The King is Coming, Part 6

If you have your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17, we will conclude Luke chapter 17 today. In a couple of weeks, we'll pick up Luke chapter 18. But Luke chapter 17, as we talk about this dominant theme in scripture, the second coming of Christ, it is the most dominant theme in scripture outside of the theme of faith.

And so therefore, we understand how important it is to understand that Jesus Christ is going to come again. We'll address this again in Luke chapter 21, but we'll do it from a different perspective. Here in Luke 17, we're looking particularly at the nature of his coming, him coming in judgment. In Luke 21, we'll look at the sequence of events that lead up to his arrival.

And so as we come to realize this, we realize that Jesus is going to come and establish his kingdom. But before he does, there will be global, worldwide devastation and destruction. The Jews needed to understand that. Jesus talking to the Pharisees would help them come to grips with the reality that the coming of the Messiah would be different than they imagined it would be. And so he has to explain to them that yes, the kingdom will be set up on earth, but that kingdom will be set up only after there has been horrible, devastating judgment on the earth.

Let me read to you the passage that we've been looking at, and then we'll conclude our time together this morning.

Luke chapter 17, verse number 22. And he said to his disciples, or to the disciples, the day shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, look there, look here, do not go away and do not run after them. For just as a 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. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot. They were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

So it will be be just the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let not the one who was on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away. And likewise, let not the one who was in the field turn back. Remember Lot's wife, whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it. I tell you on that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken, the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place.

One will be taken, the other will be left. Two men will be in the field. The one will be taken, the other will be left. And answering they said to him, where Lord? He said to them, where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered. Jesus ends this sermon talking to them about death. That's how he concludes it. About the vultures eating the flesh of men. But let me review for you real quick.

Up on the screen you're going to have our previous six points. Yep, there they are. Because you need to understand what Jesus is saying. We began by telling you several weeks ago that the coming of the King is scripturally defined. All throughout the Bible it's a dominant theme of scripture. Jesus is going to come. Jesus is going to come again. And so you need to understand that because it's so scripturally defined, it is unwisely debated and unwisely disbelieved. If the Lord God, I mean all he has to do is say it one time for it to be true, right?

All he has to do is describe for it for us one time what's going to take place. But he does it over and over again and gives us different aspects of his coming. Because he wants you to understand it. And we've told you it's not hard to believe. It's hard to misunderstand this. That's why it's unwise to debate what is so scripturally and clearly defined and it's unwisely disbelieved by anyone. Number three, we told you it was passionately desired.

Why? Because Jesus says in verse 22, you're going to long to see that day, but you're not going to see it.

Because in the heart of the believer, there's a passion. There's something that erupts in the soul. On Wednesday morning, I'm going to stand on top of Mount Megiddo and I'm going to overlook the Jezreel Valley called commonly the Valley of Armageddon. And in that Jezreel Valley will be the gathering of all the kings of the east to come together to fight against the Lord God. And when I stand on Mount Megiddo, I am so passionate about the coming of the Christ. As I see that huge valley and what's going to take place, I would hope very soon.

I know for certain it's going to take place. And when we make our way from, uh, the, uh, Jerusalem down to, um, uh, Edom down to Petra down to Bozrah to understand all that's going to take place with the arrival of the Messiah. My heart just throbs. It beats profusely just to stand in that land and to know my king is coming. He's coming soon. And for all of us, it should be a passion within our souls that we desire the arrival of our king. Number four, it's universally displayed. We told you that some will say, as Christ said, he's over here.

He's over there. Don't go after them because when the king comes, everybody's going to see him. It will be visible for every eye on the globe to understand that he's coming again. It will be universally displayed. It will be purposely delayed. But first he says, the son of man must suffer.

