Sunday
Morning Bible Study
October
30, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Video: Mexico Sept. 2016 report
Luke was a doctor and a traveling
companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was
in prison.
In writing this book about Jesus,
Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as
extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is well under way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
Is anyone tired of all the election drama?
We’re going to talk about politics today, but not American politics. We’re going to talk about the kingdom of God
Saw this last night on Facebook:
“Have the donkey and elephant let you down? Turn to the Lamb”
17:20-21 The Kingdom Within
:20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would
come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with
observation;
:21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom
of God is within you.”
:20 He was asked by the
Pharisees
He was asked – eperotao
– to accost one with an enquiry, put a question to, interrogate
The Old King James translates this,
“he was demanded…”
:20 The kingdom of God does not come with observation
The wording that Luke uses in this verse indicates a sense of belligerence
by the Pharisees as they are asking this question.
They seem to be challenging Jesus in His claims as Messiah.
observation – parateresis
– observation
The word can carry the idea of
somebody watching carefully in order to trip up another person.
from paratereo – to stand beside and watch, observe carefully; in a bad
sense, to watch insidiously (treacherously)
(Luke 17:20–21 NLT) —20 One day
the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied,
“The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For
the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
The Jews had been waiting for the
Messiah. They knew that the Scriptures
promised several things concerning the kingdom of God.
The Messiah would reign on the
throne of David. (Isa 9:6,7)
He would reign over the earth. (Dan
2:44)
Jerusalem was to become the center
of the earth (Isa 2:1-3)
Wars would cease (Isa 2:4,5)
The animal kingdom would become
tamed (Isa 11:6,7)
The earth will be restored to the
Edenic glory (Isa 35)
It seems they want to know when all
these things would happen. The problem
is, these are the characteristics of Jesus’ Second Coming, not His
first.
Be careful that you don’t take this to mean that we shouldn’t be looking
for signs of the coming of Jesus.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who hate Him, not to the disciples who
love Him.
To His disciples, Jesus will give many hints as to what the time of His
Second Coming will look like.
We believe it’s healthy for a Christian to be aware of the prophetic times
we live in.
Matthew 24 is filled with these
signs we are to be aware of including wars, famines, disease, earthquakes,
persecution, and false prophets.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 24:33 NKJV) So
you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!
I’ll be doing my annual “Prophecy
Update” this year on New Year’s Day (Sunday morning).
here – hode
– here, to this place, etc.
See – horao
– to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know
there – ekei–
there, in or to that place
:21 the kingdom of God is within you
within – entos – within,
inside
While some translations make this sound as if Jesus is reminding them that
He is in their “midst”, the word here really means “inside”. He’s talking about what’s inside them.
Some of the translations say
“among” or “in your midst”, but the only other place this Greek word is found
is in Mat. 23:26, also addressed to the Pharisees:
(Matthew 23:26 NKJV) Blind
Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of
them may be clean also.
There the idea is
clearly “inside”, in contrast to “outside”.
Lesson
It starts inside
Remember that Jesus is talking to unbelieving Pharisees.
He’s not saying that the kingdom is already inside of every person, He’s telling
the Pharisees that the kingdom starts on the inside.
They need to believe in Jesus first.
Some people want to get all caught up in looking for the signs of the
coming Kingdom of God, but they are approaching the whole subject as
“outsiders”. They get excited about the
things of prophecy, but they never let the truths of God change them on the
inside.
If you have never trusted your life to Jesus, if you’ve never taken Him
seriously when He says to you, “Follow Me”, then you can study prophecy until
you’re blue in the face and it won’t help you one bit.
You will still end up in hell.
17:22-37 The Coming Kingdom
:22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire
to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
:22 Then He said to the disciples
Now Jesus will turn to His disciples and give a different kind of lesson
about the coming Kingdom.
The disciples are those who love, follow, and trust Jesus.
:22 when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man
you will desire – epithumeo
– to have a desire for, long for, to desire; to lust after, covet
There would be tough times ahead for Jesus’ disciples. They will long for the days when they used to
walk with Jesus.
:23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after
them or follow them.
:23 ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’
Look – horao
– to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know
here – hode
– here, to this place, etc.
there – ekei–
there, in or to that place
Our translations are a little unfortunate, because Jesus uses the exact
same words that He used when addressing the Pharisees in verse 21.
It’s just the order of the words
that is slightly different.
People like the Pharisees will be pointing out some new thing, or saying
that He has come, but don’t believe them.
go after – aperchomai
– to go away, depart; to go away in order to follow any one
follow – dioko
– to make to run or flee; follow after: someone; metaph., to pursue; to
seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire
Matthew records it this way –
(Matthew 24:23–24
NKJV) —23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or
‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs
and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Lesson
Attractive secrets
It seems that there is a hunger in people to believe something that makes
them feel good.
