Let's turn tonight in our Bibles
to Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17, and let's begin
our reading in verse 20. And when he was demanded or asked,
when he was asked 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. And he said unto
the disciples, the days will come when you shall desire to
see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you shall not see
it. And they shall say to you, see
here, or see there, go not after them, nor follow them. For as
lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven,
shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son
of Man be in his day. But first must he suffer many
things and be rejected of this generation. 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. Likewise also as it was in the
days of Lot, They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went
out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the
day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be
upon the housetop and his stuff in the house, let him not come
down to take it away. and he that is in the field let
him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife, whosoever
shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall
lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night
there shall be two in one bed. The one shall be taken and the
other shall be left. Two shall be grinding together. The one shall be taken and the
other left. Two shall be in the field. The
one shall be taken and the other left. And they answered and said
unto him, where, Lord? And he said unto them, wheresoever
the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. The first thing I want to say
tonight as we look at this passage of scripture is that In 1 Timothy,
as we read a few minutes ago, the apostle charged Timothy to
fight the good fight. Fight the good fight. And then
Paul declared that the Lord Jesus, before Pontius Pilate, witnessed
a good confession. When the Lord Jesus Christ stood
before Pilate, the governor, the Roman governor, Paul said
that he witnessed a good confession or profession. And I believe
it was when Pilate said unto him, knowest thou not that I
have power to crucify thee and I have power to release thee?
The Lord witnessed a good confession. He answered Pilate, thou couldest
have no power at all against me. except it were given thee
from above. He witnessed a good confession
of the sovereignty of God that Pilate, even though he was a
important person, a Roman governor, he could not lift a finger against
the Lord Jesus Christ unless God gave him power to do so,
permission to do so. So as I thought about that in
this passage of scripture, Paul said that our Lord witnessed
a good confession before Pilate, but he always He always, the
Lord Jesus Christ, always witnessed a good confession, whether it
was before Pilate or before others. And in this passage, we see that
he witnessed a good confession first before the Pharisees, if
you notice in verse 20, and when he was demanded or asked of the
Pharisees, and then in verse 22, and he said unto the disciples,
He witnessed a good confession always, and here in this place,
to the Pharisees and to his disciples. Now I have four things to bring
out. First of all, he witnessed a good confession to the Old
Testament Scriptures. He witnessed a good confession
to the Old Testament Scriptures. He cites examples from the first
book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, and from things that
happened in the first few chapters of the book of Genesis. I remember
being on an airplane many years ago now and seated next to the
bishop, the Methodist bishop of all Southeast Texas. And we
were talking and I mentioned the fact you don't believe that
all scripture is inspired. He said, no, we don't. And I
was on my way to Virginia, and I met a pastor, a friend there
in Virginia, and I was telling him what happened. And I tried
to get the man to just give me an example, just show me what
scripture is it that you don't believe is inspired. He wouldn't
do it. And I was telling my friend that,
and he said, well, I'll tell you what passage. It's the first
seven chapters of Genesis. The first seven chapters of Genesis. The liberals, those who do not
believe in the inspired Word of God, they attacked, of course,
the first part of the Bible. They call it an allegory sometimes,
Adam and Eve. But you notice here the Lord
witnessed a good confession of the Old Testament scriptures.
He spoke of Noah. He spoke of Lot. and he spoke
of Lot's wife. First of all, of Noah. We read
in Genesis chapter six that God saw the wickedness of man was
great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually. And then, as we saw this morning
in the service, that God sent a flood. God sent a flood, a
worldwide flood, I might say, which destroyed all, all creatures
who were not in the ark with Noah. And I want you to look
in verse 27, the Lord witnessed a good confession to the Old
Testament scriptures. What did the Old Testament scriptures
declare? That everyone who was not in
the ark was destroyed. that there was no flesh saved
except those eight souls and the animals that God brought
into the ark. And the Lord says the same thing.
