Time to Settle Up

If you have your Bible, turn to Luke chapter 12 with me, please. Luke chapter 12. Like I said earlier, this is halfway through the book of Luke. We're going to finish Luke chapter 12 today. We will officially be halfway through the 24 chapters in the book of Luke. And I'm reminded of one of them in our church who was going to someone's house and visiting them and saw them and said, Hey, didn't you used to go to our church at Christ Community? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They said, yes, they did used to come here.

And he said, well, how come you're not here anymore? And she said, are you still in Luke? He said, yeah, we're still in Luke. She goes, that's why I'm not still there. It's just too long to be in one book. Can you imagine saying that out loud? I can imagine saying that out loud. It's just amazing to me because, you know, we're studying the life and ministry of the king of the universe. What better subject is there to study than God himself, right? God who became man, dwelt among us. We beheld his glory.

The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We're studying about his grace, his truth, his glory, the preciousness of his life and the ministry that he had. And we study it in depth, trying to take it, you know, verse by verse, word by word, literally through the book of Luke to understand the humanity of deity. That's the theme of the gospel of Luke. And yet, can you imagine saying that? It's just too long to study about Jesus. I just can't fathom that. But the preciousness of this gospel.

It'll be a sad day when we come to Luke chapter 24 and we're done with this and we have to move on to one of the epistles or something like that. I guess we could go back to do John because John is completely different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And we could do John, but just the whole study of the life of Christ is just absolutely overwhelming when you get into it and you begin to realize all that he is and all that he's done and how he ministered here on earth. This was a privileged generation 2,000 years ago.

Would you not agree? Can you imagine living in the time of Jesus and watching all the miracles, hearing all the sermons that he preached? I mean, I'm not a great preacher, but I'm not that bad. Jesus was phenomenal. I mean, never a man, they said, spoke like this man spoke. So can you imagine going to hear Jesus speak in the synagogue or going to hear Jesus speak on the hillside and then to watch his miracles? Can you imagine the privilege of the generation in the days of Jesus? Unlike any generation before, unlike any generation afterwards, none of them were able to experience what that generation experienced.

For those three years, a little over three years, that Jesus ministered on this earth, what a phenomenal experience these people had. In spite of all that, having seen the nature and character of Christ firsthand, to speak with him, to eat with him, to watch him, to listen to him, they were a generation that refused to believe him. That's just amazing to me. I mean, I read the book of Luke, and I study Luke's gospel, and I've been to the land of Israel, and I've seen these places, and I'm just overwhelmed by the ministry of Christ and who he is and what he's done.

But to be able to experience it firsthand, that's amazing to me. And then to be like one of his disciples, Judas. I mean, talk about experiencing something firsthand. I mean, he was with Jesus for three years. Three years. Heard every sermon. Was involved in the preaching of the gospel, which he did. He was firsthand involved in the miracles of Jesus. And yet, when it was all said and done, he sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. He had the most wonderful opportunity, and yet he rejected it. Israel had the most wonderful opportunity, and yet they rejected it.

And our paragraph this morning is focused in on people who have the most blessed opportunity, and they waste it. Think about it in your life. Maybe it's your family. You raise your children in the ways of the Lord. Took them to church with you. Involved in mission trips together and ministry together. You did things as a family. I mean, I was raised in the church, okay? My folks weren't saved until later in life, but at least they took me to church every Sunday because they thought that was the best thing to do.

And then when I was 14 and I gave my life to Christ, I mean, our life was church. We had no life outside of church. Our whole life was church. Oh, by the way, that's the way it ought to be for your family, just in case you wanted to know that. Church must be your family's life. If not, something else is their life, and it will take precedence over church life. It will. And church was our life, and we grew up in the church. But think about the families who raise their kids in the church and they nurture them in the ways of God.

They watch their kids sing in the church and minister in the church and serve in the church. And then they grow up and they just reject everything. They have the most blessed opportunity because as parents, you provided it for them. You taught them, you led them, you guided them, you nurtured them, you prayed for them, you gave everything to them, and they reject that. They get off on their own and say, you know, I'm not too interested in church and Jesus and all that. That's just not for me. Really?

