SERMON OUTLINE:
• Signpost #1: God is in Your Midst (vs 20b-21)
• Signpost #2: God's Plan is Unfolding (vs 22-24)
• Signpost #3: God's Time Clock Is Ticking (vs 26-30)
• Signpost #4: God Takes No Pleasure in Our Clinging (vs 31-33)
• Signpost #5: God's Judgments are Individual Judgments (vs 34-37).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• The author Lewis Carroll led a double life.
• Lewis Carroll was a pseudonym; his real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
• To the readers of his nonsense fiction he was Lewis Carroll,
• Author of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'
• (but commonly shortened to ‘Alice in Wonderland’).
• But to the world of mathematics;
• He was known as (Reverend) Charles Lutwidge Dodgson,
• Who was a mathematician at Christ Church, Oxford.
• There is a famous anecdote about Carroll and Queen Victoria.
• (Like most good anecdotes, it isn’t true as Carroll himself refuted it)
• But it's a good story that goes like this.
• Queen Victoria enjoyed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so much,
• That she requested a first edition of Carroll’s next book.
• Carroll duly sent her a copy of the next book he published;
• A mathematical work with the exciting title 'An Elementary Treatise on Determinants'!
• Now many people suffer from a problem;
• That we read about in the book ‘Alice in Wonderland’ - Quote:
• Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
• “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
• “I don’t much care where,” said Alice.
• “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
• “So long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an afterthought.
• “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the cat, “if only you walk long enough.”
• TRANSITION: Many people in life do not know where they are going,
• Both in this life, but also in the life to come!
• Life is not about “getting somewhere”;
• It is about getting to the desired destination.
• That is, knowing God in this life and being with God in the next!
• TRANSITION: From Jesus’ discussions with the Pharisees,
• And then with his disciples,
• We can learn and identify five signposts;
• These five signposts will help us know we’re on the right road.
Signpost #1: God is in Your Midst (vs 20b-21).
“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”
Ill:
• When little Johnny saw his brand-new baby brother for the first time,
• The little baby was screaming continuously.
• During a rare quiet moment;
• The little boy asked his mom, “Where did we get him from?”
• His mother replied, “Your little brother came from heaven.”
• Johnny paused for a moment and said,
• “Yes, I understand now why they threw him out!”
• TRANSITION: Jesus was not thrown out of heaven,
• But rather chose to leave heaven and enter our world.
• We celebrate this event at Christmas time,
• And the theological word for that event is incarnation, meaning "in the flesh."
• In the person of Jesus Christ;
• God became a human being and lived among us.
• He tabernacled (or dwelt), he ‘pitched his tent’ he became flesh & blood.
Note:
• The religious leaders (Pharisees) ask a question:
• "When is the kingdom of God coming?"
• Jesus replied:
• “…the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”
• You might be surprised to know, that simple statement;
• "The kingdom of God is within you";
• Has challenged Bible teachers and interpreters for centuries,
Let me read it again:
• This time from two different English translations;
• Because they reflect what I think are the two main interpretations:
N.I.V:
"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation; nor will people say, 'Here it is' or, 'There it is', because the kingdom of God is with in you”.
N.A.S.B:
"The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst”.
(1). IT MAY MEAN, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.
• The Greek word translated as ‘Kingdom’;
• Sometimes means ‘Kingship’ (‘rule, reign, sovereignty’)
• Many English translations of the Bible translate it this way;
• “The kingdom of God is within”.
• If that is the case here;
• Jesus is saying; “The kingdom of God is at work in the heart peoples”.
• i.e. IF the king (Jesus Christ) is controlling you. Then he is ruling in his kingdom;
• And his kingdom at this moment and time is in the lives of his people.
• One day in the future there will be an earthly kingdom;
• But until that time, the kingdom of God is ‘within’ the hearts and minds of his people.
(2). IT MAY MEAN, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AMONG YOU.
