WEBVTT

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 Today we are in chapter 17, verses 20 to 37.

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 I encourage you to open your Bibles to Luke chapter 17, verses 20 to 37.

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 We did print it for you today in the worship guide.

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 We usually do not do that because we want people to bring their Bibles

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 so that they can see the context of the passages that they read.

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 But if you don't have a Bible today, you can use the worship guide that we printed for you.

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 Before I read and preach, let me pray for God's help.

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 Heavenly Father, we gather once again around your Word

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 because we believe that you speak today through your Word.

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 Because we believe that you rule us through your Word.

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 Because we believe that in your Word we find life and joy and peace.

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 Because through it we come to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

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 So we ask once again that you will address us from your Word.

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 So that instead of being distracted by the currents of this world,

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 that we might be able to maintain our focus and perseverance

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 as we follow after your Son, Jesus Christ.

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 So that we might live with awareness of and anticipation of

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 the Kingdom of God that will be fulfilled

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 as you promised.

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 So now help us as we incline our ears to hear.

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 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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 Luke 17, verses 20 to 37.

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 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,

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 He answered them,

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 The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,

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 nor will they say,

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 Look, here it is, or there.

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 For behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

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 And He said to the disciples,

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 The days are coming when you will desire to see

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 one of the days of the Son of Man,

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 and you will not see it.

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 And they will say to you,

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 Look there, or look here.

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 Do not go out or follow them.

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 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky

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 from one side to the other,

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 so will the Son of Man be in His day.

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 But first, He must suffer many things

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 and be rejected by this generation.

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 Just as it was in the days of Noah,

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 so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.

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 They were eating and drinking and marrying

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 and being given in marriage,

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 until the day when Noah entered the ark

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 and the flood came and destroyed them all.

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 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot,

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 they were eating and drinking,

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 buying and selling, planting and building.

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 But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom,

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 fire and sulfur rained from heaven

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 and destroyed them all.

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 So will it be on the day

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 when the Son of Man is revealed.

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 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop

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 with his goods in the house

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 not come down to take them away.

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 And likewise, let the one who is in the field

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 not turn back.

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 Remember Lot's wife.

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 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,

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 but whoever loses his life will keep it.

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 I tell you, in that night,

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 there will be two in one bed,

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 one will be taken and the other left.

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 There will be two women grinding together.

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 One will be taken and the other left.

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 And they said to him,

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 Where, Lord?

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 He said to them,

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 Where the corpse is,

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 there the vultures will gather.

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 This is God's holy and authoritative word.

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 According to a poll conducted in 2012

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 for Reuters,

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 it spanned 20 countries,

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 it said that one in seven people,

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 about 14% of the world's population,

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 believe that the world will end in their lifetime

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 for one reason or another.

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 And according to the Wikipedia page

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 that lists all the dates

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 that have been predicted for apocalyptic events,

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 there have been no less than 173

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 end-of-the-world predictions

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 that have already come and gone.

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 And most recently,

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 Ronald Wineland,

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 a leader of a cult that splintered off

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 from a Christian denomination,

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 predicted that Jesus would return

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 on June 9, 2019.

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 It's two months ago.

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 He had previously predicted

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 the world would end in 2011,

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 and 2012,

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 and 2013 as well.

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 Such attempts to predict

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 the end of the world

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 often becomes obsessive

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 and unhealthy.

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 And this was the case

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 for ancient Jews as well.

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 Many of them were preoccupied

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 with reading astrological science

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 to figure out

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 when the end of the world would come.

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 And they believed

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 that the world,

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 as they know,

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 will come to an end

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 when the Messiah comes,

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 the Christ comes,

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 to establish the kingdom of God.

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 And so,

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 it's not surprising then

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 that after Jesus performs

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 wondrous signs,

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 such as healing lepers,

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 and announcing the kingdom of God,

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 that they asked Jesus

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 this question

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 at the beginning of our passage.

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 When will the kingdom of God come?

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 Verse 20.

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 They're asking,

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 if you claim that you are

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 performing the signs of the kingdom,

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 when will this kingdom

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 of God's rule and authority

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 actually come?

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 And Jesus answered them this way

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 in verses 20 to 21.

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 The kingdom of God

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 is not coming

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 in ways that can be observed,

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 nor will they say,

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 look, here it is,

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 or there,

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 for behold,

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 the kingdom of God

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 is in the midst of you.

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 There's no way,

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 Jesus is saying,

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 to observe

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 the coming of the kingdom of God

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 by studying the stars

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 or the times.

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 No one can say,

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 look, here it is,

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 or there it is,

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 because the kingdom of God

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 will not be tied

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 to a specific,

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 visible location

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 like the kingdoms

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 of this world.

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 For behold,

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 the kingdom of God

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 is in the midst

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 of you.

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 And with this statement,

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 Jesus is challenging

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 the Pharisees'

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 misunderstanding

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 about the kingdom of God

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 in two ways.

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 First,

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 they believe that

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 the kingdom of God

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 was still to come

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 in the future

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 and not yet here

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 in any real sense.

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 But Jesus is saying

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 that the kingdom of God

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 is already here.

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 It has not been

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 fully consummated yet,

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 that does lie in the future,

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 but it has already come

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 in a real sense

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 with Jesus.

