Luke 17:11-37 "Don't Trade Christ for Worldly Junk!" (Bexley North 10:00am)

Good morning, church. Thank you. My name is Ryan. I'm one of the student ministers here at Bexley North. Let's pray.

Before we get into this part of God's word. Heavenly father, your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And so as we come to it now, please help us not only to understand it, but help us be shaped by it that we may live in light of who your son is and what he has done for us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Wonderful. When have you made a bad trade? When have you made a bad trade? There's this scene I love in the Simpsons. Homer has been made the head of his works union and the union is fighting to keep their dental insurance plan.

And while sitting around the family table, his daughter Lisa asks him if he'll be able to keep the dental plan. And Homer says, well, that depends on who's a better negotiator, Mr. Burns or me. His son Bart pipes up, dad, I'll trade you this delicious doorstop for your crummy old Danish. Bart offers a wooden and inedible doorstop as a snack in place for a flaky pastry. It's a ridiculous and obviously bad trade to make.

And without missing a beat. Next slide. Homer says, done and done. He makes the trade, but inhales the Danish. And only after a moment does Homer realize that he's been swindled.

But too late. The trade's been made, the Danish is gone. I just love how ridiculous this scene is because who on earth makes a trade like this? Who on earth would get duped into trading away their Danish for a wooden doorstop? It just fills you with dread about how these upcoming negotiations are going to go.

When have you made a bad trade? I regularly make bad trades. Things like trading sleep for more time on my phone, or trading being organized before bed for stress filled organizing in the morning, or trading a proper sit down meal for a whole bag of chips and other various snacks. I'd love to hear your bad trades on your slip or over morning tea. My bad trades may impact my day, they may impact my health, but they won't impact my eternity.

But there are trades that we can make that will. We can make a trade that throws away our eternity, where we trade something much more worthwhile than a Danish for something much more crummy than a doorstop. That's the worst trade that we could make. That's a ridiculous trade to make. And yet, sadly, that's a trade so many in our world still make.

So how will we not make that same bad trade. That's what we'll see in today's passage as we get into it. Please follow along in your Bibles. The headings are in your outlines. They're on the slides, they're on the sermon printouts.

And let's start with point one. God's king has come to save. God's king has come to save. Verse 11 gives us the first time marker we've had since chapter 14. While traveling to Jerusalem, Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee.

Now I think we're looking at an earlier story on the road to Jerusalem. I think that Luke has held off on telling this story until now as we head towards the cross. And I think that does two key things for us. First, it reminds us of Luke's three questions during the travel narrative. Who is Jesus?

What did he come to do? And what does it look like to follow him? And second, this story from earlier in the journey will help us understand Jesus teaching from verse 20 onwards. And Jesus teaching here will shape how we understand this story. So I'm going to read the story for us again.

I want you to look for how it builds. Where are the surprises? And I want you to think about Luke's questions. Who is Jesus? What did he come to do?

And what does it look like to follow him? So read with me from verse 11. While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, 10 men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, jesus, master, have mercy on us.

When he saw them, he told them, go and show yourselves to the priests. And while they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice gave glory to God. He fell face down at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus said, were not 10 cleansed? Where are the 9? Didn't any return to give glory to God except this foreigner? And he told him, get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.

What a wonderful and heartbreaking passage this is. Jesus comes across 10 lepers, 10 men under the bondage of sickness. They're isolated from their family and their friends, isolated from God and his temple. They're suffering physically and relationally and spiritually. So how wonderful is it to see Jesus compassion on them, his love for them in healing them, his power in healing them from a distance.

There's no magic words, no magic ritual, just a command. Go and show yourself to the priests. And they believe, they trust Jesus will heal them. And he does. How incredible is that?

Which is what's so heartbreaking about this passage, isn't it? Because what did they do with their trust? Only one of them came back to Jesus to give him the praise he deserved. 1. What about the other nine?

