The Coming Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Pray
Intro: Jesus IS coming again.
Admittedly, though, in our humanness, we struggle with not knowing when. (It’s like running a long, difficult endurance race but being uncertain of when the finish line will come. We can picture that finish line in our minds eye, knowing with conviction that it will come, but we are not told how long this race is nor how many struggles we have yet to face.)
Jesus even says directly that the exact time of the return is unknown… except to God the Father.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Although the time is set in the eternal decree of the Father, God has chosen not to make that time known to us. And because he is God, we can trust him that there is good reason for that, for our own good and for his glory.
In our text in Luke 17, as Jesus talks to both the Pharisees and then to his disciples, he understands this desire that we have to know when his perfect and complete visible dominion will take place. But he addresses the issue with each group differently because there are differing levels of understanding of the kingdom’s inauguration by his very presence among them.
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.”
To the Pharisees: You Are Missing the Kingdom Even Now
To the Pharisees: You Are Missing the Kingdom Even Now
Why the Pharisees ask we don’t know, but they are usually motivated by trying trap him. The question they ask is about the timing—when.
Essentially, Jesus’ answer is this: Your insistent expectation on cosmic eschatological signs is making you miss that the Kingdom of God is in your midst.
Allow me to use an illustration of what’s happening here.
We’re all out on the pitch (soccer field), getting warmed up for practice, but way more excited than normal because we’ve heard that David Beckham would be here. We expect him to show up in the owner’s box, or that there will be a massive hullabaloo with cars and security guards, cameras and reporters. But none of that happens. Practice gets underway with no sign of David Beckham. Then your friend nudges you and says, “Isn’t that David Beckham right there on the pitch with us, wearing our jersey, coaching and practicing right there alongside Jimmy and Judy?” “Nah,” you think to yourself, “It can’t be. Can it?”
You could obstinately refuse to believe that he would never do such a thing, or you can realize that it’s him and reap the benefits of playing alongside and being coached by David Beckham.
Much more seriously, the Pharisees refuse to believe the Messiah is in their midst because he hasn’t shown up in the way they expected.
Luke now continues this theme of our expectations concerning Christ’s Kingdom, but switches from its current form to its future consummation. Jesus explains to his disciples, the ones who have begun to understand that with his presence the kingdom of God has come into their midst, how they are to handle themselves in the present age as they wait expectantly for the Kingdom’s consummation when he returns.
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. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 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. 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. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Here’s how I would summarize this lengthier section:
To the Disciples: Kingdom Consummation Will Be Obvious & Welcome to the Prepared but Sudden & Disastrous to the Unprepared
To the Disciples: Kingdom Consummation Will Be Obvious & Welcome to the Prepared but Sudden & Disastrous to the Unprepared
As Jesus gives instruction to his disciples, he gives both comfort and warning. Comfort for the prepared and warning for the unprepared. Inherent in the teaching too is encouragement for the believers to endure through the present pressure until the final consummation.
The first couple of verses we might express like this:
Don’t expect the (visible & triumphant) Kingdom as soon as you would like, and don’t be taken in by those overzealous to predict it.
Don’t expect the (visible & triumphant) Kingdom as soon as you would like, and don’t be taken in by those overzealous to predict it.
v. 22 - Upon first reading of vv. 22, it seems Jesus might mean they’ll wish for the good old days when he’s gone. But I’m pretty sure, based on the context that follows, that it would make more sense that he actually means that they will desire, that instead of their present trial and the delay, that they were already living in the period of Christ’s triumphant return.
The Son of Man, we should remember, is Jesus favorite designation for himself during his earthly ministry. It indicates his true humanity from his absolute deity (a normal guy doesn’t need to refer to himself as human, but Jesus does bc he is God). It is connected to his humility to be the suffering servant who would atone for sin. The name probably also connotes his perfection to succeed where Adam and all humanity has failed: Jesus is not merely “a son of man” (as God says of Ezekiel some 93 times), but THE Son of Man. Finally, and significantly with respect to our passage, the term has its roots in a prophetic reference in Daniel.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The context is that all these other great kings and and mighty kingdoms have fallen and will fall, but that there will be a King and a Kingdom that will be an everlasting dominion. Jesus is that promised King, and his reign has already begun in the hearts of mankind but is not yet consummated in its visible form, which is still to come.
v. 23 - The disciples will desire Christ’s return, so if someone claims that they are seeing the signs of the coming of the Son of Man, it would understandably be appealing to check that out, and perhaps get all caught up in the excitement and speculation. But, Jesus says, you can and should ignore such claims.
- I suppose we should be careful not to conclude that it is a wasted or wrong endeavor for anyone to be fascinated with prophecy and seek to piece together possible evidence of things that might transpire before the Second Coming of our Lord. However, I would argue that the weight of NT explanation on the issue of Christ’s return, including this passage, instructs us to not invest energy in speculation, but in invest ourselves in readiness: being holy and advancing the gospel.
Why do the disciples not need to get caught up in speculation over signs of Kingdom consummation?
Why not? That day will be obvious, and Jesus first must accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation through suffering.
Why not? That day will be obvious, and Jesus first must accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation through suffering.
v. 24 - The reason you don’t need to chase after speculation over signs, Jesus says, is because, um, his return will be obvious… like lightning flashing across the sky. You won’t need to wonder, is this it? You’ll know!
v. 25 ***
For Luke, who writes post-cross, post-resurrection, post-early church development and spread, surely that obvious visible return will be welcomed with anticipation by those who understand the purpose of Christ’s suffering and believe in the Risen Lord alone to be their salvation.