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 And so he says,

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 it is in the midst of you.

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 And second,

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 the Pharisees believed

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 that the kingdom of God

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 will come with

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 observable signs

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 that we should look for,

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 trying to set a timetable

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 for Christ's return

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 or for the kingdom of God.

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 But Jesus tells us

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 that there is no need

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 to look around

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 because the kingdom of God

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 is in their very midst.

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 Sometimes this phrase,

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 in the midst of you,

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 gets interpreted to mean

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 that the kingdom of God

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 is within us,

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 in our hearts.

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 And in the past,

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 I have thought the same.

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 But the more I think about it,

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 I don't think that's what it means

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 because Jesus is speaking here

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 to the Pharisees

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 who are the last people

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 in the Gospels

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 to whom Jesus will say,

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 the kingdom of God

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 is inside you.

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 And secondly,

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 Jesus is also,

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 pointing out

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 the fact that

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 the kingdom of God

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 is something that we enter in,

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 something we,

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 by submitting to

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 the lordship of Christ,

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 to the rule of God,

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 it's something we enter into.

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 The Gospels do not speak,

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 usually,

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 of the kingdom of God

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 entering into us.

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 He never speaks of it that way.

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 And so Jesus is saying

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 that the kingdom of God

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 is God's rule,

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 it's His domain,

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 it's wherever Jesus reigns,

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 and it's wherever Christ

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 and His followers are,

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 those who are the subjects

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 of the king,

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 the citizens of the kingdom of God.

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 That's the kingdom.

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 And Jesus is teaching the Pharisees

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 the reality of that.

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 And after He says that,

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 Jesus then turns around

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 to the very disciples

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 who do belong

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 to the kingdom of God.

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 And then He says this,

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 in verse 22,

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 The days are coming

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 when you will desire

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 to see one of the days

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 of the Son of Man

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 and you will not see it.

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 Even though the kingdom of God

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 has already been started,

00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:29.500
 inaugurated,

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 Jesus speaks of a future day

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 when it will be consummated,

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 when the king will return

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 in full glory

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 and power and authority.

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 There is this already here,

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 but not yet fully here,

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 aspect to the kingdom of God.

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 A heavenly colony,

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 so to speak,

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 has been established

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 here on earth.

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 But the kingdom of God

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 has not exerted its rule

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 over the entirety

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 of this world yet.

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 And so Jesus says

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 the days are coming.

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 It's yet to come.

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 When you will desire

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 to see one of the days

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 of the Son of Man

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 and you will not see it.

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 And the days are coming,

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 it's referring to the future days.

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 And one of the days

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 is kind of an idiomatic way

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 of saying first of the days.

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 So these disciples,

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 the days are coming

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 when the followers of Christ

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 will long to see the first

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 of the fullness

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 of the kingdom of God.

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 The first day,

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 the initial,

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 the beginnings

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 of the reign of Christ

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 in full power.

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 That's what they will long to see,

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 but they will not see

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 the Christ return that way.

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 The phrase Son of Man

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 is the most common way

00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:38.939
 that Jesus refers to himself

00:09:38.939 --> 00:09:39.679
 in the Gospels.

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 And it's an allusion

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 to Daniel chapter 7

00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:44.120
 verses 13 to 14.

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 Daniel said this,

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 I saw in night visions

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 and behold,

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 with the clouds of heaven

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 there came one

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 like a Son of Man.

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 And he came to the Ancient of Days,

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 that's God,

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 and was presented before him.

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 And to him,

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 the Son of Man,

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 was given dominion

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 and glory

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 and a kingdom

00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:04.820
 that all peoples,

00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:05.300
 nations,

00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:05.980
 and languages

00:10:05.980 --> 00:10:07.240
 should serve him.

00:10:07.780 --> 00:10:08.480
 His dominion

00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:09.980
 is an everlasting dominion

00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:12.120
 which shall not pass away.

00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:13.340
 And his kingdom,

00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:16.080
 one that shall not be destroyed.

00:10:16.920 --> 00:10:18.340
 So this is the expectation

00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:19.620
 that's behind

00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:21.340
 this frenzy

00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:22.600
 about the kingdom of God

00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:23.639
 and the Son of Man.

00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:24.500
 The Son of Man

00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:25.100
 will come with

00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:26.440
 the very authority

00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:27.180
 of God himself

00:10:27.180 --> 00:10:27.720
 to rule.

00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:30.399
 But that time,

00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:31.040
 Jesus says,

00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:31.980
 lies in the future.

00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:33.600
 It's not now.

00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:35.519
 But this won't stop people

00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:36.500
 from looking for him.

00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:38.120
 It says in verse 23,

00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:39.280
 and they will say to you,

00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:40.000
 look there

00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:41.080
 or look here.

00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:43.060
 Do not go out

00:10:43.060 --> 00:10:44.240
 or follow them.

00:10:45.020 --> 00:10:46.040
 Jesus is warning us

00:10:46.040 --> 00:10:46.800
 false rumors

00:10:46.800 --> 00:10:47.940
 will circulate.

00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:49.240
 Timetables

00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:50.620
 will be proposed.

00:10:51.060 --> 00:10:52.259
 But don't be deceived

00:10:52.259 --> 00:10:52.740
 by them.

