September 17, 2011

"But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Luke 13:4-5

Repentance hasn’t gone out of style but it seems that talking about it has. Have you noticed that or is it just me?

John the Baptist talked a lot about it. Jesus did, too.

Why do you suppose people aren’t talking about it much today?

I can’t say for sure, but I can offer some ideas.

Maybe it has to do with a misunderstanding of grace. There are those who are of the opinion that since Jesus died for our sins all we have to do is believe in Him and He forgives us just as we are. Repentance doesn’t fit in that scenario.

Perhaps some think calling people to repentance is too confrontational and may offend people. Political correctness can lead to theological incorrectness and that can be deadly.

To repent is an admission that God is right and you are wrong. That is something the sinful nature doesn't want to do.

I fear, however, the real reason that people have lost the sense of urgency over repentance is because they have lost a sense of urgency about sin. Repentance isn’t that big of a deal if sin isn’t that big of a deal.

In the verse above Jesus mentions two times that if you don’t repent you will perish. I don’t know but that sounds serious to me! Especially when you understand that perish means more than just dying – it means eternal death or spiritual death.

According to Jesus it comes down to two clear choices: either you choose to repent of your sin OR you choose to perish in your sin. Either of those is a big deal! Repenting of your sins and finding eternal life is a big deal. Failing to repent and perishing in your sins is also a big deal.

Repentance is having a godly sorrow over sin and turning away from it. Repentance is turning your back on sin and seeking God's Face. Acts 3:19 says, ^"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"

I think we ought to talk more about repentance. And we ought to do it! It’s a big deal!

September 16, 2011

"Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself."  Matthew 26:74-27:5

God has a lot of big ideas. I guess that is one reason He's God. And, it is why you're not!

As Christ-followers it is our responsibility to get our minds and hearts around those life-changing concepts and let the mold our spirits.

One of those big ideas that doesn't get much air time anymore is repentance. I have been studying and meditating on it (and doing it) this week for my message on repentance. If you don't understand repentance you won't be able to get many of God's other big ideas.

While I was out walking my dog this morning the Spirit quickened my mind about the difference between repentance and regret. The classic examples are Peter and Judas. Both had regrets but only one repented while the other is still having regrets.

Let's examine this a little closer:

1) Both were disciples of Jesus

2) Both denied Him at critical times

3) Both did it to their own advantage

4) Both realized their mistakes and felt deep regret

5) But Peter humbled himself while Judas hung himself.

BIG difference!

Repentance is all about humility. Regret is often about pride.

Both were proud men, why did they have such different responses to their failures?

Let me offer an idea and you do some searching of your own.

Peter understood who Jesus really was. It was Peter who declared that Jesus was the "Son of the Living God". Jesus commended him for this insight. When you know Who Jesus is then you also know who you are - and aren't.

Judas misunderstood who Jesus really was. He wanted Jesus to set up His Kingdom on earth by overthrowing Roman oppression and restoring Jerusalem. He was basically following Jesus for selfish ambition. Once he realized Jesus wasn't Who he wanted Him to be he looked for another deal.

Because Peter understood Who Jesus was, he wanted to save faith after he had failed.

Because Judas didn't know Who Jesus was, he wanted to save face after his failure.

Repentance is the response of someone who really gets the big idea of who Jesus is! Living in remorse and surrendering to regret isn't.

I guess the question this morning is, "Will you be Peter or will you be Judas?"

September 15, 2011

"Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Luke 13:1-5

Repent is an inclusive word - everyone will need to repent or they will perish.

Second, REPENT is a Decisive Word

The story is told of a shoplifter who writes to a department store and says, "I’ve just become a Christian, and I can’t sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here’s $100 that I owe you."

"Then he signs his name, and in a little postscript at the bottom he adds, "If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the rest."

That is NOT true repentance! Repentance must be accompanied by true godly sorrow! Repentance is not motivated by the desire to feel better, it is driven by the desire to BE better!

"Repent" is a crucial word. "Repent" is a critical word. Repent is an absolute necessity. This is borne out in the following things: you must REPENT or you will PERISH!

When you are diagnosed with a potentially terminal disease and a radical treatment is prescribed, you know you receive what the Surgeon is calling for or you will perish. That is a decision that must be made sooner rather than later.

It is not a time for distraction or speculation it is time for decisive action. The Surgeon is not interested in discussing medical theories with you or wildly speculating on why some people get cancer and other people don’t, he wants you to commit to dealing with YOUR cancer.

In this encounter with Jesus these men were trying to avoid the issue by speculating about what was wrong with these other people. Jesus will not allow you to avoid the issue. Through His Holy Spirit He will relentlessly confront you and convict of your sin. That is the whole point of repentance.

Repentance is a definite decision made with the intention of turning AWAY from sinfulness and turning 180 degrees TOWARD God! Repentence is the "Christian U-Turn" in that it is a decision to immediately stop the sins that lead you away from God and turn around to return to Him by faith.

If you do not want to perish (be destroyed for eternity) then you will want to repent and return to God!

September 14, 2011

”Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5

REPENT is an inclusive word

"All" need to repent.

