Luke, The Orderly Account of Truth - All Hail The Returning King - Luke 17:20-37

I'm glad you're all here. We're continuing in our series

through the Gospel of Luke called the Orderly Account of Truth,

where Luke provided a very careful examination and investigation of

the eyewitness testimony of the life and ministry of our

Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm going to introduce our text

today a little differently than I normally do. I'm going

to jump right into reading it, and then we're going

to pause, and I'm going to do my very best

to prepare all of us to study through it, because

while we do have a good amount of verses to

go through, I mostly want to be sure that I

allow us the time we need to really listen and

wonder and accept the content and the truth of what

Jesus teaches in these scriptures. Sound good, So turn with

me to Luke chapter seventeen. We're going to be reading

verses twenty through thirty seven, and then we are going

to pause. I'm going to prepare us, and then we'll

pray the verse twenty chapter seventeen. 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. And he said to the disciples,

the days are coming when you will desire to see

of the days of Man. Excuse me to see one

of the days of the Sun of Man, and you

will not see it, as 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 Sun of Man be in his day. But first

you 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.

There will be eating. 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 seeks, 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. How

are y'all doing? You see what I mean? We're in

some heavy, complicated and mysterious texts today. If you're taking notes,

just write down the word pause. Just write down the

word pause, because what I want us to do is

pause and consider what we're discussing today. Typically, there's three

ways someone might feel when talking or reading about what

things will be like when Christ returns, when our King

comes back. The first way you might feel is joyful,

even though you don't fully understand how or when or

what will happen. You know in your heart that when

Jesus returns, it means you'll soon be in the presence

of your heavenly Father. The second way you might feel

is fearful. You may know in your heart that at

the very end of all things is Jesus. You may

know in your heart that at the end of all

things is your Peace, your Savior. You're a good shepherd,

but you can't help but wonder and feel afraid of

what happens before and up to that point. The third

way you might feel is just straight up confused. Maybe

you're like me, and you grew up with books and

movies and shows, pastors, parents, teachers, all telling you different

things about the way things will be, about the way

things will unfold when our King returns. Maybe you've changed

your opinion, your thoughts, your understanding several times because of

those different teachings, and now you're just not sure what

to think. On your notepad or your app write down

the word prepare. Prepare. No matter the emotion you're feeling,

whether it's joy, fear, or confusion, we need to prepare

for Jesus's teaching. In this text, Lord willing, prepare to

feel joy and knowing that if you've put your faith

in Jesus, then you are secure in Jesus. When he

brings about the end of this age, Prepare to feel

some fear because Jesus does promise it's going to be

bad for the world. But take heart and know that

if you've placed your faith in Jesus, then you are

secure in Jesus. Prepare to feel confused because a lot

of this is a mystery, a lot of it is

hidden from us as it's meant to be. But what

I want you to do is remember that God's ways

his thoughts are higher than our own. And remember that

even in your confusion, even when you're not secure in

your understanding of Jesus's words, you probably know where I'm

going with this. Remember that if you've placed faith in Jesus,

then you are secure in Jesus because at the end

of the day, at the end of the last day,

that's all that matters. As Pastor Greg says, all that

really matters is am I going to heaven and who's

coming with me? And also in your preparation, we need

to support our brothers and sisters in Christ that may

be feeling something differently than you or I are feeling.

You may feel joy, but they might feel fear or

confusion or both. We need to support and pray for

each other, extend grace, build each other up in love,

and point each other back to Jesus. The last thing

we're going to do, and you can write this down to,

is pray. So now we've paused, we've prepared, and now

it's praise and I've fulfilled my pastoral obligation to make

everything the same word or the same letter. So let's pray. Lord.

I thank you for your word. I thank you that

we get to study this, that we get to marvel

at your mystery, that we get to be grateful for

being secure in Jesus in the death of your son. Lord,

that no matter if we are feeling joy or fear

or confusion, that the end of the day, all that

matters is faith in You. I pray that you would

help us to set aside any understanding misconceptions that we

may have been taught in the past and just focus

on what your word says. Lord, that you would reveal

the things you want us to know, and that you

would help us to trust in you for the things

that we don't need to know. Lord, let your word instruct,

let it comfort, and let us grow more like you

through the truth of your holy scriptures. May you be

glorified in your name. Amen to my sermon. Title if

you want it is all hale the Returning King. All

hale the Returning King. In verse twenty, it says, 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. Now. While

a lot of the texts, While a lot of Jesus'

words in this text are shrouded in mystery and warning,

one thing Jesus makes clear straightway is that the Kingdom

of God isn't only an outward observable place. The Kingdom

of God that was promised to the Jews is Jesus himself. Now.

