It's Time to Repent

Here in your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13, we have moved progressively, quickly, through the Gospel of Luke over the last five years. And now we find ourselves having passed the halfway mark, we're on the downward slope toward the end, to Luke 24. We're still a few years away yet, but we're in Luke chapter 13, verses 1 to 5. Let me read those verses to you this morning.

Now on the same occasion, there were some present who reported to him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered and said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?

I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. This portion of Scripture becomes very valuable to us today, as we begin to understand how God operates in our world. Unlike any other time in history, we are able to understand and see disasters, calamities, tragedies. Whether it's plane crashes, whether it's avalanches, whether it's volcanoes erupting, whether it's the aftermath of hurricanes, tornadoes. I mean, unlike any other period in history, we have the opportunity to view those tragedies, if not when they're happening, immediately after they're happening.

Think of all those people in Joplin, Missouri, who went through the devastation of those tornadoes. And we were able to see some of those tornadoes in operation, but then the aftermath, and the destruction of cities, and the death toll. Tragic. Tragic. I was reading on Monday about a train crash in Beijing, where 36 people were killed. We would never know about that if it wasn't for the news media, if it wasn't for internet. We wouldn't know what happens around the world, but because of the technology of today, we know what's going on on the other side of the globe, almost as quickly as it's happening.

Unprecedented. Unlike any other time in history, we were able to view those things. What happened in Oslo, Norway, just last weekend, with 76 different people being killed by a terrorist attack. We were able to view the devastating effects of that. And so we come to a place, to a time in our history, where we were able to see all these things that are happening, but don't be fooled. These things have always happened. There's always been calamities. There's always been earthquakes. There's always been hurricanes and tornadoes.

There's always been terrorist attacks. There has always been massacres, or mad massacres, of people around the world. There have always been plane crashes, well, as long as planes exist, that is, or train wrecks, or car crashes. And the tragic events have always taken place, to some degree, around the world. Just today, we are more aware of it than ever before, because of technology, not the news, the internet. Which begs the question, why do these things happen? How can a good God allow innocent people to die, to suffer?

In fact, we're coming up on the 10th anniversary of 9-11. And, of course, there'll be a lot of stuff on the news about that, and rightly so, because of the tragic events that took place in New York City, just about 10 years ago. And how it is those two planes brought down those two towers, and thousands of people were killed on our own soil, here in America. Tragic event. Which begs the question, why is it those things happen the way they do? How can God allow such tragic events to occur in our world?

Right after 9-11, I did a series called Terrorism, Tragedy, and the Truth. Terrorism, Tragedy, and the Truth. The text we used was Luke chapter 13, verses 1 to 5. The text we read to you this morning, because it helps us understand disaster. Helps us understand calamities, mass destruction, and how it is those things take place, and why they take place. Does God want to tell us something? Is God warning us about something? If God is good, and He wants good things to happen to His people, why is it so many bad things happen to His people?

Those are questions we ask, and need to have answered. We know that we're gonna die. I mean, the world knows we're gonna die. The Bible says, Hebrews 9 to 7, that man's appointed once to die, after that the judgment.

So we know we're gonna die. How we die is of concern to us, right? I mean, we don't want to be caught up in some burning fire, in a building someplace, where hundreds of people are bringing burn to death, and that's how we die. So when one person dies, or two people die, that's one thing. But when there is a catastrophic event, where hundreds or thousands of people die, like what took place with that earthquake in Haiti, we ask ourselves, what is happening? How come our God will allow those things to take place?

Now, if I am a Jew in the days of Jesus, I have an answer. If I am a Jew in the days of Jesus, I have, what I believe, a legitimate answer. And that answer is this, that if I'm bad, God is gonna be bad to me. If I'm good, God is going to be good to me. In other words, if I die in some tragic event, it's because I was bad. I was a sinner. Things were wrong in my life. But if I don't die, and I escape the consequences, or I escape the tragedy, it must be because I was good, and God wanted to bless my life.