Illustration
Like
many young boys, Kevin Winn would often pretend to be a sports hero,
scoring the winning goal or hitting a crucial home run. But Winn didn't know when to stop
pretending. As a young adult, he went
from state to state impersonating professional athletes, then ripping off the
people who believed him by stealing their money, credit cards, jewelry, or
vehicles, and also forging checks. Winn
was apprehended and convicted of his crimes, but the writer who told the story
was more amazed at the easy acceptance Winn enjoyed from his victims than he
was at Winn's audacity. The case proved
again how much people dearly want to believe anything that makes them feel good
or sounds exciting, like hobnobbing with a famous athlete.
You and I need to be careful about the kinds of “secrets” people want to
tell you about the Second Coming.
With our coming election, I’ve heard all kinds of crazy things being said
and tying it to the Second Coming. Be
careful friends.
Paul wrote,
(Ephesians 4:14–15
NKJV) —14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the head—Christ—
It is a sign of spiritual immaturity when a person gets
caught up in every new “wind of doctrine” that blows through the church. We grow up when we are centered in speaking
the truth in love. The truth is found in
the Scriptures.
:24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven
shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in
His day.
lightning – astrape
– lightning; of the gleam of a lamp
flashes – astrapto
– to lighten; of dazzling objects
shines – lampo
– to shine
:24 as the lightning that flashes
Lesson
Obvious
The other night when we had that strange stuff called “rain” falling, we
also had some lightning.
The lightning flashes were so bright you could see them with your eyes
closed.
Nobody is going to need to tell you that Jesus has returned.
A century ago, the Jehovah’s Witnesses kept predicting dates when Jesus was
going to come back.
After about their third failure, they said that He actually had come back
and was visiting their headquarters in Brooklyn.
Not.
When Jesus comes, it will be obvious to the entire world.
:25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this
generation.
:25 first He must suffer
must – dei – it is
necessary, there is need of, is right and proper
suffer – pascho
– to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible
experience, to undergo; in a bad sense, to suffer sadly, be in a bad plight
be rejected – apodokimazo
– to disapprove, reject, repudiate
Lesson
First things first
Before there would be a Second
Coming, Jesus needed to fulfill the purpose of His First Coming.
He MUST suffer.
Before Jesus could ever come in glory to rule over the earth, God had to
take care of mankind’s problem, sin.
The Bible says that all of us have sinned, and that our sin has cut us off
from God.
Though many of the Jews of Jesus’ day were looking for the coming of the glorious
Messiah who would defeat the Romans and make Israel great again, God had other
plans to take care of first.
He had to die to pay for our sins.
Long ago, Isaiah prophesied:
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His
stripes we are healed.
His suffering to pay for our sins.
You may be interested in the Second Coming of Christ, but God FIRST wants
you to be interested in the First Coming.
God wants to forgive your sins and give you eternal life. Jesus said,
(John
3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Have you opened your heart to Jesus yet? Understanding His first coming gets you ready
for His second coming.
:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of
the Son of Man:
:27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them
all.
:26 as it was in the days of Noah
Now Jesus hints at what the world will be like in the days that He returns.
What were the days of Noah like?
(Genesis 6:11 NLT) Now God saw
that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.
Corruption and violence permeated the world and God saw it was time for
judgment to come.
Does that sound like something you’re familiar with?
ate – esthio
– to eat
drank – pino
– to drink
married wives – gameo
– to lead in marriage, take to wife
given in marriage – ekgamizo
– to give away in marriage: a daughter
the flood – kataklusmos
(“cataclysm”) – inundation, deluge
:27 eat … drank … married …
All the verbs are in the
“imperfect” tense, meaning that it was continuous action in the past.
The idea is that life went on just as normal. People did not believe the end was coming.
Don’t think that this means that the people had no warning of what was
going to happen.
Peter calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness” (2Pet. 2:5).
(2 Peter 2:5 NKJV) —5 and did not
spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
Noah warned the world, but they chose to ignore it.
Was there a worldwide flood in Noah’s day?
Jesus seemed to think it was.
Though some in the scientific community might scoff at it, there is much
that points to a worldwide cataclysmic event – such as the massive amounts of
sedimentary rock. These layers of sand,
soil, and material were once soft like mud, but they are now hard stone. Encased in these sedimentary layers are
billions of dead things (plants and animals) which were buried very quickly and
fossilized instead of decaying (as is normal).
:28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
:29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven and destroyed them all.
ate – esthio
– to eat
drank – pino
– to drink
they bought – agorazo
– to be in the market place; to do business there, buy or sell
they sold – poleo
– to barter, to sell
they planted – phuteuo
– to plant
they built – oikodomeo
– to build a house, erect a building
All the above verbs are also in the
Imperfect tense, continuous action in the past.
