Are those 18 who died when the tower of 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.
Then he told this parable.
A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit in it, but he did not find any.
So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard,
For three years now, I have been coming to look for fruit in this fig tree and haven't found any.
Cut it down. Why should it use up the soil?
Sir, the man replied, leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig round it and fertilize it.
If it bears fruit next year, fine. If not, then cut it down.
On the Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues.
And a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years.
She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her,
Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.
Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,
the synagogue ruler said to the people,
There are six days for work, so come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.
The Lord answered him,
You hypocrites!
Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for 18 long years,
be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,
but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Thank you, Sam, and thank you for handing out the pens and notes there.
We're looking at our series through Luke's Gospel.
Today we reach chapter 13.
We're going to be touching on all of it.
We didn't read all of it, but that's okay.
We are going to look at all of it.
And if you've missed any of the talks along the way,
you can always go back and listen.
You can find them on the church website.
And if you have any comments about the church website,
we'd love to have your feedback on those sorts of things as well.
And because we're covering such a large section this morning,
there'll be bits that we don't touch on,
and you might have questions about that,
so please feel free to ask afterwards.
Come and have a chat about it.
We'd love to talk to you further.
Thank you very much, Sam, for doing that.
Well, let's pray and ask for God's help.
Father, as we gather together to hear your word,
we want to hear it carefully and clearly.
We want to hear the seriousness of what you are saying
and the implications that it has upon our lives today
and as we go about our life this coming week.
Father, would you reach into our hearts
and grab a hold of us
and change us and conform us
so that we are people who live by your agenda
and according to your will and purpose.
Father, we come before you
and ask that you would help us
to put aside what we think is important
and listen afresh to you
to what is truly important.
Help us then, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
What's the time?
How many times do we ask that in a day?
Our whole day is ordered, isn't it?
And structured by time.
7 a.m.
Time to get up
or turn off the alarm and roll back to sleep
if you're like me.
12.30.
Lunchtime.
Time to pick up the kids.
Time to go to the shops.
8 p.m.
Time for that meeting.
Time to go out.
Time to go to bed.
Time reminds us what needs to be done.
In fact, the closer we get to that time,
the more urgent things become.
Well, Luke wants us to keep an eye on the time.
Before we get stuck into chapter 13,
there are two times that we need to adjust our life to.
Two times that will help us understand chapter 13.
The first time that we've got to be focused on
is cross time.
Go back to chapter 9.
Just a few pages to chapter 9.
Chapter 9 is a turning point in Luke's Gospel.
Jesus has just identified himself to be the Messiah.
That is God's anointed king, God's saving king.
And here's what he says about himself in chapter 9, verse 22.
And Jesus said,
The Son of Man,
his favourite title for referring to himself,
he says,
The Son of Man must suffer many things,
be rejected by the elders,
the chief priests,
the teachers of the law,
and that he must be killed,
and on the third day be raised to life.
So here, for the first time,
Jesus is making it crystal clear to us.
He's telling us that he must die.
He must go to the cross.
And from this point forward,
everything in Luke is heading towards Jerusalem,
where Jesus will die.
So, if you look at verse 51 of chapter 9,
it reads,
As the time approached for Jesus to be taken up into heaven,
Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the place of execution.
In Jerusalem, Jesus will die.
And from this point onwards,
time and time again,
Luke keeps telling us that
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.
Because, at the cross,
salvation comes.
So the first timing that we need to be adjusted to is
cross time.
The second timing is judgment time.
Have a look at chapter 12.
Chapter 12 obviously comes before chapter 13,
and in chapter 12,
Jesus has been telling a parable,
a story about his return in judgment.
So chapter 12, verse 40.
And he's telling us there,
Jesus says,
You also must be ready,
because the Son of Man,
again, that same title that he gives to himself,
will come at an hour or at a time
when you do not expect him.
One day,
the risen Lord Jesus is going to return in judgment.
And he's saying,
we've got to be ready for this.
And to help us to understand how we need to be ready,
he tells another short story.
Verse 57.
It's like a little illustration.
