It got it. OK, all right, we'll
take your bottles and turn back with me to Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13. Verse one through five will be
our text this morning. And the title of the message
is Watch out for falling towers. Watch out for falling towers. The scripture said they were
present at that season, some that told him, told Christ, of
the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifice. And Jesus answering said unto
them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans,
because they suffered such things." There are several things that
we, as every son of Adam, as every one of us who are born
dead in sins, We might receive instruction, wisdom from these
words today. Every one of us have something
to do with this. Every one of us have something
to do with this. This involves you and me. This involves every
one of us, whether you are a child or you are in greater age. It
doesn't matter. This involves every one of us. This morning, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is wisdom, is crying out to expose the truth. The truth about ourselves. The truth we naturally desire
to suppress. The truth that we by nature are
absolutely and utterly wicked. That we are totally, completely
depraved of all spiritual understanding by nature. Wisdom tells us that He cries out to reveal the
absolute sovereignty, the complete and utter sovereignty of God
in all things. Wisdom cries out to reveal the
holiness of God in all things. Wisdom cries out to reveal the
absolute necessity of God's grace to act upon the hearts of men. Without God moving on your heart,
you will not be saved. It does not matter how much or
how sincere you are in religion. It does not matter how many good
things you think you have done. It does not matter how much you
think you have faith. If God Himself does not come
down and touch your heart and give you life in resurrection
from the dead, You will not be saved. God is absolutely sovereign. And we are absolutely and utterly
devoid of any hope to save ourselves. And this is the first thing I
want us to see and learn what wisdom tells us, what Christ
tells us here and reveals to us the absolute universal and
complete depravity of man. That's it. That's what he reveals
by this. Now, this news in verse one,
it says that some season, I don't know what season, I don't know
when or where this was given, but somebody desired to come
and tell the Lord Jesus about some Galileans that Pilate murdered. While they were offering sacrifices,
while they had offered sacrifices unto God, shed the blood of those
animals as was a type of Christ, as they should have, Pilate,
for some reason, either these men were bad or good, I don't
know. I mean, either these men were criminals or not, I don't
know. We don't have anything to tell
us. But we just know this, that Pilate sent murderers while they
were worshiping to kill these Galileans. And they suffered
a violent death. A tragic death. What men would
call untimely death. Untimely death. And for what reason they brought
this, I have no idea. And the Lord doesn't even care.
He doesn't care why they brought it or how they brought it. They
brought it because God told them to bring it. They brought it
because Christ would show us the truth and reveal the truth
concerning this tragedy. Now, we've seen tragedy in our
day. We see it every day. We see the tragedy of famine.
We see the tragedy of disease, of war, of murder, of thievery. We see the tragedy of even nature,
God bringing storms and hurricanes and tornadoes and people dying
because of this. Tragedy is all around us. Happens every day. Now, we might
leave this place this morning and not even make it to our homes.
Tragedy may befall you this morning. Just like these Galileans, somebody
may come into your house trying to take your possessions this
evening and kill you. I don't know. Not for me to know. May happen to me. May happen
to you. I don't know. God knows. God
designed it. God purposed it, whatever it
is. Do you suppose that on September
11, 2001, those planes accidentally were hijacked? And those people
were accidentally in that place on those planes at that particular
time? And those people were in those
buildings at that particular time that the planes struck those
buildings? Do you suppose any of that, that
murder of 3,000 Americans, was an accident of any kind? No. It was of the providence
of God. We could take any one of these
tragic examples that we see and we could place it right here.
We could place it right here. We could bring it to the Lord
and He will tell us the same thing. He will tell us that all
men are sinners. That these men did not die a
violent or untimely death because they were greater sinners. He said, do you suppose that
these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans? Is that
not what we think? That's a natural thought process.
Two men who are involved in a drug deal and it goes bad and they
both kill each other. Now, the first thought we think,
well, God judged them. God judged them. They must have
been really bad folks. They must have been really horrible.
No doubt they were. But not any more horrible and
godly as you who are sitting in this building today. You are
not any more godly by nature as they are. You are not any
more worthy to be here than they are to be here or be there. We
should have been there. We would be worthy to be there.
