In 1966, John Lennon said this, quote, Christianity will go.
! It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that. I'm right and I will be proved right.
! End quote. Here we are at the start of a new year, almost 60 years on, and in some ways,
it feels like John Lennon's prophecy was just about right.
What we've witnessed recently, over the passing of the time since he said that,
is a steady rejection of Christian morality, laws that have been consistently passed that
flatly reject the law of God, and this year, over the last couple of years really, it has taken a
sharp turn into the fast lane. 2024 was the year that our elected leaders voted to legalize
assisted suicide. Plus, we're also in the middle of a spectacularly destructive game of let's pretend
on the question of what it means to be a man or a woman. Even though everyone knows what a boy is
and what a girl is, the political agendas around the issue are so strong that people don't feel able to say that
because of the costly backlash that will inevitably follow.
However, alongside this structural and institutional rebellion and decline,
the past year has seen what I would describe as a low-level spiritual awakening. High-profile people
who were once opponents of the Christian faith have changed their tune. They've dialed back their rhetoric.
Joe Rogan, Louise Perry, Tucker Carlson, especially Jordan Peterson, even Richard Dawkins
described himself this past year as a cultural Christian. Now, he was obviously quick to clarify that
it's cultural. He said nothing more than appreciating what Christianity has given to him.
But it is inconceivable to think that Richard Dawkins, the most famous atheist this country has
probably ever produced, would have used that language only a few years ago. And there have been
others who've gone even further. They've publicly converted to Christianity. Iyan Hersey Alley,
James Dellingpole, Russell Brand has had plenty to say about it all.
So, on the one hand, we see the decline. On the other hand, there seems to be this spiritual life.
This tension was really stark to me in the Christmas edition of The Spectator.
There were two articles side by side. You open it up on one page. Here we have A.N. Wilson.
He'd written an article titled, The End of Christendom is Nigh.
And he looks at Britain and he concludes this, quote,
For those of us who believe, the everlasting gospel will go on being true. But the end of
Christendom is not only inevitable. In northwestern Europe, it has already happened. If you don't
believe me, go to Scotland. If that doesn't persuade you, go to Sweden. I suspect we in Britain are nearer
the equivalent of 529 than we realize. And that in less than 50 years, those in charge of such matters
will decide that the Gothic cathedrals of Europe will be allowed to become like the temples of
Pestum, bare ruined choirs of a forgotten cult, end quote. That's on the left-hand side. On the
right-hand side, on the opposite page, we have Ayaan Hirsi Ali with an article titled, A Christian
Revival is Underway. She says, quote, Christmas isn't just crass commercialism. It is vital to
Western civilization and revival. Celebrating is more important than ever, end quote.
Now, I would prefer that we waited a little longer with some of these high-profile figures before
giving them a voice on a topic that they're only starting to understand. But the sense of spiritual
awakening is undeniable. So the question is, which is it? Is it the end of things or is it the beginning?
Well, I think the answer is both. We have a growing opposition to the Christian faith and we have a
growing spiritual hunger. It is both harder to be a Christian and God's kingdom continues to advance.
And this takes us into our passage this morning. Please turn it up, page 876, Luke 17, beginning of
verse 20. At this point in Luke's gospel, we know from our perspective that Christ's ministry is
perfectly on track. We know that He is going to Jerusalem where He will conquer decisively Satan,
sin, and death at the end of this story. We know that everything is unfolding exactly as God has planned
in the ministry of His Son. And yet, the experience of His followers, the disciples, is getting harder.
When Jesus enters history, He begins His ministry by announcing Himself as God's King who has come to
bring in God's kingdom. And here, verse 20, the Pharisees, the religious establishment,
come with questions about it all. Verse 20, can you see? Their question is this, well, where is it?
When is this kingdom that you're supposed to be bringing in coming? Where is it? And their tone
and their demeanor is hostile as it is with the Pharisees' interactions with Jesus throughout the
gospels. But on one level, it is a reasonable question to ask, is it not? It actually might be
a question that you're asking yourselves. You've been told about Jesus Christ. We made a big old fuss
about Him at Christmas, about His coming into the world as God's King and Savior. But you look around and
all you see is the opposition bit. All you see is the decline. All you see is the opposition and the
difficulty. It doesn't really look like this King that we talk about is reigning. Quite the opposite.
But the kingdom of God doesn't all come at once, but little by little. Jesus Himself likens the way
that the kingdom grows back in chapter 13 of Luke's gospel to the way yeast spreads through a loaf of bread.
Slow and steady, but eventually filling the hole.
Now, we might wish that the progress was a bit quicker, but if we think about it for a moment,
actually this slow progress is a good thing. Because at the very most basic level,
at the most selfish level, if God had brought everything at once in the first coming of Jesus,
none of us would have been included.