Have a look at chapter 12,
verse 57.
Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?
As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate,
so he's saying,
look, put yourself in this situation.
As you're going with your adversary to the magistrate,
try hard to be reconciled on the way,
or your adversary may drag you off to the judge,
and the judge turn you over to the officer,
and the officer throw you into prison.
In other words,
time is running out.
There is an urgency.
We've got to sort things out with God.
You see,
cross time prepares us
for the coming of Jesus.
And that's the time frame we're in right now.
The cross has happened.
But judgment is yet to come.
This is the time frame we're in.
Salvation is here today.
Judgment is coming.
And this is the time by which we're to adjust our life to.
This is the time that our clock should be altered to.
And Luke wants us to take these two timings with us
as we head into chapter 13.
So three things we need to deal with urgently
while we have time.
First, time to repent.
Into chapter 13 we go.
Jesus impresses us with the need to repent.
Look at verse 3.
But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
And in case we haven't got it,
the end of verse 5.
But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
To perish is to face that judgment of God.
A fearful and eternal separation from God
for all eternity.
Hell itself.
So there is this pressing urgency
to repent.
And repentance implies two things.
It implies turning from something.
So you're going in this direction.
And you've got to turn around 180
and go this direction.
Turn from something.
And turn to something.
So turn from your own desires and dreams.
And turn to Jesus
and pursue His will for your life.
Repentance isn't just a one-off event.
It is a daily action
where we repent continually.
It means dying to self.
Dying to living my way
and turning and saying,
I am living for Christ.
And we continually need to alter ourselves
and repent.
His glory.
Not my glory.
His agenda.
My agenda.
And the reason we need to repent.
Well, there's two reasons
in this little section.
First,
the reason to repent
is because life
is fragile.
We don't know
when life will end.
You see,
Jesus' call for repentance
comes in the context
of sudden
and surprising death.
Look at verse 1.
Now,
there were some present
at that time
who told Jesus
about the Galileans
whose blood
Pilate had mixed
with their sacrifices.
It sounds horrific,
doesn't it?
It was a horrific murder
that took place.
Pilate, of course,
was the Roman prefect,
the one who was in charge.
He was in charge
of military and security.
And from history,
history tells us
he was quite a brutal man.
And to remind the people
who was in charge,
he would just often
have them killed.
And here we're reading
in chapter 13, verse 1,
he has people from Galilee
knocked off.
One minute they're on their way
to the temple
and the next minute
they're dead.
Or look at verse 4.
Jesus says,
what about those 18 people
who died
when the tower in Siloam
fell on them?
One minute they're out
looking at all the views
around them,
perhaps looking down
at their friends
down below.
The next minute
the tower collapses
and they're dead.
And the presumption
behind both of these
sudden and surprising deaths
is that they must have been
involved in some terrible sin.
God must be punishing them.
But look what it says
in verse 5.
I tell you,
no.
But unless you repent,
you too
will all perish.
No, they're not worse sinners
than you or I.
They are not more guilty
than you or I.
In fact,
I could be
a worse sinner.
You could be more guilty
than these people
that's been talked about here.
The point is,
life is
fragile.
We will all die
and we do not know when.
There is no guarantee
that we're going to grow old.
Sometimes death
is sudden
and surprising.
An accident
in a car.
An untreatable disease.
Caught in an act
of terrorism.
One minute
enjoying life.
The next minute
we're dead.
Life is fragile.
we need to repent.
Well,
the second reason
we need to repent
is,
well,
mercy
will cease.
God longs
for people
to repent.
And the fact
that we are still
alive today
is a sign
of God's mercy.
Look at verse 6.
Then Jesus
told this parable.
A man had a fig tree
growing in his vineyard.
Now,
we kind of
associate vineyards
with grapes,
but they did
sow fig trees
there too,
apparently.
And he went
to look for fruit
on it,
but he didn't
find any.
So he said
to the man
who took care
of the vineyard,
look,
for three years
now I've been
coming to look
for fruit
off this fig tree
and I haven't
found any.
So just cut it down.
Why should it
use up the soil?