What Christ is saying, do you think that just because something
happens to someone that you can judge? That you can determine
the judgments of God? That these men must have been
some kind of sinners? Do you suppose their level of
sinners? Greater sinners? Better sinners? Is there such a term as a better
sinner? Can you have a better sinner? No. These men were not the greatest
of sinners, but these men were the same type of sinner. as every other man. The one thing the Scripture does
is it is the great leveler of man. It all puts us all, I don't
care who you are. I don't care where you come from. God doesn't care where you come
from or who you are. God's standard is the same for
everyone. His standard is the same for
my children as it is for me, as it is for the drug dealer,
as it is for the murderer. His standard is perfect righteousness. And without it, none of us will
see God. Jesus is by this revealing to
each one of us the bare and naked truth of our complete darkness. A pastor friend of mine who's
now gone to be with the Lord, He told me of a story of his
when he was a younger man. He was a very wicked young man. According to him, he had a best
friend and they did everything together. They were two of a kind and they
loved to sin. They loved it. They reveled in
it together. And one day, God say, my friend, And his friend, he did not save. And he said, one morning as I
was driving a Sunday school bus to worship, my friend lay bleeding
dead in the middle of the street. And he said to me, you want to
talk about the grace of God, there it is. The only difference
between him and me was grace, because we were the same. And
this is how we should look at all men, even as we look at ourselves
and what we are by nature. The Jewish rulers, they might
even agree with that, because they didn't like the Galileans.
They thought the Galileans were... He said, yeah, you're right.
I mean, those guys must have been just as wicked as the other
Galileans. You bet. Amen. Amen to that. But our Lord doesn't stop there.
I love this. Our Lord, when He puts a knife in, He likes to
twist it to make sure it gets good and deep in the heart. He
said in verse 4, He mentions another tragedy. He says, Those
eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them,
think you that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?" Oh, well, surely that must be
so. Surely they must have been worse
than all of those in Jerusalem, because Jerusalem must have been
holy. These rulers must have been holy.
He says, no. No, I tell you, no! They were just as wicked and
evil as the men on whom that tower fell. Just as guilty as
those evil Galileans that you hate so much. Just as wicked
as those slew by Pilate in the temple. Even now, I'm telling you, the
voice of wisdom cries out, we all, every one of us, by nature, is
absolutely wicked. You know what it is? The heart.
That's where it stems from. The Scripture says that the heart
is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. Can you think of anything more
deceptive than your own heart? How many times a day do we justify
our wicked actions? How many times a day do we blame
others for our own sins? Constantly that thought comes
up in our minds that we are somehow better than someone else, that
we deserve better than other people. No, we deserve hell. That's what we deserve. The fact
that God allowed us to continue nine months in the womb of our
mother and allowed us to breathe out air for the first breath
is sheer mercy and nothing else. Mercy. You breathe today because
God allows you to breathe today. That's it. You don't deserve
to breathe, and neither do I. We don't deserve a full life. You that have lived a great full
life, you did not deserve that. You've watched others die before
you. We do not deserve to live, much
less be pampered as we are. Oh, we are so pampered. And I'll tell you, we are greater
murmurers than those of Jerusalem. They wandered about in the desert.
Do you suppose we would murmur? I mean, we would murmur without
an air conditioner. I mean, if we didn't have a fan or something,
surely we would have blamed God and went back to Egypt. It's only by the grace of God
you're kept. The English used to have a saying, How are you kept today? I mean,
how do you keep today? And somebody asked Arthur Peake
as he was walking by, he said, how do you keep today? He says,
I don't keep, I'm kept. And we are. You are kept in the
hands of God every single day of your life. And you're not
promised another breath. You don't deserve another breath.
And if you get another breath, it is the grace of God that gives
you another breath. We're worthy only of hell. Behold, Isaiah 51.5 says, Behold,
I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive. You notice how he said I? He
didn't say you. He said I. I'll tell you, he understood
something about himself. God revealed something about
himself. Has God revealed this to you?
Are you sure? Are you sure you know the depths
of your depravity? Because I've not found the end
of mine. I still don't know exactly how
really undeserving I am to breathe. Many people in Romans 9, they
say, I don't understand how it is that God could hate Esau.
Friends, I don't understand how it is he could love Jacob. That's what I can't understand.
I can see how he could hate me. But man, that he loves me? The most moral and chaste woman
and the whore are the same. The deacon of the church and
the drug dealer, same. The pastor and the pedophile,
the same. or all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Somebody illustrated that this
way. They said if the California coast fell off and say you were
the only closest place was Hawaii and you had to swim from California
to Hawaii. Now, some people would have drowned
in the first minute, didn't know how to swim. Do you suppose the
best swimmer, the best swimmer would have fared better? No,
he would have just got tired a lot longer. We won't make it on our own words. I don't care who you are. Good works of the preacher are
equally as wicked and worthless as a lifetime criminal. This
is because we are not only born in sin, but all we do is sin. Have you seen that? That you're
sitting here this morning. Do you count that as anything
before God? Do you suppose that this will
get you any kudos with God? Do you suppose that somehow,
by your sitting here and listening to the Gospel that God has given,
that you will somehow fare better than any other person? No. No. Listen to me. Because if you
have not, if I have not made it plain now, I want to do so.
