May 17 2026 | LUKE: The Cost of Discipleship

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:03][music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat.

[00:02:14][music] [music] Heat.

[00:02:41][music] [music] Heat.

[00:02:55][music] Heat. Heat.

[00:03:07][music] >> [music] >> That's beautiful.

[00:03:37]Heat. Heat. N.

[00:04:04]>> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat.

[00:04:18][music] >> [music] [music] >> I'm screaming over here.

[00:04:40][music] Heat.

[00:04:51][music] [music] Heat.

[00:05:05][music] Well, good morning church. So good to see you all.

[00:05:26]Why don't we get ready for worship? Why don't [music] you join us? Prepare your hearts as we sing to the King. Come on.

[00:05:33]I was [music] buried beneath my shame.

[00:05:42]Who could [music] carry that [singing] kind of weight? [music] It was mine, too.

[00:05:54][music] Till I fail.

[00:05:59]I was breathing [singing] but not alive. [music] All my failures I tried to hide. [music and singing] It was my [music] till I made you call my name.

[00:06:28]I pray out of that grave out of the darkness [music and singing] into your glorious day. Will you come again? [music] You call my name.

[00:06:46]I pray out of that [music] out of the darkness to con your glorious day.

[00:07:00][music] See, now your mercy, now your mercy [music] has saved my soul.

[00:07:12][music] And now you're free.

[00:07:15]>> [singing] >> is all that I know.

[00:07:20]>> Oh, he [music] opened you.

[00:07:21]>> He opened you, >> Jesus. When [music] I when I [music] called my name and I pray out [music] of that grave.

[00:07:37]Come on, sing it out. out of [music] the darkness into your >> to your glorious day. When you call [music] my name [singing] [music] out of that [music] darkness to come glorious day.

[00:08:09][music] So thankful for God's grace and mercy.

[00:08:15]>> [music] >> that saw my sin, saw my shame, said I was worthy. Need to rescue. My [music] sin was heaven. But chains break at the weight of your glory. I [music] needed shelter. I was an orphan. But you called me a citizen [music] of heaven.

[00:08:43]>> [music] >> We have a future [music and singing] cuz when you call my name [music] [music] [singing] [music] You know, you know, [music] it was your glorious day.

[00:09:31][music] Come on, let's give him praise.

[00:09:37]Thank [music] you for your grace and mercy, Lord.

[00:09:47]Man, he's the King of Kings. He's the Lord of Lords.

[00:09:51]Thank you [music] that his grace and mercy saw us in our lowest place and called us out of the grave.

[00:09:59]What a king we serve. Amen.

[00:10:03]In the darkness [music and singing] we were waiting without hope, without [music] light, till from heaven you [singing] came running. There was mercy in your eyes. [music] To fulfill the law and prophets to a virgin [music] came the [singing] word.

[00:10:24]From a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt.

[00:10:37]Praise the father. [singing] Praise the son. [music] Praise the spirit.

[00:10:48]Three in one. [music] God of glory, majesty, [music] praise forever to [singing] the King of Kings, [music] to reveal the [singing] kingdom coming and to reconcile the lost. To redeem the [music and singing] whole creation.

[00:11:20]You did not despise the cross. For even in your [music and singing] suffering, he saw to the other side. Knowing this was our [music] salvation, Jesus, for [singing] our sake you down.

[00:11:41][music] Praise the father.

[00:11:48]Praise [music] the son. [singing] Praise the spirit.

[00:11:55]Three in one. [music and singing] God of glory, [music] majesty.

[00:12:05]Praise [music] forever to the [singing] King of Kings.

[00:12:17]And [music] the morning that [singing] you rose, all of heaven held its breath.

[00:12:24]Till that stone was moved for good. For the lamb had conquered death and the dead [music] rose from their tombs. And the angels stood at all. [music] For the souls of all who come to the [music] father are restored and the church of Christ was born. Then the spirit [music] in the flame. Now his goel from the Lord [singing] shall not heal, shall not faint. By his blood and in [music] his name. In his freedom I am free. With the love [music] of Jesus Christ who has resurrected me.

[00:13:17][music] Praise the father.

[00:13:23]Praise the son. [music] Praise the spirit.

[00:13:34][music] Praise [music] forever [singing] to the king. The [music] king.

[00:13:48]Praise [singing] the father. [music] Praise the son.

[00:13:55]Praise [music] the spirit.

[00:14:00][singing] [music] Glory, majesty, praise forever to [music] the king of kings.

[00:14:16]Praise forever to the king of kings.

[00:14:23][music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Our [music] [music] Father in [singing] heaven, [music] hallow be your name.

[00:15:17]Your kingom come [music and singing] quickly.

[00:15:24]Your will be done the same [singing] [music] on earth as [music and singing] it is in heaven.

[00:15:41]Let [music and singing] heaven come to earth.

[00:15:47]>> [music] >> I see it [singing] in heaven. [music] Let [singing] heaven come. [singing] [music] Say our father. Our [singing] Father [music] in heaven, hallowed [music and singing] be your name.

[00:16:26]Your [singing] kingom [music] come quickly.

[00:16:33]Your [music and singing] will be done the same [music] on earth [singing] as it is in [singing] heaven.

[00:16:50][music] Let heaven come to [music] our in [music] heaven.