Really? What is for you? What do you see is more important than that? And while you didn't experience Jesus firsthand or see Him face-to-face or eat dinner with Him, you raised your kids in the ways of God and you taught them the truth of God, and they wasted the most beautiful opportunity. They turned away from God. That's a tragedy, isn't it? That's an incredible, incredible tragedy. And yet, it happens all the time. But on this day in Luke, it happened to the most blessed generation ever. The generation that experienced God among them like no other generation.

They rejected Him. So let me read to you what Jesus says. Verse 54. And He was also saying to the multitudes, when you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, a shower is coming. And so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, it will be a hot day. And it turns out that way. You hypocrites. You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?

For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there, make an effort to settle with him, in order that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent. Wow. What is Jesus saying? What does He want to get across to these people? Let me give you first of all the context.

Then let me give you His concern. Because context is important. You've been with us in Luke chapter 12. You know this is one long sermon, with two interruptions, one by Peter and one by a man in the crowd. But it all carries over to help you understand more of what Jesus is saying. If you go back to Luke chapter 12, verse number 1, we began there weeks ago, under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together, that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, now you'll note that He says in verse 54, to the multitudes, He begins by talking to His disciples.

And we've told you that those disciples fall into several categories. They are learners. They are followers. Some of them are casual learners. Some of them are curious learners. Some of them are committed learners, like the apostles themselves. Some of them are counterfeit disciples, like Judas. Okay? So they fall into those categories. And He's addressing those who are curious, those who are casual listeners, giving them an invitation. He's inviting them to come to Him. He warns them about the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

He warns them about that. He warns them not to fear anything but Him alone. Come to Him. Confess Him as Christ. Believe in Him. Give your life to Him. And then He says, Beware of every form of greed, which, by the way, is covetousness. And beware of that because that will hinder you from experiencing the greatness of Heaven because money will become your God. And then He talks to them about being anxious about nothing because I'll take care of all your worries in life. I'll provide for you as only I can.

If you give it all, if you stunt it all for Me, if you give your life to Me, I will take care of you. And you better do it quick because the Son of Man's coming in an hour you don't expect. I'm coming again. And you need to be faithful. And Peter pipes up and asks a question about the parable, is it for us, is it for them, who's it for? And he says, you need to be faithful. Don't be marked with those who are unfaithful. Be marked with those who are faithful. Why? Because I've come to bring division.

I've come to divide husband from wife, father from son, son from mother, mother-in-law against son-in-law. I've come to divide. So make sure you're faithful to Me because I'll provide for you, I'll take care of you. He's giving that as an invitation because He wants the curious, He wants the casual, He wants them to come to Him. He wants them to believe in Him. He wants them to understand a relationship with the living God. And now in verse 54, He addresses the multitudes. Now remember, this is thousands upon thousands upon ten thousands of people.

Biggest crowd He's spoken to yet. Huge. He addresses everybody. So amongst, amongst, listen carefully, amongst the curious and the casual and the committed and the counterfeit disciples, there are the cold-hearted, right? And there are the calloused. That's among the multitudes. They've already rejected Him. They've already said, what you do, you do by the power of Beelzebul. What you do, you do because of Satan, not because you're God. Those are the cold-hearted in the multitude. Those are the, the the calloused people.

They've grown cold to the ministry of the Messiah. And so He gives this invitation and while He gives the invitation, He moves to an indictment against the multitude. He indicts them. He says, you know, here's the deal. You see a cloud forming in the west, which is where the Mediterranean Sea is, and you say, it's going to rain. And you know what? You're right. It's incredible. I mean, you don't, you know, watch Dallas rains on Channel 7 with his mega-doppler 7,000 in HD and know the next day it's going to rain.

You see a cloud forming in the west and guess what? You guess, it's going to rain. And what? It does rain. And you sit there and you feel the warm wind blowing. You know? It's coming off the Arabian Desert, out of the Judean wilderness. You say, it's going to be a hot day. You know what? You're right. It's a hot day. A lot like you and I, when we sit here and we get those Santa Ana winds and they blow and they're warm. We know it's going to be a hot day. You know, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, right?