There must be a crucifixion. There must be a rejection. And then there must be a salvation of Israel. We talked to you about that last week, Zechariah 12, 13 and 14 Acts chapter three, very clearly delineated in scripture that there must be a crucifixion. There must be a rejection, and then there must be a salvation by the nation of Israel. So it will be purposely delayed because God has a unique purpose. And then we told you it will be unexpectedly and catastrophically dispatched. That is, as it was in the days of Noah, as it was in the days of Lot, it will come unexpectedly and it will come catastrophically because it will be a worldwide devastation.

As it was in the days of Noah, there were eight souls that were saved. As it was in the days of Lot, there were three souls that were saved. It will be devastating. It will be so unexpected that men will be doing the same thing they always do. They'll be getting married. They'll be working. They'll be playing. They'll be doing everything they have always done because they are so indifferent to the warnings. They just don't care. They could care less the fact that Jesus is coming again, in spite of the fact that there has been worldwide judgment upon the earth.

In fact, it's described in the Old Testament as a day of doom six times, a day of vengeance four times. In the New Testament, it's called the day of wrath, the day of visitation, the great day of God the Almighty. That's the day. But men will just keep on doing what they've always done and the Son of Man will come unexpectedly, catastrophically, and there will be huge judgment upon the earth. That's what we've covered up to this point. You see, that review wasn't very long at all, was it? That's because I have to finish the chapter today.

Okay, so point number seven. Here it is. It will be personally disclosing. It will be personally disclosing. That is, God will reveal the heart of every man for all the world to see. It will be personally disclosing. It will reveal where you stand with Christ. Verse number 31. On that day, let not the one who was on the housetop, whose goods are in the house, go down to take them away. And likewise, let not the one who was in the field turn back. Remember when Jesus was born? And eight days after his birth, he went to the temple for dedication.

Mary and Joseph took him to that temple. There was a man there by the name of Simeon, who was promised by God that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ. Wow, what a promise. The man lived in the light of the appearing of the Messiah. He longed for it every day. This is what he said to Mary. He said, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul, Mary, to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

The hearts of man will be revealed because of this child, the Messiah. Well, they will be fully revealed when he comes a second time.

And so what is taking place here is that God is helping you understand, as he speaks his word, that when the Messiah comes, he's going to be able to reveal where your treasure really lies, where you really live. Over in Matthew 24, verse 15, this is how Christ states it. Matthew 24, verse number 15. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house.

And let him who is in the field turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days. But pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation such as not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever shall. Christ says there's going to come a time in the tribulation because Matthew 24 is about what's going to happen during that seven-year period.

In the middle there'll be what is called, as Daniel the prophet says, the abomination of desolation where the Antichrist comes and sets up himself as God. He declares to be God and to be worshipped as God and desecrates the temple. At that time, when that time happens, you got to go. You got to run. Why? Because that escalates the judgment of God upon the earth. If you're on top of the house, don't go down and get your goods because there's no time. You've got to run. Now we live in a day where there are fires here in Southern California.

If someone says there's going to be a fire sweeping your way, you're going to have to leave your home. What do you do? You gather all your belongings, right? You gather all those things that are precious to you and you leave your location. You go to a hotel or to a friend's house and you wait to, well, either the fire's out or your house burns down, right? In the East Coast, there's a hurricane coming. So what do you do? You board up everything. You take out your belongings and you go to a hotel.

You go inland so you're not destroyed by the hurricane. Well, we do that because we expect to go back. At this time, there is no going back. The judgment's final. It's worldwide. It's devastating. What Christ is saying here is that if you're one of those who wants to go back, you have revealed where your heart really is. It's in the world. If you're in the tribulation, which you won't be if you're a believer because you'll be gone. But at this time, if you're there and you want to go back and receive your goods, you are telling us that that's where your heart really lies.

That's why Christ says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Why? Because they're all passing away. Everything's going to be destroyed. Don't love it. It's not going to last. And Christ says that when he comes, the hearts of men will be revealed because he says, whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.