Some translations say the Kingdom of God is within you,

others say the Kingdom is among you. Whichever translation you read,

within you, among you, or in your midst. What Jesus

is telling the Pharisees is that the kingdom they were

seeking had already appeared and was standing right in front

of them. They just refuse to believe it. John the

Baptizer proclaimed repent, for the Kingdom of God is at

hand because the King was coming, the Messiah, Jesus was coming.

The Jews just refused to believe it, and most still

do to this day. Jesus the King arrives and tells

the people the kingdom you've been waiting for is here.

I'm here, the King the Messiah promised to you, is

here in your midst but you refuse to believe because

they did not understand or accept that the Messiah had

two separate and distinct comings. In his first coming, the

Messiah came as the suffering servant, just as prophesied, established

his kingdom in the hearts of God's people first and

then defeated sin and death through his own death and resurrection.

And then there's the second coming, when the Messiah, the

suffering Servant, will return as the conquering King and fulfill

everything else prophesied about him. But the Jews didn't believe

in him and didn't see themselves as sinful. They saw

themselves as righteous on account of being sons of Abraham.

They didn't see that they were also sons of the

devil because of their sin, as Jesus called them. They

didn't want to hear about how they needed to be

saved from themselves, because to admit that they needed to

repent would mean that they'd have to admit to not

being righteous, something they believe themselves to be. But now

the kingdom is here, the Messiah is here, the King

has arrived, and the King has decreed to be in

my kingdom. You must repent of your sin and believe

in me. And that's my first point. If you want

it by decree of the king, repent and believe, repent

and believe in the King, and let his kingdom rule

in your hearts. This isn't a decree to be taken lightly.

Every person needs to be aware of their sin, needs

to be aware of their need of saving, their need

to repent. Every person needs to be aware that forgiveness

of their sin is only found by believing that the

King died and rose again for their salvation, because if

they don't, when the King does return to gather his subjects,

his children, at that time, there is no time left.

But when will that happen? When will the king, the

suffering servant return. When will the conquering king return? The

short answer is no, one knows. Only God the Father knows.

But we do know that when Jesus does return, it

will be immediate, and it will be unmistakable. It will

be immediate and unmistakable. In verse twenty two, it says,

and he said to his 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

lighting 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. Almost every year it

seems like I hear about a new prophecy prophecy from

someone claiming they know when Jesus will return, and unsurprisingly,

it's almost always the people who claim to be a

prophet or who had given themselves the title of apostle.

I'm gonna make this real clear for all of us.

You can't just call yourself a prophet, and you can't

just declare apostleship I declare apostleship. Even if you declare it,

it doesn't work. The role of apostle was given directly

from Jesus to the men he chose. That's not a

title someone can just claim. Even if I said I'm

the apostle Jordan, I can't just claim that title. And

you should run. If I ever said that, you all

should rebuke me, first to night and then you. Just

as for prophets, these were people that God chose and

used to reveal his commands, declare his divine will, interpret

his purposes, and to make his truth known. But here's

the thing, he doesn't use prophets for that purpose anymore.

Through the writers of these holy scriptures, He's already revealed

everything we need to know. He's already revealed everything we

need to know. He's already revealed what we need to

know about his commands, his divine will, his purposes, and

his truth. It's all right here. But what about the

gift of prophecy, great question. Prophecy is a spiritual gift

given by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church.

Prophecy is a spiritual gift of forth telling, not for telling.

It's a spiritual gift of forth telling, not foretelling. In

other words, it's a gift of proclamation, not prediction. It's

a gift of Look what God has done, Look how

great God is, Look what his word tells us. Not

God's gonna do this. So if anyone calls themselves an

apostle or claims to be a prophet, but speaks something

outside of or contrary to what these words say, rebuke

them and walk away, or better yet, run away. It's

people like that that Jesus warns his disciples of when

he says, they will say to you, look there or

look here.

Do not go out or follow them.

So don't listen when someone on TikTok says I know

when Jesus is coming back, or someone on Facebook or

direct to your face says, this is when Jesus is returning.

Don't listen to them, because we don't know when he's returning.

Just as God intended it, God has already God has

already revealed all that we need to know. He's already

revealed everything that he wants us to know in his word.

For anything else that remains a mystery, like our King's

second coming, it's for the Father alone to know and

for us to trust in his perfect plan, timing, and purpose.

It's for him to know and for us to trust.

But when Christ does return, it will be immediate and unmistakable,

like a blinding flash of lightning. My next point, we

don't know when Christ will return, but everyone will know

when he does. We don't know when Christ will return,

but everyone will know when he does. And after telling

his disciples about when the win of his return, Jesus

tells them what it will be like Verse twenty six.

