Let Us Number Our Days

Sermon Delivered October 2nd, 2011
Luke 13:1-9 ~ Let Us Number Our Days

The following statistics are rather sobering...The number of deaths in the world may fluctuate widely from one year to the next. A rough estimate of annual deaths is 60 million or about two every second. (Tan, P. L., Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations, Bible Communications 1996, electronic edition).

This means that with our worship service starting at 10:30 A.M. and perhaps ending around 12:00 P.M., approximately 10,800 people will die in the world during this time. When the terrorists attacked our country on 9/11, right around 3000 people were killed. That accounts for approximately 25 minutes of deaths for a normal day according to the above rate. Around 230,000 people died in the December 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. That accounts for about 32 hours...not quite a day and a half...of the normal death rate. Someone once asked a friend of whom he was visiting from out of town, “What is the death rate in your city?” The friend responded, “100 percent.”

These are rather discomforting statistics, are they not? I know that, personally, I don't think too much about how many people are dying around us each day. Regardless, it is happening and happening rather quickly. We have a choice when it comes to this. We can take one of two approaches. Author William Somerset Maugham gave this advice, “Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” (www.quotes4all.net). He died in December of 1964 regardless of his stated desire to avoid it. Or we can take Evangelical Theologian Jonathan Edwards' approach, “Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” (www.apuritansmind.com). He died in March of 1758, perhaps viewing his death as entrance into eternal glory and worship of his Savior.

Our Savior, Jesus, would have us think about death. He wouldn't have us morbidly dwelling upon this topic, but, as we've seen in recent weeks, being rightly prepared to meet Him is of vital import to the Lord. All of Luke 12 is accounts of Jesus teaching and admonishing His hearers to be thinking rightly about life on this earth and being ready to meet Him either through death, the Rapture or His Second Coming. The overall point He has been making is that this life and the things in it are insignificant compared to the next life and the things in it. Jesus states that we must be ready for that life as we live this life. Someone once said that we often ask what we want to be doing in the next five, or fifteen, years. Jesus would have us think about what we want to be doing in one hundred years, one million years and one billion years. We need to be thinking along those lines.

In the passage before us today in Luke 13:1-9, the Lord Jesus continues on with His very direct and even harsh dialogue with His listeners concerning perspectives about life and death. And again, as we have discussed, God is very good to us in that He clearly tells us, with complete clarity, the reality of life on this fallen ball and the need to view it from His perspective.

Thus, lets together see Jesus' perspective on death and how to rightly live in light of this absolutely certain event in our lives. Follow along as I read Luke 13:1-9:

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; 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 sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
From this text, let us learn...

In light of God's Absolute Sovereignty over life and death, we should be ready to meet Him at any time.

Two accurate signs that we are living in light of God's absolute sovereignty over life and death:

1. We understand the fragility of life and how quick it can end.

As we look at these first few words in chapter 13, we may be able to rightly assume that those who were present and heard Jesus' words recorded at the end of chapter 12 understood what Jesus was saying regarding settling issues with God before your death. Verses 57 through 59 of that text clearly state that each man has a court date set with the Lord and that things will not go well if the issues aren't settled before that date.

But then it appears that at least some of them perhaps misunderstood and/or misapplied the statement of the Lord. Specifically, they didn't apply it to themselves. This, of course, indicates their lack of wanting to face the issue of death head-on. They assumed that Jesus was speaking about somebody else. “Surely it isn't me that has a court date with God!” is their thinking. And, in so thinking, they approached the Lord and gave the example of verse 1. Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea who eventually orders the death of Christ, killed some Galileans who had come to worship the Lord during Passover. If we look historically at this man Pilate, we soon learn that he was a very violent and wicked man. He seems to have taken some sick enjoyment out of brutal oppression. Jewish historian Josephus records four events during Pilate's reign in Israel where he thought nothing of the shedding of blood. In the instance before us today, it appears that he had his men dressed in disguise as the huge Passover sacrifice was being offered and, during the actual sacrifice, Pilate's men attacked and kill these Galileans.

There is speculation as to why Pilate would do such a thing. Perhaps these Galileans had done something disrespectful to Pilate earlier in the Passover week? Maybe they publicly protested the Roman presence in Israel. In Acts 5:37, The Pharisee Gamaliel makes mention of a certain “Judas of Galilee” who led some sort of uprising and then was killed and his following dispersed. Perhaps this is the event referred to in Luke 13.