That's the phrase that Christ has used over and over and over again when it comes to presenting the gospel. He did it back in Luke chapter 9. Remember that? Luke chapter 9, verse number 23. Christ talked about the son of man being rejected in verse 22. He says, if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

You see, Christ in his gospel presentation helps men understand that if you're going to follow him, you must lose your life to gain his life. If you want to keep your life, you'll lose it in the future. What Christ says in Luke 17, the same thing he's been saying all along.

But the difference is, is that we know that Matthew 13 talks about the tares being sown among the wheat. We understand that. We don't necessarily know who all the tares are. The Bible says in that parable of the wheat and the tares, that while men slept, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat.

And you know, it's really a picture of the church on how we sleep and the tares coming in among us because we are so disillusioned by what's happening and we're not careful. But the Satan sows the tares among the wheat. And then Christ gives the explanation of the wheat and tares in his parable and tells us that the son of man sows the seeds. And he tells us that at the end of the age, there will be a separation. There'll be a separation of the tares and the wheat, but you won't know who they are to the end.

Christ is letting you know that those in the end will be those tares who go down to their house to get what is important to them. And that's why he uses the phrase, remember Lot's wife. And what prompted that was the phrase he used right before that, right before verse 32, he says, let not the one who was in the field turn back. And then he said, remember Lot's wife, because she's the classic illustration of someone who turned back. Go with me back to Genesis chapter 19, just for a moment. Genesis chapter 19.

Remember Lot's wife doesn't have a name. She had a name, we just don't know what it is. Because the righteous will be remembered forever. Those who aren't, won't. And she wasn't righteous. But here's the crucial thing. Listen carefully. She was among the righteous. But she was not a part of the righteous. Because she was attached to the unrighteous. Did you get that? She was among the righteous, but she was not a part of the righteous, because she was attached to unrighteousness. She was attached to the world.

That's why she had to turn back. That's why she disobeyed the word of God. Story goes as follows. Verse 16, Genesis 19, that's where we'll pick it up. But he, that is Lot, hesitated. So the men, that is the two angels, seized his hand in the hand of his wife, in the hands of his two daughters. For the compassion of the Lord was upon him. And they brought him out and put him outside the city. And it came about when they had brought them outside, that one said, escape for your life. Do not look behind you.

And do not stay anywhere in the valley. Escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away. But Lot said to them, oh no my lords. Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please let me escape there.

Is it not too small, that my life may be saved? He said to him, behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. And the Lord reigned on Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

But his wife from behind him looked back. She became a pillar of salt. This story, this story is about the tares in the church among the wheat. This story is about the people who pretend in the pew. This story is about those who look righteous, but are not. Lot was a righteous man. Peter tells us that. So we know that Lot was a righteous man. Lot's wife, whatever her name is or was, was married to Lot. She was among a righteous man, but she was not a part of his righteous life. And the reason that is, is because she was attached to the world.

You might be here today, you might be married to someone in your family, a wife or a husband, who is righteous, and you are not. You come to church because you are among the righteous, but you're not a part of them, because your heart is still attached to the world. And we told you last week during our communion time, the element of being attached to the world means simply that you desire the world. That's why she looked back. Remember the text says in verse 26, but his wife from behind him. That's very important.

Why? Because being behind Lot, who was righteous, he could not see her. He could not see her. That's why she lagged behind. She wanted to conceal her activity, so no one would know. If she could not be seen, she could not be scolded. No accountability. If she was beside Lot or in front of Lot, he could make sure that she didn't look back and was continually pressing on. But she desired the world, so she stood behind the righteous Lot. So she could not be seen. So she could not be scolded. So she could not be stopped.

Because in the bottom of her heart, she longed for Sodom. She was a Sodomite. She was, because her whole life was about Sodom. And she was married to a righteous man. She desired the world so much that she would defy the word of Almighty God. Don't look back. She disbelieved the warning that God gave. Nothing's going to happen to me. It's okay. It'll be all right. So she stayed behind Lot. So she could not be seen by Lot. So she could not be scolded by her husband. So he could not ultimately stop her from doing what her heart so desperately wanted to do.