We understand it's going to be a hot day when there's a Santa Ana condition and the winds blow off the desert. We understand that. He says, here's the deal. You look right over in the west and you see a cloud begin to form. And you say, it's going to rain and it does rain. And you sit there and you feel the warm wind blowing. You say, you know, it's going to be a hot day. You know what? It is a hot day. But you are hypocrites. Why? Because they're good weathermen? No. Because with minimal evidence, minimal evidence, you can discern the weather.

But with a maximum amount of evidence, you can't discern who I am. That's why he calls them hypocrites. He says, see the cloud form? It rains. And you're right. See the wind blow? Or feel the wind blow? It's warm. And you're right. He says, you know how to analyze the appearance of the earth, verse 56, and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? How is it with all the evidence before you you can't figure out who I am. See this is an indictment against the multitude. He comes out against them.

Calls them hypocrites. By the way, that was his favorite term for Israel. Hypocrites. You're phonies. Everything's external. There's nothing internal. You want to be seen a certain way, but on the inside you're completely different. Everything about you is a sham. Everything about you is false. But you want to portray truth. That's what hypocrites are. That's what phonies are. You say you have an allegiance with God, but you're not allegiance to anybody except yourself. You say you're committed to the word of the Lord, but you're only committed to your self-styled religion.

You're hypocrites. You're phonies. Oh, by the way, the church today is filled with phonies. Is it not? People have an external appearance, but there is no internal reality. And they want everybody to think that they're right with God, but in reality they're not. They're just as hypocritical as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and those who wanted everybody to think that they were spiritual kind of people. Happens all the time, right? He says, you discern with minimal evidence the weather, but with maximum evidence you cannot discern that which is right in front of you.

In other words, you are blind to that which is apparent, and you're blind to that which is about in terms of what you're approaching, your destiny. You're blind to the present-day opportunity, and you're blind to the penalty in eternity. You're blind. Can't see it. Amidst all the evidence in front of you, you are incapable of discerning that which is right. And, you know, the Pharisees they were always, well, show us a sign. Show us a sign. Show us a sign. Give us another sign. All they wanted was a sign.

They had all the signs. I mean, they had innumerable amount of signs. More than you could ever imagine they had the signs. You know, when the prophets of old, when they told about the Messiah, they told about the place the Messiah would be born. They told that He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. That's Micah 5, verse number 2. That's why when Herod called the scribes and he says, where is this King of the Jews going to be born? Oh, we know, Micah 5 too. We know. And they prophesied the place and where was Christ born?

He was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Not only that, but they were the ones in the Old Testament who prophesied the exact period of His arrival. Daniel 9, 24 to 26. We've talked to you about this at length in our study of the coming of the King or the return of the King. Plus we'll look at it again in Luke chapter 19.

But it was to the exact day of His presentation as Messiah that was foretold by Daniel the prophet in Daniel 9, 24 and 26. So the Old Testament prophets, they told us about the place of the Messiah, the period of the Messiah, and the plan of the Messiah. Isaiah 43. All throughout the book of Isaiah. All throughout the book of Jeremiah. What the Messiah would do when He came. So when Jesus shows up, He does exactly what was foretold. He was born in a place that the prophets foretold. He came at the exact time the prophets said.

And He fulfilled the plan as outlined by His Father in Heaven as foretold by the prophets. He did all that. He, you know, He defied creation by walking on water and causing things to happen like no one else could cause. Winds to blow, winds to stop. He was amazing. He controlled everything. Everything was in perfect timing. He raised the dead. I mean, who raised the dead? But to be able to see someone who was once dead now alive. He caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear. I mean, the miracles were so astounding that by the end of His ministry everybody in the land of Israel had been healed.

He had banished all disease in the land of Israel. Overwhelming evidence. You see a little cloud in the west. Ah, it's gonna rain. And it rains. You feel a warm wind blow. Ah, it's gonna be a hot day! And it is. And yet I've raised the dead, healed the sick, caused the blind to see. I've walked on water. I've done so many miracles and yet you still do not know who I am. How can that possibly be? They didn't know who He was. Listen carefully. Because they didn't want to know who He was. Did you get that?

