 Our text this morning was Luke chapter 13 verses one through five, but we're going to look at various texts Various texts to discuss this a topic that we're going to look at this morning responding to tragedy That's the title of our sermon Responding to tragedy. We usually work through a verse by verse through the gospel of John We're going to take just a brief left turn from that this morning and discuss the events that have taken place last week here in Orlando and I wanted to take some time and just discuss this step-by-step in order to help us think biblically in the context of tragedy Tragedy is going to happen a calamity happens on a regular basis now in our media age the more that we live In a day and age where we see tragedy repeated on the news every single day We as Christians have a responsibility to the Lord Jesus Christ to respond biblically So I want to talk about what that looks like I want to look at various texts of scripture to help us with that well Let's discuss for a few moments now the context of where we're at At 2 o 2 a.m. on Sunday morning June 12th a single Muslim terrorist Operating in accord with the predominant text of his false religion walked into a crowded homosexual nightclub in downtown Orlando and in an Unimaginably callous Disregard for those made in the image of God he opened fire killing 49 people and wounding 53 others it was an overt and Unconscionable act of deplorable violence and wickedness if you've listened to the reports what's left out of most descriptions of this horrific event is that he walked into a brazen and Notorious den of iniquity to commit this wicked crime That fact lends absolutely no justification whatsoever to his actions But one commentator referred to it as a convergence of evil was the convergence of two Manifest evils pervading our society the convergence of of political hot buttons that dominate our national media today the growing influence of radical Islam on the one hand and the growing acceptance of homosexuality on the other both Increasingly common both creeping and pressing toward normalcy, but both are demonstrably sinful and grievous offenses against God one happening with Increasing and alarming frequency all over the world The other happening every day of every week in virtually every city across our country Now when tragedy strikes Emotions inevitably run deep especially with with such charged issues converging People will respond with shock They'll respond with anger outrage With denial fear anxiety despair Some respond with numbness some with panic sadness grief Trouble sleeping trouble concentrating confusion can't turn off the news can't separate yourself from the coverage forgetfulness Some turn to alcohol or to drugs They plunge themselves further into their own sin some turn to friends or groups they associate with Some turn to activity keeping themselves busy others plunge themselves further and further into iniquity Most start looking for answers some Explanation for what happened and the inevitable question comes up. What's that question? Why why? And that's when the blame game heats up, right? The world displays its utter inability to address the tragedy Romans one describes them as feudal in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened Astonishingly Within hours after the shooting access to guns was blamed for the atrocity Republicans were blamed for fomenting violence through their politics the Huffington Post blamed the NRA Joy Bayhar on the view actually blamed that Donald Trump said that he was working with ISIS to kill Americans and Shockingly now think about this with me within hours after the shooting several attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union Actually blamed Christians for their Islamophobia and for creating what they called an anti-queer climate The editorial board for the New York Times blamed Christians for creating an environment of bigotry and prejudice One paper reported that Christians were attempting to scapegoat Islam for the attack to avoid Taking responsibility for anti-LGBT violence The slate blamed Christians for fomenting anti homosexual hatred in Orlando ahead of the attack even Christian writers blaming Christians Christian writer Jen hat maker said this quote-unquote Christian writer Jen hat maker Anti-LGBTQ sentiment has paved a long runway to hate crimes She followed that up by saying we are complicit Speaking of the shooting in Orlando The under intense pressure if you can imagine right from the world Under intense pressure from the world to compromise How did the quote-unquote? professing church respond Here's just one Representative example and there are many first Baptist Orlando Under the leadership of pastor quote-unquote David youth After already having a seventh-day Adventist preach at his church He welcomed the homosexual community as a community of faith To worship together in the aftermath of the Travity quote-unquote pastor David Swanson from First Best Presbyterian Church in Orlando is there Dr. Larry Mills pastor of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Orlando is there Dr. Larry Mills actually applied first Peter chapter 2 verse 9 To the LGBTQ community saying That we are built up together as a royal priesthood a holy nation a Peculiar people and peculiar because we don't let our theology get in the way of love he then blasphemously said that at this time In our city's history the LGBTQ community has been elevated To the position of chief cornerstone. I wouldn't have believed it. I didn't hear it with my own ears pastor after quote-unquote pastor Got up behind the pulpit at First Baptist Church of Orlando and not once was the gospel preached Passage after passage twisted out of context not once Was there any mention of repentance or sin or judgment or confession? David youth stood behind national LGBTQ task force director Victoria York and said amen To comment saying