Reflections on 9/11, God's Judgment, and Reluctant Compassion | A Biblical Perspective by Reagan

Reagan delves into a profound reflection on God's judgment and compassion by recalling a notable moment from his high school years after the 9/11 attacks. He recounts President George W. Bush's speech at ground zero, highlighting themes of justice and judgment. Drawing from biblical texts, especially Luke 13:22-34 and 2 Peter 3:9, Reagan explores the concept of God's reluctant judgment and His persistent efforts to save humanity. He emphasizes the importance of forgiveness, love, and the desire for all to be saved, paralleling God's mercy and long-suffering attitude. Reagan concludes with an invitation for listeners to seek refuge under God’s wings, stressing the necessity of willingness and submission to God's call.

00:00 Memorable Moments from History
01:59 God's Reluctant Judgment
03:13 Exploring Luke Chapter 13
07:27 The Hen and Her Chicks: A Metaphor for God's Protection
13:25 Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem
21:41 The Persistence of God's Love
27:05 The Power of Acceptance or Rejection
29:50 A Call to Humble Submission

Transcript

There are some statements, I think probably especially from your formative years that just stick with you, that you remember in years to come. When I was a junior in high school, after the September 11th attacks on September 14th George W. Bush went to ground zero where the two twin towers had fallen.

Just a few days later, and he is on this bullhorn and he is making a speech to all of these workers and first responders who were there. I'm just interested. Anybody remember this speech? Any show of hands? Remember this speech? Remember he's going along with this bullhorn. It's not quite loud enough for what's happening there, and somebody, this is totally a New Yorker thing to do.

Somebody from the crowd yells at the president, we can't hear you. Maybe that was not the right accent, but that's what they said. And W responds and says, well, I can hear you, and a cheer goes up from the crowd and he stands there for just a few seconds, and then he said something that is a pretty famous thing.

Now I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you, and another big cheer goes up and drowns him out for a few seconds. And then he said, and the people who knock these buildings down will hear from all of us soon to which a chant of U-S-A-U-S-A-U-S-A went up. I saw that for the first time shortly after it was given.

And I remember my feelings at that time that I was ready for God's judgment upon those who had done this to, to my country. I. To my country men. And whether that purpose was accomplished in the months and years that followed, I'm not sure, but I do know this, that God is a God of justice, that God is a God of righteous judgment.

But I think I failed to grasp for many, many years, and I'm not sure that I grasp it now. How reluctant God is in judgment. Not that he cannot or will not judge, but that he is long suffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Second Peter, chapter three and verse nine.

I think most of us, where we put in the place of God would be much more, would be much quicker to judge than he is. And yet I am grateful that he is the judge and we are not. That's a statement that sticks in my mind. And there are scriptures that, that hold a similar place, statements that are made that are powerful and meaningful and memorable.

And the statement that sticks in my mind about this idea of God's reluctant. Judgment is what Jesus says in Luke Chapter 13 and verse 34. If you have your Bible with you, would you take it out please, as we consider tonight Christ's reluctant judgment, and we're gonna begin reading here in just a second, in Luke chapter 13 in verse 22, and then we'll get down to verse 34 and look at the surrounding context as well.

As has been said already, thank you for being here this evening. So grateful for the presence of all who are here. And if you'll turn to Luke chapter 13, the vast majority of our time is gonna be spent in Luke Chapter 13 in the surrounding chapters, so you'll be well prepared for what we're gonna consider this evening.

The context of Luke chapter 13 is that Jesus has warned about a coming judgment, and in this coming judgment, it is prophesied that few would be saved. With a special emphasis on the children of Abraham and how they have rejected God's Christ. So if you're there in Luke chapter 13, begin reading with me in verse 22, if you would.

He, Jesus went through the city's and villages teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to him, Lord. Are there few who are saved? And he said to them, strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able when, once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, Lord, Lord, open for us.

And he will not answer and say to you, I do not know you where you are from. Then you'll begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know you where you are from, depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God.

And yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first and there are first who will be last. Now these should be important verses for us who are from a, a gentile background because he is speaking primarily to these Jews at this time, and how many of them are going to reject him, but there are others who are gonna have the opportunity to come, which includes me and includes you.

But we see this context of judgment, especially on the family of Abraham. And that was the reality that was going to happen, but Jesus wasn't happy about it. It is the truth of the situation, but Jesus desired just the opposite, and so he cries out in love and frustration in verse 34 of the same chapter, oh, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones, those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen, gathers her brooded. Or her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. That is, to me, a statement that sticks with you. It is a statement that is gut wrenching, is heartbreaking, what Jesus says here.

And so my question is, what does this statement teach us about Christ's reluctant judgment, not just on the family of Abraham who rejected him at this time and. The judgment that was gonna come upon Jerusalem because of it. But what does it teach us about God's judgment in general? And especially what our attitude should be toward that judgment.