But of far more import than the actual event is the attitude of those approaching Jesus with this event and asking Him about it. It appears that they were drawing an inaccurate assumption based on the previous verses of Luke 12. They were saying or thinking, in effect, “Yeah, bad sinners do have to give an account to God! We saw that worked out in what happened with those Galileans who were killed by Pilate during Passover that one year. Boy, I'm glad I'm not like them!”

The Lord Jesus tackles this false thinking directly and very strongly. He asks the question of verse 2. The expected answer that these men who are addressing the Lord is “Yes, they are worse sinners and that is why they met this violent end!” And, dear friends, be honest with yourself. When something bad happens to someone, do you not sometimes think, “I wonder what they did to deserve that?” We also think in the opposite way, too. When I played football in college, if something happened that was lucky and unexpected, the response was, jokingly, “You must have gone to church last Sunday.” During one game I was out of position and was sprinting to get back to where I was supposed to be and something hit me in the stomach. In that instant, I looked down and saw that it was the football. A teammate had batted down a pass and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught a game-saving interception. I was mauled by my teammates as I came off the field. My coach, as we were watching film the next night, was torn over chewing me out for being out of position or congratulating me. He said, “Eric, you must be livin' right.” This is how our sinful mind works. If we are good, good things happen. If we are bad, bad things happen. In one sense, we are all Buddhists and believe in Karma. This attitude was extremely prevalent among the Jews of that day as is attested in John 9:1-2, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
How does Jesus approach this issue? Well, His response is pretty clear and direct. And it is very strong. “I tell you, no...” And then He goes on and tells them to repent. He tells them to change their thinking about true righteous in the eyes of God.

This statement alone would have shocked them greatly. But the Lord doesn't stop, but rather he piles on. He brings to mind another tragedy in which people died. A tower in Siloam falls over and kills 18 people. Siloam was simply a locale in Jerusalem near the wall. There was a pool near this area used for providing water to the city. The blind man of John 9 is instructed by Jesus to wash his eyes in this pool. Perhaps it was a wall tower that fell? We don't know the situation and that is part of the point. This was a tragic event with no obvious rhyme or reason for it. It was simply a tragedy. Again, although blame may have been easier to assign in Pilate's slaughter, the thinking is still the same in this event... “These people who died in this tower fall must have been doing something wrong, even if we don't know what it is.” In verse 5, Jesus uses the exact same rebuke that He uses in verse 3. He says to his listeners that your thinking is absolutely wrong and will cost you everything if you don't change it.

As we look at this account, there are a couple of applications to be drawn:

· Life on this planet is dangerous and life can end very quickly with no warning. As pointed out, several people in this interaction with Jesus were thinking that if they simply live right, God is obligated to protect them and give them long life and they assumed that early or tragic death meant that someone sinned. Jesus makes that point that this is not true. Thus, we need to be very careful in placing blame when we see tragedy or sudden death. The writer of Ecclesiastes emphasized this point, “I returned and saw under the sun that— the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.” (9:11-12).Yes, there are temporal consequences for sin and that consequence may be death. When someone gets drunk and then gets behind the wheel and ends up killing themselves or others, we can see this. But, dear friends, our first response when we see someone tragically die needs to be compassion and not judgment. And when we see the big tragedies like 9/11 and earthquakes and such, we need to realize that we are not exempt from such events but, as Jesus emphasizes here, we need to be prepared for them ourselves.
· In order to be ready for this possible eventuality, we need to have repented and be living a life of repentance. Again, these people graded themselves on the curve when it came to the issue of righteousness. Their thinking was something along the lines of this, “I know I am not perfect, but as long as I am better than most, say like those Galileans killed by Pilate, I'll be okay.” Jesus, in this text and the surrounding texts, as well as the whole of the Bible, declares that all people everywhere are worthy of death at all times. Remember from Psalm 14 and Romans 1 that there is no one who does good, no one who, in themselves, seeks God. All are worthy of death due to inherent sin. Yes, not all sin to the same degree, but, dear friends, when it comes to the righteousness necessary to gain eternal life, we are a lot closer to Hitler than we are to Christ. One of my favorite quotes from Charles Haddon Spurgeon is this, “There is tinder enough in the saint closest to heaven to light the fires of another hell should but let a spark fall upon it.” In light of this fact, we must, instead of taking comfort in the false and wicked idea that we might be better than others and therefore safe, we need to change our thinking and agree with Christ and His accessment of our character. He has declared that all men, due to sin and wickedness, are worthy of death and eternal hell. We need to agree with Him in this. And He has also declared the means and way by which men can be saved. And that is by believing in Jesus and His infinitely perfect righteousness for forgiveness and eternal life. We need to agree with Him in this. That is what it means to repent. It means that we reject any thoughts of self-righteousness and embrace our own wickedness and need and then run to the shelter that God provides for our forgiveness in Christ. Beloved, one who is truly born again will understand exactly what Jesus is talking about here. Beloved, one who is truly born again will be abundantly aware of his/her own sin and guilt before a holy God and, at the same time, rejoice greatly at God's provision of Christ on his/her behalf. If these thoughts don't resonate with you, then heed Christ's warning in this text to repent...to take on His thoughts about your spiritual state...before it is too late.