[00:17:04]Let heaven [singing] [music] come.

[00:17:12]Let heaven come.

[00:17:16][singing] Let heaven [music] come.

[00:17:24][singing] Let heaven come. [singing and music] >> [music] >> Yours is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the power.

[00:17:42]Yours [music] is the glory forever. [singing] Amen.

[00:17:49]Yours [music] is the kingom.

[00:17:52]Yours is the power.

[00:17:56]Yours is the glory [music] [singing] forever. Amen.

[00:18:03]Yours is the kingom.

[00:18:06]Yours [music] is the power.

[00:18:10]Yours is the glory [singing] forever. Amen. [music] Yours is the kingom.

[00:18:20]Yours is [music] the power.

[00:18:23]Yours is the glory [singing] forever.

[00:18:28]Amen. [music] [music] [music] >> [singing] [music] >> Let heaven come.

[00:18:53][music] Yours, yours is the kingom. [music] Yours is the power.

[00:19:04]Yours [music] is the glory [singing] forever. Amen.

[00:19:11]Yours [music] is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the power. [music] Yours is the glory forever [singing] on earth.

[00:19:25]Yours [music] is the kingom.

[00:19:28]Yours is the power. [singing] Yours is the glory [music] forever.

[00:19:36]Amen. [singing] Sing it again. yours.

[00:19:44][music] >> Amen. [music] Amen. Let's continue uh moving from worship into a time of conversation with the Lord. Uh [music] Father, yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.

[00:20:03]Uh we delight to be uh [music] recipients of your presence. Uh we we pray this morning. We thank you for [music] the opportunities that we had to serve our community this last week.

[00:20:14]We're excited to celebrate that shortly.

[00:20:17]Uh but [music] we just pray for your kingdom and power and glory to be known in our neighborhoods, in our communities. [music] Jesus, you said that we're to shine our light uh and to do good [music] deeds, not so that people would notice us, but so that people would notice you. And so [music] we just pray for those in our community who feel far from you, who are dealing with hurts, who are [music] dealing with losses. Uh we think of those that are in need and and pray that they would find hope in you. Uh I thank you for all of the [music] healthy churches in Dayne County. We pray that they would get connected to [music] one of those churches and that they would hear more about your great love for them and that they would know uh that you care for them, that you know their needs, [music] and that you meet them. Help us to continue to be faithful even this next week serving and loving those that you love. And it's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Welcome.

[00:21:14]Great to see you. Uh, let me encourage [music] you to turn to your neighbor and tell them that you're glad they're here and scooch in a little if there's any open chairs.

[00:21:23][music] I'm trying to find my shoe.

[00:22:07]>> Love this city.

[00:22:11]Welcome to Love the City. Here we are at [music] Boomerangs on the north side of Madison and the volunteers behind me are tagging clothes and sorting them [music] and getting things ready to sell here at Boomerangs.

[00:22:24]>> We're working with organizations all over Madison. Check it out. Hi, it is Love This City Day and one of our tasks today is to deliver all the mail that comes in.

[00:22:36]>> Hello. Mail delivery. And then after that, we're gonna go across the street where a concert's [music] happening and they're going to help me wheel residents back here.

[00:22:49]We have five [music] volunteers here at Carinet today and they are wrapping our new t-shirt. We also have one volunteer who has lovely handwriting. She's addressing the invitations for our upcoming open house to the new maternity home.

[00:23:06]>> This is the best I really like it.

[00:23:27]>> Today we have them set up with portioning some of the product we get in large batches down into small bags that'll go into the munch program.

[00:23:44]Six project here in Spreer and one in the forest.

[00:23:49]Thursday we wash a window. [music] Great team, great families.

[00:23:53]Today I am here. We are going to [music] watch trash kind. We are going to jar repairs.

[00:24:02]So, we have our life group here and we are making blessing bags for the homeless. Toiletries, snacks, bottled water, socks, [music] and lots of goodies. We're going to partner with the North Side campus to get these distributed to the homeless [music] um all throughout Dane County.

[00:24:28]We're very thankful [music] for the love this city team.

[00:24:33]Oh, thank you so much, [music] Door Creek. You are loving this city so well.

[00:24:37]>> So grateful with the many people [music] helping the facilities.

[00:24:41]>> It's been a really nice afternoon. It's been great having you.

[00:24:51]Good morning, Door Creek. Uh, my name is Tammy Wood and I have the privilege of being on the admissions team here. And so, this Love the City event has been a passion project of mine. Um, we had 500 of you loving the city, over 26 um, locations, opportunities um, to love this city. Um, and it was just so good to see people of all ages coming together to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And as Pastor Jamie says, you were all happy Jesus people, right?

[00:25:25]Where is he? Loving. Let me see. I have to get it right. You were happy Jesus people doing happy Jesus things. And we're so thankful for you. Um, and I couldn't let this pass without giving a huge shout out to Carrie Anderson. I don't know if she's here in this service, but anyway, she was my right-hand man. She um just she served tirelessly behind the scenes and um did so much to help make this come off without a hit. She is um a lover of Jesus in all things and she is impeccably organized and for that I am so so thankful. Um let's see. I would like to draw your attentions to the cards in your seatbacks in front of you.

