Luke chapter number 13, Luke chapter number 13, if you're able to stand for the reading of God's word, I ask that you would.
Luke chapter number 13, what a beautiful song, what a reminder.
It goes right along with the message this morning.
I'm going to preach a message entitled this, Living on Borrowed Time.
Living on Borrowed Time.
And I'm enjoying this study through the Gospel of Luke.
I hope it's been a help to you.
And Jesus is, really this is kind of the conclusion of the sermon Jesus has been preaching since the start of chapter number 12.
And really the entire theme of this sermon is this, be ready.
Because the Lord is coming back.
I love that song, it is well, I think we could sing it every Sunday and I still wouldn't tire of it.
But I love that last verse that He's coming back.
And so since He's coming back, here's what we need to be doing.
We need to be ready.
And that's what Jesus wants us to know.
He wants us to understand that truth.
Whether we know Him as our Lord and Savior, we still need to be ready.
And if we don't know the Lord as our Savior, we need to make sure that we are ready.
And Jesus shows us exactly how to do that.
So we're going to read the first nine verses here in Luke chapter number 13.
Have a word of prayer and then jump right in.
The Bible says this,
They were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans,
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them,
Suppose ye, these Galileans, were sinners above all the Galileans,
because they suffered such things?
I tell you, nay.
But except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and slew them,
think ye they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, nay.
But except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.
I just want to throw this in here.
You notice Jesus said the same thing twice.
It's kind of like when your mom repeats something twice.
You probably should pay attention.
So Jesus, when He says things back to back like this,
He wants us to understand this truth.
And so to understand the truth, He illustrates this by giving a parable in verse 6.
And He spake also this parable.
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none.
Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this tree,
and find none.
Cut it down.
Why cumbereth it the ground?
And he answering said unto him,
Lord, let it alone this year also till I dig about it and dung it.
And if it bear fruit, well.
And if not, then after that shall cut it down.
Jesus, it seems kind of, the illustration here at the beginning,
it seems like what in the world is He talking about?
But He's really giving us this idea that we have this illusion,
we have all this time.
But He gives two specific tragedies,
because that morning, they didn't think those things were going to happen to them.
But they did.
And Jesus is saying, listen, we don't know how much time we have.
Every breath is borrowed.
We're living on this borrowed time.
So how do we move forward?
How do we prepare our lives?
And that's what He's going to show us here this morning.
So let's go ahead and ask Him to help us.
Father, thank You for this time together.
Lord, thank You for Your Word that we can open it up.
And Lord, I know there's been a lot of things going on in a lot of lives this week.
We're busy.
We have a busy week coming up.
But Lord, I pray You would help us just to slow down.
Lord, help us to do some evaluation,
take some inventory on how we're spending our time.
Lord, are we living a life that is ready for You to come back?
Are we on mission for You?
Lord, I pray that You would just use this text,
You would use Your Word today to speak to our hearts,
to challenge us, to convict us,
to encourage us where need be.
Lord, I do pray that if there is somebody here today
that does not know You as their Savior,
Lord, they're not trusting in other things.
They must trust in You, Lord,
that today would be that day.
Lord, I pray You would be with me now.
You would empty me of self.
You would cleanse me of sin.
You would fill me with Your Spirit.
Lord, I want to be a help to Your people this morning
as You've been a help to me even studying this text.
Lord, I pray You would receive all the honor and glory
that's due Your name.
We ask it in Christ's name.
Amen.
Thank you so much for standing.
You may be seated.
I think I already know the answer to this question
because we were a slow-arriving crowd this morning.
But I'm going to ask anyways,
how many of you hit the snooze button this morning?
I feel like we are liars in here.
Like, not me.
How many of you just, okay,
how many of you even set an alarm?
Yeah, there you go.
Man, you're living by faith, man.
That's next-level stuff right there.
I appreciate that.
But for those that raised your hand
and those that were afraid to raise your hand
but still hit the snooze button,
I mean, if you're like me,
the alarm went off
and your first thought was either,
ugh,
and then it was followed by
just a few more minutes.
And we all know how that goes.
Five minutes turns to ten minutes.
Ten minutes turns to fifteen,
and before you know it,
you're running around like a chicken
with your head cut off.