We must understand the fragility of life and how quick it can end...and be ready for it.

2. We see His work and provision for our life and respond in faith and devotion.

Jesus then, after this strong warning and rebuke and call to repentance, states a parable to reinforce and further develop His emphasis on life and death and who is in charge. He wants us to see that not only is life fragile and short and that we must be ready for the end of it, He also wants us to see that He and His Father are in absolute control of it. And so He gives a very simple and clear word picture to help us grasp this.

He tells the story of a rich man who owns a vineyard and had his vineyard keeper plant a fig tree in it. After three years, the fig has not produced fruit and is wasting space and nutrients from the soil. The owner rightfully tells the keeper of the vineyard to cut it down. The vinekeeper asks the owner it allow one more year to try and have the fig tree produce. And the parable ends there. By itself, there is nothing particularly profound here. Were this a true story, this account would be so common as to not merit a retelling. Those of you who have grown plants or trees know that sometimes a given plant of tree doesn't produce for whatever reason and you simply replace it. Living on the western slope for several years where there are lots of orchards, this event was commonplace.

But when Jesus uses this story here, the meaning is gigantic and weighty and we need to heed the lesson well. A parable is a fictional account pointing to a real truth. And, contextually, that real truth is very clear. First of all, lets look at the characters in this parable. The owner of the vineyard is God. The vineyard is the world and the trees in the vineyard are God's people. In Jesus' day, the immediate application was to the nation of Israel, but that application extends out to the world at large. The keeper of the vineyard is Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we can learn several vital lessons from this parable. First of all, God is the creator and is intimately aware of and involved in the world and has expectations for the people of the world. As the owner of the vineyard knows the fruitfulness of this particular tree, God knows the ways and actions of each person in this entire world. This parable is a direct assault on both atheism and agnosticism. God has created everything and He is engaged in what goes on around here. Not only is He engaged, He has knowable expectations. And His expectation is that His creation...His people...glorify Him. He created us and His world for the purpose of glory and worship. This is why we are here. Whatever we do in word and deed, we are to do for His glory (Col. 3:17).

But not only does He have expectations, He provides a wonderful world in which people can and should pursue this glory. As the owner determines what kind of tree will be in his vineyard, God determines who we are and what we will do. None of us controlled when we were born and, as the previous words clearly state, none of us will control when we die. We are here by His bidding and will. Not only that, the food we eat, the abilities we have, the bodies we are given, even the air we breathe is given to us by God. As Paul writes the the Athenians in Acts 17, so is true for all of us, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being,...” (26-28).

In light of all of this, the natural and expected reaction should be joyful worship of God for His ownership of our lives and His provision for us...fruitfulness according to the parable. But, as with the fig tree in the parable, we don't produce fruit. As articulated earlier, all of mankind fails to glorify God due to sin and wickedness. And, again, this is a species-wide problem. No one is righteous, no not one. Not only do we not produce the fruit of glory and joyful, thankful service to God, we are in rebellion to Him. Thus, God, the owner of and the provider for the world, has every right and reason to destroy us. “Cut it down” He says in verse 7. He goes on in that same verse and says, “...why does it use up the ground?” The point is that after all that God has done for us, it is despicable that men don't live in light of His amazing provision. Romans 1 states that all men can see God's hand and provision through creation, but willfully choose to supress that revelation and choose not to thank or acknowledge God. Therefore, men are worthy of condemnation, receiving exactly what they deserve for their rebellion and sin.

In the parable before us, the vineyard keeper is the Savior Jesus who willingly makes an appeal to God to hold back on His righteous judgment. Not only does He appeal, He absolutely devotes himself to the restoration of the sinful people of the world. As the vineyard keeper digs around and fertilizes the tree, so Jesus our Lord toiled on our behalf and poured out His blood for us that we might be changed and able to bring glory to God. 1 Peter 3:18 makes this clear, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,...”

Again, the applications from this text are many...

