Luke 17:20-37 "The Gravity of Eternity"

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Turn with me this morning to Luke 17.

It's our last Sunday in Luke for a while.

Just letting you groan or something.

Nobody's going to cry.

We're going to jump just for a little while to the Old Testament this summer.

See the gospel of grace in some of those great stories that we love.

But this morning, this passage at the end of Luke 17 has a little bit of everything.

And it can be a bit confusing as you get into it.

Jesus redirects Pharisees.

He quotes Proverbs.

He discusses some Old Testament characters.

He even looks forward and talks about end times.

But he's responding here to a question about the kingdom of God.

Now, we need to know what he says about the kingdom of God because that's our vision as a church is to advance the kingdom of God, right?

So, Jesus, we really need to know what that means.

What it's all about.

I think it's helpful before we read this passage together to give you a little background that may help parts of it make a bit more sense to you as we read it.

In the Bible, the kingdom of God is wherever Yahweh is worshipped, trusted, and obeyed.

Where his reign is active.

And people submit to him as king.

So, we as a church, in seeking to advance the kingdom of God, are doing that in our hearts, in our lives.

Here and everywhere.

People more and more trusting and following the king.

That's what we're about.

That phrase, kingdom of God, is also used then to talk about eternity.

When the rule and reign of Yahweh will be fully and finally established, right?

Where he's perfectly obeyed and worshipped and trusted in the new heavens, the new earth.

The prophets talk a lot about these days.

And Daniel, in particular, explains that the Son of Man, this glorious divine figure,

will reign with God the Ancient of Days in an everlasting kingdom.

That's Daniel 7, the Son of Man.

He's the king who comes for that everlasting kingdom.

Daniel 7, great to read later.

Really important to know for this morning.

The Son of Man is the king.

So, when those days come that the prophets talk about looking forward to,

when the king returns to be enthroned forever,

perhaps the most notable theme of everything in the Old Testament about it,

is that that day is both a joyful one and a fearful one.

It's a day of judgment as well as a day of salvation at the same time.

When that eternal kingdom comes,

those who have refused to submit to Yahweh,

to bow the knee and trust and follow the king,

will be punished.

On the other hand,

those who have suffered much,

but who are aligned with the king,

will find rescue and rest in his victory.

A day of judgment and salvation.

A day of separation.

Destinies being settled.

In fact, we see at times this eternal kingdom break into human history.

And we get a taste of that reality,

of that separation.

Think, for example, of Noah and the ark.

You may know that story.

But judgment comes on the wicked, right?

Many are destroyed.

And yet, those inside the ark are rescued,

miraculously,

from the flood.

God's people saved.

His enemies destroyed.

It doesn't happen catastrophically like that often.

But you can think of, for instance,

the entrance into the promised land.

Idolatrous nations tasting the inbreaking of that eternal judgment, right?

And God's people delivered.

Or you could think of Sodom and Gomorrah,

tasting God's righteous wrath on their sin,

while Lot, who is also a sinner,

is spared by God's grace.

Sometimes the eternal kingdom shows up in moments like that in the present.

Which, by the way, helps us some with understanding some of those really tough passages

and what is God doing in these moments of judgment.

But whether you side with the true king or not,

leads to two extremely different outcomes.

Devastating judgment

or glorious salvation

at the kingdom of God's coming.

Let's read what Jesus says

and then we'll pray together.

You'll see we need His help

always

and especially

today as we look at this passage.

Luke 17 at verse 20.

This is God's Word.

Being asked by the Pharisees

when the kingdom of God would come,

He answered them,

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to 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

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 wife,

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.

Let's pray.

Father, we do ask for your help.

We want to understand.

But more than that, Father,

we want to know

this message that you have for us.

Jesus, we need to know more of you

and we want to know

what you speak of so clearly

and directly

and so, Holy Spirit,

would you teach us

that we might know things

that are too lofty

for us to understand on our own.

We cry out for your help.

Would you teach us

and would you change us?

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Let's walk through this passage

together this morning,

the one we just read,

to understand

the significant things

Jesus is saying

and then we'll take a few minutes

to talk about

what it means

for us.

Jesus begins here

by saying to the Pharisees,

the kingdom

may look different

from what you expect.

The Pharisees ask

when the kingdom is coming

and Jesus says

the kingdom of God

is not coming

with signs

to be observed,

nor will they say,

look, here it is

or there,

for behold,

the kingdom of God

is in the midst of you.