essentially that homosexuals are saved and have been abused by the church David youth then called those homosexuals there present to come on stage and Then he asked the quote-unquote Christian pastors that were there to come forward and to lay hands on them To affirm them and to bless them And then David youth prayed on behalf of the church and repented of isolation from homosexuals ordinarily when we talk about error and We talk about compromise in the church We don't often Mention places and names for good reason but listen This example is inexcusable you have an opportunity With people thousands there who are marching Toward hell and you have an opportunity to preach the truth of the word of God to them and you neglect your God-given which turns out to be really God presumed Responsibility to preach the good news to those people To preach the gospel by which they may be saved the only way by which they may be saved and You neglect that you you become a trader to the cross It's so often in times of difficulty in times of tragedy That the enemies of the cross of Christ are revealed Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly. They're shame. They have their mind set on earthly things and they compromise Professing Christians who are Christians in name only sham fake Christians The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners. We are to preach Christ These often cave in or they compromise in response to Tragedy and it's all done all done in the name of love love It's Dr. Larry Mills said We don't let our theology get in the way of love What fuels that love if it's not theology if it's not the truth of God the truth of God Christ Jesus Christ Jesus fuels the love of the genuine Christian Apart from theology you have no genuine love. You have a worldly fake superficial disguised corrupted perverted form of love this compromise happens all the time You hear it. Don't you at virtually every funeral that you go to right brother the gospel That's being preached today is basically Salvation by grace through death Because if you die, they're gonna preach you into heaven the true people of God Cannot compromise as difficult as it is as increasingly difficult as it's becoming as Increasingly unpopular the word of God is we cannot compromise We cannot cave in The gospel is their only hope The most loving thing that you can do for someone is To face their scorn and to tell them the truth To tell them the truth in love the truth as it is in Christ is the only Hope that this lost and dying world has they must hear the truth. You let God take care of the results So how are the true people of God how are genuine Christians to respond in the face of tragedy I want to give you three points this morning and look at various texts to do it. I Submit to you that from the word of God they are to first respond with the mind of Christ They're to respond with the heart of Christ and they are to respond with a voice of Christ True Christians responding in the face of tragedy Will respond with the mind of Christ the heart of Christ and the voice of Christ first and foremost and first by necessity Christians are to respond to tragedy with the mind of Christ We're not to respond to traveled tragedy with worldly wisdom Worldly wisdom is earthly, sensual and demonic, James says. Paul says we have the mind of Christ. If you're in Christ, indwelt by a spirit, then you have the mind of Christ. We're not to be governed by our emotions. We're to respond biblically and not merely emotionally. We have the mind of Christ. How do you know what the mind of Christ is during tragedy? Well, you have the Word of God. You have the Word of God revealed on the pages of Scripture. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. The only wisdom that is applicable in circumstances like those that we've seen over the course of the last week is God's wisdom. Is the wisdom which is from above. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And look down beginning at verse 6. Now, if you're a genuine Christian, if you're a genuine Christian, then you love the truth of God as it is revealed in His Word. It's more precious to you than gold. It is sweeter to you than the honey from the honeycomb. And if you're a genuine Christian, the Word of God is your delight, and in it you meditate day and night. Now, when a genuine Christian studies the truth of God under the illuminating influence of the Holy Spirit, the genuine Christian is given spiritual understanding, spiritual discernment, and it's discernment understanding that the natural man simply does not have. That's why it's so important that Christians must engage a lost and dying world with the truth of God's Word. You have the truth that they need to hear, right? Now, if you have the mind of Christ, then you hate error, and you love the truth. If you have the mind of Christ, then you hate sin, and you love righteousness. So you will stand for the truth. You will stand for righteousness. Truth for the Christian is not based on what you feel it is. Truth for the Christian is not based on what you think it is. It doesn't originate from within yourself. It's not according to your own opinions. It doesn't originate in your own mind or in your own thinking. Truth comes from outside of you. It is objective, and it comes from God's revelation of himself in his Word. And that Word is then understood and applied by the work of God's Spirit in you. Look at verse 6. However, Paul says, we speak wisdom among those who are mature. That word for mature means perfect, means complete. Believe here, it means they were born again. Those who are born again in Christ, they are perfect, made perfect in Christ. We speak wisdom among those who are perfect, mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. Now the first characteristic here of the mind of Christ is that it is set at contrast from or opposed to the wisdom of man. It's set at contrast with a wisdom of man. Now as such, unbelievers will despise the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God contrasted with the foolishness of man. That sets up conflict with the Word of God. Conflict with the unbelieving world is unavoidable on the issue of truth. As the Christian with the mind of Christ, you can respond to that one of two ways. You can trust Christ and stand your ground with the truth of God, right? Unashamedly, boldly preaching the truth of God's Word, or you can compromise. You can compromise. Cave in to the pressure. Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. That's what you're up against. When you face tragedy, when you face difficulty, when you face adversity, you must come into that circumstance with the mind of Christ. Loving God's Word, preaching God's truth, knowing that, fools despise his wisdom. Fools despise his instruction. Turn with me, I can't resist going here with the time we have. Turn to James chapter 3. James chapter 3. And look down beginning at verse 13. In a section of scripture dealing with heavenly versus worldly or demonic wisdom. James says in chapter 3 verse 13, who is wise in understanding among you? And how do we know? What is that marked by? Look at the end of verse 13. Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. His works are going to accord with wisdom. What wisdom? Wisdom from God. Wisdom from God. Verse 14. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. When we face difficulty, face tragedy. I'm not speaking necessarily of individual difficulties or trials or adversities in your life. I'm speaking more of the large-scale tragedy and calamity that we're going to see more and more often in our country. A circumstance into which Christians, genuine brothers and sisters, must insert themselves with the truth of God's word to engage the culture and to be a witness for Christ. When you insert yourself, you're inserting yourself, engaging them who have earthly, sensual and demonic wisdom. And where that wisdom is displayed, where that wisdom is communicated, you see self-seeking, you see confusion and every evil thing is there, James says. Listen, verse 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure. That's very important. The wisdom that is from above is first pure. What's an adjective there? The Greek word adjective, agnos. Agnos meaning holy. It's actually an adjective derived from the verb holy. It's an adjective that speaks of the holiness of that wisdom. The holiness of the wisdom. It's first pure. Once pure, then that wisdom, being pure, is peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits. Without partiality. It's without wavering. It is unwavering. Uncompromising. And it is without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Back in 1 Corinthians chapter two. It's first pure and then produces fruit. The fruit that God's word says that it will produce. If you look at 1 Corinthians chapter two, drop down to verse seven with me. Paul continues, here, the marks of what it looks like to have the mind of Christ. He says in verse seven, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. And that means this was something that was once hidden and now it's revealed by God. Once hidden, but now it's revealed. The hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, for our eternal benefit. Which, verse eight, none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. The second characteristic of a Christian with the mind of Christ is that that mind is flooded with God's own wisdom. With God's own wisdom, not the wisdom of even the rulers of this age, presidents, kings, psychologists, right? The academics, not that wisdom, not the wisdom of even the rulers of this age, but with the wisdom that is of God, ordained by God and revealed by God. How does then a genuine Christian respond in tragedy with the mind of Christ? A genuine Christian brings to bear in that circumstance the revealed word of God. The unchangeable word of God. The word that was revealed before the ages. It is unchangeable, immutable. It is righteous, and it upholds righteousness. If the rulers knew it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Second characteristic of the mind of Christ, it is flooded with God's own wisdom. Look at verse 10. But God has revealed them to us through his spirit. For the spirit searches all things, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of man, except the spirit of the man which is in him. Even so, no one knows the things of God except the spirit of God. The third characteristic of the mind of Christ is that revelation, this revelation is given only and exclusively through the spirit of God. Paul says in Romans that he who does not have the spirit is none of his. If you don't have the spirit of God, the spirit of God is not a Christian. If you are a Christian, united to Christ, then you have the spirit of God. The spirit of God indwells you. And the revelation of God, given to us in his word, is illumined in your heart and in your mind by the spirit of God. You have understanding only through the spirit of God. The spirit searches the depths of the mind of God. The spirit selects to reveal to you the knowledge of God. And then the spirit makes known to us the truth of God, the word of God. When you read your Bible, you have the revelation of God that is revealed to you by the spirit of God. Apply to your heart and apply to your mind. Look at verse 12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God so that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. Now these things we also speak. We also speak them. Not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Fourth characteristic of the mind of Christ, it can only be understood with the spirit of God. The spirit of God, if you think about it, in his ministry, in the life of a believer, the spirit of God causes us to love the word of God. The spirit of God causes us to hunger and to thirst for righteousness. And then the spirit causes us to understand the word that we love. All that in the work of the Holy Spirit and the life of a believer. Now contrast that with verse 14. But Paul says the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. Nor can he is unable to know them because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things. Yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. Four, verse 16. Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. The fifth characteristic of the mind of Christ is discernment. The ability to judge. The ability to take the word of God, the truth of God, and then apply it in circumstances. Apply it to your life. Apply it to the circumstances and judge rightly. Or to apply God's wisdom. All others, all unbelievers, the natural man is opposed to the wisdom of God. All natural men subscribe to the wisdom of this world. Unbelievers can discern nothing. Can judge nothing. Scripture to them is a closed book. The believer however and dwelt by the spirit of God is able to discern. Able to judge rightly. Able to apply the scripture rightly. If you think about the contrast, again setting up the contrast. The natural man in accepting and eating worldly wisdom will show contempt for God's wisdom. They may give it lip service but they are ashamed by much of its teaching. That's the way that many professing Christians and so-called churches respond in tragedy, respond in difficulty. They give it lip service. It boils down to it. You can see it in their conduct. They are ashamed of much of its teaching. They don't unwaveringly hold to its teaching. But the wisdom of this world is empty. The wisdom of this world is hopeless to deal with tragedy. Look back one page 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and Paul discusses this beginning in verse 18. Paul says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Fort is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? How many foolish, foolish statements have we heard since this started? Foolish explanations, foolish attempts at answering the question why this world has no wisdom and it is wallowing in its foolishness. The only answer, the only hope that they have is the word of God, wisdom above. They need that wisdom as Christians. We can't compromise for since the wisdom in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Jews request a sign. Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews' stumbling block and to the Greeks' foolishness but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. We can't lose sight of the fact that when you preach God's wisdom many of those fools are going to respond to you with outrageous hostility. They're going to respond to you with persecution. It's not a mere disagreement. These are world views colliding with the word of God. The word of God has God's power. The word of God has God's blessing. Salvation comes through the word of God in the very hands of the Holy Spirit applied to the heart of man. It only comes through the word of God as revealed and applied by the spirit of God. It doesn't come through experience. It doesn't come through your feelings or your impressions or your opinions. It certainly doesn't come from caving in to pressure from a world that believes that all this is foolish or hateful. True comfort only comes through His word. Salvation only comes through His word. The mind of Christ is deeply rooted in the word of God. Do you see? That mind of Christ results in then a zeal for the plans of God, for the purposes of God, for the providence of God. Zeal aligned with His name. Zeal aligned with His glory. There is no answer possible in psychology. There is no answer in economics. There's no answer in global cooling. There's no answer in ethnicity. There's no answer in medicine. There's no answer in politics. There's no answer in public schools. There's no answer in law. There's no answer in jurisprudence. There's no answer in our constitution. There's no answer in the government. There's no answer in legislation. There's no answer in compromise. Answer, the answer, the only hope that we have The only true answers come from the mind of Christ. The attack by many instantaneously, right? The attack was called evil. Evil is a biblical term. Evil represents a spiritual reality. We apply biblical truths to spiritual realities. What are some of the ways in which we then will respond? If you have the mind of Christ in the face of tragedy and with specific reference to the tragedy that we've seen in our own city the last week, what are some of the ways in which you'll respond? Just to name a few, just a few for the sake of time. One, you need to recognize that God is sovereign over the tragedy. God is sovereign over the tragedy. Spurgeon said this. Listen to Spurgeon. He said, I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. That every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens. That the chaff from the hand of the windower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of a devastating pestilence. The fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche. God is sovereign, amen? Let's take a look at that from Amos chapter 3. Turn with me to Amos chapter 3. Hosea Joel Amos in your Old Testament. We're first to understand with the mind of Christ informed by the word of God that God is sovereign over the tragedy. Look at Amos chapter 3 and drop down to verse 6. This is a revealing text. Verse 6 says, if a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secret to his servants, the prophets. A lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken. Who can but prophesy? So, respond, right? Verse 9, proclaim in the palaces at Ashtad and in the palaces in the land of Egypt and say, assemble on the mountains of Samaria. See great tummels in her midst and the oppressed within her. For they do not know to do right, it is the Lord who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. It is according to his ordained will that the tragedy in our city took place last Sunday. It is with that theological framework, that understanding from God's word and it's only within that theological framework that we can answer the question why. It's the only way that we can properly answer that question. It's the only way that anyone can properly answer that question. And we'll talk about that. The second, one of the ways that we can respond with the mind of Christ to this tragedy is to recognize that God's judgment comes because of sin and unbelief. God calls us to obedience, obedience to the law of God. God said, he told the Israelites, he said, I have set before you life and death. He told them, choose life, disobey me and you die. Disobey and the people will perish. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 18. Jeremiah chapter 18. And again, we're just looking at representative texts. There are many, many, many texts in scripture that you could apply to this understanding. We're just looking at representative texts to help us understand the mind of God, the mind of Christ with respect to tragedy. Look at Jeremiah chapter 18. Look at verse one. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, arise and go down to the potter's house and there I will cause you to hear my words. And I went down to the potter's house and there he was making something at the wheel. The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter says the Lord? Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and destroy it. If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. Think with me for a moment about what the Lord is saying here. The Lord is the one who props up and pulls down. The Lord is the one who plucks up and builds and destroys and raises. And the Lord says in verse eight, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it, verse nine. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it, if it does evil in my sight so that it does not obey my voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. Now he's not speaking specifically of the nation of Israel here. Certainly this applies to the nation of Israel, but he's speaking of nations, nations. Now he turns his attention in verse 11 to the children of Israel. Therefore, Jeremiah, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, thus says the Lord, behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good. And they said, that's hopeless. That's hopeless. So they said, we're gonna walk according to our own plans and we will everyone obey the dictates of his own evil heart. As you think about God's word to Jeremiah here in chapter 18, our nation, our nation has abandoned God. We have no objective morality any longer. Our morality not based on the law of God. No desire whatsoever to follow the law of God. There's only desire to shove off the law of God. Without the law of God, we're left with any claim to morality. Muslim claim to morality, homosexual claim to morality, personal morality, subjective morality, situational morality, all of that wickedness apart from that which God has ordained, all of that wickedness gets put into the funnel and just comes out the bottom in chaos. Our nation has abandoned God. We become a nation of idolaters. We're off the path of blessing. And God said to the nations, he said, obeying you live, disobeying you die. We're contributing, do you see? Our country will not survive the current course that it's on. It will continue to get worse and worse. The Bible says that evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse and worse and worse. Having the mind of God as it relates to tragedy means understanding that judgment is always the result of that. It's understanding that. Psalm 33 verse 12 says, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Well, you can flip that on its ear and you could say cursed is the nation where he is not. We see this pattern from cover to cover in the Bible. As you think about that, as we respond to tragedy with a truthful message of God's judgment for sin and unbelief and idolatry, there is persecution. There is backlash against Christianity. And Christians are charged with committing the only real sin recognized in our community today, and that is the sin of offense or the sin of intolerance. But this is where we're at, folks, and this is gonna get worse and worse. This doesn't get better. Evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse. So how are we to think then biblically about judgment? Third mark of having the mind of Christ, how we can apply the mind of Christ to this tragedy is to recognize God's purposes in bringing about the tragedy. We're constantly bombarded with the truth of tragedy in our world, right? We live in a media environment where we see it all the time. We're to respond to that tragedy with the mind of Christ. Everybody dies, everybody dies, but we're talking about calamity. We're talking about tragedy and how you respond to it. And let's look at how the Lord Jesus Christ responded to it. Turn with me to Luke chapter 13. Back to Luke chapter 13. In verse one, Luke records that there were, present at that season, some who told the Lord about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. At this point in time, we don't know the details of the story. We don't know what happened. But apparently, Pilate, after, through his soldiers, of course, after men who had committed some crime. They took refuge probably in the temple or were there at the temple performing sacrifices when the soldiers or the police found them, right? Temple guards found them and there on the spot killed them, having the effect of mingling their blood with their sacrifices. Now, the Jews in the days of Christ had this theology that bad things happen to bad people. And how could bad things happen to good people? Their theology taught them that bad things can only happen to bad people. And so these people must have been really bad. So verse two, Jesus answered their question and said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Because they suffered such things? The Lord said in verse three, I tell you no. But listen, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. We see the same message in Jeremiah 18, don't we? The Lord brings judgment. The Lord brings consequences for sin, right? On sometimes a calamitous scale for the purpose that people would turn from their sin, would turn from their unbelief, turn from their idolatry and repent of their sin and trust Christ. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. He said to them, you're not better than those who perished. There are those even today who think self-righteously like that, the Jews and the Lord's day thought that way. There were those, if you think about it, all the way back in Job's day, right? Job's miserable friends that thought the same thing of Job. Eliphaz comes along and blames Job's tragedy on Job's sin. When Jesus Christ was walking with his disciples and they came across the man born blind in John chapter nine, right? The disciples asked the Lord, why is this man, why was he born blind? Was it his own sin or was it his parent's sin? Well, how did the Lord respond? There wasn't a direct correlation necessarily between their sin and his blindness, but the Lord said, but that the glory of God might be shown in him. The Lord has a purpose to tragedy. Look at verse four. Or those 18, here's another story. Those 18 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? Verse five, I tell you no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. There are those who will say and have said that if those people had not been in a gay bar on that night, they wouldn't have been killed. Okay, well, yeah, if they weren't there, they wouldn't have been killed. What about the shooting at the elementary school in Newtown? How can we explain that differently? What about the calamity of war? Where children are killed, babies are slaughtered. What about 9-11? With children being killed, babies, young, old, men, women. Don't we know a lot of really wicked people who seem to prosper in everything that they do? And haven't we seen godly people who have been murdered, suffered horrendous deaths at the hands of sinners? The greatest example of that is the cross. We are to look from Luke chapter 13 verses one through five. We're to look at our own living. The fact that we have breath in our lungs, we're to look at that as the mercy of God. Not that they were in that sense greater sinners than you or I and die the horrendous death. Lord Jesus Christ looks to those who are living and he says to them, unless you repent, you likewise will perish. Your life is the mercy of God. Spurgeon said in his sermon on this text in 1861, he said, as I look for a moment on the poor, mangled bodies of those who had been so suddenly slain, my eyes find tears, but my heart does not boast. Far from me be a boastful cry. God, I think that I'm not like these men are. No, Spurgeon says, no, no. It's not the spirit of Christ, nor the spirit of Christianity. While we can thank God that we are preserved, yet we can say it is of your mercy that we are not consumed. It is only by the mercy of God. Who of us deserves to live? We live as beneficiaries of God's mercy. We see the patience of God, the forbearance of God. When we see tragedy, it should lead us to repentance. Should lead sinners to repentance to call upon the mercy of God. Should lead us to call others to repentance. This is what a wicked group like Westboro Baptist Church misses. We don't deserve to take another breath. It's by the mercy and patience and forbearance of God that we exist. Repentance here in Luke chapter 13, a change of mind. It's a change of mind about your sin. I deserve to die because of my sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. It's acknowledging that your sin is an offense against God. It's a change of emotions. You sorrow and mourn over that sin which you've committed. You mourn that it is an offense against your God who created you in his own image. You sorrow with godly sorrow over your sin. It's a change of will. You are determined and resolved within your will not to sin against God. And all of that, the change of mind, the change of emotions and a change of will leads inevitably to a change of action. You turn from your sin. True repentance leads to a broken heart. A contrite spirit leads to humility that allows you to respond to tragedy with the heart of Christ. With that in mind now, secondly, we're to respond to tragedy with the heart of Christ. Turn with me to Job. Let's look at another text. Christians are to respond to tragedy with the mind of Christ. Christians are to respond to tragedy with the heart of Christ. What does that mean? Does that mean sappy sentimentalism? No. I think the heart of Christ in responding to tragedy is seeing the example of Job. Look at Job chapter one. Look at verse 20. Job had lost his family. Job had lost everything that he owned. And Job loses his health. So in verse 20, Job chapter one verse 20, Bible records, then Job arose, he tore his robe, shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. That's the heart of Christ, right? That's the heart of a believer. And he said, verse 21, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And in all this, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Look over at Job chapter 17. A few pages to the right, Job chapter 17. Job's friends who looked on at this calamity were appalled. Every one of them had an opinion, but Job looked to God. Job chapter 17 and dropped down to verse 6. But God has made me a byword of the people, and I've become one in whose face men spit. My eye has also grown dim because of my sorrow. You