Jesus was interpreting radical suffering vol 2

JESUS WAS INTERPRETING RADICAL SUFFERING VOL 2
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 13:1-5 Now there were some present at that
time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood
Pilatehad mixed with their sacrifices.2 Jesus
answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all the other Galileansbecause they
suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you
repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who
died when the tower in Siloamfell on them—do you
think they were more guilty than all the others living
in Jerusalem?5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.”
DON FORTNER
A WORD FROM OUR GOD
ABOUT HUMAN TRAGEDY

Text: Luke 13:1-5
Subject: Understanding Divine Providence
Date: Sunday Evening – February 9, 2003
Tape # X-44b
Readings: BobPruitt and James Jordan
Introduction:
On April 19, 1995 Timothy McVeighand Terry Nichols bombed the federal
building in Okalahoma City, OK, indiscriminately murdering 168 people. Our
nation was shocked. Justa few days after that, Shelby and I were in
Oklahoma City. I drove by the site of the bombing. I cannotdescribe the sense
of numbness, rage, and frustration I felt as I reflected upon the cowardly act
of those murderers and their crime againstour nation. Even more than that, I
was (and still am) filled with hurt for those families so devastatedby the
crime.

On April 20, 1999, two teenageboys walkedinto Columbine High Schoolin
Littleton, CO and murdered twelve other students and a teacher. Again, our
nation was shocked.
On September11, 2001, our nation suffered the mass murder of over 5000
people. Across the United States, citizens watchedin horror as terrorists in
hijackedplanes crashedinto the Pentagon., WorldTrade Center, and a field
in Pennsylvania. What hurt the families of those who died in that assaultof
religious maniacs must live with for the rest of their lives.
Added to the pain causedby such senselessslaughters is the insinuation by
many that these acts of inexplicable human cruelty were also acts of divine
judgment upon those who died, as though they were sinners above the rest of
us.
In the light of these events, events brought to pass by the wise and good
providence of our heavenly Father, and in the light of the factthat our nation
is on the brink of warwith Iraq, and very probably other middle eastern
nations, I have a message from the Word of God for us. I hope it will be
blessedof God to our souls. You will find it in Luke 13:1-5. The title of my
messageis – A WORD FROM OUR GOD ABOUT HUMAN TRAGEDY.

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that seasonsome that told him of the
Galilaeans, whosebloodPilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus
answering saidunto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners
above all the Galilaeans, becausethey suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon
whom the towerin Siloamfell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent,
ye shall all likewise perish.
Not only are such events as these, which are so much on our minds as a
nation, so alarming that they make our blood boil, they are horrors that so
astound the mind that (try as we may) we have no ability to explain them. The
sudden death which has fallen on the sons of men baffle human reason. We
have, in recentyears, almost come to expect another report of such barbaric
deeds every time we turn on the news or open a newspaper.
Yet, we must not imagine that such things are new. We must not imagine, as
many do, that these things are the inevitable consequencesofour racially and
culturally diverse society, or that they are events beyond the reachof divine
wisdom and the control of divine providence.

Look at the chapter before us. The Galileans, like those in the terrorists attack
of 9/11, were slaughteredby the senselessrage ofa cruel man with the power,
money, and means to commit mass murder. Remember those eighteenupon
whom the towerin Siloamfell were suddenly ushered out into eternity by the
crushing weight of a falling tower.
These events may seemmuch less significantto us; but you canbe certainthey
were not less significantto the families who losttheir loved ones, than the
events in Oklahoma, Colorado,and New York. These things are written in the
Book ofGod for us, that we may learn to walk with our God in the face of
woe. Let us never imagine that God's providence has become lax. Sudden
death is a part of life in this sin cursed earth. There always have been and
always will be (for as long as the earth shall stand) such tragedies for men to
face. As God’s children in this world, in the face of such events as shake our
societyto its very foundations, we must not be shaken, or even appear to be
shaken. Our God is still on his throne. Let us, therefore, walk through this
world of woe, eventhrough this valley of the shadow of death, confident and
free of fear. God has not given up the reins of the universe. He has not taken
off his hand from the helm of the ship. He is still in total controlof all things,
at all times, in all places. I want grace to trust him and honor him. Don’t you?
This is his promise to those who do.
Psalms 25:12-14 Whatman is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach
in the way that he shall choose.13 His soul shall dwell at ease;and his seed

shall inherit the earth. 14 The secretof the LORD is with them that fear him;
and he will show them his covenant.
It matters not who or what the instrument may be (Timothy McVeigh, Terry
Nichols, streetthugs, or desertthugs), that which takes men, women, and
children out of this world is the hand of our God. It is God and God alone who
kills and makes alive as he will. Sometimes he does so in such a sudden,
glaring displays that the whole world is shockedby his work. I want us to hear
the voice of our God as he roars from heaven, and in hearing, I want us to do
two things. First, a word of caution – we must not be so foolishas to draw the
conclusionof self-righteous religionists about the things we observe—thatthat
those who are suddenly destroyedare sinners above the restof us. And,
second, a word of warning – "Exceptye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
A WORD OF CAUTION
I. First, I want to give you A WORD OF CAUTION. We must
never assume, as self-righteous men always do, that those who experience
greattragedy and suffer greatloss are being punished for their sins, as though
they were greatersinners than we are.

Such arrogant, self-righteous assumptions are as inexcusable as the deeds of
wickedmen by whom such acts of terror are executed. I say to you, as our
Masterdid to those who made such a proud assumption, “Suppose ye that
those who have suffered such tragedies are sinners above all the rest of us,
because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish.”
· Without question, God does judge men for sin, visiting the iniquities of
men upon them, their families and their nation.
· Without question, ours is a nation and a generationunder the judgment
of God, judgment we have heapedupon ourselves by willful rebellion.
· But it is not within the realm of our ability to know when or for whom
sudden death comes by divine judgment.
· Often God brings death to his people suddenly, unexpectedly, as an act
of greatmercy and grace.

Isaiah57:1-2 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and
merciful men are takenaway, none considering that the righteous is taken
awayfrom the evil to come. 2 He shall enter into peace:they shall rest in their
beds, eachone walking in his uprightness.
I know this—For the believer, death is never an actof divine judgment, an act
of God’s anger. The believer’s death is always precious!It is totally irrelevant
how I die, where I die, when I die, or what the instrument of my death may be.
The only thing that matters is that I die “in the Lord.”
· Redeemed!
· Forgiven!
· Justified!
· Accepted!
Psalms 116:15 Preciousin the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in
me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also.
2 Corinthians 5:1-9 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothedwe
shall not be found naked. 4 Forwe that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that
mortality might be swallowedup of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for
the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnestof the
Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at
home in the body, we are absentfrom the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not
by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absentfrom the
body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether
present or absent, we may be acceptedofhim.

Revelation14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessedare the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may restfrom their labours; and their works do follow them.
When I have breathed my final breath
And dropped this robe of flesh in death,
When my appointed work is done
And my allotted time is gone,
Don't stand around my grave and cry.
I'll not be there. I did not die.
My Saviorcame to callme home,
And I with Him to heav'n have gone!

Now I am free from sin and pain;
And with the glorified I reign!
I'm glorified! I did not die!
Seatedwith Jesus onHis throne,
Glorified by what He has done,
I am a trophy of His grace.
Rejoicing, I behold His face:
I am with Christ! I did not die!

My body lies beneath the clay
Until the resurrectionday.
In that day when Christ comes again,
Body and soul unite again!
Rejoice with me! I did not die!
A WORD OF WARNING
II. Now let me give you again this WORD OF WARNING—“Except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise persish.”

A. You and I shall soonbe cut off from the earth and ushered into eternity.
B. Are you prepared to die? Am I?
There is but one way for you and me to be prepared to die, to meet God in
judgment. We must repent. Should you ask me, “What is repentance?” I
would answerbriefly that true repentance involves at leastthese three things:
1. Holy Spirit Conviction.
John 16:8-11 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, andof judgment: 9 Of sin, because theybelieve not on me; 10
Of righteousness, becauseI go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

2. Faith in Christ.
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess withthy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raisedhim from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. 10 Forwith the heart man believeth unto righteousness;and
with the mouth confessionis made unto salvation.
3. Turning to God.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 We give thanks to God always for you all, making
mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing yourwork of
faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the
sight of God and our Father;4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your electionof
God. 5 Forour gospelcame not unto you in word only, but also in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance;as ye know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. 6 And ye became followers of us, and of the
Lord, having receivedthe word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia andAchaia. 8

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and
Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-wardis spread abroad; so
that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves show of us what
manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God; 10 And to waitfor his Son from heaven,
whom he raisedfrom the dead, even Jesus, whichdelivered us from the wrath
to come.
Philippians 3:3-14 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the
spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 4
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh
that he hath whereofhe might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcisedthe
eighth day, of the stock ofIsrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the
Hebrews;as touching the law, a Pharisee;6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the
church; touching the righteousness whichis in the law, blameless. 7 But what
things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellencyofthe knowledge ofChrist Jesus my
Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, whichis of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness whichis of God by faith: 10 That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowshipof his sufferings, being
made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrectionof the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also
I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus, Our Judge
Luke 13:1-9
The ReverendBryn MacPhail/ February 13, 2005
When a Presbyterian congregationis without a minister, typically, a
searchcommittee is formed. When looking for a minister, various gifts, and
skills, are identified by the searchcommittee as being of particular
importance. Almost always, preaching is listed as the most important gift.
Searchcommittees are on the lookoutfor a preacher who canspeak about
profound matters in understandable ways;they are looking for a preacher
who can speak with convictionwithout unduly alarming the congregation.
I often wonder how a 21stCentury searchcommittee would evaluate
Jesus. As we survey the New Testament, we see that Jesus’hearers did not
always understand His messages. There were occasionswhenthe listening

multitudes, and even His own disciples, did not have the foggiestidea what
Jesus meant by His words.
Jesus spoke with greatconviction, no doubt, but for the 21stCentury
searchcommittee, would we be confusedby His complexity? Would we be
embarrassedby His honesty?
Have a look at what Jesus says at the end of chapter 12, verses 49 and
following, “I have come to castfire upon the earth; and how I wish it were
already kindled!” (12:49). Jesus goesonto say, “Do you suppose that I came
to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division” (12:51). How’s that
for conviction?!
I have often read that one of the most important qualities in making a
goodpublic speakeris ‘likeability’. How do you think Jesus wouldscore on
the likeability scale?

