WEBVTT 00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:02.479 Well, good morning, guys. 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:06.320 Turn with me, if you will, to Luke chapter 13. 00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:08.480 Luke chapter 13. 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:13.359 And today we will be looking at verses 1 through 9. 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:15.599 Verses 1 through 9. 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:21.359 And our passage today is all about repentance. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:33.039 To be more specific, today's message is all about the urgency of repentance and God's patience in our delay. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:42.799 So if you have been a Christian for any length of time, the word repent should not be foreign to you. 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:53.280 In fact, it should be very familiar to us because the word repentance or repent is found 106 times in the Bible. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:58.880 That's 42 times in the Old Testament and 64 times in the New Testament. 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:08.239 But tragically, I believe many of us have drifted away from the doctrine of repentance. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.439 We don't talk about it much anymore. 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:13.760 It feels too judgy. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:18.079 It's the way old legalistic Christians used to talk. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:23.599 It feels outdated and makes many of us cringe when we hear it. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.840 And I believe we feel this way for two main reasons. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:38.719 First, because of the hyper-grace movement, which has sought adamantly in America to do away with repentance altogether. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:46.159 They say, we don't need to repent, we don't need to talk about it, because God is love. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:54.959 As if God's love has superseded or canceled out the call to repentance. 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:02.719 They claim that God's love is so big that we don't need to repent or call others to repentance. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.319 And this doctrine, if embraced, destroys repentance. 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:18.639 Secondly, the second reason is repentance has been poorly communicated by some very nasty people. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:35.520 People on the town square, veins popping out of their neck, they're all caffeinated up and they're screaming, repent or burn in hell, and they're just angry and they're judgmental and they're mean-spirited people. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:39.280 And it creates this negative connotation. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:51.680 So my hope today is to reclaim the importance of repentance and to remind us how urgent the call to repentance is. 00:02:52.240 --> 00:03:00.479 And so let us not forget that John the Baptist's ministry, his entire ministry, was a call to repentance. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:05.199 His baptism was a baptism of repentance. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:11.680 The very first words of Jesus' public ministry was what? 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:16.000 Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:27.520 Peter's first sermon in Acts chapter 2 ended with a public call for everyone to repent so that times of refreshment may come. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:36.639 Israel's history, especially in the prophets, is filled with God calling them over and over again to repent. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:48.560 So before we dive into a sermon on repentance, allow me to first define what it is, just so there's no confusion. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:59.919 Repentance is turning away from a lifestyle of sin and it's turning towards salvation in Jesus Christ. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:06.080 The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which literally means a change of mind. 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:13.840 It's a change of mind that leads to a change of heart, which results in a change of worship. 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:27.199 Repentance is not a feeling, it's not just feeling sorry for your sins, it's turning from your life of sin and laying it all at the Savior's feet. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:32.720 So the question our passage answers this morning is this. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:50.160 So let's set the stage by looking at verse 1, Luke chapter 13, verse 1. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:05:04.240 There were some present at that very time who told him, Jesus, about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:14.959 So just to give us some context here, if you look back into Luke chapter 12, Jesus just got done teaching about getting right with God. 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:22.160 If you look back at Luke chapter 12 at the end of it, he uses a courtroom illustration. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:34.480 And Jesus basically says, get right with your adversary before court, before judgment, because you may think you will win the court case, but you won't. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:39.920 You will be judged and you will pay every last penny. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:48.879 So Jesus just touched on this idea that we need to be reconciled to God before we die. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:50.720 That's vital. 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:52.319 It's crucial. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:06:00.720 We need to have peace with God and not be his enemy so that we can escape his judgment. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:08.879 We need to be reconciled with God before we die, or else we will be found guilty in his sight. 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:17.360 And now, here in Luke chapter 13, breaking news comes out that some men were just slaughtered by Pilate. 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:33.519 These men were following the Old Testament law, they were performing animal sacrifices before God, and Pilate ruthlessly slayed them during this holy ceremony. 