[00:26:07]if you could fill those out and drop them in the boxes outside. It's our way of connecting with you. If there's something that we can pray for or um it's just connecting us to you. And also, if this is your first time here, welcome. We're so so glad you're here.

[00:26:21]And if you wanted to stop by the welcome center on your way out, we have a small little gift bag for you. Um now, let's look at the screen and see what else is going on here at Door Creek.

[00:26:36]Hello everyone. Thanks for joining us.

[00:26:39]We're happy you're here. [music] As a church committed to helping people on their journey as devoted followers of Christ, we have lots of opportunities to help you grow in your faith. Make sure to check out our online bulletin at dorquick.info where you'll find our events and classes, ways to connect with us, give [music] online, and see what's coming up. Are you a new follower of Jesus? Visit the next steps tab in our online bulletin to let us know that you said yes to follow our Lord and Savior.

[00:27:07][music] You will also find information on ways to get involved and serve. Let's take a look at a few things happening right now.

[00:27:16]It's nearly summertime [music] and at DCC kids that means summer serve. During the school year, our DCC Kid volunteers teams commit to serving our kids at least [music] twice a month. From snuggling babies, imagining with preschoolers, [music] and discovering with elementary kids, our team has been working hard at our mission of growing children into devoted followers of [music] Jesus. During the summer, we like to give them some time off and ask our church families to step in from June through August. Our kids staff make it easy for you by having everything planned. We want your focus to be on connecting with the amazing kids who walk through our doors. Are you single and in between the ages of 40 and 65?

[00:27:58]Come celebrate the in between our second anniversary with us at our [music] taco night celebration. We'll reflect on an amazing year and look ahead to what's coming. You won't want to miss it. The Care Partners [music] Ministry provides confidential one-on-one Christc centered care for those hurting or going through major [music] life changes. They do this through listening, prayer, and Bible-based encouragement. If you would like to learn more about becoming [music] a caregiver, sign up for one of the upcoming info meetings. The next one is tomorrow. There is no commitment.

[00:28:30][music] This is anformational meeting only to learn more and ask questions.

[00:28:35]Sign up for all this events and more through our online bulletin.

[00:28:40]Today, we'll continue [music] in our series on the book of Luke, where we'll hear some of Jesus's most famous [music] teachings as he shows us what it costs to follow him and why following him is worth everything.

[00:29:01]Take up your cross.

[00:29:03]Follow me.

[00:29:06][music] Good morning and greetings again. So good to be together and greetings to our uh north side campus and to forest and chapel. Good to have you uh with us as well. I want to begin by giving you a little preview of where we're going this summer with our sermon series because after today's sermon, we're going to press pause on Luke and we're not going to pick it back up until the fall. Um, so I wanted to tell you where we're headed. Uh, the next two weeks we're going to do a grateful and faithful sermon series. Uh, where the first week is about gratitude and the second week is about, you guessed it, faithfulness.

[00:29:47]Um, and this is the culmination of our three months of asking God to shape our hearts uh through his word, through prayer, through conversations with our church family. Um, it's going to be a really fun two weeks. It's going to be a little different. There's going to be some more uh kind of celebration mixed in. So, you will not want to miss them.

[00:30:06]If you're out of town in one of the next two weeks, I'd encourage you to join us online. Uh May 31st, two weeks from today, is commitment Sunday. And so, if you intend to give to our debt reduction effort, uh that's the day to communicate that uh intention. And if you didn't see the video that went out uh with my note from Jamie on May 5th, uh take a look at that video. That'll give you lots of more info. Uh then after Grateful and Faithful, we are going to spend eight weeks uh taking a walk through the first three chapters of Revelation. Uh we're excited for that this summer. We are uh going to look at the seven letters that Jesus writes to seven first century churches, but we're also going to listen for what Jesus might have to say to a 21st century church uh that we call Door Creek Church. So these are seven locations um that I visited when I was able to go to Turkey last year. So, you can expect some pictures and stories along the way. Uh, and then we'll close out the summer by turning to the Old Testament book of Ruth, which we're really excited for. We're going to take a slow walk through this beautiful story of God's covenantal faithfulness displayed in the trusting life of a young Moabitete woman who turns out to be part of Jesus family tree. So, so we're really excited for the summer.

[00:31:23]It's going to be a nice little break.

[00:31:25]And I'd encourage you as we head into the summer the same way that I encourage you as we head into the year. Uh which is this. Make one decision uh about coming to church on Sunday mornings.

[00:31:35]Don't make a decision every Sunday morning. There's always going to be something this summer coming up. Make one decision and say, "Lord, if I'm healthy and able and in town, I want to be with your people at the worship service." We are really excited uh about growing together as as we study God's word. And then one other thing to mention uh in our prayer prompts this last week. Uh one of the things we prayed for one of the days was for people who have come to Door Creek Church in the last year. And I've just continued to reflect on that and and to pray. Uh if you're here and you have come to Door Creek Church in the last year, uh we're so glad that you're here.

[00:32:13]It's it's our prayer that you're finding community and connection. Uh, it's our prayer that you're being fed well by by God's word. It's it's our prayer that you're finding ways to to understand your giftedness and to use that. So, if you're here new, so we're so glad that you're here. Uh, and and you're a blessing to us in being here. Um, amen.

