The Sermon: Luke 17:20-33

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, ²¹ nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” ²² 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. ²³ And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. ²⁴ 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. ²⁵ But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot–they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹ but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all– ³⁰ so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ 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. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Theme: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

I. Rejoice! This very day the Kingdom of God is already within you.

II. Stay ready! On Judgment Day the Kingdom of God will be fully revealed.

Sermon Worksheet:

Define the Kingdom of God:

What did Jesus do to secure our place in the Kingdom of God?

How can the Kingdom of God be “within you”?

On what day will the Kingdom of God finally be visible to all people?

What two examples of Judgment Day “fire drills” does Jesus point to?

What lesson is Jesus teaching when He says, “Remember Lot’s wife”?

Describe the attitude we should have toward our earthly belongings:

What verdict will King Jesus pronounce to you on Judgment Day? Why?

How does the Good News of salvation help us stay ready for His coming?