Dear Christian friends:

Our text today talks about repentance. Repent means to confess sin and stop it and improve in holy life. If a person is living in repentance as he should, we will see progress and improvement in his life. So also a church. If the church is repenting regularly as it should then we will see progress and improvement in the church.

Look at your own life. Do you see progress and improvement in your life? Are you a better Christian today than one month ago or one year ago? Or are you worse?

Look at Prince of Peace Church. Is our church doing better this year than last? Are we improving year after year in holy living? Are we more kind to one another now than before? Are we giving more for church and missions support than last year or two years ago? Are we thankful and happy or sad and complaining? It does not appear that we are repenting regularly as we ought. In our text Jesus complains about the Jewish church because no matter how much He preached or others preached they did not repent. Why did they not repent?

Lets attend to our text. If we do we will find the answer to that important question. Why don't you repent (be sorry) and improve? Why do you stay the same year after year or even grow worse? Do you have your reasons? The Jews had their reasons. They blamed the preachers. Jesus says, When John the Baptizer came lean and not eating much food wearing only, one same camel's hair coat many people said, "He's too strict. He's a fanatic, crazy He has a devil in him." When Jesus came after John He ate and drank and visited friendly with the people then many people said, "Look he is a glutton and drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners." So no matter what kind of preacher they had they found fault with him and blamed him and refused to repent and improve. They excused their sin and blamed the preacher. That was their reason.

Do you have your reasons, too? Do you blame the pastor for your failure to improve as a person or church? You know we often do that. If you ask a deaf person, "Why do you not go to church?" Often he will excuse himself. He will say, "I have my reasons." What's your reason? "I don't like the pastor. He's not friendly, too crabby and too strict." Then later if another pastor comes they say, "He is too liberal, not strict enough, he eats too much and drinks too much." So we have our reasons, we blame the pastor or others.

Some blame their husband or wife. They say I will go to church but my husband refuses to go so I can't go. Some blame their children. They say, "My children do not like Christ Sunday School. Or they say we must bring our children to other Sunday School and can't go to the deaf church. They will not be honest and confess the truth. They have their reasons, weak reasons and false reasons. The true reason is that they are lazy or they do not love God.

If you ask someone will you pledge 10% for church, they often refuse. "I have my reasons. The pastor can pledge 10% he is rich: his brother is rich; he is a hearing person; I am deaf I am poor." They have their reasons, false reasons, but the true reason is that they love money and trust money not God.

If we ask why you do not go and visit the delinquent members, they blame the pastor. "We have many delinquent members because the pastor does not go and visit them and correct them. That's his duty we pay him to do that and pay his gas. Not my duty, not my business." They have their reasons weak reasons, false reasons, but the real reason is they do not love their brother.

As long as you keep and pet your weak and false reasons, you will not confess your sin and you will never improve. Your personal life will not improve, your marriage will not improve, and our church will not improve. It will become worse and worse. Also if you continually keep your reasons and are not sorry and do not confess then you will become hard and stubborn. The Holy Spirit will leave and you will be lost.

But if you today listen to Jesus' warning voice; if you throw away your reasons and confess your sins and be sorry, then the Holy Spirit will help you to believe in Jesus Christ and find comfort and peace with God. The Holy Spirit will help you to be happy in Jesus and happy to obey His commandments and walk in His holy ways.

Why not repent? God is waiting for you to repent and to come back to Him. He will forgive you for Jesus' sake and will strengthen your faith and help you to improve.

Today again you will come to the Lord's Supper. Don't come here with your many reasons and excuses throw them away! They are from your selfish proud heart. But come with a honest heart confessing your sins and trusting in Jesus' blood to wash away all sins. Come to the Lord's Table with prayer for His comfort and support so that you can improve your personal life.

If each one of us improves our personal life, then we as a church will also improve. C.C. Next Thursday we begin our Fall activities again when the meets. Let each one repent and improve, then the whole church will repent and improve.

Amen.