You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Turn with me this morning to Luke 17.
It's our last Sunday in Luke for a while.
Just letting you groan or something.
Nobody's going to cry.
We're going to jump just for a little while to the Old Testament this summer.
See the gospel of grace in some of those great stories that we love.
But this morning, this passage at the end of Luke 17 has a little bit of everything.
And it can be a bit confusing as you get into it.
Jesus redirects Pharisees.
He quotes Proverbs.
He discusses some Old Testament characters.
He even looks forward and talks about end times.
But he's responding here to a question about the kingdom of God.
Now, we need to know what he says about the kingdom of God because that's our vision as a church is to advance the kingdom of God, right?
So, Jesus, we really need to know what that means.
What it's all about.
I think it's helpful before we read this passage together to give you a little background that may help parts of it make a bit more sense to you as we read it.
In the Bible, the kingdom of God is wherever Yahweh is worshipped, trusted, and obeyed.
Where his reign is active.
And people submit to him as king.
So, we as a church, in seeking to advance the kingdom of God, are doing that in our hearts, in our lives.
Here and everywhere.
People more and more trusting and following the king.
That's what we're about.
That phrase, kingdom of God, is also used then to talk about eternity.
When the rule and reign of Yahweh will be fully and finally established, right?
Where he's perfectly obeyed and worshipped and trusted in the new heavens, the new earth.
The prophets talk a lot about these days.
And Daniel, in particular, explains that the Son of Man, this glorious divine figure,
will reign with God the Ancient of Days in an everlasting kingdom.
That's Daniel 7, the Son of Man.
He's the king who comes for that everlasting kingdom.
Daniel 7, great to read later.
Really important to know for this morning.
The Son of Man is the king.
So, when those days come that the prophets talk about looking forward to,
when the king returns to be enthroned forever,
perhaps the most notable theme of everything in the Old Testament about it,
is that that day is both a joyful one and a fearful one.
It's a day of judgment as well as a day of salvation at the same time.
When that eternal kingdom comes,
those who have refused to submit to Yahweh,
to bow the knee and trust and follow the king,
will be punished.
On the other hand,
those who have suffered much,
but who are aligned with the king,
will find rescue and rest in his victory.
A day of judgment and salvation.
A day of separation.
Destinies being settled.
In fact, we see at times this eternal kingdom break into human history.
And we get a taste of that reality,
of that separation.
Think, for example, of Noah and the ark.
You may know that story.
But judgment comes on the wicked, right?
Many are destroyed.
And yet, those inside the ark are rescued,
miraculously,
from the flood.
God's people saved.
His enemies destroyed.
It doesn't happen catastrophically like that often.
But you can think of, for instance,
the entrance into the promised land.
Idolatrous nations tasting the inbreaking of that eternal judgment, right?
And God's people delivered.
Or you could think of Sodom and Gomorrah,
tasting God's righteous wrath on their sin,
while Lot, who is also a sinner,
is spared by God's grace.
Sometimes the eternal kingdom shows up in moments like that in the present.
Which, by the way, helps us some with understanding some of those really tough passages
and what is God doing in these moments of judgment.
But whether you side with the true king or not,
leads to two extremely different outcomes.
Devastating judgment
or glorious salvation
at the kingdom of God's coming.
Let's read what Jesus says
and then we'll pray together.
You'll see we need His help
always
and especially
today as we look at this passage.
Luke 17 at verse 20.
This is God's Word.
Being asked by the Pharisees
when the kingdom of God would come,
He answered them,
The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,
nor will they say,
Look, here it is,
or there.
For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.
And He said to the disciples,
The days are coming when you will desire to see
one of the days of the Son of Man
and you will not see it.
And they will say to you,
Look there!
Or look here!
Do not go out or follow them.
For as the lightning flashes
and lights up the sky
from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in His day.
But first He must suffer many things
and be rejected by this generation.
Just as it was in the days of Noah,
so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
They were eating and drinking and marrying
and being given in marriage
until the day when Noah entered the ark
and the flood came
and destroyed them all.
Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot,
they were eating and drinking,
buying and selling,
planting and building.
