"Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:2-3

It could not be any clearer from our text today that all are sinners and will ultimately perish if they do not repent from practicing their sins. People were talking about a couple of current events and were concluding that they were judgments from God. Pilate had these Galileans killed mentioned in our text, but the story continues with news of a tower in Siloam falling and killing eighteen men. People were saying that God had brought this judgment upon both the Galileans and the men in Siloam because they were great sinners.

Jesus understood that people could easily conclude that they were safe from judgment since no such tragedy had befallen them. This is why Jesus said, -"but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Because of His love, the Father gave His only Son to redeem us from the curse of death, but we must repent to accept that Gift. Our Father is patient but He will not delay His Judgment forever.

I heard a story about a teenage girl who rebelled against her father and ran away from home. She was quickly exploited by the world and enslaved to prostitution. As a Pastor’s daughter she had grown up in the Church so often things which her father had preached would come to mind. One day she had the misfortune to come face to face with a killer. He took her to a secluded place to torture and murder her and she had no way of escape and no one to help.

 

Now, she was deeply sorry for renouncing her father and "his" religion. Trembling, she began to pray for mercy - at that very moment something she had heard her father preach came to mind, -"There is an invisible line; who knows where God’s grace ends and His wrath begins?"and -"The Bible says that God does not hear the prayers of sinners who refuse to repent - even their prayers are an abomination to Him."

It was then that she realized the value of the Lord’s sacrifice and felt the conviction to repent. It was as if she could hear God whispering -"Turn from sin and turn to Me - choose life." She was sure that she was going to be killed, but she did not want to die in her sins so she began to confess them and plead for salvation.

You might be wondering how we know the details of this story. Was the killer caught and spill the beans? The answer is, God not only received this girl’s repentant plea for forgiveness and salvation, but also brought about a miracle to save her from her abductor. I don’t know how close this girl came to crossing that invisible line, but I know that there was rejoicing in Heaven when she turned from walking toward it and back to God.