[00:32:34]All right. To the topic of the day. The apocalypse is near.

[00:32:40]The day of judgment is coming. THE END IS NIGH.

[00:32:46]UH, I don't know how you feel when you hear people talk about the end of the world. Um, I don't know what comes to your mind. I don't know what rabbit trails you've gone down on the internet.

[00:32:57]Uh, is is fascination with the end times. Uh, mostly something that has to do with cultists or uh crazies or conspiracy theorists. Um, how are we to talk about the end? You might remember uh Harold Camping. Herald Camping was a gentleman who spent millions of dollars on a media blitz, thousands of billboards. He rented out 20 RVs to drive around the country predicting that the world would end on May 21st, 2011.

[00:33:29]Uh his website said that the Bible had given us absolute proof that this was the day that Jesus was going to return.

[00:33:36]Uh many of his followers emptied their savings account to support sharing this news. uh when it didn't happen, he revisited uh the dates and uh changed it from May 21st to October 21st, 2011. And it still didn't happen. Uh last year we had um Rapture Talk. A famous pastor from South Africa predicted that Jesus would return September 23rd or September 24th. He gave himself a little wiggle room and and Tik Tok was filled with prayers and memes and end time speculation and like survival packs for those who would be left behind so that they could find Jesus once everyone else left. Um, but Jesus didn't return on that date and the pastor uh kind of went radio silent but as you know the internet keeps receipts and they responded with expected mockery. Uh maybe the most current example of this is the prediction markets. Uh these are online markets where you can place trades, bets, bets. Uh you can place trades on a variety of future outcomes.

[00:34:41]So right next to their question on uh when will Rihanna's album come out next is a question, will Jesus return before 2027? And as of this last week, $62 million have been traded on that question with a 2% chance that Jesus is coming back this year. Uh, is this crazy stuff? Is this conspiracy stuff? Is this kind of that crazy little nook of of wacky fringe Christianity? Because because for a lot of us, this sounds so uh embarrassing, right? Even even for those of us who believe in Jesus return, this sounds so cliche. It sounds so caricatured. Um like standing on a on a street corner with a poster board that says, "Repent for the kingdom of God is coming."

[00:35:31]And yet and yet we have to reconcile this cultural embarrassment that we may feel with the fact that Jesus talked a good bit about his return. Uh in fact the whole shape of the scriptural story is that the king is going to come back. The king is going to come back and conquer all of his enemies and and make all things right. And and and the theological term for this is esquetology. Esqueas is the Greek word that means last. And so this is the study of last things of the end times, the final events of history, the the culmination of God's plan of redemption.

[00:36:13]And so you can say that conversations about the end times are confusing. Uh I think they are. Uh you can say that scripture doesn't teach about the end times as clearly as it teaches about some other things. I would agree with that. But what you can say is that these things don't matter. You can't say that this just belongs in a fringe corner of Christianity. Jesus return is central to our understanding of his life and ministry that we're reading about. It grounds our hope in the way that we follow him day in and day out. And so today we turn to a passage in Luke's gospel that begins with the question, Jesus, when is the kingdom of God coming? And and Jesus responds uh with three things. He says, "It's already here.

[00:37:01]It's not yet here. Are you ready?"

[00:37:05]That's what Jesus is going to walk us through today. The kingdom of God is already here. The kingdom of God is not yet here. Are you ready? So, so you can follow along with me as we step into this passage of Luke 17, uh, beginning in verse 20.

[00:37:22]Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say,"Look, here it is," or there, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. In the midst of you. Uh the the Pharisees ask Jesus lots of questions in Luke's gospel. Uh sometimes it seems to come from a place of genuine curiosity. Sometimes it feels like a threat assessment as they're trying to figure Jesus out. They certainly ask him questions to to try and trap him. And Jesus always takes these questions as an opportunity to talk about his identity and his mission.

[00:38:04]Uh and and along the way he corrects misunderstandings or cultural assumptions or partial truths that are floating around. And and so here they ask him about the kingdom of God. When is it coming? And and for these religious leaders when they speak about the kingdom of God, they are thinking about God's reign on earth uh the Psalms and the prophets celebrate as a fact that the sovereign Lord reigns over all.

[00:38:32]We see this in lots of places. I'll just give Psalm 103 as an example. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all.

[00:38:43]God is the King of Kings, ruling over all things, and it's a fact.

[00:38:49]But there's also the conundrum to God's sovereignty as king and the in the wickedness and rebellion and injustice that can seem so prevalent. It's a conundrum that we feel today. If if God is sovereign, if God is in control, then why is there so much suffering and disorder? Wh why does it seem like those who oppose God and oppose the ways of God act with impunity?

[00:39:17]Right? You might say, "I I know that God reigns over all, but when is that not just going to be a a theological fact that we affirm? When is that going to be our experience? When are we going to live that? When will we actually see it?" And and the hope in Jesus day was that the kingdom of God would come in clear and powerful ways and and maybe even accompanied by great celestial sky signs in the sky or or events like in the days of old when God would show up.

[00:39:46]And and so Jesus, you keep talking a lot about the kingdom of God. You're always talking about the kingdom of God as if you know a lot about it. So when is God going to show up in power? When is God going to take care of these occupying Romans as well as disease and war and famine and brokenness? When is everything bad going to be made good?