But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained from heaven
and destroyed them all.
So will it be on the day
when the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day let the one who is on the housetop
with his goods in the house
not come down to take them away.
And likewise let the one who is in the field
not turn back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whoever seeks to preserve his wife,
his life, will lose it.
But whoever loses his life will keep it.
I tell you in that night
there will be two in one bed.
One will be taken and the other left.
There will be two women grinding together.
One will be taken and the other left.
And they said to him,
Where, Lord?
He said to them,
Where the corpse is.
There the vultures will gather.
Let's pray.
Father, we do ask for your help.
We want to understand.
But more than that, Father,
we want to know
this message that you have for us.
Jesus, we need to know more of you
and we want to know
what you speak of so clearly
and directly
and so, Holy Spirit,
would you teach us
that we might know things
that are too lofty
for us to understand on our own.
We cry out for your help.
Would you teach us
and would you change us?
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Let's walk through this passage
together this morning,
the one we just read,
to understand
the significant things
Jesus is saying
and then we'll take a few minutes
to talk about
what it means
for us.
Jesus begins here
by saying to the Pharisees,
the kingdom
may look different
from what you expect.
The Pharisees ask
when the kingdom is coming
and Jesus says
the kingdom of God
is not coming
with signs
to be observed,
nor will they say,
look, here it is
or there,
for behold,
the kingdom of God
is in the midst of you.
See, the Pharisees
were one group
among many at the time
who taught and believed
that the kingdom of God,
when it showed up,
there were going to be
some really easy things
to notice
among which,
probably most prominent,
was the Romans
were going to be defeated
and driven out
and so the power
and prestige
of the Jews
was going to flourish
in some really
tangible, exciting ways.
They were looking forward
to that,
looking for signs
that that was happening
and perhaps not seeing them
the way they'd hoped.
And when they say when,
Jesus says,
let me clear something up
for you.
You're looking
for the wrong thing.
God's kingdom
is not tied to
or dependent upon
any political power
or party.
God's kingdom
is not tied to
or dependent upon
any political power
or party,
then or now.
It doesn't look like
God's people
increasing earthly success
or social influence
that they have per se.
It's more about
God's people
individually
and corporately
submitting to the king,
embodying the values
and the priorities
of the king.
And friends,
I think if we
want to see society impacted,
if we're confused
about political power,
we've got a lot
to work on
just right there,
don't we?
A lot that will have
a big influence
in our society
when we work on
embodying the king's
values and priorities,
submitting to him
ourselves.
Beyond that kind of
redirection
of the Pharisees,
Jesus seems to be saying
in some ways
the kingdom is already here.
The kingdom of God
is in the midst of you.
I mean,
after all,
the king is here,
right?
Jesus came preaching
the kingdom of heaven
is at hand.
That's been the message.
But in looking for
the kind of signs
that they wanted to see,
the Pharisees were missing
the glorious signs
that the king was bringing.
Outsiders welcomed in.
Sick, healed.
Poor having good news
preached to them.
This is what the kingdom
is going to be, right?
Don't miss it,
Jesus says.
But then I love
how Jesus comforts
and helps his followers
in this next section.
He turns to them
and what he says to them
is so much what
we need to hear
because we live
in between
Jesus' two comings,
don't we?
That's where
we find ourselves
in the course of history.
He's come once
but he's coming again.
And so we live
where his kingdom
is already here
and not yet here fully.
We feel this every day,
don't we?
Sin is defeated
but it's still fighting against us.
Satan is conquered
but he's still prowling around
and seeking to devour.
The curse has been reversed
but we still look around
and see evidence of it everywhere.
creation is still longing
to be restored
to what God created it
to be.
And so as we live there,
Jesus says,
don't fear.
Listen,
when the kingdom comes
fully and finally,
it may look different
from what you expect.
But you won't miss the king
when he returns to reign.
The days are coming,
he says to his disciples,
when you will desire
to see one of the days
of the Son of Man
and you will not see it.
When you will long
to see the king come
and to be in those days
where everything's made
the way it's supposed to be.
