Repent or Perish: Five Warnings and Two Alternatives

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray preached through a long stretch of Luke 12 and into the opening of Luke 13, covering five warnings Jesus gave to His disciples and closing with two stark alternatives. The warnings all carry the weight of coming judgment, but most of them arrive wrapped in real encouragement. The bottom line Jesus keeps pressing is a simple one: repent, or perish, and the time to decide is now. The...

Read together

1. Luke 11-13 primary passage for the harmony of the gospels study, described as five warnings and two alternatives
2. Luke 12:1 ten thousand gathered, stepping on one another, Jesus warns disciples about leaven of the Pharisees
3. John 3 Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, called him a great teacher, Jesus told him he must be born again
4. John 15 the only other place in the gospels where Jesus calls the disciples friends
5. Luke 12:4-5 do not fear those who can only kill the body, but fear the one who can throw into Gehenna
6. Luke 12:6-7 five sparrows sold for two assaria, yet not one goes unnoticed by God, even the hairs of your head are counted
7. Luke 12:8-9 everyone who confesses Jesus before people, the Son of Man will confess before the angels; whoever denies him will be denied
8. Luke 12:10 everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven
9. Luke 12:11-12 when brought before synagogues and authorities, do not worry what to say, the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour
10. Luke 12:13-15 man in crowd asks Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance; Jesus warns against every form of greed
11. Luke 12:16-21 parable of the rich man with productive land who builds bigger barns; God calls him a fool and demands his soul that night
12. Luke 12:22-23 do not worry about your life, what you will eat or wear, life is more than food and the body more than clothing
13. Luke 12:24 consider the ravens, they neither sow nor reap, yet God feeds them, how much more valuable are you
14. Luke 12:25 which of you by worrying can add a cubit to his stature or a day to his lifespan
15. Luke 12:27-28 consider the lilies, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these, God clothes the grass of the field
16. Luke 12:29-31 do not worry about what to eat or drink, seek his kingdom and all these things will be provided
17. Luke 12:32 do not be afraid little flock, your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom
18. Luke 12:33-34 sell possessions, give to charity, make inexhaustible treasure in heaven; where your treasure is your heart will be also
19. Luke 12:35-40 keep your lamps lit, be like people waiting for their master returning from the wedding feast, the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour
20. Luke 12:41-48 Peter asks if the parable is for disciples only; the faithful and sensible steward gives servants rations at proper time; to whom much is given much is demanded
21. Luke 12:49-53 Jesus came to cast fire on the earth, has a baptism to undergo, came not to bring peace but division, family members divided against one another
22. Luke 12:54-56 crowds read weather signs from clouds and wind but fail to discern the present time
23. Luke 12:57-59 settle with your accuser on the way to the magistrate or pay to the last lepton
24. Luke 13:1-5 Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with sacrifices; those eighteen on whom the Tower of Siloam fell; unless you repent you will likewise perish
25. Luke 13:6-9 parable of the fig tree, three years without fruit, vineyard keeper asks for one more year to dig around it and fertilize it
26. Luke 9:51 Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, referenced as the start of his journey toward the cross
27. Acts 7 Stephen's speech before his accusers cited as an example of the Holy Spirit teaching what to say in that very hour
28. 2 Peter 3:9 used in benediction, the Lord is not slow or slack in keeping his promises but is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but all to come to repentance

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray pointed out that Jesus reserved his harshest rebukes for religious people, not outsiders, because they should have known better. Where do you see the leaven of hypocrisy most tempting for people who have been in church a long time?
2. Pastor Ray flipped the warning about nothing being hidden into an encouragement, using Nicodemus as an example of a secret conversation that became a story told in the light ever since. Can you think of something God has done in your own life that started in private and became a testimony you now share openly?
3. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about what to say when brought before authorities, because the Holy Spirit would teach them in that very hour. How does that promise sit with you practically, and where do you find it hardest to trust God to speak through you rather than relying on your own preparation?
4. The sermon described greed as never being able to get enough and worry as being afraid there may not be enough, and said both are wrong. Which of those two do you find yourself leaning toward, and what has helped you push back against it?
5. Pastor Ray closed with the image of the fig tree and the vine dresser pleading for one more year, and said too many Christians see the world as us against them rather than asking how God might reach people through them. What would it look like in your own neighborhood or relationships to be the vine dresser's extra year of patience for someone who has not yet believed?