[00:40:07]When are the things that are broken going to be restored? And Jesus answers uh in his typical Jesus way. Uh he answers not to just satisfy their curiosity or tell them what, you know, box to check on their theology exam.

[00:40:24]Jesus answers to reveal more about himself and his mission. Jesus says the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed. You're you're you're not going to see signs in the sky. You're not going to feel earthquakes or see victorious battles over your enemies or pillars of fire leading the way. The kingdom of God is not a location or a destination or an object. Look, there it is. There's the kingdom or no, it's over here. Let's go check that out. If you go looking for the kingdom of God, like on the mountain of go, you're not going to find it there. What does Jesus say? The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

[00:41:04]It's in the midst of you. It's it's in your midst. It's so close you could reach out and touch it. What does Jesus mean by that? The religious leaders would have been very confused by that because it was clear to them that the kingdom of God had not yet come. They assumed that the timing of the kingdom of God, it's it's like a mystery to be solved. You got to get all the clues together. It's it's like a conspiracy to unravel. You got to get the yarn out and you got to make all of the connections.

[00:41:32]But here, Jesus says that there aren't going to be signs announcing the coming coming kingdom because it's already here. It's it's in your midst. If you go looking for signs, you're going to miss what's right in front of your eyes. What what is Jesus saying? He's saying the kingdom of God is here because I'm here.

[00:41:53]I'm the king who ushers in the kingdom.

[00:41:55]I am in your midst. Uh which is just such a beautiful connection to our scripture verse uh in in our scripture memory plan which is Zephaniah 3:17. A prophet that says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save." And and we see Jesus affirming that in some beautiful ways. I am your king. Le let's keep reading because Jesus is going to make this point more clearly picking up in verse 22. And Jesus said to the disciples, so he turns from the Pharisees to the disciples. Jesus 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. And they will say to you, look there or look here. do not go out or follow them. 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. So, it's interesting that that Jesus says to the Pharisees, uh, the kingdom of God is already here.

[00:43:00]It's in your midst. Don't look for signs because it's already arrived. But then Jesus turns to the disciples and talks with them about a a future arrival. The days are coming, Jesus says. And so there's two really important things that we need to pause and notice as Jesus begins to talk about the kingdom of God.

[00:43:21]Uh the first is that there is a way in which the kingdom is already here. And there is a way in which the kingdom is not yet here, at least not in its fullness. And and that's a theological term that's called inaugurated esquetology.

[00:43:37]And and so the escatas, these last things, these final events of human history, the the culmination of God's plan of redemption, they've begun, they've been inaugurated in the first coming of Jesus, what we're reading about in Luke's gospel, the life and teachings and death and resurrection of Jesus. The but the final events of history and of God's plan of redemption, these won't be completed. these won't be culminated until the second coming of Jesus. And and this is important for our understanding of the kingdom of God because sometimes we hear things that seem to be conflicting or confusing. Um and and so I like the phrase already not yet. Uh we as Christians today, we're living in between the time of Jesus first coming and Jesus second coming. Uh we we're in this already not yet reality. We've already experienced glimpses, greenshoots, tastes of what will be, but we've not yet seen the fullness of God's plan where all things will be made new and every wrong will be writed. And and I just feel like that already not yet season describes so much of what we experience today as we seek to follow after Jesus. It makes sense of some of the joys and the frustrations of our days where where you experience a measure of victory over a stubborn sin in your life and yet you continue to still struggle with other sins. Or you get a taste of of true community and friendship that builds you up, but you're still riddled with self-doubt, self-doubt and insecurity. you you you experience your new heart delighting in the things of the Lord, but you still find yourself longing for things of of of old. And this is that that already not yet dynamic. Jesus has already shown up and changed everything. Changed everything. He's changed our lives, but we have not yet seen the full effect of that salvation. That the kingdom is already here. It's in your midst. and and yet we are still waiting for it to come in its fullness. That's the first thing. The second thing that we see uh we notice how Jesus seamlessly transitions from talking about the kingdom of God to talking about the days of the son of man. Did you see that he moved from talking about the kingdom of God to the days of the son of man as as if they're the same thing? And and we've already talked in Luke's gospel about how son of man is one of Jesus' favorite ways to refer to himself. He he often refers to himself as the son of man.

[00:46:18]Most often it it just means human human being. But Jesus uses it in a way that makes people wonder if he means something more than that. And here Jesus leans into that a little more clearly as he equates the coming kingdom with the days of the son of man. And and we turn to the Old Testament where the phrase like 99% of the time it's used it just means human. But there is that one time in Daniel where Daniel prophesies about what sounds like a particular son of man. Uh it almost sounds like a title.

[00:46:56]This is from Daniel uh chapter 7, one of his visions. He writes, "I saw in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man.

[00:47:10]And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away.

[00:47:28]And his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. And so Daniel writes of of of one like a son of man given dominion and glory in a kingdom. One whom all peoples [snorts] will serve. A kingdom that will not be destroyed. So is this what Jesus has been talking about when he keeps mysteriously referring to himself as a son of man. Not just a human but but one like this.

