The Coming of the Kingdom of God - Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
In the 19th century, there was a wave of enthusiasm for prophecies predicting the actual date for the Second Coming of Christ.
One such prophecy was an Adventist leader name William Miller.
After studying Daniel 8, Miller predicted that Christ would return on March 21, 1842, but then revised the date to April 3, 1843.
Over 3,500 of his followers jammed the Boston Advent Temple, only to be disappointed.
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You might have thought that the movement would have died.
But it didn’t.
Rather it continued to grow.
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Miller decided to recalculate his date for the Second Coming and soon publicized a new date - April 18, 1844.
When the messiah did not show up on that date, there was again frustration and some followers left the Adventist ranks.
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Undeterred, Miller came up with a third date – October 22. 1844.
And, surprisingly, this third date rallied his followers.
They began to spread the news of the new date of the Second Coming with an enthusiasm that had not seen before.
Churches that did not accept this message were denounced as agents of “Babylon” and the devil.
And - despite opposition from established religious groups, thousands of people – including many clergy – began to prepare.
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One account notes that “Fields were left unharvested, shops were closed, people quit their jobs, paid their debts, and freely gave away their possessions with no thought of repayment.”
Huge press runs of Advent publications like The Midnight Cry warned the public that “The Time Is Short”.
“Prepare to Meet Thy God!” and “The Lord is Coming!”
William Miller himself began peddling white “ascension robes” to the faithful, many of whom waited for the miraculous event in freshly dug graves.
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But as we all know, Beloved, the Second Coming did not occur...
And William Miller was shown to be yet another false teacher making unfounded claims regarding the end times...
However, this was no surprise, for Jesus warned us that charlatans like this would appear to attempt to mislead the masses...
And that will be the focus of our study this morning.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 17 and focus on verses 22 through 30.
Our message this morning is titled “The Coming of the Kingdom of God - Part 2.”
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As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
Last Sunday and started our deep dive into the Kingdom of God...
We looked at “already now” aspect of our Lord’s Kingdom...
Today we will look at the “still to come” aspect of our Lord’s Kingdom.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The False Claims
2) The Rejection
And...
3) The End of Days
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the one who knows all...
You where there at the beginning...
And You will be the one to usher in the end...
For You have always existed...
You truly are the great I Am!
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Help us to not be led astray from false teachers...
Help us to not be seduced by the newest brand of false teaching...
And help us to keep our eyes always focused on You.
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Be with us as we live out our lives in this world filled with all it’s corruption...
Show us how to live righteously by following Your commands in the Scriptures...
And provide us with the right tools for us to use in service to You.
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The False Claims
1) The False Claims
Verses 22-24: And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
Beloved, we need to keep Jesus words in mind that He previously spoke...
We need to keep Jesus words that we examined last week at the forefront...
So, look with me the two verses just ahead of our main passage...
Look with me at Luke 17:20-21, which says:
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.”
So, Jesus starts off by talking directly to the religious elite...
And He tells them that the Kingdom of God was indeed in their midst...
However, the arrival of the Kingdom of God’s presence does not mean that the day of the Son of Man’s glorious coming has occurred...
For the Jews and the religious elite of the 1st century believed that the arrival and consummation of the Kingdom of God would come about in one event...
However, that was not the case...
Scripture never said that...
But people have a way of looking at parts of Scripture and filling in what they see as gaps with their own logic and wisdom...
And as we have see over and over again...
That is never recommended.
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So, Jesus now turns to the theme of the full consummation of the Kingdom of God which will come about with His return.
Now, as was usually the case, the crowd listening to Jesus consisted of both the hostile Pharisees and His disciples.
Having addressed the Pharisees and the religious leaders in the preceding section...
The Lord now instructed His true disciples, those who are already in the Kingdom of God, about His future return.
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Jesus begins this discourse by saying, “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.”
This suggests a longing for His return to set things right.
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Beloved, are you longing for the return of Christ?