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:54.639 We don't have record in history about this specific incident, but what we do know is this a group of Galilean men were offering animal sacrifices, which was a very sacred thing, and Pilate stepped in and ordered to have them killed. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:57.839 It seems like a terrible atrocity. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:04.000 And people now want to know what does Jesus think about this incident? 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:15.120 Imagine for a moment that Jesus, God in the flesh, was walking among us here and now in Mount Vernon. 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:17.839 Wouldn't it be nice? 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:27.600 Or wouldn't you be curious to know his thoughts on recent scandals, political events, worldwide issues? 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:29.600 I would be tempted. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:39.759 I would be one of those guys screaming from the crowd, trying to get close to Jesus, saying, Jesus, what are your thoughts on the legalization of marijuana? 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.000 What are your thoughts on the new government administration? 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:47.600 What do you think about the Russian and the Ukraine war? 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:51.680 Or the CEO that was just shot and killed in New York? 00:07:52.480 --> 00:08:06.399 I mean, everyone else has an opinion on these things nowadays because a social media and YouTube, everyone has a platform and they can share about how they feel or interpret breaking news. 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:16.319 So how nice would it be to get the Lord's real-time perspective on recent tragedies and injustices? 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:24.720 So these people want to know, hey Jesus, were these men killed because they were evil? 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:32.639 Did these men die because they were sinners, or were they unjustly killed by a wicked tyrant? 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:55.919 And Jesus responds to their question, and it's not what we would expect at all, he says in verses two through five, and he answered them, saying, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:03.919 No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:16.559 Or those eighteen on whom the Tower of Saloom fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:24.799 No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:32.159 Jesus here could have answered their curiosity and said those men deserved it. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:46.960 They were doing some terrible things behind closed doors, they were not performing the sacrifices the way God wanted, so God used Pilate to judge them, or he could have said they didn't deserve it, and Pilate's a wicked tyrant, but he doesn't. 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:55.679 Anytime we witness tragedy, by the way, or injustice, it provokes human curiosity, does it not? 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:58.399 Why did these men die this way? 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:02.000 Surely there was some level of sin involved. 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:17.440 Now the Jews during this time adopted this terrible theology that if someone experienced tragedy or suffering, that equals God's disapproval of that person. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:19.759 Terrible theology. 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:21.840 It's nothing new under the sun. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:27.039 If you read the book of Job, Job's friends thought the same thing during his time. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:36.080 Even Molly and I, we hear stories about good people, really good people experiencing some horrible tragedy. 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:44.720 And our flesh is tempted to ask the question I wonder what sin they were committing behind closed doors. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:48.799 You know, our human minds are trying to grasp why. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.679 Did they die because they were bad people? 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:54.159 Did God cause it to happen? 00:10:54.399 --> 00:11:00.720 These things provoke human curiosity, but our Lord does not feed into that here. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.440 He's not interested in answering our human curiosity. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:09.600 Instead, he points the finger back at them. 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:15.440 He answers the question in a way that points directly to the human heart. 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:24.480 God, by the way, always answers our questions according to what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:33.600 Jesus uses this tragedy to communicate a deeper, more pressing spiritual reality. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:38.399 And he first eliminates their assumptions and their suspicions. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:45.519 He says, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than any other Galilean? 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:52.559 In other words, Jesus is asking them, Did these men die because they were really bad people? 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:54.480 Is that what you think? 00:11:55.200 --> 00:12:00.080 Were these men worse sinners than any other person in Galilee? 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:07.519 That would be like me bringing two church members up front and asking the congregation, who's more of a sinner? 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:09.600 It's silly. 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:16.080 Here, Jesus is putting all men on an equal playing field. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:18.320 We are all sinners. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:28.639 We are all equally guilty before a holy God and deserve eternal torment in a literal hell. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.919 These men were no better or worse than any other person in Galilee. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:49.519 And to drive this point further, Jesus gives them another event, not one of injustice, but one of tragedy regarding the Tower of Siloam that randomly fell over and killed a group of people. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.080 Did God cause that to happen? 00:12:52.399 --> 00:13:05.440 God saw a bunch of wretched sin lovers walking together, group of 18, and he sent a strong wind, and the tower collapsed and crushed them because these people were so evil. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:08.480 Not at all, says Jesus. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:15.279 These people were no worse offenders than anyone else in Jerusalem. 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:21.120 Jesus is obliterating our human preconceptions. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:28.559 He's tearing down our assumptions and he gets to the heart of the matter. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:37.120 At the end of the day, whether someone dies justly or unjustly, we are all sinners. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:42.240 In case you didn't know, we all deserve death. 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:49.840 The most important question we need to be asking isn't, did they deserve it? 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:57.919 The most important question we need to be asking for ourselves and for others is did they repent? 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.639 That is the heart of what Jesus is teaching here. 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:06.080 Believers and unbelievers have this in common. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:13.600 They both get sick, they both suffer, they both experience tragedy, they both die. 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:18.000 Six feet of dirt make all men equal. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:25.039 Godly men and godly women are not immune to such things. 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:34.080 During the terrorist attack of 9-11, when the twin towers fell, guess who died in those towers? 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.519 Believers and unbelievers. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:46.159 In World War II, both people who loved God and hated God died and lost their life. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:53.440 During the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, it killed both sinners and saints. 00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:01.200 Stage four cancer has taken the lives of so many atheists and Christians. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:17.039 It doesn't matter what age you die, whether you're 20 or 90, it doesn't matter how you die, whether it's tragic or of natural causes, what matters most while you're alive on earth is this. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.360 Did you repent? 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:27.440 Did you turn from a lifestyle of sin and turn towards the Savior, Jesus Christ? 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:31.279 Death is not the ultimate matter in life. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:32.960 Repentance is. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:40.639 Death is ceasing to exist, but repentance determines where you go forever afterwards. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:42.799 We're all going to die. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.039 Some of us will die young. 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:48.159 Some of us will live far beyond what we expect. 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:51.120 What matters isn't how or when you die. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:16:00.320 What matters most is did you repent of your sins and put your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ? 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:07.440 This is so urgent because without repentance, there is no salvation. 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:13.759 You're lost, you're separated from God, you're heading straight towards hellfire. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:19.200 Without repentance, you still have a sin debt that you'll give an account for. 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:22.080 And trust me, it's not pretty. 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:24.080 God will judge you. 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:28.399 Without repentance, you will remain dead in your sins. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:37.120 And God will punish you as a good judge would do for hating him because you refused to receive his love. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:44.720 Without repentance, as John 3.36 says, the wrath of God remains on you. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:52.960 If you refuse to repent, Jesus says here, you will likewise perish. 00:16:54.559 --> 00:17:12.400 Church, if it's true that life is short, that any of us could die at any moment, and that God's judgment is coming, and there's only one way to escape it, by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ, why are we not talking about this more? 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.640 How is this not in our evangelism? 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:32.160 Even in our casual conversation, at any moment, any of our unbelieving friends could expire and stand before the God who permeates glory and majesty and perfection. 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:44.079 And if they are not cleansed and washed in Christ's blood or clothed in Christ's righteousness, he's not going to welcome them into his glory. 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:50.480 He will, like any good judge, banish them away forever. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:53.599 The age of grace is coming to an end. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:58.559 The end of history as we know it is closer than it's ever been. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:09.519 And the only thing that matters is if people have reconciled to God by repenting of their sin and putting their hope in Jesus. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:22.000 We cannot be afraid of lovingly, lovingly, keyword lovingly telling people that sin is bad and God is good. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:28.960 Reminding people that God's wrath, it is coming upon the whole world, but there is a way of escape. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:30.319 The Passover. 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:36.480 That is Jesus Christ who bore our sin and gives us new life. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:45.359 We cannot be afraid to tell people to think differently about the way that you're living, change your mind about sin and about God. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:55.279 We forget that the call of Jesus during his ministry, the call of the early church was repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:25.200 Not this hard-hearted, screaming, Turner burn, picket sign craziness, but a sincere, gentle, loving, but urgent call to family, friends, and strangers that God is good, that He is holy, sin is bad, it's dragging us to hell, but there is hope, there is forgiveness and total redemption in Jesus Christ. 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:29.039 Turn from your sin and cling to Him. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:33.200 And this call, church, is always immediate. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:45.279 What I mean by that is we're never told in Scripture to tell people, hey, I want you to consider turning from your sin in a couple months or a couple years. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:46.160 No. 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:51.359 Scripture always talks about it in terms of immediate. 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:52.720 Repent now. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:54.160 Do it now. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:57.599 Turn to Christ immediately before it's too late. 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.480 Because no one is guaranteed tomorrow. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:06.960 These priests in this story died in a moment at the command of Pilate. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:12.319 This group of 18 died seconds after the tower collapsed. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:16.480 No one is guaranteed their next breath. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:23.279 So the question that each of us needs to be confronted with is have you repented? 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:28.319 Don't deflect and start talking about other people. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:31.519 Stop comparing yourself to Hitler. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:37.440 Have you personally turned away from evil? 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:41.839 Have you forsaken the trinkets of this world? 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:46.799 And have you thrown yourself desperately at the foot of the cross? 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.680 That is what Jesus is doing here. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:55.680 Jesus is taking the finger of these people and he's pointing it right back at them. 00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:02.000 Stop wondering about the eternal state of the Galileans. 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:09.519 Stop pondering about the group of 18 that died, and ask yourself the most important question. 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.400 Have you turned from your sin? 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:16.480 Because if not, you will likewise perish. 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:24.400 Now this brings up a huge theological question, which brings us to the second part of our passage. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:36.400 If humanity is called to repent, but so many have not, why hasn't God destroyed them? 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:45.039 Why does God still allow unrepentant people to live and flourish? 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:52.319 It's the age long question why doesn't God take all of the unrepentant people out of the world? 00:21:53.279 --> 00:22:04.319 So after showing us the human side of repentance, which is urgent and immediate, Jesus Now gives us insight to the divine side of repentance. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:18.319 In verses six through nine, he says, And he told this parable A man had a fig tree planted by his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:27.920 And he said to the vine dresser, Look, for three years now I've been coming to seek fruit on this fig tree, and I can't find none. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:29.279 Cut it down. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:32.079 Why should it use up the ground? 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:42.079 And he answered him, Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure. 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:50.559 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good, but if not, then you can cut it down. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:53.920 So this parable is very simple. 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:58.559 Okay, a man plants a fig tree by his vineyard. 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:03.599 He wants it to be useful, he wants it to produce fruit, but it isn't. 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:05.440 It's basically useless. 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:08.000 It's taking up space, it's an eyesore. 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:11.599 I've experienced this a few times planting trees. 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:14.559 It barely grows, it produces nothing. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:17.119 Eventually you rip it out of the ground and you burn it. 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:19.839 Or one time I just ran the thing over with the mower. 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:25.920 So in this parable, the owner is fed up, saying, Look, I've tried. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:27.759 It's time to move on here. 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:31.920 This worthless tree is just taking up space at this point. 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:34.160 It's not even pretty to look at. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:37.200 But the vine dresser is patient. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:40.160 He's not giving up on it yet. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:44.720 And he says, Let's try to nourish it some more. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:47.039 Let's feed it some more. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:52.799 Let's give it some extra care and attention before we cut it down. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:24:01.279 And this church is the loving kindness and patience of God towards sinners. 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:03.920 And I thank him for it. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:07.599 This is what Romans 2, 4 talks about. 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:14.960 That it is the Lord's kindness and patience that leads people to repentance. 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:24.240 Even though all of humanity is called by God to urgently, immediately repent of their sins. 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:27.200 Do it and do it now, before you die. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.440 Time is of the essence. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:36.640 God is extremely patient and merciful in our delayed repentance. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:39.119 God is patient with us. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:47.440 He continues to woo us and he calls us graciously as we ignore him and kick against the goads. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:55.279 Trust me, you don't want to advocate towards God's immediate judgment of sinners. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:25:00.319 Because if God was like that, you wouldn't be here. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.599 I wouldn't be standing here today. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:12.799 We stand here today as transformed men and women because God was patient with you and with I. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:35.839 I can't tell you how many times I was strung out on drugs on the west side of Columbus, some random Christian would come up to me, hand me a track, and say, Hey man, I see you're struggling, but Jesus wants you to know that there's forgiveness, and he wants you to give up your life and follow him. 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:38.480 And I gave them the middle finger. 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:44.000 Or the time I was at a drug house and I saw a Bible laying on the shelf. 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:52.240 I remember I grabbed it, I opened it up, and I started reading it, and I just felt like the Lord was saying, Come, come to me. 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:59.759 And I knew it and I heard it, and I outright said, No, not right now. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:12.319 I remember another time puking in my friend's backyard, dope sick, staring at the ground, I saw this piece of jewelry that had a cross on it that said Calvary. 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:19.039 And I said in my heart, I don't want your love, nor do I deserve it. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:29.920 And time and time again, God revealed himself to me, he made his call of repentance very clear, and I blatantly ignored it. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:40.000 Could you imagine, church, if God destroyed you the moment you rejected his first call to repentance? 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.279 No one on this entire earth would be alive. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:55.680 2 Peter 3:9 states that God does not wish that anyone would perish, but he desires all to come to repentance. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:27:02.480 That is why God is long-suffering with us, giving us opportunities, slowly persuading us. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:17.279 This idea out there that God is somehow unfair and he's unjust because he doesn't reveal himself enough to us, then later he's gonna somehow judge us for it is ridiculous. 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:21.759 God bears witness to every human heart through creation. 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:31.759 Every time we see a sunset, a tree, a spider web, creation is shouting at us, hey, God is real and he exists. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:35.839 God bears witness to us through his spirit. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:42.160 He's constantly poking at our conscience, prying our conscience. 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:52.559 God purposefully causes us to experience the emptiness and the depression of sin and to cause us to think, is this all there is? 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:58.400 He gives us special revelation through his written word. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:03.200 And by the way, the average household has five Bibles in America. 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:11.039 He gives us opportunities through the witness of the church, through sermons, through Christian friends. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:19.119 Every glance at a Christian billboard, every Bible sitting on a shelf, every Christian friend who loves on us. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:36.240 Every time our life is spared, every breath in our lungs is an opportunity that God is giving us to recognize that I am miserable, I am a desperate sinner, and I'm in need of a good and powerful Savior. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:40.240 And these are opportunities that we don't even deserve. 00:28:41.119 --> 00:29:05.279 And as we reject all these opportunities again and again and again, as we hide in that dark corner, drinking the poison of sin, resisting God's healing touch and salvation, God patiently keeps tending to us, wooing us with the hounds of heaven. 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:13.279 So on the human side of repentance, it's urgent, it's severe. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:17.119 Because anyone at any time could die. 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:20.799 We are fragile human beings, we are mortal. 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:22.319 Life is brief. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:27.039 And if we do not repent and we die, there are no second chances. 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:35.119 As Hebrews 9 27 says, everyone must die once, and then after that, judgment. 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:37.119 Be judged by God. 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:41.119 No purgatory, no second chances. 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:44.480 Scripture is very, very clear on that. 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:52.960 But on the divine side of this matter, God is so, so patient with us as we delay in our repentance. 00:29:53.519 --> 00:30:15.200 Even though we we reject him, we refuse to be nourished by him, he keeps digging a trench around us, watering us, tending to our hardened hearts, so that we might finally receive his love and throw up the white flag and surrender our lives to his lordship. 