Well, in chapter 12, verse 56, Jesus shouts out to the multitudes, calling
them “hypocrites”. Imagine, you’re on the searchcommittee and you attend a
service where Jesus is preaching and He begins,
‘Goodmorning everyone. Greatto have you here today. You do realize that
you are a bunch of hypocrites, don’t you? I see that you know how to analyze
the appearance ofthe earth and sky, but why do you not analyze this present
time? And why do you not judge what is right?’ (12:56, 57).
Not exactlythe warmestsermon introduction—wouldn’t you say? It’s
not hard to imagine many people being put off by Jesus’ words.
When I was in my first year at the University of WesternOntario, my
friend and I would always leave the Sunday service discussing whatwe
thought of the sermon. I can imagine how the conversationwould have gone if
we had heard the sermon recordedin Luke 12.
‘Well, Bryn, what did you think of that sermon?’

‘I was insulted!’
‘Why? What did he say to insult you?’
‘He said that if I was interested in weatherforecasting then I was a
hypocrite.’
‘Oh, get real Bryn, he said nothing of the sort. What he saidis that if you
profess to be spiritual, but you neglectto study spiritual matters, you are
being inconsistent!’
‘Nonetheless,I don’t like anyone judging me. Really, what right does
he have to do that?’
Jesus was not in the habit of telling people what they wanted to hear.
Jesus told people what they neededto hear.
Friends, as we turn to the Scriptures, day after day, Sunday after
Sunday, we need to prepare ourselves for the likelihoodthat we will find a
messagethat is distasteful to us. Thankfully, that’s not always the case!There

are times when the words of Scripture are as sweetas honey (Ps. 119:103).
But, regardless ofwhether the messageofScripture is sweetorbitter, it is
preciselywhat we need.
As we examine the first five verses of Luke, chapter13, we find Jesus
responding to an inquiry with a tough message. Jesus is approachedand
questioned about an atrocityinvolving some Galileans who were slaughtered
by Pilate’s men while making a sacrifice atthe temple.
Evidently, this was a well-knownevent, but was likely mentioned to Jesus
because ofthe prevailing theologyof the day. In Jesus’day, it was generally
held that victims of calamities and misfortune were guilty of particularly
heinous sins. A well-knownexample of this theologyis found in John 9: “As
(Jesus)went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples askedHim,
‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’”
(Jn. 9:1,2).
The inquiry found in Luke 13 is not detailed, but it is not difficult to
imagine the conversation, ‘Come onJesus, tell us about the moral
inadequacies of these Galileans in order that we might understand why they
endured such a horrific death.’

Those making the inquiry were looking for affirmation for their
theologicalconvictions, but Jesus would provide none. Instead, Jesus provided
a response that undoubtedly rockedtheir theologicalfoundation:
“Do you suppose that these Galileans were greatersinners than all
other Galileans, becausethey suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you
repent, you will all perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteenon whom the
towerin Siloamfell and killed them, were worse culprits than all men who live
in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk.
13:2-5).
This passageis important to bear in mind as we attempt to process
things such as the attacks of9-11, and the Tsunami disaster. Were the victims
of 9-11 and the Tsunami of worse moral characterthan the restof us? Jesus
answers with an emphatic “No!” The timing, and nature, of our demise will
likely have little or no relation to our moral composition. And yet, there is a
very sobering component to Jesus’answer, “unless (we)repent, (we) will
perish.”

What does Jesus mean here? How are we to understand the word,
“perish”? Sometimes the word simply means, ‘physical death’. But that would
not fit here since Jesus implies that if we do repent we will not perish. So
perish means something other than physical death.
When Jesus speaks here about the unrepentant perishing, He is talking
about the judgment of Godbeyond the grave. The most well-knownpassagein
the New Testamentbears this same message:“Godso loved the world, that He
gave His only begottenSon, that whoeverbelieves in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
In John 3:16, Jesus articulates the positive alongside the negative. We
are told that there are two, mutually exclusive, outcomes beyond the grave:
perishing and everlasting life. Those who perish don’t receive eternallife, and
those who receive eternallife will not perish.
The two verses that follow John 3:16 are also very important. Jesus
says, “ForGod did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but
that the world should be savedthrough Him. He who believes in Him is not
judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begottenSon of God” (Jn. 3:17, 18).

The theme of judgment dominates those two verses, but there is an
ordering of this judgment, which we had better get straight. Jesus says
plainly, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world” (Jn.
3:17). In other words, when Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago, the primary
objectives of His mission did not include judgment. Jesus came to earth on a
rescue mission—He came to save us from our sins.
And yet, it would be a mistake to imagine that judgment has been altogether
discarded. Jesus introduces the judgment of God with a condition: “He who
believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged
already” (Jn. 3:18). The New Testamentis filled with references to the second
coming of Jesus, and these references identify Jesus as coming in judgment
(see 2Thess.1).
Needlessto say, we want to avoid this judgment—and we can. In Luke 13,
Jesus insists that unless we repent, we will perish. Well, the flipside of that is if
we do repent we will not perish! If we believe in Jesus we will not perish, but
we will enjoy everlasting life.

Do you see the link betweenrepentance and faith from these two passages?
Faith and repentance are not separate things. But rather, faith is a necessary
component of repentance.
Repentance has two parts. First, there is a turning awayfrom sin and,
secondly, there is a turning to Christ. This turning to Christ is what we term
‘faith’. Faith is a necessarycomponentof repentance.
One of the more common metaphors for faith in the New Testamentis the
metaphor of bearing fruit. Jesus brings His messageaboutjudgment to a close
with a parable about bearing fruit. By doing this, Jesus brings a very tender
conclusionto an otherwise hard message.
JOHN GILL
Verse 1
There were present at that season,....Among the innumerable multitude of
people, Luke 12:1 that were then hearing the above discourses andsayings of
Christ:

some that told him of the Galileans, whose bloodPilate had mingled with their
sacrifices.These Galileans were very likely some of the followers ofJudas
Gaulonitis, or Judas of Galilee;see Acts 5:37 who endeavoured to draw off the
Jews from the Romangovernment, and affirmed it was not lawful to give
tribute to Caesar;at which Pilate being enraged, senta band of soldiers, and
slew these his followers;who were come up to the feastof the passover, as they
were offering their sacrifices in the temple, and so mixed their blood with the
blood of the passoverlambs: this being lately done, some of the company
spoke of it to Christ; very likely some of the Scribes and Pharisees, whomhe
had just now taxed as hypocrites; either to know his sense of Pilate's conduct,
that should he condemn it as brutish and barbarous, they might accuse him to
him; or should he approve of it, might traduce him, and bring him into
contempt among the people;or to know his sentiments concerning the persons
slain, whether or no they were not very wickedpersons;and whether this was
not a judgment upon them, to be put to death in such a manner, and at such a
time and place, and which sense seems to be confirmed by Christ's answer.
JosephusF26 relating a slaughter of the Samaritans by Pilate, which bears
some likeness to this, has led some, though without any just reason, to
conclude, that these were Samaritans, who are here calledGalileans. This
history is neither relatednor hinted at, by any other writer but Luke. The
phrase of mingling blood with blood, is Jewish;it is said of one Trogianus the
wicked(perhaps the Emperor Trajan), that he slaughteredthe Jews, ‫בריעו‬ ‫ןמד‬
eht otni nar doolb rieht dna ;"doolb rieht htiw doolb rieht delgnim dna" ,‫בדמן‬
sea, unto CyprusF1. The JewsF2have a notion, that
"in the age in which the son of David comes, Galilee shallbe destroyed.'
Here was a greatslaughterof the Galileans now, see Acts 5:37 but there was a
greaterafterwards by the Romans: it may be that the Pharisees made mention
of this case to Christ, to reproach him and his followers, who were called
Galileans, as his disciples chiefly were.