:28 bought … sold … planted … built
What was the difference between
Noah’s days and Lot’s days?
Noah’s days had marriages, Lot’s
didn’t.
Lot’s days were characterized by materialism.
Though we tend to focus on homosexuality as the big sin of Sodom, Ezekiel
writes that their problem was that they were too well off, too proud, had too
much time on their hands, and that’s why they went down the road of homosexual
sin. (Eze. 16:49-50)
God spoke through Ezekiel about
ancient Sodom:
(Ezekiel 16:49–50 NKJV) —49 Look, this
was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness
of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the
poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty
and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
We tend to focus on homosexuality
as the big sin of Sodom, but God looked deeper at the roots of their sin.
They were wealthy people with too
much time on their hands and they didn’t care about others.
In their pride they committed
abomination (homosexuality).
Does this sound like our world
today?
Was there a real Sodom that was destroyed by fire? We were there last year.
it rained – brecho
– to moisten, wet, water; to water with rain, to cause to rain, to pour the
rain, to send down like rain
fire – pur –
fire
brimstone – theion
– brimstone; divine incense, because burning brimstone was regarded as
having power to purify, and to ward off disease
destroyed – apoloumi
– to destroy
:30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
:30 so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed
is revealed – apokalupto
– to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up
Just as in the days of Noah and
Lot, when Jesus comes back, people will be surprised because they will be
living their lives as normal.
If the world was destroyed by a flood in Noah’s day, if Sodom was destroyed
by fire in Lot’s day, then could there also be a day of judgment for this world
when Jesus comes back?
:31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in
the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is
in the field, let him not turn back.
housetop – doma
– a building, house; house top, roof; the house tops of the Orientals were
(and still are) level and frequented not only for walking, but also for
meditation and prayer; it was like a patio to the people in Jesus’ day.
goods – skeuos
– a vessel; an implement; household utensils, domestic gear
come down – katabaino
– to go down, come down, descend
the field – agros
– the field
turn back – epistrepho
– to turn one’s self about, turn back; to return, turn back, come back
:31 he who is on the housetop
Israeli homes had patios on the
roof.
On that “day”, the guy catching a
few rays on his rooftop isn’t going to want to take the time to get his iPad
before getting away.
:31 the one who is in the field
The farmer who is out working in
the fields isn’t going to want to take time to go back to the house and gather
his collection of baseball cards.
:31 In that day, he who is on the housetop …
“That day” in the Bible is also known as the “day of the Lord”.
It’s not a 24-hour period, but a period that covers several years and many
different events.
I don’t think the issue here is the “Rapture”. When the rapture occurs, there won’t be time
to get stuff out of your house.
(1 Corinthians
15:51–52 NKJV) —51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed—52
in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
That’s too quick to pack a bag. Even
like this:
Jesus uses the same language when He is giving instructions to believing
Jews who are still living in Israel in the days when the antichrist is
revealed.
(Matthew 24:15–18 NKJV)
—15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads,
let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who
is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him
who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
He’s warning them to flee because the antichrist will be unleashing a great
persecution.
:32 Remember Lot’s wife.
:33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life
will preserve it.
Remember – mnemoneuo
– to be mindful of, to remember, to call to mind
seeks – zeteo
– to seek in order to find; to seek i.e. require, demand
to save – sozo
– to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
will lose it – apollumi
– to destroy; to lose
will preserve – zoogoneo
– to bring forth alive; to give life; to preserve alive
:32 Remember Lot’s wife
In explaining His statement about not going back to the house to get your
stuff, Jesus reminds us of Lot’s wife.
Lot was the nephew of Abraham, and he was living in the city of Sodom when
God made the decision to destroy the city.
When two angels showed up to take Lot and his family out of Sodom, they
warned the family to flee and not look back. (Gen. 19:17)
(Genesis 19:17 NKJV) So it came
to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your
life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the
mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
Not all of Lot’s family paid attention to the instructions.
(Genesis 19:24–26
NKJV) —24 Then the Lord rained
brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all
the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife
looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Why did Lot’s wife look back? Jesus is hinting that she wanted to go
back. There were things back in Sodom
that she didn’t want to let go of.
:33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it
Lot’s wife couldn’t just “let go” of her life in Sodom.
She couldn’t just turn her back on this city she loved and march off
without ever looking back.
Lesson
Can you let go?
Coming to Christ means we must be willing to leave certain things behind.
You have a choice to either follow Jesus, or hold on to those things of the
world.
You can’t do both.
Peter wrote,
(1 Peter 4:3 NLT) You have had
enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their
immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their
terrible worship of idols.