You're yelling at the kids to get in the car.
You're frustrated by everything.
Every single light was red,
and if you live on the wrong side of the tracks,
you are stopped by the Gainesville train
that is ever faithful to be there
when you're running late.
I mean, that's how I think.
I'm like,
do I have time to go down California
or do I have to drive all the way to 82
just in case the train comes?
You know,
and I see people like that,
and I've been there too,
and they're mad at the lights,
and I tell them,
I can't believe all these lights,
and you know,
the reality is if you just got up on time
and left a little bit earlier,
you'd be okay.
But it's one of those things,
and we've all been there,
and honestly,
the snooze button was okay
when it comes to your morning alarm,
but the problem is,
is it's not just something we do
with an alarm clock.
I think we do it in our life often,
whether it's spiritual things
or just everyday life.
It's not that we're saying no to certain things.
We're just saying,
now's not a great time.
Hey, a couple more days.
Next week,
when it slows down,
and I think we're all guilty of assuming
we have more time than we do.
We think things like this.
I'll get to it later.
I'll deal with that tomorrow.
Some of us have been dealing with saying that
for weeks now.
I'll deal with that tomorrow,
and you know,
we just kind of want to keep pushing it down the road.
We say things like,
I got plenty of time.
You know,
and I was like that in school.
I got plenty of time to finish this project.
You know,
I just figured this.
I work better under pressure,
so I'm just going to wait
until like the last minute,
then it's going to really help me focus.
But the problem is,
is we think we have all this time,
and then suddenly,
we don't.
That things that's been on the calendar for months,
that deadline at work,
it just seems to have snuck up on you.
That bill that you were going to pay,
guess what?
You forgot to pay it.
This is your friendly reminder.
Check your bills.
Pay them.
A conversation you may have wished you would have had
before it was too late.
But here's what's even more serious,
is that we don't just do it with everyday things.
I think if we're honest,
sometimes we do it with spiritual things.
We do it with eternal things.
We assume that we have more time to get right with God.
We think to ourselves,
the Lord knows I love Him,
but I'll just deal with this later.
Maybe you're at a stage in your life,
maybe young people think,
I'll get more serious when I get a little bit older.
I'll get more serious when this happens,
and one day I'll really go all in for God.
Listen, it doesn't matter if you're a teenager,
or you're the oldest person in your room,
today's the day to go all in.
That's what Jesus calls.
That's the life that He calls us to live,
and Jesus is confronting that exact mindset
here in Luke chapter number 13.
And we read those first five verses,
and we think, man,
what did these two tragedies some 2,000 years ago
have to do with us here at Central Baptist Church in 2026?
Because really it has nothing to do with these tragedies.
What Jesus is really trying to pull out
and to put into our lives
is that we need to live our life with some urgency.
We need to be urgent about the things of God.
It's time to be serious about dealing with repentance,
about dealing with things in our life
that are there that should not be.
It reminds us of this simple reality.
We are living on borrowed time.
See, you don't control,
if we're going to kind of think of an idea here,
we don't control how much time we have.
But what we can control
is what we do with the time that we have.
That's what Jesus wants us to understand.
He wants us to be a people that live with urgency.
So the question naturally becomes,
how should we live knowing that we're on borrowed time?
Because I think we understand that.
We understand the reality of that.
Here in the text,
Jesus is going to give us three powerful reminders
reminders about life and about time and about eternity.
And the first thing that we see here is this.
Number one,
that tragedy is a warning,
not a measure.
Tragedy is a warning,
not a measure.
Verse number one,
they were present at the season,
some that told him of the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Now, maybe to us,
we're thinking,
okay,
I'm not really sure what that means.
But you got to realize that the Bible,
they would understand that.
This would be like,
this would be a major event in their history.
This was something that didn't happen that long ago.
Pilate is still alive.
He is still in rule at this time.
And this was shocking.
I mean,
it would be like if we said,
you remember 9-11?
I mean,
many of us in this room,
we would instantly know exactly what it was.
And there's opinions about it.
And there's all kinds of situations about it.
But that was kind of the situation here.
Now,
we don't know all the details,
but more than likely,
this atrocity took place during Passover.
