Introduction

Good morning, beloved. It's a blessing to gather together once more in the house of our Lord, to find comfort in His presence and to be nourished by His word. Today, we find ourselves in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, verses 1 through 9. In this passage, we are invited to consider a subject of profound importance, one that strikes at the very heart of our Christian faith: repentance.

Before we turn to the text, let's take a moment to reflect on the words of the great Charles Spurgeon who once said, "Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is the tearing up of the roots of sin, the destruction of the love of it, the hatred of it, the turning of the heart from it, and the resolution to live to God." Spurgeon's words, though spoken long ago, still ring with a timeless truth today. Repentance isn't just a fleeting feeling of remorse, it's a deep, soul-stirring realization of our sin and a determined turning away from it.

Now, let us read from the Scriptures: "There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.' And he told this parable: 'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Relevance of Repentance

When we think about the idea of repentance, it's easy to see it as something negative. It's associated with guilt, with shame, with the acknowledgment of our wrongdoings. But what if we were to shift our perspective? What if we were to see repentance not as an admission of guilt, but as a step towards grace?

Jesus is speaking to a group of people who are trying to make sense of some tragic events. They're asking questions about why bad things happen to good people. And Jesus, in his wisdom, doesn't give them a direct answer. Instead, he points them towards the need for repentance. Now, why would Jesus do that? Why would he bring up repentance in response to their questions about suffering and injustice? It's because Jesus knows that repentance is the key to understanding our place in the world. It's the key to understanding our relationship with God.

Repentance is about more than just saying sorry for our sins. It's about turning away from our old ways and turning towards God. It's about recognizing that we've been walking in the wrong direction and making a conscious decision to change our course.

This requires humility, courage, and a willingness to admit that we've been wrong. But most importantly, it requires a belief in the transformative power of God's love. When we repent, we're saying that we believe in God's ability to make us new. We're saying that we believe in God's ability to turn our mistakes into opportunities for growth.

But repentance is also about our relationship with each other. When we repent, we're not just turning away from our sins. We're also turning towards our fellow human beings. We're recognizing that our actions have consequences, not just for us, but for the people around us.

Requirement of Repentance for Eternal Life

Jesus, in His divine wisdom, uses two distinct events to illustrate this truth ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO