The recent winter storm revealed that many people prepare for the worst. Country Market grocery was packed the two days previous and Meijer shelves were bare. Milk, bread, and frozen foods were gone. Cars were lined up at the gas stations. Snow shovels, salt, and hot chocolate were in demand. Many people were ready for a big storm!
In your life, you are either in a storm or going to have one soon. It may not necessarily be a storm of snow, wind or rain, but a storm of equal devastation. It may be a doctor’s diagnosis, a severed relationship, a financial crisis, or death of a loved one. Are you ready?
One of the greatest lessons of life that Jesus teaches in Luke 17 is to prepare for the future. The time to prepare is now. One day it may be too late to prepare. If we know when something is going to happen, we can better prepare. Jesus taught about His coming kingdom. When is God’s kingdom coming?
The Kingdom of God is NOW.
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21-22)
Unknowingly, the religious leaders asked the King of kings when His kingdom would come. They were looking for the kingdom and the King was right in front of them.
His answer explains the nature of God’s kingdom. A kingdom is never far from its king. The kingdom of God is any place where God’s people are under God’s rule, even right in your heart. When you have the King, you have the kingdom.
A four-year-old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears, he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl stayed silent. Next the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heartbeat, he asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Mickey Mouse in there?” “Oh, no!” the little girl replied. “Jesus is in my heart. Mickey Mouse is on my underpants.”
Some theologians and Bible teachers have raised the issue that nowhere in the Bible does it tell us that people have “asked Jesus in their heart.” In fact, some think it is an unbiblical explanation of salvation. I think these people have too much time on their hands. If by heart we mean the center of a person’s being and by “asking Jesus” we mean to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation, I don’t see the problem. The apostle Paul explained salvation this way: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and wit the mouth confession is made unto salvation.. For whosover shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
If you have not already, I hope today you will invite Jesus into your life and save your soul.
The Kingdom of Heaven is FUTURE.
Though a person can have the King and His kingdom in their heart by receiving Jesus, there will one day be a physical kingdom on this earth when Jesus returns. Jesus explained this future kingdom more in depth to His disciples in Luke 17:22-37. The kingdom of Heaven is the future, physical kingdom on earth. Jesus’ second coming is certain and people need to be prepared.
Jesus explained 3 characteristics of this future kingdom in Luke 17:22-37:
- It is desired by believers. Christians long for Jesus to return. “The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man” (v. 22)
- It is sudden & unexpected. The times of Noah were wicked and indifferent to God’s kingdom. They were warned but not prepared. It will be the same when Jesus returns. “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (v. 26-27)
- There will be a separation. Believers will be taken and unbelievers will face judgment. “Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (v. 36)
Jesus is coming back. For some, it will be a judgment. For others, it will be a reunion.
Some of my favorite YouTube videos are about soldiers returning from overseas duty to surprise their family. The family knows they are coming home sometime in the future. But when they actually see them in front of their eyes, the reaction is priceless.
I hope the return of Jesus will be a wonderful reunion for you. I hope it will be a time to be reunited with loved ones and you will see Jesus face-to-face. Are you ready?
The weather predictions of storms allow people to prepare. The store shelves are empty, vehicles full of gas, generators ready to start. I wish people would prepare for Jesus’ return like they prepare for a potential winter storm. It’s as if we trust the weatherman more than we trust God’s Word.
There is a storm coming. Maybe you are in a storm or just got out of a storm. But I guarantee there is a storm coming in your future and you need to prepare. At the least, there will be the final storm of judgment. If you have Jesus, you will be fine. If not, prepare today.
Christian, Jesus is with you in the storms of life. One day, we will in Heaven and live a life of love, joy and peace. No storm will disturb us. Jesus will be king. But today we can have that same love, joy and peace in our storms because we have Jesus within us.