallest sins and welcome the new year. Because it is impossible to lead a normal life of faith with sin.
A certain shipbuilder built a ship huge like a mountain. Everything was normal. But strangely, the engine did not spin. I ripped it all apart again. It was later revealed that the cause was that a dead snake was in the water when the water was poured into the engine. Sin blocks our relationship with God and prevents spiritual communication. Heaven is not a place for the innocent to enter, but for those who have repented. Hell is not a place for sinners to enter, but for the unrepentant.
King Saul also sinned, and King David also sinned. However, God abandoned King Saul, and King David used it aloud. Why? When Saul sinned, he was proud and did not repent. However, when King David sinned, he repented greatly after being pointed out by the prophet Nathan. That is, the end must be repentance. Only then can God hear you. God is pleased with and uses those who are sensitive to sin. So what is true repentance?
(1) True repentance requires true confession.
The apostle John is calling us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Without true confession before God, true repentance cannot be seen. Paul said, There is none righteous, not even one. Everyone must come before God and repent directly.
(2) True repentance requires true mourning.
To mourn for a sin means to hate it. It means to hate sin. It means that we will fight against the enemy, the devil, who causes us to sin. David repented with genuine mourning. After that, God lifted him up and used him.
(3) True repentance requires true repentance.
Isaiah said. "Let the wicked turn away from his thoughts, and let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him. Come to our God, and he will forgive widely." (Isaiah 55:7) The dog eats the vomit again, and the pig is an animal that dingo again when wiped. Repentance and falling back into that sin is not advanced repentance. Peter, who denied knowing the Lord three times, did not deny the Lord until he was martyred after he shed tears of repentance. It is true repentance only when we do not fall into the sins we have repented of again.
Someone repented and stopped drinking. After that, my friends invited me to have a drink. He flatly refused. The friend then told me to go to a drinking table and eat only snacks. He followed. When alcohol came and went between friends, he really only ate snacks. But the atmosphere was ripe. I was told to only have one drink. The only thing I had to drink was one drink, which led to two and three. The resolution was broken. This is not true repentance.
(4) True repentance must follow true rewards.
When John the Baptist called for repentance, he said these meaningful words: “Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance.” The worthy fruit of repentance is the reward. Zacchaeus also met Jesus and repented, and thorough compensation followed. He gave half of his wealth to the poor, and paid back four times the extortion of others. True repentance must be accompanied by true rewards.
(5) You must receive the Holy Spirit for complete repentance.
You cannot go to the moon just by making a decision. You have to ride a rocket. You cannot overcome sin with determination alone. Only by relying on the Holy Spirit can we overcome sin. There is no one in this world who can overcome sin by his own strength alone. That is why David, when he repented after he sinned, spoke with thorough contrition for his sin. “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).
Verse 31 tells us that the second son is a tax collector and a prostitute. The Lord said that the process is a tax collector who extorts other people's things, and that even a prostitute who is a symbol of sexual immorality has come into the vineyard in the end. At first, they refused to believe in Jesus, but in the end they said that they became God's people. The real conclusion must be repentance.
2. Ending with loyalty is a good ending.
The firstborn began with obedience and ended with disobedience. But the second son started with disobedience and ended with obedience. The eldest son promised allegiance and went out, ending in disloyalty. The second son, however, seemed to run away with disloyalty and concluded with allegiance. Even if you have been disloyal in the meantime, the conclusion should be that you end the year with loyalty.
When a king died, he said to a servant who had been loyal to him all his life. "You have been loyal to me until now. But now I am going to a world that will never come again. You must go ahead of me and prepare a place for me to go." The god knew what this story meant. And he died on the spot by stabbing himself in the heart. And he was faithful enough to prepare the way for the king until his death.
After completing the immortal masterpiece <Pieta>, Michelangelo was so happy that he signed his name so that future generations would not forget him. It was also a sign on the girdle around Mary's chest. And when I came out, I could see the majestic nature created by God. I was amazed at the appearance of God who did not leave a signature even after making such a great work. He was so ashamed that he even made a small piece of art and signed it. After that, he did not sign any works. Only the glory of God He was faithful only to making God's works.
Even if we've ever gone the wrong way, the end must be loyalty. God doesn't look at what he has done, he looks at how faithful he is. Suppose that God entrusted two angels with a task. An angel was given the task of ruling the greatest kingdom under the heavens. Another angel gave the order to clean up the dirtiest village on earth. Both did their job well. Then, whom will God praise more?
3. Ending in heaven is a good end.
The ultimate goal of this parable was the kingdom of heaven. It was about who had the right to enter the kingdom of heaven. The eldest son said he was going, but he didn't. The second son said he wasn't going, but he went. After that, the Lord draws a conclusion like this: “Truly I say to you, publicans and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you.”
They are the people who said they didn't believe it. But later, it means that they all repented and came to the Lord. The Lord said, "What good is it if you gain the whole world and lose your life?" Life comes first. Salvation is the end. Even after struggling to follow the Lord for three years, the end result is Judas, who is hell. Conversely, there are robbers who end up going to heaven after committing robbery for the rest of their lives.
No matter how much grace you receive at the beginning and in the middle, it is bad if the end ends in hell. However, even if the beginning and the end are not gracious, it is good if the end is the kingdom of heaven. In sports, even if you win at the beginning, it is even worse if you lose in the end. On the other hand, in an athletic event, even if you lose at the beginning, it is even better if you win from a comeback. We have to end well. To do that, we must end with repentance. It must end with loyalty. It must end in heaven. I would like to wish you a good end to 2009 and a hopeful new year in 2010.