Sermon #93 Luke
Sermons
Title: “Except Ye Repent”
Text: Luke 13:1-5
Subject: Simple Facts Revealed in the Gospel
Date: Sunday Evening—
Tape # X-43b
Introduction:
I want to begin this message in 2 Corinthians 11. Like the apostle Paul, I am jealous over your souls. I want you to know Christ. I want to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am fearful. Look at what Paul says to the Corinthians in verse 3.
2 Corinthians 11:3 “I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
I am fearful for you, lest Satan should corrupt your
minds, or turn your minds from “the
simplicity that is in Christ.” There is no substitute for simplicity and
sincerity, especially in the preaching of the gospel.
If I had the ability to do so, I would not strive
for soaring eloquence, flowery oratory, moving illustrations, or impressive words
of man’s wisdom, education, and intelligence (1 Cor. 2:4-5). I want ever to
preach the gospel to you with utter simplicity. God’s preacher’s
seek to be understood, they strive for simplicity and sincerity.
(1
Corinthians 2:2-5) "For I
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and
in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
When the Lord Jesus preached, he spoke in language that people understood. No one ever had to go home, get out a dictionary, and look up the words he used! Our Lord spoke with simplicity and sincerity. There were no hidden meanings to his words. Everyone who heard him understood what he said.
·
They may not have believed him, but they understood him.
·
He may have crossed their traditions, offended their pride, and shown
contempt for their customs; but they did understand him.
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Perhaps they were unwilling to bow to his claims as Lord and Savior,
but they understood him.
Matthew
Luke 4:28-29 - “When they heard these things, (they) were filled with wrath!”
John 10:30-33 - When our Lord said, “I and my Father are one, Then the Jews took
up stones again to stone him,” because he made himself God.
It is essential that those who preach the gospel do
so with great plainness of speech. “For
if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall
prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8). Paul wrote, “I do not frustrate the grace of God” (Gal.
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I cannot force men to turn from their idols.
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I cannot compel sinners to bow to Christ as Lord.
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I cannot make you believe the gospel of Christ.
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But I can warn you in plain language and exhort you in words that are
easy to understand.
You may not believe my message this evening, but you
will understand my words. There is absolutely no reason for all the confusion
there is in the religious world today. “If,” as Bro. Scott Richardson puts it,
“preachers would just stand up on their hind legs and tell the truth,” God just
might use them. And there is no reason for not telling the truth. It is as
plain as the nose on your face. The Word of God is perfectly clear about...
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What happened in the Garden (Rom.
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What happened at
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What happens in a sinner’s heart when God saves him by his almighty grace. When God saves a sinner...
1. There is a regeneration, a
new creation (2 Cor.
2. There is a work of
conviction (John 16:7-11).
3. There is a divine revelation
(Gal.
4. There is a reconciliation
made - surrender! (Col. 1:20-21).
Proposition: The
gospel of God is a profound mystery, so great, so deep, so
wondrous that no man can comprehend it; yet, it is a mystery revealed and
preached with such great simplicity that any sinner who will can see it and
believe it.
If you will give me your attention for just a little
while, I want, by the grace of God, to shoot 9 sharp, straight arrows right at
your heart. Turn first to Luke 13.
Luke
13:1-5
I. I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU WILL EVER REPENT, BUT I DO KNOW THAT “EXCEPT YE REPENT YE SHALL PERISH” (Lk.
13:1-5).
(Luke
13:1-5) "There were present at that
season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye
that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they
suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but,
except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 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
We
know nothing more about these events than that which is stated here. So I will
offer no speculations about them. This much is obvious—Those who were here
speaking to the Lord Jesus obviously reported the event concerning these
Galileans with an unmasked air of superiority and self-righteousness,
suggesting that the things that happened to them was the result of
well-deserved divine judgment.
Now,
let me give you the long and short of what our Savior here tells us. He looked
these people square in the eye, just as I am you, and said to these men and
women who thought of themselves as good, upright, righteous men and women, just
as I am you—You are just like those multitudes of the damned in hell,
sinners under the wrath of God. And “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish!” Oh, may God make you hear me. You who believe not are
condemned already. The very wrath of God that fuels the fires of hell is upon
you. Except you repent, hell shal be your everlasting portion.
(John
3:36) "He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him."
I am here to persuade you to repent.
(2
Corinthians 5:10-21) "For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made
manifest in your consciences. 12 For we commend not ourselves again unto
you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to
answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For
whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God:
or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. 14 For the love of
Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then
were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,
and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh:
yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are
of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray
you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him."
“Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:6-7).
I cannot give you repentance, or make you repent.
But it is my responsibility to tell you what repentance is. Repentance
is...
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A change of mind!
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A change of masters!
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A change of manners!
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A change of motives!
John 3:3-8
II. I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU WILL EVER BE BORN AGAIN, BUT I DO KNOW THAT “EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE, OR ENTER INTO THE
(John 3:3-8) "Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the
The new birth is more than a reformation.
It is a regeneration. It is more than a decision.
It is a creation. It is more than a renewal. It is a resurrection
(John
Illustration: Ezekiel’s infant (Ezek. 16).
The
Lazarus (John 11).
A. The New Birth is the work of
God the Holy Spirit (John 6:63).
B. The New Birth is by the Word
of God (James
C. The New Birth is a new
creation (2 Cor.
Jeremiah
29:10-14
III. I
DON’T KNOW IF YOU WILL EVER SEEK THE LORD, BUT I DO KNOW THAT ALL WHO SEEK HIM
ARE SOUGHT OF HIM AND SHALL FIND HIM (Jer. 29:13. “I will be found of you, saith the Lord!”