· First of all, you are here by God's bidding. He owns you and you were created by Him to serve Him and glorify Him.

· Please also note that God is looking for fruitfulness in our life and will righteously judge those who don't produce that fruit. The writer to the Hebrews states in 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,...” That judgment will be open and fair and perfect.

· Note also the patience of God in this text. The tree hasn't produced fruit for three years. In Israel, according to Leviticus 19, when a tree was planted, the owner wasn't to take its fruit for three years and then in the forth year, all the fruit produced was to be given to the Lord as an offering. So that means that this tree in this parable may have been fruitless for seven years. But regardless, God is patient with us. He has every right to expect fruitfulness immediately and it doesn't come. And yet He waits. He goes above and beyond. He goes so far beyond so as to send His Son to make ultimate provision for us. Yes, our natural sin keeps us from being able to honor God, but God, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, “...made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Dear friends, the fact that any of us are alive today is a clear and bold testimony to God's patience with us. It is a testimony to His mercy...His withholding what it due us. And, to pile on, He in amazing grace gives to us Jesus to provide for us all that we need to glorify Him.

· Note also the “open-endedness” of this parable. At the end of verse 9, we are not told if the tree produced fruit the next year. There is reason and purpose in this. Jesus is clearly reaffirming His charge from the previous account. He stated that repentance is absolutely mandatory and He stated that we must embrace this. And that is the point He is making here. Will you embrace these facts? Will you embrace these vital truths about God and Christ and yourself? Repent...change your thinking about the meaning of life and who controls it and why things happen the way they do. Embrace the Lordship of God and the provision of Christ for our fruitfulness. Live your life for Him and for His glory. Don't be one who simply uses up the ground.

· What does that fruitfulness look like? It is pretty clear...love and devotion to God and Christ which will manifest itself in thankful service and obedience to Him. By grace, Christ saves us and provides us all that is necessary for us to live for Him. He takes our sin out of the way and nails it to the cross. Christ gave us everything and set us free from condemnation. Beloved, the only logical response to that is love and devotion. Paul declares such in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Does such fruitfulness mark your life? If you are living in light of God's Lordship over creation and Christ's provision for you, then these things should mark your life. If not, then you need to examine deeply who you are. And if you proclaim faith in Christ and are not devoted to God through Christ and pursuing Him through loving, thankful obedience to His Word, then you are probably not saved.

Dear friends, do you see His work and provision for our life and respond in faith and devotion?


As I've declared before, I really enjoying reading accounts of extreme mountainneering, especially accounts that take place in the highest mountain ranges of the world. Every year, people die tragically on these high mountains. It is a risk taken when someone goes up these peaks. One of the saddest accounts involved a group of people who were simply trekking in the Himalayas. They weren't going to climb to the top of Everest, but simply were enjoying the terrain and scenery. One night, this group of seven were sound asleep in a cabin when a monsterous avalanche broke loose on a high slope above them. No remains of the cabin have every been found. They more than likely had no warning whatsoever. One moment, they were sound asleep after a beautiful day's hike. The next moment, they are before the judgment seat of God. I have no idea about their spiritual condition. Did they deserve this? Yes, but so do all of us.

Similarly, R. Kent Hughes relates the following account, “One lazy Sunday afternoon in Papua New Guinea, Wycliffe missionaries Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus were resting alongside their daughters Kerry and Kathy when their world came to an abrupt end. At precisely 3:00p.m., a half-mile wide section of the mountain on the opposite side of the river from their village broke off and buried them. They may never have even heard the sound. In a world full of vacant hillsides, in a world full of rebrobates, in a world with too few missionaries, the Steinkrauses disappeared under a mountain.” (Luke:Vol.2, Crossway 1998, p. 81)

Dear friends, this life is extreme fragile and short. Some of us in this room will more than likely die very suddenly and unexpectedly. All that we can be certain of is that God is in control of whatever our end is...our days are set by Him. And we must be ready to meet Him at any time. God, through Christ, has provided all that we need for that readiness. Are you living in light of that provision?

In light of God's Absolute Sovereignty over life and death, we should be ready to meet Him at any time.

Discussion Questions:
· How should we view tragedies? How can we faithfully prepare ourselves for them without become morbid or wrongfully fearful?
· Why doesn’t God exempt believers from tragedies? Why does He not just punish the wicked with tragedies?
· How can a Christian know if he or she is truly repentant? What are some signs of true repentance?
· Is repentance necessary for true salvation? Some would argue that it is a work and therefore not a part of believing faith? Agree? Why or why not?