I don't know if I've made it plain enough how wicked and vile
we are, how totally and helpless and hopeless we are, that we do not deserve any goodness
of God at all. But you've received some, haven't
you? Have you received the goodness of God in some things? Have you
ever laughed? Have you ever experienced any
joy at all? I'll tell you, if you're not
cast into hell at birth, it is a grace and mercy of God alone. For who maketh thee to differ
from another? Or what hast thou thou hast not
received? And if you've received it, why
do you act like you haven't? Why do you hold your head above
everyone else? as though to look down at them,
as though you've done something to receive this? Believers, true grace is the
most humiliating and humbling doctrine in all the world. We are blessed If we have any
blessings by the free grace of God. You know, the countless millions
will never hear what you just heard. Countless millions will die in
that sin nature. Believing themselves to be holy. Do you realize how blessed you
are? To know the truth that we are
all sinners by nature and can't save ourselves. I love the saying, blessed is the sinner for the
Holy Spirit has made him one. No man can know this unless God
reveal it to you. Hear the answer then of wisdom
to what shall we do then? How can we be saved from a just
God and how can God be just and still justify us? Hear the answer
of Christ. Everyone is depraved. Everyone
is sinful. Hear the answer of necessity. Except ye. I like the King James
Version because it's very specific. Ye is singular. It's not plural. It's not you
all, you's guys, whatever you want to say. It is you, specifically,
singular, personal. Except ye. Repent. You shall all likewise perish. The necessity of repentance. What is repentance? Because there
is a false repentance that is proclaimed today. It is a repentance
of one or another particular sin. This is a false repentance. It is a sham. When have you ever
repented from one specific sin to never do it again? I wouldn't have time to study
if I had to repent of every particular sin. No, repentance is a turning from
idols. to God. It is conversion. It is an about
face. It is a 180 degree turn. It is turning away from my self,
turning away from my works, turning away from my sin and turning
to God by faith. By faith. The Thessalonians, Paul said,
for they themselves show us the manner of entering in we had
unto you, and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living
and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath
to come. Do you not see that repentance
and faith are one? Repentance and faith go together. You cannot have repentance without
faith and you cannot have faith without repentance. We like to
do things in order. We like to have a nice systematic
way of seeing things. I can't tell you faith, repentance. They say that you got to have
faith before you repent, but I don't know. I don't see which
one of the egg or the chicken comes first. I don't know. I
know this. You can't have one without the
other. If you repented, you repented because of faith. And if you
have faith, it's because you repented. False faith continues and says,
oh, I believe that over there, but I'm going to go this way. I'm going to continue in my sin.
I'm going to continue in my way of life. I don't have any change. There's no change, no reason
to be changed. All saved by grace. Everything's all right. I'll
just keep on living the way I've... That's a lie. Faith without works
is dead. Dead. And the same is about repentance. If you turn to God without faith
in Christ, you are turning to your own damnation. You turn to God by your works,
something's wrong. You must come by faith in Christ.
This is the gospel. This is the whole message of
the gospel, to turn from free will, works, religion, to turn
away from self-righteousness and to turn to God in repentance
of your sin. Repentance is taking God's side
against yourself. That's what it is. God says, and I'm worthless,
no good, good for nothing, wretch. Amen. I take his side. That's exactly right. There's
none good that do it. There's none that do it good.
No, not one. Amen. I say amen to that. And I'm the
one that does not good. I don't do any good. I have no
good works that make me acceptable to God. If a sinner turns, from one work
or the other, that's just futile. If a man turns from Arminianism
to Calvinism, it's futile. That's stupid. This has been
my fault for many years, trying to convince people of Calvinism.
What a waste of time. Because I'm not here to convince
you of Calvinism. I'm here to show you a person.
Now, I can show you a person by the five points of Calvinism,
but I'm not really trying to get you to change doctrine. I'm
trying to talk to you about repentance, about turning to a person, toward
Jesus Christ, the Lord, the King, and bowing down before Him, seeking
mercy. This is the message that Jesus
preached while he was here on earth. He said, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is in hand.
Repent and believe the gospel. That's what I tell you right
now. Turn away from you. Turn to God by faith. And sue
for mercy. The king has come. to seek and to save that which
was lost." If you've never been lost, you've never been found.