See, the Pharisees

were one group

among many at the time

who taught and believed

that the kingdom of God,

when it showed up,

there were going to be

some really easy things

to notice

among which,

probably most prominent,

was the Romans

were going to be defeated

and driven out

and so the power

and prestige

of the Jews

was going to flourish

in some really

tangible, exciting ways.

They were looking forward

to that,

looking for signs

that that was happening

and perhaps not seeing them

the way they'd hoped.

And when they say when,

Jesus says,

let me clear something up

for you.

You're looking

for the wrong thing.

God's kingdom

is not tied to

or dependent upon

any political power

or party.

God's kingdom

is not tied to

or dependent upon

any political power

or party,

then or now.

It doesn't look like

God's people

increasing earthly success

or social influence

that they have per se.

It's more about

God's people

individually

and corporately

submitting to the king,

embodying the values

and the priorities

of the king.

And friends,

I think if we

want to see society impacted,

if we're confused

about political power,

we've got a lot

to work on

just right there,

don't we?

A lot that will have

a big influence

in our society

when we work on

embodying the king's

values and priorities,

submitting to him

ourselves.

Beyond that kind of

redirection

of the Pharisees,

Jesus seems to be saying

in some ways

the kingdom is already here.

The kingdom of God

is in the midst of you.

I mean,

after all,

the king is here,

right?

Jesus came preaching

the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

That's been the message.

But in looking for

the kind of signs

that they wanted to see,

the Pharisees were missing

the glorious signs

that the king was bringing.

Outsiders welcomed in.

Sick, healed.

Poor having good news

preached to them.

This is what the kingdom

is going to be, right?

Don't miss it,

Jesus says.

But then I love

how Jesus comforts

and helps his followers

in this next section.

He turns to them

and what he says to them

is so much what

we need to hear

because we live

in between

Jesus' two comings,

don't we?

That's where

we find ourselves

in the course of history.

He's come once

but he's coming again.

And so we live

where his kingdom

is already here

and not yet here fully.

We feel this every day,

don't we?

Sin is defeated

but it's still fighting against us.

Satan is conquered

but he's still prowling around

and seeking to devour.

The curse has been reversed

but we still look around

and see evidence of it everywhere.

creation is still longing

to be restored

to what God created it

to be.

And so as we live there,

Jesus says,

don't fear.

Listen,

when the kingdom comes

fully and finally,

it may look different

from what you expect.

But you won't miss the king

when he returns to reign.

The days are coming,

he says to his disciples,

when you will desire

to see one of the days

of the Son of Man

and you will not see it.

When you will long

to see the king come

and to be in those days

where everything's made

the way it's supposed to be.

In your suffering and pain

as Jeremy led us

in acknowledging this morning,

as you cry out,

you'll long for the day

when that full

and final rescue comes

and you won't see it.

You'll still ache.

Jesus says we're going to be

living in the in-between

and he knows

it's going to be hard for us.

And when it is,

when we're struggling,

when it's hard,

people will say,

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.

You won't miss the king.

No one will

when he returns to reign.

So don't let your focus

be distracted from Jesus.

People will offer you

easier ways.

People will offer you

paths of life

that avoid suffering.

People will tell you

there's hope

somewhere else.

You're crazy to wait

for Jesus.

Don't you believe it,

Jesus says.

You remember

that though the kingdom

is here only in seed form,

it's not yet

what it will be.

And so in the distress

and difficulty

of living in the not yet,

cling to Jesus

peace and hope

in him.

I was pulling weeds

last week

under the shade

of a beautiful

Japanese maple tree

in our front yard.

It turns these

beautiful orange colors

and it's grown

just in the few years

that we've been in the house

all over the place.

It's got some branches

that hang out

over the front yard

and some spread up

onto the roof

of the house

and every year

it seems like branches

sprout up in a new

in different direction.

And so keeping cool

under that shade,

I'm pulling up weeds

in the flower bed

and I really easily

plucked up this little sprig

and I looked down

to see what it was.

You know what I was holding

in my hand?

A Japanese maple.

Right there in my hand.

I looked at it.

It had a stump,

you know,

as it were.

It had some leaves

that sure enough

were Japanese maple leaves.

Little sprigs

of branches on it.

everything

that you needed

to be a real

Japanese maple tree

right there

in the palm of my hand.

It was already

a Japanese maple

but one day,

not yet,

it will look

very, very different.

What fit in my hand

will be taller

than our house

if it survives

extreme weather

and severe storms

and careless gardeners

who pull them up?

And that's a bit like

living in the already

and not yet

of the kingdom.

