Repent or Perish (Luke 13:1-9)

Well, it is truly a joy to be here with you. This morning, I'm going to be preaching out of Luke Chapter 13, if you want to follow along in your Bible or swipe to it on your app, Luke Chapter 13. Find interesting about this particular passage is this is towards the end of Jesus's Ministry. There's a lot is going on the Book of Luke but he has set his face towards Jerusalem. He is heading towards his death, his death for you. And for me, and as he is doing that, he is offering loving warnings to the people into the crowds that follow him. And this comes on the heels of such warnings, in fact, there are warnings in here. And so that is where we find ourselves in the Book of Luke. That's why I'd like to read it for you, and that will be from Again, Luke Chapter 13. I'm going to be reading from verses 1, through 9. There were some present at that very time, who told him about the, the, the galileans, whose blood pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and he answered them. Do you think that these galileans were worse? Sinners than all the other galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the Tower of Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. I told this parable. A man had a fig tree planted in his Vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser look for 3 years. Now, I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none cut it down. Why shouldn't use up the ground? Answered him sir. Let it alone this year until I dig around it and put and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good. But if not you can cut it down, this is the word of God. Let's pray.

my father, these this is your word Jesus. These are actually your words spoken to the crowds.

I'm so Lord, I pray this morning that they would they would have their their designated impact. In our lives. Lord, I I pray that this would not be just in there, Sunday afternoon exercise.

But Lord, you lovingly call us to repent? Answer Lord, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart meditations of our hearts. As we look at your scriptures, that day would be pleasing to you delivering the fruit of repentance.

But not so that we can feel like we've satisfied.

Anything but Lord is we rest in what you have done. The satisfying, the righteous requirements of the law. But you just point us to yourself spirit of God. I pray that you would, you would unite our hearts this morning to fear your name. so your word which lasts forever will be that which remains I protect me as I teach. I pray, I would not desire to be a novel or noticed, but instead, your lord your word. What happened? To fact, I beg this cuz I can't produce it. So Spirit. I'm depending upon you, please. In Christ's name. Amen. All disasters, have a way of clarifying. Our own thoughts about mortality. How am I doing? How am I safe? We look at the disasters for example, that befell, the east coast in in this last month with hurricane Helene and hurricane Milton. And we saw all that nnn they have a tendency to cause us to wonder What might happen? They cause us to look at our own mortality, they cause us to look at a creation, that is broken. And they may be asked for us to ask questions, am I safe think about it? When one house on the Block is Rob how many others like all the sudden they're going to simplisafe.com and ordering the next alarm system.

When there's a bad house fire that we hear about on the news, do we make sure that we check our smoke detectors and maybe look for that defensible space. And maybe even make sure that our our home insurance is paid up.

Disasters, tend to break through the cacophony of sound around us and they get us thinking. And that can be a good thing. however, sometimes, as we look at disasters we can anesthetize ourself We can maybe think, well, you know, maybe we are better, maybe we're living in God's country because we're not facing the troubles that others do. Is it because of our piety or our good living that keeps us in his grace. Not to be sure living a life as God intended certainly has its blessings. But even Calamity can come upon those who live a righteous life. I mean just ask Jehovah. The two dangers of this philosophy, that Jesus lived as a dressing here as this one. If something tragic has happened, it must be because I send to somewhere Sometimes it may be the opposite, however maybe I'm not as bad as those guys, so I must be okay.