What Jesus teaches, then, is that all of us are extremely sinful. There are no innocent human beings. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). What should amaze us in our sin is not that some are taken in calamity, but that we are spared and 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 anger that you and I can sit here this morning and have another chance to repent.

A. There is no escape from it

Repent or perish; all must face it. Acts 17:30 informs us that God "commandeth all men every where to repent." The desire of God is for all men to come to repentance (II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise....").

God does not give us an option in the matter of repentance, He commands all men to repent.

Repentance is not arbitrary, it is absolute.

It is an either / or - either repent or perish.

B. There is no excuse from it

Either you repent or perish. It is that simple.

Unless you repent you will PERISH.

The clerk 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.

REPENT OR PERISH! Face it now or regret it later.

There is no escape for perishing except through repentance.

Perish is something more than simply die a physical death. Jesus is referring to something beyond death. Those Galileans were taken unawares and experienced a horrible end; however, unless you repent, you too will be taken unawares and experience a horrible end—the judgment of God beyond the grave.

The word perish often refers to this terrible judgment in the New Testament. For example in John 3:16 perishing is seen as the alternative to having everlasting life. The same thing turns up in John 10:28.

It is significant that Jesus taught repeatedly about Hell. To portray it He often drew upon the horrors of the Vale of Hinnom, the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Into it were thrown the filth of the city along with the bodies of dead animals and the unclaimed bodies of executed criminals. Maggots infested the nauseous mass, consuming fires burned constantly, and wild dogs howled and gnashed their teeth over edible portions of the garbage. Jesus said that this was a symbol of hell, and the reality is always greater that the symbol.

It is in the word “repent” that your hope lies to escape Hell.

Without repenting and fleeing to Christ there is fire in your future.

September 13, 2011

^”Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Luke 13:1-5

The story is told of a shoplifter who writes to a department store and says, "I’ve just become a Christian, and I can’t sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here’s $100 that I owe you."Jesus was the finest teacher who ever lived. In the passage that we read this morning, He seems to clip two tragic stories from the local Jerusalem newspaper to drive home an important truth that we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

"Then he signs his name, and in a little postscript at the bottom he adds, "If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the rest."

Obviously, this fellow did not understand about repentance. Unfortunately there is much ignorance about what repenance means and how important it is. That is why I will be spending several days emphasizing this vital spiritual concept.

Now no other historian but Luke records the two events Jesus alluded to. Josephus the great Jewish historian does not mention them.

Let us begin with the temple calamity. This would have been headlines in the Jerusalem Gazette. It is very likely that this event took place during the Passover, and these Galilean Jews had come down to offer their sacrifices. Apparently Pilate sends his soldiers to find some Galileans and slaughters them while they are offering sacrifices. We don’t know any of the details. But there they were, offering their sacrifices. Pilate comes, not personally, but his soldiers and finds them there and slices them up so that in a very gruesome way, a gory way, it describes their blood as being mingled with the blood of the sacrifices.

This raises the question about this calamity. These people aren’t pagan; they’re worshiping, they’re doing what the Old Testament says. They’re worshiping God, they’re confessing their sins, they’re bringing their offering. How can such a bad thing happen to good people?

And so in verse 2 Jesus responds to the intention of their bringing this incidnet up. “Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things?” Jesus calls their conventional theology into question. Now do you think that the reason this happened to them was because they are the greatest sinners in Galilee? Is that what you think? Do you suppose that?

Jesus said in response, “Nay.” The Galileans who were slaughtered by Pilate were not greater sinners than others.

Let’s go to the second issue before we come back to the second half of verse 3. The first was the temple calamity. The

second is the tower calamity.

Jesus brings up another issue from the front page. “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?” Jesus again says “Nay.”

Now let’s come to the third point, the temple calamity, the tower calamity, the true calamity. The true calamity, go back to verse 3, “Except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish.” Verse 5, “Except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish.” That’s the true calamity.

The real calamity is not that you were killed in the temple or that the tower fell on you or that you died by any other means. The real calamity is that if you don’t repent, when death comes you will perish.


True calamity is that you die and experience the judgment of God because you have not repented.


The issue is not how people die or when they die or by what cause they die. The issue is that they die without repenting.

Jesus is saying, “Look, don’t assume anything. You’re going to likewise perish except you repent.”

"Man is born with his back toward God. When he truly repents, he turns right around and faces God. Repentance is a change of mind."

 

Have you turned from your sins and turned to God? That's repentance!

September 12, 2011

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!"  Philippians 1:20-22

One final thought on the 9-11 commemoration that is worth noting and has challenged me.

It doesn't take a lot of people to change the world but it does take committed people.

There were just 19 young men who were so committed to their beliefs that they were willing to die for them who brought down those towers and changed life in American for generations. Were they misguided? Certainly. Did they do evil? Absolutely!

One reason Islam is spreading and Christianity is losing influence is tragically illustrated by these terrorist. While many Christians won't get out of bed to show up for church or are afraid to risk ridicule for taking a stand on their prinicples, these guys gave up their lives. They were dead wrong but they loved their faith more than their lives.

If you have one faith that is more committed than another which do you think will win? Which one will gain more influence?

