Turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke. In our systematic study through Luke, we have come to chapter 22, but that's not where we're going to be today. We're going to be in chapter 13. I mentioned when we were unable to meet together and live streaming that there was a passage that I wanted to preach and we never got around to it. Well, this is it. This is this is the one. And we have been there. If we're in our Luke study and we're in Chapter 22, we've already been to Luke 13. Right. So sometimes it's good to circle back and be reminded. It's been about 18 months since we were in this passage, and we need to be reminded of what is here, and to be reminded of what God's word has for us, especially in light of the last eight weeks of our lives, right? In light of how things go. Let's read together, Luke chapter 13. We'll read verses one through five. Luke chapter 13, beginning in verse one. Now on the same occasion, there were some present who reported to Him, that is to Jesus, about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. This passage speaks of tragedy. Two different tragedies are named. One, the group, the crowd, the multitudes bring to Jesus, and it's unsure here if this was news to him that he did not know, that he was not aware, or if he already knew of these events. We don't know that from the text. But we know that that this tragedy was brought to him for a topic of discussion. The first tragedy we see in verse one. There were Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. These Galileans were offering their their animal sacrifices. And Pilate comes with his soldiers, with his army, his authority, and slays these Galileans, and their blood is mixed with the sacrifices there. The idea is that they were killed. They were killed. And this is a tragedy for sure. It is a tragedy that was brought about by human behavior, by human activity. This was brought about purposefully And that is the first tragedy. The second tragedy, Jesus brings up himself to speak of two different tragedies, and they're of different kinds. This tower in Siloam had fallen and killed 18. 18 people killed in the falling tower. You can almost see the headline. You can almost hear the news story that would come out. But this was not intentional. This was not something that was done on purpose. This was no doubt an accident that had happened. And in both cases, people had lost their lives. Now, some of you have lived long enough to face tragedy. Some of you know of war, which is tragedy. Some of you know of the deaths of 9-11. Some of you know tragedy, and we have just in recent weeks seen, because of the effects of the coronavirus, so much loss that is tragedy. It's just the things that make you shake your head and and say, well, that's a shame. We know tragic loss. Let's notice from this text that these people brought this subject up with Jesus. They wanted to talk about this. Now perhaps they wanted to talk about it to see what Jesus' reaction would be, to see where He would weigh in on the side of Pilate or the side of the, where is He going to be politically. Perhaps it was news and they just wanted to make sure that He was aware of the current events. Perhaps some of them were deeply hurting and deeply troubled by these events and they were seeking some sense seeking some comfort. We don't know why they brought this up, but it was brought up. And as we look at the behavior of men, we know that it is easy for us to speak of death. It's easy for us to speak of tragedy as long as death and tragedy is somebody else's thing. Someone said, it's probably best we don't know who said. It's probably best we forget who said. Someone said, the death of a human is tragedy. I'm paraphrasing. But the death of 1,000 is a statistic. It becomes easier for us to speak about tragedy when it happens on a wide scale, on a large scale. I don't want to assign motive, but I wonder how many in this crowd was like, yeah, let's talk about this because it's easy for us to talk about those who died, those Galileans. I didn't know any of them. It's easy for us to talk about them. And if Jesus wants to talk about that tower that fell, I didn't know any of those people either. That's easy for us to talk about. Let's speak about tragedy in an antiseptic way. Let's speak about tragedy taking three steps back so that we don't have to be bothered by it too much. Men are ready to speak about death and the death of others, but I have found that we are so much less ready to speak about our own death, our own mortality. We're just not ready to talk about that. I was speaking to a pastor friend a few weeks ago and he was going to a funeral I asked him, are you going to a funeral? I think he was preaching the funeral. Are you going to preach a funeral? Are you going to preach a celebration of life? Because we don't have funerals anymore. We have celebrations of life. Celebrating and remembering our loved ones. I'm not saying we shouldn't do that. That's a good thing to do, to celebrate the life of someone that we love who has died. But when we don't have a funeral, When