Summary
Pastor Jon Noyes preaches out of Luke 17:20–37, reminding us that the Kingdom of God has already come in the person of Jesus Christ, but its final consummation is still to come. He urges us to live with urgency, spiritual attentiveness, and wholehearted devotion, warning that while the invitation to the Kingdom is open now, it will not remain open forever.
Transcript
Yeah, so she'll send me back and then I'll look and then I'll, yeah. And then sure enough, man, it's Thursday. She comes out three minutes later, looks right where I was looking and then, yeah. Have you guys resonate with that at all? I hope I'm not the only one and I feel like an idiot because I've missed my khakis, yeah, thank you, honesty. And I've misplaced them or at least I thought I misplaced them. I've been looking for them and even though that very thing I'm looking for is right in front of me, I still don't see it. Well, I think that that's the key principle of what's going on in this passage today. You know, I think that sometimes the things we're searching for, they're right in front of us. And we miss it because we're not looking for it with the right eyes. And I think that that's actually the tragedy that we see in this text. The Pharisees, they're searching for the kingdom of God, which is an admirable search, but they miss it. Why do they miss it? Well, because they're not looking in the right place or at the right person, they don't recognize that the king of the kingdom has already come. And Jesus' words here, I think are extremely relevant for us today, just as relevant as they were for the Pharisees and his disciples 2000 years ago. Here he gives us a clear and a very urgent message. The kingdom of God has already come. And the gates are open. But they won't always be open. There will come a day when the gates of the kingdom will become closed. And so I want to walk us through Jesus' words to the best of my ability. Just I just pray that you guys give me grace as we do it and hopefully not take all morning to do it. So here's the first thing that Jesus says. He says, the kingdom is already here. Luke tells us that the Pharisees came to Jesus with a question. When's the kingdom of God coming? And it sounds like a noble, admirable, honest question on his face right out the gate. But the question reveals a misunderstanding and actually I think it reveals a rejection of everything that Jesus has been saying and doing. They weren't really asking when the kingdom is coming because they believe that it would come. No doubt that was part of their worldview, part of their theology. The problem is how they thought the kingdom was to come, how they thought the kingdom was going to arrive. And who did they think the kingdom was going to be ushered in by? You guys can talk to me this morning. It's okay. A king, a Messiah, a warrior. And how what did that transformation look like? What did that conquering look like? Well, they thought that the kingdom of God would come through visual power, political dominance, a national restoration. They were expecting signs, a cosmic upheaval, military conquest, a Messiah who would crush Rome and vindicate Israel. But Jesus, he doesn't give them the sign that they're looking for. Instead, he gives them a correction. The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, "Look here it is," or "There it is." But behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. Now, we're running into my first problem here, guys. In some of your Bibles, it's going to say something different, which we're going to get to in a minute. But this key phrase here is in your midst. It can also be translated among you. And it means the kingdom isn't a place, it's a person. And that person is standing right in front of you is what Jesus is saying. In other words, you're looking for a spectacle, but Jesus, he offered presence. And they were waiting for an empire, but Jesus, he was building a kingdom. And then some of your Bibles are going to say, "I don't know if you guys have this translation." One of them, there's many translations that say, "The kingdom of God is within you." Does anybody have that in their Bibles right now? "The kingdom of God is within you." It's a lot of translations say this. And that means it could be interpreted as that the kingdom is purely internal. It's a spiritual reality inside the hearts of believers. As the spirit of God is churning and turning that out of stone into a heart of flesh. That is the kingdom building. That's the kingdom within you. And that's actually the majority view out there as I did my research for this passage. And it emphasizes an inward transformation that the spirit brings in the life of every believer. And I'd push back at that reading actually. I don't think Jesus is speaking about a subjective private experience. I think instead Jesus meant that the kingdom is among you. And that's why it's translated that way in NASB, which is what I preach from. So while the kingdom, yes, it's in the hearts and the minds of the believer. It certainly doesn't stay there. Why do I believe this? Going against a lot of respectable theologians and preachers. Well, because Jesus, he was standing right in front of these guys. And where the king is, the kingdom is. And so what's Jesus saying? Jesus, I think it just seems clear to me. Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God has been in you, missed and I've been walking among you. You know, and you've just missed it because you've missed me is what Jesus is saying. So this is the religious establishment and the tragedy here, the tragedy in our story among the Pharisees. Is that they weren't just blind to the kingdom. They were blind to the signs. They were blind to the Savior. They were blind to the kingdom, which had already come and then they didn't recognize him. And listen, I could be wrong on this interpretation and I'm okay with that. But I think that this makes better sense of everything else that we believe as far as Christians as being a Christian. I think it makes sense to believe that the kingdom is already present because the king has come quietly and humbly. And he's come not in just the internal workings in the believer, but he came in the person of Jesus. And it was already at work healing the sick. The kingdom is responsible, the ushering in of the kingdom is responsible for these things, the healing of the sick, the casting out of the demons, the reconciling enemies, the call to sinners to repentance. And but it's not going to be raining hidden, even if it is hidden for a little bit, it's going to explode out into the world. And at its core, I think that the kingdom of God is about rescuing people from the grip of sin and darkness and restoring them to life giving relationship with God. So the rescue mission was already underway in the preaching and in the healing and in the presence of Jesus. I think that's what Jesus is telling them. The kingdom is in your midst is what he says. So in other words, Jesus's ministry isn't pointing toward the kingdom. It is the kingdom itself. Every healing is the king pushing back on the curse. Every parable is a window into his rule. Every forgiveness is a taste of that final day when there's a full consummation of heaven and earth. Every meal with every sinner is a preview of the banquet that's still to come in the future. And even so, the Pharisees who were standing there and experienced it, they missed it. Why'd they miss it? Well, they missed it because they were looking for that political revolution, that not a suffering savior. They wanted a throne and not a cross. They were asking, when will God's reign come? And Jesus is saying, it's already here. You're looking at him is what he's saying to them. The kingdom is not just in our midst. It's also on the move. And Jesus is reign. It's not just personal. This is why I don't think it's just a hat movement. I don't think it's just a personal thing with us. I think it's global and we see that happening today. Jesus's authority, it's not just over the church. It's over every square inch of creation. And this should change, I think, the way that we live as believers today. People today are still looking, I think, for kingdoms in wrong places. Some of us look for kingdoms and the kingdom to come in politics, thinking the right government will finally bring peace. Some of it look for an activism, thinking we can build a utopia with the right laws and get behind the right cause. Others, we're waiting for signs and we study prophecy chats, scanning news headlines, trying to calculate the same thing that the Pharisees are asking. When will the kingdom fully come? But Jesus, he says, don't look there. He says, look here. Look at me. So I want to employ you today, guys. Look to Jesus. Look to Jesus. The satisfaction that we all yearn for in our hearts and minds is found in the person in the work of Jesus. He is that kingdom. And no, he doesn't bring the kingdom the way that we might expect. He certainly doesn't bring the kingdom through a career share or spectacle or domination. He brings it quietly. He brings it powerfully. He brings it relationally, one person at a time. It's incremental. He brings it in a manger with shepherds. He brings it on a donkey with crowds. He brings it at a table with sinners. He brings it on a cross with rebels. Now he brings it through his word preached and through spirit-filled believers. In the kingdom, it doesn't come. It doesn't come with fanfare. It comes with Jesus. So let me ask us the question. Are we missing the kingdom? Are you missing the kingdom because you're looking for something more impressive? Have you overlooked the slow, quiet work of the spirit in your life because it's not flashy enough? Are you waiting or feeling for a miracle, yearning for a burning in your bosom, as our Mormon friends might say? You want a sign. You want to wonder when Jesus is simply inviting you to follow him today. Have you grown bored with the ordinary means of grace? Prayer, Scripture, community, because they feel too small. The Pharisees miss the kingdom because they miss the king. And church, loved ones, it's not about living rightly. That's not what I'm saying. But it is about not making the same mistakes that the Pharisees made. Once Jesus introduces himself to us, we begin to build the kingdom through the power of the spirit. You and I, we bear an immense weight in making this world right. It's a healthy way. It's a good weight. But you and I have been filled with the Holy Spirit in order to combat evil in this world. That's kingdom