They didn't know who He was because they didn't want to know who He was. Why? Because to admit or to accept His deity would be to admit their iniquity. And they were not going to do that. Instead of admitting that they were iniquitous, that they were filled with sin, they would not accept the fact that He was God in the flesh. Because if He is God and they accept that, then what He says is true and what He said about them is true and they needed to repent. And they weren't going to do that. Oh, by the way, that's the way it always is.

It wasn't just in the days of Jesus. That's the way it's always been. We don't accept Him as deity. Because that would mean that we would have to affirm our iniquity. And we're not going to do that. We think we're pretty good. We're okay. We're going to make it that when it's all said and done, the good's going to outweigh the bad and I'm going to get to heaven. That's the Satan's lie and that's the human belief system. But our Lord came. He began to preach. They didn't want anything to do with that.

Nothing at all. Remember back in Luke chapter 4 when He began to preach in the synagogue? It wasn't the cure that they hated. They wanted a kingdom. They wanted a king. They wanted forgiveness. They wanted peace. They wanted joy. Who doesn't want that? Have you met anybody who doesn't want peace, joy, love? Be a part of a kingdom? To worship a king? No, everybody wants that. They just didn't like the diagnosis that He leveled on them. That's what they hated. Oh, they wanted the peace, the joy, the love, the kingdom, the forgiveness.

They wanted everything He had to offer, but they didn't want it on His terms. They wanted it on their terms. People want to go to heaven today, right? They want to do it on their terms, not God's terms. People want to experience peace, but they want to experience it on their terms, not God's terms. And so Jesus comes, offers them the cure, and then gives them the diagnosis of their condition, and they don't want that. They hated that. And that's what Luke 4 was all about, when He came to the synagogue.

Remember that? He came to the synagogue there in Nazareth, His own hometown. I mean, after all, they'd heard about all of His miracles. I mean, it was early on in His ministry, and things were happening like you wouldn't believe, and now Jesus comes back to His hometown. There in Nazareth. And back in Luke chapter 4, the Bible says these words.

It says, and He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up, and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read. Stood up to read because there was assigned reading in the synagogues. And the assigned reading for the day was Isaiah 61. He'd been asked to read that day. And so Jesus was going to preach in His own hometown, and maybe that's the first public sermon He had in Nazareth, in the synagogue.

So it was packed. People everywhere. Hometown boys back. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, and He opened the book and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release of the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the fabled year of the Lord. And He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant, sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him.

Can you imagine? Here's the day. Jesus comes and says, You know what? Everybody's come to you and said that one day this will be fulfilled in your eyes. I'm telling you that today it's going to be fulfilled because I am the Messiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. And everybody knows Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord will be upon the Messiah. And He came to preach the gospel. That's what He came to do. I have come to proclaim the favorable year of our Lord. This is the year of God's favor. This was the time, the time of God's favor upon Israel.

Where the grace would be overwhelming, the peace, the joy would be offered, the good news would be proclaimed. This was their favorable year. And in the midst of that favorable year, they said, No. We don't want your favor. In fact, we don't want it that way. We want it our way. Because He came and He exposed their religiosity. He exposed their foolishness. He exposed the things that they tried to hide. He just shed light upon it and they hated Him because of it. They hated Him. And the text goes on to say, He began to say to them, Today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and all were speaking well of Him and wondering of the gracious words which were falling from His lips.

And they were saying, Is not this Joseph's son? He said to them, No doubt you will quote this proverb to me. Physician, heal yourself. Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well. Again, it's all about the miracle. It's all about the fascination. And He goes, I know what you're thinking. That which I've already accomplished in Capernaum, you won't see done here. You won't see it here. And then He says this, Should I say to you, No prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah.

When the sky was set up for three years and six months. When a great famine came over all the land and yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon. To a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet. And none of them was cleansed but only name in the Syrian. And all in the synagogue were filled with rage as He heard these things. And they rose up to cast them out of the city. Take them to a brow, a hill in which the city was built to throw them off to kill them.

Really? One sermon. Just one little sermon. And they wanted to kill them. Because He told them that you know, you're like the people in the days of Elijah. Days of Elisha. You're arrogant, you're proud. And God didn't go to the people of Israel. Instead He went to a to a widow. A pagan widow. Many lepers in the land of Israel. God didn't go to them either. He went to a pagan king and healed him. Because you don't want God. You want the way you think God is. And therefore He condemned their religiosity.