00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:54.200
 Earlier in Luke

00:10:54.200 --> 00:10:54.900
 chapter 9,

00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:55.520
 verse 23,

00:10:55.660 --> 00:10:56.200
 he uses

00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:57.600
 very similar verbs

00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:58.440
 like this

00:10:58.440 --> 00:10:59.200
 to describe

00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.180
 following him,

00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:00.759
 to describe

00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:01.879
 Christian discipleship.

00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:02.960
 He told them

00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:04.240
 to come after him

00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.840
 and to follow him.

00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:07.259
 And Jesus

00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:08.480
 is making a contrast here.

00:11:08.560 --> 00:11:09.320
 In order to be

00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:10.480
 faithful disciples

00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:12.320
 who go after Christ

00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:13.340
 and follow Christ,

00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:15.180
 we cannot be disciples

00:11:15.180 --> 00:11:16.519
 who go out

00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:18.000
 after these rumors

00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:19.420
 and timetables

00:11:19.420 --> 00:11:20.700
 and follow these

00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:21.460
 distractions

00:11:21.460 --> 00:11:22.139
 because they really

00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:22.759
 are distractions

00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:23.779
 from true

00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:24.840
 Christian discipleship.

00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:26.300
 And Jesus

00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:27.159
 gives us the reason

00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:27.899
 why we should not

00:11:27.899 --> 00:11:29.100
 be duped by these

00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:30.000
 speculations

00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:30.899
 in verse 24.

00:11:30.899 --> 00:11:31.340
 For,

00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:34.379
 as the lightning

00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:34.920
 flashes

00:11:34.920 --> 00:11:35.980
 and lights up the sky

00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:36.740
 from one side

00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:37.220
 to the other,

00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:38.759
 so will the Son of Man

00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:39.960
 be in his day.

00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:41.700
 If a lightning

00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:42.420
 were to strike

00:11:42.420 --> 00:11:43.259
 right now,

00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:44.440
 no one's going

00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:44.960
 to look around

00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:45.980
 and wonder to themselves,

00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:47.220
 did a lightning

00:11:47.220 --> 00:11:47.840
 just strike?

00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:49.320
 Because we're all

00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:49.740
 going to know

00:11:49.740 --> 00:11:50.159
 that lightning

00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:50.840
 just struck

00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:52.139
 because it's obvious.

00:11:53.180 --> 00:11:54.279
 It comes with

00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:55.080
 the crack

00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:56.180
 of deafening thunder.

00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:58.300
 It lights up the sky

00:11:58.300 --> 00:11:59.039
 from one end

00:11:59.039 --> 00:11:59.480
 to the other.

00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:00.620
 It's visible.

00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:01.139
 It's obvious.

00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:02.340
 It's plain to everybody.

00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:03.460
 And the return

00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:04.120
 of Christ,

00:12:04.259 --> 00:12:05.240
 the coming of the Son of Man

00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:06.080
 and his full authority

00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:06.879
 will be the same.

00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:07.620
 There will be

00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:09.740
 nothing to mistake

00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:10.180
 about it.

00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:11.159
 So there's no need

00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:11.759
 to speculate

00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:12.460
 or go searching

00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:12.940
 for him

00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:14.379
 because as one

00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:15.100
 Bible scholar

00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:15.879
 Alfred Plummer

00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:16.639
 sums it up,

00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.399
 none will foresee it

00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.460
 and all will see it

00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:21.159
 at once.

00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:24.120
 But there is something

00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:25.139
 that must happen

00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:27.120
 before the Son of Man

00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:27.960
 returns in glory.

00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:29.279
 Jesus says

00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:30.220
 in verse 25,

00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:39.480
 The Son of Man's return

00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:40.480
 in all power,

00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:40.879
 glory,

00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:41.420
 and authority

00:12:41.420 --> 00:12:43.540
 will first be preceded

00:12:43.540 --> 00:12:44.700
 by his suffering

00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:45.940
 and rejection

00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:46.920
 at the hands of men.

00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:48.519
 In Luke,

00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:49.440
 as in the other

00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:50.340
 Synoptic Gospels,

00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.080
 Jesus repeatedly predicts

00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:53.100
 that he will suffer

00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:53.639
 and die.

00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:55.840
 But this is the only place

00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:56.860
 of all the Gospels

00:12:56.860 --> 00:12:58.500
 where Jesus connects

00:12:58.500 --> 00:12:59.300
 his suffering

00:12:59.300 --> 00:13:01.220
 with his glorious return

00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:01.800
 in the future.

00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:03.980
 And that juxtaposition

00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:04.860
 is jarring.

00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.700
 That glorious Son of Man

00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:07.940
 that Daniel 7 talks about,

00:13:08.300 --> 00:13:09.500
 he will first suffer

00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:10.919
 and be rejected.

00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:12.639
 That Son of Man

00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:13.840
 who will light up the sky

00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:14.940
 and have all dominion

00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:15.740
 over all kingdoms,

00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:16.720
 over all peoples

00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:17.360
 and nations,

00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:18.940
 who will judge the world

00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:19.759
 and bring justice,

00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:20.720
 that Son of Man

00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:21.879
 will first suffer

00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:23.180
 and be rejected

00:13:23.180 --> 00:13:24.460
 by this generation.