Well, there are F four truths that I want to consider in the context of God's judgment this evening, and the first truth that we see from this passage. We're gonna put the scriptures up on the screen behind us, the specific parts of this verse. All four of these points come from the verse. God loves all and desires for all to be saved, and we should too.

God loves everyone and his desire is for everyone to be safe, and we as Christians should have that same kind of attitude. Isn't that what he says? I wanted to gather your children together as a hen, gathers her brooded under her wings. This was God's desire. I found this picture online. It looks like ai.

But it's not I'm, I'm able to search on one of the, the sites that I'm a, a member of to get these pictures and so forth, and I can do it where there's no AI included in this. 'cause some of these AI just look a little weird and some of 'em are getting too good and that sort of thing. This is a real picture of a hen and you see these chicks that are gathered up underneath her wings.

And almost total protection. It's kind of a cool image. The the chickens for the county show I think have already been received by everyone. And so if you are raising chickens more than me about all of this, but according to an issue, sorry, of the poultry press, that is a real thing. It is put out by an organization called the UPC, the United Poultry Concerns.

According to them, during the first four to eight weeks or so, the chicks stay close to their mother, gathered beneath her wings each night at dusk. Eventually, she flies up to her perch or a tree branch indicating her sense that they and she are ready for independence. So. This is a description of chicks who are very young, who do not have the capacity to take care of themselves, at least not fully, and she's shielding them from the dangers that would come upon them at night, giving them warmth, comfort, and protection.

This is one of many reasons that show chickens have such a high mortality rate. There is no hen who is protecting them. This image is often used to describe God's protection and God's shelter and refuge and comfort. In Ruth chapter two in verse 12, Boaz sees this quality in Ruth that she has sought refuge under the wings of God.

And throughout the Psalms we see this imagery. Turn to Psalm 91, if you would, the 91st Psalm, Psalm 91. Mark your spot there. And Luke, we'll come right back there. But if you'd like to turn to Psalm 91, Psalm 17, in verse 8 36, in verse 7 57, 1 and 63, 7, all use this same imagery or metaphor, but in Psalm 91, beginning in verse one, notice he who dwells in the secret place of the most ties shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.

I will say to the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, and Him I will trust. Surely he shall deliver me from this, deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night. That's when chickens do this, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor the destruction that lays waste at noon day. This is who God is and who God has always been. God wants all to find protection and shelter and salvation under his wings, and that's the very reason why Christ came.

That's that's what he came to do. He was sent by God for this very reason. And John three 16 for God's soul of the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. Have everlasting life. And one Timothy chapter two and verse four reminds us that God desires all men, anthropo all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

Do we know this truth that God desires for all to be saved? I, I think we do, but we need to be reminded of it, don't we? And, and that's true in two ways. All, all people being saved means that God desires for you to be saved. The God desires for me to be saved, that Jesus loves me. This I know, and that's something that we need to hold on to, and we can find the strength to consider the possibility that, yes, I could be saved because God has sent that way of salvation in Jesus Christ.

But it also means that all others can be saved, including those who are our enemies, that God desires to save them. Even them, which is the second point that we find back there in Luke chapter 13. God desires to save even those who are most hostile to him. And we should too. You know, the abstract desiring all people to be saved is a lot easier.

Then the concrete. I wanna des, I want, I wanna have a desire for people to be saved. Even those who are contrary to me, even those who are enemies to me, even those who don't treat me the way I sh I, I think I deserve to be treated. And we see this with what he says there in verse 34, oh, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones, those who were sent to her. Now that's true of the prophets who were killed in times past, but. Who's saying this? It's Jesus the ultimate prophet who is going to be killed in just this way, who's gonna be killed on a cross by those in Jerusalem.

There's a large section of text that we're right in the middle of here in Luke chapter nine in verse 51, down through chapter 19 and verse 44. If you want to get that exact with the verses, but certainly this general section is described by commentators as Jesus's journey to Jerusalem, and that description is not really about geography.

If it was, it took Jesus a really long time to travel to Jerusalem. Instead, it's where the account is going though. The text makes several references to Jesus's proximity to Jerusalem. Chapter nine in verse 51. Chapter 1322. 17 11 18 31, 19 28. So there are all these references to Jerusalem, and when I'm going through my Bible, the way I do this is I draw a little mountain whenever there's a reference to a place, and that tells me, okay, there's a geographical reference here.

What's interesting is we have a lot of references to Jerusalem and going toward Jerusalem and setting his face toward Jerusalem. You know what's interesting? There are less geographical references in this section of text. Any other single section of text of equivalent side size in any of the gospels.

