So Luke 13, 1-9, and that's page 1046.
Now there are 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 18 who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them,
do you think that 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 on 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 on 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 it round and fertilise it.
If it bears fruit next year, fine.
If not, then cut it down.
Let's start.
Respect.
Thank you.
Four parables from the Gospel of Luke, and each one of them have a theme to do with the coming again of the Lord Jesus,
or in some way how the return of the Lord Jesus should affect us in our lives.
This morning we're looking at Luke chapter 13, verses 1 to 9,
and it's that kind of parable and the surrounding conversation with Jesus that raises all sorts of questions.
Now, I'm going to say I'm not going to answer every possible question that may arise from it,
so you may want to talk to me afterwards or talk to other people,
but we will try and work through the text as best as possible.
So let's ask for God's help as we do that together.
Our Father God, again, we thank you for your word and for its truth,
and yet we realize that in reading your truth,
it raises many questions and confronts us with difficult things.
And so we pray as we read it that we would have understanding with our minds.
You would give us acceptance in our hearts,
and that you would cause us to live and to submit our lives rightly before you
to all that we hear from you.
We pray that the coming of the Lord Jesus
would shape us
and change us into the kind of people you would have us be.
We pray it in your name and for your glory.
Amen.
The other morning I woke up very early.
It's not a usual habit of mine,
but I did on this particular morning,
and I wasn't able to get back to sleep.
So I went downstairs to catch up on some blogs that I like to read.
One caught my attention.
It was entitled,
Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last.
And as I read through it,
it directed me to take part in what was called the UBLE test,
U-B-B-L-E,
if you're interested.
And through a series of questions,
the UBLE test claims to predict your chances of being alive over the next five years.
So I completed the questionnaire,
which asked various things about my lifestyle,
my health,
and apparently I have a 0.4% chance of dying in the next five years.
That's pretty good, I thought.
But for all its scientific research and medical claims,
I have no idea what my lifespan is.
Today might be my last day.
I might have another 50 years.
Who knows?
So perhaps there is some truth in the title of the blog,
Live Each Day As If It Were Your Very Last.
Now in some sense,
that's what Jesus seems to be teaching us
through this text of Luke 13, 1-9.
Not because I don't know how long I'm going to live,
but because when we die,
we will all have an encounter with King Jesus.
Three things we're going to look at together,
three big ideas that we learn from this text.
The first one is this.
The inescapable reality of death.
The fact is,
while none of us like to talk about it,
is that death is not far from any one of us.
Have a 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.
Now we don't know the exact details of what went on,
but it was clear there was a terrible act of violence.
Pilate, of course, was the Roman ruler in charge
and he ruled with an iron fist.
Some Galileans back up in Jerusalem
had gone to the temple to worship
and as they went about their worship,
they were massacred by Pilate
for no other reason than they seemed to be
in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Instead of animals being sacrificed,
people have been slaughtered.
It's what dictators do to keep power.
One minute they are going to worship God,
the next their life ends violently.
Now this has obviously raised some important questions
for these people
and they're coming to Jesus with it
as if to say,
why?
Why has that happened?
But rather than give them a direct answer,
Jesus goes on to talk about another tragedy
in verse 4.
He says, as if to say,
haven't you heard about those 18
who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them?
Again, we don't know how it happened
or what went on,
but a tower which was part of the city wall
had collapsed.
And 18 people who happened to be in there
at that time
had their lives tragically cut short.
One minute going about their normal day,
the next their life is suddenly taken.
We're faced with this reality every day
in the news.
I will never forget
as a young kid
the day when I was watching a helicopter
fly overhead
and it was going to land down
in the nearby hospital.
So I jumped on my bike
as I always did
when the helicopters came
and cycled over to the hospital
to watch it land.
They took the person out of the hospital
out of the helicopter
and into the hospital.
I cycled home again,
didn't think much more about it.
Until later that evening
we got news
to hear that my friend Richard
had been tragically killed
and had fallen from a cliff
and they had taken him
to the hospital
by helicopter.
That day reminded me
and hit me like a ton of bricks
to say
my life
will not last forever.
Sad and tragic
as that event was
it suddenly awoke me
as a young kid
to say
I am not going to live
forever.
Forever.
You see
that's the case
for all of us.
Faced with sudden death
we are confronted
with our own mortality.
And of course
when these tragic
and sudden deaths
come to us
it raises all kinds
of questions.
It causes us to ask
why?
Why has God allowed
this to happen?
why did it happen
to my friend?
Why so young?
Why did that person
get cancer?
Why did this violent act
happen in the temple?
Why did the tower fall?
It's a natural
and normal question
for us to ask.
But the surprise
through this
is that Jesus
doesn't actually
give an answer
to that question.
instead
he brings us
to another truth
something
that he wants us
to all see
and understand.
Because behind
every death
is this.
Jesus says
the primary reason
and the cause
for all death
is sin.
Have a look
at verse 2.
Jesus answered
do you think
that these Galileans
were worse
sinners
than all the other
Galileans
because they suffered
this way?
You see
those who come
to Jesus
with this incident
assume
that their
violent end
means that
God must be
punishing them.