Are you longing to see justice served?
Are you longing to see all our enemies and all the haters silenced?
Are you longing to see evil eliminated?
Are you longing for the eternal peace that only Jesus’ second coming can bring?
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There is no doubt that genuine Christians long for the coming of Christ and for all the peace and justice that the second coming will bring...
In fact, we see this truth on display and recorded in Scripture in passages like Revelation 6:9–11, which says:
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
The martyrs in Heaven are crying out for vengeance!
The martyrs in Heaven are crying out for justice!
The martyrs in Heaven are crying out for their spilled blood to be avenged!
In fact, I am confident that one of those voices is of our fellow brother in Christ who was recently gunned down for the faith...
Yes, I believe Charlie Kirk, along with all the martyrs of the faith like Stephen, Polycarp, Hus, and Tyndale are all crying out with one voice...
Is it time now, Lord?
When will our blood be avenged?
And right now, the Lord is assuring them...
Just rest a little longer...
Every day that passes is a day closer to the Lord’s return!
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Even those not martyred for the faith...
Like John the Beloved disciple can’t wait for the Lord to return...
As it says in passages like Revelation 22:20:
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Yes, Lord!
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
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So, the world knows that we as believers are longing for the return of Christ...
And some mock us...
And other try to take advantage of our desire...
Some try to profit off of Christians by making false claims regarding the return of the Lord.
As Jesus points out in our passage as He says, “And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.”
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Beloved, I know...
I know that each and everyone of you who is His longs for His return...
I know you can’t wait to experience His rest...
I know you can’t wait to have your new glorified body...
I know you can’t wait to see you loved ones who also put their trust in the Lord...
And most importantly, I know you can’t wait to see our Lord and Savior and to spend an eternity with Him in eternal peace!
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But, don’t let that longing blind you...
Many will tell you to look here and there for the Lord’s return...
But don’t fall for it!
These individuals are wolves in sheep's clothing and they are preying on your emotions.
As Matthew 7:15 says:
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
And do not sleep on the warning mentioned in Matthew 24:24–27, which says:
24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
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You see, Beloved, Jesus shows us why these claims are false...
Because the nature of Jesus return does not need to be announced...
For it will be obvious to all the world when Jesus returns...
As our Lord and Savior tells us in our passage, “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.”
Do you see what Christ is telling us?
Nobody needs to announce to others that there is lightning outside...
For the whole entire sky is light up when lighting strikes...
And nobody can announce the arrival of lighting for everyone sees the lightning at the same time...
No announcement is needed...
Lighting arrives instantly...
And all see the lightning upon it’s arrival.
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When Jesus first arrived on earth...
It was to offer salvation...
He came to us in humble fashion...
And His arrival was announced by His forerunner.
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However, His second coming will not be the same...
When He comes back, the time for salvation will have passed...
He will come as the warrior King with His sword in hand...
And He will come to pour out His wrath...
And no forerunner will be needed!
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So, believers should not follow people who claim that Jesus has come in a secret or hidden way, for He will come in a way that is dramatic and visible to all.
The coming of the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Christ’s return, will be as bright, unmistakable, and sudden as lightning...
Just as lightning lights up the sky, all will see it.
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So, with this understanding, take a look at Matthew 24:42–44, which says:
42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Since we do not know when our Lord will come...
We need to be ready at all times.
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Imagine, if you will, a nice Fall day...
The weather is nice...
Not too hot...
Not too cold...
Or maybe a slight cool breeze...
Children are laughing and playing...
People are taking their dogs out for a nice walk...
Others are racking their burnt orange leaves from their yard in big piles...
Maybe some children are jumping into those mountains of leaves...
And then...
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BOOM!
Lightning crashes!
The sky darken!
A storm is upon us!
Came out of nowhere!
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Have you ever experienced that?
Well, that is the image that Jesus is giving us of His return...
