The Coming of the Kingdom

Introduction

What is the most surprised you have ever been in your life?

When my grandmother muscled through Walmart to get me a PS2.

Read Luke 17:20-37

Luke 17:20–37 ESV

20 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, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 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. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 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. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 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. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 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. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Explanation

“The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed.”

Why do many pastors have hobbies where they can work with their hands?

Because it is difficult to see the immediate labor of your work in ministry.

You can ask, “Is God working in their life?” I think I see it, but I’m not sure.

Let me water their life with the word and prayer this way. Let me gently admonish this way.

“the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

What a powerful statement!!

God’s Kingdom is right here. I don’t care if the room is full of thousands of people or three. God is at work, and His Kingdom is coming to light in each of them.

Jonathan Edwards’ “Religious Affections”

No signs: Big crowds, big emotions, and big intentions

Signs: a softened heart and a tenderness of spirit, great Spirit-wrought humility, and exercising one’s faith in Christian practice - a growing esteem to know and obey the word of God

The real signs are often not observable.

God will one day bring all of creation to heel. That will be the day of the Lord and the completing of the Kingdom of God.

We don’t know when it will be. We just assume that it will be soon.

We press forward as though Christ could come back any moment.

Many things will be suffered before the fullness of the Kingdom comes.

The coming of the Kingdom will take many be surprise.

If you seek your life, you will lose it.

We seek a different life and way in King Jesus.

We are hidden to everything except for Him.

It is hard to strike the balance of living for this age or living for the next age.

C.S. Lewis // Those more focused on the next will be the most effective in this life.

We certainly want to be thinking of heaven, but Christianity isn’t escapism.

God has brought heaven in Himself to us. We get to live it here, and we get to live it better there too.

Invitation