Ready or Not

Ready or Not—He’s Coming!

Luke 17:20-30

As children we have all probably played the game, “Hide-N-Seek”. Part of the game is for one person to close their eyes and count to 100 while the others hide. When the one counting is ready to find the others they give a warning, “Ready or not, here I come.”

In a similar way, the Lord has given advance notice that He is coming again. But this is no game he plays. Those who are known to Him are already found. They are prepared for His return, being part of the Kingdom already. But, those who are not known by the Lord are going to be found out. Then they will know very clearly that they are not a part of the Kingdom of God. What’s more, they will then have no opportunity to repent and believe the Good News. Those days are done the moment the Lord returns.

So, the question for each of us to consider this morning is this: “Am I prepared for the second coming of Christ?” Many have tried to answer that question in a variety of ways. Our text tells us about some Pharisees who ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. According to their custom and their training, they were looking for signs that would reveal that God’s Kingdom was either here, or at least, near.

In a similar way people are still asking that question and trying to calculate the day and the time. Sadly, such people are terribly misguided and blind to the truth. You see…

We are prepared for Jesus’ return when we trust his gracious rule among us. It is not enough for a person to say they believe in God. Even demons believe that much. But knowing who is God, really? That is another matter all together. Even if someone were to acknowledge God as creator, which He indeed is, that doesn’t mean that they also acknowledge God as the Creator of New Life in the hearts and minds of people.

But that is what God wants to do. Christ comes in human flesh so that we might have a personal relationship with God, not just the man Jesus. Our union with God is most important when considering our salvation. If the union exists we have eternal life. If not, then there is only the certainty of eternal condemnation and separation from God.

How many times do we think about our personal salvation in terms of being good enough for God to accept me? My friends, God can be known, and the certainty of our salvation can also be known. That is the work of the Holy Spirit who teaches us through the written Word.

Still, there will always be those who think about God only in intellectual terms. People can indeed know much about God. But to know God and to be known by God indicates personal, one-on-one contact and relationship. That spiritual relationship is established in those who trust His gracious rule over their life. The indwelling Holy Spirit works that saving trust in the true God.

And that is where the Pharisees missed the mark and sinned. Jesus brought the Kingdom of God right into the very midst of these religious people and they don’t get it, they just cannot see it.

Likewise, the Kingdom of God is brought right into our midst. Week after week God’s Kingdom is made known through our hymns, and Scripture readings and through the proclamation of the Word. Today He again makes His Presence known to us in Word and Sacrament. Today He still rules over the hearts and lives of many.

For those who believe in this Christ, His Kingdom begins now and goes on forever. The tension we feel as Christians in the “already/not yet” tension of our imperfection. Through faith, we already have the Kingdom, but it seems as though we don’t quite have it yet because in this life we are never completely absent of sin. Nevertheless, the promise of God is the perfection of His own Son which He bestows on all who believe. That perfection is the only thing that stands under God’s judgment and rule. This is what each one needs to have when He returns.

According to Jesus’ words here, what do we know about his return? We know that things will be pretty much as they are. Just as in the days of Noah, when God’s judgment came by way of a flood, so it will be when He returns. People will be immersed in the everyday affairs and activities of the world, not expecting anything to ever be any different.

Then, suddenly He comes, ready or not. Everybody will know it is He. Those people who have no relationship with Jesus Christ are doomed. Stop and think about it. The people of Noah’s day were not prepared for a deluge. Yet God had made it known to Noah, who accepted the Word. And what about Sodom and Gomorrah. I’m sure that everybody saw God’s judgment in the fire and sulfur that rained down on their heads. Yet, Lot and his family were graciously told to leave before that day.

Jesus could return at any moment. What He had to do is done. He endured the cross and death so that all might live. He was raised up in glory to raise up all flesh in that same glory.

So what does this say to us? It says to be prepared. Preparation comes through our relationship with God, not the world.

It says there is urgency in the task of the Church which is to make disciples of all people.

It says that the most important things in life is not what the world can bring, but what the Spirit of God brings.

It says we can know what is coming, and that we can be prepared for it without looking for signs or times or others to point it out to us.

It says we can be sure because the Kingdom of God is in our very midst. He is here. Let’s learn to recognize Him and His Kingdom. Amen.