He condemned their lifestyle. He condemned their way of life. And they hated Him because of that. He wanted to show them they were sinners and they did not want that. That's why people get so angry today at the church. They don't want to see their sin. That's why we preach the Word of God. Because when you see Christ, you see His holiness. If you see His holiness, you are well aware of your sinfulness. Isn't that true? If you come to church and you're not aware of your sinfulness, the holiness of God was not preached.

Simple as that. If the holiness of God is preached, you are so overwhelmed by your sinfulness, you want to repent, turn from your sin and follow Him. Remember the story about the demoniac in the land of the Gerasenes? Remember that story? Luke 8? Turn back with me to Luke 8 for a minute. Luke chapter 8. This is an incredible story. Luke chapter 8, verse 26. And they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He had come out into the land, He was met by a certain man from the city who was possessed with demons, and who had not put on any clothes for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me. For He had been commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had ceased him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles, and kept under guard. And yet he would burst his fetters, and be driven by the demon to the desert. Wow. And Jesus asked him, What is your name? He said, Legion, for many demons had entered Him, and they were entreating Him not to command them to depart to the abyss.

Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain, and the demons entreated Him to permit them to enter the swine, and He gave them permission. And the demons came out from the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned. Now if you were with us back in Luke 8, this is an incredible story. I mean Jesus, the land of the Gerasenes is in the Decapolis, the Gentile section there in the land of Israel. And Jesus went there, and there was this man who was completely naked, who was bound with fetters and chains, but always broke them because of the power of the demon possession of his life.

He had tormented the town. I mean you couldn't walk in the town at night without this man who was naked come running out after you and your children. And the people in the town were afraid of this man who was demon-possessed. And this man, when he sees Jesus comes running out of the tombs to greet him completely naked, having cut himself with stones, and was broken fetters hanging from him as he ran, and he came down and fell down before Christ. What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

Any other story? Christ cast out the demons, and the man is put in his right mind. The demons go into the herd of swine. The swine fall off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee. And they drowned. Wow. What would you do if you saw that? What would you do if in the midst of your torment by this one man, demon-possessed, day in, day out, that you couldn't even walk alone or let your children go outside for fear of what this man might do? What would you do if this man now was put in his right mind, demon, legion, was cast out, he was set free?

What would you do? This is what they did. And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. And the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they said, Praise be to God! Is that what they said? So they became frightened. Really? Frightened. And those who had seen it reported it to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.

And all the people of the country, of the garrisons, and the surrounding district asked him to stay and preach a sermon about forgiveness. No. Asked him to depart from them, for they were gripped with great fear. Really? Really? They really valued pigs and demon-possession over the Messiah of Israel? Why? Why were they so afraid? Because they were in the holiness. And if he is that holy, they are that sinful and they didn't want their sin exposed. Leave. Get out of here. Don't come back. And Jesus left, by the way.

He left. He didn't go back. You see, people don't want to accept Christ as deity because that would mean that they would have to affirm their iniquity. And they're not going to do that. They don't want to be exposed. They want to hide. Christ is the light. Came to expose the sinfulness of man. That's what he did. See? And they couldn't stand him because of it. And Jesus says, you have so much evidence.

The evidence is massive. It's everywhere. You see a cloud? Rain. You feel the wind? Warm. But you see me? What do you do? Satan. Really? He's of Satan. They couldn't deny the power of his works. So he's either God. And if he's God, he's true. If he's true, his indictment on me is true. I don't accept that. So he must be of Satan and not of God. And that was their conclusion. See? That was their conclusion. They could not take the fact that they were sinful. And that that sin had been exposed. Because they thought themselves religious.

They thought themselves right with God. And they could not accept the fact that he was God. You read it over and over again. They wanted to take up stones to kill him because he said that he and his father are one. He claimed equality with the father. And they hated him because of that. Because if he is God, and he is, you know it, I know it, then what he says is true. And if what he says is true, you must follow or you'll perish in your sins. And that was his message. See? And that's why they couldn't stand him.