we just call it a celebration of life, we are ignoring the fact that death is sure. That death is coming for every one of us should the Lord tarry His return. We don't want to talk about it. We want to distance ourselves. So many in our day, maybe many of you here would say, I've never been to. a funeral. I've never seen a body in a casket at the front of a church or a funeral home. I've never had that experience. In our day, in our world, we want to keep death at arm's length. Keep it out of my...further than that. Keep it out of our minds completely. Ignore the fact that this life is a vapor a mist and it's over. It's gone. We don't want to think about that. And we certainly don't want to think my life could be gone in an instant. So let's do something else. Let's busy ourselves with so many other things that we don't have time to just stop and do that soul searching to consider what the Bible has to tell us about what's after this life? I mean, we want to read promises of scripture, right? All those good promises. But there are promises that we completely ignore, like, it is appointed unto man once to die. And after that, judgment. These people brought this topic to Jesus, but Jesus didn't follow the political line. Oh, well, let me tell you where I weigh in on this. Jesus didn't just say, let's all get together in a group hug. Jesus used this opportunity to remind this crowd and through the written scripture, the written word, we are reminded today that it is appointed unto man once to die. And that's you. Anybody who's excluded from that, just lift your hand right quick. Every one of us. And to face judgment. Let's look at what Jesus assumed as He spoke about this topic of tragedy and tragic death. Jesus assumed the universal nature of death. It is appointed unto man once to die. Jesus assumed this. When He speaks, He doesn't give any room. You likewise will perish. There is a universal nature to death. It cannot be avoided. Try as you may, plan and scheme. You can't avoid death. There are those who go after, they would say science, it's science fiction. but it is appointed unto man once to die. Jesus assumes here the universal nature of death. And what else? Look at verses three and verses five. I tell you, you know, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Verse five, I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Jesus assumes the universal nature of death, but he also assumes a universal need for repentance. A universal need for repentance. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. What does this mean, likewise? Is Jesus saying that if you don't repent, Pilate will come. If you don't repent, a tower will fall on you. I mean, are those the only things that... What does he mean? Unless you repent, you will... In this same way, in this... In what way is Jesus saying death is certain? First of all, that it is certain, the certainty of death. But secondly, the uncertainty of the timing of death. I mean, just imagine in verse one, you're a Galilean, you're worshiping, you're offering a sacrifice. This is the thing that you do. This is what we would call everyday stuff. This is just my everyday stuff. And nobody left home that morning saying, this will be the last time. This will be my last time to leave my house. Nobody left thinking today is the day of my death. When that tower fell on those 18, how many of them were expecting this is it? Today's the day. I've known just a few people who had some awareness of their death. I knew a man, a Christian brother, who was diagnosed with cancer very late. And I will never forget, I was at the hospital when they told him what was wrong with him and that he had weeks. And he said, well, a lot of people don't know what it's going to be, and now I know. This is going to be it. He was ready to face death and see the Lord. I just was looking, this is not in my notes, I just was looking at some photographs of a meeting of preachers in Georgetown, Texas. And Brother Cruz was there with me and Ron Baines was at that meeting. And Ron spoke for 30 minutes off the cuff on his preparedness to face death and his hope in Christ When Ron finished speaking, everybody in the room wished that they were going to get to go to heaven with Ron. Some people know something of their death, but still not the day, the minute. And most of us don't know. We do not know. You will wake up one morning and it will be the last morning you open your eyes on this earth. I don't know that day and you don't know that day. And when Jesus says you will likewise perish, this is something that we would have in common with these who face these tragedies. The uncertainty of the timing, the day, the moment of death. Also the I don't know if this is a word, I wrote unstoppability. By the time these knew that it was the day of the day, if they knew at all, it couldn't be stopped. You couldn't stop it. It couldn't be undone. And they, like you, had eternity to face after death. It's not just, it's not just you're dead and like a dog you cease to exist. There is eternity for the human soul. You cannot come back. Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man, and the rich man wanted to come back. When he could not come back, he wanted to send Lazarus back. There is no coming back. All the things that you think of now, well, I know I should be doing things differently. I know things should change. I know things should be different from the way they are. There's no coming back to fix that. and eternity is long. Hell is sure. The Bible speaks clearly and plainly about an eternal place of torment where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. We don't want to talk about death and nobody wants to talk about hell. The Bible teaches Clearly, the reality, the truth of hell and the joys of heaven. Jesus speaks to the subject, but he doesn't come at their question politically. And you know what else he doesn't? He doesn't come to this question asking, why do bad things happen to good people? The theologians call this the question of theodicy. Why do bad things happen? And that's that's not where Jesus comes in this. Because that's the wrong question. Why do bad things happen to good people? That's the wrong question to be asking. Atheists claim there is no God. When things go tragically wrong, some say there is no God and I hate him. There is no God and it's his fault. Some liberal theologians hold to the idea that God is a God who feels our pain. God is a God who's, and by the way, if you're listening to this and you're not aware of this topic of discussion, some of the things that I say may sound very attractive to you. They may sound good, like, yeah, I wanna hold on to that. I want a God who can enter into my hurt and who can relate to me so closely. But those who believe that God is that kind of God must say that He is powerless to stop tragedy. That He is powerless to heal hurt. That He is powerless to rise above. He's just your buddy next to you. And that's the extent of it? If God watches calamity but has no power over it, then what good is that? If God will cry with us, but that's all. That kind of powerless, impotent God is of no help to men. Some some who have a works idea of righteousness and salvation, you just do good stuff and you're going to get to heaven. They may impugn those who die in tragedies like these Galileans, or like these with this tower at Siloam, or other tragedies that we have seen. They may impugn those who die as worse sinners. You know what? They just weren't doing what they needed to be doing. God sent a bolt of lightning down and got them. Which is kind of to say, we're still here, so we must be better than them. There there are. So-called preachers who will go on TV every time there's a hurricane. And say, oh, that's because of their horrible look at their sin. It's because of their horrible sin, but but Christians, we need to know something of the character of God. Today we sang this song. Holy, holy, holy. the most strong statement that could be made about God's character and holiness. If God is holy and men are sinners, then it's not just those bad people out there that deserve God's wrath and judgment. All of mankind Can we say it this way? All of those who have come through Adam's line, through Adam's seed, since his fall, all of mankind deserves the wrath and judgment of God. So the question is not, how can bad things happen to good people? The question should be in our mind, why is there not more calamity? Why is there not more bad things happening? The answer is God's mercy. God's mercy, the fact that you at this very moment are not in eternal hell is the mercy of God. Jesus didn't see in this a need to defend God's character. Christians, we shouldn't either. When we see God's holiness rightly as we see it displayed in Scripture, when we see man's sinfulness, we understand that it is only by God's mercy that we draw a breath and have a heartbeat. And we ask the question, why does any person live and enjoy the relative good things of this life? Why are things not far worse than they are? Jesus may not have answered the question as those who had brought it up hoped for him to answer it. But He brings us to the real crux of the matter. He brings us to the most important thing for us to consider. You must repent. One day you will face judgment and unless you repent, there is no hope for your eternal soul. So I ask you today, have you repented? Have you repented? Someone say, well, I was raised in a Christian home. I live in a Christian country. We live in the great state of Texas. Some would say, I go to a Christian church and I hear preaching about Jesus on a regular basis. The question is, have you repented? Because you can be born in a Christian home, however we're gonna define that, and not be a Christian. You can be a citizen of a Christian nation, however we're going to define that, and not be a Christian. You can be on the membership roles of a Christian gospel preaching church and not be a Christian. Those things are not the question. Here's the question. Have you repented? Have you repented? Do you know your own sinfulness? Are you broken hearted over your sin? Have you cried out to God, throwing