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Easter Sunday Worship 17 April 2022 : “When the kingdom would come?”

Text: Luke 17:20-37
17 April 2022

INTRODUCTION

1. There were the multitudes who followed the Lord Jesus

a) They admired the Lord Jesus
b) They came to Him because they needed His help
i) To cure their diseases
i) To cast out demons

2. There were Disciples

a) They found faith
b) They followed the Lord Jesus
c) But they had much to learn about the kingdom of God

3. There the opponents

a) The Scribes (Biblical scholars)
b) Pharisees
c) Sadducees
They questioned all that the Lord Jesus stood for and taught!

THE CHALLENGE OF THE PHARISEES

“Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come”   Luke 17:20a

1. A pointed question

“When would the kingdom of God come?”
a) They asked for specifics in terms of time
b) This is always difficult to answer

2. A problematic question

a) If the Lord failed to answer, they could find fault
b) If the Lord did answer, they would wait and see if His answer would be true

THE DISCREET ANSWER OF THE LORD JESUS

20b He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20b-21

1. The Flawed understanding of the Pharisees pointed out

a) They did not fully understand the kingdom of God accurately
b) They saw the Kingdom of God as:
i) An earthly kingdom
ii) Like the old kingdoms of ancient history

2. The Kingdom of God does not come with observation

a) It is not an external kingdom
b) It is an eternal kingdom
c) It is a spiritual kingdom

3. The wrong ways of understanding the Kingdom of God

a) “See here”
b) “See there” (Luke 17:21a)
c) These are all external features

4. The question raised by the Pharisees

a) Not raised up to find an answer
b) Raised up to find fault with whatever answer may be given

5. The kingdom of God is within you   (Luke 17:21b)

a) It is a special work of the Holy Spirit   (John 3:1-21)
b) He regenerates a person
c) He enters into the kingdom of God
d) The Kingdom of God is now within him

A SOLEMN WORD OF WARNING

“22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.”   Luke 17:22-29

1. The days of the Son of Man   (Luke 17:22)

a) This is a reference to the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus
b) After a while, His glorious ministry was taken for granted
c) One day, people will miss it and desire to see one of those special days
d) But that would not happen

2. The next stage of the life of the Son of Man

a) He must suffer many things
b) He will be rejected by this generation

3. The Day of the Lord (The Son of Man)

a) It is compared to the days of Noah   (Luke 17:26)
i) They ate
ii) They drank
iii) They were given in marriage
iv) The flood came
v) Only Noah and his family were saved
b) It is further compared to the days of Lot   (Luke 17:28-29)
i) They ate
ii) They drank
iii) They bought and sold
iv) They planted
v) They built
vi) Fire and brimstone destroyed them all
c) The Return of the Son of Man
i) He will come unexpectedly and suddenly
ii) The lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day   (Luke 17:24)

CONCLUSION

1. Is the Kingdom of God within us?

2. Are we looking forward to the return of the Son of Man?

3. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus is as real as was Noah’s Flood