Did they make it to the priest? Did they go to see their family and friends, those that they've missed for so long? Did they go and party and have the worldly fun they've longed for? Luke doesn't tell us, and that's the point. Because it doesn't matter what they did after.

It could have been wholesome, could have been debaucherous. It doesn't matter, because they've all made a bad trade. They've traded Jesus for the things of this world. They've let go of Jesus to cling on to other things. Only one didn't make that trade.

And he was a Samaritan of all people. And that's shocking. Just like the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10. The Jews are the ones who are meant to know God, not those Samaritans who have abandoned God so long ago. Yet who made the good trade?

Not any of the nine. And Jesus response indicates some of them were Jewish. Just this Samaritan makes the good trade. He chooses Jesus over the things of this world. And notice his Reward in verse 19.

See the blend of wonder and heartbreak in this verse? Verse 19. Jesus told the Samaritan, get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you. All 10 were healed, yet only this Samaritan was saved.

All 10 trusted that Jesus would heal them, yet only this Samaritan came back to Jesus. The heartbreak is that the other nine were healed and they were delivered from their bondage to sickness and. And then after getting what they wanted, they left Jesus alone. They're like seeds scattered on rocky ground. They've sprung up quickly in trust, but they have no roots.

And so their faith amounted to nothing very, very quickly. The wonder is that this Samaritan was not just delivered from his sickness. He was delivered from his sin. Like seed on good soil, his faith in Jesus has lasted. His healed body will one day waste away, just like everyone else's.

Just like the bodies of the nine will. But now he has gained something far more precious. Something they never got, the nine never got. He's entered God's kingdom. He now has hope and life for eternity.

And that is a good trade, clinging on to Jesus, not the things of this world and finding life in him.

Verse 20, Luke brings us back into the present. We're back with the Pharisees and the disciples. And the Pharisees are asking Jesus when the kingdom of God will come. Jesus talked a lot about the kingdom of God. So far he's emphasized that the kingdom is near and that you need to enter in.

So whether sincerely or maliciously, the Pharisees ask, well, when's it coming? Then look at Jesus response with me. The end of verse 20 and verse 21. Jesus answered them. The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable.

No one will say, see here or there. For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst. The kingdom of God didn't come with sky riding. No grand opening at a flagship location. The kingdom of God is already amongst them.

Because the king of the kingdom, God's king, Jesus, he is amongst them. He's bringing in the kingdom as people turn and follow him. People like the Samaritan, people like his disciples. And he is bringing the kingdom in observable ways. The lepers are cleansed, the blind see, the deaf hear, the poor hear the good news.

But the kingdom isn't an earthly kingdom. It's not like old Israel or the Babylonians or the Romans. God's king has not come to build his kingdom on earth. He calls more and more people to enter into the narrow door and enter into the salvation that he offers. Salvation from more than sickness and the pains of this life.

Salvation from what's to come. Salvation that lasts into eternity. God's king has come to save. That means that we today, just like them, have only two responses to choose from. The response of the nine where they rejected Jesus for the things of this world.

And the response of the Samaritan where he chose Jesus over the things of this world. And so if you're not a follower of Jesus today, this passage makes a very clear call on your life. The kingdom of God has come because God's king has come. He's come to save the disciples, this Samaritan, me and you. So come and put your trust in him.

Enter his kingdom, receive eternal life. Don't trade him for the things of this world. And if you are a follower of Jesus today, well, how wonderful is it to follow him because he's compassionate and he's come to save you. And what a wonderful salvation he offers. Cling on to him.

Don't trade him away like the other nine for the things of this world. It is just not worth it. Having spoken to the Pharisees, Jesus now turns to his disciples. We're at point two, God's king is coming to judge. God's king is coming back to judge, I should say.

And before we read verses 22 to 25, notice that Jesus calls himself the Son of Man. It's a title he uses throughout Luke's Gospel to talk about himself. It pulls on Daniel 7, where God gives a human being the authority over the nations to rule them. But we haven't seen this title since chapter 12. And in that chapter, Jesus was also talking about coming back in an hour no one expected.