When the end does come, the people of the kingdom will be rescued, but the unrepentant will meet sudden judgment. (Like the days of Noah and Lot)
When the end does come, the people of the kingdom will be rescued, but the unrepentant will meet sudden judgment. (Like the days of Noah and Lot)
The focus here is a warning. It expresses the danger of unpreparedness… for the coming judgment.
There’s something interesting in Jesus description here, where the emphasis is less on the sins themselves that bring about judgment, but on the continuation of normal, ordinary life. [Notice it in the verses…]
The sense is that the day of judgment is still coming, but people are going about their lives as if they will always be able to go about their lives just so. They are completely unprepared.
In v. 30, Jesus applies these illustrations to the day the Son of Man will be revealed. - The way to be prepared for that future, to not be caught off guard in the unknown day of judgment, is to respond now to Jesus.
Urgency becomes the emphasis of the explanation in v. 31, and a response that illustrates leaving behind all earthly possessions to save one’s soul.
The additional OT figure then is Lot’s wife, the backdrop of which is set up by v. 31, because (Leon Morris reminds us) “Lot’s wife came as close to deliverance without achieving it as was possible. She was brought right out of the doomed city and set on the way to safety. But she looked back and lingered, evidently in longing for the delights she was leaving behind. In the process she was caught up in the destruction that overtook Sodom and she perished with the city (Gen. 19:26).” -Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 278.
When Jesus here in v. 33 restates something he has said to the disciples before (9:24), we are meant to consider what is the present application needed in connection to the danger of future judgment and the allure of this world. - In preparation for the second coming (and the judgment that accompanies Christ’s return), one must be focused on spiritual preservation and not physical preservation. (v. 33)
So, even now you must leave everything (or you have already left everything) to follow Jesus. Flee swiftly and don’t look back. Yes, there is suffering that accompanies journeying with Christ in this life, but ultimate salvation comes to those who have made this kind of obedient commitment to the Messiah’s call on their lives.
vv. 34-35 When the Son of Man comes (in that day of dramatic returning, when the Kingdom becomes visible, triumphantly and conclusively), there will be individuals even side by side who will be separated from one another, because the one who has spiritually entrusted himself or herself wholly to Christ will be rescued and taken to him, while the other who continued to trust in self and this world will remain to suffer judgment (just like the days of Noah, and Lot).
There they are, so close together, leading nearly the same lives, but the difference that has been wrought WITHIN them by faith in Jesus will become MOST evident when Christ returns to claim his own. (This is of course not an argument that Christians shouldn’t live differently. Elsewhere Jesus explains that our faith result in following him and leads to division even in families.) The dramatic point here is that, to the spiritually insensitive one, our lives in many senses might appear to be nearly the same, but such is NOT the case.
The missing v. 36 (with a third and similar illustration) was likely a marginal note that assimilated a cross-reference to Matt 24:40, that was then copied down with the original and carried into some manuscripts that way. There is agreement in some of the best manuscripts, though, that this was not in the original in Luke.
v. 37 - The answer to the question where concerning this judgment is not so much where (everywhere might be implied), but rather that the image pictured presents judgment with an air of finality. Both when and where will be evident because all will see it.
What we ought to be concerned about is that the Son of Man saves some, but at the judgment he will permanently condemn others. Jesus saves those who respond to him while there is still opportunity, but God will judge forever those who refuse his offer of salvation through Jesus.
Conclusion: What difference should it make to us now... that Jesus inaugurated the presence of the kingdom in people’s hearts, and that the future consummation of Christ’s rule is certain?
How Should We Anticipate Christ’s Return?
How Should We Anticipate Christ’s Return?
(the coming consummation and judgment)
In the context of the time that Jesus was teaching these things, one essential point to be understood is that in Jesus the kingdom is in their midst. That means that one must respond to him. What has changed from our position relative to time is that the Lord has now already complete the mission of suffering for sin and rising again to defeat sin and death, and to offer forgiveness, spiritual life, restoration to God, and welcome into heaven when Christ returns.
Are you ready? Will you come to Jesus… admitting that you deserve judgment but calling on him to save you because he is willing, and he has accomplished all that was necessary? Pray to God and accept Jesus as Lord.
For those who are confident in Christ, we do indeed wonder when, but we need not wonder if… if Jesus will return to vindicate his complete victory, which he has already ensured. Instead of investing energy in speculation (and being drawn into the speculation of others), even as we wait expectantly, we must stay focused on God’s expectation for us.
We can be confident of our home and yet still find it difficult to endure in the race, to struggle in the journey… precisely because we know there is a finish line, we know the end of the story, we even know the reward we have to look forward to… but what we don’t know is when.
Peter, who was there when Jesus taught such things, explains by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit how we ought to live in light of knowing that Christ’s triumphant return is sure and so is impending judgment.
May I encourage you to go and read closely 2 Peter 3:10-18, since I now can only summarize the action points that Peter gives?
In closing this second letter for the believers, Peter reassures and instructs us to…
-“live holy and godly lives as [we] look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (v.11)
-again, “in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (v.13) “So […] make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
So, live set apart to God as we anticipate Christ’s return. And secondly, we must remember that this period “of our Lord’s patience means salvation” (v.15) for us and for any who use this opportunity to come to God through Jesus Christ. This means we must keep the Great Commission central, to make disciples of Jesus with every opportunity anywhere and everywhere as we go.
Live holy. Make disciples. Thirdly, “be on guard” against false teaching that aims to pull us from our “secure position” (v. 17), which is Christ alone.
Finally, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v.18). Intimacy with Jesus (relational closeness to our Lord), will in fact guard our hearts from other falsely alluring things, will overflow in a desire to call others to know him (Christ’s love compels us - 2 Cor. 5:14), and will result in becoming like him, who is the perfect image of our holy Father.
“To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” (v.18)
Pray.
***