How could somebody find you if you're not lost? Why would anybody
look for you if you're not lost? I was lost, but now I am found. If you are lost, sue for mercy
and He will find you. You know where He found me? right
where I was. I didn't have to go anywhere. He found me. He found me out. I was exposed. My defenses were gone. And I said, like those lepers
peradventure. Maybe he'll be gracious. And you know what I found, I
found him to be gracious. And there is not one sinner who
has ever repented, who has not found him to be gracious. Is that not unheard of? Any earthly
king that you know of was so benevolent to forgive the rebels,
the uprisers, the haters, and to bring them in not only as
citizens, but sons? Have you ever heard of that?
Oh, you're the leader of this here rebellion. Sure, come on
in and be my son. Never have you heard such a thing.
But this is what the king says to you who are vile, wicked,
Undone. Except you repent, you will likewise
perish. We preach repentance. The scripture said, let the wicked.
Is that you? That's me. Let the wicked forsake
his way. And the unrighteous man, his
thoughts. I keep thinking about modern
religion and how they all have their opinions, right? They like
to have opinion studies. Opinion groups. You know, they'll
sit around and quote one. Well, what do you think about
that, Gil? What do you think about that, Scott? Tell me what
you think about it. Well, I think this. Well, I think
something different, but that's okay. We're all alright. It's
okay. No. Not an opinion group. I forsake my way of thinking.
I forsake my way of what I thought it was to go to heaven. I've
left that behind. That is garbage. I don't want
it. My fault. I thought. Is it not the two most ridiculous
words coming out of a sinner's mouth? I thought it should be
this way, like Naaman. I thought. That God would come
down and lightning would strike and I would believe. I thought
that God would open the door and there would be heaven, light
would come down and I would give some kind of sign. Forsake that thought and let him return unto the Lord. And he will have mercy upon him. Return to our God, and He will
abundantly pardon." Who needs abundant pardon? Because I need
abundant pardon. I don't need pardon from one
sin or another sin. I need pardon from all sin. I
need pardon from my nature. This is the only true gospel,
and everyone who repents will find mercy. Everyone. I don't care how old or young
you are, anyone who has given faith and repentance to turn
to Christ will be saved. That is the gospel. That's good
news. That's good news. And lastly,
the teaching that the Christ is here showing us is the teaching
of divine providence. These two tragedies that are
put before us were purposed of God for our learning. that in all things our God reigns
over all flesh. Our God will do with His creatures
whatsoever He pleases. He'll do with you what He pleases.
Do you understand that? As I said, if you get into an
accident this morning, it's because God was pleased to do that. Providence. Divine Providence. To the wicked, this is a terrible
thing. Just think, at any moment, a
tower could fall on your head. At any moment, you could die.
What a horrible thing to be without Christ and die in your sin. But to the righteous, all is well. Whether the tower
falls on my head or not, whether I become sick or I am healthy,
whether I am in poverty or whether I am abounding in wealth, it
does not matter how I die. I will die and so will you. You or I may die sooner or later,
but it doesn't matter, we'll die. And we'll die at the appointed
time of God. It is appointed unto man once
to die. It's appointed. Your death is
appointed. These 18 men, their death was
appointed. These Galileans, their death
was appointed of God and after that judgment. Are you ready? Are you ready? I'm not talking
about the other person. I'm talking to you. Are you ready? Except you repent, you'll perish
just like they did. In eternal hell. You'll die in
eternal hell just like they did. Except you repent and believe. To us, this is a comfort. That
no matter whether it's storms, and it makes no difference how
we die, whether towers or tyrants, it doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter by what instrument God uses, death, storms, accidents,
disease, whatever the instrument. The only thing that matters is
Christ. Christ. Christ is all my salvation. Every ounce of my salvation rests
in the work and in the person of the Son of God and none in
myself. And in Him I have everything.
All things are mine. If God spared not His only Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him give us all things? What does Christ have Well, that's what I have. Whatever he owns, I own. He's my head and I am his body. How wonderful it is to believe
on Christ. Anything in the world could happen
to me, this body. But I know it's by God's design. And I serve Him. Do you? Or are you just talking about
it? I have repented. And I do now
believe. When do you believe? You believe
now. That's when you should believe.
Right now. Make haste. Believe now. Kiss the Son, lest
He be angry with thee. Make haste, repent, and turn,
and you'll find mercy and forgiveness of sins. What a glorious gospel
we have because it's a glorious God we have, a glorious King
who rules over us. Have the men come forward and
we'll prepare the Lord's table to take together.