It would have been the only time
that these ordinary worshipers,
these Galileans,
would have been allowed
kind of into the temple grounds area.
They would have traveled in for Passover.
We see that throughout the Gospels.
And they would have been there
and they would have been directly involved.
They would have purchased a lamb
or a turtle doves,
depending on their financial state.
And they would have been in that opportunity.
And see,
these Galileans,
they had simply come to worship the Lord.
Now,
some historians say that
they were using some of this opportunity
to protest against Pilate,
to protest against the Romans.
We've seen that.
Israel did not like the fact
that Rome was in charge
and they kind of had their hands
in some of the religious ceremonies.
But we don't know what the details were,
but Pilate decided,
you know what,
we're just going to kill them right here.
And so,
he had his officers,
his police,
his soldiers,
they would have killed them
right there in the temple grounds.
I mean,
we see things,
we see tragedies like this
even in our culture.
People have come in
and shot at churches
and different things like that.
That's kind of what this was.
That they were there just worshiping.
They were there just serving the Lord
and it was disturbing
and it was violent
and it was unforgettable.
Everybody in town knew about it
and it was the talk of the town.
So,
Jesus is preaching this sermon.
If your Bible has red letters,
I mean,
he's talking
and somebody's just in the middle of the sermon,
hey,
did you hear about this?
What do you have to say about this,
Jesus?
You know,
it kind of seems as an interruption.
And here's the issue.
The assumption in the crowd was this.
Those people must have done something
to deserve that.
That was the way that they thought.
And I just want to remind you,
this is not really new thinking.
If you know your Old Testament,
there was a man named Job.
Job was a very rich man.
He was a very powerful man.
He had pretty much everything he ever needed.
He had houses and lands.
I mean,
he was probably the most wealthy man
on the face of the earth.
And yet,
God allowed Satan to come
and to touch those things
and he lost all those things.
And then Job had some really awesome,
solid friends show up.
And if you've read the book of Job,
you know I'm being completely sarcastic.
But I mean,
I kind of understand
where Job's friends were coming from.
Because I mean,
Job seemed to have everything
and then like in a moment,
everything was gone
and they're there
and they kind of feel bad for him
and they're kind of,
they don't know what to say.
They're like,
let's just sit here for a minute.
Then they decide,
you know what?
Job,
you're a bad dude.
I mean,
we've thought about it.
We've prayed about it.
And only bad things happen
to bad people.
And that was kind of their mindset.
That Job's suffering
was because he was
an awful,
wicked sinner
who was just really good
at hiding it.
That was their mindset.
And really,
it's been that way
for a long time.
You go to John chapter 9.
The disciples,
the apostles of Jesus,
they're there
and this blind man
comes in
and here's what
the disciples ask.
Why was this man,
who sinned
that this man
was born blind?
Was it his parents
or was it him?
Because when they looked
at somebody that was maimed
or somebody that had
a deformity like that,
the only option
for that
was they were sinners.
That was the only option.
And before we judge
the Job's friends
and before we judge
the disciples,
I submit to you
that sometimes
that mindset,
it runs deep
in our human nature.
And honestly,
here's why it does.
It's an attractive way
to think
because it's neat
and it's clean
and it's self-satisfying
because we can look
at a situation
and we can think
because if tragedy
only happens
to bad people,
I must be a good person then.
That's kind of
what we think.
That's kind of
how our mind works.
In other words,
here's what they're saying.
They didn't have
a legitimate question.
They're saying,
come on, Jesus,
just tell us
they did wrong
so we feel better
about ourselves.
That's what's
taking place here.
That's kind of
the mindset.
But Jesus,
He's just like
my parents were.
He just kind of
ignored it
and just went on.
He just kind of
He's not there
to play their game
and in fact,
He brings up
another tragedy.
Verse number 14,
verse number 4,
excuse me,
or those 18
upon whom
the Tower of Siloam
fell and slew them.
Think ye
they were sinners
above all men
that dwelt in Jerusalem?
See,
many believe
this Tower of Siloam
would have stood
near the wall
of Jerusalem.
Maybe when you read
the Bible
you heard of the
Pool of Siloam.