And the reality is, and this is what Jesus is lovingly doing here, is he is saying we are in a world of trouble. Blacks, there is a way out. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, the final weeks of his ministry and he has set his face towards the cross. He faces opposition from religious leaders questions from the crowd and he had just finished talking about settling things with the magistrate, the magistrate being God while you're on the way to the courtroom. Instead of while you're sitting there, hoping that things are just going to work at, all right? That'll look quickly. And then along comes some in the crowd and they inform him, or they ask him about This calamity, that came across, these Galatians are. So what I mean, galileans what I want to do is I want to give you a real simple outline for what I see happening here. First of all, Jesus gives, as he deals with This calamity and he is intending to have us change our thinking. That somehow Calamity happens as a result of some kind of sin. You certainly could happen because of original sin. The world is broken. I don't think we really have to argue and debate that, but sometimes in our lives, we can think that there is if there's Calamity that doesn't happen. If if your house doesn't sell like you wanted to or if if if something bad happens around you, maybe you start thinking something I did wrong. How to be sure possibly. But the, but the thing that Jesus is addressing here, he wants those krauts because sometimes it takes us down the path of maybe unneeded self-examination, other times. It takes us in the path of while I'm I think I am, okay. I, I can have confidence because my retirement is still intact. Instead of relying upon, instead of actually looking at the terrible reality that know we are in fact broken. And we need to repent. We look at that unpacking that word repentance here, but I want you to understand this is not Jesus wearing a powder blue suit with a tie sitting there, talking with an ending, every one of his sentences. With right? I tell you that you need to repent these people Offering them a real view of reality, unless you repent. So he he takes a look at these real world examples, both of these galileans and the tower that fell. And he gives a very clear command repent. Unless you repent, you will like why the warning really more than a command. But the second thing that he does, he tells a parable that illustrates the urgency of it. The urgency. It's not something that we just can put off for a while. No one fact? He is laboring that we would repent that we would turn to him. So, we hear this example, these galileans, and I'll tell you right now, these these galileans who had their blood mixed with their sacrifices and inverse one. There's like a bunch of Scholars that is that have talked about this. You know what, they all say. We don't know what this is all about other than the fact that the pilot who was known to be brutal, a brutal. Roman Governor had taken these galileans who ostensibly were on their way to offer sacrifice to somehow and either because they sometimes, you know, there were certain regions that were a little bit more hotheaded than others. And in actually, there was a, there was a guy named Judas that Gamaliel and Acts chapter 5. He relates to says, hey, he lets him galileans in a revolt and I'm not saying, but these guys only has went to sacrifice and pilot crush them. He killed them and killed them along with their sacrifices. so, Jesus gives the story of tragedy that befell these men and if there's 24 tragedies that Jesus was relating here, but both with the exact same payload, the exact same phrase is said, unless you repent. So he talks about these galileans who probably received evil from Mankind. In some way, there was an evil intent. But I talked about this Tower and fellow that fell upon these 18 and they were killed. But he asked the same question of both. Do you think or do you think that these galileans for children centers? Or do you think that these folks that live in Jerusalem were worse, Sinners because he's addressing the fact that

It's not doesn't just befall the unrighteous.

That's really what it does is it gives us a sharp warning. Life is short and unpredictable I don't think the galileans thought for one moment that when they're walking up to give their sacrifice that they thought they were going to be part of that and be killed. And I don't believe those 18 that were in the tower of Siloam thought that they were going to be dead. When that Tower fell. Jesus. I know there's some sudden this here. The entire intensity of Luke chapter 12 towards this. There is Judgment coming. Be aware, and it's sudden it's going to happen. And you may not know when but then he offers a warning. The warning is repent. Are the dangers of US anesthetized during our self to this warning is too full for the first of all. Maybe we try to make sense of evil that happens. We got to be careful about that. I've had, I had a dear friend who was a pastor at a church that actually was outside of the United States and and and he and his wife had desired for years to have children desired for years. 222 holding out. I remember watching him as he would play with the other kids in the church, and he would have this huge smile on his face. And finally there they were able to save enough money. So his wife could get some surgeries that we required for her to be able to give birth. And so the day came I got a phone call. From this man. And he said, hey mice pregnant and I was so excited for him. I was so excited to hear that I was thinking, all one is to be great, is going to have his own. Child is throwing up in the air. Just like every other dad does or grandfather and enjoys just seeing. I'll

What about a month later? We got the news. With this pregnancy was nepto, opick pregnancy. and that if they didn't act that both mom and baby would die, So, he had to take his wife to the hospital. And with tears.

They lost the baby. and then, About a year later. I received another phone call. She's pregnant.

We were excited. And then I got another phone call. It was another ectopic pregnancy. And at this point, her life was in danger, she was the wife was not doing well. And with tears. They lost another child.