How do we know that? That's what Eliphaz said to Job, way back in that book, Job chapter 4. Job experienced a calamity, right? He experienced a calamity. All of his children were killed. And they were killed, no less, in their worship of God. So, not only were his children killed, but he lost all of his livestock, he lost his property, he lost everything, including his own health. He experienced an overwhelming calamity. Eliphaz came to him as one of his counselors, and said this in Job 4, verse number 7.

Remember now, whoever perished being innocent, or where were the upright destroyed? According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity, and those who sow trouble, harvest it. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger, they come to an end. Eliphaz says, Job, there must be something wrong with your life. You must be living in sin. There must be something wrong because the innocent don't suffer. Those who are guilty suffer. And this went on for quite a while. Now, if you're Job, and you've lost your family, and you've lost your property, and you've lost everything, and you're the most righteous man on the earth, and you're thinking what Eliphaz is saying, you know, how does this affect me?

Well, it doesn't end, because in Job 22, Eliphaz says this, verse 4, is it because of your reverence that he reproves you? That he enters into judgment against you? Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquities without end? That's what the counselor said to Job. So you lose people in a tragic accident like 9-11, and you go to your counselor, and he says, innocent don't suffer. Must be guilty. Must be guilty. Must be sinners. That's why they were destroyed. And that's what the Jewish people believed.

If something tragic happened to your life, it must be because you were bad. If you missed a tragedy, God looked down upon you, and you were good. You missed it. Is that the answer? Is that what the Bible truly teaches concerning tragedy? So we asked the question, what do these events, these catastrophic events, these disastrous events, we're not talking about one person dying here, or one person dying there because they had a heart attack, or they died because of cancer. We understand those things, but when there is a catastrophe, when there is a terrorist attack, it changes everything we do, and we've done everything we can to minimize terrorism in our country.

But when it happens, what is the significance of those events? What's the point? Is it true that God just assembles all the bad people together in one place, and then kills them all in one foul swoop with a plane crash, or a fire, or an earthquake, or a hurricane, or a tsunami? Well, no, that's not true because there's a lot of innocent people, children who die in tragedies, people who are believers who die in plane crashes, right? People who love the Lord, have their homes and families destroyed in tornadoes and hurricanes.

So we know that's not the case. So what is the answer? Luke 13, 1 to 5, gives you the answer. You need to have this answer. You need to understand this, because all the catastrophic events that have taken place over the years past, they're not over. They're going to continue. All the tragedies that come our way are still going to continue in weeks, and months, and years ahead until Jesus Christ returns. Why do they exist? How do we answer people when they ask us the question, how does a loving, kind, compassionate God allow innocent people to suffer and die in tragic, catastrophic events?

Good question, right? So here's the answer. I'm going to begin by looking at the context, then the calamities, and then the command, okay? Of Luke 13, 1 to 5. The context, the calamities, they fall in three categories, and then the command. First of all, the context.

The Bible says this in verse number 1. Now on the same occasion, what's the same occasion? It's the same occasion we've been talking about for the last several weeks of Luke chapter 12. Our Lord is preaching this sermon, and it begins with an invitation to come to Him and to believe. He speaks to His disciples, those who are learners, those who want to be followers of Him, to make the commitment to come to Him. It's an invitation. That invitation would lead to an indictment, which we covered last week.

That indictment now leads to an illustration, which will conclude with implications in the rest of Luke chapter 13, verses 6 and following. So He's in the midst of this sermon, as He is preaching, and as He's preaching, there are three occasions that He is interrupted. One was by a man who wanted his inheritance to be divided up, and so he asked Jesus, can you tell my brother to divide the inheritance, which leads into further discussion concerning an invitation to come to Christ. The second interruption is by Peter, when he asked the question, you know, is this parable for us, or are you speaking to somebody else?

This is the third interruption, okay? So Jesus is preaching, Jesus is talking, He's speaking to this massive crowd. It's, it's humongous, it's huge, biggest crowd yet that He's spoken to. And so as He preaches, there is a third interruption.