Verse 2
And Jesus answering, saidunto them,.... Neither approving, nor condemning
Pilate's action;and though he allowedthe Galileans to be sinners, which could
not be denied, he does not bear hard upon them, but improves the instance for
the convictionof his hearers, and in order to show them the necessityof
repentance, and to bring them to it:
suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because
they suffered such things? such a supposition they seemto have made, by
their speaking to Christ concerning this matter; and concluded from their
violent and untimely deaths, that they had been notorious and uncommon
sinners, and guilty of the most enormous crimes, which had brought upon
them the just judgments of God: whereas this is not a rule of judging;
oftentimes the best of men suffer exceedinglyin this life; God's judgments are
a greatdeep, and not to be fathomed by us, nor is it to be easilyknown, when
any thing befalls persons in a wayof judgment; there is nothing comes by
chance, but every thing by the wise disposalof divine providence, to answer
some end or another; nor are persons that are punished, either immediately
by the hand of God, or by the civil magistrate, to be insulted, but rather to be
pitied; besides, love and hatred, the characters and states ofmen, are not to be
known by these effects in providence.
Verse 3
I tell you, nay, They were not greatersinners than others of their neighbours,
nor is it to be concluded from the bloody slaughter that was made of them;
others might be much more deserving of such an end than they, who yet
escapedit:
but exceptye repent; of sin, and particularly of the disbelief of the Messiah:

ye shall likewise perish; or perish, in like manner, as these Galileans did: and
so it came to pass in the destruction of Jerusalem, that greatnumbers of the
unbelieving Jews, eventhree hundred thousand men were destroyed at the
feastof passoverF3;and that for sedition, as these men very likely were.
Verse 4
Or those eighteen,....Men;the Persic versionreads, "those twelve";but all
copies, and other versions, agree in this number:
upon whom the towerin Siloamfell, and slew them; there was a poolnear
Jerusalem, calledthe Poolof Siloam, John 9:7 near, or over which, was a
towerbuilt, which fell down and killed eighteenmen; very likely as they were
purifying themselves in the pool, and so was a case very much like the other,
and might be a very late one: and this Christ the rather observes, and puts
them in mind of, that they might see that not Galileans only, whom they had
in greatcontempt, but even inhabitants of Jerusalem, died violent deaths, and
came to untimely ends; and yet, as not in the former case, so neither in this
was it to be concluded from hence, that they were sinners of a greatersize, or
their state worse than that of other men:
think ye that they were sinners; or debtors; for as sins are calleddebts,
Matthew 6:12 so sinners are calleddebtors:
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? there might be, and doubtless there
were, as great, or greatersinners, in that holy city, and among such that made
greatpretensions to religion and holiness, as they were.
Verse 5

I tell you, nay,.... I affirm it, and you may depend upon it, they were not
greatersinners than others: though such a melancholy accidentbefell them,
not without the providence of God:
but exceptye repent, ye shall all likewise perish; or perish in the same
manner; that is, shall be buried under the ruins of the city and temple of
Jerusalem, whenone stone should not be left upon another; just as these
eighteenmen were buried under the ruins of the towerof Siloam, of which it
was a pledge and emblem; and accordinglygreatnumbers of them did perish
in the temple, and were buried under the ruins of itF
PETER PETT
Verse 1
‘Now there were some present at that very seasonwho told him of the
Galileans, whose bloodPilate had mingled with their sacrifices.’
Hot news has arrived from Jerusalemof Pilate’s latestatrocity. Galileans
offering their sacrifices in the Temple (anything from two upwards) have at
the very time of their bringing their sacrifices beenslainin the Temple
courtyard on Pilate’s orders. We have no details of this particular occurrence,
but it is typical of Pilate. It may be that they had alreadybeen marked men,
and that Pilate had simply been waiting for them to arrive at the Temple
where he could be sure of finding them at the particular feast, or it may be
that while in the Temple they were seenas having fermented trouble resulting
in a quick and merciless reaction.

The vivid language may not be intended absolutely literally. If they had
brought their sacrifices andwere waiting for them to be offered, rather than
offering them themselves, it would equally apply. Indeed had their blood
actually landed on the altar the incident would probably have become even
more serious, for it would have been seenas the vilest of sacrilege.
Why the informers told Jesus is not explained. It may be that they hoped to
stir Jesus up to supporting retaliatory action, or to trap Him into saying
something unwise againstthe authorities. Or it may be that they were citing
them as an example of the kind of people in mind in Luke 12:57-59, who
having not become reconciledwith God have receivedtheir just deserts. But
whateverthe motive it would appear that someone hadsuggestedthat their
manner of death clearly indicated their specialsinfulness.
Verses 1-5
The Fire Has begun To Fall. Let Them Therefore Learn Their LessonFrom It
(13:1-5).
Having declaredthat He will castfire on earth, preliminary examples of it are
now given, one an actof the civil authority, and one an ‘act of God’. But He
warns that they must not see the unfortunate people involved as having been
selectedout by God because they were particularly sinful. Ratherit should
revealto them that God’s judgments are continually in the earth and they
should therefore learn righteousness from them. Fornext time it may be them
to whom such things occur, and besides, in the end all who are unrepentant
will definitely perish. Thus they should take them as a warning and repent
before it is too late. They should come to Him to be ‘made straight’ (Luke
13:13). As describedin the previous verses let them ensure that they are
reconciledto their Accuserbefore it is too late.

Analysis.
a ‘Now there were some present at that very seasonwho told him of the
Galileans, whose bloodPilate had mingled with their sacrifices’(Luke 13:1).
b ‘He answeredand said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were
sinners above all the Galileans, becausethey have suffered these things?”
(Luke 13:2).
c “I tell you, No. But, exceptyou repent, you will all similarly perish” (Luke
13:3).
b “Or those eighteen, on whom the towerin Siloamfell, and killed them, do
you think that they were offenders above all the men who dwell in
Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4).
a “I tell you, No. But, exceptyou repent, you will all similarly perish” (Luke
13:5).
Note that in ‘a’ the position is declared, and in the parallelthe consequence.
In ‘b’ Jesus asksa question about one example, in the parallel He does the
same with another example. Central to all in ‘c’ is the factthat all who do not
repent will perish.
Verse 2
‘And he answeredand said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were
sinners above all the Galileans, becausethey have suffered these things?” ’

This confirms that there had been some suggestionthat they had brought
their suffering on their own heads, or possibly even the suggestionthat for
someone to be killed while actually in the process ofbringing a sacrifice must
prove what dreadful sinners they were. The idea has become fixed in some
people’s minds that these were particularly sinful Galileans. Note Jesus’
description of them as having ‘suffered’. It connects back with the suffering
He is bringing on the world (Luke 12:49). They are examples of the fire that is
coming on the earth.
Verse 3
“I tell you, No. But, exceptyou repent, you will all similarly perish.”
Jesus’reply is that that their deaths do not indicate that they were worse
sinners than anyone else. They were not necessarilythe more guilty because
they died violently. Judgment is not always so direct. And then He seizes the
opportunity to apply the lesson. Let them in fact recognise thatunless they
repent they will all perish similarly. Let the judgments that are in the earth
teachthem righteousness before it is too late.
Some have seenin this a hint concerning the coming desolationof Jerusalem
when many would perish ‘in the same way’ because theyhad failed to respond
to Jesus’messageoflove and forgiveness.Had they done so the destruction of
Jerusalemwould never have happened. But it seems more likely that He is
thinking rather of the last Judgment.
Verse 4
“Or those eighteen, on whom the towerin Siloamfell, and killed them, do you
think that they were offenders above all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?”

He then takes another example, this time of an ‘accident’ that had happened
in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Siloamwas the reservoirfrom which Jerusalem’s
watersupply came. The towermay have been a watchtower, or it may have
been connectedwith the aqueduct that Pilate built. Whatever towerit was it
had clearlysimply collapsed. So here the deaths had been purely connected
with what could be called‘an actof God’, that is, something not resulting
from men’s actions. Was this then any different?
Verse 5
“I tell you, No. But, exceptyou repent, you will all similarly perish.”
And His reply is that that is no different. Whether applying to a Galileans or
to inhabitant of Jerusalemthe same principle applies. Sudden deaths are not
to be seenas necessarilyresulting from the sinfulness of the persons involved.
And the same warning is given. If they do not want to perish in a similar way
they must repent, for in the end all who do not repent will perish
everlastingly.
The implication is clear. Firstly that deaths by violence or accidentdo not
necessarilyindicate the specialsinfulness of the people involved, and secondly
that all such should be seenas a warning to be ready for the day of judgment,
and as an indication of the fire that He has come to caston the earth. Like the
debtor in the previous verses they need to be reconciledto God before it is too
late.
In The Light Of His Warnings They Should Ensure That Their Lives Are
Fruitful So That They Will Not Be Cut Down (compare 3:9).

Jesus now applies His warnings that they be reconciledwith God while there
is yet time (Luke 12:57-59), and repent before it is too late (Luke 13:1-5)by
means of a parable that applies to them the teaching of John the Baptiser
(Luke 3:9). It is a warning that if their lives are not fruitful they will face
God’s judgment when the proper time comes. Eventhe fig tree must be ‘made
straight’ (Luke 13:13).
From this point on we find an interesting sequence typical of Luke, a man who
plants a fig tree, a woman who is bent double and is healed, a man who sows a
mustard seedin his garden, and a woman who places leavenin flour. Note the
distinction betweenthe sexes. Luke constantly seeksto balance the sexes (see
Introduction).
Analysis.
a He spoke this parable, “A certainman had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none” (Luke 13:6).
b “And he said to the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I have come
seeking fruit on this fig tree, and have found none” (Luke 13:7 a).
c “Cut it down. Why does it also actas a burden on the ground?” (Luke 13:7
b).
b “And he answering says to him, “Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall
dig about it, and feed it with manure” (Luke 13:8 a).

a And if it bear fruit from then on, well, and if not, you shall cut it down”
(Luke 13:8 b).
Note that in ‘a’ the owner soughtfruit and found none, and in the parallelif it
still did not bear fruit it should be cut down. In ‘b’ he speaks to the
vinedresserabout its condition, and in the parallel the vinedresseranswers
him by explaining how he might treat its condition. Central to all in ‘c’ is that
the tree should come under judgment because it is fruitless.'
JOHN STEVENSON
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN
Luke 13:1-9
Have you ever been askedby an unbeliever, "Why does God let bad things
happen to goodpeople?" Perhaps you’ve wondered the same thing yourself.
For quite a number of years, one of the best selling books on the secular
market has been a book by Rabbi David Kershner asking this same question.
The book is appropriately titled: "Why Do Bad things happen to Good
People?" He wrote the book after the tragic death of his son. In the book, he
suggestsone of two possibilities.
God is all-powerful and He is able to stop bad things from happening to good
people, but He is not all-goodand so therefore allows bad things to happen to
goodpeople.