And I remember him struggling because there were dear Saints in this church. They were trying to make sense of this tragedy. And I would say maybe maybe you shouldn't have tried this. And the weight that he had, his wife felt because these people were trying to make sense of the tragedy like it was something that they did. There's something not right. Maybe they were pushing God's hand.

And so, we have to be careful when we look at tragedy. Have to be careful about that job's friends, boy. They were great friends for those that time when they sat with him in silence and then they started trying to make sense of all this. What sin did you commit?

Well, maybe it was also the same idea that was driving the disciples when they saw the man that was born blind. In John chapter 9 and it said Master, who's this man or his parents?

She said, no. It is not that way. In fact, this actually was designed so that I would receive glory and it's a bit, the rest of the story is amazing, right? You got this guy who's been blind, all of his life standing up to Sanhedrin, the religious leaders of the day. That's interesting. This man gave me sight and and you're not willing to give God the glory for it. It was amazing. But, we have to be careful. This idea, this subtle idea, sometimes of karma when it comes to tragedy and said, Jesus Is disabusing Us of this notion lovingly disabusing us of this notion. Do you thinks it that your life is going to be perfect? If you just simply follow God, is he the key to that wonderful Blissful life on planet Earth today? somebody's offering actually is offering much more because in that sentence, their Jesus is offering first a warning unless you repent

The problem is and Jesus is offering this morning because we are all equally guilty and worthy of judgment. We've all sinned against the holy God. We deserve his righteous evaluation of his life and unfortunately this grating is not like School, these do not get degrees.

I don't. her father, the one who made us demands Purity and Perfection and we,

We fall short.

And even then, sometimes we justify our sin by trying to account for it in other ways.

Romans chapter 3 verses 10 through 12 says there's no one who does any good? No one, no one righteous all of genocide together. They have become worthless. There's no one no one who seeks after God, we don't want that.

We don't like that. In fact, it's interesting in Psalm 130. This is what the psalmist says, they were counting even his own life. He says, oh, Lord. If you should Mark inequities who could stand.

Hookah Stant, I couldn't my report card my long list of sins. It's if if I'm sure it's that would roll out onto the parking lot. If you were done for the whole thing, That might have been just been this year.

We don't like to talk about judgment. We terrifying. Maybe unless we're judging others, which maybe makes us feel better. But worse yet. Jesus is saying and he has been saying judgment is coming.

He doesn't pull any punches here. He says, flat-out, creation is broken. Towers. Fall kingdoms, do awful things. Judgment is coming. So repent. What's the payload of this? Passage, by the way. That's why it's so interesting because Luke waste that much ink to say the same thing twice. Jesus uses the same bread to say the same thing twice. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish, like my Suddenlink. No control.

But I think when we talked about that word repentance and it's important that we maybe adjust our thoughts about what repentance is because I think in our culture and maybe if you come from a church Coulter, we think of repentance and what we're thinking of it might be. This this powder blue suit wearing Baptist preacher from the south sticking his finger in your chest and telling you to repent.

Not what's going on here?

The repentance is not. I'm going to give you two examples of where pencil is not before we actually think about. What repentance is repentance, is not just feeling, sorry for the results of our sinful actions are simple choices. This would be what I call sports athlete. Guilt. You guys are seeing the press conferences when a sports sports athlete. Gets up there, right? Usually it goes something like this. I'm really sorry about what I did. It's cause shame to come onto the team. I've just, I've caused shame to come on to my name. Yeah, and I'm going to do better. And get all your data that may work in this world. But you can kind of see how hollow that is. I'm sorry for the results. Moms and dads. We sometimes see this in our kids don't we? I don't like what's going on. I feel sorry because I got grounded. Not sorry that I snuck out nothing like that. And, no, I'm not throwing any of my kids under the bus when I say that.

But it's interesting to even see, evidences of this in Genesis chapter, 4 with cane, don't we? He's killed his brother of what, maybe, five, six people on the planet. He's literally wiped out, right? Then?