Because they didn't want to admit that they were sinful and they were separated from God. They could only admit that they were good. They were righteous. Self-righteous. They were okay with God. They were descendants of Abraham. They were Jewish people. They're good people. And God says, No, you're not.

You're sinful. You need to come to me on my terms. And they wouldn't do that. Why? Well, remember back in John chapter 3? He says, For God did not send his son, verse 17, into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged, but he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world. And men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.

For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. See that? Everybody who sins and loves their evil will not come to the light, because they don't want their sins exposed. Light exposes evil. Light exposes sin. Truth exposes error. They don't want that. Jesus said, in John 12, verse 37, these words, For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

While you have the light, believe in the light in order that you may become sons of the light. See, Jesus says, believe the light.

It's only here for a while. It exposes everything about you. Come to me. Believe in me while you have the chance, while you have the opportunity. Then it says, these things Jesus spoke, and he departed and hid himself from them. The light went out in Israel. Went out. He hid himself. But though he had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in him. Why? Because he's the light. He's the light. And the light exposed their sin. And they didn't want their sin exposed, so they refused to believe that he was the son of God, and therefore they attributed everything he did to Satan.

That was the mantra that they would preach. Verse 38. That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke, Lord, who has believed thy report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart, lest they see with their ears, eyes, excuse me, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them. These things Isaiah said, because he saw his glory, and he spoke of him.

Who? The Messiah. Jesus came. He's the light of the world. He came, exposed the sinfulness of man. Offered the way of grace, offered the way of salvation, offered the way of forgiveness, but because their sin had been exposed, and men love the darkness because their deeds are evil, they love to be in sin. Man loves sin. That's why he sins. He loves it. They would not turn from their sin. So what did he do? He turned out the light. When you waste the opportunity God gives you, and you don't respond, you're in danger of him turning out the light that you might never believe, ever.

That's a tragedy. That's a hard place to be, but Jesus is saying, look, the light is here. You have overwhelming evidence. You believe about the weather with a little bit of evidence, but when it comes to the word of the Lord, when it comes to the truth of God, you have overwhelming evidence, yet you will not come to me that you might have life. You will not believe. He came to his own. His own received him not. They rejected him. He came to his own kind, but to as many as received him, to them give you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.

There would still be some Jews that would be saved. Read the book of Acts, right? 3,000, the day of Pentecost. Then another 5,000 were added to the church, so there would be Jews that would be saved because of the grace of Almighty God, but for the nation, he turned out the light. Turned out the light. Only to turn it back on again when he returns the second time.

It's so important to believe now. Here was the concern. The concern is this. You're blinded by the present day opportunity, and you are blinded to the penalty in eternity. That's what he says. He says, verse 57, and why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right or what is righteousness? Why is it you won't do that? Why is it you won't sit down and calculate everything, put it all out before you? Here is the evidence. It's overwhelming. Why don't you analyze it? Why don't you judge it?

Why don't you scrutinize everything that's happened? It's all been put before you. Now's your opportunity to do that. Verse 58, for while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him in order that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the constable, and the constable throw you to prison. I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent. You don't want to get to the judge.

Now's the time to settle your account. Now's the time to settle your guilt. Now's the time to settle the sin issue. Not tomorrow, now is. And he gives this little parable that's very true. It's very true. You're on your way to the judge, right? And he's going to pronounce the verdict, but on your way, settle it now.

Israel, you're on your way to the judge. You're on your way. If you wait to get to the judge, which would be the great white throne judgment, if you wait to get there, it's too late. He's going to pronounce the verdict on you, and that verdict will cost you imprisonment in hell, and you will be there until you have paid for all of your sin, which will be for eternity. Settle it now.

It's time to settle up. Don't wait. While you're going with your opponent, who's the opponent? The Messiah. While you're going with your opponent, the Messiah, on the way to the judge, make sure, make sure you settle it with him now.

And that's the message Christ gives to the multitude. And this is the overwhelming evidence that you've experienced, that you've seen, that you have heard, with your very own eyes, your very own ears. I want you to sit down and analyze everything because you need to settle your accounts with God right now.

Don't wait till tomorrow. You have no guarantee of tomorrow. You have no guarantee of this afternoon. You've got right now.