Why should it
waste space
if it's not
producing fruit?
Well, the point
is simple,
isn't it?
God looks
for repentant
lives.
He looks
for fruit.
He looks
for change
and transformation.
And if there's
no fruit,
there will be
judgment.
But,
let's not
miss this.
He is
merciful
and gracious.
He gives
people more
time.
So look at
verse 8.
Sir,
the man replied,
leave it
alone
one more
year.
Give the fig tree
another year,
another season.
I'll dig
round it,
I'll fertilise it.
If it bears
fruit next year,
fine,
then it will
have been
worth it.
If not,
if there's
no fruit,
cut it down.
every day
we live
is a day
of mercy.
God is
giving
opportunity
to each
one of us.
But a day
will come
when we
look for
mercy
and it
will be
too late
for judgment
will have
come.
So he
says,
repent
because life
is fragile
and mercy
will
cease.
But not
only is it
a time
to repent,
so let's
get our
timings
right again.
We've got
the time
of the
cross,
the time
of judgment
that shapes
and affects
how we
live today.
And the
first timing
is,
well,
it means
that we
are to
be people
of repentance.
Second,
a time
to receive.
Look at
verse 10.
On the
Sabbath,
Jesus was
teaching in
one of the
synagogues.
And while
he's there,
as we read,
he heals
this woman.
And it
has quite
an impact,
verse 14.
Indignant
because Jesus
had healed
on the
Sabbath,
the synagogue
leader said
to the
people,
there are
six days
for work,
so come
and be
healed on
those days,
not on
the Sabbath.
You see,
the Sabbath
was,
according to
the law,
a time
of rest.
No work
was to
be done,
even if
somebody
was in
desperate
need,
even if
there was
a terrible
situation,
no work,
especially
for this
woman.
But for
Jesus,
there is
an urgency.
No,
it can't
wait.
This
woman is
in need.
She needs
to be
healed
now.
You see,
Jesus is
saying,
look,
I am
the one
who has
come to
bring
rest,
true rest.
I am
the one
who has
come to
bring
redemption.
My work
is to
restore
people.
No,
it can't
wait.
Now
is the
time
to heal.
And the
healing is
seen in
two ways.
First,
free from
slavery.
Look at
how this
woman's
illness is
described in
verse 11.
A woman
was there
who had
been
crippled
by a
spirit
for 18
years.
That's a
significant
amount of
time for
anybody.
She was
bent over
and could
not straighten
up at
all.
And then
Jesus
explains the
reason.
Jump down
to verse
16.
The middle
of verse
16.
It tells
us there
that
Satan
has kept
her bound
for 18
long
years.
She's
been kept
bound
by Satan.
It's
like a
spiritual
slavery.
And her
physical
condition
is even
a picture
of her
slavery.
She's
weighed
down.
She's
bent
over.
And
Jesus
has come
into the
midst
of her
life
to free
her
from her
slavery.
But it
is so
much more
than just
physical.
Think
back to
how God's
people
were slaves
in Egypt.
Listen
to how
God
describes
his
rescue
of them.
Here's
a quote
from
Leviticus.
It's a
summary of
all that
God
did.
He
says,
I am
the Lord
your God
who
brought
you out
of
Egypt
so that
you would
no longer
be slaves
to the
Egyptians.
I
broke
the bars
of your
yoke
and
enabled
you
to walk
with
your
heads
held
high.
You
see,
the imagery,
the picture,
as Jesus
comes to
this woman,
he's saying,
this is what
I've come
to do
for you.
Through
my death,
I am
going to
free you
from a
greater
slavery,
slavery to
sin and
to Satan.
I have
come to
take the
burden of
sin from
you,
the weight
of judgment
that you
carry upon
your backs.
I am
going to
release you
from it.
Go back
to verse
12.
When Jesus
saw her,
he called
her forward
and said
to her,
woman,
you are
set free
from your
infirmity.
then he
put his
hands on
her and
immediately
she
straightened
up and
praised
God.
You
see,
Jesus
sets us
free so
that we
can walk
with our
heads held
high,
no longer
burdened in
guilt and
shame,
no longer
having to
look down
and hide.