In your suffering and pain
as Jeremy led us
in acknowledging this morning,
as you cry out,
you'll long for the day
when that full
and final rescue comes
and you won't see it.
You'll still ache.
Jesus says we're going to be
living in the in-between
and he knows
it's going to be hard for us.
And when it is,
when we're struggling,
when it's hard,
people will say,
look there
or look here.
Do not go out
or follow them
for as the lightning flashes
and lights up the sky
from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man
be in his day.
You won't miss the king.
No one will
when he returns to reign.
So don't let your focus
be distracted from Jesus.
People will offer you
easier ways.
People will offer you
paths of life
that avoid suffering.
People will tell you
there's hope
somewhere else.
You're crazy to wait
for Jesus.
Don't you believe it,
Jesus says.
You remember
that though the kingdom
is here only in seed form,
it's not yet
what it will be.
And so in the distress
and difficulty
of living in the not yet,
cling to Jesus
peace and hope
in him.
I was pulling weeds
last week
under the shade
of a beautiful
Japanese maple tree
in our front yard.
It turns these
beautiful orange colors
and it's grown
just in the few years
that we've been in the house
all over the place.
It's got some branches
that hang out
over the front yard
and some spread up
onto the roof
of the house
and every year
it seems like branches
sprout up in a new
in different direction.
And so keeping cool
under that shade,
I'm pulling up weeds
in the flower bed
and I really easily
plucked up this little sprig
and I looked down
to see what it was.
You know what I was holding
in my hand?
A Japanese maple.
Right there in my hand.
I looked at it.
It had a stump,
you know,
as it were.
It had some leaves
that sure enough
were Japanese maple leaves.
Little sprigs
of branches on it.
everything
that you needed
to be a real
Japanese maple tree
right there
in the palm of my hand.
It was already
a Japanese maple
but one day,
not yet,
it will look
very, very different.
What fit in my hand
will be taller
than our house
if it survives
extreme weather
and severe storms
and careless gardeners
who pull them up?
And that's a bit like
living in the already
and not yet
of the kingdom.
All the essential properties
of the kingdom
are here
but there are days
of smallness,
of dryness,
windy days
where you're sure
that the kingdom
is never going to come
in its fullness
and if it ever does
you sure won't be able
to hang in there
until it comes.
But it's much more certain
that the kingdom
is coming
in its fullness
than the growth
of my little Japanese
maple tree
in my hand.
Jesus says,
I know it's hard,
I know it looks
bleak some days,
I am coming back,
the kingdom
will come,
I've got you.
So,
don't let suffering
cause you
to lose hope.
After all,
you're not the only one
who suffers,
the king must suffer too,
right?
Verse 25,
first,
he must suffer
many things
and be rejected
by this generation.
It's the way
the kingdom works,
isn't it?
Not the way
the Pharisees
or the disciples
perhaps would have
planned it,
but the seed
must fall to the ground
and die
before it grows.
There's a cross
coming before
the crown
even and especially
for the king.
Here we are again.
Jesus,
remember where we are
in Luke,
marching
toward Jerusalem,
intent
on going
to the cross
to die
and wanting
us to understand
how utterly
essential it is
that he do that.
He must
suffer.
We can expect
similar struggles
to come for us
while we wait
for our king
to come again.
So,
keep hoping
in him
and in his promised
return.
He's coming.
Then Jesus
turns to some
of those Old Testament
examples
that we've already
mentioned
to say in a few
different ways,
but come what may,
no matter how bad
it gets,
don't get so
preoccupied
with your life
that you are
unprepared
for the return
of the king.
See,
nothing
could be more
important
than being prepared,
than being ready,
for the kingdom.
And there are
many things
every day
calling our attention
away from that.
He gives these
examples so we
understand.
Verse 26,
just as it was
in the days of Noah,
so will it be
in the days
of the Son of Man.
They were eating
and drinking
and marrying
and being given
in marriage
until the day
when Noah
entered the ark
and the flood
came and destroyed
them all.
They were doing
normal things,
right?
Good things.
but not
trusting
the king,
not prepared
for when the
kingdom
broke into
their world.