Because her heart was still in Sodom. See, she was out of Sodom physically. But internally, she was in Sodom. Like a lot of people in the church. They're out of the world by being in the church. But their heart longs to be there. Maybe that's you today. You're sitting in the pew today. You're sitting in church today. But your heart longs to be a part of all that the world has to offer. You love the world. And we don't know that. Because we can't see your heart. But God does. And he will reveal all that when he comes again.

Because if you're on the roof and you want to go down and get all your stuff, because you're married to the world, you're going to lose your life. Flee. Run. Get out of there. There's no time left. You got to go. And those who flee reveal the heart is not in the world. Those who don't will stay. And the judgment upon Lot's wife? Sudden. Shameful. Severe. It was sudden because it came just that quick. Just that quick. It was shameful because she died in the act of sinning. She died in the act of defiance.

She died in the act of rebellion. And it was severe because she would be eternally lost forever. Her heart was in the world. And that's why the warnings that Christ give are so pointed. And that's why we keep going back to reminding people, listen, just because you're among us here doesn't mean you're a part of us here. Because you're attached to the world and you can't let it go. You got somebody in your family like that? They're among you, but they're not a part of you because they're attached to the world.

And they think maybe that they're Christians. God will reveal all that when he comes again. And that's why we tell you it's personally disclosing. God will reveal the hearts of every man. That's why Jesus said in Luke chapter nine, verse 62. If you put your hand to the plow, don't look back. If you do, you're not fit for the kingdom of God. The people of my kingdom don't go around pushing the plow looking back because that's where they want to be. They want to be back there, but they're going this way because someone's pulling them.

Maybe their mom's pulling them. Maybe their dad's pulling them. They put their hand up and they keep looking back because they got to have what's back there. They got to have what the world has to offer. If you do that, Christ says, you're not fit for the kingdom of God.

The people of my kingdom, they don't look back because what they have received is so far better and greater and wonderful than what they left. And they know it. They don't even want to look back because they've moved on. So Christ says, when he comes again, it will be personally disclosing.

He gives that warning. Remember Lot's wife. And then number seven, or is it eight? Eight. It will be eternally divisive. Eternally divisive, irrevocably divisive. He says, I tell you on that night, there will be two. Two in one bed. One will be taken. The other will be left. There will be two grinding at the same place. One will be taken and the other one will be left. That is, when Christ comes in judgment, he divides families. He divides those who on this earth are close, but he divides them for eternity.

Eternally divisive. This is important because he talks about the most intimate settings where we sleep, where we work, where we eat. And in those days, it was all gathered around families. Families ate together. They worked together. They slept together. It was all about families. And Christ said that when he comes, he comes to bring a sword. He comes in Matthew 10 to divide a father from his sons, a mother from her daughters. He comes to bring a sword. And those of you who are born again and you have unsafe family members, there is a division in your family.

You're together because of blood, but there is a division in your family when it comes to intimacy. When Christ comes again, it will be eternally and irrevocably divisive. You'll never see them again. Because the ones left will be going into the kingdom and the ones taken will be going into judgment. How do we know that? Well, if you turn over to Matthew chapter 24, you begin to understand this. Matthew chapter 24, verse number 40. It says this. We'll pick up the narrative in verse number 38. For as in those days, which were before the flood, they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark.

And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. See that? Where were they taken? Into judgment. Those all taken away were those who were not a part of Noah's family in the ark. They were taken away to judgment. So shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field. One will be taken. Where? Taken into judgment. And one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left. Where will they be taken to? They'll be taken into judgment.

And that's why Christ says that when he comes, it will be eternally and irrevocably divisive. And never again will you be with those that you have loved on this earth because they did not believe the gospel. They did not. And that's what makes this passage of scripture so important for us. Why spend all this time preaching about the second coming of Christ?

