Unless You Repent
Month 6: Hard Questions · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 13:3-5 & Acts 17:30-31
3 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” — Luke 13:3-5
30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” — Acts 17:30-31
Memory Verse
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”— 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Kings 11-13
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 171 of 365 — Solomon's heart turns, and the kingdom divides.)The Heart of It
All week we've wrestled with hard questions. Why does tragedy happen? Is hell fair? How can God wait so long? Today we gather everything into one word Jesus kept repeating: repent. Twice in He said, "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish." And in Athens, Paul told a crowd of curious thinkers that God "now commands all men everywhere to repent" (). To repent simply means to turn. You stop going your own way. You change your mind about who's in charge. And you turn toward God. It's not just feeling sorry. It's a real change of direction. And it's not bad news. It's the door God holds wide open.
Put this week together and something beautiful appears. God is patient (). He isn't slow. He waits to give us time to repent. The judgment that seems so "hard" is real (). God "will judge the world in righteousness" through the risen Jesus. But that same Jesus took the punishment so we could turn and be safe. So the answer to every hard question isn't a clever argument that ties up all the loose ends. It's a Person to turn to. As a family today, we don't just discuss repentance. We do it. We turn from anything that has been pulling us away. And we turn, together, toward the God who has been patiently waiting with open arms the whole time.
Around the Table
"Repent" means to turn around and go God's way! It's like walking the wrong direction and then turning to run back to Daddy.
Let's do it: Turn your whole body around in a circle, then say, "I turn to follow Jesus!"
God commands everyone, everywhere, to repent — to turn to Him. He's patient and waiting, and the door is open right now.
Let's talk: Is there something you sense you need to turn away from and bring to God today?
Repentance is the response God calls all people to. It's proof that we genuinely respond to His grace. We don't just receive a verdict. The resurrection guarantees both the judgment and the rescue.
Let's go deeper: Why is "turn to a Person" a better answer to suffering and judgment than "here's a theory that explains everything"?
💬 Conversation Starter
Think of a time you went the wrong way. Maybe on a walk, in a game, or with a choice. What does it feel like to finally turn around and head the right direction?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Notice something in . Paul anchors God's coming judgment in a public event. God "has given assurance... by raising Him from the dead." Our hope isn't wishful thinking. It stands on the resurrection, a real event in history. That's the "reason for the hope" we're ready to share ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
This closing day brings our hard questions home. Every honest objection eventually meets the call to repent and the fact of the resurrection. Paul didn't dodge the tough crowd in Athens. He reasoned with them, then he called them to turn. Repentance is the response that confirms our theology of grace. God commands all to repent, which means all genuinely can. As you lead family worship tonight, don't merely talk about repentance in the abstract. Model it. Let your children see a father who turns to God, names his own need, and stakes everything on a risen Savior. The most persuasive apologetic in your home is a dad who actually repents.
Draws on: J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity (on the resurrection as the cornerstone evidence).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for being so patient with us. We turn to You right now. We turn away from our own way, and we turn toward Yours. Thank You that Jesus rose from the dead. Because He lives, we can trust Your love and Your justice. In Jesus' name, amen."
The answer to every hard question isn't a perfect explanation. It's turning to the Savior who rose for us.