On the same occasion, there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. So someone reported to Him about an incident that took place in Jerusalem. Now, this is important. Why? Because Jesus has just concluded with an indictment that says, look, you better settle your account with God now, because if you wait to get to God to settle your account, it's going to be too late. You'll perish forever. So make sure that as you're on your way to court, while you're still alive today, make sure you settle your accounts with God before you die and stand before Him, because then you cannot have an excuse.

You'll be thrown in prison, you'll be there till you pay the very last cent, meaning you can't pay the very last cent, you'll spend eternity in prison. That's how He just concluded chapter 12. And so someone reports to Him now, we move from the context to the calamities, about what took place in Jerusalem. How Pilate had mingled the blood of some Galileans with the sacrifices in the temple. So it must have taken place sometime during Passover week. You know, during Passover week, they slaughter a quarter of a million lambs.

So blood is everywhere in Jerusalem during Passover week. And Pilate, of course, was that fifth Roman procurator who ruled from 26 to 36 AD, so he ruled during the time of Jesus. He was a wicked man. He was a self-willed man. He was a murderous man. In fact, the Galileans, who were by nature rebellious people anyway, it would be Pilate who would instigate the rebellion against Rome, which would lead to Rome's coming to Jerusalem and destroying it in 70 AD. Pilate was such a wicked, evil man. And so someone comes and reports to Jesus as he's preaching about what took place in Jerusalem with the slaughter of these Galileans, no less, in the temple.

And their blood was mingled with the sacrifices. In other words, as they would slaughter the lambs, as they would cut those lambs open, so these Galileans were sliced open and their blood was mingled with their sacrifices by Pilate who led that whole murderous act. And they report to Jesus what took place in Jerusalem. Now, no fault of these Galileans. Maybe they went to the temple for refuge. Maybe they were there worshiping. We don't know. There are no details given to us. So we have no idea. All we know is the tragic event that took place.

We don't even know how many Galileans were slayed that day. It doesn't tell us. But you can bet that everybody knew about it. If there was a Jerusalem Post, it would have been on the front page of the Jerusalem Post. Everybody in Jerusalem, everybody surrounding Jerusalem, would have somehow found out about this massacre in Jerusalem under the leadership of Pilate against these Galileans. Now, these weren't pagan people. These were people who, for lack of better understanding, were in the temple worshiping God.

And they were killed. They were slaughtered. And so Jesus responds, listen, to what the Jewish mind is thinking. The Jewish mind is thinking that they must have been evil. They must have been bad for a tragic event to take place such as this in their lives. Jesus knows that. He knows what they're thinking. He knows the Jewish mindset. And so He responds and calls into question their conventional theology. He says, do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?

Do you think that somehow these individuals were greater sinners than anybody else as to why they suffered this massacre? Their theology was bad things only happen to bad people. So they must have been bad. Jesus knows that and questions that. Do you think that this happened because they were sinners or worse sinners than someone else? Now, we would all agree that there are certain things that happen to people because of their sin, right? We can go back and read Acts 12 and read about Herod and his wanting to receive glory upon himself and not give any glory to God and he was eaten alive by worms, okay?

That's a natural consequence of trying to take glory upon yourself instead of giving it to God. We understand that from Acts 12. We know that if you're a smoker, the chances of you getting lung cancer, pretty good, right? We know that if you like to sleep around, the chances of you getting a sexually transmitted disease, pretty good. If you're a drinker, the chances of you getting cirrhosis of the liver, pretty good. The natural consequences of sinful behavior, right? We understand that. We get that.

This is not what this is talking about. This is not the natural consequence of sinful behavior. This is a catastrophic event. This is a tragedy. This is a disaster brought on by no fault of the people involved, see? And there is a marked difference and that's what the question is about because we know that that Christians die in tragedies. There are people who were killed in 9-11 who were born-again believers. It's not that they were evil as to why there was a tragedy and they experienced it. People killed in tsunamis and they're believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It doesn't mean that they were evil because they happened to face a tragic event and lost their lives. That's not the question. The question comes very simply this way. We can rejoice that we are alive. In fact, you're here today. You're alive. And the reason you're here today and alive is because God has allowed you to live one more day. Would you not agree with that? God has allowed you to live one more day. In fact, you don't live because you deserve to live. Because none of us deserves to live.