And as Matthew 24:36 says:
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Likewise, keep Matthew 24:40–44 in mind as well:
40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
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However, before the Lord’s return...
Our Savior must be rejected...
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Before the Lord’s return...
Our Savior must suffer many things at the hands of evil men...
And that takes us to our second point.
2) The Rejection
2) The Rejection
Verse 25: But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Beloved, let’s breakdown this verse and look at the key words and phrases...
Let’s start by looking at the word “must” which indicates that Christ’s suffering is mandated by the sovereign purpose of God...
As Acts 2:23 says:
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
So, Jesus’ death was both at the hands of evil men...
And it was according to God the Father’s perfect plan!
So, it was the sovereign plan of God the Father for Jesus to die as a substitute for us who are wicked sinners...
And we would have no hope unless Jesus died for us...
That is is why Christ himself said that He must suffer many things and be rejected.
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In fact, the phrase “suffer many things” alludes to the fate that awaits Jesus in Jerusalem—His scourging and torture and death on the cross.
Furthermore, Jesus said He would “be rejected by this generation.”
So, this indicates that Israel as a whole would reject their long-promised Messiah...
As it says in Psalm 118:22:
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Our precious Lord and Savior was rejected by the very people that were supposed to joyfully accept Him...
The Creator of all things seen and unseen was despised...
The King of Kings was considered a man of sorrows...
The Lord of Lords was acquainted with grief...
The Son of God was not esteemed and men hide their faces from Him...
Or as Isaiah 53:3 says:
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
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Beloved, God in the flesh was oppressed...
The Holy One of God was afflicted....
The Lamb of God was led to the slaughter...
The Good Shepherd opened not His mouth when He was unjustly condemned...
The Alpha and the Omega was cut off from the land of the living...
The Messiah was stricken and smitten for the transgression of His people...
Or as Isaiah 53:7–8 says:
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
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Our precious Jesus was stroked in the face...
Our precious Jesus had His beard ripped off His face...
Our precious Jesus was spit on and disgraced by His own creation...
Or as Isaiah 50:6 says:
6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
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So, before the Lord’s return...
He had to complete His mission...
Which was to voluntarily sacrifice His life for us.
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So, as Jesus’ earthly ministry progressed...
He made sure to warn the disciples of His upcoming death...
As we see recorded in Matthew 16:21:
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Now, don’t run past this verse too quickly...
Did you see what it said at the very end...
It does not all stop at the cross...
Jesus’ death was not the end...
For on the third day He rose!
After that He ascended back to Heaven...
But He promised that He would return...
On the day when the Son of Man will be revealed...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The End of Days
3) The End of Days
Verses 26-30: Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Beloved, take a look at what Christ is pointing out...
The people in the time of Noah...
And the people in the time of Lot...
They were not only living wicked lives...
But they carried on with their normal lives as if there was no danger approaching them...
They carried on with their normal lives as if there was no danger of experiencing God’s wrath...
And they willfully neglected any opportunity to turn to God in sincere repentance.
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Now, Noah and Lot...
They were sinners...
There is no doubt about that...
However, the major difference between them and the people of their times was that they heeded God’s warnings...
They put their trust in the Lord...
They were not perfect but they aimed to live righteous lives...
And at the end, because of their faith and God’s grace...
They were saved.
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So, let’s take a look at their accounts from the Old Testament...
Let’s start with Noah and the people of his time...
Let’s look at Genesis 6:5–12, which says:
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Next, let’s fast forward to Genesis 7:6–23, which says:
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.
7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground,
9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.
15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.
16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.
22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
Beloved, the people of Noah’s day had a chance to repent...
They could have joined Noah and his family on the Ark...
But instead, as our Lord said, “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.”
How sad...
How tragic...
Noah spent a lot of time building the ark...
And he spent a lot of time warning the people...
But only his family joined him in the ark.
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You see, Beloved, the people of Noah’s time...
They were too busy eating...
They were too busy drinking...
They were too busy getting married...
They were too busy being given in marriage...