00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:26.860
 Jesus' reign

00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:28.480
 in glory and power

00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:30.259
 comes through the path

00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:30.860
 of humility

00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:32.100
 and suffering

00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:33.800
 and that's instructive

00:13:33.800 --> 00:13:34.639
 for us as people

00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.360
 who seek to follow him

00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:36.980
 in his footsteps.

00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:39.440
 Sometimes Christians

00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:40.280
 who emphasize

00:13:40.280 --> 00:13:41.379
 the end times

00:13:41.379 --> 00:13:43.420
 have this triumphalist

00:13:43.420 --> 00:13:44.060
 attitude.

00:13:45.180 --> 00:13:45.900
 We will conquer

00:13:45.900 --> 00:13:46.820
 the world for Christ.

00:13:47.780 --> 00:13:49.000
 We will win this nation

00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:50.340
 back through our activism.

00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:51.780
 We will grow

00:13:51.780 --> 00:13:52.860
 ever more influential

00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:53.700
 and powerful

00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:55.060
 and prepare the world

00:13:55.060 --> 00:13:56.000
 for Christ's return.

00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:57.160
 We have all heard

00:13:57.160 --> 00:13:58.420
 these slogans

00:13:58.420 --> 00:13:59.660
 or rallying cries.

00:14:00.800 --> 00:14:02.100
 But Jesus teaches us here

00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:02.860
 that the glory,

00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:03.820
 authority,

00:14:04.060 --> 00:14:04.720
 and power

00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.580
 await only those

00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:07.640
 who go through

00:14:07.640 --> 00:14:08.320
 suffering

00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:09.740
 and rejection

00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:11.360
 and humility.

00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:13.440
 Jesus says later

00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:14.140
 to his disciples

00:14:14.140 --> 00:14:15.440
 in Luke chapter 21,

00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:17.700
 people will lay their hands

00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:18.200
 on you

00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:19.120
 and persecute you,

00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:20.500
 delivering you up

00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:21.300
 to the synagogues

00:14:21.300 --> 00:14:21.800
 and prisons

00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:23.039
 and you will be brought

00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:23.859
 before kings

00:14:23.859 --> 00:14:24.659
 and governors

00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:26.599
 for my name's sake.

00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:28.959
 This will be your opportunity

00:14:28.959 --> 00:14:29.859
 to bear witness.

00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:32.279
 The church that is not

00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:33.459
 prepared for suffering

00:14:33.459 --> 00:14:34.679
 is a church

00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:36.139
 that is sure to decline

00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:37.719
 because God intends

00:14:37.719 --> 00:14:38.819
 for us to bear witness

00:14:38.819 --> 00:14:39.859
 to this world

00:14:39.859 --> 00:14:41.240
 in the context

00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:41.879
 of suffering

00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:42.439
 and rejection.

00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:45.360
 We should expect

00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:45.840
 rejection

00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:46.920
 when we share

00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:48.140
 the gospel of Jesus Christ

00:14:48.140 --> 00:14:48.720
 with people.

00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:50.540
 We should expect

00:14:50.540 --> 00:14:51.320
 various forms

00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:51.940
 of suffering

00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:52.580
 and persecution

00:14:52.580 --> 00:14:54.120
 in this life.

00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:55.880
 To follow Christ

00:14:55.880 --> 00:14:56.520
 is to submit

00:14:56.520 --> 00:14:57.440
 to his lordship

00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:58.240
 and to give up

00:14:58.240 --> 00:14:59.360
 our selfish desires.

00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:01.040
 To follow Christ

00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:01.920
 is to

00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:04.020
 consider others

00:15:04.020 --> 00:15:05.480
 better than ourselves,

00:15:05.780 --> 00:15:06.340
 to look out

00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:07.120
 for their interests

00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:08.140
 not merely our own.

00:15:08.700 --> 00:15:09.720
 To follow Christ

00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:10.840
 is to stand firmly

00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:12.120
 on his word

00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:13.639
 in a world

00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:14.600
 that rejects

00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:15.460
 God's word.

00:15:16.420 --> 00:15:17.560
 All of these things

00:15:17.560 --> 00:15:18.620
 necessarily

00:15:18.620 --> 00:15:20.360
 lead to suffering.

00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:22.420
 So have you

00:15:22.420 --> 00:15:23.519
 accepted this reality?

00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.080
 Are you prepared

00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:27.160
 to suffer for Christ?

00:15:29.160 --> 00:15:30.280
 Nobody ever said

00:15:30.280 --> 00:15:31.019
 that following Christ

00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:31.500
 will be free

00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:32.019
 of hardship.

00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:34.120
 But is following

00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:34.800
 Christ better?

00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:36.460
 Is following

00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:37.740
 Christ sweeter?

00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:39.080
 Is following

00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:40.960
 Christ to experience

00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:41.780
 his comfort

00:15:41.780 --> 00:15:42.720
 and guidance

00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.100
 every step of the way?

00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:45.120
 Absolutely.

00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:47.540
 Because in suffering

00:15:47.540 --> 00:15:48.100
 with Christ

00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:48.800
 we have fellowship

00:15:48.800 --> 00:15:49.320
 with him.

00:15:50.020 --> 00:15:51.000
 He is with us

00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.940
 and he is worth

00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:53.440
 forsaking the entire

00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:54.220
 world for.