[00:47:53]And so we keep these two things in our mind that the kingdom is is in some ways already here but in other ways not yet here. And the kingdom has to do with the king. It has to do with the days of the son of man. So we we turn back to Jesus teaching uh when the kingdom of God comes in its fullness. When the when the days of the son of man arrive, Jesus says, "You won't have to wonder. You won't have to wonder. You won't have to solve a mystery or go on a quest or go down a rabbit trail on the internet.

[00:48:24]When Jesus returns, it will be as obvious to you and everyone else as a streak of lightning lighting up the sky, flashing and filling up the sky so that everyone can see. But but before we can imagine what will happen one day, Jesus says there's something that must happen right now. And we read about that in in verse 25. Jesus says, "But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." And so Jesus reminds his disciples that he has an assignment to complete in his first coming before we can even begin to think about his second coming. Jesus, remember, is on his way to Jerusalem.

[00:49:09]He's going to suffer and be rejected.

[00:49:11]And he has said previously and he will say again that in Jerusalem he's going to be killed and he's going to be raised to life. God's reign on earth will be in inaugurated through the death and resurrection of the king. And and God's reign on earth will be consummated by the victorious return of Jesus. And and we live in this already [snorts] not yet in between time. We we see this in the Lord's prayer. You remember Jesus taught us to pray that the kingdom would come, right? We see this every time we celebrate communion, the Lord's supper, where where we say, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." And and here we are in between.

[00:49:58]To to look for the kingdom of God is to look for King Jesus. and and King Jesus who will reign forever over all things must must first go to the cross for us and for our salvation.

[00:50:12]Uh let's let's keep reading. Jesus is going to illustrate what it's like what these end times are going to be like when he returns. And he's going to start with two historical examples. The days of the son of man that you're looking for. They're going to kind of be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot.

[00:50:29]Let's follow along. Picking up in verse 26. Jesus says, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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." Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. So will it be on the day when the son of man is revealed.

[00:51:12]So So these are two historical examples in the history of Israel, both of which precede judgment. The days of Noah that you can read about uh in Genesis 67 89 and the days of Lot that you can read about in Genesis 19. Um Jesus paints a picture of ordinary life. Eating and drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building, ordinary life. Uh kind of like the lives that we live today. Um and and then wham, destruction comes. That's the word that Jesus uses, destruction. It it comes suddenly. No signs, no warning.

[00:51:52]Uh, the flood came and destroyed all of them in Noah's day. Fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all in Lot's day. And so will it be on the day that the son of man is revealed.

[00:52:08][sighs and gasps] There there's there's nothing wrong with ordinary life with the life that we live. Eating, drinking, marrying, being giving given in marriage, planting, building, going out. Nothing wrong with ordinary life in this world unless it makes you unconcerned or unprepared for Jesus return. What is Jesus saying here?

[00:52:33]He's saying are you ready? Are you ready for that day when I will return? There will be a day when the son of man is revealed in fullness and it'll come like that. Bam. Are you ready? You ready for that? Now is the time to make a decision to trust the Lord or to reject the Lord, to follow in the ways of the Lord or to forge your own ways. But don't presume that you will have time to reconsider.

[00:53:02]The good news of the kingdom of God is being preached now. Jesus says, now is the time to believe and to turn to Jesus and to find forgiveness of sins and new life in him.

[00:53:17]Keep reading. Jesus moves from history to his present day so that the disciples can can feel the weight of what he's teaching. Pick up in verse 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. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.

[00:54:04]And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" And he said to them, "Where the corpses?

[00:54:12]There the vultures will gather.

[00:54:15]Okay. Uh on that day on the day that the son of man will be revealed. This is not Jesus is not talking about internal spiritual enlightenment. Jesus is talking about a day in history when he will return. In that moment that's as obvious as lightning filling up the sky on that day that Jesus returns in victory. There's going to be no time for lastm minute preparation.

[00:54:41]Right? Picture someone on the roof of their house relaxing with all their good stuff inside. Picture someone out in the fields with all of their possessions in their home. It will do you no good on that day to run inside and grab something valuable to turn back for something that you valuable you find valuable. You must be ready already.

[00:55:03]Where is your heart pointing now? Right?

[00:55:06]What is the ultimate purpose of your life now? Have you cultivated a longing for the king in the kingdom while you are now in this world? That there's an urgency on this day for the day to come.

[00:55:21]It will do you no good to be urgent on that day because it comes quickly. No time for for deathbed conversions. No time for lastm minute reconciliation. Remember Lot's wife, Jesus says. Uh and here that stands as an example of of unbelief and also an example of misplaced affections of one who has set their delight on the goods of this world and ignored the eternal goods and the coming of the king. I tell you, Jesus says, uh, and he speaks of two pairs of people, two pairs of people, one pair in bed and another pair of women grinding grain in the field.

[00:56:02]And one from each of the pair will be taken and one will be left. Um, uh, again, this is normal life. They're they're sleeping, they're working, but one person belongs to the son of man and is ready and the other person does not.

[00:56:18]And there may be no external distinction between the two people, but internally there is a significant distinction that has eternal significance and has to do with how they relate to Jesus. And and Jesus explains the heart of that distinction when he says, "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it."

[00:56:43]Again, it's a very Jesusy thing to say.