This would have been
maybe what many
historians believe
is they were building
one of the aqueducts
to bring water in
to have a better
water source
and what happens
during this construction
is it collapses
and it kills
18 people.
It was an absolute
tragedy
and here's why
that matters.
Here's why Jesus
is bringing it up
because the Galileans
were kind of
looked down upon.
They were Jews
but they were just
Jews from the
wrong side of the tracks.
They were kind of
the backwoods Jews.
They were the
redneck Jews.
They weren't
sophisticated
Jerusalem Jews.
So what they had
going on for them
is when they
looked at them
well the Galileans
you know what
they probably
had that coming.
If they would
just learn
to keep their
mouth shut
if they would
just learn
to not mess
with Pilate
they probably
wouldn't have
had that happen.
But Jesus
brings up a
situation
that nobody
could say that
about.
This was
random
it was unexpected
there was no
explanation
it was an
accident.
In Jesus
he uses
both examples
to drive
home the
same point.
He says
there in
verse number
two
suppose ye
these Galileans
were sinners
above all
the Galileans
because they
suffered such
things and the
crowd's thinking
absolutely we
do.
That's a hundred
percent what we
think because that
is what they
thought.
He says in
verse number
five verse
number four
think ye
that they were
sinners above all
that dwelt in
Jerusalem.
And Jesus
gives the same
answer to both.
He says I
tell you I
tell you this
no.
He said you're
thinking about
this wrong.
You're assuming
the wrong
things.
Now before we
move on I
don't want us
to misunderstand
this.
Jesus is not
saying that
sin never
brings
consequences.
Sin does
bring consequences.
We got to be
careful because our
sin will find us
out.
That everything
we do is not
hid from the
Lord.
But that's not
the point of
this text.
Here's what he's
doing.
He's rejecting
the idea that
all tragedy is
the result of
us being
sinners.
That's what he's
saying.
Because that's
how they
thought.
They thought
well as long
as I'm good
and as long
as nothing
happens to me
then I must
be living
okay.
My life is
good.
My life is
right before
the Lord.
But that's
not the
he's not
he doesn't
want us to
miss this.
His message is
found in
verse 3
and verse 5
he says
this
but except
ye repent
ye shall
all likewise
perish.
Here's what
Jesus is
doing.
He's not
comparing
sinners.
Galileans
versus
Jerusalem
people.
You know
higher society
versus regular
people.
That's not
what he's
doing.
No here's
what he's
doing.
He's leveling
the ground.
He wants
us all to
understand this
they were
all sinners.
That we
all fall
short of
the glory
of God.
That we're
all guilty.
That we
all deserve
death.
You think
well I
don't know
if I
like that
message.
It's the
message.
But God
so loved
the world
that he
gave his
only begotten
son.
The wages
of sin
is death
but the
gift of
God is
eternal
life.
Listen
tragedy
is not
proof of
greater
guilt.
It's
just a
reminder
that judgment
is coming
one day.
I think
we mentioned
last week
it's appointed
a man
once to
die
and after
this the
judgment.
He's just
saying listen
sometimes life
has tragedies.
Sometimes there's
unexplainable
things as this
tower falling
or pilot
kind of
going off
the rails.
But instead
of asking
about it
instead of
thinking about it
every time we
hear about a
tragedy
an accident
a sudden
death
an unexpected
loss
sometimes we
try to
explain it
away.
We try to
figure out
the issues
of it
instead of
saying why
did this
happen to
them
we need
to look
at a text
like that
and say
what does
this mean
for me?
How can
I apply
this to
my life?
Because the
truth is that
you're not
guaranteed
tomorrow
either.
I mean
it's not a
popular thing
to think
about but
it is the
reality.
I would
imagine all
of us in
this room
know somebody
or know
something very
close where
some tragic
accident
happened.
And it
was just
they were
here and
they were
gone.
And we
know that
true but
if we're
honest we
think well
that will
never happen
to me
until it
does.
And Jesus
wants us to
be mindful
of that.
Listen to
this.
The real
question is
not why
do bad
things happen
to good
people?
I'm sure
you've heard
that all
the time.
Why do
bad things
happen to
good people?
No I
think here's
a better
question.