We've been
released.
we've been
set free
from slavery
so now
is the
time to
receive
Jesus.
Second
reason to
receive
slavery,
free from
slavery and
a new
relationship.
Look at
how Jesus
refers to
this woman
back in
verse 12.
When Jesus
saw her,
he called
her forward
and said
to her,
woman,
he doesn't
even ask,
sorry,
what's your
name there?
And then
call her
out.
It's just
woman.
But then
look how
she's referred
to after
the healing.
Down in
verse 16.
Then should
not this
woman,
a daughter
of Abraham,
whom Satan
has kept
bound for
18 long
years,
be set free
in the
Sabbath day
from what
bound her?
daughter
of Abraham.
Abraham,
of course,
was the
great father
figure for
all God's
children.
He was
the great
example for
all people,
an example
of faith.
He was a
man who
believed
God's promises
and trusted
God's promises.
So all who
have faith
in God,
all who
trust and
believe in
him,
become
children
of Abraham,
become
children
of God.
And now
Jesus turns
to her,
he called
her woman
and now
he calls
her daughter
because there's
been faith.
And this is
what we can
enjoy when we
receive Jesus
in faith,
this personal
and intimate
relationship with
God from
no name
to God's
child,
my daughter.
my son.
Now is
the time
to receive
Jesus.
So,
let's get
our timings
right.
It's cross
time,
salvation
has come,
the time
of judgment
is yet to
come,
we do not
know when,
and that
impresses
upon us
an urgency,
a time
to repent,
a time
to receive,
and the
implication
out of all
of this
and the
big application
for us
today
is it
implies a
time to
reach out.
Look at
verse 22.
Then Jesus
went through
the towns
and villages
teaching
as he
made his
way to
Jerusalem.
There's the
indication
again,
Jesus is
going to
Jerusalem.
Why?
I'm going
to die.
This is
why I'm
here.
It's a
time of
salvation.
Verse 23,
someone asked
him,
Lord,
are only a
few people
going to be
saved?
What an
excellent
question.
And I
know it's
a question
that lots
of us
have asked
many,
many times.
Are only
a few
people going
to be
saved?
Who's
going to
repent?
Who is
going to
receive
Jesus?
How many,
Lord,
how many
of my
friends,
how many
of my
family,
how many
are going
to follow
Jesus?
How many
in
Carragalline
are going
to follow
Jesus?
Well,
Jesus answers
the question
in two
parts.
First,
he tells
us,
look,
the door
is open.
look at the
rest of
verse 23.
He said
to them,
make every
effort to
enter through
the narrow
door,
because many,
I tell you,
will try to
enter and
will not be
able to do
so.
There's only
one way,
and that's
through
Christ.
Verse 25,
once the
owner of the
house gets
up and
closes the
door,
you will
stand outside
knocking and
pleading,
Sir,
open the
door for
us.
But he
will answer,
I don't
know you
or where
you come
from.
Today,
the door
is open.
Right now,
the door
is open.
Every day
is an
opportunity
to repent
and receive.
Every day
that the
door is
open is
a day
of God's
immense
grace and
mercy that
flows towards
us and
to our
community and
to our
world.
But one
day,
a day is
going to
come when
that door
will close.
End of
verse 25,
and you
will stand
outside knocking
and pleading,
Sir,
open the
door for
us.
But he
will answer,
I don't
know you
or where
you've come
from.
The time
of salvation
will be
over,
and the
time of
judgment
will have
come.
Now
is the
time.
Today,
reach out
with the
good news
of Jesus
Christ.
His
second
answer
is not
only is
the door
open,
but he
wants us
to know
that the
nations
will come.
While
there will
be people
who refuse
to repent
and refuse
to receive,
look what
he says,
verse 29.
Look,
people
will come
from east
and west
and north
and south
and will
take their
places at
the feast
in the
kingdom of
God.
What a
picture,
what a
sight.
People
from every
nation
across this
world,
people of
all languages
and races
gathering
together for
the ultimate
feast in
the kingdom
of God.
