Luke 17 vs 20-37

Luke Chapter 17 Verses 20 – 21
•A helpful way to look at this interaction is to dissect the words a bit. The literal connotation is that Jesus is being asked this in a spirit of hostility. This word “observation” can also be translated, “hostile examination.” They didn’t really want the answer…they just wanted to right in their own eyes… And Jesus’ answer to them is that with their critical, high-and-mighty, belittling, self-supportive and self-protective cynical, approach and attitude…, (which is to approach God entitled and without a readiness of heart to serve Him as the rightful King…), they will never see the kingdom of God…for the kingdom of God is right there within them, (or dissecting this word), within their midst.
•He was right there. They were talking to the King of the kingdom asking where the King of the kingdom was…. The answer was right there, they’re staring Him in the face, and yet somehow are missing everything entirely! The issue is in order to see the truth and find out (see) what was really going on…they would have to open their hearts to being something completely different. See that’s difficult for the self-supportive, self-protective cynic… That’s how they got that way in the first place!
•The fact is, and a key point to take from this interaction, is that the kingdom of God is never in the condescension of others but only in the condescension of self. What must I do in order to come into the mindset and will of God…? That’s exactly what the King Himself did in order to show forth His own virtue and strength of love and character.
•Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (notice Paul says “IN YOU,” which is precisely where Jesus says you’ll resolve and then discover the key to the Kingdom of God), who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
•Why is it that the Kingdom of God, the King Himself is only possibly accessible through the rejection of pride and the embrace of humility? Because that is precisely His character and exactly the character of heaven. Therefore, it is the personality of holiness. It is the attitude of integrity. It is the persona of power. It is the spirit of and action of love. The reason why we don’t so often get that and we so often miss what is good and joyful and amazing for us in our lives is because we are so weak as to think ourselves more important than others…when God showed us, true strength on display, that while He is God Himself, the strength of love compelled Him to embrace my cross.
•So no, you’ll miss it all, never see what God wants or could do in you, for you and through you if you approach Him entitled and without a readiness of heart to serve Him as the rightful King…
•The other approach to this scene is that Jesus perhaps just stunned them entirely by revealing to them that the entire law is less about what they do and don’t do and more about revealing and dealing with the issue of the heart. That would have stunned them!
•613 dos and don’ts they had… The Hebrew Rabbinical interpretation of the Torah, the Law of Moses, called the Mishnah…detailing how to live your life in order to keep right standing with God…and Jesus just set all of that aside and essentially said to them, “But what’s going on IN you?” This is the real battlefield…
•Perhaps the Pharisee in the crowd actually seeking truth would recall 1 Samuel 16:7 which says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This is something I don’t necessarily like because moments, days, seasons, times and circumstances are and can be very hard…but the truth is God is far more (dare I say completely) concerned not with fixing the circumstance you are in or you have caused but with helping YOU by fixing your heart of hearts.
•Again though, it will never happen unless you humble yourself and WANT Him to change you…you’ll completely miss the kingdom of God for you, in you, and through you….and I’ll tell you, there are many Christians walking around the Body of Christ today, serving their hearts out and ingesting the Word of God and yet missing the joy of the Lord within…why? Just this… Trying to be somebody…working to get for themselves and to save their own self…when God said so clearly, hey, if you want life…lose it for My sake…
•Remember this when you find yourself emotionally or relationally or spiritually at a dead end… head in your hands and on the brink of exhaustion or defeat…the heart of the issue is an issue of the heart. Replace, “Why is this happening to me,” with, “What is God trying to give to me and to teach me right now.” At that moment, everything shifts.
•From the heart flows all of the issues of life… Proverbs 4:23 … are YOU wanting to change? Not your behavior, your OS, who you are, what you believe…not are you open to it, do you want to change? I promise you, based on the authority of the Word of God, this could stun you…that is the real issue!
•Both scenarios, perspectives, ways to look at this, the application right now for you and for me is to seek the kingdom of God in the inner man or inner woman. Seek growth there. Focus your attention and relational objectives with the Lord there. This is exactly the key to truly solving the issue, whatever the issue is, in a real and complete way.