work. When we stand for righteousness, just as Pastor Jeremy prayed, and we hold firm to the biblical ethics, it's not about gaining salvation. It's because you've already been giving salvation. You're already kingdom citizens. And now what we're to be doing is building the kingdom here through chasing Christ's righteousness. So Jesus, he tells the Pharisees that the kingdom is already in our midst, the king's here. The reign of God has broken into the world through the person of Christ. But that's not the whole story. Because while the kingdom has come, it's not come in full yet. We do have glory awaiting us. And to the Pharisees, Jesus says, yes, the kingdom is here, but now turning to his disciples, Jesus says, one day, I'll return. So the kingdom has come in humility, but when it comes again, it's coming in glory. This is something I wrestle with and confront often as I'm on college campuses or churches, or just going down the Santa Monica Pier and trying to get into conversations with people. The most common objection that's always brought up has to do with the problem of evil, pain and suffering. And people, what they yearn for, they ask, you know, would God allow all this suffering? What they're really yearning for is everything to be made right. That's what they want. And so do you and so do I, I think, right? But then I think we fail to realize what we're actually asking for, for everything to be made right. Because for everything to be made right, Jesus is coming back. And when Jesus came the first time, they didn't get a conquering king like they wanted. They got Jesus a suffering servant. But when Jesus comes back again, you're not getting Jesus meek and mild. We're getting the lion from the tribe of Judah. And as I mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, guys, the gate is open. The way to heaven is still open, but at that moment it shuts. C.S. Lewis, he says, I love it. He says, I wonder if we realize what we're quite asking for when we ask for God to come back. He says, when the author walks on the stage, the play is over. The play is over. We're not getting Jesus meek and mild, but that day will come, that day of judgment, which we're going to get into a little bit. It is coming, but it's not yet, thank God, in my view. We're going to get to that another difficulty. And in the meantime, waiting for the full consummation of the kingdom, you guys, Christian, we're not waiting around for the world simply to fall apart. We're not shrinking back, hoping for some type of helicopter rescue. We're advancing, not by the sword or by vote or culture war, but by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're advancing by the truth. We're advancing by the spirit, working through His people. When a family disciples their children, the kingdom grows. When a worker does their job with honesty, integrity, and joy, the kingdom grows. When the church loves its community with truth, they encourage the kingdom grows. When a nation turns from idols to Christ, a kingdom grows. We don't build the kingdom on our own strength, but we do extend it as the gospel bears fruit in every sphere of our life. There's no neutrality. And the question is, are you guys living like the kingdom is winning or the kingdom is losing? Are we living like the kingdom is retreating or the kingdom is growing? Because I don't want us to miss this, that there's a king and he's already at work. And even if we don't necessarily understand what he's doing, he's is doing something. Like we were ambassadors for Christ, so 2 Corinthians 520, right? Therefore, you are ambassadors of Christ begging on behalf of Christ to reconcile to God. You're an ambassador. What's an ambassador? A representative. We right now, we represent the kingdom of God as we sit in these seats. I can't think of a better place for this message. I wish that playground was filled with children and parents and this table is full. I wish there were people all over because they need to hear it, because this is the message of the kingdom. We represent the kingdom here, that the church is the representation of the kingdom. And more, the church is the manifestation of the kingdom. And the kingdom is advancing and it's crashing, it's advancing and crashing into the gates of hell. And the gates of hell will never prevail against it. We do win. And so now Jesus shifts his focus from the skeptics, from the Pharisees, from the establishment over to his believers. And from those who are spiritually blind to those who have begun to see. And he prepares them for what's coming. He says, "The days will come when you will no longer see one of the days of the Son of Man. And you will not see it." He's wanting them. There's going to be a gap. There's going to be a delay is what he's saying. After his resurrection, this is what Jesus is telling his guys, after his resurrection and his ascension, there's going to be a longing within us. There will be suffering. There will be temptation to grow weary of. People are going to wonder, where did Jesus go? People are going to want to grasp at false hope. We are going to want to follow distractions. But that's why he continues here in verse 23. They'll say to you, "Look there, or look here. Do not go away and do not run after them for just like the