Slop: the sin: the slavery I want to go home



“YOU CAN’T GET TO HEAVEN WITHOUT IT” or “REPENTANCE”

Luke 13:1-5 Thursday, 21 October 2010

Intro- I am led of our Lord to preach on the subject of Repentance. It’s been said Repentance is the Missing Note in preaching today! In a day and hour where crime and corruption are at an all time high, where are the Preachers that once stood and cried against SIN? Daily we are bombarded with the news about another Rape, another Murder, another Child Molestation...Is there not a desperate need for GOD rain down power on his God Called Men to preach like John the Baptist REPENT? What does it mean to Repent?

True Bible Repentance is TURNING FROM SIN TO GOD!

Dr. James Orr once told a story about Billy Graham flying on an airplane and the attendant making a big fuss over him. “Do you want some more coffee Mr. Graham? Oh my mother prays for you every day.” “I cannot wait to tell her about seeing you.” About that time a big old Texan up front had a little too much to drink. He started cursing and making passes at the attendant and creating a big ruckus. Finally the attendant had enough and walked up to the big Texan and said, “Sir, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be quiet. You see Dr. Billy Graham is aboard this plane.” The Big Texan responded, “Billy Graham, Billy Graham is flying with us?” The man stumbled back to where Billy Graham was seated and said “Billy Graham, I’m so glad to meet you. I just want you to know how much your sermons have turned my life around and helped me to live the Christian Life.” (Church, this is not True Repentance. This is a sad attempt at being Religious without true repentance)

Ills: Looking forward to the 20th century William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army said this before this death: " The CHIEF DANGER of the 20th century will be:

“Confession without Conviction---Religion without the Holy Spirit,

Christianity without Christ-----------Forgiveness without Repentance,

Salvation without Regeneration------Heaven without Hell."

Let me remind you that Repentance is a Theme that flows throughout the Bible. All the way back in the book of Genesis, right after God created man. God told Adam what he could and could not do. Adam and Eve one day made a choice, they were tired of listening to God. They were going to do what they wanted to do. So they sinned against God’s command. At that very point Adam and Eve crossed a line and walked away from GOD. It was there Repentance became a Must. Repentance was the Main Message in the N.T.

After 400 years of silence from the close of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament...not One Word was said from God till John the Baptist stepped on the scene...

*John the Baptist preached: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1-2)

*The Lord Jesus preached:”…Repent(Mt 4:17) Jesus said 32I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

Jesus said: The Reason I came was to CALL SINNERS to Repentance! That’s why Jesus said “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto him” (…You’re heading the Wrong Way! You’ve Turned Away from GOD! REPENT…TURN BACK…!

Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus...

"EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH" (13:3) My .... these words tell us:

I. THE WHY OF REPENTANCE

“Except ye repent, ye shall ALL likewise perish " (13:3) It is a Universal Need. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)

Have You Repented?

Why do we need to repent? Because:

A. A DIVINE COMMAND

We are to repent because God tells us to repent!

Remember the cry of the OT prophets? "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord ...." (Isa 55:7) Remember the first message of Christ? We are told that He said, "Repent ye and believe the gospel." (Mk 1:15) Remember the message Christ gave to the Disciples when he sent them forth to preach? They preached that men should repent." (Mk 6:12)

Remember the charge Christ gave His disciples when he left the world? That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations."(Lk 24:47)

Remember the first message Peter preached? "Repent ye and be converted." (Acts 2:38)

Paul told the Ephesian elders, when he parted from them? He told them that he had taught them publicly, and from house to house " testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:20-21)

OH Listen! we need to repent because God tells us to repent. "God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." ( Acts 17:30) Have you responded to your Creator's command? Have you ignored it: rejected it: disobeyed it? We need to repent because of:

B. A DEVILISH CONDITION- we all are Guilty!

“ALL have Sinned and come SHORT of the glory of God” (Rm. 3:23)

Do these Words not burn Red Hot in your Soul? Do you realise that in the eyes of GOD YOU HAVE SINNED?