You live because God is kind. God is merciful. God is good. God is loving. God is gracious. Do you ever think for a moment that you live because you deserve to live another day? You don't. In fact, the opposite is true. You deserve to die. Because the Bible says, the wages of sin is what?

Death. In sin did my mother conceive me, David said. So really, you deserve to die. The soul that sins, Ezekiel says, it shall what? Die. So in all reality, God is so good that He lets sinners continue to live when in reality they should die. That's how good God is. He is more than good, more than gracious, more than kind, more than patient, long-suffering. He's a loving, good God. The very fact that we live is simply because God Himself is merciful. God lets you live so that His patience, His kindness, and goodness, according to Romans 2.4, will lead you to repentance.

That's why God allows you to live. That you might come to a place of repentance. In fact, God gives you opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. The more days He allows you to live, the more opportunity you have to repent and turn and follow Him. And all throughout history, God punctuates His patience with events to remind us that judgment is right around the corner and you better be ready because you don't know when it's going to happen. You don't know. And that's the message of Luke 13 1-5.

Are you ready? Have you repented? So that if you experience some tragic event unknown to you or anybody else before it happens, you are ready to stand before your Maker because you have believed in all that He has said, turned from your sin, and followed Him. The question is why does God allow sinners to live? That's the question. The question isn't why does God allow good people to experience bad things. That's not the question. That's the wrong question because there's none good, no not one. So you can't ask that question.

It's a wrong question. The question simply is why does God allow sinners to live? The answer? He's compassionate. He's kind. He's merciful. He's patient. He's loving. He's gracious. And God is continually giving people opportunities to repent. Jesus says, do you really think that those Galileans who died in the temple were greater sinners than anybody else?

So He talks about this temple calamity and then He quickly moves to a tower calamity because you see He wants to drive it home to these Jewish people just in case they were thinking well you know what what's He know about those Galileans? He didn't know anything about them. He didn't know about their own personal life. He didn't know what's going on in their hearts. So He brings it back to the Jewish people because the Jewish people thought we're the covenant people of God. We're good people. God chose us.

He didn't choose anybody else. He chose us. We're the good ones. So the Lord drives it home to those Jewish listeners so that there's no mistake about what took place and why it took place. Let's know what He says. He says in verse four, or do you suppose that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? Now He's bringing it down to the Jewish people. Do you suppose, do you actually think that what took place in Jerusalem, He takes them to an event again that was a catastrophic event.

We know where Siloam is. That's that's that's where the pool of Siloam is. It's where the southern and eastern gate meet and Pilate had built an aqueduct to get the water from the spring of Gihon that would flow into the pool of Siloam to water the city of Jerusalem. So we understand that there was somehow some tower that was erected there at Siloam so that there could be someone who would watch over the aqueduct that would guard those things. We don't know exactly what took place, but what happened is that in the midst of building this thing or putting it up, one day it fell over and 18 people who happened to be just walking by experienced a horrendous tragedy.

They were killed. So Jesus says, let me give you another experience and take this one to heart. Here were some people one day, maybe they were men and women and children, maybe their families and they were walking by this tower and one day the tower just collapsed. They were killed. Do you think that somehow that those 18 people were worse sinners than everybody else in Jerusalem as to why this took place? Do you actually believe that? He says, I tell you no. It has nothing to do with the sins they've committed.

Nothing. I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. The fact that you're alive doesn't mean that you're better than somebody else who experienced a tragedy or that you're better than somebody else who had succumbed to this horrific event not in your life. So he moves from a temple calamity to a tower calamity to the ultimate true calamity. And he says what? Listen carefully. Unless you repent, verse 3, verse 5, unless you repent, you'll experience the greatest tragedy of all.