lightning. When it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day." In other words, Jesus is telling us, don't chase predictions, don't follow fads, don't get distracted by the loudest voices, the biggest crowds, the brightest lights, the latest claims and fads. When the Son of Man returns, no one's going to miss it, guys. No one is going to miss it. It's like we're privileged here in Southern California. Some of our kids probably have never experienced a lightning storm. Like not a real, have you guys ever been in a real lightning storm? Where it rumbles everything around you. You can't miss it. Here in California, you'll be like, was that thunder? It's not going to be like that when Jesus comes again. It's going to be a pound lightning. There's no question in our mind. We're going to be like, am I still alive? Where did that lightning hit? That's what Jesus is saying. It's going to be immediate and obvious. No questions. But not only is it going to be immediate and obvious, it's going to be final. So I want to employ us today. I beg you. Who is it that is in your sphere of influence right now that doesn't know who Jesus is? Pray for them. But more than pray, go to them. Beg them on behalf of God to be reconciled. Because when Jesus comes back, that lightning just might strike them. And the door's not open anymore. Talk to them. But first, before the glory comes the cross. But first, He must suffer many things is what Jesus says, verse 25. First, He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. There's no crown without a cross. There's no kingdom without Calvary. And Jesus reminds those that He's teaching that suffering comes before glory. Rejection comes before vindication. And this wasn't just true for Jesus. It's true for us too. We live in the tension of an already and not yet world. The kingdom is already here, but it's not yet fully consummated. We follow a risen king, but we live in a fallen world. So how do we as believers live in that tension? Well, Jesus, He gives us two examples. He gives us Noah and Lot. Just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and they were drinking and they were marrying. Until that day, until the day that Noah entered the act and the flood came and destroyed them all. Verse 28, it was the same as happened in the days of Lot. Then he goes on to say that, "But on that day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all." What's Jesus' point here? It's not that I don't think it's that people are especially wicked, though I think we are especially wicked. His point is that people are especially distracted. His point is that those people in those places and at those times, they were living their lives, they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were building, they were doing normal things, even good things. They weren't doing just bad things, they were doing good things, but they did them with no reference to God, no sense of urgency, no thought of judgment. There's nothing wrong, friends, with eating, with drinking, with marrying, with building. There's nothing wrong with these things, but that's the point. They were so caught up in the ordinary that they missed the extraordinary. They ignored the warning. You see, they laughed at the act. "Ark, ark." They dismissed Lot, and then it was too late. It was too late when the judgment came, when the brimstone fell and the flood waters rose. And this is, I think, the danger of living a life with no horizon, nothing off in the future to look towards, with no view of the return of Christ. It's not that you become a monster, it's that you become numb. You lose your sense of urgency, you become spiritually sleepy, you start living like this life is all that there is. You see, Jesus here, he's warning us. "Don't fall asleep." I'm reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians. Before I was a Christian, Rhianna was bringing me to church. And the church that we were attending down in Studio City was heavily influenced by the arts, like lots of artists there. So there was singers and broad-waste stars and dancers. One of our really good friends is a break dance-up part of the Groovaloos, if you guys are break friends, founder of the Groovaloos. Anyways, they were heavy into the acts, and I remember that we went to something. Do you remember this? I still have this little postcard framed. And the scripture on it was Paul's words from Ephesians, "Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." A rise, you see, I remember I wanted it, and I framed it, and Rhianna was like, "You know that scripture, right? I don't care, it's cool." And then sure enough, he fast forward a couple of years, and here I am. If you find yourself sleeping, I get it. I'm tired. Guys, I've got four daughters, three teenagers. Help, help. I'm tired. But let's not fall asleep. If this is you awake, awake you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. And not only will he shine on you, he'll shine through you. And church, don't confuse God's patience with passivity either. He hasn't forgotten, he hasn't delayed because he's disinterested. He hasn't delayed this final consummation because he's ignorant of anything. He's delayed because he's merciful. The call is urgent. Don't mistake delay for indifference. Don't