The Apostle Paul here states that he is willing to die for his faith. In fact, as he penned these words, dying looked as good as continuing to live under the constant persecution he faced. But, whether he lived or whether he died he was absolutely committed to live what he believed. He understood that anything not worth dying for is not worth living for. Christ is!

On young man Who died 2,000 years ago changed the world eternally. He believed you were worth dying for. All of the apostles died for their faith and knew it was worth it!

It won't take a lot of people to turn our world back to Christ, but it will take completely committed people!  The 9-11 commemoration was a reminded that evil is dead serious about ruling the world. Christians cannot be causal and win the day.

Are you willing to die for Christ? Then demonstrate it by living for Him today.

September 11, 2011

You could share exactly what you were doing when you heard the news of the attacks. Am I right? Those images are burned into your brain, aren't they?

When you are haunted by the images of the twin towers burning and collapsing remember you have a strong tower and run to it!

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The man who does what is right runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

You have a refuge – “The name of the Lord is a strong tower…..”

In Biblical times, names were given more significance than nowadays because they were descriptive of your essence. For example: Adam’s name meant “man”, Eve = “first mother”, Abram = “lofty father” which was later changed to Abraham = “father of multitudes”. Isaac, the long awaited son = “laughter”. Isaac’s son, Jacob = “deceiver” which later changed to Israel after he wrestled with God. Israel = “straightened by God”.

So, when the Proverb refers to the “name of God” as a strong tower it means all the attributes of God’s character and being!

Our God, our Strong Tower, is all-knowing, all-mighty, all-wise, infinite, holy, and ever-present. There attributes are reflected in some of His Biblical names:

The name of God is Jehovah - The name of God is Yahweh
The name of God is Elohim - My Creator
The name of God is El Elyon - Most High God (Sovereign Over All)
The name of God is Adonai - My Lord, My Master
The name of God is El Roi - God Who Sees
The name of God is El Shaddai - God Almighty
The name of God is Jehovah Ezer - The LORD our Helper
The name of God is Jehovah Jireh - The LORD Will Provide
The name of God is Jehovah Rapha - The LORD our Healer
The name of God is Jehovah Roi - The Lord is My Shepherd
The name of God is Jehovah Sabaoth - LORD of hosts (of armies)
The name of God is Jehovah Mekeddeshem - LORD Who Sanctifies
The name of God is Jehovah Nissi -The LORD Our Banner
The name of God is Jehovah Rapha - LORD Who Heals
The name of God is Jehovah Shalom - The LORD our Peace
The name of God is Jehovah Shammah - The LORD is There

God’s name is a “verb” while other gods are nouns……..

When you take refuge in the strong tower of God’s Name you get all of this – and more – you get to dwell personally with Him!

Thousands of people went to work that morning feeling very secure in what they assumed to be strong towers. None of them would have believed that before their morning break time hundreds would be dead, thousands fleeing the burning structures, and both towers collapsing into piles of debris.

In stark contrast to those crumbling skyscrapers, the Bible tells us we have a STRONG TOWER! How strong is it? It is as strong and secure as the Name of the Lord!

WHEN YOU ARE UNDER ATTACK DO YOU WANT A GOD WHO IS A VERB OR A GOD WHO IS A NOUN?

Your reflex – “The man who does what is right runs into it….”

When you were a child and you felt frightened by something – maybe a storm or a dog or a bully or maybe a monster under your bed, where did you run? TO YOUR FATHER, right?

That was your reflex – your default response, you didn’t think about it you just did it!

You didn’t run around the house or stop somewhere on the way, you ran straight to your father because you wanted to feel safe. You dropped whatever you were doing or whatever you were holding and got there as fast as you could.

That is how you should run to God!

Notice, it says the “righteous man”. That is because a righteous man is the only one who can run immediately into God’s presence. An unrighteous person would have to put down their sin, repent, receive God’s righteousness and THEN run to Him. By then, it could be too late.

As a child of God it should be your reflex to run to Him in times of trouble, BUT you don’t have to go to Him just in trouble, you can share your joys with Him as well!

HOW?

CALL ON HIM – Prayer

CLAIM HIM – Promises

COMMUNE WITH HIM - Presence


WHAT IS YOUR REFLEX WHEN YOU ARE UNDER ATTACK? WHERE DO YOU RUN?

Your reassurance – “….and is safe.”

Psalm 18:2, “Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my HIGH TOWER.”

Psalm 61:2-3, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a STRONG TOWER from the enemy.”

Psalm 114:2, “My goodness, and my fortress, my HIGH TOWER, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust…”

Think of God’s Track Record:

Moses called on the Name of the Lord and God delivered His people from Egypt.

Shadrach, Mesheck, and Abednigo called on the Name of the Lord and they were delivered from the fire.

David confronted Goliath in the Name of the Lord and the giant fell!

Elijah on Mt. Carmel called on the Name of the Lord and the fire fell!

And, if you will call on the Name of the Lord you can know the joy of salvation for the Bible promises: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,”

HAVE YOU FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO HIDE WHEN YOU ARE ATTACKED?

Remember your Refuge!

Run to your Refuge!

Rest in safety!