Overall, they were too busy to care...
And they paid a huge price for their lack of care and indifference to God.
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Next, let’s take a look at Lot and the people of his time...
Let’s look at Genesis 18:20–21, which says:
20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
And again, let’s fast forward a little and look at Genesis 19:1–14, which says:
1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth
2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.”
3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him,
7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.
10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.
13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
Next, let’s fast forward an little bit more and look at Genesis 19:15–29, which says:
15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords.
19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.
20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!”
21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.
28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
Again we see a group of people who where indifferent to God...
People who did not care to repent and believe...
Instead, as Christ said, “They were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.”
How sad...
How tragic...
Out of all of Sodom and Gomorrah...
Only Lot’s family escaped God’s judgement.
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You see, Beloved, the people of Lot’s time...
They were too busy eating...
They were too busy drinking...
They were too busy buying...
They were too busy selling...
They were too busy planting...
They were too busy building...
Overall, they were too busy to care...
And they paid a huge price for their lack of care and indifference to God.
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So, we can see clearly that Judgment came suddenly, destroying people in the midst of their everyday activities.
Then Jesus said, “So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
Therefore we can rightly conclude that Jesus’ return will be not only unmistakably visible to all but also sudden and unexpected to many, offering no window of time for last-minute repentance.
How many people today are too busy eating and drinking their problems away?
How many people today are too busy marrying and celebrating other festivities?
How many people today are too busy buying and selling to increase their bank accounts?
How many people today are too busy planting and building empires and legacies on this earth?
How many people today are too busy on social media, playing games, and watching films and tv shows?
How many people today are too busy with their jobs and their hobbies that keep them nice and distracted?
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Beloved, some of the items mentioned are not bad in and of themselves...
But if we are too busy with them...
If we are distracted by our daily life...
What do we really have?
Can those things ever save us?
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For it will be at a time when you do not expect it that our Lord will return or you will draw your last breath...
And then what?
Beloved, are you ready to face your maker?
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BOOM!
Like a crash of lightning it can all be over for you...
Are to ready?
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As Matthew 25:13 says:
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
And as Luke 12:35–40 records in Scripture:
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,
36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.
40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Victorian preacher, said in a sermon entitled ‘Secret Sins’ preached in 1857:
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“When Christ comes a second time, there will be a marvelous change in the way men talk.
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Me thinks I see him; there he sits upon his throne.
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Now, Caiaphas, come and condemn him now!
.......
Judas!
Come and kiss him now!
.......
Are you afraid of him?
.......
Now, Barabbas, go!
See whether they prefer you to Christ now.
.......
Swearer, now is your time; you have been a bold man; curse him to his face now.
.......
Drunkard, stagger up to him now!
.......
Infidel, tell him to his face that there is no Christ now that the world is lit with lightning and the earth is shaken with thunder.
Tell God there is no God now; now laugh at the Bible, now scoff at the minister.
.......
Why, men, what is the matter with you?
Why can’t you do it?
.......
Ah!
There you are:
You have fled to the hills and to the rocks.
‘Rocks hide us! Mountains fall on us! Hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne.’
.......
‘Ah! Where are now your boasts, your vaunting, and your glories?
Alas!
Alas!
For you in that dread day of wonders!’
.......
Beloved, many mock us...
We are called narrow minded...
We are called bigots...
We are called racists...
We are called hateful...
We are called dumb...
We are called losers...
We are called a cult...
We are called primitive...
We are called so many ugly things...
But one day...
All the mocking will stop...
All the insults will cease...
And every knee will bow down to our Lord and Savior...
As it says in Philippians 2:10-11:
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
.......
Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Wake them up to the truth...
Open their eyes...
Renew their mind...
And give them a new heart.
.......
I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
For those hearing this message who already know You:
Continue to have mercy on us...
Pick us up when we stumble...
Lead us in all Your truth...
And use us to accomplish Your desire and will.
.......
Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