Most of them
received judgment
rather than
salvation.
Same with
Sodom and
Gomorrah.
Verse 28,
likewise,
just as it was
in the days of Lot,
they were eating
and drinking,
buying and selling,
planting and building,
but on the day
when Lot
went out from
Sodom,
fire and sulfur
rained from heaven
and destroyed
them all.
So will it be
on the day
when the Son of Man
is revealed.
Again,
good,
normal stuff
to be doing,
except
they hadn't
prepared themselves
for the king
and the kingdom
comes suddenly.
Unmistakably,
you see it,
inescapably,
you can't avoid it,
but normal life
is interrupted
by sudden
destruction.
And it's disaster
for those who
don't know the king,
isn't it?
So be ready,
Jesus says.
How?
By trusting Jesus
and treasuring
him above
all else.
Verse 31,
on that day,
let the one
who's on the housetop
with his goods
in the house
not come down
to take them away
and likewise
let the one
who's in the field
not turn back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whoever seeks
to preserve his life
will lose it,
but whoever loses
his life
will keep it.
Don't look back
for anything
that's been left there
and think,
oh,
I need that.
That's what's most important.
That's what I'm
hanging on to.
It's something
in my house.
It's the crops
I have.
That's what keeps me safe.
I need to make sure
I take them with me.
What did Lot's wife do?
She looked back
against God's command
as they were
leaving Sodom
and instead of being
rescued,
she becomes
a pillar
of salt.
Anything that
makes up this life,
even life itself,
pales in comparison
to eternal life
with Jesus.
If I asked you today,
what's your heart
set on?
What are you longing
for?
What do you most want?
Would Jesus
and his kingdom
come to mind?
Be honest.
Where's your heart
set?
Is it on him?
Or is it distracted
from the king
by other things
that you love
and you long for
just a little bit more?
Listen to Jesus.
There's a great
separation coming.
I tell you
in that night
there will be
two in one bed.
One will be taken
and the other left.
There will be
two women
grinding together.
One will be taken
and the other
left.
A day where
two people are sleeping,
two people are working,
otherwise
very similar people
receive very
different destinies.
Upon what basis?
Are they prepared
for trusting
in the king?
Don't tell yourself
you'll think about it later.
Don't say other things
are more important.
Don't let the busyness
of life,
lots of good things
to do,
keep you from
prioritizing
eternity.
busy.
Because Jesus
will return
suddenly
in the midst
of that normal
busy life
and you must
be prepared.
Perhaps
taken aback
or not wanting
to miss out
again on any of this,
the disciples
ask,
where?
And Jesus
says,
where the corpse
is,
there the
vultures
will gather.
Now,
in some ways
that's not a
particularly
complicated
proverb to
understand.
He's saying
you'll see it,
you won't miss it,
you'll be able
to look up
from where you are
and find out
what's going on,
but there's lots
of ways to say
that,
aren't there?
This is Jesus
in a very
pointedly
serious
way
saying it's
coming
and you'll
see it
and death
will be there.
There will be
death around
and you'll
notice it.
Be warned!
So that's a summary
of what Jesus
is teaching
in this passage.
God's kingdom
may look different
from what you expect,
but you won't
miss the king
when he returns
to reign,
so don't let
suffering cause
you to lose
hope.
After all,
the king must
suffer too,
but come what may,
don't get so
preoccupied
with your life
that you're
unprepared
for the return
of the king.
That's pretty
direct talk,
isn't it?
You know,
as I was
pondering
this week
Jesus
speaking to us
this directly
and this clearly,
it began
to have
this weight
on my heart.
What's Jesus
trying to say
to us?
I looked back
to the end
of Luke 9,
seems like
a long time
ago.
The end
of Luke 9
is where
Jesus tells
us he set
his face
to Jerusalem.
He said,
I'm going
to the cross
and everything
starts to head
in that direction.
For us
here at Southwood,
that's been
really this
entire school
year that
we've been
following Jesus
as he teaches
about the kingdom
on the way
to the cross.