And the opportunity for people to keep entering the kingdom would not still be open.
Jesus is clear. His kingdom has come. But we await the fulfillment of that kingdom when He comes again.
And we live in a tension between those two days, between the decline and the progress,
between what appears to be the end of things and what is very clearly also the signs of life.
And so the question for us, the question for the church in our day is this,
how do we live well in that tension?
How do we live well between kingdom come and kingdom coming?
Well, the passage that we have in front of us this morning makes two points.
The first is this, how do we live well?
Number one, don't get distracted.
Don't get distracted.
And the first word really on that point is to those of you who aren't sure about the Lord Jesus.
Those of you who aren't convinced that He is who He says He is.
Those of you who haven't yet given your lives to Him.
Because Jesus' first words here in verse 20 are to His critics.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them.
The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed.
Nor will they say, look, here it is, or there.
For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.
The kingdom is in the midst of the Pharisees because the king is in their presence.
He's within their grasp.
That's what it literally means.
The kingdom of God is within your grasp.
And Jesus is saying that to this group who are still outsiders to Him and to His kingdom
to urge them to enter His kingdom and to do it now.
And the truth is, even in our day, that urgency remains for us all.
Jesus came that first Christmas and He is still within the grasp of all and any who will reach out and receive Him.
Now, perhaps you've been drawn to Jesus, but you're not sure.
There's something about Him that you find compelling, magnetic, interesting, but you're not sure.
Well, let me say, don't get distracted from that draw, that magnetism.
Don't get distracted by the busyness and the ordinariness of life.
Don't get distracted by anything for that matter.
Come to Him.
Keep exploring.
Keep coming back to church on Sundays.
We're delighted that you're here.
You're always welcome.
Don't get distracted.
Come along to Hope Explored.
Paul mentioned it earlier.
Three weeks, this month, Wednesday evenings, when you can come along, explore more about who Jesus is.
Ask your questions.
Don't get distracted.
Don't let it pass.
But then, verse 22, Jesus turns to a different group of people, to His disciples.
And He says to His disciples, those who do follow Him,
the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man.
He's saying in the future, the persecution of the current religio-political establishment will be so hard to endure.
You will so long for the kingdom to come.
You will long to be vindicated for following the Lord.
And you will love His enemies to be judged in the way that has been promised when His King is due to come again.
But He says when you feel that pressure, don't get distracted.
Don't take your eye off the ball.
And He points to two possible ways that this could happen.
We could say the first one is theological.
Look at verse 23.
Don't be misled about what the work of God looks like.
Verse 23,
We're the true people of God doing God's work our way.
But Jesus says, no, don't follow them.
You'll not miss it when I come to bring in my kingdom.
It'll be like lightning on a dark night.
And we often hear stories of cranks who tell the world that they know what God is doing and when He's doing it.
A while ago I discovered a chap called Chris McCann of something called E-Bible Fellowship.
He predicted Christ's return on the 7th of October 2014.
And it's easy to say, you know, well, okay, where is it, Chris?
Huh, that kind of thing.
But when things are hard,
the truth is that we can be distracted by theologies that promise other things to us.
Look, they say, this is where the work of God is.
Over here, they say, this is where the work of God is.
The so-called prosperity gospel is very attractive to people who are poor.
The no-cost gospel, where we just live the same as everyone else,
unwilling to bear the sacrifice of refusing to bow the knee to the gods of the culture,
is very attractive to all of us when the pressure is on.
When we live at a time and people are saying,
look here, that's God at work,
but actually what they're pointing to is some sort of compromise
in order that we don't have to stand out when we name the name of Christ.
We've gone off course.
And the Lord Jesus says, don't get distracted.
Don't get distracted by cultural compromise,
even if it has a theological veneer.
And, he says, don't just get your head down either.
That's where he goes next with the distraction of,
it's not so much a theological one,
it's the distraction of ordinary life.
He makes this point with two examples from Israel's history.
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.
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 down from heaven and destroyed them all.
So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
These examples emphasize how unexpected and devastating his coming will be,
particularly for those who aren't ready.
The example of Noah is looking back to Genesis 6 and 7.
Noah believed the promises of God that he would destroy the earth by flood.
So he started building an ark.
And the people were going about their ordinary lives.
They were eating and drinking and marrying and so on.
Noah, in that case, would have been the laughingstock of his neighborhood.
He was building this huge seafaring construction miles away from any sea.
And then the rains came.
And they came.
And everyone was washed away.
The same was true with Lot.
That story is in Genesis chapter 18,
when Sodom was so unjust and inhospitable and immoral
that God brought a devastating judgment on the city.