00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:57.740
 And because of this

00:15:57.740 --> 00:15:58.440
 we can endure.

00:15:59.660 --> 00:16:00.460
 Looking forward

00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:01.300
 to the fact that

00:16:01.300 --> 00:16:01.940
 the suffering

00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:02.440
 in this life

00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:03.720
 is not the end.

00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:04.759
 It's not the final word.

00:16:05.420 --> 00:16:06.240
 There will be glory

00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:06.860
 that comes.

00:16:07.160 --> 00:16:07.980
 There will be redemption,

00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:08.820
 vindication

00:16:08.820 --> 00:16:10.220
 that comes

00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:11.139
 when Christ

00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:11.879
 returns.

00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:14.000
 Whether we die

00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.379
 before he comes

00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:17.259
 and go to him

00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:18.500
 or whether we remain

00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.720
 alive for his return

00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:21.600
 we will see him

00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:22.440
 face to face.

00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:24.019
 And when we see him

00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:24.800
 face to face

00:16:24.800 --> 00:16:25.519
 the demons

00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:26.700
 that we have been

00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:27.759
 fighting both literal

00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:28.960
 and figurative

00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:30.440
 will be subdued

00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:30.840
 underneath

00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:31.779
 our feet.

00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:33.200
 The world

00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:34.500
 that had hated Christ

00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:36.220
 and had persecuted

00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:36.820
 his people

00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:37.920
 will be repaid.

00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:39.100
 the sins

00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:40.019
 that had plagued

00:16:40.019 --> 00:16:40.500
 us

00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:41.659
 in this life

00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:42.500
 that we had fought

00:16:42.500 --> 00:16:43.580
 so long against

00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:45.440
 will be behind us

00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:45.899
 forever

00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:47.779
 and all of our sorrows

00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:49.399
 will be washed away

00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:50.820
 and he will wipe

00:16:50.820 --> 00:16:51.539
 away our tears

00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:52.200
 and we will get

00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:52.879
 to behold

00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:54.539
 Christ's gracious

00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:56.080
 and loving face

00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:57.220
 the face of our Savior

00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:58.720
 the one whom we

00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:00.220
 today dream about

00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:01.340
 and fight for

00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:02.620
 and long for

00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:04.559
 and persevere

00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:06.420
 for.

00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:08.360
 it's only by

00:17:08.360 --> 00:17:09.220
 remembering this

00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:10.220
 by living with

00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:11.080
 awareness of

00:17:11.080 --> 00:17:11.820
 and anticipation

00:17:11.820 --> 00:17:12.660
 for the kingdom

00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:13.160
 of God

00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:14.160
 that we can

00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:15.140
 persevere to the

00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:15.519
 end

00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:16.700
 and be faithful

00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:17.360
 to Christ

00:17:17.360 --> 00:17:17.759
 in the midst

00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:18.539
 of our sufferings.

00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:20.399
 And so Jesus

00:17:20.399 --> 00:17:21.139
 continues this

00:17:21.139 --> 00:17:21.599
 teaching in

00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:22.460
 verses 26

00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:22.960
 to 30

00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:24.140
 verse 26

00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:25.220
 just as it was

00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:25.880
 in the days of

00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:26.140
 Noah

00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:27.100
 so will it be

00:17:27.100 --> 00:17:27.700
 in the days

00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:28.539
 of the Son of Man

00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:29.720
 they were eating

00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:30.440
 and drinking

00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:31.000
 and marrying

00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:31.660
 and being given

00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:32.160
 in marriage

00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:33.240
 until the day

00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:33.700
 when Noah

00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:34.579
 entered the ark

00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:35.079
 and the flood

00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:35.940
 came and destroyed

00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:36.420
 them all

00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:37.440
 likewise

00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:38.539
 just as it was

00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:39.059
 in the days

00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:39.500
 of Lot

00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:40.200
 they were eating

00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:40.840
 and drinking

00:17:40.840 --> 00:17:41.400
 and buying

00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:41.900
 and selling

00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:42.420
 and planting

00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:43.000
 and building

00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:44.079
 but on the day

00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:44.500
 when Lot

00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:44.900
 went out

00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:45.539
 from Sodom

00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:46.460
 fire and sulfur

00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:47.340
 rained from heaven

00:17:47.340 --> 00:17:48.500
 and destroyed them all

00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:52.519
 So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:58.920
 Jesus compares the time leading up to the return of Christ, His return in power.

00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:02.440
 He compares that to the times of Noah and Lot.

00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:14.539
 During the times of Noah and Lot, the people of that age were characterized by really unprecedented wickedness, desperate wickedness.

00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:19.039
 And that's why they received such severe judgment.

00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:28.980
 In Noah's time, by a flood that drowned them all during Lot's time, fired himself a kind of volcanic-like punishment raining from heaven.

00:18:29.379 --> 00:18:32.299
 And only Noah and Lot and their families escaped these judgments.

00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:35.460
 And they alone were prepared for God's judgment.

00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:38.119
 And Jesus warns about that in the same way.

00:18:38.940 --> 00:18:41.759
 And note the comparison that Jesus is making. It's very interesting.

00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:46.960
 Because even though the times of Noah and Lot were characterized by great wickedness,

00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:49.400
 Jesus makes nothing of how wicked they were.

