Jerusalem in Luke 13

Luke's Gospel please, chapter 13. Luke's Gospel 13. I want to talk for a few minutes in the closing part of this meeting on the city, Jerusalem.

Verse 4, Luke chapter 13, verse 4. The Lord Jesus, for those 18 upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. I tell you nay, but except you repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Verse 22, he went through the cities and villages teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

Verse 33, nevertheless, this is the Lord speaking, I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. Verse 34, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered, I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and you would not.

See verse 4, Jerusalem. Verse 22, Jerusalem. Verse 33, Jerusalem.

Verse 34, Jerusalem. The Lord will bless what our brother has told you on the reading of Holy Scripture. I want to talk for a few minutes on the city, Jerusalem.

It is more history than any other city in the world. It's in the news these days, that's how I'll introduce the subject tonight. Your president had enough fortitude and intelligence to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

I take it that your president is God conscious, and he seems to sense that God has a future for the people of Israel. Many tried that, it didn't happen. Four simple things about Jerusalem tonight, and it will be time to go.

Number one, I want to think of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, then the journey to Jerusalem, then the death of Jerusalem, and then the lament over Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus Christ told these dear people, the inhabitants of this city, because of a tragedy that happened in the very confines of that area, people drew conclusions. And the Lord is telling them, you think these people that died so tragically were sinners above all others? I says, people, nay, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

I just want to take each of these verses out of their context and make an application. We're going to make an application to this city, La Crosse. I want you to think of the inhabitants of this city, and there's a message tonight to them and to you and I, all of us, that amidst all the tragedies that are happening all around us, if ever you're going to be in God's fair heaven, you'll need to repent of your sin.

See, our brother Scott has covered the ground, but I have come to tell you tonight, friend, that there's not a person living past, present, and future apart from the Lord Jesus Christ that are not constituted a sinner. Story of the Bible, one day in a garden years ago, Adam and Eve sinned. And every one of their posterity, sons and daughters, are constituted sinners by birth, by nature, and by practice.

You can't help it, neither can I. But the message of the Bible is this, that heaven is a holy place, and if ever I'm going to be in heaven, I need to have my sins forgiven. In 2018, it is scriptural to preach repentance. Repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. The Lord Jesus Christ, accept your repent. You shall all likewise perish.

Dear soul, this great truth of repentance has to do with the conviction that comes into a person, even a child or an older friend, and the Spirit of God begins to deal with them and they understand there's something wrong with me in here. And they change their mind about God, about sin, about self, and all other things. And you see, friend, that's the working of the Holy Spirit of God.

I look back on my experience when free grace awoke me by light from on high. Legal fear shook me. I trembled to die.

I remember the night so well, I changed my mind about all of these matters and bowed to what God says. By the way, that's 61 years ago, last June, the 2nd of June, 1957. Brother Scott wasn't even born.

You're here tonight. I've come to tell you, dear people, accept your repent. You'll never be in heaven.

That's point number one. Point number two, the Lord Jesus Christ was making his journey toward Jerusalem. At this particular point in the Gospel of Luke, we're only months away from Calvary.

I want you to pause a minute, and I want you to think of the journey that he undertook. Luke is the very man that tells us about it in his writings. From the highest place in heaven, adored by all the sons of flame, yet self is such denying love.

He laid aside his crown and cane, did the holy and the just, the sovereign of the skies, stoop down to wretchedness and dust, that guilty worms might rise. You think about it right now, the journey that he undertook, out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe, only his great eternal love made my Saviour go. That's what our brother's been telling you about.

From the environment of eternity, heaven, to a shepherd's manger, likely on the hillsides of Bethany, Ephrata. When you think of the journey that he undertook, he's now on his way to Jerusalem. Chapter 9, verse 51, he set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem.

I've come to remind this audience that we're on the journey of life, and we're further down that journey than we realize. Someone in this audience will be first to go. Maybe you, maybe me.

Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf, like the binding of a sheep. Be in time. We have seen some tragedies happen this very year, in different parts of the world.

