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Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ and his disciples asked him, and said Rabbi who said this man or his parents that he would be born as a world you see that's their worldview. Their worldview is pretty simple, bad people have bad things happen to good people have things that's their view of the world joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going faster now is once again he shows us how god's word society that is unlike any in the past. we live in a world of electronic media mass communication. we see renal atlas visual images each and every day. in fact, we see everything every catastrophe, every calamity, every disaster, every tragedy is prorated before our eyes. earthquakes and tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes, plagues, famines, wars, suicide terrorist genocide massacres mass murders in our schools mass murders in movie theaters drive by shootings and we see these things again and again and again and again we see plane crashes and train wrecks and sinking ships and it goes on and on and on. the irony is almost none of these things have anything to do with us. were not there were not involved but all of this emotionally becomes ours vicariously we have to process this and what is stunning right now of the studies are showing that americans are becoming desensitized to the violence of our world.
we are becoming numb to it. john macarthur says this he said were caught up as americans in a strange kind of paradox one the one hand were over exposed to these massive calamities that catapult large groups of people in the death and on the other hand, we live in a very self absorbed, self conscious self satisfying personally fulfilling world of people who are trying to suck everything they can out of this life and live the temple life to its max. he said at the highest level of comfort and prosperity they can achieve. he said that's life in america. what a strange paradox. it seems to me that in the likeness and uniqueness of our time. the question were faced with this. the question was raised by the late francis schaeffer, the great christian apologist, how should we then live in other words, how do we as believers in jesus christ live in this particular time that is different than almost any other.
i believe the scriptures give us three distinct ways or insights into how we should live open your bibles to luke chapter 13 the gospel of luke chapter 13 and in some ways, although we see our world is unique in other ways.
it's not nearly as unique as think it is. this is an unusual passage but it makes a poignant point in verse one. luke writes this now on the same occasion and that's the previous sermon that he preached in chapter 12 on the same occasion. there were some present who reported to him about the galileans whose blood pilate had mixed with her sacrifices, mass murder, just like today a catastrophe front page of the jerusalem times.
this would have been that kind of event pilots men murdering galileans.
pilate hates the jews and the jews hate pipe and so he had an opportunity here and who knows the background, specifically whether he thought they were political zealots or whatever, but he orders his men to kill these galileans from the point of view, the galileans in the safest place they would've ever felt in their lives. the temple, it's likely that the passover and the reason is likely the passover.
that's when you make a sacrifice yourself on the temple grounds.
also, pilate spent all this time in caesarea in his palace, but the passover he would come to jerusalem and so apparently what happened is these galilean men came they were making a sacrifice. pilate ordered his men to just butcher them and cut them the size, in fact, that's why the scripture says that their blood ran with the blood of the sacrifices they were making.
what a horrible situation. what a terrible thing, and by the way the world wasn't immune to that in four bc. according to josephus, archelaus killed 3000 judean jews he had executed many of the pharisees, by the way, even before christ came were crucified by the romans, so it wasn't new to the world.
what's interesting about this is they report this to jesus and then jesus responds them in a really unique way and i believe the way you respond to us as we consider our world says in english. do you suppose now that were supposes the greek word tokyo and nokia means what your opinion when you think of this.
now this is interesting because what jesus is going to tell them and hopefully what is going to tell us is the first insight, and living in the kind of world that we live in is this. we need to see the world from god's perspective, we need to see the world from god's perspective and it's so easy for us, especially in the kind of world we live in, to miss it. notice he says to them, do you suppose that these galileans were greater sinners than all the other galileans, because they suffer this fate until you know unless you repent you will all likewise perish. then he says there's another example. or do you suppose that those 18, on whom the tower of sidelong fell and killed them were worse culprits and all the men who live in jerusalem now we don't have vanessa nardi political insurrectionist who had to be killed by pilots. men want to make an offering. now we have innocent bystanders. that's what jesus is saying you have the situation here when he calls it.
in verse four was 18 when the tower of sidelong fell 1 where the southern and eastern wall. the old city made there apparently was a tower built 18 people are just standing around, or maybe more because many could've been injured and they're just standing there and all of a sudden the tower falls and kills eight tina them again front page news innocent bystanders. but jesus says something really odd about that.
see what you'd expect them to say that this terrible i mean assisted terrible thing that happened but he doesn't jesus do you suppose that these galileans were greater sinners and all other galileans you understand this, you have to understand their worldview see their worldview is similar to some of yours but different than most of yours that would come back to this passage, but i want to go to john nine john the gospel of john chapter 9 and he will see the worldview once again. a famous story. the healing of the man born blind and again we see the worldview and gospel of john chapter 9 verse one it says and he passed by.
that's jesus, and he saw a man blind from birth and his disciples asked him, and said rabbi who said this man or his parents that he would be born blind as a worldview. you see, that's their worldview. their worldview is pretty simple, bad people have bad things happen to them and good people have good things happened that's their view of the world. so this man has a bad thing happen to me spline that means he's a bad man or his parents were bad people.
that's the way this works. in fact, even the blind man has that view. when he is interacting with the leadership who's giving them all kinds of questions about who you all the way down in verse 31, the blind man says we know that god does not hear sinners, but if anyone is god-fearing and does his will. then he hears him even the blind man believed that the blind man was like god never listen. having to do a sinners he only deals with good people.
this is their worldview. this is how they say things now.