Why do
good things
happen to
bad people?
Because that's
all of us.
God loves
us.
I don't
know.
I think it
means God
loves us.
That God is
merciful and
that he's
gracious and
that's the
answer.
Why do good
things happen to
bad people?
Because he's
gracious and he's
merciful and he's
patient with us.
And the reason that
matters so much in
our life is
sometimes we're
carrying things that
we are not intended
to carry.
we're carrying
guilt and for
things that you
didn't cause.
Sometimes a tragedy
happens and you
know what?
We can't get
past it.
Sometimes parents
live in blame
their whole life
because their
child decided to
make a choice and
is living a
prodigal style
life.
Families carry
burdens they were
never meant to
carry.
But Jesus is
showing us here in
this text that
not all tragedy
is a result of
our sin.
That death
happens.
Tragedies come to
all and sometimes
the unthinkable
even comes to the
most faithful
people.
Which means the
issue is not
why them.
The issue is this.
Are you ready?
That's what Jesus
is driving home.
Because when these
men went to build
the Tower of
Siloam, they
didn't think when
they got up that
morning that was
the last morning
they were going
to get up.
Nobody thinks
that.
We see accents
all the time on
the highway.
Nobody gets up
and thinks that's
going to be me
today.
I mean we just
live life like we
just have unlimited
time.
No, it's borrowed.
We don't know how
much time that we
have.
But why does Jesus
dig so deep in on
this idea?
We've been talking
about repentance for
it seems weeks now.
I think he does it
because of this.
Number two, life is
limited so repentance
is urgent.
Life is limited so
repentance is urgent.
Notice what he said
again in verse 3.
But except ye
repent, ye shall
all likewise perish.
This word except it
means unless this
happens, nothing else
matters.
That's what he's
bringing us to the
point.
I mean you can live
your life and do all
of these things but
except ye repent, it
doesn't matter what
you did.
This is the most
important decision that
you will ever make.
Here's what Jesus is
saying.
Repentance is not
optional.
It's not when you get
around to it and you
feel like it's a good
idea and if it fits in
your schedule and it
kind of molds around
your lifestyle.
No, it's absolutely
necessary.
But notice what Jesus
doesn't say.
He doesn't say all you
need to do is just try a
little bit harder.
He doesn't say you know
what you need to do?
You just need to be a
better person.
You know sometimes you
ever wake up and say
man today I'm just going
to be a better person
and then you get in
your car and you start
yelling at people.
At least they don't
know.
You know that's just
between, isn't it super
hard just to be a better
person sometimes?
Because even sometimes
on the outside you're
trying to be a better
person, on the inside
you're like I want to
punch these people in
their face.
So if I'm looking at
you weird when you're
talking to me you just
think he probably wants
to punch me in my face.
I'm just trying to be
real.
If us getting to
heaven was based on
being a better person
I'm not sure any of us
would make it.
Jesus doesn't say hey
here's what I need you
to do.
Here's how you get to
heaven.
Clean up your life.
Well I got to clean my
life up a little bit
before I come to Jesus
before I come to church.
No, no.
Here's what you got to
do.
Repent.
You got to realize that
you're a sinner and God
loves you and he saved
you.
That's where it starts.
He never says clean
yourself up.
He says come unto me.
That's the goal.
That's the aim.
So here's the question.
We talked a lot about it
but what is repentance?
I just want to dig in
real quick so we make
sure we understand.
Because I think repentance
is often misunderstood.
Sometimes people think
repentance is just
emotion.
It's crying and it's
feeling bad.
Listen, sometimes that
is that way.
But you know what?
Sometimes I cried and I
was sad when I got caught
growing up just because I
got caught.
I wasn't really
repentant.
I was just like my dad's
going to kill me and I'm
probably going to die.
I might as well cry about
it.
But sometimes that's how we
treat repentance.
We know it's wrong but we
actually enjoy it.
We just want to say I'm
sorry so we can just move
on past it.
Sometimes people view
repentance as a ritual.
It's something you go
through.
It's something you do.
That's not what repentance
is.
Repentance, true repentance,
true biblical repentance
when Jesus says except you
repent, here's what it
means.
It means you change your
mind about your sin.
That's the first step.
You change your mind about
your sin and then number
two, you turn from your
sin to Jesus.
Basically you're going down
life, living life like
this, you realize that
you're a sinner that you
sinned against God and you
want to go towards him.
That's what repentance is.
It's turning from your sin,
not just stop sinning,
but stop sinning and turn
towards Christ.
That's the goal.
That's the aim.
And here's the reminder.
It's not a temporary change
or a quick fix.
You know what?
I mean, we'll give an
example.
How many of you have
ever been to the dentist?
Yeah, we got some dental
hygienists in here and stuff.
You know how good I brush my
teeth the week I'm going to
the dentist?
Like I'm supposed to.
And then when, you know
how much I, you know when I
floss the day before?
Because they're going to
say, do you floss them?
I'm like, absolutely I floss.
Don't listen to that, Miss
Jordan.
Because she asked me that.
I'm like, is that not how
we operate?
Yeah.
But that's sometimes how we
view repentance.
We do something, we feel like,
man, I need to get ahead of
this before this train comes
down the track and the Lord
just smashes me.
Listen, God's not trying to do
that.
That's not what he's, that's
not the goal.
He's not up here to make our
life miserable.
You know why he wants us to
live in a state of repentance?
So we can have a relationship
with him.
Because he loves us and he
cares for us and he wants the
best for us.
He's giving all of his thoughts
towards us and sometimes we're
just not going that way.
See, it's not a quick fix.
It's not a temporary change.
It's a change of mind that leads
to a change of life.
And it affects how you think and
how you live.
Not one day, not one week, but for
the rest of your life.
Does that mean we're perfect?
No.
No, we can, we can know that
we're saved.
We can know we're on the way to
heaven and we can have repented
of our sins one time.
Salvation is a one time thing.
Let's just make sure we
understand that.
You don't have to get saved over
and over again, but we still
sin and we have to repent and
ask the Lord for forgiveness.
First John 1, 9, if we repent of
our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us.
It's about fellowship with God.
That's what it's about.
You say, well, preacher, why
should I repent?
Because Jesus shows us in these
verses, it's because judgment is
certain.
He says, except ye repent, notice
what he said, ye shall all
likewise perish.
Not might, not maybe, we will.
That's the reality of it.
We don't like to talk about it, but
every person will face death and
after that, they'll face God.
But here's the beautiful thing.
If you know Christ is your
Savior, you don't have to fear
that.
I'm ready to see the Lord face to
face.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
I want to see my Savior.
I want to be there.
I don't want to have to deal with
sin anymore.
I want to live in a place of a
perfect relationship with Jesus
Christ.
And Jesus knows this.
He knows that death is coming.
He knows judgment is certain.
And he's telling us this because
he loves us.
This is not a, oh man, the
preacher's mad and Jesus is mad.
I'm thankful Jesus tells us the
truth.
That we don't live through life
thinking we're all good.
And then judgment comes and we
think, wish somebody would have
told me about this.
You ever had one of those things
at work?
You think, I wish somebody had
told me about this.
I'm completely unprepared.
I look silly up here.
Listen, that's not how Jesus
operates.
And he's confronting this, this
illusion of time that we think
that we have.
In fact, he's just lovingly
reminding us, time is no, we have
no guarantee of it.
And we have no guarantee that we
have more time later.
So what he's saying is, is we must
make sure we are right with him
right now.
That we, we don't leave these,
this, this auditorium this morning
thinking, I'll deal with that later.
See, the greatest tragedy is not
how you die.
That's what the Jews thought.
Like, I can't believe they got
slaughtered in the temple.
I can't believe, man, they got to
be really bad if a tower fell on
them.
I mean, I mean, towers just don't
fall on people unless you're bad
people.
That's what they were thinking.
Jesus says, no, actually the worst
way to die is without repentance.
That's where you don't want to find
yourself.
Like, a tower's not great.
But a repent, without repentance,
has eternal consequences.
And that's what Jesus is teaching.
And before we move on, I just want
to, I want to make it real in our
lives real quick and just ask
yourself, is there something God has
shown you that you've been putting
off?
Maybe there's a sin in your life.
And he says, get rid of that.
