Matthew 4:17 If we repent, something good will happen to us
Man and wife sometimes quarrel each other. But if they do not make peace but hold a grudge against each other, their family will be like a prison or a hell.
If they realize their fault and say, "I am sorry!” it is nice. But if they do not say, "I am sorry!" because of self-esteem, the situation will be worse.
If their children make peace for their parent, it is wonderful. But if their children take side on their mother or father, the situation will be worse.
Furthermore if the wife's family member or husband's family member intrude upon the marital quarrel, the situation will be worst.
If they quarrel with others except their spouse, it is not necessary that they have to see them again. But man and wife cannot be separate from each other even if they quarrel because man and wife is not two but one.
Of course, people say, "Nothing is so unpalatable as a lover's quarrel." But the reality is different. Sometimes marital quarrel brings a big loss and damage not only to their family but also their society and nation as well.
And it sometimes destructs even the church, the branch of the kingdom of heaven. And it snatches peace and happiness from their family, church, and nation.
Therefore marital quarrel must be solved. Today let's look at the fundamental way of solving the marital quarrel and other problems in the bible.
Last week our family took a vacation for 4 days. Our car stopped on the long hill between Kamloops and Merritt. But we thank God, for we have returned home safely.
But a trouble happened in the village named 'Hope'. My wife told me that she wanted to have iced coffee. So we went to 'Dairy queen'. I ordered a sundae strawberry for my daughter, and a mist cappuccino for my wife.
I thought my wife likes mist cappuccino more than iced coffee. But it is different, so that it led us to marital quarrel. Because of this trouble we were in bad mood for about an hour between Kamloops and Merritt.
So I began to pray. "God, it's not good for vacation! We had a good brunch with barbeque in 'Hope'. But a trouble has happened to us while we were having dessert. I think my wife was wrong. And I think I was wrong too. Please, forgive me! And let us be in good mood again!"
After I prayed I felt much better, and my frowned face became smooth. And we could understand each other. And we could be merry again in 'Merritt'.
From this matter I realized, "Aha, when I repent of my sin, God recovers conjugal affection, and he changes despair to hope, sorrow to joy!"
Brothers and sisters, we are not perfect, so that we sometimes quarrel each other because of different idea. And it sometimes makes us uneasy and uncomfortable. And it sometimes leads our family, our society and our church into bad mood.
In this case, hope or despair (joy or sorrow, happiness or unhappiness) depends on our attitude. If we repent of our sin, God will recover the relationship between others and he will change despair to hope, sorrow to joy, unhappiness to happiness.
But if we keep grudge, the devil will come and he will change hope to despair, joy to sorrow, and happiness to unhappiness.
In other words, repentance changes despair to hope, sorrow to joy, and unhappiness to happiness. That is, if we repent, something good will happen to us.
Therefore Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17) It means, "If we repent, the hell changes to the kingdom of heaven."
But people sometimes think wrong, "Happy family, happy society are only possible when the person disappear or die."
This kind of wrong thinking brings us another sorrow and another despair. But if we think, "the trouble has happened because of me." And if we repent first, God will recover the relationship between others, and he will solve our problems fundamentally.
That means, "Repentance is to give God the 'best opportunity to work for us, and repentance is the best way to invite God and expel the devil.
At the time of Jesus, Israelites were captured by sorrow and frustration because they were under the colony of Rome. They wanted Rome to perish. And they thought their hope would come to them only when Rome perish.
And the disciples of Jesus also thought that Jesus would break down Rome and he would build the kingdom of hope. But Jesus never said, "Hope will come when Rome perish." He rather said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." That is, "The hope of Israelites only comes by repentance.
Brothers and sisters, aren't you now gloomy? Don't you feel unhappy now? But, don't worry too much. Your despair will be changed to hope. Your sorrow and unhappiness will be changed to joy and happiness. If you ask 'When?' I can answer you 'Right now!'
The kingdom of heaven is not far from us but near from us. So Jesus did not say, "The kingdom of heaven is very far from you." But he said, "It is at hand."
The kingdom of heaven, hope, joy and happiness is very near to whom? To those who repent! Have you not tasted the kingdom of heaven? Don't you know that the kingdom of heaven exists?
Why don't you repent of your sins? You will surely taste the joy and happiness of the kingdom of heaven right now.
God promises to give the kingdom of heaven (Holy Spirit, healing blessing) to those who repent. Repentance is the quickest way to recover our joy, health and happiness.
We, humans commit sins because we are not perfect, so that we sometimes lose peace, joy and happiness. But, don't worry too much.
We have the master key to recover them. That, is, repentance! Repentance recovers the happiness of family. Repentance recovers the hope of nation. Repentance brings the revival of church. Repentant men (family, church, nation) never perish.
Repentance makes our faith better. Repentance makes us men after God. Repentance leads our family to happiness. Repentance makes our nation prosper. If we repent, something good will happen to us (our family, church, nation).
But without repentance, there is no kingdom of heaven, or joy, or hope, or happiness, or prosperity. But how fortunate? We have the grace of repentance. If we repent of our sins, God will have compassion on us, and he will change our despair (sorrow, unhappiness) to hope (joy, happiness).
Jesus forgave the repentant prostitutes, repentant tax collectors, repentant robber, and repentant sinners. And he recovered their peace, joy, hope and happiness.
Therefore when we feel unhappy, when we are in frustration, when we face problems, we have to repent, so that we have to recover the kingdom of heaven.
Who do you think is the best Christian? It is the repentant person. The quickly we repent, the quickly God gives us hope. Quick repentance brings us quick blessing (happiness).
The secret that Peter became the best disciple is that he was the quick repentant man. And the secret that king David became the man after God is that he was also very quick to repent of his sins.
The all of the great persons in the bible are very bold to repent and very positive to repent. Through repentance, they could come to God closely. Through repentance they enjoyed the kingdom of heaven. And through repentance they enlarged the territory of the kingdom of heaven.
Christianity (church, revival, hope, joy, happiness, the kingdom of God) exists because of repentance. Therefore I ask you to be eager to repent, so that you may enjoy hope, joy and happiness of the kingdom of heaven, and that your family may be happy and our church may grow. Amen!