And for some
reason,
for the first
time this week,
it kind of
sunk in to me
that I seem
to be talking
about eternity
a lot.
Heaven
and hell
and eternal
significance
and being ready
and it's come
up over and over
and I look back
and sure enough,
that's what Jesus
has been talking
about.
It's interesting,
isn't it,
that as he makes
his way to the
cross to die
for immortal
souls,
that these issues
of eternity
keep being
pressed in
to us.
He doesn't
want anybody
to miss it.
Over and over
he gathers
his followers
around and says,
listen to me.
There's something
you can't miss
here.
It's on his
heart for us.
Just in these
few chapters
we've walked
through,
he said things
like,
we must repent
or we too
will perish.
That there's a
place of weeping
and gnashing
of teeth
for some
while others
feast at the
banquet of God.
A banquet
where a lot
of religious
insiders
are not
actually going
to be present
although they
expect to be.
But actually
you must be
willing to leave
everything else
in order to
follow him.
He even put
words in the
mouth of a
rich man
warning everyone
he loved about
the seriousness
of eternity.
How many
times have I
stood up here
and said,
this is really
weighty.
We must
really consider
eternity.
We must
repent and
embrace
Jesus.
Y'all,
please,
please hear
the call
of Jesus.
He's speaking
clearly and
seriously and
lovingly to
you.
It's a
drum that he
continues to
beat.
He's not
mincing words.
He's saying,
trust me
today.
Here's what
God's
particularly
been putting
on my
heart in
light of
this.
We've been
watching Jesus
and what I'll
call the
sober passion
that he has
for bringing
this eternity
in front of
everyone who's
around him.
As he
pleads with
people passionately,
I was asking
myself,
do I share
Jesus'
sober passion?
This passage
really drove it
home for me.
Let me say it to
you this way.
There's an
eternal separation
coming with
two different
outcomes that
couldn't possibly
be further
apart.
One of
eternal
destruction
and one
of everlasting
glory.
And two
spouses
sharing the
same bed
for a few
years will
go to
different
places
forever.
And two
people working
in the same
office building
on the
arsenal
will be
apart from
each other
for all of
eternity.
And two
moms playing
with their
kids on
the same
playground
won't play
together
again.
And two
students
sitting in
the same
classroom on
the same
campus for a
whole semester
will spend
eternity in
two different
places.
And two
people sitting
shoulder to
shoulder in
the same
church pew
week after
week and
year after
year will
do that
apart from
each other
for eternity.
And that
has to
break our
hearts.
It's not a
reality we
like to talk
about a lot
but it's also
not one Jesus
is unclear
on.
Does it
break your
heart?
Who comes
to mind
mind for
you?
Is that
not why God
has us
here?
Isn't that
why he's put
you in
Huntsville?
In your
house?
In your
neighborhood?
In your
workplace?
With your
friends?
Are we as
committed to
eternal souls
and eternal
realities as
Jesus is?
All the
examples of
God's
destruction
coming on
many with
a few being
rescued are
sobering but
perhaps none
more than
Lot's wife.
Because she
reminds us that
nearness to
kingdom people
does not
equal
preparation
for the
kingdom.
She was
walking right
there with
those who
were being
rescued and
found herself
not.
There are
family,
friends,
others we
would call
loved ones.
And y'all I
think every
neighbor is
supposed to
be a loved
one, yes?
Do we
really actively
love them?
It's not
merely about
wanting to
spend eternity
with them,
although that's
sweet and
desirable, but
wanting them to
spend eternity
with Jesus.
Pastor Peter,
when we were
talking about
this passage
this week,
said what
comes to
mind for
him is are
we soul
conscious?
I love
that.
Consider for
a minute how
you think of
and treat the
people in
your life.
Are they
merely a
means to
an end
for you?
Ways to be
entertained?
Someone who
can care for
your kids,
an avenue for
you to get
food or make
money or pass
the time?
Is that
what people
are some
days for
you?
Or do you
think of
them as
eternal souls?
Do you
consider their
eternal destiny?
Are you
soul conscious?