00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:57.940
 And Jesus is not trying to say here that His generation and the people that will be there at the time of Christ's return will be extraordinarily wicked.

00:18:58.200 --> 00:18:59.240
 He doesn't say that.

00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:05.980
 The only comparison He's making here is not of their depravity, but of their unawareness.

00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:11.680
 Of the fact that they will be unsuspecting when Christ returns.

00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:16.839
 They will be immersed in their normal, harmless, day-to-day activities.

00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:23.279
 Like eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building.

00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:25.559
 And that's precisely the point.

00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:34.079
 People will be going about their business as usual when the Son of Man returns in full glory and power.

00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:40.939
 They will be completely oblivious to the fact that their eternal fate hangs in the balance.

00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:50.420
 Jesus made a similar point earlier in Luke chapter 14 where people in a parable refused the invitation to God's heavenly banquet

00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:55.799
 because of their preoccupation with their property, their family and their jobs.

00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.720
 These are necessary preoccupations of life.

00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:03.400
 There's nothing inherently sinful about them.

00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:13.200
 But even these harmless occupations, these concerns, they're not valid reasons for neglecting to pursue Jesus Christ.

00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:20.060
 And if they become the reason why we do not pursue Jesus Christ, then they will become fatal reasons.

00:20:20.800 --> 00:20:24.160
 They will become the reasons that damn us for eternity.

00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:30.120
 This is an important point for us to recognize.

00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:38.600
 I firmly believe that if you look at the spiritual obituary of the people that are in hell at the end of the days,

00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:42.860
 many of them will have very ordinary sentences.

00:20:44.360 --> 00:20:46.380
 Not that they committed heinous crimes,

00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:53.800
 but that they were given to day-to-day preoccupations so that they were blind to Christ's message.

00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:55.359
 That they didn't believe in Jesus.

00:20:55.899 --> 00:21:01.319
 You can be unprepared for the return of Christ because you're consumed with being a serial adulterer.

00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:08.240
 But you can also be unprepared because you're simply trying to be a devoted spouse and a family man.

00:21:09.379 --> 00:21:17.000
 You can be unprepared for the return of Christ because you're a hedonist running headlong after all these illicit pleasures of life.

00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:25.339
 But you can also be unprepared because you're simply distracted with working and earning money and buying and eating food.

00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:34.680
 Christian writer C.S. Lewis illustrates this idea in a very imaginative way in his books, The Screwtape Letters.

00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:39.180
 The Screwtape Letters is a series of dialogues between two demons.

00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:41.799
 One is named Screwtape.

00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:44.140
 He's kind of the senior devil.

00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:50.380
 And he is advising kind of, I guess, an intern or whatever, Wormwood.

00:21:51.019 --> 00:22:00.460
 And he advises him, interestingly, to involve his patient, his human subject, in ordinary kind of small sins.

00:22:01.320 --> 00:22:02.820
 And he writes it this way.

00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:05.679
 You will say that these are very small sins.

00:22:06.139 --> 00:22:11.980
 And doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness.

00:22:13.059 --> 00:22:20.079
 But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the enemy.

00:22:20.379 --> 00:22:20.859
 That's God.

00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:30.619
 It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the light and out into the nothing.

00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:35.899
 Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.

00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:46.619
 Indeed, the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

00:22:48.719 --> 00:22:52.159
 Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.

00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:59.820
 Even things that are harmless in and of themselves, such as eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, and marrying and being given in marriage.

00:23:00.060 --> 00:23:03.759
 If they prevent us from being followers of Christ.

00:23:03.900 --> 00:23:08.860
 If they lead us away from Christ, they'll lead us unawares down the path to hell.

00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:12.940
 And that's why Jesus is warning his disciples sternly here.

00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:18.380
 Don't be caught unprepared when the Son of Man returns to render his final judgment.

00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:19.960
 Be expectant.

00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:23.380
 Live with awareness of and anticipation for the kingdom of God.

00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:28.539
 And if we live with such awareness and anticipation for Christ's return,

00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:31.519
 we will not be encumbered by the things of this world.

00:23:31.600 --> 00:23:34.700
 And that's what Jesus emphasizes in verses 31 to 32.

00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:42.759
 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop with the goods in the house not come down to take them away.

00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:45.960
 And likewise, let the one who is in the field not turn back.

00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:47.519
 Remember Lot's wife.

00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:54.600
 If you have ever done a fire drill at school, you are familiar with these instructions.

00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:58.440
 First, stop whatever you are doing immediately.

00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:01.980
 Second, do not gather your belongings.

00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:04.180
 Leave everything behind.

00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:07.100
 And third, head straight to the emergency exit.

00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:09.480
 You guys have all heard these instructions.

00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:14.880
 As a child, I always wondered why my teachers told me not to gather my belongings.

00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:18.160
 If there's a fire, I don't want my stuff to burn.

00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:19.980
 Why should I leave them behind?

00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:28.100
 Of course, the rationale is that seconds can be the difference between life and death as a fire spreads.

00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:33.420
 And the moments spent gathering your belongings can be your very undoing.

00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:39.380
 And trying to carry, lug those luggages along with you can prevent you from a speedy exit.

00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.720
 And it can in fact block other people from exiting as well.

00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:45.620
 Jesus is getting at the same idea.

