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“Except You Repent…” Luke 13:3,5 Introduction 1. Many have a difficult time when they discover that the life that they are living does not line up with what God says we should be doing? 2. Feeling the guilt, and knowing that repentance requires a change in their lifestyle ( Acts 26:20 “they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”), many go away in anger because they must have “their way or no way at all”.3. Jesus taught the need for repentance when he said “Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3,5)4. Because we do not want to perish, and suffer the eternal consequence of Hell, we must find it within ourselves to change when God does not approve of “our way” . 5. The reason for repentance is because we are all guilty of sin ( Romans 3:23), and sin is a transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4).6. Repentance means we are making a change from doing our will, to doing God’s will. ( Matthew 21:28-29)---Today we want to discuss some things that will urge us to repent of our sins if we have not done so already. ---Let us begin with the fact that… I. THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS TO REPENTANCE (Romans 2:4)A. God has been so good to mankind 1. God has always been good to man ( Psalm 52:1)-God created man in His image and gave Him a beautiful dwelling place to live. ( Genesis 1:26-31; 2:7-15)-God gave all things to man and gave them simple instructions to abide by. ( Genesis 2:16-17)-Man, having a knowledge of God’s will was deceived to disobey God’s simple command. ( Genesis 3:6-11)-Sin then became a reality as man turned away from and disobeyed God’s command. ( I John 3:4)-God disciplined man and put him out of the garden with consequences for their sins. Why? ( Revelation 3:19)2. All mankind is in sin and needs to realize a simple fact… B. We must realize God’s goodness and repent. 1. Even though all have sinned, God has been good to us -God sent His only begotten Son ( John 3:16)-God sent His Son while we were sinners ( Romans 5:6-8)2.We can only be forgiven through Jesus and repentance of our sins. ( Ephesians 2:1-7)3.We must realize that God is ready to forgive, and that we need to come in repentance. ( Psalm 130:3-4)II. THE AUTHORITY OF GOD COMMANDS REPENTANCE (Acts 17:30)A. God has commanded repentance for “all men”.1. The New Testament is full of the command to repent. -John prepared the way of the Lord by commanding repentance ( Matthew 3:1-2)-Jesus commanded folks to repent ( Matthew 4:17)-The apostles were sent out with this command ( Mark 6:12)-The great commission consisted of repentance ( Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19)-Repentance was for Jew and Gentile alike ( Acts 11:18; 20:21; 26:17-20).2. This command of repentance also applies to you and I. B. We who are striving to please God must repent, fully repent! 1. Repentance is a command, and commands are obeyed. -We must change our life to conform to the will of God. ( Titus 2:11-15)2. If we truly repent we will not live like we did in our ignorance ( I Peter 1:14-15; I Corinthians 6:9-11)III. THE COMPASSION OF GOD WAITS FOR REPENTANCE (II Peter 3:9)A. God has been long-suffering and patient toward mankind 1. Man has always seen the compassion of God. ( Psalm 86:15)-Example : The days of Noah ( I Peter 3:20; Genesis 6)-God doesn’t want only a few to be saved but all ( I Timothy 2:4)-God is giving us ample time, but what will we do? (See Revelation 2:21)2. God wants all to be saved on the judgment day, so… B. We must repent before the coming day of judgment. 1. The Bible is clear about a coming judgment ( II Peter 3:10-15)2. Jesus is the one who can save us. ( Luke 5:31-32; Acts 3:26; 5:31)IV. THE LOVE OF GOD REJOICES OVER REPENTANCE (Luke 15:7)A. God looks forward to man accepting His love 1. The parables of Jesus illustrate this point -The Lost Sheep ( Luke 15:1-7)-The Lost Coin ( Luke 15:8-10)-The Lost Son ( Luke 15:11-32)2. Jesus came to this earth and died that He might save the lost. ( Matthew 26:28; Luke 19:10)B. Sinners need to give in to the love of God and repent. 1. God’s love is clearly seen in Christ ( Titus 3:3-7)2. God showed the greatest love in Christ ( I John 4:9-10; 19; John 10:11, 15-18; 15:13)3. Even those who repented experienced this joy. ( Acts 2:46; 8:39; 16:34)Conclusion 1. Jesus said “Except you repent you will all likewise perish…” (Luke 13:3,5).2. God has given us all the motivation to change our life and transform our minds to do His will. -The goodness of God leads to repentance -The authority of God commands repentance -The compassion of God waits for repentance -The love of God rejoices over repentance 3. If we know that all have sinned, and we are accountable, we ought to ask ourselves: “Have I repented of my sins and gave my life to God?” 4. It is up to you and I to make sure that we are ready for the judgment day. -Take advantage of God’s patience, goodness and love in obedience to His commands. -Don’t think that God will give you another day -In 2 Corinthians 6:2 Paul said “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”Send mail to
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