Now listen,
that doesn't
mean that we
all need to
go rent
megaphones
this afternoon,
drive around
Huntsville
announcing heaven
and hell to
everyone within
earshot.
It doesn't
have to look
like that.
It also
doesn't mean
that we
get to put
on headphones
and start
going through
life,
oblivious to
everyone around
us,
driving by,
missing eternal
souls all around
you every day,
forgetting the
priority of
Jesus for
each of them,
for each of
us.
Al Eller
prayed last
week,
people need
the Lord,
and he said,
Jesus, I need
you.
This is not
us versus
them.
This is
all of us
together
needing
Jesus.
So what
do we do?
If our
hearts start
beating with
this same
passion that
Jesus has,
what do we
do?
You know,
it's interesting,
there's one
specific thing
we're told to
do, and
it's to pray
persistently.
It's the next
verse actually,
chapter 18,
it's a passage
connected to
this one still,
Jesus tells a
parable,
the first
verse says,
to teach
them, in
light of all
these things,
that they
ought always
to pray,
and never
to give up.
For someone
who's on your
heart,
for people you
haven't met yet,
or you'll be
with this week,
we must be
on our knees
for our
neighbors.
prayers.
If you need
somewhere to
start, take
this prayer
guide, and
the very
first item
this week,
pray for
specific
opportunities
to engage
meaningfully
with those
in your
neighborhood
who do
not know
Jesus.
There's one
if you need
something to
pick, pray
that this
week, and
then don't
stop praying.
Keep
praying
persistently.
I don't know
anything better
than praying
for someone
to help lead
our hearts
toward loving
them
intentionally.
Don't be
preoccupied
with your
life.
If you get
preoccupied
with something,
let it be
with giving
others a
taste of
the kingdom,
showing them
the love
of King
Jesus.
How can I
love them?
How can we
get more
time together?
Some of us
are very well
trained at this
point to say,
oh, I don't
want to make
somebody a
project to
treat them as
though they're
just something
I can use to
get a feather
in my Christian
cap.
Y'all,
that's true,
but can I
be honest
with you?
That's just
by and large
not our
problem.
Talking about
Jesus too
much with
other people.
When you
have two of
your friends
come to me
and complain
that you
won't leave
them alone
about Jesus
and you
keep sharing
your heart
about eternity
with them,
then we'll
talk about
that problem.
Let's not
hide behind
that.
avoid loving
people intentionally
and sharing
with them
the hope
of our
Savior.
Last thing,
we get to do
that with
great joy.
What's so
exciting about
this?
It's because I
could berate
you and say,
leave here with
a guilt trip
that you should
do this more
and if you
don't,
your friends
and neighbors
will go to
hell.
Y'all,
what's the
one thing
that must
be done
to secure
their eternity?
There's one
thing that's
required
and it's
not on your
list.
What did
Jesus tell us?
One thing
that must
happen,
he must
suffer
and be
rejected.
He must
go to the
cross
and he
has
done it.
It's
finished.
All that's
needed
to secure
your eternity,
my eternity
and that
of your
neighbors,
Jesus
has
done
and so
we get
to go
not with
intense
pressure
but with
great joy
to tell
them about
a Savior
who loves
them and
has died
for them.
It's why
we keep
pointing each
other to
Him.
As we
wait in
every
circumstance
for Him
to return,
we remember
that the
hard work
to secure
eternity
has been
done.
It's
over.
So we
exhale.
So we
rest in
hope.
And so
we rejoice
in telling
forth the
glories of
the eternal
kingdom and
the gracious
King to
everyone,
everywhere.
Amen?
Let's
pray.
Jesus,
you have
given us
eternal
hope.
Let us
see it
clearly this
morning.
And would
you break
our hearts
for the
reality
of separate
eternal
destinies?
of anyone
not getting
to be
with you
forever.
See,
the glory
of God
in the
face of
Jesus
Christ.
And would
we long
that all
of our
family and
friends,
that all
of Huntsville,
that everyone
we touch
would be there
with us
to know
Him,
to glory
in Him
forever.
We ask
it in
His name.
Amen.
For more
information,
visit us
online at
southwood.org.