Rabbi Kershner rejects this view. And so do I. The Bible teaches that Godis
righteous and goodand that He is a just judge overthe earth.
God is goodand He does not want bad things to happen to goodpeople, but
He is not all-powerful and He is not able to handle the heavy workloadwhich
confronts Him.
After all, God is overworkedand underpaid and He just isn’t up to the task of
averting tragedy and so bad things will continue to happen to goodpeople.
This is the view to which Rabbi Kershner subscribes. It is NOT a Biblical
view.
As we come to Luke 13:1-9, we see Jesus dealing with this same issue. Let’s
look at it.
Now on the same occasionthere were some present who reported to Him
about the Galileans, whose bloodPilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And He answeredand saidto them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans
were greatersinners than all other Galileans, becausethey suffered this fate?
"I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
"Or do you suppose that those eighteenon whom the tower of Siloam fell were
worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

And he began telling this parable: "A certainman had a fig tree which had
been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not
find any.
"And he came to the vineyard-keeper, `Behold, for three years I have come
looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it
even use up the ground?’
And he answeredand said to him, `Let it alone, sir; for this year too, until I
dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if
not, cut it down.’" (Luke 13:1-9).
The popular folk religionof the day said that bad things only happen to bad
people. They had a "prosperity theology." Theyreasonedthat, since God is
always goodand God is all-powerful, then when someone is prosperous it is
because he has been goodand when something bad happens, it is because
there is some sin that has taken place.
What is more, this was no mere theory. This discussioncomes on the heels of
news that a tragedy has taken place. And not just one tragedy, but two...
1. The first was a political tragedy.
Now on the same occasionthere were some present who reported to Him
about the Galileans, whose bloodPilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
(Luke 13:1).

Pilate was the Romangovernor. He was not at all popular among the Jews.
There was a saying in those days about Roman governors. It was saidthat a
Roman governorspent his first year in office collecting taxes to pay off the
bribes that got him into office. His secondyear was spent collecting taxes to
pay off the bribes to keephim out of jail once his term of office was up. And
the restof his term was spent in collecting taxes for his retirement fund.
Pilate had been governorfor severalyears and he was planning a very big
retirement fund. To this end, he helped himself to the Temple offerings. This
brought about an immediate reactionamong the worshipers in the Temple
and a number of Jews were killed. This may have been the incident which is
describedin this verse.
Think about it. These people had gone to the Temple to worship the Lord and
instead of being blessedby the service, they had been killed. Why?
2. The other incident was an "actof God."
On the southeastside of Jerusalemwas a tower. It overlookedthe pool of
Siloam where spring waters flowedto bring water to the city. This towerhad
collapsed, killing 18 people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Why? They hadn’t been doing anything particularly wrong. They
had just come to getwater. Why these particular people and not some more
deserving of such a fate (a gambling house or a place of prostitution)?
What shall we sayto these? Why do bad things happen to goodpeople?

Notice the answerof Jesus. He doesn’t answerthe question. Instead, He says
that they are asking the WRONG QUESTION. Theyare asking, "Why did
these men die?" They should have been asking, "Why didn’t I die, too?"
It is not that bad things happen to goodpeople. It is that you aren’t qualified
to ask about goodpeople because that doesn’tconcernyou and you don’t fit
into that category. There are NO goodpeople. All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. That is the bad news. But the goodnews is that God sent
His own Soninto the world to be a sacrifice, to die in our place for our sins.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not
send the Soninto the world to judge the world, but that the world should be
savedthrough Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not
believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Sonof God. (John 3:16-18).
Do you remember the movie, "The Sound of Music?" It’s a wonderful story
full of splendid songs. There is one in particular that caughtmy attention. It is
where the Captain first expresses his love for Maria. She sings a song about
how, in the midst of her wickedchildhood, she must have done something
good. It is a pretty song, but it is not Biblical. God doesn’t bless us because we
did something to earn His blessing. He blesses us in spite of the fact that we
are undeserving. He blesses us on the basis of His own GRACE.
We enter into the blessing of His salvationthrough repentance and faith. This
is what Jesus says.

And He answeredand saidto them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans
were greatersinners than all other Galileans, becausethey suffered this fate?
"I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
"Or do you suppose that those eighteenon whom the tower of Siloam fell were
worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:2-
5).
When you see bad things happening in this world, the question isn’t "why did
this happen?" The real question is, "Why didn’t it happen to me?" For unless
I approachGod in genuine repentance, then there is a governoror a towerout
there with my name of it.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute, John. I did this a long
time ago. When I was nine years old, I walkeddown an aisle in my church and
made a professionof faith, trusting in Him as my Lord and Savior. That’s
over and done with. I don’t need to hear any more about repentance."
What you need to understand is that repentance is an ongoing occurrence in
the heart of the Christian and that true repentance bears a continuous fruit.

A Penitent Heart, the Best New Year's Gift
by
George Whitefield
(1714-1770)
Luke 13:3 - "Exceptye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
When we considerhow heinous and aggravating ouroffenses are, in the sight
of a just and holy God, that they bring down his wrath upon our heads, and
occasionus to live under his indignation; how ought we thereby to be deterred
from evil, or at leastengagedto study to repent thereof, and not commit the
same again; but man is so thoughtless of an eternal state, and has so little
considerationof the welfare of his immortal soul, that he can sin without any
thought that he must give an accountof his actions at the day of judgment; or
if he, at times, has any reflections on his behavior, they do not drive him to
true repentance:he may, for a short time, refrain from falling into some gross
sins which he had lately committed; but then, when the temptation comes
againwith power, he is carried awaywith the lust; and thus he goes on
promising and resolving, and in breaking both his resolutions and his
promises, as fast almostas he has made them. This is highly offensive to God,
it is mocking of him. My brethren, when grace is given us to repent truly, we
shall turn wholly unto God; and let me beseechyou to repent of your sins, for
the time is hastening when you will have neither time nor call to repent; there
is none in the grave, whither we are going;but do not be afraid, for God often
receives the greatestsinner to mercy through the merits of Christ Jesus;this
magnifies the riches of his free grace;and should be an encouragementfor
you, who are greatand notorious sinners, to repent, for he shall have mercy
upon you, if you through Christ return unto him.

St. Paul was an eminent instance of this; he speaks ofhimself as "the chief of
sinners," and he declares how God showedmercy unto him. Christ loves to
show mercy unto sinners, and if you repent, he will have mercy upon you. But
as no word is more mistakenthan that of repentance, I shall
I. Show you what the nature of repentance is.
II. Considerthe severalparts and causes ofrepentance.
III. I shall give you some reasons, whyrepentance is necessaryto salvation.
And
IV. Exhort all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to
endeavorafter repentance.
I. Repentance, my brethren, in the first place, as to its nature, is the carnal
and corrupt dispositionof men being changedinto a renewedand sanctified
disposition.
A man that has truly repented, is truly regenerated:it is a different word for
one and the same thing; the motley mixture of the beast and devil is gone;
there is, as it were, a new creationwrought in your hearts. If your repentance
is true, you are renewedthroughout, both in soul and body; your
understandings are enlightened with the knowledge ofGod, and of the Lord
Jesus Christ; and your wills, which were stubborn, obstinate, and hated all
good, are obedient and conformable to the will of God. Indeed, our deists tell
us, that man now has a free will to do good, to love God, and to repent when
he will; but indeed, there is no free will in any of you, but to sin; nay, your

free-will leads you so far, that you would, if possible, pull God from is throne.
This may, perhaps, offend the Pharisees;but (it is the truth in Christ which I
speak, I lie not) every man by his own natural will hates God; but when he is
turned unto the Lord, by evangelicalrepentance, then his will is changed;
then your consciences, norhardened and benumbed, shall be quickened and
awakened;then your had hearts shall be melted, and your unruly affections
shall be crucified. Thus, by that repentance, the whole soul will be changed,
you will have new inclinations, new desires, and new habits.
You may see how vile we are by nature, that it requires so greata change to
be made upon us, to recoverus from this state of sin, and therefore the
considerationof our dreadful state should make us earnest with Godto
change our condition, and that change, true repentance implies; therefore, my
brethren, considerhow hateful your ways are to God, while you continue in
sin; how abominable you are unto him, while you run into evil: you cannotbe
said to be Christians while you are hating Christ, and his people;true
repentance will entirely change you, the bias of your souls will be changed,
then you will delight in God, in Christ, in his law, and in his people; you will
then believe that there is such a thing as inward feeling, though now you may
esteemit madness and enthusiasm; you will not then be ashamedof becoming
fools for Christ's sake;you will not regardbeing scoffedat; it is not then their
pointing after you and crying, "Here comes another troop of his followers,"
will dismay you; no, your soulwill abhor such proceedings, the ways of Christ
and his people will be your whole delight.
It is the nature of such repentance to make a change, and the greatestchange
as can be made here in the soul. Thus you see whatrepentance implies in its
own nature; it denotes an abhorrence of all evil, and a forsaking ofit. I shall
now proceed
SECONDLY, To show you the parts of it, and the causesconcurring thereto.

The parts are, sorrow, hatred, and an entire forsaking of sin.
Our sorrow and grief for sin, must not spring merely from a fear of wrath; for
if we have no other ground but that, it proceeds from self-love, and not from
any love to God; and if love to God is not the chief motive of your repentance,
your repentance is in vain, and not to be esteemedtrue.
Many, in our days, think their crying, God forgive me! or, Lord have mercy
upon me! or, I am sorry for it! Is repentance, and that God will esteemit as
such; but, indeed, they are mistaken; it is not the drawing near to God with
our lips, while our hearts are far from him, which he regards. Repentance
does not come by fits and starts; no, it is one continued act of our lives; for as
we daily commit sin, so we need a daily repentance before God, to obtain
forgiveness forthose sins we commit.
It is not your confessing yourselves to be sinners, it is not knowing your
condition to be sad and deplorable, so long as you continue in your sins; your
care and endeavors should be, to get the heart thoroughly affectedtherewith,
that you may feel yourselves to be lost and undone creatures, forChrist came
to save such as are lost; and if you are enabled to groan under the weightand
burden of your sins, then Christ will ease youand give you rest.
And till you are thus sensible of your misery and lost condition, you are a
servant to sin and to your lusts, under the bondage and command of Satan,
doing his drudgery: thou are under the curse of God, and liable to his
judgment. Considerhow dreadful thy state will be at death, and after the day
of judgment, when thou wilt be exposedto such miseries which the earhath
not heard, neither can the heart conceive, andthat to all eternity, if you die
impenitent.

But I hope better things of you, my brethren, though I thus speak, and things
which accompanysalvation; go to God in prayer, and be earnestwith him,
that by his Spirit he would convince you of your miserable condition by
nature, and make you truly sensible thereof. O be humbled, be humbled, I
beseechyou, for your sins. Having spent so many years in sinning, what canst
thou do less, than be concernedto spend some hours in mourning and
sorrowing for the same, and be humbled before God.
Look back into your lives, callto mind thy sins, as many as possible thou
canst, the sins of thy youth, as well as of thy riper years; see how you have
departed from a gracious Father, and wandered in the way of wickedness, in
which you have lost yourselves, the favor of God, the comforts of his Spirit,
and the peace of your own consciences;then go and beg pardon of the Lord,
through the blood of the Lamb, for the evil thou hastcommitted, and for the
goodthou hast omitted. Consider, likewise, the heinousness ofthy sins; see
what very aggravating circumstancesthy sins are attended with, how you
have abused the patience of God, which should have led you to repentance;
and when thou finds thy heart hard, beg of Godto softenit, cry mightily unto
him, and he will take awaythy stony heart, and give thee a heart of flesh.
Resolve to leave all thy sinful lusts and pleasures;renounce, forsake, and
abhor thy old sinful course of life, and serve God in holiness and righteousness
all the remaining part of life. If you lament and bewail past sins, and do not
forsake them, your repentance is in vain, you are mocking of God, and
deceiving your own soul; you must put off the old man with his deeds, before
you canput on the new man, Christ Jesus.
You, therefore, who have been swearers andcursers, you, who have been
harlots and drunkards, you, who have been thieves and robbers, you, who
have hitherto followedthe sinful pleasures and diversions of life, let me

beseechyou, by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus, that you would no longer
continue therein, but that you would forsake your evil ways, and turn unto the
Lord, for he waits to be gracious unto you, he is ready, he is willing to pardon
you of all your sins; but do not expect Christ to pardon you of sin, when you
run into it, and will not abstain from complying with the temptations; but if
you will be persuadedto abstain from evil and choose the good, to return unto
the Lord, and repent of your wickedness, he hath promised he will abundantly
pardon you, he will heal your back-slidings, and will love you freely. Resolve
now this day to have done with your sins for ever; let your old ways and you
be separated;you must resolve againstit, for there canbe no true repentance
without a resolutionto forsake it. Resolve for Christ, resolve againstthe devil
and his works, and go on fighting the Lord's battles againstthe devil and his
emissaries;attack him in the strongestholds he has, fight him as men, as
Christians, and you will soonfind him to be a coward;resisthim and he will
fly from you. Resolve, throughgrace, to do this, and your repentance is half
done; but then take care that you do not ground your resolutions on your own
strength, but in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ; he is the way, he is the
truth, and he is the life; without his assistance youcan do nothing, but
through his grace strengthening thee, thou wilt be enabled to do all things;
and the more ready Christ will be to help thee; and what can all the men of
the world do to thee when Christ is for thee? Thou wilt not regardwhat they
say againstthee, for you will have the testimony of a goodconscience.
Resolve to castthyself at the feet of Christ in subjection to him, and throw
thyself into the arms of Christ for salvation by him. Consider, my dear
brethren, the many invitations he has given you to come unto him, to be saved
by him; "God has laid on him the iniquity of us all." O let me prevail with
you, above all things, to make choice ofthe Lord Jesus Christ; resign
yourselves unto him, take him, O take him, upon his own terms, and
whosoeverthou art, how greata sinner so ever you have been, this evening, in
the name of the greatGod, do I offer Jesus Christunto thee; as thou values
thy life and soul refuse him not, but stir up thyself to acceptof the Lord Jesus,
take him wholly as he is, for he will be applied wholly unto you, or else not at
all. Jesus Christ must be your whole wisdom, Jesus Christ must be your whole

righteousness, Jesus Christmust be your whole sanctification, orhe will never
be your eternal redemption.
What though you have been ever so wickedand profligate, yet, if you will not
abandon your sins, and turn unto the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt have him
given to thee, and all thy sins shall be freely forgiven. O why will you neglect
the greatwork of your repentance? Do not defer the doing of it one day
longer, but today, even now, take that Christ who is freely offered to you.
Now as to the causes hereof, the first cause is God; he is the author, "we are
born of God," God hath begottenus, even God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ; it is he that stirs us up to will and to do of his own goodpleasure:and
another cause is, God's free grace;it is owing to the "riches of his free grace,"
my brethren, that we have been prevented from going down to hell long ago;
it is because the compassionsofthe Lord fail not, they are new every morning,
and fresh every evening.
Sometimes the instruments are very unlikely: a poor despisedminister, or
member of Jesus Christ, may, by the power of God, be made an instrument in
the hands of God, of bringing you to true evangelicalrepentance;and this
may be done to show, that the poweris not in men, but that it is entirely owing
to the goodpleasure of God; and if there has been any gooddone among many
of you, by preaching the word, as I trust there has, though it was preachedin
a field, if God has met and ownedus, and blessedhis word, though preached
by an enthusiastic babbler, a boy, a madman; I do rejoice, yea, and will
rejoice, let foes saywhat they will. I shall now
THIRDLY, Show the reasons why repentance is necessaryto salvation.

And this, my brethren, is plainly revealedto us in the word of God, "The soul
that does not repent and turn unto the Lord, shall die in its sins, and their
blood shall be required at their own heads." It is necessary, as we have sinned,
we should repent; for a holy God could not, nor ever can, or will, admit any
thing that is unholy into his presence:this is the beginning of grace in the soul;
there must be a change in heart and life, before there can be a dwelling with a
holy God. You cannot love sin and God too, you cannot love God and
mammon; no unclean person canstand in the presence of God, it is contrary
to the holiness of his nature; there is a contrarietybetweenthe holy nature of
God, and the unholy nature of carnal and unregenerate men.
What communication can there be betweena sinless God, and creatures full of
sin, betweena pure God and impure creatures? If you were to be admitted
into heavenwith your present tempers, in your impenitent condition, heaven
itself would be a hell to you; the songs of angels would be as enthusiasm, and
would be intolerable to you; therefore you must have these tempers changed,
you must be holy, as God is: he must be your God here, and you must be his
people, or you will never dwell togetherto all eternity. If you hate the ways of
God, and cannot spend an hour in his service, how will you think to be easy, to
all eternity, in singing praises to him that sits upon the throne, and to the
Lamb for ever.
And this is to be the employment, my brethren, of all those who are admitted
into this glorious place, where neither sin nor sinner is admitted, where no
scofferevercan come, without repentance from his evil ways, a turning unto
God, and a cleaving unto him: this must be done, before any canbe admitted
into the glorious mansions of God, which are prepared for all that love the
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth: repent ye then of all your sins. O my
dear brethren, it makes my blood run cold, in thinking that any of you should
not be admitted into the glorious mansions above. O that it was in my power, I
would place all of you, yea, you my scoffing brethren, and the greatestenemy
I have on earth, at the right hand of Jesus;but this I cannot do: however, I

advise and exhort you, with all love and tenderness, to make Jesus your
refuge; fly to him for relief; Jesus died to save such as you; he is full of
compassion;and if you go to him, as poor, lost, undone sinners, Jesus will give
you his spirit; you shall live and reign, and reign and live, you shall love and
live, and live and love with this Jesus to all eternity.
I am, FOURTHLY, to exhort all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with
another, to repent of all your sins, and turn unto the Lord.
And I shall speak to eachof you; for you have either repented, or you have
not, you are believers in Christ Jesus, orunbelievers.
And first, you who never have truly repented of your sins, and never have
truly forsakenyour lusts, be not offended if I speak plain to you; for it is love,
love to your souls, that constrains me to speak:I shall lay before you your
danger, and the misery to which you are exposed, while you remain
impenitent in sin. And O that this may be a means of making you fly to Christ
for pardon and forgiveness.
While thy sins are not repented of, thou art in danger of death, and if you
should die, you would perish for ever. There is no hope of any who live and
die in their sins, but that they will dwell with devils and damned spirits to all
eternity. And how do we know we shall live much longer: we are not sure of
seeing our own habitations this night in safety. What mean ye then being at
ease and pleasure while your sins are not pardoned. As sure as ever the word
of God is true, if you die in that condition, you are shut out of all hope and
mercy for ever, and shall pass into ceaseless andendless misery.