Behind our Sunday Suites & Sunday Dresses; behind our church faces there is only One Word that describes us ALL= GUILTY!

The Bible says, " All we like sheep .... we have turned every one to his own way .... " (Is 53:6) Let me put it personally ! You have turned away from God: you have gone your own way: you run your own life: You made your own decisions:

Are you guilty of Sin? Then You need to Repent.

C. A DEADLY CONSEQUENCE

" Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." (13:3)

The word “perish” comes from a Greek word “apollumi” means “to destroy”. Jesus was saying Except ye repent, you shall be destroyed in HELL. (I know what some of you are thinking, I’ll just be destroyed and that will be the end of me-NO! This is not Annilation! The Bible speaks of “everlasting death” “everlasting fire” (Mt. 25:41) “everlasting punishment” “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord (2Thes 1:9)

Here in Luke 13, Jesus was reminding people by the current events of the day that life was short and death was certain and they were not ready to die. Are You Ready to Die?

(1) WHY YOU NEED TO REPENT...b/c it’s Commanded; it’s Critical

II. THE WHAT OF REPENTANCE- What Is Repentance?

First let me say what Repentance is not:

A- Repentance is Not FEELING BAD for Your Sin.

Judas betrayed the SON of God...and later he felt all bad about it.

Matthew 27:3-5 3Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,  4Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.  5And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  (Judas felt sorry for his sin. But THAT’S NOT True Repentance!)

B- Repentance is not TREMBLING at the preaching of God's Word!. Felix trembled under the preaching of Paul, but as far as we know he is in Hell! (Acts 24:25) (Trembling at the preaching of God’s Word...THAT’S NOT True Repentance!)

C- Repentance is Not PROMISING to be better. "The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions." How many souls have promised to Turn Over a New Leaf? And fell back... old ways?

D. REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND:

Just like The prodigal son who said, "Father I have sinned." (15:18) YOU must ADMIT your sinner to GOD before you can ever be forgiven. You’ve got to see yourself Lost before you can ever be Found.

E. REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF HEART:

The prodigal son also cried, "father I have Sinned AGAINST HEAVEN” (15:18) This young man realised how WICKED his sin was in the sight of a holy God. Not only had he sinned against his father but also God. Have you had a change of heart?

C. REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF WILL:

Then "he AROSE and CAME to his father." (15:20) Are you willing to arise and come forward to an altar and confess your sin to God?

Ills: A SS teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word repentance ? A little boy put up his hand and said, “It is being sorry for your sins." A little girl also raised her hand and said, "It’s being sorry enough to quit."

Repentance is to Leave the sins,& Turn to GOD to walk a new Path

III. THE WINDOW OF REPENTANCE

Notice what Christ says, " Except ye repent .... perish." (13:3) He's showing us that repentance is possible, there is an open door, there is hope, that by the grace of God a man may repent !

A. THERE IS A WINDOW OF TIME THAT IS OPEN NOW

In spite of the power of sin: in spite of the power of pride: in spite of the power of the devil! I wonder how near you are to repentance. Bible says: The Goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance!

What is there in this world that would keep you back from coming to God in Repentance?

ILL- David Cloud in his book “The Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible and Christianity” told a story of when he and his wife was involved in missions work in Nepal. Their landlord started coming to their bible studies. He was a wealthy middle-aged Hindu and had a concubine that he spent most of his time with, though he was married. Cloud said, After we went through the gospel a few times and showed him how Christ died for his sins, he told me he was interested in receiving Christ. But he needed to know what he would have to do about two specific things in his life- his shady business practises and his illicit relationship with his concubine (girlfriend). Cloud said, I could have said, don’t worry about those things, just pray and receive Christ and all those things will work themselves out later. He said to the man, you need to repent of these great evils and look to Christ as payment for your sin. After that meeting, the man never returned again.

Sadly, this man like many others walked up to the Open Door of Repentance...and yet walked away.

B. THERE IS A WINDOW OF GRACE THAT ONE DAY WILL CLOSE

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