REPENT OR PERISH

PROCLAMATION

“I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them; do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Luke 13:3-5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Luke, the physician.  As He continued to teach the crowd, a person in the crowd told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  Jesus responded to him, “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.” (Luke 13:1-3)  He said the same regarding the eighteen who died in Siloam. (Luke 13:4-5)  Then He told them The Parable of the Fig Tree. (Luke 13:6-9)  The fig tree was not producing any fruit, so the man who owned the vineyard was going to cut it down.  However, the caretaker of the vineyard interceded to give the fig tree one more year, one more chance before cutting it down.

APPLICATION

Jesus, The Christ, made it clear to the crowd that followed Him, if they did not repent then they would also perish. (Luke 13:3 and 13:5)  The same is true for us today.  Those of us who repent and confess will have our names written in The Lamb’s book of life.  Those who do not repent will perish because their names are not in the book of life. (Revelation 20:15)  So, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)  Only those who confess and believe will be saved. (Romans 10:9)  We have been given one more chance to repent before we perish.