People
from throughout
all time
and all
ages,
people who
have repented
and received
will enjoy
God's salvation
in all its
fullness.
People
will come,
Jesus tells
us.
People from
all kinds
of places
that we
never thought
possible.
now is
the time.
The
nations
will
come.
Reach
out with
the good
news of
Jesus.
And the
implication is
crystal clear.
It's just
not easy
to miss,
is it?
if the
door is
open today,
if the
nations are
going to
come,
then we
have a
responsibility,
a
responsibility
with this
good news.
How are
people going
to repent?
How are
people going
to receive?
unless they
hear the
good news
about Christ.
So how
do we
respond to
that?
Well,
two things,
I haven't
got it on
the screen,
but you
can remember
them.
The first
thing is
pray.
Pray for
our community.
Pray for
our friends.
Pray for
our family.
Pray for
the people
we're going
to meet
tomorrow at
work.
And if
we're in
any doubt
about God's
heart for
his people,
look at
what Jesus
says,
verse 34.
Verse 34,
Jerusalem,
you who
kill the
prophets and
stone those
sent to
you, how
often I
have longed
to gather
your children
together as
a hen
gathers her
chicks under
her wings and
you were not
willing.
Pleading.
Jesus
longs to
gather his
people, to
come under
the safety
and security
of the cross.
That is his
heart's desire
that people
would come.
come.
So this
Wednesday, in
our home
groups, you'll
see it in the
news sheet,
there's a
little note
there, that
we're going to
simply meet
together in our
home groups to
pray for our
community.
As we think
about Christmas
coming, we
want to pray
for our
community.
So if you
have people
that you
want to
pray for,
people in
your family,
your friends,
we're simply
just going to
pray.
Pray because I
can't change
anyone and you
can't change
anyone.
Pray that God
would work in
people's lives,
that they will
repent and that
they will receive
Jesus.
So come, I
encourage you,
join with us,
if at all
possible, come
and pray.
Pray for our
community.
The second
thing we can
do is to
share the good
news about
Jesus.
As part of
outreach for
us as a
church, we're
going to be
doing two
things.
We're going
to be giving
out calendars,
bringing them
round to some
of the homes in
Carragalline,
knocking on the
door, wishing
people a happy
Christmas,
presenting them
with a gift,
or if you
can't do that,
just simply
putting it
through the
letterbox.
What impact
will it have?
I don't know.
But I do
know that just
the other week,
very recently,
I had a
phone call,
and it was
about a lady,
rang her up.
She had got a
calendar last
year, and had
been looking at
it, and had
seen the little
note about
further information,
and asked would
we send out
some stuff to
her to read.
That's one
lady.
Is it worth
it?
Absolutely.
share the
good news of
Jesus with
others in a
very simple
way.
Join with us
on those two
Wednesdays as
our home
groups gather
with us, if
at all
possible.
And the
other one is
to hand out
the invite to
our carol
service.
I'm not
sure where
mine is
here.
there's
bunches of
them at the
table.
Thank you.
Yeah,
one.
Thanks,
Joy.
And take
them with
you.
You can
simply give
them out to
your friend,
to a
neighbour,
somebody who
you know.
They
mightn't
come,
that's
okay.
But they're
not going to
come if they
don't get
invited.
To come and
hear songs
about the
Saviour,
about the
Lord Jesus,
to hear the
good news,
of what
he has
done.
Luke wants
us to keep
an eye on
the time,
the time of
the cross.
That's the
time we're
living in
right now.
Judgment
will come.
It
impresses upon
us an
urgency,
time to
repent,
time to
receive,
and time
reach out,
time to
pray,
to ask
our Father
to do a
work in
people's
lives,
and a
time to
share.
Let's just
take a
moment in
the quietness
to respond
ourselves to
that.
moment in
the quietness.
Maybe it's
you who
need to
repent and
receive.
Maybe we
need to
think about
how I'm
going to
pray for
the
community,
and how
I can
put this
into
action.
Just take
a moment to
think those
things through
and respond
to God
in the
quietness.