Stop doing that.
And we keep saying, well, it's not
that bad.
I'll deal with it later.
Like, you know, I'll deal with it.
And then it, Lord, just let me be.
Maybe it's a step of obedience that
we're delaying.
He's calling you out to do
something.
Maybe to take a stand at school and
share the gospel with your friends,
to take a stand at work.
Listen, peer pressure is not just only
for teenagers.
Sometimes we're not willing to do what
we should at work because we're
afraid.
Maybe God is leading us to that step
of obedience.
Maybe it's just, maybe you're coming
to this realization, I've never
really repented of my sins.
You just need to trust Christ today
for salvation.
Listen, if you keep saying later,
later becomes into not at all, and
the urgency fades, and you find
yourself maybe one day thinking,
it's too late.
So what are you putting off
spiritually right now?
Because whatever it is, I think this,
it's probably more urgent than you
think it is.
Because we don't know how much time
we have.
It's borrowed time.
So life is limited.
Repentance is urgent.
So why hasn't judgment come?
That's what the world says.
Well, where is he?
You always talk about Jesus coming
back.
Where is he?
Well, I love this third point.
God is patient, but time is running
out.
Peter tells us in the book of 1 Peter
that God is not slack concerning his
promises, as some men count slackness.
He's not lazy, but he's rather that all
should come to repentance.
No, God is patient.
And to close out his sermon, Jesus uses
a parable to illustrate this truth.
He introduces us to a man that planted
a fig tree in his vineyard, and he came
looking for fruit, and he found none.
And I think we would understand the
frustration there.
Some of you want to be gardeners.
And you go out to your garden, you're
thinking, why is nothing growing?
All I grow is leaves.
It's just green all the time.
And you know what?
And you think, you know what I'm going
to do?
I'm going to tear this up and throw it
away and plant something new.
That makes sense.
You spent money.
You cultivate the ground.
You fertilize it.
You do all of these things.
Why?
Because the idea is it bears fruit.
That is the goal.
And this tree that we're introduced to
in verse number six had everything it
needed to bear fruit.
It had been planted.
It had been cared for.
It had been watered over and over and
over.
It had been fertilized for years and
absolutely nothing.
What a one-time thing.
Because some people have the idea that
God is just going to, he gave you one
chance and then you're done.
No, three years.
That's what the Bible says in verse
number seven.
Then he said he unto the dresser of
the vineyard, behold, these three years
I come of this fig tree and find none.
There was no growth, no fruit, no change.
Notice what he says at the end of the
verse.
He said, cut it down.
Why cumbereth it the ground?
He said, why is this tree taking up all
this space in my vineyard and not doing
its one job producing fruit?
That's what he's saying.
And if we're looking at this strictly
from a farming perspective, from a
vineyard dresser, that is a perfectly
reasonable suggestion.
Cut it down.
It's not worth anything.
They're reasonable.
The tree was planted in good soil.
It was given space.
It was given sunlight.
It's drawing nutrients from the ground
and it's producing nothing.
It was using resources without
fulfilling its purpose.
And the guys, the vineyard dresser
says this, the owner says, it must go.
But I love verse number eight.
And he answering said unto him, Lord,
let it alone this year also till I shall
dig about it and dung it.
The caretaker speaks up.
Let's just give it, let's give it one
more year.
Look, I'm going to put some extra work
in it here.
I'm going to put some people around
this tree that really know what
they're doing.
I'm going to call a tree specialist.
I'm going to come and have the soil
tested and I'm going to dig around
it.
I'm going to make sure it's got
everything that it needs.
I'm going to fertilize it.
Let's just give it a little more
time.
You know what that is?
Astonishing mercy.
That's what that is.
See, don't miss this.
The owner represents the justice of
God.
God is just.
And he will exact justice.
Perfect justice.
Everything he does is perfect.
But the caretaker, it represents the
mercy of Jesus Christ.
Because God says, hey, this tree is not
doing anything.
Let's get rid of it.
And Jesus says, let's just give it a
little more time.
Let me just, I'm going to send some
people in his life and they're going
to love on him and they're going to
share the gospel.
Let's just give him a little more time.
See, justice says, cut it down.