All the essential properties

of the kingdom

are here

but there are days

of smallness,

of dryness,

windy days

where you're sure

that the kingdom

is never going to come

in its fullness

and if it ever does

you sure won't be able

to hang in there

until it comes.

But it's much more certain

that the kingdom

is coming

in its fullness

than the growth

of my little Japanese

maple tree

in my hand.

Jesus says,

I know it's hard,

I know it looks

bleak some days,

I am coming back,

the kingdom

will come,

I've got you.

So,

don't let suffering

cause you

to lose hope.

After all,

you're not the only one

who suffers,

the king must suffer too,

right?

Verse 25,

first,

he must suffer

many things

and be rejected

by this generation.

It's the way

the kingdom works,

isn't it?

Not the way

the Pharisees

or the disciples

perhaps would have

planned it,

but the seed

must fall to the ground

and die

before it grows.

There's a cross

coming before

the crown

even and especially

for the king.

Here we are again.

Jesus,

remember where we are

in Luke,

marching

toward Jerusalem,

intent

on going

to the cross

to die

and wanting

us to understand

how utterly

essential it is

that he do that.

He must

suffer.

We can expect

similar struggles

to come for us

while we wait

for our king

to come again.

So,

keep hoping

in him

and in his promised

return.

He's coming.

Then Jesus

turns to some

of those Old Testament

examples

that we've already

mentioned

to say in a few

different ways,

but come what may,

no matter how bad

it gets,

don't get so

preoccupied

with your life

that you are

unprepared

for the return

of the king.

See,

nothing

could be more

important

than being prepared,

than being ready,

for the kingdom.

And there are

many things

every day

calling our attention

away from that.

He gives these

examples so we

understand.

Verse 26,

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.

They were doing

normal things,

right?

Good things.

but not

trusting

the king,

not prepared

for when the

kingdom

broke into

their world.

Most of them

received judgment

rather than

salvation.

Same with

Sodom and

Gomorrah.

Verse 28,

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.

Again,

good,

normal stuff

to be doing,

except

they hadn't

prepared themselves

for the king

and the kingdom

comes suddenly.

Unmistakably,

you see it,

inescapably,

you can't avoid it,

but normal life

is interrupted

by sudden

destruction.

And it's disaster

for those who

don't know the king,

isn't it?

So be ready,

Jesus says.

How?

By trusting Jesus

and treasuring

him above

all else.

Verse 31,

on that day,

let the one

who's on the housetop

with his goods

in the house

not come down

to take them away

and likewise

let the one

who's 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.

Don't look back

for anything

that's been left there

and think,

oh,

I need that.

That's what's most important.

That's what I'm

hanging on to.

It's something

in my house.

It's the crops

I have.

That's what keeps me safe.

I need to make sure

I take them with me.

What did Lot's wife do?

She looked back

against God's command

as they were

leaving Sodom

and instead of being

rescued,

she becomes

a pillar

of salt.

Anything that

makes up this life,

even life itself,

pales in comparison

to eternal life

with Jesus.

If I asked you today,

what's your heart

set on?

What are you longing

for?

What do you most want?

Would Jesus

and his kingdom

come to mind?

Be honest.

Where's your heart

set?

Is it on him?

Or is it distracted

from the king

by other things

that you love

and you long for

just a little bit more?

Listen to Jesus.

There's a great

separation coming.

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.

A day where

two people are sleeping,

two people are working,

otherwise

very similar people

receive very

different destinies.

Upon what basis?

Are they prepared

for trusting

in the king?

Don't tell yourself

you'll think about it later.

Don't say other things

are more important.

Don't let the busyness

of life,

lots of good things

to do,

keep you from

prioritizing

eternity.

busy.

Because Jesus

will return

suddenly

in the midst

of that normal

busy life

and you must

be prepared.

Perhaps

taken aback

or not wanting

to miss out

again on any of this,

the disciples

ask,

where?

And Jesus

says,

where the corpse

is,

there the

vultures

will gather.

Now,

in some ways

that's not a

particularly

complicated

proverb to

understand.

He's saying

you'll see it,

you won't miss it,

you'll be able

to look up

from where you are

and find out

what's going on,

but there's lots

of ways to say

that,

aren't there?

This is Jesus

in a very

pointedly

serious

way

saying it's

coming

and you'll

see it

and death

will be there.

There will be

death around

and you'll

notice it.

Be warned!

So that's a summary

of what Jesus

is teaching

in this passage.