What is all thy pleasures and diversions worth? They last but for a moment,
they are of no worth, and but of short continuance. And sure it must be gross
folly, eagerlyto pursue those sinful lusts and pleasures, whichwar againstthe
soul, which tend to harden the heart, and keepus from closing with the Lord
Jesus;indeed, these are destructive o four peace here, and without
repentance, will be of our peace hereafter.
O the folly and madness of this sensualworld; sure if there were nothing in sin
but presentslavery, it would keepan ingenuous spirit from it. But to do the
devils drudgery! And if we do that, we shall have his wages, whichis eternal
death and condemnation; O consider this, my guilty brethren, you that think
it no crime to swear, whore, drink, or scoffand jeer at the people of God;
considerhow your voices will then be changed, and you that counted their
lives madness, and their end without honor, shall howl and lament at your
own madness and filly, that should bring you to so much woe and distress.
Then you will lament and bemoan your own dreadful condition; but it will be
of no signification:for he that is not your merciful Savior, will then become
your inexorable Judge. Now he is easyto be entreated;but then, all your tears
and prayers will be in vain: for God hath allottedto every man a day of grace,
a time of repentance, which if he doth not improve, nut neglects and despises
the means which are offered to him, he cannotbe saved.
Consider, therefore, while you are going on in a course of sin and
unrighteousness, I beseechyou, my brethren, to think of the consequence that
will attend your thus misspending your precious time; your souls are worth
being concernedabout: for if you canenjoy all the pleasures and diversions of
life, at death you must leave them; that will put an end to all your worldly
concerns. And will it not be very deplorable, to have your goodthings here, all
your earthly, sensual, devilish pleasures, whichyou have been so much taken
up with, all over: and the thought for how trifling a concernthou hast lost
eternal welfare, will gnaw thy very soul.

Thy wealthand grandeur will stand in no stead; thou canstcarry nothing of it
into the other world: then the considerationofthy uncharitableness to the
poor, and the ways thou didst take to obtain thy wealth, will be a very hell
unto thee.
Now you enjoy the means of grace, as the preaching of his word, prayer, and
sacraments;and God has sent his ministers out into the fields and highways,
to invite, to woo you to come in; but they are tiresome to thee, thou had rather
be at thy pleasures:ere long, my brethren, they will be over, and you will be
no more troubled with them; but then thou wouldst give ten thousand worlds
for one moment of that merciful time of grace which thou hast abused; then
you will cry for a drop of that precious blood which now you trample under
your feet; then you will wish for one more offer of mercy, for Christ and his
free grace to be offeredto you again; but your crying will be in vain: for as
you would not repent here, God will not give you an opportunity to repent
hereafter:if you would not in Christ's time, you shall not in your own. In what
a dreadful condition will you then be? What horror and astonishment will
possessyour souls? Thenall thy lies and oaths, thy scoffs and jeers at the
people of God, all thy filthy and unclean thoughts and actions, thy misspent
time in balls, plays, and assemblies,thy spending whole evenings at cards,
dice, and masquerades, thy frequenting of taverns and alehouses,thy
worldliness, covetousness, andthy uncharitableness, will be brought at once to
thy remembrance, and at once chargedupon thy guilty soul. And how can you
bear the thoughts of these things? Indeed I am full of compassiontowards
you, to think that this should be the portion of any who now hear me. These
are truths, though awful ones;my brethren, these are the truths of the gospel;
and if there was not a necessity for thus speaking, I would willingly forbear:
for it is no pleasing subject to me, any more than it is to you; but it is my duty
to show you the dreadful consequences ofcontinuing in sin. I am only now
acting the part of a skillful surgeon, that searches a wound before he heals it: I
would show you your danger first, that deliverance may be the more readily
acceptedby you.

Consider, that howeveryou may be for putting the evil day awayfrom you,
and are now striving to hide your sins, at the day of judgment there shall be a
full discoveryof all; hidden things on that day shall be brought to light; and
after all thy sins have been revealedto the whole world, then you must depart
into everlasting fire in hell, which will not be quenched night and day; it will
be without intermission, without end. O then, what stupidity and senselessness
hath possessedyour hearts, that you are not frightened from your sins. The
fear of Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, made men do any thing to avoid it;
and shall not an everlasting fire make men, make you, do any thing to avoid
it?
O that this would awakenand cause you to humble yourselves for your sins,
and to beg pardon for them, that you might find mercy in the Lord.
Do not go away, let not the devil hurry you awaybefore the sermon is over;
but stay, and you shall have a Jesus offeredto you, who has made full
satisfactionforall your sins.
Let me beseechyou to castawayyour transgressions, to strive againstsin, to
watchagainstit, and to beg powerand strength from Christ, to keepdown the
powerof those lusts that hurry you on in your sinful ways.
But if you will not do any of these things, if you are resolvedto sin on, you
must expect eternaldeath to be the consequence;you must expectto be seized
with horror and trembling, with horror and amazement, to hear the dreadful
sentence ofcondemnation pronounced againstyou: and then you will run and
call upon the mountains to fall on you, to hide you from the Lord, and from
the fierce angerof his wrath.

Had you now a heart to turn from your sins unto the living God, by true and
unfeigned repentance, and to pray unto him for mercy, in and through the
merits of Jesus Christ, there were hope; but at the day of judgment, thy
prayers and tears will be of no signification; they will be of no service to thee,
the Judge will not be entreatedby thee: as you would not hearkento him
when he calledunto thee, but despisedboth him and his ministers, and would
not leave your iniquities; therefore, on that day he will not be entreated,
notwithstanding all thy cries and tears;for God himself hath said, "BecauseI
have called, and you refused; I have stretchedout my hand, and no man
regarded, but ye have setat nought all my counsel, and would have one of my
reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh
as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer,
they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me."
Now you may callthis enthusiasm and madness;but at that greatday, if you
repent not of your sins here, you will find, by woeful experience, that your
own ways were madness indeed; but God forbid it should be left undone till
then: seek afterthe Lord while he is to be found; callupon him while he is
near, and you shall find mercy: repent this hour, and Christ will joyfully
receive you.
What say you? Must I go to my Master, and tell him you will not come unto
him, and will have none of his counsels? No;do not send me on so unhappy an
errand: I cannot, I will not tell him any such thing. Shall not I rather tell him,
you are willing to repent and to be converted, to become new men, and take
up a new course of life: this is the only wise resolution you can make. Let me
tell my Master, that you will come unto, and will wait upon him: for if you do
not, it will be your ruin in time, and to eternity.

You will at death wish you had lived the life of the righteous, that you might
have died his death. Be advised then; considerwhat is before you, Christ and
the world, holiness and sin, life and death: choose now for yourselves;let your
choice be made immediately, and let that choice be your dying choice.
If you would not choose to die in your sins, to die drunkards, to die adulterers,
to die swearersand scoffers, &c. live not out this night in the dreadful
condition you are in. Some of you, it may be, may say, You have not power,
you have no strength: but have not you been wanting to yourselves in such
things that were within your power? Have you not as much powerto go to
hear a sermon, as to go into a playhouse, or to a ball, or masquerade? You
have as much powerto read the Bible, as to read plays, novels, and romances;
and you canassociate as wellwith the godly, as with the wickedand profane:
this is but an idle excuse, my brethren, to go on in your sins: and if you will be
found in the means of grace, Christhath promised he will give you strength.
While Peter was preaching, the Holy Ghost fell on all that heard the word:
how then should you be found in the way of your duty? Jesus Christ will then
give thee strength; he will put his Spirit within thee; thou shalt find he will be
thy wisdom, thy righteousness,thy sanctification, and thy redemption. Do but
try what a gracious, a kind, and loving Masterhe is; he will be a help to thee
in all thy burdens: and if the burden of sin is on thy soul, go to him as weary
and heavy laden, and thou shalt find rest.
Do not say, that your sins are too many and too greatto expect to find mercy!
No, be they ever so many, or ever so great, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
will cleanse youfrom all sins. God's grace, my brethren, is free, rich, and
sovereign. Manassahwas a greatsinner, and yet he was pardoned; Zaccheus
was gone far from God, and went out to see Christ, with no other view but to
satisfy his curiosity; and yet Jesus met him, and brought salvationto his
house. Manassahwas anidolater and murderer, yet her receivedmercy; the
other was an oppressorand extortioner, who had gottenriches by fraud and

deceit, and by grinding the faces ofthe poor: so did Matthew too, and yet they
found mercy.
Have you been blasphemers and persecutors ofthe saints and servants of
God? So was St. Paul, yet her receivedmercy: Have you been common
harlots, filthy and unclean persons? So was Mary Magdalene, andyet she
receivedmercy. Hast thou been a thief? The thief upon the cross found mercy.
I despair of none of you, howevervile and profligate you have been; I say, I
despair of none of you, especiallywhenGod has had mercy on such a wretch
as I am.
Remember the poor Publican, how he found favor with God, when the proud,
self-conceitedPharisee, who, puffed up with his own righteousness, was
rejected. And if you will go to Jesus, as the poor Publican did, under a sense of
your own unworthiness, you shall find favor as he did: there is virtue enough
in the blood of Jesus, to pardon greatersinners than he has yet pardoned.
Then be not discouraged, but come unto Jesus, andyou will find him ready to
help in all thy distresses, to leadthee into all truth, to bring thee from
darkness to light, and from the powerof Satan to God.
Do not let the devil deceive you, by telling you, that then all your delights and
pleasures will be over: No;this is so far from depriving you of all pleasure,
that it is an inlet unto unspeakable delights, peculiar to all who are truly
regenerated. The new birth is the very beginning of a life of peace and
comfort; and the greatestpleasantnessis to be found in the ways of holiness.
Solomon, who had experience ofall other pleasures, yet saith of the ways of
godliness, "Thatall her ways are ways of pleasantness, andall her paths are
paths of peace." Thensure you will not let the devil deceive you; it is all he
wants, it is that he aims at, to make religion appearto be melancholy,