And mercy says, give it more time.
See, the Lord is merciful to give us
time to respond.
How does God work in that time?
He digs around the roots.
He fertilizes.
He brings the word into your life.
Maybe he's brought people into your
life.
You know what they're doing?
They're just loving you.
They're sharing the gospel.
He sends the spirit to stir your
heart.
Maybe it's right now the Holy Spirit
saying, that's exactly what you need.
And he reminds you of sin, not to make
you feel terrible, but to realize
there's a debt to be paid.
But here's the great news.
He already paid the debt.
And he presses that conviction on your
soul.
And moment after moment, month after
month, God is working to produce fruit
in your life.
He loves you.
He cares for you.
But here's the reality.
There is a time limit.
Verse 9.
And if it bear fruit, we're good to go.
But notice what he says.
And if not, then after that, thou shalt cut
it down.
He's not being mean here.
He's just speaking to the reality that at
some point time will run out.
Some people live a few years.
Some people live 100 years.
But the opportunity is not going to last
forever.
See, God's patience.
Get a hold of this.
God's patience is not permission to keep
hitting the snooze button.
Whether it's salvation, whether it's
obedience, whether it's service.
It's not a good time right now.
I'm busy.
I got kids at home.
And when I get out and we just keep it
and snooze.
Keep it and snooze.
No, here's what God's patience is.
It's an opportunity to repent.
That's what it is.
But what can we take home with us?
I think we can take this.
That every day that you wake up,
every breath that you take,
every moment that you have,
here's what it is.
Borrowed time.
That's what it is.
Everybody in this room, we're living on
borrowed time.
So ask yourself,
am I bearing fruit?
Or am I just taking up space?
Am I growing spiritually?
Or am I just coasting?
Am I responding to God?
Or ignoring Him?
Snoozing Him?
Listen, do not waste the borrowed time
that God is giving you to respond.
The time is now.
We don't know the rest of this day.
We know this.
We have this time right here.
Would the Lord help us to respond
however He spoke to our hearts?
With our heads bowed and our eyes closed,
why don't we stand
and get ready for this time of invitation?
If you're here, you say,
Preacher, I know the Lord is my Savior.
I put my faith and trust
in what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.
Let me ask you this.
Is your life bearing fruit?
That's what Jesus intends for us to do.
Bearing fruit looks like
living a Christ-like life.
Loving God.
Loving others.
Sharing the gospel.
Leading your children
and the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.
Being a witness wherever God places you.
He's not calling you to be perfect,
but He is calling you to make a difference.
People can see the fruit of your life.
They can see your good works
and want some of that.
And glorify your Father which is in heaven.
That's the goal,
that we're to let our light so shine.
He's not looking for perfection,
but He is looking for progress.
Is your life changed
and continuing to change?
That's a sign that you
are in the family.
That God is working.
Because real repentance
produces real fruit.
Maybe you're here and you
try to turn over a new leaf.
You're trying to be a good person.
You're trying to do the right thing.
Listen, there's nothing wrong with that.
But the most important decision
you'll ever make is
do you know Jesus Christ
as your Savior?
Because the only reason you're here,
the only reason I'm here
is the mercy of God.
And the only reason you still have time
is the grace of God.
But do not presume on that grace.
God is looking for fruit.
And here's the beautiful thing.
Jesus made a way.
That's what the cross of Calvary is about.
We're all sinners.
But we must all come to that realization
that it was my sin
that put Him on that cross.
That that should have been my cross.
And He died the death
that I should have died.
And He paid a debt
that I should have paid.
And He was buried
and He rose again
so that I might have life
and I might have it eternally.
I might have a purpose
in my life here today.
Don't put it off any longer.
You may not feel comfortable
coming down here
at this invitation time.
Nobody's going to be looking around.
Brother Garrett's down here.
My wife's down here.
I'm down here.
I'd love to show you
from the Word of God.
After church, you say,
Preacher, I've got some questions about that.
I'll sit down with you.
Let's talk about it.
Because that is the most important thing
that you can ever do
is trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Whether you know Him or you don't,
don't assume you have more time.
Don't delay what God is doing in your heart.
Come today.
Father, thank You for this time.