confuse grace with approval. God is patient, but he's not passive, not ever. Peter, I think he says it really, really well in 2 Peter. He says, "The Lord's not slow about his promises, but his patience towards you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." You see, every single day he tarries, every single day he waits is another day for salvation. But on that day, the door's gonna close. So your mom, your dad, your brother, your sister, your cousin, your aunt, your uncle, your coworker, your kids, friends, any of them, and every one of them who don't know who Jesus is, they're shut out. And Jesus could come back tonight. I pray he doesn't. I pray he tears because I love my family and I just want them to know who Jesus is. Not for this life, but for the one to come. Because friends, on that day of judgment, that person in your mind right now, that person that you're recognizing in your mind, you all have that person in your mind right now that doesn't know who Jesus, this life is quite literally the best that they'll ever have. Because it only gets worse, apart from Christ. You see, on that day, the only thing that matters is, do you know the King? Do you know the King? He's not gonna ask you to approve yourself, he's not gonna ask for evidence of your salvation. He already knows. When we get to the judgment throne of God and stand before him, he's not gonna ask you those things. He's gonna ask you one question. He's gonna ask you, what have you done with my son? What have you done with him? Like I said before, the judgment didn't come when people were being especially wicked. It came when they were being especially distracted. The Son of Man's return will expose our priorities now. Pastor David, I love you. One of the beautiful things about Soli is that your pastoral team don't all agree. So Pastor David has been extremely patient right now and hasn't stood up and, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus." Because there's a different interpretation. And this is, I think, a more sobering interpretation even, maybe, of this passage. I told you at front guys, there's some questions for me. I don't know where I land on this yet. I know what I just said is true. I know Jesus is coming back, right David? I know Jesus is coming back. I don't necessarily know what Jesus was trying to say here, because I think he said that, he's meaning that. But also I think that there's a more sobering interpretation and I'm walking there. And this interpretation suggests that Jesus' words may have had a near term fulfillment as well as a future fulfillment. A near term historical fulfillment. R.C. Sproul, who I love listening to, he helped my mind wrap him around this. And he points out that Jesus, he may not only be speaking of the final judgment, but also of a more immediate one, namely the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. So just a few chapters later, Luke, in Luke 21, Jesus says this, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies and recognize that their desolation is near." And that's exactly what happened, right? Within one generation of this, of Jesus, one generation of Jesus, within one generation Rome completely came in and leveled Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed. I learned this during the research. It was a Holocaust. Did you know more than one million Jewish people were slaughtered? Very few survived. The only reason why we know about it is because Josephus escaped and wrote about it so we can read about it. Over a million lives were lost and early Christians who remember Jesus' words, they fled to the hills, not to the city, because they remembered Jesus' warning. They took his words literally and ran to the hills. And that's the only reason why Christianity wasn't stomped out at that time, which is amazing. They were spared, but many others stayed. They thought that the city was the secure place and they all perished. Even Jesus' cryptic line that we have this morning where the vultures of some of your translations say "egals," where the eagles gather, there the corpse will be. That may point to this judgment that I'm talking about, 70 AD. I believe that the vultures or the eagles are veiled references to the Roman legions who symbol on their shields and on their chests were eagles. In that case, Jesus wasn't being abstract. He was being chillingly accurate. So is Jesus talking about the final judgment or is he talking about the judgment that's coming from Rome on Jerusalem? I have no idea. Maybe he's talking about both. Maybe he's talking about both. Like many Old Testament prophets, Jesus sometimes speaks with a kind of a double vision in view. The judgment on Jerusalem was real. It was historical. It was devastating. And maybe that judgment on Jerusalem foreshadows the greater judgment still to come. That's the point. I got an amen from David. Hallelujah. The point no matter what view you take on this is don't ignore the warnings. When Jesus speaks of judgment, he means it. So now we're out of that difficult passage, well that part of the passage. So Jesus, he tells us that his return is going to be sudden. It's going to be unmistakable. It's going to be final. And just like in the days of Noah and Lot, judgment will fall when people least expect