miserable, and enthusiastic: but let him say what he will, give not ear to him,
regard him not, for he always was and will be a liar.
What words, what entreaties shall I use, to make you come unto the Lord
Jesus Christ? The little love I have experiencedsince I have been brought
from sin to God, is so great, that I would not be in a natural state for ten
thousand worlds; and what I have felt is but little to what I hope to feel; but
that little love which I have experienced, is a sufficient buoy againstall the
storms and tempests of this boisterous world: and let men and devils do their
worst, I rejoice in the Lord Jesus, yea, and I will rejoice.
And O if you repent and come to Jesus, Iwould rejoice on your accounts too;
and we should rejoice togetherto all eternity, when once passedon the other
side of the grave. O come to Jesus. The arms of Jesus Christ will embrace you;
he will sashawayall your sins in his blood, and will love you freely.
Come, I beseechyou to come unto Jesus Christ. O that my words would pierce
to the very soul! O that Jesus Christ was formed in you! O that you would
turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, that he might have mercy upon you! I would
speak till midnight, yea, I would speak till I could speak no more, so it might
be a means to bring you to Jesus;let the Lord Jesus but enter your souls, and
you shall find peace whichthe world can neither give nor take away. There is
mercy for the greatestsinneramongstyou; go unto the Lord as sinners,
helpless and undone without it, and then you shall find comfortin your souls,
and be admitted at lastamongstthose who sing praises unto the Lord to all
eternity.
Now, my brethren, let me speak a word of exhortation to those of you, who
are alreadybrought to the Lord Jesus, who are born again, who do belong to
God, to whom it has been given to repent of your sins, and are cleansedfrom

their guilt; and that is, be thankful to God for his mercies towards you. O
admire the grace of God, and bless his name forever! Are you made alive in
Christ Jesus?Is the life of God begun in your souls, and have you the evidence
thereof? Be thankful for this unspeakable mercy to you: never forgetto speak
of his mercy. And as your life was formerly devotedto sin, and to the
pleasures of the world, let it now be spent wholly in the ways of God; and O
embrace every opportunity of doing and of receiving good. Whatsoever
opportunity you have, do it vigorously, do it speedily, do not defer it. If thou
seestone hurrying on to destruction, use the utmost of thy endeavorto stop
him in his course;show him the need he has of repentance, and that without it
he is lost for ever; do not regardhis despising of you; still go on to show him
his danger:and if thy friends mock and despise, do not let that discourage
you; hold on, hold out to the end, so you shall have a crownwhich is
immutable, and that fades not away.
Let the love of Jesus to you, keepyou also humble; do not be high- minded,
keepclose unto the Lord, observe the rules which the Lord Jesus Christ has
given in his word, and let not the instructions be lostwhich you which you are
capable of giving. O consider what reasonyou have to be thankful to the Lord
Jesus Christ for giving you that repentance you yourselves had need of: a
repentance which works by love. Now you find more pleasure in walking with
God one hour, than in all your former carnaldelights, and all the pleasures of
sin. O! the joy you feel in your own souls, which all the men of the world, and
all the devils in hell, though they were to combine together, could not destroy.
Then fear not their wrath or malice, for through many tribulations we must
enter into glory.
A few days, or weeks,oryears more, and then you will be beyond their reach,
you will be in the heavenly Jerusalem;their is all harmony and love, there is
all joy and delight; there the weary soul is at rest.

Now we have many enemies, but at death they are all lost; they cannot follow
us beyond the grave:and this is a greatencouragementto us not to regard the
scoffs and jeers of the men of this world.
O let the love of Jesus be in your thoughts continually. It was his dying that
brought you life; it was his crucifixion that paid the satisfactionforyour sins;
his death, burial, and resurrection that completed the work;and he is now in
heaven, interceding for you at the right hand of his Father. And canyou do
too much for the Lord Jesus Christ, who has done so much for you? His love
to you is unfathomable. O the height, the depth, the length and breadth of this
love, that brought the King of glory from his throne, to die for such rebels as
we are, when we had actedso unkindly againsthim, and deservednothing but
eternal damnation. He came down and took our nature upon him; he was
made of flesh and dwelt among us; he was put to death on our account;he
paid our ransom: surely this should make us rejoice in him, and not do as too
many do, and as we ourselves have too often, crucify this Jesus afresh. Let us
do all we can, my dear brethren, to honor him.
Come, all of you, come, and behold him stretchedout for you; see his hands
and feetnailed to the cross. O come, come, my brethren, and nail your sins
thereto; come, come and see his side pierced; there is a fountain open for sin,
and for uncleanness:O wash, washand be clean:come and see his head
crownedwith thorns, and all for you. Can you think of a panting, bleeding,
dying Jesus, and not be filled with pity towards him? He underwent all this
for you. Come unto him by faith; lay hold on him: there is mercy for every
soul of you that will come unto him. Then do not delay; fly unto the arms of
this Jesus, andyou shall be made cleanin his blood.
O what shall I say unto you to make you come to Jesus:I have showedyou the
dreadful consequence ofnot repenting of your sins: and if after all I have said,
you are resolvedto persist, your blood will be required at your own heads;but

I hope better things of you, and things that accompanysalvation. Let me beg
of you to pray in good earnestfor the grace of repentance. I may never see
your faces again;but at the day of judgment I will meet you: there you will
either bless God that ever you were moved to repentance;or else this sermon,
though in a field, will be as a swift witness againstyou. Repent, repent
therefore, my dearbrethren, as John the Baptist, and as our blessed
Redeemerhimself earnestly exhorted, and turn from your evil ways, and the
Lord will have mercy on you.
Show them, O Father, wherein they have offended thee; make them to see
their own vileness, and that they are lostand undone without true repentance;
and O give them that repentance, we beseechofthee, that they may turn from
sin unto thee the living and true God. These things, and whateverelse thou
seestneedful for us, we entreatthat thou wouldst bestow upon us, on account
of what the dear Jesus Christ has done and suffered; to whom, with Thyself,
and holy Spirit, three persons, and one God, be ascribed, as is most due, all
power, glory, might, majesty, and dominion, now, henceforth, and for
evermore. Amen.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Whitefield Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Unless You Repent You Will All Likewise Perish
Resource by John Piper Scripture: Luke 13:1–5 Topic:Evangelism

There were some presentat that very time who told him about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answeredthem,
“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans, becausethey suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you
repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteenon whom the tower in
Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than
all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent,
you will all likewise perish.”
If this text were taking place today, we would come to Jesus and say, "Did you
hear about the miners lastweek who were buried 300 feetunderground by an
explosionnorth of Frankfurt, Germany?" And Jesus would look into our eyes
like nobody has ever lookedbefore, and he would say, "Do you think this
happened to these miners because theywere worse sinners than the other
Germans? Or that busload of church young people that were killed in
Kentucky, do you think that they were worse sinners than the other
Americans who escape everyday? I tell you, No; but unless you repent, you
will all likewise perish."
Have you ever had an encounterwith anybody like that? You come to them
with a concernor with a puzzling theologicalquestion, and they look you right
in the eye and say, "The most urgent issue is your own soul. If you don't get
right with God, you are going to perish." No one ever spoke like this man. He
was always blood-earnestaboutperson commitment. When presented with a
problem, he dealt with a person. His speechwas saltedwith fire. Nobody slept
through a conversationwith Jesus.
What Is At Stake:Four Words
These five verses are filled with awesome implications about the way the
world really is. And it is not the way people think it is. My main aim today is
to impress upon our consciencesthat people are perishing. If we are going to

be the kind of witness for Christ that we ought to be, we need to know and feel
what is really at stake. And what is at stake is that unrepentant people are
perishing.
To unfold this text I simply want to focus on four words in the key sentence in
verses 3 and 5. The sentence is, "Unless you repent you will all likewise
perish." The four words I want us to focus on are "all," "likewise,""perish,"
and "repent."
1. "All"
"Unless you repent you will ALL likewise perish." A group of people come to
Jesus and tell him about how Pilate had murdered some worshiping Galileans
and takentheir blood and mixed it with the blood of their sacrifices—their
sheepand pigeons and doves. It's as though some anarchists should break into
our church this morning during the Lord's Supper, cut the necks ofa few
worshipers, and pour their blood into the communion cups. It was a horrible
thing that Pilate did.
The people don't sayit, but Jesus hears it in their voices—theseslain
Galileans must have done something horrible for God to allow something so
horrible to happen to them. In other words extraordinary tragedy must
signify extraordinary guilt.
Now ponder for a moment what you would have answeredatthis point. What
does your theologyof suffering and sin call for in the face of this kind of
tragedy?
What Jesus saidwas this. He said, "No, their sin was not extraordinarily
horrible. It was ordinarily horrible, just like yours. And if you don't repent,

you too will experience a horrible end, all of you." In other words instead of
saying that they are no more sinful than we are and being amazed at their
death, he says that we are just as sinful as they are and should getready to die
like they did.
What Jesus teaches,then, is that all of us are extremely sinful. We are so
sinful that calamities and disasters should not shock us as though something
unwarranted were coming upon innocent human beings. There are no
innocent human beings. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23). "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). And
what should amaze us in our sin is not that some are taken in calamity, but
that we are sparedand given another day to repent. The really amazing thing
in this universe is not that guilty sinners perish, but that God is so slow to
angerthat you and I cansit here this morning and have one more chance to
repent.
2. "Likewise"
"Unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Does this mean that all
unrepentant people will be murdered in the act of worship? No, it can't mean
that because in verse 5 Jesus says that we will all perish like those who were
killed by a falling tower. We can't all die just like the Galileans who were
murdered and just like those on whom the tower of Siloam fell. "Likewise"
must mean something else.
It can't just mean die, since that's going to happen to those who repent to.
Everybody dies until Jesus comes again. But Jesus says implies that if we
repent, we will not perish.
So what does Jesus mean when he says that all unrepentant people will
likewise perish? I think he means something like this: you see whata horrible

end those people came to; they didn't think it was going to happen. O they
knew they were going to die someday; but they didn't know what that would
mean. The horror of their end took them by surprise. Well unless you repent,
that is the wayit is going to be for you. Your end will be far more horrible
than you think it is. You will not be ready for it. It will surprise you terribly.
In that sense you will LIKEWISE perish.
The parallel betweenyou and them is that there was something dreadful
about the way they ended, and there will be something dreadful about the way
your life ends. They were not expecting that kind of end and you will not be
expecting it either (Luke 17:27–30). Onlyrepentance can make you ready to
meet God.
3. "Perish"
"Unless you repent you will all likewise PERISH." Now whatdoes "perish"
mean? Sometimes the word simply means die in the sense that we all will die
physically. But that would not fit here since Jesus implies that if we repent, we
will not perish. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish." If you DO
repent, you won't perish. So perish is something more than simply die a
physical death.
Here's what I think it means. Since Jesus connects it directly to sin and since
he says it can be escapedby repentance, I take it to mean final judgment. He
is referring to something beyond death. Those Galileans were takenunawares
and experienceda horrible end. Unless you repent, you too will be taken
unawares and experience a horrible end—the judgment of God beyond the
grave.
"Perish" in the New Testament