[00:56:48]Uh, and it sounds familiar. Uh, way back in the fall, way back on September 7th, we kicked off this portion of our sermon series through Luke's Gospel, the part that we're calling the cost of disciplehip. The the part where Jesus travels from Galilee down to Jerusalem.

[00:57:05]And on that travel, he keeps talking with his followers about what it means to truly be a disciple and to count the cost, what it truly means to follow Jesus. And and we kicked off uh this this passage uh with Luke chapter nine.

[00:57:21]Let me read to you where we started back in September. Um Luke chapter nine.

[00:57:26]Jesus says, "He said to them all, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? And and now we've come full circle right back to that same idea.

[00:57:55]Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it. Yet whoever loses his life will keep it. Jesus is saying following me is a matter of life and death. It's it's not an enhancement to your life. It's a matter of life and death. It's about chasing authentic joy or chasing counterfeit joys. It it's it's it's about living for this world or living in this world for the world to come. If your life is centered on the pursuit of the things of this world, the the pursuit of the glory and the power and the possessions of this world, the pursuit of a salvation of your own making, then Jesus says it will not end well for you.

[00:58:38]you will you will lose it all. You were made for so much more than that. But Jesus says if you give up those pursuits for me, even if it leads to your suffering, even if it leads to your death, that is where you will find joy upon joy, life upon life, abundant life, a salvation that begins now and continues throughout eternity. There is no more abundant, fulfilling life that you will ever find than in giving it all to Jesus. That's his invitation. That's what you were made for. To to know and to love Jesus, your king. To be known and to be loved by Jesus, your king. To be welcomed into his eternal kingdom and to receive the joy of the king. Jesus, who's who's been making things more and more clear the closer and closer he gets to Jerusalem, he just lays it on the line here. The kingdom of God is already here. It's in your midst. It's like you could reach out and grab it because I'm here, Jesus says. And at the same time, the kingdom of God is not yet here. Not fully. And and the king will come again in victory. And and Jesus says, "My return will be obvious like lightning filling up the sky. You won't have to wonder. My return will be sudden. Normal life and then wham.

[01:00:08]And my return, Jesus says, will have eternal consequences. So, are you ready for that? Don't put off saying yes to Jesus.

[01:00:19]And then the disciples respond by asking Jesus, "Where?

[01:00:24]Where, Lord?" We we started our passage with when when is the kingdom of God coming? And we end it with a where. It's a strange question. Uh, and some of the uh, biblical scholars think that that this is just the disciples not getting it, not tracking with what Jesus is saying. Maybe they're thinking where, Lord, where those two pair of people, where did those ones who dis where do they go? Or where are you coming Lord?

[01:00:47]We're not quite sure what the disciples mean. And the meaning of Jesus response is a little elusive. Also, uh, where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. sounds ominous. Uh it it could be a way of Jesus saying, you know, where there's smoke, there's fire. Could be Jesus reiterating what he's already said. It'll all be clear in the end.

[01:01:10]There will not be any questions about who or where or why or when. Th this would have been the perfect time for Jesus to speak directly and clearly about the end times, about his return, to answer all of our questions about the kingdom coming, the days of the son of man, about the the culmination of God's plan of redemption, get out all the charts and the timeline and just tell us Jesus. But Jesus leaves us with where the corpses, there the vultures will gather. And I feel the lack of specificity in that response. I'm sure the way that the disciples did when they first heard it. Jesus is going to talk again about his return, about the coming of the son of man. There there's more that he'll have to say uh about his return, but that's where this passage ends this morning with vultures.

[01:02:01]Uh so so huh.

[01:02:05]Uh we're still curious about how it's all going to go down at the end. We're Whether our culture uses phrases like apocalypse or the end times or the end of the world or Jesus return, it's it's still newsworthy. It's still a source of conspiracy theories. It's still the water that we swim in. The idea of Jesus return may be ridiculed. uh it may be me'd but it captures our attention and and we want our thoughts to line up with what Jesus says even when his words may be difficult to kind of pin down but but one thing's clear from this passage if before Jesus there were two people uh one of whom was wearing a poster board that said THE END IS NIGH AND THE other thought you know that's a bunch of hoie uh and gives no thought to eternity and doesn't think any of this matters. Jesus knows that one of those is closer to the truth. The kingdom of God is already here and the kingdom of God is not yet here. Not fully. Are you ready? That's Jesus question. For those of us who are not yet in Christ, if you haven't yet said yes to Jesus and found new life in him, this passage is meant to be a warning. A warning for you to heed. Warnings are giving in love. Given in love so that you can turn. It's a warning for you to heed. It's also an invitation to be ready. Today is the day that the good news is proclaimed.

[01:03:39]But if you're seeking to preserve your life by trusting in all the supposed security that this world has to offer, Jesus says you're going to lose it.

[01:03:48]You're going to lose it all and along with it eternity.

[01:03:52]But but if you lose your life, if you give everything to follow Jesus, you're going to gain true life, abundant life, fulfilled life, the life that you were created for, and with it eternity.

[01:04:08]And and so for those of us here who are in Christ, this is a passage that grounds our hope in Jesus. Uh later in Luke's gospel, Jesus is going to say, "Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near." Straighten up, raise your heads is a posture of hope, of anticipation.