You will perish. You will likewise perish. Not in the same way, you're not going to be slaughtered there in the temple or our tower is not going to fall over on you and you're going to die, but the certainty of death will happen. It might be in a tragic experience, a catastrophic experience, or it might be just the fact that you were in a car and you are killed in a car accident. But unless you repent, you will likewise perish. You need to be ready so that whatever happens to you, you know for certain you'll spend eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the point. Not just physical death, but spiritual death. That's the ultimate tragedy, right? Being separated from God for all eternity. We know that people are going to die. We're all going to die. It's a point where a man wants to die. After that comes the judgment, right? Unless the rapture of the church occurs, everybody in this room is going to die. Someday, someway, we're going to die. The question is, are you ready to die? And that's what Jesus is saying. It's time to repent. He's already cautioned him.

It's time to settle up. You need to settle your account. Why do you settle your account? Because you don't know when you're going to die. And you can experience something as innocently as people walking by a tower and it just falls over on them. Excuse me. Or you could be on the east coast vacationing and there'd be a hurricane and you die on vacation. You don't know that. You don't even know when you're going to die. Excuse me. But the point is, you need to be ready to die. And the only way you can be ready is if you've repented of your sins.

And this is why they hated Jesus so much. Because he's telling Jewish people they need to repent. And they don't. They have to. Isn't it interesting that Jesus never told them, explained to them how they were sinners and why they were sinners? Because they knew they were sinners. How did they know? They knew the law of Moses. And they knew they fell short of the law of Moses, which made them sinners. But they're sinners by nature. But they knew the law. And they knew what the law said. So Jesus never explained to them about their sinful behavior.

He just said, unless you repent, you're going to die too. You might not die a tragedy, but you're going to die. And you better be ready. Because death comes at a time none of us ever expected. We don't expect it, but it's going to come. And that's Jesus's point. God is merciful and kind to allow sinners to live one more day. We all deserve to die at the moment of conception because we are born conceived into sin. And yet God is kind and compassionate and loving and merciful and gracious, allows us to be born, allows us to live and live day after day, giving us one more opportunity, one more chance to repent and to come to Him that we might serve and glorify His precious name.

God is a great, loving, kind, good God. And the question comes to all of us today. Are we ready to die? Are you ready to die? Because you've turned from your sin and followed Christ. Because that's really the true calamity, right? The true calamity is to die without Christ, is to die and to experience separation from God forever in the torments of hell. That's the worst calamity one could ever experience. And so the point is, you need to repent. And Jesus didn't tell Jews to repent just infuriated them all the more.

Because they were the chosen people of God. They were the good people. That's why he drives home the illustration with the Tower of Siloam. So they understand that these Jewish people who die, we're not worse off than anybody else. Everybody dies. But unless you repent, you will likewise perish. So what's it mean to repent? Here's the command. Unless you repent, you're going to perish. The command is you better repent or you're not going to be saved. Repentance involves two things. Turning from my sin and trusting in my Savior.

Repentance involves two things. Turning from my sin and trusting in my Savior. Repentance involves coming to the recognition that I am a vile, sinful, rebellious individual. But I have lived a life that's against and opposed to God and his authority in my life. And I come to a place where I recognize that I am a sinner. I am completely separated from God and nothing in my conduct or nothing in my ceremonial acts will save me. Nothing. I can't do anything to gain the approval of God because I'm a sinner.

I can't do anything good, anything kind that will gain his approval. But I must turn from my sinful behavior. It's, it's, the word metano is the word that, that, that describes a change of mind, a change of belief, a change of behavior. Repentance is a complete, listen carefully, and total change of life. That's what repentance is. It is a complete and total change of life. If that has not happened, you have not repented of your sin and you will likewise perish. That is so crucial to understand. And when you turn from your sin because you're separated from God, you know that you only deserve punishment in hell.

You're going to get what you deserve unless you repent. You trust completely in the merciful Savior who gave his life to you. You throw yourself on him because you can't do anything. So Lord, you say, be merciful unto me, a sinner. Save me from my sin. Lord, I need you to embrace me, to, to, to love me, to care for me, to, to take away the guilt of my sin, all of my sin, Lord. Clothe me with your righteousness. Make me like you because I'm a sinner and I want to be called a son of the living God.