• That would refer to Jesus himself.
• He was the very embodiment of the kingdom, and they did not recognize him.
• Jesus tells the Pharisees "You want the Kingdom of God, then open your eyes….
• It's standing right in front of you!"
• In other words:
• The presence and power and rule of God were all made visible in Jesus Christ!
• He is telling these Pharisees to look to the ‘here and now’,
• And not just look into the distant future.
Sadly, because the Pharisees were preoccupied with the great events of the future;
• They were ignoring the opportunities of the present.
• They were so spiritually blind;
• That they were searching for a kingdom, while looking at the king!
• In fact, is they wanted the kingdom,
• But did not want the king of that kingdom!
Signpost #2: God's Plan Is Unfolding (vs 22-24):
• Quote: “Plan ahead, it was not raining when Noah built the ark”.
• God has a plan for his world, and he is never taken by surprise!
“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. 23Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.”
• Having answered the Pharisees, Jesus then turned to His disciples;
• And instructs them about the coming of the kingdom.
• He warned them not to become so obsessed with His return;
• That they end up doing nothing else but trying to track Him
Ill:
• Some folks have their heads so much into the future;
• That they are no good to anyone in the present.
• Quote: A bit like our expression: “So heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!”
• “Some people are so future minded that they are no presently good”
• Jesus warned his followers not to become so obsessed with His return;
• That they end up doing nothing else but trying to figure it all out.
Of course, Jesus could not explain to the Pharisees about His second coming;
• Because they could not even recognize His first coming (incarnation).
• The disciples, on the other hand, had the discernment to see both comings.
• So, Jesus is able to teach them further.
JESUS DOES TELLS THEM TWO FACTS CONCERNING HIS RETURN:
• (1). It will be unmistakable.
• (2). It will be sudden.
(1). It will be unmistakable.
• Now waiting is never easy:
• Quote: Antonio Machado
• “Don't try to rush things: for the cup to run over, it must first be filled.”
• So, Jesus prepares His disciples for the long days of waiting for His return;
• After He leaves the earth.
• Verse 22: He knows the disciples' hearts will yearn for Him;
• And the coming of His kingdom.
• Verse 23: He also knows that a desperate a longing;
• Will make them vulnerable to being misled.
Ill:
• Did you know that they have removed the word ‘gullible’ from the dictionary?
• How many of us hear that and say, “really”?
• It’s an old joke/trap but is still seems to work!
Ill:
• I have worked as a guide on a number of Bible exhibitions,
• And I have discovered this,
• That if you say something confidently, authoritatively, people will believe you.
• Now on a Bible exhibition,
• You may want to be a little bit naughty and throw in a made-up anecdote,
• And visitors would gasp and say, “Wow, I did not know that!”
• Well, obviously you would confess that you added that story to make a point.
• That it was not true, but you were playing a joke, a prank.
• TRANSITION: People are gullible if they are keen to learn!
• It can be a dangerous time.
• Now because waiting is never easy:
• Jesus assures his disciples that their patience,
• Will be gloriously rewarded by His second coming,
• Which will be unmistakable by its speed and worldwide scope.
• It will be as sudden as a flash of lightning across the sky.
(2). It will be sudden:
• It is utter foolishness to follow anyone who says; "He is here!" or "He is there!"
• Because his return will be with a bang not a whisper.
• His first coming was slow & hidden (baby, child, teenager, in Bethlehem & Nazareth);
• His second coming will be fast, visible like ‘lightning lighting up the dark sky’.
Ill:
• According to Google, the speed of a bolt of lightning is;
• 3700 miles per second (or 224,000 miles per hour).
• Now that is fast!
As we study the Bible:
• Remember we are only given the general features of the time of his coming,
• But only general characteristics!
• No-one will ever know the day or the hour (Luke 12:40, 46; Matt. 25:13).