Luke doesn't talk about a lot of places where Jesus is and what Jesus is doing in those places, going here and there. Instead, his focus is not exclusively, but certainly primarily on this idea that he is heading to Jerusalem. Luke wants us to think about Jerusalem because he is emphasizing Jesus's symbolic march toward Jerusalem and the cross that awaits him there.

Jesus' journey to Jerusalem is about Jesus's determination to go through with what God has called him to do. Even though this will be a place of rejection and suffering and violent death, Jerusalem has not changed in this. They still kill the prophets and those who are sent to her. Even God's own son.

And so in chapter 13 in verse 33, if you're back there in that same chapter, just before Jesus cries out Jerusalem, this is what I wanted for you. What is Jerusalem gonna do to him? Verse 33. Nevertheless, I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

This is where it's going to happen. This is where I am going to perish, and if you drop down a few chapters to chapter 18 and verse 31, chapter 18, and verse 31, for the third time in Luke's gospel, Jesus tells his disciples This is what's gonna happen. Then he took the 12 aside and said to them, behold, we're going up to Jerusalem.

All the things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be accomplished for he will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. It is in that context that Jesus says what he does,

Jesus longs to save. Those who are most hostile to him.

And this above section ends with Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. Again, not looking to the future, to her judgment, but on the very steps of his ultimate betrayal and death. If you're there look in 19, in verses 39 and following.

Jesus has entered Jerusalem triumphantly in this last week, and as he is entering there are those from the crowd who are crying out. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And in verse 39, some of the Pharisees. Called to him from the crowd Teacher rebuke your disciples reminds me a little bit of the guy in New York, we can't hear you.

There's something you're supposed to be doing differently. But he answered and said to them, I tell you, if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Now, as he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it. I, I, I think that's literal. I think Jesus was crying, seeing this city saying, if you had known.

Even you, even you Jerusalem, who killed the prophets and stoned those who were sent to her, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes for the day will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in on every side and level you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another.

Because you did not know the time of your visitation. Now Jesus is coming and there is some judgment here. He immediately cleanses the temple right after this in the text when he weeps over Jerusalem. I. But around the context of Luke Chapter 13 in verse 34 are examples of Jesus encountering hostility from others, and he's striving to bring them under his wings even though they are so reluctant and hostile toward this idea.

We see in Luke chapter 13 in verse 14, the synagogue official is angry and criticizes Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, and Jesus rebukes him strongly, but he is not seeking to win an argument. He's seeking to gather even this synagogue official under his wings. In Luke chapter 14 verses one through six, Jesus enters the house of a pharisee and a man with drop see is placed before him.

And those present are watching to see if he's gonna heal him on the Sabbath. And Jesus questions them and rebukes them. Why? Because he is singing, seeking to bring them back to him to gather them under his wings. And Jesus, yes, is harsh in some ways, but it's always with an eye towards salvation for these people, and that's the way the gospel, the good news works.

Sometimes it convicts us. It challenges us. It rebukes us. We preach. I preach. Harold preaches, Preston preaches. We preach obedience to the gospel in a time when many view the gospel as just good news that we need to become aware of. Just become aware of it. There's nothing for you to do. But Romans 10 in verse 16, two Thessalonians one, seven through eight in one Peter four in verse 17, emphasize the need to quote, obey the gospel.

And it is only through the true gospel, not the many false gospels that refuge and salvation are found. It requires a change in you. A change in me. I have to be different, transformed from what I was before. I have to obey what Christ would have me to do. And there's gonna be sometimes some conflict, even hostility toward that idea that something is required of me and of you.

But every time we in love communicate the need to obey the gospel, that is or should be an effort to gather the lost under the wings of Jesus. You know, the chicks. Brood. They don't have to come when they're called, but if they don't, there is no protection through the night. And so too, we, we do not have to come when we're called, but God desires to save us even when that perhaps is our attitude.

The third thing that we see. The third truth goes with that idea. God is relentlessly persistent in his efforts to gather under his wings, and we should have this same si sort of persistence in striving to bring others to the gospel. It says how often I wanted to do these things. God's efforts throughout the history of Jerusalem are well documented.

Israel's history is. Is the story of rebellion and God's forgiveness over and over and over. We're studying through the judges right now, that same cycle of rebellion against God, and yet God is willing and wanting to forgive if the people are willing to repent. And how often did, did God try all these different things time and time again to gather his people toward himself?

How often I wanted to do this, Jesus says. Keeping your spot there in Luke, turn to Matthew chapter 18 because this same phrase in Greek is used by Peter in Matthew chapter 18, beginning in verse 21. This time it is used as a question. I

then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him up to seven times. There's that phrase, how often. Do I have to forgive? Peter says, and I think Peter's trying to go above and beyond here. The rabbis at the time said, you get three strikes and you're out.