So important. You know, when Jesus would send the disciples out, Luke 24, he said this, verse 46, nothing is written. The Christ should suffer and rise again the third day and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

In Luke's account of the great commission, you can't go out and win people to Christ and assure them of any forgiveness unless there has been a repentant heart, a change in life, attitude, and conduct, a turning around. Paul would say in Thessalonians chapter one, first Thessalonians 1, 9, to turn from idols to serve the true and living God.

You're turning from your sinful behavior. You're turning from your idol worship. You're turning from those things that you've trusted in all your life and say, you know what? That's not going to save me. That's not good enough. That's going to only condemn me all the more and turn and trust in Jesus Christ, your Lord, your Savior, your Redeemer, and give your life to him. That's what repentance is. So Jesus says at the end of his ministry, listen, you guys go out and when you go out, you must preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

You can't receive forgiveness unless there's been a repentant heart. Forgiveness is conditional. It's not unconditional. God's love is unconditional. God's forgiveness is conditional. It's conditioned on a repentant spirit. If it wasn't conditional, guess what? Everybody would go to heaven. There'd be no need to talk about unless you repent, you will likewise perish because you're all going to go there anyway. No need to repent. Just live the way you want to live. When you die, you go to heaven. Is that the way it is?

I don't think so. Well, I mean, I know so. I know that's not the case. That's what Jesus said. The only way you get to heaven is if you turn from your sin and trust in a Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's what repentance is. A change of life, a change of mind, a change of conduct, a change of belief, a change of attitude. There is a diametrically, you are diametrically opposed to the way you lived and now you want to follow and embrace Christ. It doesn't mean that you're perfect. It doesn't mean that you never sin.

That's not the case. You do sin, but you are committed to serving and following Christ no matter what. That's what repentance is. That's why over in Acts 11, Acts 11, verse number 18, says these words. And when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God saying, well, then God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. Listen, there's only one kind of repentance that leads to life and that's called a godly sorrow, a godly repentance as defined in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse number 10, where Paul says, for the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

In other words, I can be sorry that I got caught for my sin. I can cry a whole bunch because I have sinned and I was caught in those sins. That's not godly sorrow. That's just tears. Godly sorrow, he says, is what is earnest. For behold, what earnestness, what's the earnestness for? I yearn for righteousness because I'm such an unrighteous person. This very thing, this godly sorrow has produced in you what vindication of yourselves, a desire to be cleared from all the stigma of sin, what indignation.

That's godly sorrow. It's defined by indignation. Indignation over what? Sin. I hate sin. That's what a repentant heart says. I hate sin. What fear? Fear? Fear of what? God. Romans 3 18. The unbeliever has no fear of God before his eyes, but the believer does, right? The believer is the one who fears God. What fear this godly sorrow produces. What longing for what? A relationship to be restored, that I might be in fellowship with the living God of the universe. What zeal? What's the zeal for? It's a zeal for holiness, to live for God.

What avenging of wrong, to make restitution of all the wrongs I've committed. That's how godly sorrow, that's how godly repentance is defined in scripture. We can never redefine repentance to fit our presentation of the gospel. We cannot redefine repentance to say, you know what? Go ahead. I think you're saved. You think? You should know whether or not someone's saved. You don't think someone's saved. You know someone's saved, right? If you think they're saved, I got news for you. They're not. By their fruits, you will maybe know them?

No. By their fruits, you will know them. And this is my father glorified that you bear much fruit. Why? Because he goes on to say, you have been appointed in John 15 to do that. I appointed you to bear fruit. In other words, you, as I appointed you to salvation, now I have appointed you to bear fruit. Because you were saved, you will demonstrate your spiritual life. It will be seen by all, without question, that's a repentant lifestyle. Is that you? Is that you today? As parents, do you question your child's repentance?