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:30.960 That we might one day say, I surrender and I bow my knee to Christ the King, that we might realize that sin is bad and it's killing me, and that God is good and there's forgiveness in Christ. 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:39.680 As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, judgment is not God's preferred will. 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:42.720 That is his strange work. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:52.960 His preferred will is that we would receive his grace and know him and delight ourselves in him and enjoy him forever. 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:56.960 That is why he's so long-suffering with us. 00:30:58.079 --> 00:31:26.160 Now, for those in the room who might attempt to abuse God's patience and misapply this pearl and say, oh great, thanks for telling me, Jimmy, that God is patient, so I can enjoy my sin for a little bit longer, then I'll repent, I'll take my time since God's so patient, I'll have fun with sin first, and then I'll shoot for like a deathbed conversion, you know. 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.480 Friend, that's dangerous. 00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:33.839 There is a limit in the parable. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.559 Look at what the vine dresser says in verse 8. 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:44.720 Let's tend to it for a year, and if we come back and it doesn't bear fruit, then we chop it down. 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.720 I don't pretend to know what that limit is. 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:49.920 I don't know. 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:52.400 But here's what I do know from scripture. 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:58.079 I know that Esau, when he tried to repent later, he couldn't find it. 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:00.079 It was too late for him. 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:12.799 I know that Hebrews 6 talks about someone who's been given sufficient revelation about Christ who turns away from that, that it will be impossible for them to repent. 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:15.519 Repentance isn't a game. 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:24.720 Yes, God is patient in our delayed repentance, but we do not dare play games with God's patience. 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:29.680 So we must hold this tension with fear and trembling. 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:31.359 We need to repent. 00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:33.519 We need to do it now. 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:43.359 It's urgent, but at the same time, God is tremendously patient with us as we drag our feet. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:45.839 And we thank Him for that. 00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:48.880 So, proclamation Church. 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:52.000 What is the application for us here? 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:54.400 I think it's very clear. 00:32:55.359 --> 00:33:00.480 If you are an unbeliever in the room, I urge you to repent. 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:07.200 Not tomorrow, not next week, not after you've lived life a little bit. 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:10.559 Give up your life of sin. 00:33:11.119 --> 00:33:17.759 Get off the highway to hell and embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:28.880 And at the end of your life, at the end of history as we know it, at the end of all eternity, the only thing that is going to truly matter is this. 00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:34.000 Did you give up your life of sin and receive the new life that Christ offers? 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:41.759 And if you don't, I say this lovingly, you will likewise perish. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:51.680 You will die, and you will be given an indestructible body that will always burn, but it will never be consumed. 00:33:52.400 --> 00:33:58.559 You will face the fury of God's wrath because you said no to him your whole life. 00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:07.440 You will share the lot with your current master, Satan, and his demons in a place of never-ending torment. 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:09.760 Yes, that's how bad sin is. 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:12.559 And don't deceive yourself. 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:19.039 Don't be a faker and think you're good with God because you repeated a prayer once or you did an altar call. 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:20.800 Don't play that game. 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:24.320 Stop deceiving yourself with false assurances. 00:34:24.559 --> 00:34:32.800 You know deep down inside whether or not you have a real, active, thriving relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:37.119 You know deep inside whether you are truly saved or not. 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:44.480 Don't deceive yourself into thinking you're right with God when the fruit of your life clearly denies it. 00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:47.119 Repentance is at hand. 00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:49.360 It's available to you now. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:35:06.079 Because Jesus died for your sins, he gave his life for you, he made a way for you to be forgiven by God, a way for you to be reconciled to your Creator, and you can receive it now by trusting in the person in the finished work of Jesus Christ. 00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:08.320 Stop being stiff-necked. 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:13.840 Even now, as I say these words, the Spirit is wooing your hearts and you're resisting it. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:15.840 Stop resisting it. 00:35:16.159 --> 00:35:20.000 And don't go into pity mode and say, Well, I don't deserve it. 00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:22.079 I don't deserve to be loved by God. 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:23.519 I've made so many mistakes. 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:24.559 I can't receive it. 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:26.079 I don't deserve it. 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:28.320 That's the point. 