What Produces Godly Repentance? (Luke 16:30-31)

What produces godly repentance? The account of the rich man and Lazarus reveals what does not and does produce godly repentance. Miracles do not produce godly repentance. Scripture (Moses and the Prophets) does produce godly repentance. Table of contentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesLesson One: Godly repentance allows people to avoid the rich man’s fate.Lesson Two: Being Abraham’s descendant is no substitute for repentance.Lesson Three: Miracles don’t produce godly repentance.Lesson Four: Scripture can produce godly repentance. https://youtu.be/Yj5KXyAF2fE What produces godly repentance? Miracles do not produce godly repentance, but Scripture (Moses and the Prophets) does. Family Worship Guide Directions: Read the following verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 3:7-9, 16:30, Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 3:7, John 8:32-4 cf. Luke 16:24, 27, 30: Why did the rich man want Lazarus to visit his brothers? How did Abraham respond and why did he respond that way? Why did many Jews think it was guaranteed they would go to heaven? Day 2: Luke 16:31, Exodus 12:30, Hebrews 4:19, Judges 6:21, 36-40, 7:10, Matthew 11:20, John 2:23-25, 6:2, 66, 11: 53, John 12:10, 37, Acts 4:16-18, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Hebrews 2:1-4, Acts 8:5-6: Why don’t miracles produce godly repentance? Can you think of any miracles in Scripture that seemed to produce faith or repentance? What are some miracles in Scripture that were not mentioned in the sermon that did not produce repentance or faith? Day 3: Luke 16:31, John 6:63, James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:23, Jonah 4:4-5, 2 Kings 22:11, Acts 1:15, 2:40-41, 4:4: Why is Scripture able to produce godly repentance when miracles are not? Think of some examples in Scripture of people hearing preaching but failing to repent. What are some examples of people receiving preaching followed by repentance? Sermon Notes The title of this morning’s sermon is, “What Produces Godly Repentance?” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at Luke 16:30 toward the end of the account of the rich man and Lazarus. Let’s start at verse 27 for context… Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house 28 for I have five brothers so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ Moses and the Prophets is a New Testament way to refer to the Old Testament. The rich man objected to the idea that his brothers could listen to Moses and the Prophets, probably because he knew that his family did not take Moses and the Prophets seriously. He didn’t think Scripture would work, because he had such a low view of Scripture. He never obeyed Scripture, so why would they? Instead, he thinks they need a miracle to repent. And this brings us to lesson one… Lesson One: Godly repentance allows people to avoid the rich man’s fate. This is very interesting. The rich man knew what his brothers must do to avoid the torment he’s experiencing: repent, This also means he knew why he was in torment: he didn’t repent: He wasn’t lost because he was rich. He was lost because he wouldn’t turn from his sin. Many will also be lost for the same reason. And something interesting about the rich man’s lack of repentance in his earthly life is there’s no evidence of repentance, or change, in the next life either. Let me explain what I mean by getting you to notice some things about him… First, two times he tried to order Lazarus around and treat them like a servant who is inferior to him: Luke 16:24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and SEND LAZARUS TO DIP THE END OF HIS FINGER IN WATER AND COOL MY TONGUE, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to SEND HIM to my father's house Second, he argued with Abraham. In verse 29, Abraham said his brothers had Scripture available to them, but in verse 30, he thought he knew best and told Abraham that they needed to witness a miracle. The point is that even in death the rich man remained stubborn, proud, and argumentative. There’s no sorrow or remorse about his earthly lifestyle whatsoever. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “In spite of the fact that [the rich man] was in torment in Hades, he did not change; he was still self-centered. He argued instead of submitting. This indicates that the punishment of lost sinners is not remedial; it does not improve them. Hades and hell are not hospitals for the sick; they are prisons for the condemned.” There is only one thing that changes human hearts, and that is the gospel. Because the rich man rejected the gospel his heart can never change, no matter how much torment he experiences. Now let’s pause looking at this account and turn to Luke 3 so I can show you something that will relate in a moment. Here’s the context… John the Baptist is performing a baptism of repentance to prepare people for the Messiah. Look at verse 7… Luke 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. John sees the religious leaders coming and tells them to repent, but he knows they won’t because of something they trust in. Anticipating what they will say, look what he adds… Luke 3:9 And DO NOT PRESUME TO SAY TO YOURSELVES, ‘WE HAVE ABRAHAM AS OUR FATHER,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. John knew they trusted in their relationships to Abraham for their salvation. They think they are God’s chosen, special people who don’t need to repent. They get to go straight to heaven where they are welcomed by Abraham himself. And this brings us to lesson two… Lesson Two: Being Abraham’s descendant is no substitute for repentance. We must understand the Bible describes Abraham having two kinds of children: Physical children or descendants, and that’s the Jews Spiritual children, or Christians, who have put their faith in Christ. Listen to these verses: Romans 2:28 No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly (or physically)…29 But a Jew is one inwardly (or spiritually). Galatians 3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. Now the interesting thing is this: There were lots of Jews who were physical children of Abraham, but not spiritual children of Abraham And there were lots of non-Jews, or Gentiles, like us, who are not physical children of Abraham, but are spiritual children of Abraham. During Jesus’s earthly ministry He had to contend with Jews trusting more in their ancestry to Abraham than in their repentance and faith in Christ. Turn to John 8. John 8:32 [Jesus said], “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus talks to them about being free, but they responded that they have always been free because they’re Abraham’s descendants. Skip to verse 37… John 8:37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. Notice Jesus said they are offspring of Abraham, but only physically. In a minute he will say they’re not offspring of Abraham, spiritually… John 8:38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did Now Jesus says they’re not Abraham’s children, because they’re not spiritually. Instead, He says they’re the devil’s children. Look at verse 44… John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Now turn back to Luke 16 so I can show you something interesting. Many of the Jews thought that having Abraham as their father meant they’re on their way to heaven, so what did Jesus do? He preached this account about a Jew who had Abraham as his father, but…found himself in torment: Notice the rich man repeatedly called Abraham father: Luke 16:24 And he called out, ‘FATHER ABRAHAM, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, FATHER, to send him to my father's house Luke 16:30 And he said, ‘No, FATHER ABRAHAM, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ This account served as a rebuke to the all the Jews who thought they didn’t need to repent, simply because they were Abraham’s children. I have told you a few times up to this point that this teaching, like many of Jesus’s teachings, would have sounded outrageous to His listeners: They couldn’t handle a rich man who they thought was an object of God’s divine favor suffering torment in the next life They couldn’t handle a poor man, like Lazarus, who they thought was an object of God’s divine disfavor experiencing comfort in the next life Well one more thing that made this account outrageous and offensive to them is a Jew, who has Abraham as his father, is in torment. The lesson is that even being a descendant of Abraham is no substitute for repentance. Now if we pick back up with the account,