These Galileans
must have committed
some terrible act
or some awful
sin in their life
for this tragedy
to happen to them.
in fact
they thought
that the more
tragic the death
the greater
the sin
must have been.
It's almost
this kind of
karma-like
outlook on life.
You do something
good
you live long
if you do
something bad
your life
will be cut short.
But no
that's not the case
says Jesus.
Look at verse 3
I tell you
no
don't
think like that.
How
we die
is not
evidence
of how
good
or bad
we are.
We may
live a good
and moral
life
and die
early
or we may
live a bad
and immoral
life
and live
a long
long time.
Verse 4
what of those
18 who died
when the tower
in Siloam
fell on them
do you think
that they were
more guilty
than all the
others living
in Jerusalem?
I tell you
no.
We are
actually no
better
or no
worse
than each
other.
It's not
how
we die
but the
fact that
we all
die.
The point
is
death
is evidence
that each
one of us
have all
sinned.
The
Apostle Paul
put it like
this
in Romans
5
as he was
speaking about
the fall
of Adam
the very
beginning
of creation.
Therefore
just as sin
entered the
world through
one man
that was
Adam
and death
through sin
and in
this way
death
came to
all people
because
all
sinned.
You see
each and
every one
of us
have all
ignored
and rejected
Jesus as
King.
I may
live a
healthy life
till I'm
90.
I may be
struck down
with cancer
tomorrow
and die
within a
year.
But
however I
die and
whenever that
time may be
the reason
for my
death
is
ultimately
sin.
when we
die the
coroner's
report may
say heart
failure
it may
say
suffocation
it may
come up
with some
other
reason
but Jesus
says I want
you to look
behind all
of that.
The cause
and the
reason
for all
death
for all
people
in all
the world
is because
of our
rebellion
because we've
turned against
God
we will
all die.
so first
the inescapable
reality of
death
second
the immediate
need to
repent
you see
we might
see death
as a
problem
it robs
us of
friends and
family
it steals
away our
joy
but it's
what follows
death that
is the real
problem
you see
death
is not
the end
we don't
just die
and that's
it
no more
it leads
to an
encounter
with God
and that's
what Jesus
is implying
through this
discussion
that he has
with these
people
he's making
it clear
that when
we die
we will
face the
judge
of all
the earth
regardless
of who
we are
or how
we've
lived
we will
all have
to give
an account
to God
so instead
of wondering
if someone's
violent
or tragic
death
is God's
special
judgment
on them
he's saying
you shouldn't
think like
that
what you
should be
thinking
is about
how are
you
going to
stand
before God
when we
are judged
death is
not the
end
it brings
us into
an encounter
with God
and with
that
Jesus
says
the
prospect
of
hell
look
again
closely
to what
Jesus
says
in
verse
three
they've
come to
him
with this
tragedy
behind it
is this
question
of
well why
would
this
happen
and
Jesus
turns
them
and
points
them
to
something
much
greater
that
we
need
to
consider
in
verse
three
he
says
I
tell
you
no
but
unless
you
repent
you
too
will
all
perish
to
perish
is to
face
the
terrible
reality
of
hell
which
is
separation
from
God
and
all
that
is
good
and
beautiful
it's
not
a
threat
it's
an
expression
of
God's
just
and
fair
response
to
all
that
is
wrong
hell
exists
because
God
cares
about
injustice
God
cares
about
violent
crime
God
cares
about
how
we
treat
each
other
and
he
cares
about
how
we
treat
his
son
it's
real
it's
not
made
up
and
it's
what
every
one
of
us
deserve
because
we've
all
broken
God's
good
gifts
every
one
of
us
in
this
room
have
caused
hurt
to
those
we
love
the
most
we've
all
made
selfish
decisions
that
have
ended
close
relationships
we've
all
lived
as if
we
were
the
center
of
the
universe
deciding
this
is
what's
right
or
this
is
best
for
me
go
and
god
can't
let
us
and
the
world
go
on
breaking
and
ruining
our
lives
and
the
lives
of
each
other
and
all
the
tragedy
that
we
see
around
us
in
this
world
hell
is
god's
just
and
fair
response
to
sin
and
what
he's
making
it
clear
to
us
is
he's saying there is something much worse
than dying at the hands of a violent dictator.
There is something far more terrifying
than dying in a natural disaster when a tower should fall.
It is the fearful prospect
of an eternity in hell
being separated from God.
All his good gifts
and his grace and mercy.
And knowing that this is the true reality
Jesus pleads with us all
look again at verse 3
but unless you repent
you too will all perish.
He says the same again in verse 5
unless you repent
you too will all perish.
Now I know we talk about repentance often
but we've got to be clear as to what true repentance is.
Sometimes we can be remorseful
but that's not repentance.
Being remorseful means
we regret what we've done
because of the consequences to our life.
So the adulterer
well they may be remorseful
because they've been caught
and their wife has ended up leaving them.
And they go I wish I hadn't done that
because of the impact on their life.
They're only sorry because they've been caught.
But being repentant means
we seek genuine heart change
regardless of the consequences to our life.