yourself on His mercy, at His throne of grace? Some may say, well, I think I've repented. I would ask you this. Can you tell me what sins you've repented of? I mean, don't tell me now, but do you know what sins you have repented of? Some people have the idea that, yeah, I've repented of sin in general. You know, sin's bad. God already knows that. What about your sin? The life of a sinner born in Adam is a life lived in pursuit of self, sinful pleasure. It's a life lived in pursuit of sin. And repentance is to say, I no longer will pursue sin. I will pursue Christ. I will pursue Jesus. That's repentance. It's a turning. It's a changing of the mind. It's a changing of the heart. It's a changing of position. Some of you would say, oh, well, I'm a Christian. But you've never turned from your sin. Hear the words of Jesus. Unless you repent, you will perish. Listen to these words from J.C. Ryle. Have we ceased to do evil? Broken off from our bad habits? Do we cordially and heartily hate everything that is evil? These are serious questions. They deserve serious consideration. The subject before us is no light matter. Nothing less than life. Eternal life is at stake if we die impenitent. That is without repenting. Without a new heart, he continues, we had better never have been born. The nature of repentance is clearly and unmistakably laid down in Holy Scripture. It begins with a knowledge of sin. And some people, that's the end of it. You know you're a sinner? Yes, I know I'm a sinner. That's not the end. That's the beginning. It begins with a knowledge of sin. It goes on by the work of the Holy Spirit to work sorrow for sin. It leads to confession of sin to God. And it shows itself before man by a thorough breaking off of sin. Just a few weeks ago, remember the passage that we looked at in the sermon. I write these things to you that you sin not. Biblical repentance is a breaking off of sin. And we understand Because of time, we won't develop this fully. But we understand that in eternity, no sin will be. It will be no presence of sin. In this life, there is a progressive sanctification, a sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. But Christian, if you look at your life, and you don't see a progressive breaking off of sin, an increased hatred of sin, you have cause to question your own salvation. If you have not repented, the call today is to repent of your sins. And let me say this, I'm using the term repentance, it's the term from the text, but biblical repentance and biblical faith are inseparable. You cannot separate. Now we can talk about them individually, but when I'm speaking of repentance, I'm including in that faith in Jesus Christ. So the call is to repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ. Repent now. Over and over the Bible instructs men to repent. Our experience of life is God's daily mercy. But the Bible tells us He is now commanding all men everywhere to repent, to turn to Jesus Christ in faith. The Bible tells us of God's grace, of God's willingness to forgive sin for those who will repent and believe in Jesus. There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents. Lost friend. Run to Jesus by faith. For mercy. Believe in Him, believe in His life and His death as payment for your sin and repent. Turn from your sin and turn to Him for salvation today. Christian brother, Christian sister, you have repented, but go on repenting. We sometimes speak of repentance and faith like it's a one time event in the life of a Christian. No, it's an ongoing thing. You repented, but go on repenting. Repentance is not just a single moment or a single experience of the life of a Christian. It is the life of a Christian. Our first repentance is a moment followed by a lifetime of repentance. Our first faith is a moment followed by a lifetime of faith. There will always be, as long as we are this side of eternity, there will always be sins to confess. There will always be sin to repent of. There are things that we believe that contradict God's word. We think those are mistakes. That's sin. We should repent of our sin, repent more and more. Repent better. Repentance should be something that we grow in. Humble yourself. I pray that as you, Christian, live your days in Christ, that you will find yourself more and more loving God, loving what he loves, and hating what he hates. One more quick quote from Ryle. He said, an old wise saint once said, I hope to carry my repentance to the very gate of heaven. Christians, that's what we do. We carry our repentance to the very gate of heaven. Heavenly Father, we thank you that your word is so clear about truth, about the truth of who you are and your holiness. About the truth of man's sin. God, we thank you for the conviction of your Holy Spirit that takes those those truths of scripture and applies them directly to our hearts. Says you are a sinner, you. Need to repent, you need Jesus Christ. We thank you for this work. We pray that you would continue to save the elect. God, we pray that you would continue to work in your people. We pray this in the name of Christ, Amen.