In 1905 a worker in South Africa unearthed a 1.3 lb. rock the size of a small tangerine.  It was dubbed the Cullinan, a 3,100 carat diamond which was cut into the two largest high quality diamonds known today.  When Carol and I visited England last spring we toured the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels which included the Cullinan diamonds.  It's impossible to count the value of the precious gems there.  They're behind glass and if you even try to touch them, one of the burley Beefeaters will have you for lunch.  The only man who ever tried to steal them was literally skinned alive 700 years ago.

          Ever wonder what made things valuable?  Gems are only precious because of the value people give them.  Yet little Haley, baptized this morning, is more valuable than all the world's diamonds.  The love of a spouse is more precious than all rubies.  Any one of us here is more precious than the Crown Jewels, because God values us.  He traded the life of His only Son for us.  That Son tells us a precious story in the text above.

          One thing is sure in the life of a parent.  If you have two children, they will always be different.  With three, two may be similar, but it's rare that the only two children in a family have similar personalities.  One is usually compliant and the other defiant.

          Gary Smalley is the Christian speaker who has categorized personalities with animals:  He says most people are like Lions, some are like Otters, and others are Beavers or Golden Retrievers.  God has given each of us a distinct personality.  I used to think if people were so different, one of them was right and the other wrong.  But people are just different.

          Yet all of us are alike - we're all sinners.  The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  No matter what kind of person you are, you're still a sinner like everyone else.  We may blame some things on our personality, but not all.  Our personality shows our sin in different ways, like shows our strengths or weaknesses.

          Men and women are different.  They're not the same -that's pretty obvious!  In the eyes of God men and women are of equal value, but they're physically and emotionally different.  To admit this is just being honest.  A lot of wasted effort is being put forth today to prove men and women are the same.  And I'm glad we're different, because that's what makes a marriage wonderful!  Who wants to be married to someone like us?  That's being honest, and honesty is the best policy.

          A man stopped by a church service intending to steal a hat.  Hearing the pastor preaching on the Ten Commandments, he stayed for the whole sermon.  He later told the pastor it was a great sermon and how it had stopped him from stealing the hat.  "What part of the sermon convinced you?" asked the pastor.  "When you got to the one on adultery, I remembered where I left my hat."  Honesty is the best policy.

          But honesty is hard to find today.  Advertisements are built on dishonesty.  You'll rarely find honesty in our courts.  Think of how many court cases could be eliminated if people were honest enough to admit their guilt.  With all the crime we have, it's amazing no one is ever guilty!  All those crimes must be committed by gremlins!

          In the 1700's, King Frederick II of Prussia, was visiting a Berlin prison.  He was told he could pardon one man in honor of his visit.  Each inmate proclaimed his innocence.  All were unjustly imprisoned -- all except one who sat quietly.  "Why are you here?" asked the king.  "Robbery, your majesty," he said.  "Were you guilty?" "Yes, sir," he said quietly.  The king said, "Release this guilty man!  We can't have him in here corrupting all these innocent people!"  Again, honesty is always the best policy.

          When a witness is sworn in at court, they swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  These may sound the same, but they're different.  A witness must tell only the truth, he must not mix truth with lies, and he must tell all the truth, and not withhold any part of it.  If honesty prevailed, we'd have fewer trials, and fuller jails.

          This story is the first of two parables about repentance.  The one about the two sons is about true repentance.  The son repented and did the right thing.  The second parable of tenants killing the master's son is about people who won't repent.  There are some folks who make their life goal to look truth in the face and deny it.  Both parables are about you and me.  We need to repent every day, sometimes every hour.

          The father asked his son to go to work, but he had better things to do.  Like many sons, he longed for life without parental control.  "No time for that -- there's work - gotta run;  football's on - maybe later."  But later he repented, he changed his mind.  He knew he was wrong.  And he didn't just whine and mope, he did what his father wanted - he went to work.  Some kids are like that.  They'll go, but need to say "no" first.

          The second son said what every father wants to hear:  "You bet, Dad!  You can count on me."  But the father couldn't count on him.  Either he forgot to go, or he never intended to.  He was one of those kids who only say what their parents want to hear.  Those kids will have trouble in life.  People learn quickly they can't be trusted.  No one likes a dishonest person.  "You can't just talk your talk, you gotta walk your walk."  Part of that walk is truth and honesty.  And honesty is the twin sister of repentance.

          Martin Luther, in the first of his famous 95 Theses, wrote, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."  Luther wrote his theses against those who said repentance could only be done through the church.  Luther brought back Biblical repentance.  Every day you and I need to repent, to have the honesty to admit we're wrong before God, and then to accept His forgiveness and mend our ways.

          You and I can't repent without honesty.  If we think we're always right, even part of the time, we're dead wrong!  We all need to repent.  We all need to change.  In order to have a relationship with God, we must first admit we need His help.

          There's nothing weak about needing help.  It's a sign of maturity to repent.  Admitting sin doesn't mean we dwell on it or wallow in it.  God never intended we make a circus act out of repentance.  He meant for us just to do it every day, to accept His forgiveness in Jesus, and then get on with life.

          God the Father knows His children.  He knows our needs and always provides them.  That's why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to forgive us.  He sent His Son, the only really, truly Good Son, to do what needed to be done.

          This Son didn't duck His job.  He did His work with love and intensity.  Jesus Christ died on Calvary to offer Himself in our place, as a sacrifice for our sins.  He rose again from the grave to assure us we, too, will rise.  He gave us the Holy Spirit so that we can believe and trust in Him.  The Spirit gives us courage to be honest.  God values honesty, because it's the only way we can see our need for Him.  Without honest repentance life is just smoke and mirrors.  In Christ, life is very, very good.

          I attended a one-room country school in southern Minnesota my first six years and had the same teacher four and a half of those years, a wonderful old lady who had personally met Laura Ingalls Wilder before she died in 1957.  When I was in first grade, a student told of the death of her grandpa and received lots of attention.  So I decided to tell the school my grandma had died -- the attention would be great!  It never occurred to me my teacher would call my parents and express her sympathies.  My Dad told me something later I never forgot.  "Always tell the truth;  you never have to remember what you said."

          God values honesty and He tells us repentance is necessary.  In Jesus Christ, life is so very good.  No matter what we've done, He welcomes us back.  When He hears us repent, He forgives us, cleans us up, and adopts us as His children.  God loves us now and He always will, no matter who and no matter what.  We don't need to be perfect, because Christ has been perfect for us.  Come to Jesus in faith -- and honesty.

          For four weeks we've been talking about God's Family Values:  (a) Forgiveness and Reconciliation, (b) Commitment and Faithfulness, (c) Humility and Service, and (d) Honesty and Repentance.  He has more values than these, but they all start with how He values our human life.  First God gave us life.  In Christ, He has given us new life.

          Let's Pray:  Dear Lord, thank You for loving us and valuing us enough to give Yourself for us.  Help us value others - and ourselves - because we are precious to You.  Thank You the gift of the tiny child and the precious wife.  Thank You for the providing husband and the loyal friend.  Above all, thank You for Your love.  Help us reflect it to all we meet.  Amen!

Copyright © 1999 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.