Because it motivates us to spread the good news. It motivates us to tell the gospel to those that we love. It helps us to sit down with them and say, you know what? We're not together. We're not on the same page. And if you don't get on the right page, that is Jesus' page, you're going to be taken into judgment when Christ comes again. You need to know the ramifications of not believing in Jesus Christ. You can be silent if you want. But all that does is tell them you don't care that much. You don't.

You just don't care that much. If you did, you would be beating that dead drum until they said, will you stop talking to me about the judgment of God? And you will say, why? Are you afraid of the judgment of God? Because I'm not. Because I know God. And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. People say, well, if I keep talking to them about the judgment of God, he's going to leave me or she's going to leave me. Let them leave. Say, oh, you can't say that. Really? Christ said in first Corinthians 7, if the unbeliever departs, it's a command, let him go.

Don't go after him. You see, you need to stand for truth, my friend, no matter what it costs. Stop hanging on to a relationship that's going to be eternally and irrevocably divided without spending time speaking the truth over and over and over again. Because if you care, if you love as much as you say you love, then you will make sure that those you love know the Lord you're committed to. That's important, isn't it? Because it's coming today where one will be taken to the judgment, the other will be left.

So important for us to understand what Christ is saying. And then, number nine, it will be physically and spiritually deadly. Physically and spiritually deadly. They're going to die physically. We're all going to die physically, unless the Lord comes again and raptures us home. But it's a point of the man wants to die. We're all going to die physically, but they're not only going to die physically, they're going to die spiritually forever. That's what you need to understand. It says in verse 37, in answering, they said to him, where Lord?

He said to them, where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered. Wow. Where? He says, you're going to know where when you see all the carnage. That's how you're going to know. Because there will be nothing but death surrounding me. I will tread the winepress alone. I'm coming in judgment. And because there's going to be so much death, the vultures will be gathering around. Now, the Bible gives us a clearer picture of this in Revelation 19. So if you got your Bible turn Revelation 19.

Revelation 19, verse number 17. In verse 11, the King comes again. Heaven opens, the King comes, those who are his own come with him. And he comes in judgment, King of Kings and Lord of Lords on his robe. He is faithful and true. He treads the winepress alone, he says. It's a vivid picture of Isaiah 63, which speaks to us about the arrival of the Messiah. And then it says, these words are verse number 17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly him in heaven, come assemble for the great supper of God, in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great.

Wow. Imagine that scene. Angel stands in midheaven and calls for all the birds to gather in the land of Israel. Now, those of you who've been with me to Israel have heard this story. Because when we go up to Caesarea Philippi, we talk about the birds in the land of Israel. Because every year, all the migratory birds from Siberia and from Western Europe all migrate through the land of Israel. They have to. They can't migrate to the east of Israel because that's barren desert. They can't migrate to the west of Israel because that's all ocean and sea.

So in order for them to go south, they have to migrate south and they have to go through that little strip of Israel every year. In fact, it became such a hazard that there were more Israeli pilots killed in flight because of birds than ever were killed in battle. So they had to redirect all their flight paths based on the location of the birds and when they would fly and how they would fly. This is a big deal in the land of Israel. So when you come to Revelation 19 and you had this angel standing in midheaven calling all these birds to come, guess what?

They already know the route to get there because they've been there before. That's what they do every year. And what do they do? They come to eat the flesh of commanders, come to eat the flesh of freemen, of slaves, of kings, of horses. Why? Because there will be 200 miles of carnage from Edom to Esdralon. We've talked to you about that. The blood flows for 200 miles up to the bridle's mouth or the horse's bridle and therefore the birds will be gathered for the great supper of God. You see, when the king returns, carnage is everywhere because it's all about the death of the ungodly.

He comes to judge and to destroy, Jude 14, all the ungodly. And that's exactly how Jesus ends his sermon. Wouldn't go over well in many churches today because we don't have to end on vultures eating the flesh of men. Doesn't sound really good. But there's one more point I want to give you. This whole scenario, point number 10, is wonderfully delightful. You say, how can you say that? Families will be eternally divided forever. Loved ones will burn in hell forever. People will die and the carnage will be spread for 200 miles and their flesh will be eaten by birds.