And God says what? So where's your bed? I don't know. He's trying to cover himself and then when he finally gets called out cuz I don't, you did your brother's blood cries and this is what's going to happen because my punishment is more than I can bear fees more worried about the punishment, Of of the consequences of his actions other than the fact that he actually wax his brother. Because he was jealous. My punishment is more than I can bear.

So that repentance is not that. Being sorry about the consequences of it, but the consequences can bring us to repentance.

But it's also not just a fear of judgment that maybe leads into self-punishment.

You see the Roman Church was well known for that. This comes from Jerome. Saint Jerome's mistranslation of the Greek word. Tune in to the Latin Vulgate to basically say do Penance. Not repent but to do penance In fact, Kevin Mason in his blog, he said he mentioned that there was a 3-step system for someone to become penitent. And to Merritt forgiveness, the first was they needed Contrition, lemon lamenting all his known since the next game of verbal confession, where he had to list all of his sins to somebody else and Confessor, humiliating himself with sorrow. The final step was satisfaction where the priest prescribed prescribed actions for the penitent to complete in order to pay for his sins.

Don't say five Hail Marys. Go give $100 to the church. And whatever was missed. This the terrifying Park, whatever was missed. Was to be made up a by punishment in purgatory, get burnt off. Supposedly. But the problem is this led to at least two examples of what it led to his one. Is there was that there was an actual practice called Opus Dei, which meant that you would cleanse yourself from your sin by beating yourself. We can see an example of that if you ever watch. I'm not saying you should go watch it, but I'm Dan Brown's movie The DaVinci Code and we see this weird pale-looking priest, kind of assassin. Dude who's just being himself and he's wearing these belts that like Drake needles into him and it's like weird. What is this guy about? He's punishing himself. So that he might Merit something before a holy God. It's also has led to what we probably know is Catholic. Guilt, never going to be good enough. Because I can't bear it. I can't earn

I can't pay it back to listen to negative examples of repentance. Tell you actually not repentance but let's talk about what repentance really is. Repentance is metanoia it mean, if the Greek word, it means to change one's mind or think afterwards. And what's interesting is, this is actually what we celebrate in the Reformation because one of Martin, Luther's biggest points of the Reformation, was that this Penance the next exist. It was mistranslated. Any call this correcting of this air that I have to do Penance a glowing discovery. That was one of the first. It was the first four of his Theses on the 95 Theses that he nailed to the church door at Wittenberg all having to do with repentance. What is repentance? Put plain and simple, repentance is turning from a number of different ways from. For example, self-rule, you get to run your own life. And running to Christ rule. Is a change of the Mind from self-rule to Christ Roy season chapter 2 1, through 3. Where were we? We were dead in our transgressions and sins in the ways we used to live. When we used to chase after the prince of the power of the air, who is the spirit at work in those who are disobedient, we wanted our own rules. Thank you very much and want to do our own thing and instead it is running to Christ rule processing fees in chapter 4 cases. Instead my life. It where I used to walk in a way that was following after after the enemy chasing, my own desires and less instead. Now it's walking in a manner, that is worthy of the calling with which I have received. It is a repentance. It is a change.

But here's the other thing and repentance to be sure. Christ is calling the crowds to repent their to change from their own idea of self-rule. But there's another part to this that I don't want to let go. Unsaid it is not just it is not just repenting from simple actions or simple your or self-rule. It is also repenting from the confidence in ourselves to satisfy God. How many took the beat ourselves enough to pay for our sins and said it is repenting to confidence and what God has already provided and trusting in that alone? Trust in what Christ has offered. He calls them to repent and in an example of this might be, you can see in 2nd Corinthians 7:10. You can turn there if you want where Paul talks about sorrow over sin. And he says this, he says I Rejoice not because you were grieved, but you were aggrieved into repenting for you, felt a Godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us for Godly grief, produces a repentance that leads to Salvation without regret where I was worldly grief. Produces death has looks like okay for see what Ernest is. Godly grief is produced in you but also what eagerness to clear yourself What indignation, What Fear, what longing, what's Zeal, what punishment at every point you prove yourself innocent in this matter. What date what, what Paul is describing there, is someone who sings? I have a problem in me, get it out how in the same way, for example, if I, if a doctor called me up today, This is been, you got a tumor?

