Our Sermon is in three parts: Up In and Out; overview of the passage, and then to focus on the last 17 verses.
As a church we seek to hold at our core certain values – we call these UP, IN and OUT.
By UP we mean Worship and Prayer;
IN – Deep Community and Lifelong Discipleship.
OUT – service of others and evangelism, locally, globally.
Our life as a church to reflect these, and I’d suggest, each of us as Christians are called to reflect these – three dimensions –because we see them reflected in Jesus own life.
Jesus was a man of UP – we see, Jesus is a man of worship, and of prayer, esp seen in Luke. He was someone in constant contact with the Father – of whom he spoke of in intimate ways – which wonderfully he said we could enjoy that same level of intimacy. He did what he saw the father doing – as he shared in John 5.
He was a man of discipleship and community – in – he seeks to make disciples of the ones he calls – hence at the end of Matthew when he says ‘’go and make disciples’’ – he is saying – as you have been disciples go and make more… and that group – It says in Mark 3 – he chose the twelve that they would be with him. So he would spend time with them. Community and also discipleship.
And he was a man of out – his mission – to be about his father’s work – to reach out to a dark and dying world – through service in various ways – including healings – and through proclaiming the good news.
To become like Jesus, means an increasingly Up, In, Out life for each of us. We pray for Jens – and each of our children baptised here – that they will not only know about Jesus, but will learn to be with him, to become like him and do what he did – that up, in and out life…
Across Sundays in this month we explore these values. IN is our particular focus today.
So an overview of our chapter and then focus in one part.
V1-4 Sin and Forgiveness.
Relationships is that focus – be careful how you treat each other; and if you are hurt by another, forgive. Jesus doesn’t give any wriggle room – forgive.
V5-6 – Grow faith and the power of faith.
The disciples at that moment or maybe recently realise that they need ‘’more’’ – increase our faith. Jesus points to what a little faith can achieve.
V7-10 – we are servants of our Lord.
He talks about a farm. The servant does his duty. That is all.
V11-19 – healing of Jew and non Jew
Jesus heals at a distance in an amazing way – he speaks, and they leave, healed – all of them.
Jew, non Jew, it did not matter to him.
Yet one returns – and is praised for his appreciation of what God has done…
V20-37.
Longest section – kingdom – has the kingdom come, the kingdom is among you, the attitude to the future kingdom.
These sections all speak to us about IN – being in relationship with other Christians and being a disciple.
V1-4 about relationships.
We are a Christian community – and so are we causing people to stumble – or even to sin? This can be by what we say, do, don’t do.
And yet when we are hurt, or damaged or sinned against – Jesus says the wounded Christian community is to be a forgiving community. Not just once to forgive, but to keep on forgiving – 7 times in the day etc… It is important that we read v1-4 together – Jesus is clear – there are wrong things – and forgiveness does not say those things are suddenly okay – they were still wrong. But he asks us to forgive those brother or sisters who hurt us…
V5-6 about growth.
I love this vision – increase our faith – maybe it came out of their struggle – God help us!; or maybe out of hunger – ‘’more Lord!’’
It is about self-awareness – increase (we need more) and growth – I want to increase.
A disciple is about moving forward and further in our walk with the Lord.
V7-10
Identity – it reminds us that while we are children of God, we are loved, we are accepted, significant and secure, we are also servants of the Lord. When we become a Christian, we call him not only Healer, Sanctifier, and Saviour, but also Lord. We seek to serve him, to serve him where we study; serve him in our homes; serve him in our work places; serve him on vacation; serve him in our retirement. What that service looks like is different for each of us – but Jesus calls us all servants.
V11-19.
The element I want to focus on here – healing. Healing takes various forms: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, healing as people approach death, healing in relationships to nam
e just six. A friend of mine once said: ‘. Church is the hospital for people to heal so afterwards they can serve Gods ministry.’ Or as a member of this church shared with me this quote: the Church is not an organization you join, it is a family where you belong, a home where you are loved, and a hospital where you find healing.’’ (image on screen).
Being part of a disciple is to be a person of healing – why – well Jesus was…
Jesus is teaching us about IN – about our relationships with others, growing faith, being a servant, and receiving healing and being an instrument of healing…
And there is one more aspect about IN in this passage – the Kingdom.
God’s Presence – Now – Here
So Jesus is approached by the Pharisees. ‘’When the Kingdom of God would come.’’
He says ‘’it does not come with your careful observation…’’’
These devoted Jews are asking – when will God bring his rule to earth and fulfil all his promises.