Do you wonder whether or not they're saved? You should never wonder. You should know. You say, well, you can never know someone's heart. Yeah. But out of the mouth, right? The heart is revealed. So by conversation, you know someone's heart's condition. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Matthew 12. So conversation is the clearest indicator of one's conversion. How I converse with you, what I say to you, and how I say it to you will determine in your mind whether or not I truly am born again and repentant, because my conversation will be changed, because it will be proper.

It will be God-like. Will you say things that are wrong? Sure you do. Do you say sinful things at times? Yes, you do. But you quickly repent of those things, ask forgiveness of those things, because you know you are wrong. And you do that because the Spirit of God convicted you of your sin. As parents, do you know your children are saved? As children, do you know your parents are saved? Do you know they're saved? Do you know they're born again? Do you know they're living for the Lord? Do you know they honor the Lord?

Do you know they're committed to following Christ, or do you hope they are? They're going to die probably before you. Statistics say they will die before you. Are they ready to meet the Messiah of Israel? Are they ready to meet their God? Have they settled their account before they die? Have they repented of their sin? Have they turned from their sin? Or do they want to remain in the rebellious ways? Do they want to keep going against the grain of Scripture? They want to keep saying, I know what the Bible says, but I don't care what the Bible says.

I'm going to do what I want to do. Then you can guarantee them that they are still in their sin and not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, because believers don't do that. They don't do that. Believers love the Lord and they love His Word and they want to follow His Word. Folks, this is a crucial message. Jesus gives it. He gives it to people who think as they stand there, they are righteous, they are good, they are kind, they're going to heaven, they're covenant children of God. They know in their own minds that they're good and they're not sinners and they don't need to repent.

And Jesus says, you better repent or you're going to perish. You're going to die in your sins. And if you die in your sins, forget about the earthly calamities. The eternal calamity is worse than any earthly calamity. You will be separated from the eternal God forever in the fires of hell, never ever to come out of that situation throughout all eternity. So Jesus says, you better repent.

It's time to repent. Where are you today? How about people in your family? Where are they today? How about your friends, those you work with? Do they understand this? Do they get this? We're going to come up on 9-11 pretty soon, just six weeks away. And there'll be all kinds of news reports and people being interviewed about what took place and it will be fresh in our minds once again, will it not? And it will give you the opportunity to share from Luke chapter 13 verses 1 to 5. What is the truth about tragedies?

Why does God allow those things to happen? Because we know, Isaiah 45, 7, that God is the author of calamities. Know what it says? Sure. And God punctuates His patience time and time again throughout life so people will know that He's very serious about repentance, coming to Christ, living for Him, honoring Him. Because the calamities on earth are not nearly as severe as the calamity in eternity of being separated from the living God forever and ever and ever. When Tom Mason called me on Friday morning, it was Friday night in Russia, he said, I want to let you know that my sister died while in Russia here and she's with the Lord.

And I told Tommy, I said, you know, that's just a, that's just a great thing to hear. Because see, she was committed to Islam for years, for years. And just recently, somebody went into her hospital room and shared Christ with her and she was born again. And when Tommy went to go visit her for the last time, she said to him, you have nothing to worry about, Tommy. I know I'm going to be with the Lord when I die. I know that. I've given my life to Jesus Christ. And I know that when my time comes, I will stand before the Lord Jesus and I will worship Him forever.

That time came, she was ready to die. She was more than ready. How about you? Are you ready? If not, it's time to repent and give your life to Christ. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today, Lord, and the opportunity you give us to examine your word. Truly Lord, you are a great God and you alone are worthy to be praised. And you have given us warning after warning, after warning. Judgment's coming. It's right around the corner. Be prepared. It's time to settle your accounts. Make sure you turn from your sin. Follow me. And yet people reject that. They don't want to follow that. They want to continue going down the path they're on. We pray that that would be no one here this morning.

That those who are here would know for certain that they're ready because they have turned from their sin to follow and trust the Jesus Christ, our Lord. And they know that you have granted them the gift of repentance, a gift that comes from the sovereign will of God that allows them to embrace Christ, the free gift of eternal life forever and ever and ever. We pray if one is among us today who does not know you, that today would be the day of their salvation. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.