it. Not because they were doing something obviously evil, but because they were living as if eternity didn't matter. And Jesus now, he takes it one step further. It's not just that his return will surprise the distracted. It's that it'll separate the devoted from the divided. And now Jesus, he gets super personal here. He tells us what kind of hat will be ready for his coming. And what kind of hat will turn back and be lost. So when Jesus speaks with urgency and clarity here, he actually means that this is important. On that day, the one who's on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out. And likewise, the one who's in the field must not turn back. And why is he including this detail? Because in the moment of crisis, guys, what do you reach for? Because what you reach for in moments of crisis reveals what you treasure. The hill fire, oh, not the hill fire. What was that fire that came through our mountain fire? So I'm sitting in my office. I smell some smoke and I go up in my neighborhoods flooded with smoke. And I'm like, wow, this is interesting. So typical me, I'm just the home alone with my dogs. I go back down to my office, of course, like any sane person would do. It's just smoke. And then I text a friend who does some major firefighting stuff. He's one of the top guys. And he's like, I'll check on the fire. Let me see. He texts me back about 10 minutes later. He's like, have you left yet? I said, no, why? He's like, you need to get out now. I went out and I looked in my, out my balcony. And all I saw, I saw flames coming here. I saw this house up at the top of my street when I went down the street already on fire. So I ran into my house and what we grab shows what I value. So what do they grab? I grabbed the computer, my gun, and I don't think anything else. I had my suitcase because I traveled so much that something is always packed for me. So I grabbed my suitcase and I left. I didn't even grab the dogs yet. I left the dogs. I could do without the dogs, honestly. I know that whatever, whatever I could do without the dogs. I actually ended up turning, I ended up turning back and driving into that mess to get the dogs. And as I'm driving away, my C in my ring camera, as I'm driving away, getting the stupid dogs, all of a sudden my front yard lights on fire. Gone. What we grab in moments of crisis tells you what you value. You know what I value? I value the pictures that are on that computer that we haven't even started that computer up in probably 10 years. Five years. It's an old computer that we just keep because we don't know how to load the old stuff to the cloud. So it's just there. Every time something happens, we grab that stupid thing. And that's pretty much it. My gun. I don't even know. I think my gun just because I didn't want somebody to steal it. So it's like, what do you value? And that's what Jesus is getting to here. The message is urgent. What are you going to grab when the day of the Lord arrives? You see, there's not going to be any time for delay. There's no time for us to collect our things. No time to weigh the options in that moment. Divided hats, divided hats are going to be exposed. Remember lots wife. Haunting words. Remember lots wife. It's one of the shortest verses in the Bible and one of the most sobering. Lots wife. She made it out of Sodom. She was almost free. But what did she do? She looked back. And in that moment, her longing for the life she was leaving was greater than her hope for the life God was offering her. She was lost because she looked back longingly to the possessions she was leaving behind. She didn't turn back with her feet. She turned back with her hat and she perished just outside the city. Old salty is what I call her. Old salty. You'll remember it now. You see Jesus, he gives us the example. This example here is a warning. You see, you can get close to salvation and not enter into it. If your heart still belongs to this world, I'm concerned. And then Jesus gives a principle that cuts through all the noise. Whoever strives to save his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life will keep it. I'm reminded of those other words that he says. What does it profit a man to lose his soul and gain the world? This is the upside down logic of kingdom living. The one who tries to preserve their comfort, security and status. The one who clings to this life will ultimately lose everything. But the one who surrenders it all to Christ, the one who dies to self, they'll live forever. You see, the Greek word here, life, can also mean soul. And it's not just about surviving. It's about where you identify as an anchor. It's an identity issue. When Jesus, he's going to illustrate this point for us. He says, I tell you, on that night there'll be two in bed. One will be taken, the other be left. There'll be two women grinding at the same place. One will be taken, the other left. It's a picture of separation. The line will be drawn, not by geography or proximity or family connection, but by loyalty to the king. Two people sitting side by side or sleeping in the same bed, side by side. One knew Jesus, the other didn't. Two women sharing the same task, whatever it might be. One knew Jesus, the other didn't. And I think that this strikes at the head of the establishment