Well, they didn't know baseball, but that's the idea, right? You have to forgive three times and then you don't have to forgive anymore. Peter says, how about seven times? I mean, that exceeds more than doubles the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. But Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven, and God is not requiring something of us that he is not willing to do himself.

How many times has God forgiven me in 39 years on Earth? Even if you shorten that to just the time that I've been a Christian, how many times has God forgiven me? 70 times 7, 490 times. We're well beyond that at this point, and I am so grateful that this is who God is. That he is a God who forgives. And the whole point in Matthew chapter eight in 18 is we should be willing to forgive in the same way that each of you should, from his heart, be willing to forgive his brother or sister their trespass.

Are we making the same efforts to forgive others that God makes to forgive us? Are we making the same efforts to bring the lost under the wings of God? God shows his mercy by restraining judgment and giving us more time. Do we have that same attitude toward others? Go back to Luke chapter 13. There's an interesting little parable beginning in verse six that shows God's attitude, Christ's attitude, in giving more time, in being long suffering.

As the verse we quoted from Second Peter at the beginning of the lesson says, God is long suffering toward us. Not willing that any should per us, but that all should come to repentance. This is the way it's put in this parable by Jesus. Jesus also spoke this parable, verse six of chapter 13. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? What a waste of ground and resources. This fig tree that's not producing anything is Now, here's my question. Was this harsh by the landowner?

How long had he already been long suffering? Three years. He had been waiting. But he that is the keeper of the vineyard, answered and said to him, sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well, but if not, after that, you can cut it down. God has already been long suffering toward us up to this point, and while God's long suffering does not last forever, the day of judgment will come.

Jesus' intent. His whole purpose in coming is to give us every opportunity to be saved. He is relentless in his pursuit of us to gather us under his wings. So if God is so relentless, why? Why were these over whom he is lamenting not saved? Well, that's the fourth truth.

Hmm hmm. Oh, that went to the very end. Okay. Is everybody back with me? All right. Huh? The anticipation continues to build. Let's see. All right, where are we here? Oh, okay. That's pretty good. Okay, so the fourth truth. You ready? God allows us the power to accept or reject his love and protection, which will we choose?

Acceptance. Rejection. The saddest part of this whole verse is what ends the verse, but you were not willing. New American standard, I think puts it in even harsher terms. You would not have it. The word would is from the same Greek word translated what earlier in the verse. Jesus wanted to save them, but they did not want to be saved, at least not under the conditions that Jesus put forth.

Does this mean that their will was stronger than Jesus's will? No, but it does mean that he desires us to submit to him of our own free will. And there are some, always some who are indifferent to this invitation. There are some who make excuses because of their possessions or their business obligations or their family obligations.

As that Parable of the Great Supper in the next chapter tells us they did not want to receive the blessings because there were other things that they thought were more important. But if, if we see the value of what it is God offers in his long suffering. We have to be willing to do all the things that we've talked about tonight.

We have to be willing to forgive. We have to be willing to love even those who are difficult to love. We have to be willing to preach obedience to the gospel, even if it's difficult, and we have to be willing to obey ourselves. God is calling us. He wants us to come to him for love and protection and warmth and hope, and ultimately we have to be willing to become chicks.

You know, chickens, I, some people are really offended by this idea of sheep. The Bible describes us as sheep a lot. That we have to be sheep. And, you know, that's, that's a negative thing in our culture. You know, the sheep will who just go after whatever trend is out there and just follow the company line and all those sorts of things.

But as dumb as sheep can be, sheep are geniuses compared to chickens. All of those, all of you who've tried to keep chickens alive, know exactly what that is, don't have sense to come in out of the rain. Well, chickens will stand there with their head until they drown themselves head in the air, until they drown themselves.

Right. What God says in this image is you gotta become not even a full-blooded chicken, you just gotta become a little chick that is willing to come under the wings of God to find refuge and hope to acknowledge our position and submit to the only one who can really save us. And if you're here this evening and you're not yet a Christian, become as a little child.

Yes. Become as a sheep. Yes. Become as a chick. Yes. That says, I know. My position in comparison to God and I know that I cannot save myself, and I know that it is only through his wisdom and what he has put forth that me or anybody else is ever going to be saved. And so I'm willing to come humble submission to answer his call and do whatever he requires because it is only in him.

Salvation can be found. And if you know what that is that you need to do even tonight, and we can help you in some way, we invite you to come. But if you're already a Christian and you realize you've been that little chick that's out there running all around in the yard and hasn't come back to the safety and security of God, you've gone your own way.

God is calling you too. These were his children. The children of Abraham that were being discussed in this passage. And so the application is just as apropos for those of us who are Christians but are not living the kind of life that we should be. Jesus is calling you to safety. Jesus is calling you home and if we can help you, if we can pray for you or pray with you, please won't you come while together.

We stand and while we sing.