God's kingdom

may look different

from what you expect,

but you won't

miss the king

when he returns

to reign,

so don't let

suffering cause

you to lose

hope.

After all,

the king must

suffer too,

but come what may,

don't get so

preoccupied

with your life

that you're

unprepared

for the return

of the king.

That's pretty

direct talk,

isn't it?

You know,

as I was

pondering

this week

Jesus

speaking to us

this directly

and this clearly,

it began

to have

this weight

on my heart.

What's Jesus

trying to say

to us?

I looked back

to the end

of Luke 9,

seems like

a long time

ago.

The end

of Luke 9

is where

Jesus tells

us he set

his face

to Jerusalem.

He said,

I'm going

to the cross

and everything

starts to head

in that direction.

For us

here at Southwood,

that's been

really this

entire school

year that

we've been

following Jesus

as he teaches

about the kingdom

on the way

to the cross.

And for some

reason,

for the first

time this week,

it kind of

sunk in to me

that I seem

to be talking

about eternity

a lot.

Heaven

and hell

and eternal

significance

and being ready

and it's come

up over and over

and I look back

and sure enough,

that's what Jesus

has been talking

about.

It's interesting,

isn't it,

that as he makes

his way to the

cross to die

for immortal

souls,

that these issues

of eternity

keep being

pressed in

to us.

He doesn't

want anybody

to miss it.

Over and over

he gathers

his followers

around and says,

listen to me.

There's something

you can't miss

here.

It's on his

heart for us.

Just in these

few chapters

we've walked

through,

he said things

like,

we must repent

or we too

will perish.

That there's a

place of weeping

and gnashing

of teeth

for some

while others

feast at the

banquet of God.

A banquet

where a lot

of religious

insiders

are not

actually going

to be present

although they

expect to be.

But actually

you must be

willing to leave

everything else

in order to

follow him.

He even put

words in the

mouth of a

rich man

warning everyone

he loved about

the seriousness

of eternity.

How many

times have I

stood up here

and said,

this is really

weighty.

We must

really consider

eternity.

We must

repent and

embrace

Jesus.

Y'all,

please,

please hear

the call

of Jesus.

He's speaking

clearly and

seriously and

lovingly to

you.

It's a

drum that he

continues to

beat.

He's not

mincing words.

He's saying,

trust me

today.

Here's what

God's

particularly

been putting

on my

heart in

light of

this.

We've been

watching Jesus

and what I'll

call the

sober passion

that he has

for bringing

this eternity

in front of

everyone who's

around him.

As he

pleads with

people passionately,

I was asking

myself,

do I share

Jesus'

sober passion?

This passage

really drove it

home for me.

Let me say it to

you this way.

There's an

eternal separation

coming with

two different

outcomes that

couldn't possibly

be further

apart.

One of

eternal

destruction

and one

of everlasting

glory.

And two

spouses

sharing the

same bed

for a few

years will

go to

different

places

forever.

And two

people working

in the same

office building

on the

arsenal

will be

apart from

each other

for all of

eternity.

And two

moms playing

with their

kids on

the same

playground

won't play

together

again.

And two

students

sitting in

the same

classroom on

the same

campus for a

whole semester

will spend

eternity in

two different

places.

And two

people sitting

shoulder to

shoulder in

the same

church pew

week after

week and

year after

year will

do that

apart from

each other

for eternity.

And that

has to

break our

hearts.

It's not a

reality we

like to talk

about a lot

but it's also

not one Jesus

is unclear

on.

Does it

break your

heart?

Who comes

to mind

mind for

you?

Is that

not why God

has us

here?

Isn't that

why he's put

you in

Huntsville?

In your

house?

In your

neighborhood?

In your

workplace?

With your

friends?

Are we as

committed to

eternal souls

and eternal

realities as

Jesus is?

All the

examples of

God's

destruction

coming on

many with

a few being

rescued are

sobering but

perhaps none

more than

Lot's wife.

Because she

reminds us that

nearness to

kingdom people

does not

equal

preparation

for the

kingdom.

She was

walking right

there with

those who

were being

rescued and

found herself

not.

There are

family,

friends,

others we

would call

loved ones.

And y'all I

think every

neighbor is

supposed to

be a loved

one, yes?

Do we

really actively

love them?

It's not

merely about

wanting to

spend eternity

with them,

although that's

sweet and

desirable, but

wanting them to

spend eternity

with Jesus.

Pastor Peter,

when we were

talking about

this passage

this week,

said what

comes to

mind for

him is are

we soul

conscious?

I love

that.