• There is a name for anyone who thinks they have figured it out;
• “Fool” or “Deluded”
Note: (vs 25):
• But before the disciples get too wrapped up in coming glory,
• Jesus first reminds them again, that ‘the Cross’ must come first.
• "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."
• Before Jesus wears the crown and reigns on earth,
• Jesus must experience the cross!
Signpost #3: God's Time Clock Is Ticking (vs 26-30):
“ ‘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 sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 ‘It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
Quote:
“To most people who listen to preachers;
Illustrations are like the ketchup on the burger,
The cream on the strawberries or the chocolate flake in the ice-cream.
You can exist without them but it’s so much tastier when they are there!”
• Most preachers know the value of good illustrations;
• And Jesus used a variety of sources to illustrate his talks.
In verse 26 Jesus uses two illustrations to help his disciples understand:
• He draws on two well known events from the Old Testament;
• To illustrate the certainty and the suddenness of His coming:
• FIRST: The Flood (Genesis chapters 6-8);
• SECOND: The destruction of Sodom (Genesis chapter 19).
• In both examples the people of the world were caught unprepared,
• They were taken up with their everyday activities;
• Of eating, drinking, marrying, buying, & selling etc.
Illustration #1: The Flood;
“ ‘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.
• Noah tried to witness to the people of his day, telling them that a flood was coming;
• But his words did not persuade them nor convert them.
• Instead they mocked him and thought he was talking rubbish.
• Sadly, only Noah. his wife, his three sons, and their wives;
• Were the only eight people who were saved from destruction because they entered into the ark.
Illustration #2: Lot;
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 sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 ‘It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
• Sodom and Gomorrah;
• Have come to be two of the most infamous cities in the history of the world.
• Throughout history, Sodom and Gomorrah have been used as metaphors;
• For rape, homosexuality, sexual immorality, and sexual deviance.
• In Lot's day, the people lived simply for pleasure,
• Only Lot, two of his daughters,
• Were righteous and later saved from the terrible judgment that came on those cities.
• TRANSITION:
• It would seem to me that these verses encourage us to:
• Stay faithful, to stay true while waiting for his return.
• Unfortunately, though,
• Many believers will not be ready when Jesus returns.
• God's time clock is still ticking.
• And Jesus doesn't want us caught unaware.
Signpost #4: God Takes No Pleasure in Our Clinging (vs 31-33)
• Jesus' next piece of counsel reflects a theme he has woven throughout his ministry:
• Our life does not consist of our possessions.
“On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions 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 their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”
• Once again Jesus uses some illustrations;
• This time he draws on two everyday pictures from Jewish life:
Illustration #1:
“On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside,
should go down to get them.
• A simple story of a man on the flat roof of his house;
• Seeing danger approaching he immediately runs down the stairs.
• You might think he is running for safety,
• But sadly, he goes back into his house to rescue his possessions.
Ill:
• When the Fire Alarm sounds, act immediately to ensure your safety,
• You leave the building immediately,
• You never hang around trying to pack up your possessions.
• Because the chances are;
• That the smoke will kill you before the flames of the fire!
• TRANSITION: Jesus gave that advice 2000 years ago,
• Long before your local fire-service!
Illustration #2:
Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!
• This time it’s a worker dressed only in a tunic, working in a field;
• Once again danger suddenly approaches.
• And once again instead of fleeing to safety;
• The labourer runs back into his house to rescue his possessions.
• The point is simple; both of them should have just run to safety,
• And saved their lives,
• Because THAT is the most precious thing that they have!
• But just like Lot’s wife, sadly, both of these people in the stories were also lost;
• Like Lot’s wife, they had a wrong attitude.
Ill:
• Lot's wife, if you remember, thought her life was made up of her house,
• Her community standing, her standard of living.
• She was taken up with materialism;
• Sadly, she mistook these externals for the real life-spiritual life.
• By disobeying the word of God and looking back toward her burning home in Sodom,
• She was clinging to the wrong way of life, and sadly she ultimately lost it all!