00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:30.880 Welcome to the club. 00:35:31.360 --> 00:35:33.840 That's why it's called the gospel of grace. 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:35.360 No one deserves it. 00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:51.599 That's why Jesus is called the Redeemer, the mediator, the Savior, because he is in the business of taking worthless, pathetic sin lovers and transforming them into forgiven, blameless saints. 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:53.360 Give up your life. 00:35:53.599 --> 00:36:00.400 You're terrible at controlling it anyways, and give your life to him who gave his life for you. 00:36:00.960 --> 00:36:03.119 This is not something you can earn. 00:36:03.360 --> 00:36:05.199 You can't buy God's favor. 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:09.440 There's nothing you can do to fix the mess you've made. 00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:19.280 But you can be made right with him right now by repenting from the heart, saying, God, you're right and I'm wrong. 00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:22.559 I receive your free love and forgiveness. 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:25.360 I believe in the finished work of Christ. 00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:32.000 Now, if you haven't noticed already, this is a very evangelistic sermon. 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:37.119 But if you are a believer in the room, this call is still urgent. 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:40.639 You have not graduated or outgrown repentance. 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:53.119 And if you think to yourself, well, I'm a believer, I'm going to heaven, I've already repented, repent of your view on repentance, because repentance is still vital for the believer. 00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:56.400 Your eternal rewards are at stake. 00:36:56.559 --> 00:36:59.920 Your sweet fellowship with the Lord is at stake. 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:02.159 Your Christian witness is at stake. 00:37:02.320 --> 00:37:08.079 Not only that, but that kind of attitude is blatantly abusing the blood of Christ. 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:13.039 So Christians are not merely people who repented past tense. 00:37:13.440 --> 00:37:17.920 Christians are people who live a lifestyle of repentance. 00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:21.599 They go on repenting and fighting sin. 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:29.519 It's the natural fruit of a man or woman who has been supernaturally transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:37.280 It's an overflow, a posture of someone who has been purchased and redeemed and forgiven by the Lord. 00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:43.440 So as a Christian, I will be the first one to readily confess that I still sin. 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:52.159 In fact, last night I went to bed so angry, and I was reading Ephesians and it said, do not go to sleep while you're angry. 00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:53.679 And I was like, Lord, I gotta repent. 00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:57.119 I am so mad at everyone and everything. 00:37:57.599 --> 00:38:01.280 There's still areas of my heart where I still resist God. 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:08.800 There's still habits and desires in my life that are not aligned to God's will, which is why I am still repenting. 00:38:09.199 --> 00:38:10.719 I am still believing. 00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:13.679 I'm still fighting sin and growing in holiness. 00:38:13.920 --> 00:38:20.000 Repentance is not a one-time event, but a lifelong characteristic of the Christian life. 00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:26.480 Yes, there was a moment in time where we repented unto salvation. 00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:31.840 But as believers, we go on repenting in our sanctification. 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:38.480 As John the Baptist said, we are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 00:38:39.280 --> 00:38:43.840 Because the reality is this God is not done with us yet. 00:38:44.159 --> 00:38:47.760 And there's still sin in me that needs dealt with. 00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:53.920 And I will be under construction until the day I see Jesus face to face. 00:38:55.039 --> 00:39:04.320 And lastly, Christians in the room, my last application: don't be afraid to encourage others to repent. 00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:06.400 Jesus did. 00:39:06.960 --> 00:39:08.400 And so should we. 00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:11.519 Of course, do it in truth and in love. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:14.159 I understand that there are things at stake. 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:15.760 People might get offended. 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:18.480 People might respond in a negative way. 00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:21.039 Relationships might get awkward. 00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:25.920 But our job is not to control people's responses. 00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:28.960 Our job is to be faithful to God. 00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:38.960 Encouraging someone to repent could be the most meaningful and eternally significant conversation that you could have with someone. 00:39:39.280 --> 00:39:40.079 Period. 00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:44.159 So let's not be afraid to do it. 00:39:44.559 --> 00:40:09.199 Being led by the Holy Spirit, let us not shy away from this message because of the stigma or because of the negative connotations, but rather let us be so loving, so Christ-filled, so spirit-filled that when we hold up the call to repentance, people would feel our love in it, even though their flesh is offended. 00:40:09.519 --> 00:40:12.000 So, church, today's message is simple. 00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:27.519 Whether you're lost and drenched in sin, or you're a believer who's backslidden into old sin, let it go and grab a hold of the beautiful, wonderful Savior. 00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:32.000 Because Christ can only give you what sin cannot. 00:40:32.320 --> 00:40:40.880 And what you're looking for in sin, fulfillment, lasting pleasure and satisfaction, can only be found in Christ. 00:40:41.280 --> 00:40:44.079 It can only be found in Him. 00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:46.320 Church, let us pray.