Consider for

a minute how

you think of

and treat the

people in

your life.

Are they

merely a

means to

an end

for you?

Ways to be

entertained?

Someone who

can care for

your kids,

an avenue for

you to get

food or make

money or pass

the time?

Is that

what people

are some

days for

you?

Or do you

think of

them as

eternal souls?

Do you

consider their

eternal destiny?

Are you

soul conscious?

Now listen,

that doesn't

mean that we

all need to

go rent

megaphones

this afternoon,

drive around

Huntsville

announcing heaven

and hell to

everyone within

earshot.

It doesn't

have to look

like that.

It also

doesn't mean

that we

get to put

on headphones

and start

going through

life,

oblivious to

everyone around

us,

driving by,

missing eternal

souls all around

you every day,

forgetting the

priority of

Jesus for

each of them,

for each of

us.

Al Eller

prayed last

week,

people need

the Lord,

and he said,

Jesus, I need

you.

This is not

us versus

them.

This is

all of us

together

needing

Jesus.

So what

do we do?

If our

hearts start

beating with

this same

passion that

Jesus has,

what do we

do?

You know,

it's interesting,

there's one

specific thing

we're told to

do, and

it's to pray

persistently.

It's the next

verse actually,

chapter 18,

it's a passage

connected to

this one still,

Jesus tells a

parable,

the first

verse says,

to teach

them, in

light of all

these things,

that they

ought always

to pray,

and never

to give up.

For someone

who's on your

heart,

for people you

haven't met yet,

or you'll be

with this week,

we must be

on our knees

for our

neighbors.

prayers.

If you need

somewhere to

start, take

this prayer

guide, and

the very

first item

this week,

pray for

specific

opportunities

to engage

meaningfully

with those

in your

neighborhood

who do

not know

Jesus.

There's one

if you need

something to

pick, pray

that this

week, and

then don't

stop praying.

Keep

praying

persistently.

I don't know

anything better

than praying

for someone

to help lead

our hearts

toward loving

them

intentionally.

Don't be

preoccupied

with your

life.

If you get

preoccupied

with something,

let it be

with giving

others a

taste of

the kingdom,

showing them

the love

of King

Jesus.

How can I

love them?

How can we

get more

time together?

Some of us

are very well

trained at this

point to say,

oh, I don't

want to make

somebody a

project to

treat them as

though they're

just something

I can use to

get a feather

in my Christian

cap.

Y'all,

that's true,

but can I

be honest

with you?

That's just

by and large

not our

problem.

Talking about

Jesus too

much with

other people.

When you

have two of

your friends

come to me

and complain

that you

won't leave

them alone

about Jesus

and you

keep sharing

your heart

about eternity

with them,

then we'll

talk about

that problem.

Let's not

hide behind

that.

avoid loving

people intentionally

and sharing

with them

the hope

of our

Savior.

Last thing,

we get to do

that with

great joy.

What's so

exciting about

this?

It's because I

could berate

you and say,

leave here with

a guilt trip

that you should

do this more

and if you

don't,

your friends

and neighbors

will go to

hell.

Y'all,

what's the

one thing

that must

be done

to secure

their eternity?

There's one

thing that's

required

and it's

not on your

list.

What did

Jesus tell us?

One thing

that must

happen,

he must

suffer

and be

rejected.

He must

go to the

cross

and he

has

done it.

It's

finished.

All that's

needed

to secure

your eternity,

my eternity

and that

of your

neighbors,

Jesus

has

done

and so

we get

to go

not with

intense

pressure

but with

great joy

to tell

them about

a Savior

who loves

them and

has died

for them.

It's why

we keep

pointing each

other to

Him.

As we

wait in

every

circumstance

for Him

to return,

we remember

that the

hard work

to secure

eternity

has been

done.

It's

over.

So we

exhale.

So we

rest in

hope.

And so

we rejoice

in telling

forth the

glories of

the eternal

kingdom and

the gracious

King to

everyone,

everywhere.

Amen?

Let's

pray.

Jesus,

you have

given us

eternal

hope.

Let us

see it

clearly this

morning.

And would

you break

our hearts

for the

reality

of separate

eternal

destinies?

of anyone

not getting

to be

with you

forever.

See,

the glory

of God

in the

face of

Jesus

Christ.

And would

we long

that all

of our

family and

friends,

that all

of Huntsville,

that everyone

we touch

would be there

with us

to know

Him,

to glory

in Him

forever.

forever.

We ask

it in

His name.

Amen.

For more

information,

visit us

online at

southwood.org.