• (Genesis chapter 19 verses 24-26).
Ill:
• Billionaire who died and at the reading of his will,
• Someone asked the question: “How much did he leave?”
• The answer came back; “Everything!”
Ill:
• Did you know there are no pockets in the suits that a corpse is buried in?
• Because obviously they don’t need them!
• TRANSITION: I think Jesus in these stories, Jesus is simply telling His disciples:
• To get their priorities right; to keep their hearts clear, to lay up treasure in heaven!
• "Don't lose your life over such transitory, perishable things," He urges.
• The principle to remember is this:
• Holding everything loosely is still the best option worth pursuing,
Quote: Charles Swindoll:
“I’ll never forget a conversation I had with the late Corrie ten Boom.
She said to me, in her broken English:
‘Chuck, I’ve learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!’”
• Though the things mentioned in these verses are not in themselves wrong;
• They can become a hindrance and not a help to the Christian.
Ill:
• An American tourist’s visit to the 19th century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim:
• He was astonished when he saw the Rabbi’s poor home.
• For it was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a bench.
• The tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?”
• “Where is yours” replied the Rabbi.
• “Mine” asked the puzzled American.
• “But I’m a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”
• “So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim.
Tough Question:
• If the Lord's Judgment-Day demolition crew appeared at your door one morning,
• Could you leave everything behind without looking back?
• If not, maybe your grip on things is too tight
• Or maybe things have too tight a grip on you.
(5). God's Judgments Are Individual Judgments (vs 34-37).
• Having drawn a clear difference between those who:
• Live their lives for him and those who live for the things of this world!
• “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.””
• Jesus once again uses a simple everyday illustration;
• To tells his disciples what will happen to both groups.
“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 corn together; one will be taken and the other left.’ [e]
37 ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked.
He replied, ‘Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’”
Notice:
• The verb “Taken” is used twice in verse 34:
• Note: Jesus is not talking about God’s people being taken off to heaven,
• He is talking about people being taken away in judgement.
• Note that it is the person "left."
• The believer who enters into the kingdom.
Think back to the two Old Testament illustrations that this teaching is linked to:
• ill: Noah and his family were "left" to enjoy a new beginning,
• While the whole population of the earth was "taken" in the Flood.
• ill: Lot and his daughters were "left" to a new life.
• While the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were "taken" in judgement;
• When the fire and brimstone destroyed the cities.
Now 3 times the disciples had heard Jesus talk about people being "taken" and "left,":
• So, they asked Him a most logical question:
• "Where, Lord?"
• Jesus replied by quoting a familiar proverb:
• “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather”.
• Just as vultures gather at a corpse,
• So, the lost will be gathered together for judgment.
Listen Up:
• Not a lot of people know this;
• But to this one verse there are at least sixty interpretations to it:
• So, let’s look at them all one by one!!!!!!!!!!!
• Only joking!
• If it helps, I will tell you what I think Jesus is saying.
• I think Jesus means that when the earth is ready for the final judgement;
• That judgement will finally come!
• It’s not complicated and it’s a simple principle to note;
• Judgement will come when the time is right.
And when the Lord Jesus returns to judge His enemies:
• There will be a separation of the saved and the lost.
• Whether it be day or night, whether people are working or sleeping,
• The separation and judgment will come.
• Those who are saved will be left to enter the glorious kingdom of God,
• While those who are lost will be taken away in judgment.
Ill:
• Just before the death of actor W. C. Fields,
• A friend visited W. C. Fields’ hospital room.
• He was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible.
• Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, “I’m looking for loopholes.”
• Bad news is there aren’t any!
• But the good news is, you don’t need a loophole, you just need a saviour!
• And the good news is this, God has provided one!
• What you do with Jesus in this life, will affect the life to come!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=4JEcAFyH2vBIMQjSkRdmYXNpjYEuDy8m