•Jesus told His disciples that above all other things of this world that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…now we know a bit better what He was talking about. Seek to invite and allow the heart work of the Holy Spirit. In teaching His disciples to pray, Jesus said, “Your kingdom come…Your will be done.” This is to be primary in the life of a believer!
Luke Chapter 17 Verses 22 – 24
•I wonder in that moment did one of the men there go from the camp of the Pharisees to the camp of the disciples? It could have happened, you know? From verse 20 to verse 22… I wonder if one, maybe two, just got tired of being so hard and so distant from God…just had enough…and in that moment, between these two verses, came to the Lord. Have you done that yet? Left the camp of the lepers, perhaps. The camp of the pharisees. The camp of the lawyers. The camp of the whatever…fill in the blank. The prideful, the lustful, the addicted, the lost, the depressed…have you left whatever camp you came with and gone over yet to the camp of the disciples? It can happen as fast as two verses…
•A common mistake is that when the prophetical events yet to come such as the rapture which Jesus is talking about here and the second coming which happens after the Great Tribulation, a common confusion is that folks believe that will be mysterious or hidden. Here Jesus makes it clear, specifically talking about the rapture, it will be obvious to the world what has happened.
Luke Chapter 17 Verses 25 – 30
•Ok, what revelation of the Son of Man is Jesus talking about. (Read ahead to verses 34-36) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
•And you say, “But isn’t that for believers, but it seems that Jesus is talking about the whole world here?” Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” And so even at the time of the rapture, it will be an event witnessed by the earth.
•Further, the Great Tribulation is the flood. It is the destruction likened to Sodom here…how do we know that? Because at the time of the second coming (after the Great Tribulation – Rev 19), things aren’t proceeding as normal upon the earth. The situation at that point is described much differently.
•Jesus described for us the state of the world at the time of His second coming and it was severely different than what is being described here. Matthew 24:21-22, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
•And then we have the scene in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 6:15-16, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” Here, people are eating and drinking, and buying and selling, and life goes on…which will be the world when the rapture happens…
•Also, interesting here, Noah is a type of Israel who was saved through the flood while Lot is a type of the church who was saved out of the destruction of Sodom. It’s a neat picture and neat study…
Luke Chapter 17 Verses 31 – 33
•See, when these things happen, what will your work be worth? What will your possessions be worth? When you are left behind by Jesus?
•And “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it…” Does that make sense in speaking of the flood? No way. This is before the flood…this is speaking of the rapture! And pro-tip, if you want to find life, you have to take risks…you have to put yourself out there…you have to be willing to let go of what is of you in order to embrace what is of God. Or you won’t find life…
•And Jesus, speaking of saving your own life, speaks of Lot’s wife. What did she do wrong? Three things…she did not trust God enough to obey Him. Genesis 19:17, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you….lest you be destroyed.” The beginning of our destruction is disobedience to our heavenly Father who loves us. Also, she was attached to Sodom…she had invested herself and had become Sodom in her own heart…and third, she simply looked back. SO much, SO MUCH of growing forward in the Lord is simply going forward and not looking back…
•Which means stop living in your past and start dealing with your past…
Luke Chapter 17 Verse 34 - 37
•This is a cause-and-effect answer by Jesus. Wherever there are bodies, there will be scavenging birds…so too, listen, apply, learn and watch and you will see the kingdom of God…not just in that day…but in you!
•It’s really simple…the Word of God. It’s entirely cause and effect. That’s how promises work. That’s how trust works. It’s the classic, if-then. Just like Lot’s wife. If you trust the Lord, which looks like obedience, if you attach to Him instead of the world or even your self-supportive, self-protecting natural inclination…if you don’t look back, but setting your hand to the plow you press on…even if you hit a rock or a hart patch of soil…you learn how to press harder…you’re open to and actually learning… its…all…an…if….then you will see good days… And your heart will heal as you hear… Make that decision, take those steps, out of the camp of the Pharisee and into the camp of the Disciple…