How can you say this is wonderfully delightful? Simply because, listen carefully, Jesus is called wonderful. Isaiah 9, verse number 6, Judges chapter 13, the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, my name is wonderful. So if Jesus is doing it, guess what? It's wonderful because Jesus is doing it. And that's why in Revelation, Revelation chapter 16, it says, I think it's Revelation 16. Let me make sure I get it right here.

My memory escapes me. Hallelujah. The Lord God Almighty reigns. The Lord God Almighty reigns. Listen to what it says in Revelation chapter 15. Revelation 15, verse 2, I saw as it were a sea of glass mixed with fire and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. They sang the song of Moses and the bond servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying, great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty, righteous and true are thy ways.

Thou King of the nations, who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name. For thou alone art holy and for all the nations will come and worship before thee for thy righteous acts have been revealed. Everything about the death of the ungodly is a righteous act, not another righteous act. And that's why the song of the Lamb and the song of Moses is the song of redemption about how what God does through all this devastation is done because he's holy, he's righteous, he's just, he's almighty, he's God.

And those of us who know Christ want him to be glorified, want him to be magnified, want him to be honored, and the best way for him to receive glory and honor and praise is for all that judgment to take place, as he said in Luke 17. So I say it's wonderfully delightful because God's plan is unfolding. He's going to do what he's planned to do. He's going to do it just as he said he was going to do it. And you know what? I rejoice in that. You know what? Because my salvation is not about me. It's about the exaltation of Christ.

And whatever it takes for Christ to be exalted, that's really all I care about. And if you don't care about that, you need to re-examine where it is you stand with Christ. It's all about the exaltation of the Lord God of Israel. Listen to what Jesus prayed for. Luke 17. He said in verse 1, Father the hour has come glorify thy son that the son may glorify thee. That is what Christianity is all about. The glorification of Christ. Verse 24 of John 17, Father I desire that they also whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am in order that they may behold my glory.

Folks, that is the mature attitude of the believer. We are going to heaven that we might behold the glory of God. We are going to heaven because Christ prayed that his desire was that those who know him and believe on him would be with him and would glorify him forever. And that's what I want. Isn't that not what you want? That you will glorify his name forever and ever and ever? Absolutely. That's why what Jesus says is wonderfully delightful.

Because it's all about him. It's not about you and me. It's about the glory of Christ, the coronation of Christ, the vindication of the Christ, the exaltation of Christ, the honor of Christ. And that's what our lives are to be about. We're not saved for our sake. We're saved as Paul says in Philippians 1.29 for Christ's sake, right? We're saved for his sake, not ours. And because it's wonderfully delightful, it motivates me to share the truth with those who need to know the truth. That they might believe the gospel.

They might understand what we're passionate about, what we live for, what we're committed to. That's what makes this message so exciting about the coming of the king. Because he is coming. He is coming again. I want you to be ready. Are you ready? Do you know where you stand with Jesus Christ? Are you one of those that has your heart in the world because you're so attached to it? That even though you're among us, you're not a part of us? Oh, you're among the visible church? You're just not a part of the invisible church.

Because you're so attached to the things you possess. They mean so much to you. Your goods, your family, they mean more to you than God does. And so you're attached to those things so dearly and so desperately that you can't let go of them because they control your life. Are you among those who are willing to lose their life and all that your life has to gain the life of Christ for his glory and for his honor? I would trust that that's you this morning. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for your word, the joy that's there.

We thank you for the truth that you give to us. Truly, we are a blessed people to know your word and to be able to proclaim it and to tell others about it. And our prayer, Father, is that you would go before us this day that we might be the proclaimers of the truth so that those who hear it will not come into judgment, into condemnation, but to be able to escape all that for the glory of almighty God. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.