Settle it right now. Don't wait. Now. Because if you wait to get to the judge, it's too late. It's too late. I mean, can you imagine getting to the great white throne of judgment and saying, well, you know what, I think that ultimately my good's going to outweigh my bad. I'm going to make it. You're not. You're not. It's too late. Once you get to the judge, it's too late. He'll pronounce the verdict. You'll be thrown into prison. You'll be there until you pay your very last cent. The point is, if you're in prison, how do you pay what you owe?

You can't. You can't, right? There's no way to pay what you owe. So you will pay for your life. You'll pay yourself. Jesus, who came to pay the penalty for your sin, to die in your stead, to be your substitute, right? He came to die in your place. He accepted your penalty upon himself. He bore God's wrath upon himself for you so that you would not have to pay every last cent. And the point of Jesus is saying this. You've got to settle up now.

Settle up now. Don't wait. Don't wait. You know, this should be our message to everybody who has been a part of any realm of opportunity to hear the gospel. And they've wasted that opportunity. They've rejected that opportunity. They've turned their back on the Messiah. This should be our message to them. Look, settle your accounts with God now because if you wait after you're dead to get before the judge, it's too late. You can't do it then. It's over. There is no tomorrow. There's only today. That's why now is the acceptable time.

Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6. Right? That's why the writer of Hebrews said, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. This is the day of provocation in the wilderness. Today, not tomorrow. Isaiah 55. The prophet said, seek him while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Listen, if you've been a part of our church for any period of time and you do not know the Lord, today is the day to settle your accounts with God. Don't wait till tomorrow. Don't wait. Because there'll come a time where Jesus will hide himself from you.

He will turn out the light. It will be impossible as Hebrews 6 says, to renew you to repentance. Impossible. You won't get saved because you can't get saved. You see, there's a time where man is blinded by his own sin. Right? John 3. We just read it. Man loves darkness rather than light because his deeds are evil. He's blinded by his own sin. He's also blinded by Satan. 2 Corinthians 4. Verse number 4. That the God of this world has blinded the mind of the unbeliever. Right? There's also a sovereign judicial blinding where God himself blinds you.

And once that happens, you can't get saved. You can't. Because there's no opportunity left. Opportunity's gone. And that's what happened in Luke 19. When he talked to Israel and said, Oh, you'd only known on this day the things that make for peace. And then he forecasts their destruction. Which would happen 30 years later. Right? It would happen some 30 years after his death. Some 40 years after his death. 70 AD. Right? And so there was still a period of time in which they were able to respond. But they didn't.

Because you never know when God's gonna turn off the light. It's time to settle your accounts with God. The verdict's in. People say, Wow, man, if I just had a miracle. Oh, just a miracle. If I saw the miracles that Jesus did, I'd be saved. No, you wouldn't. He did that already. They weren't saved. Right? No miracle of Jesus ever saved anybody. That's why Luke 16 with Abraham and the rich man said, Oh, if you send somebody back. Send them back. Warn my brothers. Send them back from the dead. They'll believe.

Abraham said, No, they have Moses and the prophets. If they don't believe them, they won't be saved. Because this is all you need. God's authoritative word. It's all you need. You don't need signs and wonders and miracles. You just need the word of God. It's living. It's powerful. It's sharper than any two-edged sword. Right? That's why when you come, we preach the word to you because this is what's powerful. This is what matters. The word of God. It cuts to the depths of man's soul. So we preach the word of God that you might come face to face with the truth of God's holy word.

That's what's important. If you've been coming to our church for any period of time, this is a warning because God gives a warning. The die has been cast. It's time to settle up now.

If you don't settle up now, you're in danger of never settling your account and you will pay for all your sins for eternity. You don't want to be there. You don't want to be there. Today is a day of salvation. Let me pray with you.

Father God, thank you for this day and your word, the truth that's there. May we be reminded once again of who you are and what you've done. You are a great God. You are worthy to be praised. We love you and praise you for all that you've done. For any man, any woman, boy or girl in the audience today, may this be the day they settle their accounts with God. They come to you and they beg your forgiveness. They repent of their sins and they appropriate your work on Calvary's cross on their behalf.

They might walk in the roots of life and experience the light of the Lord. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.