Cancerous.

Got to get it out. I will tell you right now that I will say, I will tell that doctor. What what diet do I need to adopt? Okay, what what chemo do I know I'd say goodbye to all my luscious locks of hair, including the beard. I would say goodbye to all of that, including maybe the eyebrows, me, eyelashes to, I would say goodbye to that. What drugs do I need to take? What things do you need to zap me with to get this out of me? What surgery do I need to sign up for? Let's get this thing done. Precisely the kind of Sorrow. Kind of repentance I want to change. God help me to change what must I do.

It's not about well, you know what, we're just going to. I'm just going to ignore it nor the fact that maybe I've got a tumor somewhere that's trying to kill me. Jesus, trying to awaken us to that, this is something in. You was going to kill, you is called sin, repent. And run. Can we see this in Acts chapter 19? Verses 7 at the church at Ephesus when they receive the Lord, they turned from their false religion and they even burned the expense of books that lead that, that that were there. Their they're guide books on how to be Sorcerers, they burn them. Thousands of dollars worth of books. He got rid of it.

Want to follow something better. That's a long as a 1st Thessalonians 1:9. Paul Rejoice that they've turned from their idols. A life to Christ. So what are the benefits of repentance? It seems kind of rough bad. I mean your chemo or if your spiritual T-Mobile, like I said, it seems kind of rough. Why would I want to do that?

All the gift is. Hey, what? Jesus says? Not perishing. That's probably a good one. Yes. Fat Acts chapter 11. People reports the Gentiles when they receive Christ had been granted repentance that leads to life. Yes, repentance leads to life. There is life there. In 2nd, Timothy two pastors are called not to be quarrelsome with those who maybe don't share their doctrinal convictions or they may be there. A complete unbelievers. Instead they correct with gentleness Desiring that God will grant them repentance to life. It's not just even just about gaining Heaven, which of course we want, but let's say, for example, you're a believer in here, I'm just going to get your single band. Isn't do this talk and I like people who aren't Believers. So what's the rest of this have to do with me today? Well, do something. It's interesting. Sin is still present in us. We still have to repent. Many ways. It's sometime soon as like, like an infected Splinter army guys were having Splinter before, right? You get that splinter and especially if you let it go for like a day because maybe didn't see it or whatever. I touch the areas around a boy that hurts trying to take a splinter from my kids finger, and all they were petrified, don't. Don't touch it, don't touch it.

A man once I was able to get in there and pull that splinter out. You almost could see the wash of relief come over them like a washed all the way down then poops. That is also a gift of repentance. Would you are called? And when you, when you, when you sit. I want to be clean and he offers that to you. By the way, it's not like he doesn't offer like, like, like a miser. He's not Ebenezer Scrooge, right? He's like, I want you to be clean. I want you to feel that relief. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. He wants that for you. He wants that. And the gift. Is that we also gain Christ. We get to gain more and more of him.

Paul and Philippians chapter 3 verses 7 through 8. As he's talking about his, his his, his past is history in in the Jewish faith. He counted all as loss as rubbish that he might have Christ, so it's not some powder blue creature. Sticking his finger in your chest. It's a loving God. Who wants life for you wants life for me. When he calls us to repent.

Well, it's top of the hour. I want to be real short here, but he gives an example of parable of a Vineyard. I want you to hear this. He gives an example of a Vineyard where do a field owner is wanting fruit. He wants fruit from this fig tree.

What your weekend and then he's frustrated with this, just cut it out. And the vinedressers as well as here in a little bit hard pan. Let me throw some fertilizer around it, let it be drawing nutrients and let's see what happens in your sleep. It's going to produce fruit. Jesus has just been getting through and saying, judgment is coming. Be aware, but understand also, we think there's compassion with this. That's not just going to cut out today. But instead Jesus saying, hey, there's compassion here, let's bust up the ground. Let's let's let's offer, let's offer nourishment to the routes. That there would be the fruit. That you desire. What's the fruit? I think from the contacts, we can see pretty easy. The command was for pennant, the fruit is repent.