(Jeremiah
29:10-14) "For thus saith the LORD,
That after seventy years be accomplished at
Illustration: The Farmer Who Lost His
Check.
“Ye shall seek
me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
·
Salvation is a heart work (
(Romans
10:9-10) "That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation."
·
Repentance is a heart work.
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Faith is a heart work.
I don’t
claim to know much about many things. But I do know this. If you seek Christ
you will find him.
A.
Those who seek the Lord know their need of
him.
B.
They seek him in his Word and in his house.
C.
They seek him diligently, with all their
hearts.
D.
They seek him always.
E.
They find him.
1
John 1:7-2:2
IV. I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU WILL EVER BE WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, BUT I DO KNOW THAT “THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S SON,
CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN” (1 John 1:7-9). I know that
through the blood, “If we confess our
sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
(1
John 1:7-10) "But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not
for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
There is a fountain
filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And sinners plunged beneath
that flood
Lose all their guilty
stains.
The dying thief
rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile
as he,
Wash all my sins away.
How I rejoice in and give thanks to God for the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! His blood is “precious blood” indeed, because...
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It is divine blood!
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It is eternal blood!
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It is atoning blood!
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It is effectual blood!
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It is cleansing blood!
Dear dying Lamb,
Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its’ power,
‘Til all the ransomed
Be saved to sin no more!
Romans
9:32-10:4
V. I DON’T
KNOW WHETHER YOU WILL EVER BE ROBED IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST OR NOT; BUT
I DO KNOW THAT “CHRIST IS THE END OF THE
LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH” (Rom.
10:4).
His name is the “Lord our
Righteousness!”
A.
Multitudes, like the Jews,
stumble over and miss Christ’s righteousness, because they seek to establish
righteousness for themselves (Rom.
(Romans
9:32-33) "Wherefore?
Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the
law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As
it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and
whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
(Romans
10:1-4) "Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for
B.
Our Lord said, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven” (Matt.
1. Righteousness was lost in
the Garden.
2. Righteousness is required by
a Holy God.
3. Righteousness was
established by Christ.
4. Righteousness is imputed in
justification.
5. Righteousness is imparted in
regeneration.
John
3:36
VI. I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU WILL EVER BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, TRUSTING HIM ALONE AS
YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR; BUT I DO KNOW THAT “HE
THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE!” (John
3:36).
(Mark
(John
3:16-18) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
(John
3:36) "He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him."
(1
John 5:1) "Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat
loveth him also that is begotten of him."
(1
John 5:10) "He that believeth on
the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made
him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."
A.
The foundation of faith is
the Word of God.
B.
The object of faith is the Son
of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read John 3:14-16.
(John
3:14-16) "And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life."
1. The Remedy Of Sin (v. 14).
2. The Result Of Christ’s Death (v. 15; John
3. The Reason For Grace (v. 16).
Revelation
20:11-15
VII. I
DON’T KNOW WHEN YOU WILL DIE AND MEET GOD IN JUDGMENT; BUT I DO KNOW THAT YOU
WILL DIE AT GOD’S APPOINTED TIME, AND WHEN YOU DO YOU WILL MEET THE HOLY LORD
GOD IN JUDGMENT (Heb. 9:27).
(Hebrews
9:27) "And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
(Revelation
20:11-15) "And I saw a great white
throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Illustration: Rowland Hill’s Dream.
VIII. I
DON’T KNOW WHETHER YOUR NAME IS WRITTEN IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE OR NOT; BUT
I DO KNOW THAT “WHOSOEVER WAS NOT FOUND
WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE (SHALL BE) CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE” (Rev. 20:15).
A.
There is a Book of Life.
B.
It is the Lamb’s Book of Life - Substitution,
Suretyship.
C.
It was written before the world began -
Election, Predestination.
D.
All whose names are in that Book must be
saved.
E.
Only those whose names are in that Book shall
be saved.
F.
If you trust Christ, your name is in that
Book!
IX. I DON’T
KNOW WHEN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SHALL COME AGAIN; BUT I DO KNOW THAT HE IS
COMING AGAIN TO THIS EARTH IN POWER AND GREAT GLORY! (1 John 14:1-3).
(John
14:1-3) "Let not your heart be
troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also."
“This same Jesus” (Acts
“Behold, he cometh! And every eye shall see
him!” (Rev.
1:7).
“Every knee
shall bow, and every tongue shall confess” (Phil. 2:9-11).
“Then cometh the end!” (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Application:
The gospel of God’s grace has been preached, is
being preached, and shall be preached in this place. When gospel issues are
clearly laid down, lines are drawn - Men and women choose up and take sides,
just like they did long ago - “Who is on
the Lord’s side?” That division is hard to bear. But only when the gospel
is preached, will God be glorified and sinners saved.
1. Men sometimes tell me, “It
is difficult to find God’s salvation.” But it is not. It is only difficult when
you look in the wrong place. God’s salvation is in Christ.
2. Men may be baffled as to
“why” God saves sinners, but it is no mystery “how” God saves (Eph. 2:8-9).
3. It may indeed be difficult
for proud sinners to bow to the royal claims of King Jesus, but bow they shall.
4. Salvation is not difficult
at all, except to you who are working for it. - Rest is easy! The only time you
can’t rest is when you’re trying to work something out yourself.
(Matthew
11:28-30) "Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light."