The Invisible Kingdom

Introduction

Most of us like routine. Spontaneity is fine for some things, but most of the time we live life routinely. Most of us know our schedule tomorrow before this day is finished. We don’t like too many surprises. Even as boring as routine may be, we don’t like surprises. When we take a shower, we don’t like the surprise of only cold water. When we put the key in the ignition of our car, we like for it to work. You will never hear “I’ve been expecting that flat tire.” We may complain about boring routine, but for the most part we count on it.

The downside of routine is that we cannot think of other possibilities. Routine leaves us with a carefully planned and scheduled life in which surprises are not sought or welcomed. Routine breeds complacency. When we drive the same route to work everyday, we end up at our destination, but we don’t notice our surroundings. We grow accustomed to what we see and what we see no longer makes an impact on us. Routine dulls our senses. Our lives become monotone. Routine and rut are never far apart. This is not a lesson on shaking things up in your life; but it is a lesson about not allowing the routine of life to lull you into a sense of stability and comfort so that we are not aware of what is going on around us. We must stay alert and that is what we will see in our text.

Where’s the Faith?

Luke follows the healing of the ten lepers with an incident designed to equate faith with staying alert to the coming of the kingdom. Once again Jesus encounters questioning opposition from the Pharisees. Messianic fever is sweeping the nation. People are looking for God’s anointed. Some have already proposed that Jesus is the Messiah. The Pharisees are never far from Jesus. On this occasion they ask Jesus when he thinks the kingdom will come. Jesus’s answer cuts to the heart of who he is and does nothing to secure the favor of the Pharisees.

Jesus says you can’t through sign reading or careful observation see the kingdom. Jesus’s answer tells us that the Pharisees were asking about the signs of the coming of the kingdom. Jesus says such signs are useless. The kingdom of God is not physical; it is spiritual. Jesus says the kingdom is within you or in your midst. This was a way of saying that Jesus represented the kingdom and he was standing right in front of them. It is a thinly veiled declaration of who he is and for those who may want to understand they will pick up on Jesus’s words and believe. We can paraphrase Jesus as telling the Pharisees to quit looking for signs and start looking at him because his presence initiates the kingdom into this world. But they will not believe.

Jesus turns to those who will believe. Let me paraphrase what he says. Times are going to get tough. There will be times when you will want judgment to come. Don’t lose sight of reality. Some will tell you that they have seen signs of the Messiah’s coming and or judgment. Don’t believe them. Let me tell you how it will be. People will be going through the routine of life. They will be living life as they always have. When the judgment comes, it will not be any different from any other day. The routine of life will be the norm. But make no mistake, when it is judgment day everyone will know it. There will be no doubt. Some will be taken to be with me and others will face certain judgment. The difference will be that those who are willing to give up this life will win in the next and the ones who are willing to hold on to this life will lose in the next.

Where will this happen? Where will this judgment take place? The disciples are still thinking in terms of a physical kingdom. They still don’t understand that Jesus is speaking in spiritual terms. So Jesus quotes a proverb. Where there is a dead body, the vultures surround it. What he means is, don’t worry about where. When judgment comes it will be obvious to all and it will be final. There will be no doubt about judgment and no time to change things. As a dead body signifies decay and vultures signify that there is no more life so it will be with judgment—it will be final with no more chances.

So what?

This may be the easiest section to make application. But let’s take the time to notice two things about this text. First, the kingdom is spiritual. God’s kingdom is seen physically through the actions of his people, but only because the spiritual is revealed in the physical. There is a fervor right now for the return of Jesus. With the coming of the millennium, some believe that Jesus will come as well. The year change to 2000 is seen as a significant event in spiritual terms. Unfortunately, the millennium doesn’t begin until 2001 and in actuality our calendars are off about 4 years so technically the new millennium has already started. Since God is not bound by time, such thinking doesn’t affect his plans. I appreciate people’s attempt to make others aware of Jesus’s return; however, let’s be biblical. Jesus in Matthew 24:36 says no one knows when he will return. He says in this text that looking for signs is useless. While many have turned to Tim LaHaye’s series of fictional novels about the last days, let us not be fooled. This text is taken to be a discussion about the rapture. This is not the purpose of this text. Jesus is speaking of final and complete judgment not a time in which some are taken to be with him while others are left on this earth. The kingdom is spiritual not physical.

Second, remember Lot’s wife. The routine of life produces within us an acceptance in this life which is directly opposed to kingdom thinking. Remember the story of Lot and his family living in Sodom. They had become a part of that community. So much a part in fact, that their daughters married men who did not love God. When you read the story in Genesis 19 we begin to understand how much a part of that community he had become. The angels of God stayed with Lot. They told him what was going to happen. They gave him time to warn his future sons-in-law. But when it was time to go the Bible says in 19:16 that Lot and his family hesitated. The angels had to lead them out of the city. Lot couldn’t leave his community even if it were to cost him his life. And his wife couldn’t leave it at all. She may not have been physically in the city when God began to rain down fire and brimstone, but her heart was still there and God couldn’t tolerate divided loyalties.

When Jesus comes there will be no time for divided loyalties. It will be obvious what is important to you. This is what Jesus is saying. People will be going through the routine of life. They will be tied to their communities and to this earth. But suddenly without warning, the day of the Lord will come and only those who are alert and have been expecting that day will survive. Kingdom people are ready for Christ’s return. Remember Lot’s wife. This is not the time to be looking back and hoping to hang on to something of this world. We must be ready for Christ’s return. The routine of life produces an attitude that Jesus isn’t going to come back today. We can continue on with life not giving any thought to judgment. Such thinking will leave us unprepared to meet Jesus. Are you ready to meet him?

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.