The word perish often refers to this terrible judgment in the New Testament.
For example in John 3:16 it says, "ForGod so loved the world that whosoever
believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life." So perishing is the
alternative to having everlasting life. The same thing turns up in John 10:28.
Jesus says, "Igive them eternal life, and they shall not perish for ever."
Perishing is what happens to you if you don't have eternallife.
In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul says, "The word of the cross is folly to those who
are perishing, but to us who are being savedit is the powerof God." Perishing
is the opposite of being saved by the cross ofJesus. And in 1 Corinthians 15:18
Paul says, "If Christ has not been raised. . . those who have fallen asleepin
Christ have perished." In other words perishing is something that happens
beyond the grave.
Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that
comes judgment." And Jesus describes thatjudgment in Matthew 25 as a
separationof the sheep from the goats, and says, "The one will go awayinto
eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (v. 46). Perishing is the
eternal punishment that people fall into when they die if they have not
repented. That's how serious sin is. And we have all sinned, and sin every day.
"Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
A Practicaland Utterly Urgent Message
Now don't treat this as mere church talk. Write it on a card and use a rubber
band to bind it on the visor of your car. All those people out there will perish
if they do not repent. Tape it in your walletto see it every time you buy
something—thatclerk will perish if she does not repent. Your children will
perish, you parents will perish, your neighbors will perish, your colleagues

will perish if they do not repent. This is not irrelevant church talk. This is just
as practicalas the AIDS brochure we all gotin the mail from Dr. Koop. And it
is a thousand times more urgent and more important.
In fact let us learn from the surgeongeneral's office how the world expects
people to respond to their fellow men when they know they are in danger of
perishing. All you can lose when you getAIDS is your earthly life. And Jesus
said, "Do not fear what kills the body and after that can do nothing. Fear
what can castboth souland body into hell" (Luke 12:4–5). Sin is an infinitely
more dangerous disease than AIDS. And if the world is willing to spend
millions and millions of dollars to wake this country up to its dangerof AIDS,
how much more should we, who know the cure, spend whateverit costs to
wake this city up to the danger of sin!
C.S. Lewis'Burden as a Literary Scholar
C. S. Lewis, the brilliant English scholarand Christian writer, died the same
day PresidentJohn Kennedy did. This Novemberwill be the 25th anniversary
of his death. Even today his books onthe Christian faith are being reprinted
by the thousands. One of the reasons I think God so greatly blessedthe
ministry of C. S. Lewis, and still blesses it, is that Lewis never had an elitist,
artsy love for fine literature or fine music or fine culture in any form, though
he himself was a greatartist. In his life everything is subordinate to the
salvationof lost sinners.
I find what he says a tremendous inspiration to keepthe perishing before our
eyes as we do our work and pray how God would use us to wake them up.
Listen to Lewis for the sake ofyour own ministry.

It is hardly possible for [us] to think too often or too deeply about [the glory]
of our neighbor . . . It is a serious thing to live in a societyofpossible gods and
goddesses,to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you
talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be
strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you
now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree,
helping eachother to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of
these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection
proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all
friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You
have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these
are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals
whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors
or everlasting splendors. (The Weight of Glory, pp. 14f.)
So he says of his own scholarly discipline,
The Christian will take literature a little less seriouslythan the cultured
Pagan. . . The Christian knows from the outsetthat the salvationof a single
soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics
and tragedies in the world. (Christian Reflections,p. 10)
This tips us off to what C. S. Lewis' life was really devotedto. In 1952 an
American liberal theologiancriticized Lewis for using simple analogiesto try
to shed some light on the Trinity. Lewis'response was passionateand shows
where his heart really was in all his work.
Mostof my books are evangelistic, addressedto [those outside]. I was writing
to the people not to the clergy. Dr. Pittengerwould be a more helpful critic if
he advised a cure as well as asserting many diseases. How does he himself do

such work? What methods, and with what success, does he employ when he is
trying to convertthe greatmass of storekeepers, lawyers,realtors, morticians,
policeman and artisans who surround him in his own city? (God in the Dock,
pp. 181–183)
That was Lewis'burden as a literary scholar. I hope it is your burden
whateveryour profession. You have never talkedto a mere mortal. They will
all last forever. And unless they repent, they will perish.
4. "Repent"
Luke gives us three illustrations of repentance in the face of judgment.
Luke 10:13–15
Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida!for if the mighty works done in
you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackclothand ashes. Butit shall be more tolerable in the judgment
for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exaltedto
heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
Luke 11:32
The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generationand
condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold,
something greaterthan Jonah is here.
Jonah3:5, 7–9:

The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatestofthem to the leastof them . . . The king made
proclamation . . . "Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence
which is in his hands."
Luke 16:29–31
After his death the unrepentant rich man is in torment. He asks Abraham to
send someone to warn his brothers, so they don't perish in this place of
torment. But . . .
Abraham said, "Theyhave Moses and the prophets; let them hear them."
And he said, "No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the
dead, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be convincedif someone should rise from the
dead."
I conclude that repentance involves believing God (Jonah 3:5) rather than the
Satan's claim that more joy canbe found in sin than in obedience. It is a
"being persuaded" about the dangerof impenitence (Luke 16:31) and the way
of escape through repentance for the forgiveness ofsins (Luke 24:47). It
involves grief over past sins and present sinful tendencies. This is the
significance ofthe sackclothand ashes (Luke 10:13;Jonah 3:5). And it
involves turning from evil ways (Jonah3:8).
So faith and repentance are not properly two separate things. The turning of
repentance is a turning from trusting in other things to a trusting in God. And

with a new trust in God as counselorand protectorand provider there is also
a turning to a new life of joyful obedience.
DON ROBINSON
Why Does GodAllow Suffering?
Luke 13:1-5
There are many questions that we all have concerning life. Last week we
lookedat the question of "Why God allowedthe wickedto live". This
morning I want us to considerthe question of suffering...Whydoes God allow
suffering? As with all of our questions we must go to the inerrant Word of
God for the answers. Manypeople would be willing to give us an opinion, but
if we want answers we must go to God's Word!
Read:Luke 13:1-5
In these five verses the Lord speaks abouttwo tragedies that took place
during His lifetime. It seems that they were well-knownto the people. First we
hear of some Galilaeans who were murdered while offering sacrificesso that
their own blood was mingled with that of their sacrifice. Pilate had ordered
this horrible action. Jesus askedan important question in verse two: "suppose
ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans". In other
words, Jesus askedif they thought that these men died in this manner because
they were such terrible sinners? The answerto this question is found in verse
three: "Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Jesus wasn't
saying that they would have their blood mingled with their sacrifice, but if
they did not repent, they would perish! This is one of the greatmessages in the
Bible to sinners: repent or you will perish!

The next event is mentioned in verse four. Eighteenmen were killed in an
accidentwhen a tower fell upon them. This is a common occurence. Mendie
in a construction accident. Jesus askedagain, "Think ye that they were
sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?"Thenthe Lord repeats His
warning about the need for repentance. The bottom line is this: suffering is a
reality of life, but exceptyou repent, there is going to be greatersuffering, and
you will all perish! But the question at hand is this: Why does God allow
suffering? Sometimes the question is phrased like this: If God is a God of love,
then why does He allow suffering? There is emotionaland physical suffering.
There is the suffering of famine, hunger, and disease. All suffering is the result
of sin. Listen carefully! If it is not the result of personal sin, then it is the result
of the fact of sin.
Whether it be a child born with a birth defect, or whether it is someone going
through an emotional breakdownand suffering emotionalor mental distress
it is all a result of sin. Some may think that I am over-simplifying this
matter...but this is the answerthat the Bible gives. All that createdwas good.
In the beginning, when God createdit, He lookedat it and He said that it was
good. It was in perfect harmony, there were no hurricanes, no floods, no
famines, no incureable diseases, itwas good!But sin entered through Adam's
disobedience, and since that time man has suffered. Not always as direct result
of personalsin, but always a result of the fact of sin.
I. God allows suffering as punishment in part for sin. cf Genesis 3:16-19
A. Heartache, toil, and suffering is part of the punishment for their sin.

B. Adam had to earn his living by the sweatofhis brow, and he would find
that the ground would yield its fruit and increase aftergreattoil and
hardship.
C. Eve was to bring forth children in pain and suffering.
II. God allows suffering to keepthe sin of man from running rampant.
A. Can you imagine what the world would be like if man never had to pay or
suffer for his injustices to his fellow man?
B. From the time that Adam was expelled from the garden up to the flood,
man experiencedvery few hardships.
C. The world in which he lived had never known rain or a thunderstorm.
D. Becauseofthe canopy-like existence the world was lush with vegetation
and man prospered, but the wicked-ness of his heart grew greater.
E. Note:Genesis 6:5-6
F. Suffering keeps the sinfulness of man somewhatin check.
III. God allows suffering to serve as a reminder of judgment to come.

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Jesus was interpreting radical suffering vol 2