So read with me from verse 22 to 25. Notice two things. What Jesus says about when things will happen and what he says about how they will happen. Verse 22. Then he told the disciples, the days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man.

But you won't see it. They will say to you, see there or see here, don't follow or run after them. For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day. But first, it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Notice the when at the top and the tail of this section.

Jesus is talking about a day in the future, a day after he has suffered and been rejected at the cross. He's talking about his second coming. And notice the how that's sandwiched in the middle. Jesus second coming will be in an instant, unexpected and unmistakable. I'm sure we all know the feeling.

You see a storm brewing in the sky. You feel the anticipation of it. Will this be a thunderstorm? And then bang. In an instant, unexpectedly and unmistakably, lightning flashes across the sky.

And it elicits from you just the wow. And when the lightning's big enough, you don't need to say, did you see that? Because everyone saw it. It's unmissable. Jesus second coming will happen sometime after his death and resurrection.

And it will happen in an instant, unexpectedly and unmistakably. But Jesus says this second coming is happening after his disciples lifetime. Why do you think he tells them then? Why do you think it's relevant to them? Well, imagine you're a disciple at this point.

You've been waiting for God's king to come for so long, and now he's here and he's just told the Pharisees, my kingdom's in your midst. That would get you excited, wouldn't it? You'd be anticipating big things. Once Jesus gets to Jerusalem, he's going to establish God's kingdom. Here on Earth, he's going to do away with those oppressive earthly powers like the Romans.

God's people are finally, finally going to live in peace here on Earth. And it's those last couple of words that Jesus is really correcting here. It's the correction that we always need, too. Here on Earth, it is so easy for our focus to be pulled down to what's happening in the here and now, in this life, and to lose focus on what's to come. I reckon we're less likely to be the seed on rocky soil like the nine were.

We're more likely to be the seed that grew up amongst the thorns that choke the plant and kill it, to be more concerned with what's happening here on Earth, that our concerns about the here and now choke out our trust in Jesus and our hope for eternity. The Pharisees, they needed to see that God's kingdom has come with God's king. And so today was the day to enter the kingdom. Today was the day to follow the king. But Jesus's disciples needed to see that God's kingdom isn't about getting a slice of heaven here on Earth.

It's not about building a kingdom here. It's about expectantly waiting for Jesus return, holding on to him and not the things of this world. This, of course, was said by a better theologian than me, set to a catchier tune. The great theologian of our time, Colin Buchanan, once sung this. God's children are only passing through, Passing through on the way to heaven.

This world is not our home. We live for a day to come. So what will his coming be like then? How are we to respond? Read with me from verse 26 to the end of our passage.

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. People went on eating, drinking, marrying, being given into marriage. Until the day Noah boarded the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot. People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.

But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a man on the housetop whose belongings are in the house must not come down to get them. Likewise, the man who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.

Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it. And whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that day, two will be in one Bed. One will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together.

One will be taken and the other left. Where, Lord? They asked him. He said to them, where the corpse is? There also the vultures will be gathered.

Notice, just like the last section, how it has this sandwich structure. The top and tail show us what Jesus second coming will be like. Up the top in verses 26 to 30, it will be like the judgment. In the days of Noah and in the days of Lot, people were eating, drinking, starting families, starting businesses. Sounds like our world today.

Then judgment came without an announcement, no alert on their phones. And it was instant and unexpected and unmistakable. And then in verses 34 to 37, there will be a division between people. And on the outside it looks random. Two people in the same place doing the same thing.

And yet one is taken and the other is left. The disciples ask in verse 37, where, Lord will they be taken? And Jesus answer is not pretty. Those taken are not taken to heaven but to judgment. Their bodies will be thrown out into the wilderness where the wild beasts will feast.

Jesus will come again to judge, and this is what his judgment will be like. So how are the disciples to respond? The sandwich filling verses 31 to 33, Jesus says, don't cling on to this life. Don't prep an emergency to go bag. When the judgment comes, leave your possessions behind.

