The Ticking Clock

Luke 17:20-37 (NIV)

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within a you.”

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day b will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 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 also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. c”

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

[1]

I. Introduction:

II. Be Aware of the Present Kingdom: The Sovereign Christ is Near

A. A Hidden Kingdom

1. A Kingdom Desired by Spectators

2. A Kingdom Revealed to Believers

B. A Hidden King:

1. A King Overlooked

2. A King Within Reach

III. Be Patient for the Coming Day: The Secret Calendar is Hastening

A. A Savored Coming: Individually Relished

B. A Stated Coming: Falsely Reported

C. A Surprise Coming: Universally Realized

D. A Second Coming: Initially Rejected

IV. Be Warned of Pending Disaster: The Sudden Catastrophe is Looming

A. The Sure Position on the Horizon: The Predictability of the Surprise

B. The Sorry Position of Humanity: The Preoccupation with the Self

C. The Safe Position of Hope: The Preservation of the Select

D. The Sad Position of Helplessness: The Predicament of the Sinner

V. Be Ready for Immediate Separation: The Severed Company is Inevitable

A. A Prior Separation is Necessary

1. Not Clinging to Stuff: A Material Possessor

2. Not Clinging to self: A life preserver

B. A Pending Severance is certain

1. The People: Included in Separate Groups

2. The Place: Isolated into Separate Regions

VI. Conclusion:

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a Or among

b Some manuscripts do not have in his day.

c Some manuscripts left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.