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 soul were rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

So will it be on the day when the Son

of Man is revealed. Now, anyone here that grew up

in church has likely heard the stories of Noah and

Lot countless times but for anyone unfamiliar, or if you

want a refresher here it comes. In the time of Noah,

the Book of Genesis tells us 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. And because of that wickedness, God decided

to pour out his wrath on the earth by sending

a flood that covered all of it. Only Noah and

his family were saved, because only Noah found favor in

the eyes of God. Later on we see a similar

story about the time of War, who is Abraham's nephew.

The Book of Genesis tells us that the sins of

the people of Sodom Gomorrah were so grievous that God

and his righteous judgment poured out his wrath on the

two cities and destroyed them with sulfur and fire that

rained down from the skies. Only Lot and his family

were saved. Both stories show God's righteous judgment and wrath

poured out on sinful man, judgment that all mankind deserves,

by the way, and both stories show God's salvation to

those who found favor in his eyes. Hundreds and hundreds

of years later, after those stories, well after the time

of Noah and Lot, God sent his only son, Jesus,

to pay the price for our own grievous sins and

to make a way the way for all who believe

to find favor in the eyes of God and to

be saved from the coming final judgment. Jesus, in our

text today, references these stories as a warning the wicked

that were destroyed in the times of Noah and Lot.

We're all living their lives just day after day. Whatever

they're buying and selling, drinking and eating, just normal day

to day stuff, with no regard to their own wickedness.

But only those that found favor in the eyes of

God were saved from his wrath. And just as Christ's

return to the earth will be swift, so too will

God's final judgment be. In the next few verses, Jesus said,

on that day, let the one who was on the

housetop with his goods in the house not come down

to take them away, and likewise, let the one who

was 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. Verse thirty two,

Jesus makes the statement remember Lot's wife. Before God destroyed

Sodom and Gomorrah for their grievous sins, he sent angels

to hurry Lot and his family away from the coming

destruction so that they wouldn't be destroyed with the city.

He provided a way of salvation. When Lot hesitated and

linger there, the angels grabbed his hand in the hands

of his wife and daughters and led them out of

the city. After the angels brought them out of the city,

they gave just one command, do not look back. Do

not look back. But as they were heading to safety,

Lot's wife turned around to look back at the city

where they had lived and was turned into a pillar

of salts. Jesus' words, remember Lot's Wife is a sobering

warning for anyone alive at the time of the king's

return to not look back on what you're about to lose.

Like I said earlier, at the end of all things,

the only thing that really matters is am I going

to heaven and who's coming with me? At the end

of all things, the only thing that really matters is

am I going to heaven? And who's coming with me.

Nothing else in the world manners, not your money or

lack of money, not your spouse or living single, not

your possessions or the things you don't have, not your

job or the promotion you're trying to get, not your

children or your grandchildren. Nothing else in the world matters

when the end is here, because you can't be looking

to those things for salvation, because those those things won't

save you, and you can't afford to hesitate, you can't

afford to be indecisive. And when that time comes, you

can't look back to those things for rescue, for salvation,

for hope because you won't find any of that in

those things. You will only find rescue and hope in

salvation in Christ the King. On that day, there are

no second chances. Repentance of your sin and belief in

the King that died for you is. It's your one

and only way to be saved from the coming wrath.

It's not something you can put off, and it's not

something you can take lightly. Another point for you, if

you want it, The only hope of salvation is found

in Jesus Christ. The only hope of salvation is found

in Jesus Christ. Before we read these last few verses.

I do have a quick just heads up for you. You

might notice on the screen or in your Bible if

you're following along, depending on the translation, you might notice

that verse thirty six is missing. That's because the earliest

and most reliable Greek manuscripts of Luke don't contain verse

thirty six. If your Bible has that verse, it's because

it's based on an earlier translation, based on earlier man scripts,

and it's believed to have been copied from Matthew's Gospel,

and it's believed that a scribe likely copied it over there.

That's it. I just want to speak to why it's missing.

And I also don't think that if your Bible does

or does not have it, that that is either right

or wrong, because ultimately it communicates the same message. Cool.

That's it. Verse thirty four Jesus said, 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. As I said earlier, our text contains

a lot of mystery, and these last few verses are

no exception. In fact, I'd say they present the most

mystery and confusion. Jesus gives examples of groups of two

where one will be taken and the other left, But

what he doesn't give is details on who is taken

and who is left in the Last Days, just as

it was with Noah and lott some are saved and

the others destroyed for their wickedness and sin. I should

say others are judged for their wickedness and sin. They're

not destroyed in the sense of annihilated, because that's wrong.

They go to a place eternal torment and judgment. So who, then,

when Jesus returns, is taken and who is left? And

where does Kirk Cameron fit in at all this?

It's a terrible left behind joke, but I felt like

I wanted to lighten it up a little bit in here.