see, Job's emotion, Job is not dispassionate, right? Job is not without emotion. But in all things, he honors the Lord and he seeks the Lord's glory. He says, verse 8, upright men are astonished at this. And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. And that's supposedly, they were saying that Job was. But verse 9, yet the righteous will hold to his way. He will not compromise. He will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger, right? Tragedy is to point us to hope in Christ. To hope in him alone. And in our hope in Christ, applying the mind of Christ to that circumstance, we grow stronger and stronger and stronger. We do not turn from his way. Look at Job chapter 19. Flip the page. Job chapter 19. And look at verse 23. Job responds to the tragedy by saying in verse 23, oh, that my words were written. Oh, that they were inscribed in a book, that they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead forever. For I know that my redeemer lives. Look at the faith of Job, right? And he shall stand at last on the earth. After my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me. If you should say, how shall we persecute him? Since the root of the matter is found in me, be afraid of the sword for yourselves. For wrath brings the punishment of the sword that you may know there is a judgment. We're to turn from our sin. We repent. Look at Job chapter 42. Job chapter 42. We know there is judgment, so that we might repent and turn from our sin. That's why in tragedies, in situations like this, the judgment of God must be preached. You know, people today, we're listening to a commentator earlier in the week, just brought up a great point. People today can't speak about the judgment of God at times like this without losing every shred of credibility with the world. It's foreign, unthinkable to them that anything like this would represent the judgment of God. Look at Job chapter 42. And look at verse one. Job, having the heart and mind of God here. He answered the Lord in verse one and said, I know that you can do everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. You asked, who is this who hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen please and let me speak. You said, I will question you and you shall answer me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. The heart of a genuine Christian in the face of tragedy is first and fully and foremost a heart of loyalty and devotion to God. A devotion to Christ many times in tragedy. They're those who betray a misplaced loyalty by their words or by their actions. They align themselves with the world by word or by deed. They align themselves against God, against his word, against his commands, against his revealed purposes and his plans. And here we consider briefly the example of Job. In all of this, Job was not dispassionate. He wasn't dull. He wasn't resigned. What was me? I'm just going to have to take it. No. We should be shocked, right? By sin, by calamity, by tragedy. We should respond to wickedness by abhorring that evil. But our emotions as we respond to tragedy are always informed by the word of God and consumed with the glory of God. There should be mourning, but mourning over sin. There should be sorrow, but sorrow over that which grieves the spirit of God. There should be outrage. There should be outrage and compassion. You're the heart of Christ, the heart of Christ expressed in another text. Turn with me to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. Again, responding to tragedy with the heart of Christ. Romans chapter 12. And look down at verse nine. Romans chapter 12, verse nine, Paul says, let love be without hypocrisy. Now the outpouring that we've seen of quote unquote love in response to this tragedy is full of hypocrisy. Love is to be without hypocrisy. You're to love, but listen, you are to abhor verse nine. What is evil? Abhor what is evil? We're to cling to what is good. This is the heart of Christ in the face of tragedy. Do you see? It's grace and truth. Grace and truth. It can't merely be consolation. It must be uncompromising consolation. Look at verse 10. Be kindly affectionate. Now notice it says to one another, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. This is the response of the Christian to life, right? But certainly to tragedy. Verse 13, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Look at verse 14. Bless those who persecute you. Not speaking of people outside the church, unbelievers. Unbelievers persecute Christians. You're to bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse Westboro Baptist and others. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We're to participate in that sorrow. Certainly we're to weep with those who weep within the church. Certainly with those of the household of faith. But here it's in the context also of those who persecute you. Weep with those who weep. Enter into that sorrow, enter into that grief with an informed emotion, right? Informed emotions. Zealous for the glory of God. Abhorring what is evil we weep with those who weep. You share the compassion of Christ in turning sinners to repentance. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, not dispassionate or dull when it comes to human suffering. But the Lord Jesus Christ, His emotions are without hypocrisy, without compromise. It says in verse 16, be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, associate with a humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends upon you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, he will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. You know, verse 20, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, he will heap coals of fire on his head. Reports this week of a backlash against, again, against Christianity for those who prayed for the victims' families. And they called it hypocritical, called it ghastly that they would pray for the victims' families when all this time we've been treating them with such abusive scorn, it heaped coals of fire on their head. There would be Christians that would pray for them. So much more that could be said. We have to move along. Lastly, in the face of tragedy, Christians are to respond with the voice of Christ, the voice of Christ. You're in Romans 12. Turn back to Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one. We must respond to tragedy with the voice of Christ. In Romans chapter one and verse one, Paul says, he's a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets and the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born of the seat of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Through him, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. We have been called to the gospel for the obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. The only answer that means anything in the face of tragedy is the gospel. David Wells said this, listen, those who are most relevant to the modern world are those most irrelevant to the moral purpose of God. But those who are irrelevant in the world by virtue of their revelance to God actually have the most to say to the world. They are, in fact, the only ones who have anything to say to it. That is what Jesus declared, what the church in its best moments has known and what we, by the grace of God, can yet again discover. We have a responsibility because we've been delivered to the gospel. We have to speak. You cannot be silenced. You respond with a mind of Christ in tragedy. You respond with a heart of Christ in tragedy. But you must respond with a voice of Christ in tragedy. Society today wants to take what you and I believe and they want to push it into the private sphere. They want to get it completely and totally out of the public sphere and they want us to hold those things quietly. We're to hold those things personally. We can believe them. We just can't say anything about them and we can't interrelate with anyone else regarding them. They want to press that underground. That cannot happen. To the genuine Christian, they cannot shame the Christian into silence. They're going to publicly shame those who oppose their efforts to do that. They're going to publicly shame those who want to publicly display their non-acceptance. But the Christian must engage. You have to put yourself into the culture and address sin with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're increasingly required to stand for the truth while that truth is becoming increasingly unpopular. The way the gospel spreads in the church today it happens person by person by person individual by individual individuals coming to faith in Christ. Christians calling people to repentance calling governments to rule justly. Calling for laws to be changed but preaching the gospel. It's a great responsibility. In that you have to count the cost. In the face of tragedy, you're going to be accused as a bigot. In the face of tragedy, you're going to be accused as intolerant. As unloving. You're going to be connected with the likes of Westboro. But we have great responsibility. We cannot be silent. It's interesting that over the course of history that in God's providence one of the ways in which reformation is often brought to the church is through significant upheaval. Social upheaval. Significant things happening in the culture, so to speak, upheaval in the culture that gives rise to a biblical response of the people of God and reformation in the church. We are overdue for reformation. That reformation often triggered and fueled by tragedy, by calamity, by social turmoil. Before God rebuilds, he often pulls down and plucks up. We're living in such times, aren't we? The progress of all this happens through the church, through you and I faithfully preaching the gospel. Not being ashamed. Not shrinking back. Not pushing our beliefs and our thoughts. The word of God underground. But engaging with people with the gospel. Calling people to repent and to put their faith in Christ. Unlike Dr. Larry Mills said, we, the redeemed church are the people of God. We are the holy nation. And that holy nation is now a nation without borders. We're going to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. You do that with the mind of Christ. You do that with the heart of Christ. You do that with the voice of Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we praise you and thank you for many, many examples in scripture of how we are to confront and deal with the tragedy that we face in this wicked world. We know, Lord, that it's coming. We see your righteous judgment. We see the wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness. We know, Lord, that you've made provision for sin. We know that you have the only wisdom that can possibly apply in these tragic circumstances that we face. Help us, Lord, to be faithful with the message that you've called us to preach. Help us to enter into that tragedy with the mind of Christ, applying the word of God, the wisdom of God to those circumstances and understanding it rightly. Or help us to enter into that tragedy with the heart of Christ, with both outrage over sin, abhorring what is evil, but also with compassion and with love that is not with hypocrisy, clinging to that which is good, glorifying you. And, Lord, help us to engage the culture with the voice of Christ, preaching the gospel, calling people to repent for you have appointed a day on which you will judge the world in righteousness by the man which you've appointed, a man Christ Jesus. Help us to be faithful to you, Lord, ahead of that day. And may sinners be converted to you for your glory. May the saints be built up and edified and sanctified by the work of your spirit. And may you in all things receive all honor and praise and glory and worship for all eternity in Jesus' name. Amen.