Without a moment's notice, believers and unbelievers, be in time for the great eternity. Just stop a minute and ask yourself, what about my journey? What is your life? It's even a paper, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away. A man asked the Lord this day, on this journey, he says, Lord, are there few that be saved? There's likely hundreds around, but the little band of 11 true men were with him, and he's asking, is this all that's going to be in heaven? You know what the Lord said, they'll come from the east and the west and the north and the south.

They'll sit down in the kingdom of God, and he's saying to the individual, you make sure that you're there. Is there anyone in this audience tonight, and you would like to be saved? You have never told a living mortal. I would expect that, whatever the environment you're raised in.

But maybe God has been dealing with you, in the private of your life, in the darkness of the night, or wherever. There's a longing begotten in your heart tonight, to be saved by the grace of God. And it's been clearly proclaimed, your need tonight, as you move to eternity, and you need the matter of salvation settled.

But we have come tonight to tell you about the death at Jerusalem. All kinds of them have happened before this occasion, and after this occasion, and will future down the way. But this is an outstanding day in the history of the world.

John the Apostle is the man that tells us, on a Friday morning, local time, Jerusalem early, he leaves the hall of judgment, Jesus taking to himself the cross, went forth to the place of a skull. Three crosses standing side by side, of broken law aside, two for their own transgressions died, the middle one for mine. We have come tonight, friend, to tell you about the death outside the walls of the old city.

See, in this context, this man heard the Tetrarch got a message, and the bottom line was this, the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, will die on a cross. He had nothing to do with it. He had an opportunity to meet the Savior, but there was no word for him.

I want to linger tonight for a minute or two to show this audience beyond a shadow of a doubt how you, dear soul, can be one for heaven. I want to illustrate my point on a very simple illustration. Some years ago, in the city of London, United Kingdom, there was a young boy, less than 10 years of age, and he was weeping his heart out in that vast city.

He was a policeman, saw the boy weeping uncontrollably. He stepped down, and he asked him, son, could I help you? When the young fellow got his composure, he said, sir, I'm lost. I'm in this vast city of London, and I don't know my way home.

I'm lost. Said the policeman, do you know where you live? He said, no, I do not. There was a place in that city, and it's still there, for I've been there, called Charing Cross, and the local people of that city just called it the cross.

Said the young fellow to the policeman, sir, if you take me and leave me at the cross, I'll make my way home. There was a man called Jesse Pines that heard the story, and he was led to write that hymn that we sing so often. I must each go home by the way of the cross, for no other way leads home.

I shall never forget to the gates of life, if the way of the cross I miss. The way of the cross leads home. It is sweet to know, as I onward go, that the way of the cross leads home.

We have come tonight on this closing meeting of this conference on Saturday to bring you by faith to the cross. I saw one hanging on a tree, in agonies and blood. He fixed his languid eyes on me, as near his cross I stood.

Oh, the lamb, the bleeding lamb, the lamb upon Calvary, that's the very one that takes the place of the sinner. Could you understand tonight by a simple act of acceptance that you will accept God's gift, and the person of his son, the one that died, was buried, and rose again as your personal and eternal savior. Our hymns are very, very suggestive of how a soul can be saved.

Listen to it. I seek no other argument. I want no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and rose again for me. There are two people recorded in the four gospels at Calvary's cross. That were saved by the grace of God.

It's an interesting point that none of their names are mentioned. Here is the dying thief, right beside the savior, before the darkness fell, 12 noon local time, Jerusalem. He asked after his confession, Lord remember me.

It's a personal thing. When thou comest to thy kingdom, he seemed to grasp the one that's dying here beside me as a future. And he likely listened to him saying, father, forgive them.

They don't know what they're doing. And he seemed to grasp that the man dying beside him was dying for sins of others, for he had none of his own. And he put in his plea.

Lord remember me. That very day, he got the assurance. Today shall thou be with me in paradise.

And in an instant of time, he passed from death onto life. Let me make this observation. I take it that every soul that's saved genuinely takes Christ as savior and have their sins forgiven.