People were eating and drinking and striking deals
and building new homes and cultivating commerce.
And in the midst of it all, fire and sulfur fell from heaven and destroyed them.
It is a terrifying image.
Jesus says the same thing will happen when he comes again.
People will be so distracted with their ordinary lives
that they'll be completely taken by surprise.
Now, it is so important to keep this in mind when we face persecution.
As we feel the sense of that opposition rising.
As it bites for us in the cut and thrust of our lives.
Because the temptation to allow ourselves to be distracted
and to retreat into the regular things of life.
Just the regular things that occupy the chat
and the kind of discourse of everybody around us.
We just are absorbed into that.
That temptation is really powerful.
We can so easily throw ourselves into the same things as everyone else.
Weddings, verse 27.
Business, verse 28.
Mortgages, verse 28.
And we just step back from faithfulness.
Well, Jesus sounds the warning.
Look at verse 32.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it.
But whoever loses his life will keep it.
In the process of being rescued from the burning wreckage of Sodom,
Lot's wife looked back and was destroyed.
Not just because of a backward glance.
It wasn't just that she heard something and turned around and that was it.
No.
It was because of what that glance represented
about where her heart really was.
She was longing
to go back to everything the world had to offer her.
She wanted what was back there.
She wanted to preserve life on her terms.
And when we cut it back,
when we think about it,
that is actually a really attractive option to all of us
so we can have life on our terms.
We love comfort.
We hate hardship.
We hate being,
well, there are some people that hate being
the person that stands out,
but most of us don't.
Those people,
tricky company, let's be honest.
There are people that just love a fight.
They'd have a fight in an empty room,
but most of us aren't like that.
We hate hardship.
We hate opposition.
And we just love to hold on to
the way things were when life was easier.
And Jesus says to us,
don't be distracted.
Don't be distracted.
Now,
all of this talk is really clear
about the judgment aspect.
But I think we need to be here.
I think we need to see
that Jesus is primarily here
reassuring the disciples.
You see,
His coming judgment
is to be a source of strength
and encouragement
for His people.
A day is coming, you see,
when everything will be put right.
Now, this happened
for this generation
when God judged the old order
and the destruction of the temple
in AD 70.
What that means for us
all these years later
is that we can be sure
that God keeps His word
on these things.
But what it means is
that when we face injustice
and when we face hardship
for being faithful
to the Lord Jesus Christ,
we know that He's going
to put things right.
There is a day coming
when justice for that hardship
will be done.
So as you look ahead
in this year, 2025,
whatever persecution
you are facing,
whatever struggles
for naming the name of Christ
you come up against,
in whatever tricky context
that might be,
hold on.
Don't take your eye off the ball.
Jesus will one day
sort it all out
and you will be vindicated.
And your faithfulness,
even in small and hidden ways,
will be seen as good
and right and true
on that day.
And on that day,
your faithfulness now
will be worth it.
And you will reflect
on that faithfulness
and be grateful
that you persevered.
When the Lord smiles at you
and says,
well done,
everything,
every moment of struggle
for the name of Christ now
will be worth it.
So don't get distracted.
But the Lord's well done
is a great motivator
for faithfulness,
that's true.
But standing against opposition
is still tough.
It's still hard.
As the temperature rises,
continuing to be faithful
is more difficult.
Jesus knows this,
which is why he then goes
where he goes next
in the passage.
So here's the second point.
The first is,
don't get distracted.
The second is,
don't get disconnected.
Don't get disconnected.
That's the point
about the story
of the widow in 18,
1 to 8.
And he told them a parable
to the effect
that they ought always
to pray and not lose heart.
That's our temptation,
isn't it?
We lose heart.
Whether it's the world around us
that have been talking
about the opposition,
or even just our own sin,
even our own struggles,
the fact that we fall
into that pattern
again and again,
losing heart
is a constant temptation.
But here we are,
this parable,
this woman,
shows us
how it is
that we won't lose heart.
Dependent
and persistent prayer.
That's the means
through which
God sustains
and builds His church
in the face
of opposition.
Dependent
and persistent
prayer.
Now,
it's a parable,
so there are limits
to what we're supposed
to draw from the story.
Just because the judge
is unjust and grudging
doesn't mean
that we should think
of God like that.
Obviously,
He draws the contrast.
That's not the point.
The point,
though,
is this.
If an unjust judge
would give justice,
how much more
the perfectly just Lord
who hears
and answers
the prayers
of His people.
Back in chapter 11,
Jesus has taught
His disciples
how to pray.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us today
our daily bread
and forgive us
our sins.
For we ourselves
forgive everyone
who is indebted to us
and lead us not
into temptation.
It is a pattern prayer.