this go back to luke and sort of read this in the text and jesus send them to you. suppose that these galileans were greater sinners than all other galileans, because they suffered this fate and then eat adds this unusual thing i tell you no, but unless you repent you all. likewise perish. what is he saying, what does he mean by that he means you're missing the most important aspect of what life is easier to shortsighted you need to see the world from my perspective. you see, you think it's terrible that pilots men came upon his galileans and murdered and whether making a sacrifice. but let me tell you something i wanted to what's really terrible to die without me. that's what's really terrible.
you see, that's what's really terrible. that's a perspective completely different than the cultures. that's why he says it he says i tell you no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish, or do you suppose that those 18, on the tower sidelong fell and killed them were worse culprits then all the men who live in jerusalem i tell you no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish not the unusual part of that is like what in the world is he talking about.
how does he get that. he says you're missing kind of the whole point. that's what you're doing.
the most important aspect of this you're missing completely. now he sets us up.
by the way the back of chapter 12 in verse 54, right before this event. he was also saying to the crowds on the watch what he says. he says when you see a cloud rising in the west immediately you say the showers coming and he said it's gonna rain anything it does any said when you see a south wind blowing you say will be a hot day and it just turns out that way is to use you observe something and you're right.
notice what he says then you hypocrites.
wow, where did that come from you hypocrites. he says you know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky. but why do you not analyze the present time. why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right. it's an amazing thing.
how you're so good at knowing when rains coming and you're so bad at knowing when the messiah is here how you so bad at this. how do you see so well at a temple level and you don't see the eternal level at all. don't you get it your all going to perish and it doesn't mean god he means for ever. he is a whole different way of viewing this whenever the terrorist flew those two commercial airliners into the twin towers. we watched you can remember what that was like just watching his catastrophic cnn is any news agency was responding to it and cnn asked from an evangelical perspective. they asked john macarthur to come to cnn and be interviewed about these events and so he went and they told him it would be an international broadcasting. he would be interviewed by larry kane. he was also not told at all what kind of questions he would be asked soleri asked john this question what we take away from the devastation of the collapse of the twin towers under the terrorist and 3000 some odd people dying. what's the message while just imagine speaking for that.
john macarthur for the take away is this you're going to die and you have no control of when.
so you better be ready.
larry was astounded how to respond to that one answer the question that way. jesus, you see, we kept thinking of all the other issues on the temple, claiming macarthur's whole perspective is you're going to die.
you see, you still have any control over when they no one thought they were going to diners towers that day.
you better be ready. that's exactly what jesus is the same in luke 13. let me frame in a different way. if you think of all of the calamities that you will witness especially through media know one person died. that is going to die. every person that guy is going to die. every single one of them.
see, the question is how do you see it see jesus is saying what it can be a terrible thing to die on the temple plane and sometimes it makes no sense at all.
but he says if you want to know something infinitely worse. it's the die without me to die forever. it's much, much worse. we need to see our world from god's perspective. secondly, we need to see how strategically important. we are in our world. notice in verse six he follows up these poignant words with a parable as he often does mrs. let me tell you a story that tries to illustrate this and begin telling this parable. he said a man had a fig tree which had been planted in the vineyards and he came looking for fruit on it and didn't find any. now the only reason you have a fig tree by the way, let's fix that's what you have in a love things in that part of the world never valuable. so you say have better vineyard him and put a fig tree in my vineyard where how we are willing to go hear any comes and goes a is only one thing wrong with this victory dying things on any said to the vineyard keeper behold, for three years i have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any.
please understand this is a parable. how long was jesus ministry three years. israel is the fig tree. he says i would find any fruit three years.
he says behold, for three years i have come looking for the food in this fig tree without finding any. cut it down.
he says why does it even use up the ground is pointless. a fig tree without things is pointless and he answered and he said to him, let alone sir.
he said for this year to until i dig around it and he said and i put on some fertilizer on it. maybe, maybe that would really help the word for fertilizer.
there is the word for manure.
he said what. maybe that's what it needs and if it bears fruit next year, fine.
but if not democratic on no in light of what jesus said prior to this, what is it he's really trying to say what is the point of his parable is point is this. everybody is living on borrowed time. everybody lives on borrowed time.
all of us.
some is a lot more than others, but were all living on borrowed time and so his whole point in this type of thing is that this tree is living on borrowed time. it should be cut down. but i'll let it go for little bit longer. you see, what does he mean he say mr. israel. he is saying to them will the only hope you have is me. i been here three years now and you're not responded there's going to be a time when you're not going to have the time to respond. you see there's going to be a time when there's nothing else i can do for you now is that for israel but that's true for everybody. you see everybody in here and everybody out their lives on borrowed time. you see that's and how much of it i don't know is he some of you will get from an earthly point of view, a lot of good and some of you will get a lot less but it's inevitable.
and so the question of it is is that we need to see how essentially important jesus christ is. that's what he is saying because he's there but i'm saying how strategically important. we are because this is the message we have we have the gospel of jesus christ. you see the solution for that world out there and on a temporal basis at all. think of how they try. think of the press conferences are held we see something really terrible and good have a press conference and i want to tell you what's going to be done about this or even worse, how about every 2 to 4 years in election. all my goodness yeah there's a lot of bad stuff out there but if you elect me streets will be saving really yeah because that's what we do, we just talk. even something as wonderful. just imagine all the medical research and that through all the medical research and the wonder of medical research we find in our lifetimes.
a cure for cancer. when that be wonderful yes, but there's a reality were all going to die anyway whether they cure cancer or not you're still going to die were all on borrowed time. bathroom never on the radio ministry of Fellowship in the Word if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the. the method one more time. remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as Fellowship in the Word. we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the 100 support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge.
Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastor Bill Gebhardt and Jason Gebhardt. Thanking you for listening to fellowship in order