and their beliefs at this time, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. To the Pharisees, it's all about geography, where you're from. And it's all about proximity. Who do you know? It's all about family. What lineage are you from? And the return of the Son of Man, it's going to cut through their preconceived understanding of kingdom, citizenry. There'll be no hiding behind these things. There'll be no hiding behind community or lineage or any of it. No riding the coattails of someone else's faith. Each hat will be revealed for what it is, whether you're ready for it or not. Where the body is, there'll also be vultures and gathered, which we already talked about. So I'll leave it there. So what does this mean for us as I start to wrap this thing up? It means the time is now. This is something that I think that every pastor from every pulpit, I hope, is trying to preach this morning that the time is now. There's an urgent call on all of our lives. It means that the time to respond is now. We don't wait to surrender. Don't delay obedience. Don't assume proximity to Jesus and Jesus' people thinking that somehow that's going to save you. Whatever it is that you're dealing with, whatever it is, friends, time is now to deal with it. Squash it. Are you clinging to something that would cause you to look back when the King returns? The call today is total surrender, wholehearted devotion, no divided loyalties, no second thoughts. So then where does this leave us as summary? Let's remember what Jesus has told us in this passage. He says that the Kingdom is already here, not in spectacle, not in political power, but in the person of Jesus. He stands in the midst of the people inviting them, even the Pharisees to see and to receive the reign of God through them. Two, the Kingdom, it will come again. There's judgment. His return, it's going to be sudden, unmistakable and final, like in the days of Noah and Lot. It will bring into everyday life, and it will reign into everyday life, and it will separate the faithful from the indifference, the calls urgent. There's no time for half-hearted discipleship, no room for divided loyalties. Jesus' call is wholehearted readiness today, now, here, because when He comes, it's going to be too late to turn around. And so, yes, there's judgment in this text, but for those who belong to Christ, it's not a passage of fear. It's a passage of fuel. Jesus is reigning now. The Kingdom is advancing now, and we're not waiting for victory. We're working from victory. The victory has already happened. Jesus has already conquered the grave. Satan is his footstool. We live in that victory, and we operate out of that victory. Jesus has already won. We are now, currently, as we sit here, more than conquerors is what the Bible says. And so we need to remember these things, and that we're now already more than these conquerors. We are now, currently, as we sit here, children of the living God. As you sit here now, Christian, as you sit here now, you are more than just a member of solely church or a Christian community. You are co-heirs with Jesus in glory. God has looked at you and claimed you for his own and adopted you into his eternal family. He's purchased you, and there are no returns on the economy of God. And he's placed on you a stamp of approval, and from that stamp of approval, operating out of the resurrection and the ascension, the victory that happened on Calvary, out of that victory, we operate and live every single day in every single part of our life. Whether you eat or drink, do all unto the glory of God, because Jesus is reigning now. There's nothing for us to wait for, and that brings us to this table, this special moment that we do every single week, because while we wait for the kingdom to fully consummate, while we wait for the king to return, we're not waiting alone. Each week we get the privilege, we get to come to Christ's table to remember the king who came and was rejected and crucified, and who rose and who will return again someday. This meal that sits before us of simple things, bread and wine, of simple things, this meal right here, it's the weekly heartbeat of solely church, and it's the weekly heartbeat of the kingdom of Christ. It's the table where the least are welcome, and the sinners are restored, and grace is tasted, and hope is renewed. It's here that God reminds us that this is my body given for you, this is my blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. This table, it's not a reward for the righteous, it's nourishment for the weary. It's sustenance for the pilgrims who are working and waiting for their king to return in victory. So as you come here today, as you, as we rise in a couple minutes and come here today, friends, come with open hands. Come with a ready hat. Come in surrender and in not self-sufficiency. And if you realize that, friends, you're looking in the wrong direction this morning. If you're looking in the wrong direction, if you've become distracted, if you've become divided, if you've become distant, then hear this. The invitation still stands. Come to the table. Enjoy Christ's peace, because the king is still welcoming the least of these to his table of companionship and kingdom list. Come there, not someday, not eventually, but today.