We think of fruit like all the good various good works, that we could certainly do and believe me, I absolutely would want you to Bear wonderful fruits of the Gospel in your life, but the good things that got a purpose in advance for us to do many of those good works are in fact repenting from art set. And running to it repenting to Christ. Notice the compassion here. The vinedresser says, look, let me spend some extra time here. Hey, boss up the ground. We break it out so that the so that the fertilizer can hit the roots, so the tree can draw and nourishment.

This is this also takes time. Give it a year. What's interesting here is Is busting up the ground, may not be the most comfortable experience.

It's interesting c.s. Lewis actually wrote that. She says we can ignore even pleasure but pain insists on being attended to God, Whispers to us in our Pleasures, he speaks in our conscience. But he shouts in our pain. Wants us to hear. It is his megaphone to Rouse a deaf world. We look at tragedies around we go. Wow, life is short. We got those hurricanes in those. Poor people who have lost everything in, it happened like that. It wasn't like they were expecting it.

God desires to get our attention. Sometimes he breaks up the ground. But notice what he doesn't leave us there. Let me put nourishment around it, let me nurse you so that you grow. Are you hearing the word of God? This morning someone 19 verses 9 through 11, how can a young man keep his way up here, only by keeping it, according to your word, I see you with all my heart and I'll let me stray from your commands. I have a kid in your word, in my heart that I might not sin against you. The nourishment of the word.

Romans chapter 10, how does faith, comes by hearing the word, hearing the word of Christ?

so, The call is, don't wait. God is patient but don't touch, don't try to time the spiritual markets as it work. We're not day trading here with stocks and trying to see. Are we going to be able to sell if the pink? It's really simple. Repent. Now today,

it's interesting that the chapters before, Luke says, the parable of the fool tonight, your life is taken. It's funny cuz I do want to build a bunch of towers to hold more stuff, but tonight, your life will be taken from you. He says, be ready.

Because it may just may come like a thief in the night. Hebrews 3:1 says, today is the day of salvation. It's right here. He's right here and he says, I'm offering you life. It's not like you saying, okay, well, you know what serve me and then you get to work and you get to work a bunch to earn and maybe you'll get into heaven saying, trust me, I've already paved the way. Follow me.

Brother is sister today. You may be following prices. Great, I want you too, but still remember. Repentance is a gift. These things were still written for our instruction. if you're struggling with the best-selling sin, like most of us, all of us,

He says this, what? You had turn your eyes to me. That's what he says. Turn your eyes to me. What does stop it? Understand, I'm better. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. He created all things heaven and on Earth so that he would have first place. He's calling us to.

I was talking specifically is real, who had the privilege of the Incarnate Word walking, right? Among them. What do you still make the same call to us? How might the Lord be breaking up the soil in your life?

Are you taking in the nourishing? Good news that he gives. Have you repented of your sin and self-reliance? Maybe, do you think that you're a better vinedresser? I better tender of the garden.

Do you continue to repent of your sin? Not in the morose way. Let's not let's not go there. Repentance me shifted. You were also shifting our vision to something else. To Christ. I'm going to trust in him. Yes, I send. I need Christ. That's what repentance is. Can you run to that? Can you cling to that? Can you be reminded about that as we take the table? We have a God, it was full of Mercy. In fact, he has taken out our since Colossians chapter 2, says he took the written record of that stood against us with all this legal demands this he set aside have nailed it to the cross. Can you even take those table trusting in that this afternoon? Jesus is being really clear judgements coming. I says, I'm right here, guys. Call me run to me. Let's pray.

What do you see through your words? But unless we are apparently would likewise perish. No father, I pray That you threw your Sovereign. Mercy would apply through your spirit The Words of Christ to our hearts. Where we would? We're not seek to. Not seek to add anything to our celebration or try to earn your favor. But rather glorified you with our lives, as we trust in your finished work upon the cross.

That through his death and Resurrection, we have life.

Life to the full. Pray that you apply that to our hearts. God.

Price of Christ, name for sake. Amen.