So the one who's had the affair
is repentant
and they will face up to the seriousness
of their actions.
They will accept the consequences
and seek to change their ways.
They repent
because they do not want
to do the same things again.
Judas and Peter
who were disciples of Jesus
are good examples of this.
You know the story of Judas
and of Peter.
Both of them acted in denial and betrayal.
Both of them had sinned
just like us.
Judas.
Judas
well he was remorseful.
He was found out
what he had done.
And because he was found out
he ran away
and he hung himself.
Because remorse leads to
despair.
Peter on the other hand
well he was repentant.
He knew what he had done wrong too.
He had been found out
but he ran back to Jesus
in confession.
Repentance always leads to
a restored
and reconciled relationship
with God.
So the right response
Jesus says
is not remorse
but true repentance.
Now as we work through this
we may struggle with some of the things
that Jesus is saying.
And we can even think that
well God sounds very harsh.
I don't like this God.
But if we look carefully
and see
well he's speaking the truth
and he's actually
persevering with us.
In fact through this
as he goes on to tell a parable
he cares about us
intimately.
He cares about us
so much
that he has actually
delayed
his judgment.
Look at verse 6.
He then told this parable.
A man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard
and he went to look for fruit on it
but didn't find any.
So he said to the man
who took care of the vineyard
for three years now
I've been coming to look for fruit
on this fig tree
and haven't found any.
Cut it down.
Why should it use up the soil?
Now the point of the story
is that
the owner of the vineyard
has been delaying
his decision.
He's given the fig tree
every opportunity
to start doing
what it is meant to do.
You plant a fig tree
because it's meant
to produce figs.
But three years
he's waited
which is a very long time
when your livelihood
depends on good harvest.
So why waste
the good ground
with a bad tree
if it's not doing anything?
Get rid of it
and put in a new tree.
But he's waited
three years.
And he's saying
this is what God is like
in the way in which
he deals with us.
You see this vineyard
image of the owner
and the vineyard
was very often used
to describe
God's relationship
to his people Israel.
God looked for fruit
but he didn't find any.
He looked for a change
in the lives
of the people of Israel
but it didn't come.
But rather than
bring his judgment
he waited patiently.
He longed for them
to return.
Listen to what God said
through the prophet Ezekiel.
to the people of Israel.
As surely as I live
declares the sovereign Lord
I take no pleasure
in the death of the wicked
but rather that they
turn from their ways
and live.
Turn.
Turn
from your evil ways.
And so it is with us.
God has been
delaying
his judgment
not just three years
but for well over
two thousand years.
He has persevered with us.
He is patient with us.
He is longing
that none perish
but that all would come
in repentance
to him.
God is gracious
and full of mercy
persevering
and long
suffering.
In fact
judgment
is not only
delayed
in the gospel story
we discover
that judgment
has already
fallen.
You see
Jesus too
would suffer.
Not just
these people
were slaughtered
but Jesus
would also
be slaughtered.
Cut down
in the prime
of his life
just 33 years
old
when he was
murdered
and hung
on a cross.
Slaughtered
at the hands
of Pilate
and his soldiers.
But Jesus'
death was
no accident.
This was all
planned by God
from before
the creation
of the world.
His death
was the
true sacrifice.
Jesus died
not because
he was
the worst
of sinners.
He had
never
sinned.
But he
died
because he
took my
sin
and your
sin
on himself.
And so
as he hung
on the cross
the judgment
of God
fell
not on
us
but on
Jesus.
Crushed
beneath
the wrath
of God
experiencing
the reality
of hell
for you
and for
me.
God
in his
mercy
allowed
his
judgment
to fall
on his
own
son
rather than
on us
so that
we could
have life
with him.
And so
because judgment
has fallen
God acts
in incredible
mercy towards
us
and to
this world.
Look at
verse 8.
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.
You see,
the image
here is of
the vineyard
who goes
above and
beyond what
we think
he should
do.
he does
all that
he can,
giving the
tree every
opportunity,
fertilizing it,
watering it,
pruning it,
whatever it
may take
to produce
fruit.
If it
takes another
year,
I'll give
it another
year.
And again,
that's God's
dealing with
us.
God responds
to our
stubborn hearts
with incredible
mercy,
giving us
every
opportunity
that we
would turn
to God,
but not
just turn
to God,
but to
change our
lives,
to produce
fruit in
keeping with
a true
disciple.
But please
note,
the offer
of God's
mercy is
not infinite.
Look at
verse 9.
If it
bears fruit
next year,
fine.
If not,
then cut
it down.
A sober
warning that
a time will
come when
God's offer
of mercy
will come
to an end.
The time
of grace
will be
over.
And all
those who
have not
taken refuge
under the
cross
will face
the just
and fair
judgment
of God.
God is
merciful.
God is
gracious,
long
suffering and
persevering,
longing that
all would
turn to
him.
And this
is the
God
that we
need to
tell people
about.
This is the
God that we
need to pray
to people
about,
that they
would turn
and that
we would
get our
lives
ready to
meet him.
Let's pray
together.
and let's
bear.
By Acts,
we will
carre M
together.