An expectation of God’s Promised King – the Messiah – was it would be a glorious, visible, and powerful, all injustice swept away, enemies defeated etc. Yet the question shows – well Jesus ministry isn’t doing this so the kingdom is not here – we expected something else – it is a similar question from John the Baptist in Luke 7.
Jesus says the kingdom does not come with observation but it is in your midst. NIV pew bibles said ‘’within you’’ but the Greek is more accurate to ‘’among you or in your midst.’’
They were expecting the kingdom to come in some dramatic way yet Jesus says the initial phase of the kingdom does not come like that.
The kingdom is there – in front of them – where Jesus is, there is the kingdom. He has inaugurated the kingdom – he has preached good news of the kingdom, he has been healing the sick – as we just heard with the lepers – and that inauguration includes his death and resurrection when he deals with the problem of sin.
The kingdom has not fully come – as he goes on to teach – but the kingdom has come. This has been called the here and the not yet of the kingdom. He inaugurated the kingdom but the full consummation is to come.
Jesus is saying – the kingdom has come already.
But the Pharisees could not see it.
For us as disciples – the kingdom is here – inaugurated by Jesus – enacted by Jesus and then his disciples. The kingdom breaks in – then – continued in Acts – and still today. God continues to be present among his people by his Spirit. That same Spirit that rested on Jesus rests on his followers. The kingdom can still be in our midst – break in – as it did then. The kingdom workings did not end when he ascended.
God’s Presence – To Come
V22 then Jesus turns to his disciples. They do have that discernment – they can see both comings. Earlier – luke 9 and 10 – they have been sent to preach in villages about the kingdom being present.
But now he goes on to talk about the not-yet of the kingdom. The day of consummation for the kingdom of God.
He calls himself the Son of Man – a title he uses often for himself – it comes from Daniel. The figure who has authority and rides the clouds.
Jesus says – you will long to see – people saying here he is, no there he is.
It will be pointless all that talk he says – because his coming will be like lightning –it will be obvious. Everyone will see it like the lightning that lights up the sky.
Then there are stories about Noah and Lot. It says the return will not only be obvious – lightning -but sudden. In fact in the midst of life.
During the days of Noah – people were eating, drinking, marrying right up to the Flood; people were carrying on like business as normal -= and then it happened.
Lot story – again, life was lived as normal – when he left the city, destruction fell on it.
Suddenly it happened in the midst of life.
Jesus says ‘’it will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.’’
He has talked about the how he will return.
Now he shares about a disciple’s attitude in the following lines.
There will be no time to do anything.
They cannot even go back to the field.
There will be no time to make decisions, work out a spreadsheet or scroll through your social media to see what others think…
You need to have made your decision before he comes.
Lot’s wife is mentioned – she looked back at the destruction – her heart was no on leaving but wanting to remain. As a disciple, do not look back longing for what you are leaving. She wanted to go back – maybe she would have gone back if she could.
He then says : whoever tries to keep his life, will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. He says to his followers – by coming to Jesus, or continuing with him, they may lose their lives – but God will protect them eternally. He says– be faithful, don’t turn back, don’t give up – but suffering may come because you follow and you need to persevere and with faith.
Nicky Gumbel tells a story: Sir Winston Churchill has been described as Britain’s greatest ever leader. Yet he had at times failed spectacularly. I was told that once, when he returned to his old school, Harrow, to address the boys, the whole school assembled to listen to his words of wisdom. The great man arose to speak: ‘Young men; never give up, never give up, never give up.’ The entire speech lasted only a few seconds. Then he sat down. No one present ever forgot his words. That is, at least, the popular version of the story.
Churchill did indeed say words to that effect, but as part of a longer speech. Towards the end he said, ‘Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.’
Nicky ends by saying: In today’s generation, our lives have become so instantaneous that anything requiring patient perseverance can appear unattractive. We require instant returns and instant results. But sometimes the biggest pay-offs are a long time coming.
Then Jesus says – two people in a bed, one taken, one left; two women grinding corn, one taken, one left.
His return, sadly, will be one of sorting.
Judging. People separated. Based on how people have responded to Jesus.
Some to eternal life, some to face judgement.
The decisions people make matter.
Jesus teaches them: That his coming kingdom, his return:
Will be :
Obvious
Sudden
No time to choose and make a decision, It will all be done in the blink of an eye.
Are you looking back, like Lot’s wife, wanting to turn away from following,
or committed to a following of Jesus (even if that means losing it all)
The return will be a sorting. And it is based on how we have responded to Jesus…
To bring it together.
For Jesus, discipleship and community is about:
relationships
growth
service
healing
and kingdom – here
and the kingdom to come, an expectation that the Lord will return and a correct view and attitude to it.
Prayer:
O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin;
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.