They're assured at that very instant, no matter what age group they are, older or younger or in between. There's another man. He's in charge of events at Golgotha.

His name's not mentioned. He's in charge of a hundred soldiers. He likely heard seven cries of the Lord Jesus.

Mr. W. E. Vine says in his New Testament dictionary of words, when the Lord Jesus Christ said, it is finished. He rested his head on his shoulder when the work was done. Father, into thy hands, I commit my spirit.

You know what he said? Truly, this was a righteous man. This was the son of God. We take God's gift tonight, friend, as we leave the building in a few minutes.

Adore him. The glorious work is done. The father will not punish me.

It was laid upon his son. To finish, cried his suffering soul, and I, by title, see I am a guilty sinner, but Jesus died for me. See you folk that know the gospel from day one, you're likely looking for something physical to happen.

It'll never come. This is a spiritual experience and the God of heaven and the person of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit is offering you the gift of salvation. Take it now and happy be.

Jesus dying on the tree means the sentence passed on me has descended on his head and that he has died instead. Before we go, let me come up the other side. You see, friend, people ask me all the time, different countries where I have been this year, what happens if I don't get saved? You ever asked yourself that question? Well, this passage, along with others, tells us there were people in that city of Jerusalem.

They had every opportunity of being saved, but they said no. I can even hear the very pathos of the Lord Jesus and his words, Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thee? Listen to it. I would, ye would not.

How oft of thy danger, unguilty as told thee. What's your response tonight? The harvest is passing. The summer will end.

There's maybe somebody here and you're getting your last opportunity. And if you leave the world the way you were born and the way you live without your sins forgiven and without Christ, dear people, the Lord Jesus Christ said, if you die on your sins, where I am you cannot come. Heaven is ahead.

As our brother has told you, hell's ahead too. We're not here to stay. We're going to another world.

You ask yourself just right now, if you leave the world tonight before 12 midnight, where will you be? There's a heaven bright and fair. There are many mansions there one of which you may share when you come. There's an awful place of woe.

There's a hell where you must go. If you die unsaved but oh, will you come? Think of the lament of the Savior. You know what he said in chapter 19 of Luke? Same city, same environment.

They didn't know what they were doing because they knew it's not the time of thy visitation. God's talking to somebody here tonight. Dear people, once we leave this world we'll never return.

Hell is darkness, deep and awful. Turn poor sinner, turn and flee. Heaven is bright, all bright and joyful and its light may shine on thee.

Now you have a choice to make. What are you going to do? As we sing a verse of a hymn and close the meeting and go our several ways. It has happened to me so many times of people that have sat and listened to us and they left the world for eternity and we never met again.

I ask the Lord all the time, oh God, did I tell those people how they could be saved? Did I tell them of their need? Did I tell them about eternity? You've got the message tonight. You have got to make the choice. God helped your friend right now to take Christ as Savior at 7 30 and meet us in heaven.

Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for this time together for the reverend attention to thy holy word. We've been reminded of the Lord Jesus.

He was rich for your sakes became poor that we through his poverty, his destitution might be made rich. Oh that someone would be take the gift of salvation tonight and be rich for time and eternity. Bless us now as we go our several ways and the Lord be not come that we will return tomorrow for a day and I court still further.

Bless thy beloved people. Remember all our families. Oh God, what a godless, Christless world we're in and we want to see them rescued and saved before the Lord returns.

Receive thanks in his worthy name. Amen. 133.

Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for listening. We'll just sing two verses.

Remain seated and remember the meetings as our brother has announced. I'll quote you part of one of these verses. See verse 2. 133 verse 2. Oh Calvary, oh Calvary, the thorn crown and the spear, does hear thy love Lord Jesus, thy flowing winds appear.

Oh depths of grace and mercy, to those dear ones I flee. I am a feeble sinner, but Jesus died for me. Verses 2 and 3. Remaining seated.

133. The Lord bless you tonight and we do trust we'll meet you in heaven when life is over. Thank you.