00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:50.620
 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop with his goods in the house not come down to take them away.

00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.339
 And likewise, let the one who is in the field not turn back.

00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:59.140
 When Jesus returns, there will be no time to go back and gather our belongings.

00:24:59.140 --> 00:25:05.800
 When Jesus returns, there will be no second chances, no time to change our mind.

00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:11.320
 We will have to leave all of our earthly possessions and preoccupations behind us.

00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:14.860
 And so Jesus warns us, remember Lot's wife.

00:25:15.600 --> 00:25:20.780
 In Genesis 19, when God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah because of their exceeding wickedness,

00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:24.220
 Lot's family alone is rescued because they're warned beforehand.

00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:31.420
 And as the family is escaping, Lot's wife, it says, looked back at Sodom that was being destroyed.

00:25:31.860 --> 00:25:34.240
 And she became a pillar of salt as punishment.

00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:38.839
 Lot's wife could not leave the life she knew behind.

00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:46.279
 She looked back with regret and longing and was punished as a result and became a pillar of salt.

00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:53.279
 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon says this about Lot's wife, that she was, quote,

00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:56.240
 almost saved, but not quiet.

00:25:57.500 --> 00:25:59.420
 How tragic is that verdict?

00:26:01.879 --> 00:26:04.519
 What are your worldly attachments?

00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:09.440
 What are you trying to salvage from this world?

00:26:10.200 --> 00:26:12.500
 The paycheck you worked hard for?

00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:15.700
 The spouse or family you always wanted?

00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:18.399
 The house you had dreamed of?

00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:19.940
 The retirement you saved for?

00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:23.879
 Are these things keeping you from following Christ?

00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:30.039
 Will they say of you when you die, almost saved, but not quiet?

00:26:32.379 --> 00:26:34.359
 Jesus continues in verse 33,

00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:36.879
 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,

00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:39.619
 but whoever loses his life will keep it.

00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:46.519
 Whoever clings to his own life and tries to maintain his autonomy and rebellion against God,

00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:49.059
 instead of surrendering his or her life to God,

00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:51.959
 will actually end up losing his life.

00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:56.939
 But whoever forsakes his own life for the sake of following Christ will end up saving it.

00:26:56.940 --> 00:27:03.080
 So let me ask you, what good is grabbing your laptop only to be consumed by the fire?

00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:08.539
 What good is having all the respect and power you could accumulate in this world?

00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:13.619
 What good is being beautiful and desirable and famous?

00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:15.639
 What good is a billion dollars?

00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:21.599
 If after all, at the end of your days, you perish eternally apart from Christ?

00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:32.039
 Only those who lose their lives in order to live for Christ will find eternal life.

00:27:32.959 --> 00:27:37.240
 Only those who have a healthy disinterest in the things of this world

00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:43.480
 will actually live in a way that gives evidence of interest in the kingdom of heaven.

00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:49.219
 So I tell you, Jesus says in verses 34 to 35,

00:27:49.220 --> 00:28:03.539
 Just to clarify, this is not speaking about the popular concept of rapture.

00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:05.740
 I don't know if some of you guys have heard of that.

00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:12.660
 It's the idea that all believers will instantaneously be transported from earth to heaven

00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:18.299
 before Christ's return, or depending on how you view it, that could vary.

00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:21.960
 But that idea of a rapture is not actually a biblical idea.

00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:26.579
 It was popularized by the fictional series Left Behind.

00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:27.519
 I don't know if you've read it.

00:28:27.899 --> 00:28:29.500
 It's entertaining, but it's fiction.

00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:34.059
 That idea of a rapture that you may be familiar with

00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:37.740
 was invented by a man named John Nelson Darby in the 19th century.

00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:41.919
 It has no historical basis in church history.

00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:44.839
 It has no scriptural basis in God's word.

00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:48.980
 It's based on a misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 15, verse 52.

00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:55.959
 The only kind of rapture that the Bible speaks of is in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 17,

00:28:56.220 --> 00:29:00.439
 where it says that those who are alive at the time of Christ's return, who are left,

00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:06.159
 will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,

00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:08.579
 and so will always be with the Lord.

00:29:08.659 --> 00:29:11.039
 That's the only kind of rapture that the Bible speaks of.

00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:15.500
 And there, the word to meet the Lord in the air is not speaking of departing

00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:17.019
 and being transported away from earth.

00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:20.319
 It's actually the word that is used when you go out of your house

00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:24.059
 to greet a guest that's coming so that you could usher them in into your house.

00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:27.480
 So the going up to meet the Lord in the air is you meet Him in heaven,

00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:33.019
 in the air, so you can come down with Him to be a part of His rule and reign

00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:34.639
 in the new heavens and the new earth.

00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:37.560
 So it's not talking about rapture that you're disappearing.

00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:41.280
 So that's not in view here at all in verses 34 to 35.

00:29:41.560 --> 00:29:44.980
 What I think is in view here is instead at the final judgment,

00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:49.880
 there will be a clear separation between those who belong to Christ

00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:51.380
 and those who do not.

00:29:52.580 --> 00:29:57.400
 By all outward appearances, humanly speaking, they will be indistinguishable,

00:29:58.080 --> 00:30:01.420
 but they will be distinguished by their allegiance to Christ.