Don't turn back for them because you can't take them with you. And if you try, you will be caught up in the judgment. To remember Lot's wife. Do you remember what happened to her? Lot and his wife were rescued from the judgment of Sodom.

They were running from the city as God rained fire from heaven. And then Lot's wife lingered. She turned back towards the city. She tried to cling onto it. And so she too came under its judgment.

She was turned into a pillar of salt. Whoever tries to make their life here on earth secure will lose their eternal life. And whoever lets go of their life here on earth will make their eternal life secure. And that's the key difference between those who are taken and those who are left. Those who cling onto the things of this old world which are passing away are taken to judgment because they haven't let go of this world in order to cling onto Christ.

Only in Christ can we be saved from the coming judgment. Only in Christ can we enter his kingdom and find eternal life. Returning to Colin, he provides us a wonderful summary of this truth. In this passage, God's children are only passing through. Passing through on the way to heaven.

Don't let this old world get its grip on you. You don't let this old world get its grip on you. Don't let the thorns of this life choke you out. Don't trade Christ for worldly things. That's what this passage is all about.

And we'll land the plane with this. What does that actually look like though? What does it look like for us to not make the same bad trait the nine did? Because there are many things in this life that are wonderful and good gifts from God and they are to be enjoyed. Our possessions, our relationships, the other bits and bobs in life that we enjoy.

They are good gifts given by God. But we must remember that they will pass away with this old world. We cannot take them with us. And when we live in a world focused on the here and now, it's easy for us to focus on it too. Our advertising, social media, friends and family, financial and life advice.

So often we are swimming in a sea of opinions that are focused only on this life, focused only on what you can get out of today and tomorrow with no regard for eternity. If I believed the advertising and opinions that I get, I would be so stressed about my retirement right now. I'm not even 30 yet. I've got decades to go, but I'm not exactly building my nest egg like everyone says I should be. How on earth am I going to be secure when I retire?

So what's the advice from our world? Well, it's to focus on your retirement, on building wealth, investing in super, getting onto the property ladder, starting side hustles to earn more money, focus on stocks and crypto, on moving up the corporate ladder to get that high paying job you've got to work, work, work so you can make the most of those final years in retirement. All of a sudden my focus has been pulled down bit by bit from eternity to just a bit in the future. Pulled down from Christ to the things of this world. And as a result, I can very easily let go of Christ as my hope and my security in order to cling onto worldly wealth.

What a ridiculous and bad trade that would be to make. What in the here and now are you tempted to focus on? I can't go through all the examples, but another one. Kids can be a big one, giving them the best opportunity to succeed in this life. Our world says success for them is to thrive academically, musically, athletically, socially.

It's to enroll them in anything and everything and to strive for them to be excellent. And in the end, both for them and for you, Jesus gets drowned out with the rest of this world's noise. The world says success looks like a good mark on a test that no one will remember or care about in a year's time. Christ says success looks like loving him and clinging on to him, which will keep them for eternity. What else are you tempted to focus on?

Experiences getting the most out of this life, even just living a comfortable life in the here and now, to in some way try and trade the cross for the crown in glory. And for some of us here, we lived quite a long while at this point. We've been clinging on to Christ for so long and it feels a bit like we're just still hanging on and waiting. What's our encouragement from this? I think Jesus has told this to the disciples and not the Pharisees because it's meant to be an exhortation, not a rebuke.

It's meant to say, keep going, keep clinging to him. Don't trade him now for something that is far, far worse. Don't waste your life by trading it for these things that will pass away in the judgment to come. Remember, God's king is coming back to judge. So don't trade Christ for worldly things.

Remember, Colin, God's children are only passing through, passing through on the way to heaven. So don't let this old world get its grip on you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your son Jesus, the king of your kingdom. Thank you that he has come to save sinners like us.

Help us to cling onto him, to not trade him for worldly things. We pray in his name. Amen.