[01:04:34]Your redemption is is drawing near. The day of the Lord, the day of the son of man, the day Jesus will return. This is our hope. We trust in the one who has gone before us to prepare the way and who will come back to receive us, bring us into his kingdom. Jesus is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

[01:04:57]Our EFCA statement of faith summarizes what scripture teaches about Christ's return. Uh, and as we reflect on the return of Christ, it's meant to do three things in our life. It motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission. That's what this is supposed to do. When Jesus talks about the esqueas, the the final events of history, the culmination of God's plan of salvation, he doesn't give us clues to solve a mystery. He doesn't give us yarn to try and make all of the connections. He gives us hope. He gives us a certain and confident promised outcome. So, so if we find ourselves embarrassed by this kind of talk, if we find ourselves captured by conspiracies, if we find ourselves contentious about the details of Jesus return, then then we're doing it wrong. That's not what Jesus is trying to fan in our hearts. These words are meant to motivate the believer to godly living, to sacrificial service, and to energetic mission. So let's ask God to grow that in our hearts. Let's pray.

[01:06:11]Lord, uh we are easily distracted and confused uh occasionally discouraged um when when you use words like this, when you talk about this future, our mind just goes in lots of different places. And so would you anchor?

[01:06:29]You're the anchor of our soul. You are what is strong and trustworthy and solid. You have promised that not only will you go to prepare a place for us, but you'll return and come back. And and because you are trustworthy, we can place our hope in you. And so I pray that you would grow in us godly living, a desire to live for you every day, to put you [music] first, to put others before ourselves. Pray that we would live with sacrificial service. that we would consider others needs more [music] important than our needs and empty ourselves on behalf of the poor. Pray that we would be energetic in the mission that you've called us to to to proclaim the good news to shine the light to share with those who feel far from you that you have come to provide a way. [music] So Lord, change our hearts and through our changed hearts, let us be on mission as we leave this place today. It's in Jesus name that we [music] pray. Amen.

[01:07:40]Let's [music] sing it together again.

[01:07:43]Sing yours is the king.

[01:07:46]>> Yours [music] is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the [music] power.

[01:07:52]Yours is the glory [singing] forever. [music] Amen.

[01:07:59]Yours is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the power. [music] Yours is the glory forever [singing] on earth. [music] Yours is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the power.

[01:08:20]Yours [music and singing] is the glory forever. Amen.

[01:08:27]Yours is [music] a king.

[01:08:30]Yours is a power.

[01:08:34]Yours [music] is the glory forever.

[01:08:38][singing] Amen.

[01:08:41][music] Let heaven come. Let heaven come.

[01:08:52]Let heaven come.

[01:08:57]>> [singing] [music] >> Let heaven [singing] come.

[01:09:08]And yours is the kingom. [singing] Yours [music] is the power.

[01:09:15]Yours is the glory forever.

[01:09:19][singing and music] Amen.

[01:09:22]Yours is the kingom. [singing] Yours is the power.

[01:09:29]Yours [music] is the glory [singing] forever. Amen.

[01:09:36][music] >> Amen.

[01:09:39]Amen. It's easy to get uh lost in the forests. We get fascinated [music] by the individual trees instead of seeing the whole forest. Uh and so we are reminded that [music] Christ is going to return and to set all things right. And that that's our hope and and and [music] the present hope is meant to create in us an energy for the mission that Jesus has called us to in and a heart that wants to sacrifice ourselves [music] for the sake of other and a desire to live for Jesus first and foremost. So go out into our [music] mission field on mission for King Jesus. We'll see you next week. Amen.

[01:10:32]>> [music] >> Heat. Heat.

[01:10:43]>> [music] [laughter] >> You take all my cares away. You can move mountains.

[01:10:57]I don't have to be [music] afraid.

[01:11:00]I know you are.

[01:11:07]All things are possible.

[01:11:11]You are God.

[01:11:14]None can [music] [music] [music] take all my cares away. You draw me closer.

[01:11:39]Trust in every step I take. For you I know our God.

[01:11:49]All things are possible.

[01:11:53]You are God.

[01:11:56]No Jesus.

[01:12:03]lover of my soul.

[01:12:06]You never let me go.

[01:12:10]You never [music] let me go.

[01:12:15]Jesus, since your love, [music and bell] I hold you close.

[01:12:24]I'll never let you go.

[01:12:30]All this [music and singing] life I live is fully yours alone.

[01:12:36]I have nothing without [music] you.

[01:12:44]With my eyes set high and my will on the road perfectace [music] I hold.

[01:12:58]Everything is yours.

[01:13:01]Everything is yours.

[01:13:04]Never [music] going to be the same.

[01:13:25]Jesus, [music] lover of my soul.

[01:13:30]You never let me go.

[01:13:34]You never let me [music] go.

[01:13:39]Jesus, lover of my [music] soul.

[01:13:44]You never let me go.

[01:13:48]You never let me go.

[01:13:53]Jesus, [music] it's your love that covers everything.

[01:13:58]I hold you close inside of me.

[01:14:02]I'll never let you go.

[01:14:44]Have you seen the home of the sun is no comparison breathing deeply sound at lastace Kings and kingoms follows his throne and his children raise upows.

[01:15:30]All his children he'll raise up and his rain goes on and on.

[01:15:46]And his rain goes on and on.

[01:16:05]mountain sing and see our heavenly wine.