Repentance and Judgment
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Always amazed at giving warnings in professional baseball. Guy throws at someone’s head. Ump gives a warning. Next pitch hits the guy. They knew what they were doing, they were fine with the consequences.
Need: Live in an age where we minimize consequences and are fine with them as long as we get what we desire in this life. We ignore eternal consequences or simply value them lesser than spurts of happiness in this life. There will be a reckoning.
Main Idea: Heed Jesus’ warnings about God’s judgment
After Jesus gives them some hard truth, the people wanted to respond to all that Jesus was saying. Their response leads him to warn them about the coming judgment of God.
Luke 13:1-9
Both commands are in light of judgment.
Command #1: Repent to prevent destruction (1-5)
Exp. They brought up a situation we know little about. Verse 1. Believed that Pilate killed them while they were sacrificing or on their way. Mentioned being taken in front of the magistrate, their response is that they were killed. Jesus responds to something normal: Verse 2 & 4. Common to think punishment like this was because of sin. It could have been. God often plagued and cursed the disobedient. But not every infirmity was due to their personal sin. We see in Job, that suffering can happen to anyone. Notice Jesus’ responses to his rhetorical questions. Verse 3 & 5.
First, they need to know that they are not safe because they think their righteous. He denies the notion that the Galileans and those in Jerusalem were killed for their own sin. That mindset gives false hope.
Second, Luke’s use of “perish” is exclusively for God’s judgment. Whether that be a tragic death or his final judgment. While one could face a tragic death after true repentance, one will not experience ultimate judgment.
Ill. Imagine your child committing the same issue over and over again. You’ve talked with them but the more they make the same mistake, the less patient you are. Until you finally just ground them for eternity. Imagine that on an eternal scale. Your one sin is deserving of the full wrath of a holy God.
Christ - Suffering does not always occur to those who deserve it: like Jesus who suffered unjustly. We deserve ultimate suffering, but those in Christ will not receive it. His wrath was poured out onto Christ. The full punishment. Jesus didn’t deserve God’s wrath, but he bore God’s wrath so those deserving of his wrath would be forgiven.
Arg. Not uncommon. The book of Judges. Historical cycle. Understand “crying out” is same word as repantant.
9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
App. What do we do?
Live a life of repentance. Cry out to God on behalf of your sin. Give it to him. Turn away from it. Continuing in that sin isn’t worth the destruction that is to come. Heed the warning of Christ. Eventually, sin won’t taste sweet anymore.
Command #2: Bear fruit to prevent judgment (6-9)
Exp. Jesus continues with a parable. Verse 6-7. This parable would carry heavy weight. Fig trees are highly symbolic in Jewish life.
Sitting under a healthy fig tree symbolized blessing, peace, and prosperity.
25 And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
A cursed or dead tree represents curse and judgment.
6 For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. 7 It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.
9 “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
Exp. For Jesus to give a parable about destroying a fig tree would be preposterous! He finishes. Verse 8-9. The vinedresser asked to give him some time to work the ground and see if it would bear fruit.
Ill. The time might prove to be effortless. Kind of like me working on a car or fixing something in the house. Bethany has learned to just call an expert before I get my hands on it. Because no matter how much time I spend, it’s fruitless. This fig tree isn’t producing fruit, therefore the vinedresser may be wasting his time.
Arg. The owner of the tree wants to cut it down. Get rid of it. A fruitless tree is not healthy and has no life. Jesus gives us a picture of how this looks in God’s kingdom. John 15:1-6
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Christ - Jesus is the true vine, and those who abide in him will produce fruit. Not not bear fruit means you aren’t connected to the source. The punishment is pruning, cut off. But in Christ, we will bear much fruit.
App. What do we do? Abide in Christ.
Abide in Christ. Rest in him. Find your identity in him. Different than just liking him. It’s being grounded completely in him and his grace.
Pay attention to your fruit. Is repentance in your life? Joy? Patience? Confess and repent.
Conclusion
Heed the warnings of Christ. Our time may not be much longer. So, we respond in obedience quickly.