It covers all the areas
that we should bring
to our Heavenly Father
from His glory
to our provision.
It is the means
through which we express
a vital and meaningful
relationship with Him.
And this is essential
when the pressure is on.
And that's why we pray
this prayer
each Lord's Day
as a congregation.
In fact,
did you notice
it is the means
by which
when He returns
Jesus will gauge
the spiritual temperature
of His church.
Look at verse 8.
Chapter 18,
verse 8.
When the Son of Man
comes,
will He find faith
on earth?
Chapter 17,
God will do
what He has promised
to do.
He will judge
His enemies
and vindicate
those who are His.
The question is
when He comes
to do that,
will He find us
faithful,
trusting Him
even through
the hardships.
When He comes
as He promises
in chapter 17,
will He find us
depending Him
as He asks
in chapter 18?
When things are tough
for you personally
and you feel like
giving up,
prayer is the first
step you should take.
When we look around
at the spiritual state
of our city
or our nation,
prayer is the first
instinct we should have.
When we consider
the proposed end
of Christendom
on the one hand
and the spiritual hunger
on the other,
prayer is how one
will grow
and the other
will be turned around.
And it will be
turned around.
It will be turned around.
When Jesus said
these things,
He had about
a dozen followers.
Today He has billions.
The kingdom is growing.
He keeps His word.
He keeps His promises.
But as we look ahead
to 2025,
here is an encouragement
to lean on the Lord
and know His sustaining grace.
And it is a challenge
to depend more deeply
on Him
in an active
and persistent
and faith-filled way.
Which father among us here,
if you've got children,
which one doesn't love it
when your child comes to you
and says,
can I talk to you?
Dad,
can I talk to you?
How much more
does our perfect
Heavenly Father
delight when we talk to Him?
See,
that's the thing.
When we come to talk about prayer
in a context like this,
it's easy,
isn't it?
Because we all struggle.
And it's easy to say,
oh,
you should try harder.
But the fact of the matter is
when we come to think
about these things,
we need to see prayer
as the gift that it is.
And we need to recognize
that it is something
we get to do.
We get to speak
to the Creator
of the universe.
You know,
it is a struggle.
Here are three things,
I hope,
to encourage us in this.
And the first is that
it is a privilege.
Prayer is a privilege.
We get to pray.
Because you are in
the Lord Jesus,
if you put your faith in Christ,
you are in the Lord Jesus
and you are given full
and free access
to the one who holds
the whole world in His hands.
And He is pleased
to hear your voice.
And He is pleased
to have you
coming back to Him
with the same requests
again and again.
And He is pleased
to hear your voice
and to answer your requests.
Prayer is a privilege.
When we think about it like that,
it reframes, I think,
so much of how we think
about prayer.
Prayer in general.
The second thing,
the second encouragement
I want to say is this,
make use of the church
prayer meeting.
The first Wednesday
of the month,
if you find prayer difficult,
all of us do,
on the first Wednesday
of the month,
there is a time
that we have set aside
for the church
to join together
to pray through things
that you haven't had
to prepare or think
through beforehand.
How many of us think,
oh, we sit down to pray
and we start,
we make good intentions
and we make a start
and we run dry
pretty quickly
because we haven't
really thought
about these things.
What should I pray for?
How do I go with this?
I need to make a list.
We lose the list.
All of that.
Well, here it is.
There are things
that we are putting before us
as a congregation
to pray for
and to think through.
It's all given to you.
We lead you through the prayers
of praise to God,
petition for things
that are all kinds
of good things.
And when we come together
to do that,
when we do it together,
it deepens our bones
as a fellowship.
Then the third thing
to try to kind of
recalibrate your prayer life,
pray the prayers in Scripture.
Open your Bible,
particularly the Psalms,
and pray the prayers
that are there.
It's a great place to start
if you've dried up
and it will help you
in tons of ways.
Not least,
you'll pray in a more
biblical way,
a more God-centered way,
and you'll pray in ways
that express
the real experiences of life.
That's what happens
when you take up
the psalmist's words.
I know that it's really easy
to find something else to do
rather than to pray,
rather than to depend on God.
But if,
here's the bottom line,
if we will,
not just endure,
but flourish spiritually
in the year ahead,
that's what we want.
We don't want to just make it.
We want to flourish.
We want to grow.
If we're going to persist
with joy
in the face of opposition,
we must not get disconnected
from the source of that joy.
So,
our King has come.
That's Christmas.
He is coming again.
And on that day,
justice and joy
will link arms.
But while we wait
for that day,
we have to battle on today.
So,
don't get distracted
and don't get disconnected
because the victory
is assured
and so we're battling
on a winning side
and we're battling
in the strength
that He provides.
Let's pray together.
Thank you.