But seriously, when Jesus returns, who is taken and who

is left? Is it the wicked that are left to

experience God's wrath before going to eternal judgment while those

who believe in His son are taken or the wicked

taken to final to final judgment, while those who believe

must remain and endure to the end. You may not

like this answer, but I don't know.

I don't know, And believe me, I wish more than

anything that I had the answer to that question.

But I don't.

These verses bring up all kinds of questions about the

rapture of the Church, the tribulation, the king's thousand year reign,

and so on and so on, and they have spurred

countless debates on the topic and throughout Church history. Other theologians,

Bible scholars, and others far far smarter than me, understand

these verses differently and all come to different conclusions. There

is literally no consensus, and again I wish there was,

but there isn't. But honestly, one thing I love about that,

and I thank God for I thank God for that,

is it just reinforces the fact that there are some

things that God does not reveal to us. There are

some things that God does not reveal to us because

we don't need to know them. That's honestly, that's the

simplest answer I can give. I don't know. We don't know,

because that's the way it's supposed to be. But what

God did reveal, and I pray that I made that

crystal clear. I pray that the scriptures made that clear

is that when Christ returns, no matter who is taken

or who is left, that when the King returns, you

need to be sure you are counted among his subjects

in his kingdom. That's what is clear. Can I get

the band to come up? Like I said at the

beginning of this sermon, you might be feeling a lot

of things. You might be feeling all the fields. These

verses might make you feel joy at being saved from

God's wrath because of your faith in Jesus, and praise

God for that joy. These verses might make you feel

fear because of what's to come, because of the unknown.

Or they might just leave you confused because of what

God has made clear and what He's kept a mystery. Personally,

I think where you should try to position yourself is

in the middle of those three emotions, right in the center.

Let me explain that as for the mystery for the

feeling of confusion, the Bible tells us that the mystery

of God is found in Christ and Colossians too. Paul wrote,

for I want you to know how great a struggle

I have for you, and for those at Laodicea, and

for all who have not seen me face to face,

that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in

love to reach all the riches of full assurance, of understanding,

and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in

whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I say this in order that no one may delude

you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body,

yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see

your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

The only mystery you need to know, and what is

made known by God is salvation in his son. That's

the only mystery you need to know and respond to

with firmness of faith. As for fear and joy, the

Bible tells us that believers in Jesus don't need to

fear what happens at the end, because we're not destined

for God's wrath. We are destined to obtain salvation through

Jesus his Son. And First Thessalonians chapter five, Paul again writes, now,

concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no

need to have anything written to you, for you yourselves

are fully aware that the day of the Lord will

come like a thief in the night. While people are

saying there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will

come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,

and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers,

for that day to surprise you like a thief. For

you are all children of light, children of the day.

We are not of the night or of the darkness.

So then let us not sleep as others do, but

let us keep awake and sober. For those who sleep

sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk

at night. But since we belong to the day, let

us be sober, sober, having put on the breastplate of

faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to

obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,

so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might

live with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one

another up, just as you are doing. We need to

center ourselves in the middle of those three emotions. Center

yourself in the middle of the fear and confusion and

the joy. To accept the mystery, to accept the things

that God has kept from us. To let the fear

of God, which is the beginning of knowledge, as Proverbs teaches,

drive you back to the foot of the cross, where

you're reminded of the joy of the assurance of full salvation.

I'll say again that these verses may leave you more

confused than when you walked in. But beloved, be firm

in your faith with joyful anticipation as you await the

day of our King's return. Be humble in accepting that

there are things you're not supposed to know, But in

all things trust in the one who does know. Be

firm in your faith with joyful anticipation as you await

the day of the King's return. And for anyone that

has not put their faith in the King, don't delay.

Jesus is the only way to be saved from the wrath.

Do your sin, repent and believe in the King, and

let his kingdom rule in your hearts. Because the King

will return, And when he does, the Bible tells us

every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus

is Lord. You need to be sure that you know

the Lord as your personal savior. Even the ones who

are not saved from their sin will still know he

is King. What matters is that you get to call

the King your personal savior. When that day comes, All

hail the returning King. Let's pray, Lord Jesus. I I

pray that you would comfort each and every person here, Lord,

that you would help us rest in the mystery of

your return, that we do not know who was taken,

who was left when that day will be, help us

to rest and accept those things that we're not that

we're not meant to know, and help us to trust

in you in your perfect plan. Lord. I pray for

anyone here who has not put their.

Faith in you, that you would give them faith.

I pray for brothers and sisters, parents and children, those

who did not know you, that you would soften their hearts,

that you would bring them to repentance, that you would

save them from the wrath through their sins and let

them see you as their savior. Lord, I asked you

would help us to rest in the truth of your scriptures,

to rest and accept in your perfect plan. Lord, and

all this may you be glorified in your name. We

pray Amen.