00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:08.039
 They could be roommates or siblings or husband and wife sharing one bed in a room,

00:30:08.380 --> 00:30:11.320
 sleeping at night, but one will be taken and the other left.

00:30:12.120 --> 00:30:16.720
 They could be next door neighbors or co-workers grinding at the mill together,

00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:20.660
 the ones you share your desk with, the ones that you are in the same project with,

00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:24.340
 but one will be taken and the other left.

00:30:25.120 --> 00:30:29.080
 That's why the urgency to share the gospel is ever present with us.

00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:34.720
 And even though Jesus already taught His disciples in verses 23 to 24

00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:38.399
 that there's no reason to look for this and search for His return,

00:30:39.199 --> 00:30:43.079
 it will be as plain and visible to all like a lightning that lights up the sky,

00:30:43.699 --> 00:30:47.839
 disciples can't help but to still ask at the end here in verse 37,

00:30:48.579 --> 00:30:49.259
 where, Lord?

00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:52.220
 Where will all these things take place?

00:30:52.659 --> 00:30:54.439
 Where will the Son of Man descend?

00:30:54.839 --> 00:30:58.259
 Where will the separation of the righteous and the wicked take place?

00:30:58.259 --> 00:31:01.779
 And Jesus reiterates His earlier point by quoting a proverb.

00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:05.660
 Where the course is, there the vultures will gather.

00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:09.359
 Jesus uses the same proverb in Matthew 24, 28,

00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:12.259
 and there, and likely here as well,

00:31:12.379 --> 00:31:15.900
 I think Jesus is just using that to make a general point.

00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:19.619
 It's similar to the English proverb that we're familiar with,

00:31:19.900 --> 00:31:21.779
 where there's smoke, there's fire.

00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:26.339
 If you see smoke, that's evidence that there's fire somewhere.

00:31:26.879 --> 00:31:30.099
 In the same way, wherever the vultures are gathered,

00:31:30.379 --> 00:31:32.240
 you can be sure that there is a corpse.

00:31:33.059 --> 00:31:37.119
 So the presence of vultures invariably indicate that there's a corpse.

00:31:37.420 --> 00:31:41.359
 In a similar way, when you observe these things that Jesus speaks of,

00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:44.980
 when the judgment is taking place, there will be no mistaking it.

00:31:45.220 --> 00:31:46.579
 There will be no missing it.

00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:48.779
 It will be obvious when it happens.

00:31:48.779 --> 00:31:53.279
 Jesus will certainly return to judge the world,

00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:56.519
 and He will appear when people are least expecting Him.

00:31:57.059 --> 00:32:01.519
 And when He comes, there will be no opportunity to change our minds last minute.

00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:03.680
 His judgment will be final,

00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:07.259
 and that's why we as God's people must live with awareness of

00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:09.339
 and anticipation for the Kingdom of God.

00:32:10.139 --> 00:32:11.500
 But I want to ask you,

00:32:11.779 --> 00:32:14.279
 if you are all prepared for His coming,

00:32:14.279 --> 00:32:17.740
 some of you have not yet put your faith in Jesus Christ,

00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:21.720
 how then can you prepare for this fearful judgment?

00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:23.819
 How can you escape God's judgment?

00:32:24.879 --> 00:32:28.420
 Jesus hinted at this earlier in verse 25 when He said,

00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:31.799
 But first, the Son of Man must suffer many things

00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:33.559
 and be rejected by this generation.

00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:37.680
 Jesus is on His way right now to Jerusalem

00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:42.240
 to die on the cross for the sins of those who put their faith in Him.

00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:45.160
 And He does it for our sake.

00:32:46.100 --> 00:32:48.200
 Jesus is the loyal Son of God

00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:50.140
 who alone does not deserve to be punished.

00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:53.320
 None of us deserve to escape the flood judgment

00:32:53.320 --> 00:32:55.840
 that befell Noah's population.

00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:59.660
 None of us deserves to escape the sulfur and fire

00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:01.759
 that came on Lot's generation.

00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:04.559
 We all deserve God's fearful wrath

00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:06.259
 because we have rebelled against Him

00:33:06.259 --> 00:33:08.680
 even though we are creatures that belong to Him,

00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:09.599
 are accountable to Him.

00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:11.019
 We have lived for ourselves,

00:33:11.500 --> 00:33:12.740
 for our own glory,

00:33:13.200 --> 00:33:14.660
 for our own selfish pleasures,

00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:16.240
 instead of living for God.

00:33:17.420 --> 00:33:19.059
 Someone must pay the price.

00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:21.839
 And God, out of His love for us,

00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:23.700
 sent His only Son, Jesus Christ,

00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:26.779
 to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross

00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:29.900
 so that we who believe in Him

00:33:29.900 --> 00:33:31.660
 might be forgiven of our sins.

00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:34.920
 might be received as good subjects,

00:33:35.299 --> 00:33:38.059
 citizens in good standing of the kingdom of God.

00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:42.740
 And as people who have experienced that mercy and grace,

00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:44.500
 that's how we live now

00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:46.599
 without seeking to preserve our own lives.

00:33:46.859 --> 00:33:49.879
 We live to lose our lives for the sake of Christ

00:33:49.879 --> 00:33:52.319
 with awareness and anticipation

00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:54.200
 for the kingdom of God.