Church history records that for the first couple of
centuries, the church grew quickly because there was such a contrast in the way
they lived from the way the world lived. It was attractive to those who were
sick of the emptiness of their immoral life.
I’m afraid that many Christians today aren’t that
different than those in the world.
Paul wrote,
(Galatians 5:19–21 NKJV) —19 Now the
works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery,
hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21 envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand,
just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s a pretty
serious list of things.
Paul says that if
your life is characterized these kinds of things, that you’ve chosen poorly.
Illustration
Monkey Treats
Monkey trappers in North Africa have a clever method of catching their
prey. A number of gourds are filled with nuts (monkey treats) and firmly
fastened to a branch of a tree. Each has
a hole just large enough for the unwary monkey to stick his forepaw into it.
When the hungry animal discovers this, he quickly grasps a handful of nuts, but
the hole is too small for him to withdraw his clenched fist. And he doesn't have enough sense to open up
his hand and let go in order to escape, so he is easily taken captive.
So how do I let go?
For some, it comes easy. They can
just do it.
For others, it starts with a realization that I want to let go, but that I
can’t do it on my own. I need help.
When you are ready to let go, we have people who can help
you walk down that path.
:34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the
one will be taken and the other will be left.
:35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and
the other left.
:36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the
other left.”
men – not in the Greek text, it’s simply “two”
bed – kline
– a small bed, a couch
will be taken – paralambano
– to take to, to take with one’s self, to join to one’s self
left – aphiemi
– to send away; to let go, let alone, let be; to leave one by not taking
him as a companion; to leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining
:34 two men in one bed
Don’t get confused about two men being in bed together, the text just says
“there will be two in one bed”
I’ve heard Greg Laurie tell the story about the time when he played a trick
on his wife Cathe. They were in bed
talking about the Second Coming, and while she was talking, he slipped out of
bed and hid on the floor.
Don’t try that one at home.
grinding – aletho
– to grind; It was the custom to send women and female slaves to the mill
houses to turn the hand mills.
shall be taken – paralambano
– to take to, to take with one’s self, to join to one’s self
left – aphiemi
– to send away; to let go, let alone, let be; to leave one by not taking
him as a companion; to leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining
:35 Two women will be
grinding together
Again, the word “women” isn’t in
the text.
It’s talking about people grinding
grain into flour, a daily chore.
This verse is not in some of the
Greek manuscripts.
:34 in that night there will be …
Did you notice that some people are in bed at “night”, while others are at
work grinding at the mill or in the field, presumably in the day?
I think that perhaps we’re talking about something happening around the
globe. In some parts of the world it is
night, while for others, it’s the middle of the day.
:37 And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?” So He said to them,
“Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
body – soma
– the body both of men or animals
gathered together – sunago
– to gather together, to gather; to bring together, assemble, collect
(Matthew 24:28 NKJV) For
wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
carcass – ptoma
– a fall, downfall; that which has fallen; the fallen body of one dead or
slain, a corpse, a carcass
:37 Where, Lord?
They want to know “where” the ones taken went to.
:37 Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered
There are several ways to interpret this, but I believe vs. 34-37 fall under
the umbrella of the “Day of the Lord”, and that Jesus is talking about the
rapture of the church.
eagles – aetos
– an eagle
There are two ways of looking at
these verses, it’s possible either way.
Taken in judgment
These last few verses (vs. 34-37)
might be talking about that time at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus comes
back with us to take back this planet.
When He returns, it’s the
unbelievers who will be taken in judgment and put to death.
In this sense, Jesus might be
talking about dead bodies and not eagles, but vultures (though that’s not the
actual word used).
Taken to heaven
It could be that under the umbrella
of the “Day of the Lord”, Jesus is talking about the rapture of the church.
This will happen before the Tribulation, when believers will be caught up
to meet Jesus in the air.
Jesus is the “body”, and we are the “eagles”.
Jesus said,
(John 14:1–3 NKJV)
—1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also
in Me. 2 In My
Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there
you may be also.
:26 as it was in the days of Noah
Lesson
The Safe Place
Talking about Jesus’ return and things like Lot’s wife turning to salt can
be a little scary at times.
Some of you might be a little intimidated, wondering if you’re going to
make it.
When you give your life to Jesus, He promises to get you through to the end.
Toward the end of his life, Peter’s world was getting kind of scary. It was quite dangerous to be a Christian, and
there was much persecution.
Peter reminded his readers about the days of Noah and Lot, and how God not
only judged the wicked, but He also saved the righteous.
(2 Peter 2:9 NLT) So you see,
the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping
the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.
You and I are going to be seeing many more things reminding us that Jesus
is coming soon.
Don’t be afraid. It means Jesus is
coming.