If you notice, in verse 27, 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 notice, and destroyed them
all. He witnessed a good confession
to the Old Testament scriptures. I happened this past week to
hear a man on a television program, a news program, but he said,
I didn't pay much attention to the scriptures until I started
reading the red words, the red words. And I thought, poor man,
doesn't he realize that that men have printed the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ in red and all the others in black,
but it's all the word of God. It's all the inspired, inerrant
word of God. And heaven and earth shall pass
away before God's word passes away. And then we see that he
witnessed a good confession or profession of the Old Testament
scriptures, speaking about Sodom and Gomorrah, about Lot. In Genesis
chapter 18 and 19, we read that the Lord said that the sin of
Sodom and Gomorrah was very grievous, very grievous. Then the Lord
rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, and overthrew
those cities and all the inhabitants. Now look in verse 29. But the
same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and notice, and destroyed them all. In other words, all the inhabitants
of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed that day except Lot, his wife,
and two daughters. The angels pulled Lot out of
Sodom, and he was saved. But the scripture, and our Lord
declares it, destroyed them all. And then, in Genesis chapter
19, we read And you know the story, Lot's wife, yes, she came
out of Sodom, but she turned, the angels speaking for God had
commanded them, don't look back. Don't look back. And she looked
back. Our Lord says, remember Lot's
wife. Is that a real history? Of course
it is. She turned back. If you've given
much consideration to those words of the Lord, remember Lot's wife. Do you remember her? Do we remember
her? To most people, her sin, her
rebellion, would seem like a very minor thing. A very minor thing. Just turn and look back. And
God turns her into a pillar of salt. Remember Lot's wife. Years ago, I read a message by
J.C. Rowe on that text. Remember Lot's wife. And I can't
remember all of the things that he mentioned that we should remember,
but I remember this. Remember that she married into
a family that had the gospel. Think of all the people in the
world at that time. And God blessed her so that she
married Lot, who was a righteous man, the nephew of Abraham, that
she married when most of the world was in complete darkness
as far as the gospel is concerned. She had the privilege, the privilege. She was married into a godly
family. Remember Lot's wife, and our
Lord refers to her here. So that's my first point tonight. He witnessed a good confession
to the Old Testament scriptures. Don't ever let anyone try to
convince you that there are many mistakes and contradictions and
errors in the word of God, because that just ain't so. And any problem
that you see in the Word of God, remember, you're not the first
one. Any problem that you think you see in the Word of God, you're
not the first one to see that problem. And there have been
men down through the ages who have studied in what is called
apologetics, and all of those so-called objections are easily
answered. by men who have studied the word
of God. Not just studied in Sunday school,
I'm talking about men who have devoted their lives to studying
the word of God. I wouldn't stand up here before
you tonight and preach if I were not convinced that I have God's
word before me. That when I speak, I speak from
God's words if I'm speaking the truth. And I encourage you, like
the Bereans, search the scriptures. When you hear me say something
and you think, well, I'm not sure about that. I don't know
about that. Well, then go home and search
the scriptures and see if it is not so. And if it isn't, let
me know, and we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it. But
I'm convinced, and I know you are tonight, as our Lord was,
that all the word of God is inspired, it's infallible. What a foundation,
ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his most excellent
word. A second thing, he witnessed
a good confession to the kingdom of God. A good confession to
the kingdom of God. the Pharisees asked when the
kingdom of God would come. Notice that in verse 20. And
when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should
come. Now, by his answer, by our Lord's
answer, you see, because he knows what's
in the heart of man, he knows what they were thinking. We have
that illustrated to us in the word of God, don't we? When he
told that paralytic, thy sins be forgiven thee, and those Pharisees
reasoned in their heart and their mind, well, he's blaspheming.
No one can forgive sin but God only. He knew what they were
thinking, and he asked them, which is easier to say? Thy sins
be forgiven unto thee, or rise up and walk. But that you may
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. Rise up and walk. And that man
who was carried, isn't that wonderful to think about that? Here he
comes, let down somehow through the ceiling on a pallet. And the scripture says, and the
Lord saw their faith. Those four men who carried that
pallet and somehow opened up the roof and let him down, the
Lord saw their faith. Faith can be seen, can't it?
It can be seen by our lives, by the way we live, by our testimony,
if we truly believe. And the Lord, of course, told
him to rise and take up his bed, and he did. Sure he did. But
I say tonight that you can tell by our Lord's answer to their
question what kind of kingdom they were talking about. And the Pharisees demanded when
the kingdom of God should come. He answered them and said, the
kingdom of God cometh not with observation. That tells us what
kind of kingdom they were talking about. They were talking about
a kingdom that does come with observation. The kingdom of God
cometh not by observation. The kingdom of God that they
look for was like most all the kingdoms of this world. Kingdoms
come with observation. You can see what's going on.
I think about our country, and we've been so blessed to live
in this country. But our country, if we call it
a kingdom, and that's what it is, it began with observation,
the revolution. People could tell something was
going on. There was a war for independence,
for liberty. Most kingdoms come that way.
I thought about Russia. Think of that as a kingdom. We've
all heard about the Bolshevik Revolution. And same about China. And we could go through all of
the various nations. I don't have the ability, but
I remember as a young man when China had a president, duly elected
democratic president by the name of Chiang Kai-shek. And his wife
was a Christian, a believer. And he was run out of the country,
overthrown by the communists. That's how they got to Taiwan. They had to go to Taiwan. It
came with observation of battle, wars, fighting, great pomp and
circumstance many times when we see military parades and things
like that. That's the kind of kingdom they
were looking for. Shall the kingdom of God come?
And we know by his answer, the kingdom of God doesn't come by
observation. In other words, they were looking
and hoping, and they'd been taught this, to look for a kingdom like
the kingdom of Israel, especially under the reigns of David and
Solomon, who would deliver them, who would throw off the Roman
yoke under which they were then subservient. The kingdom of God
comes not with observation. It's a spiritual kingdom. It
is a kingdom within you. It's a kingdom within you. And
the apostle in Romans writes this about the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God, now listen, is righteousness. its peace,
its joy in the Holy Ghost. That's the kingdom of God that
is within you. First of all, those who enter into this kingdom,
they have a righteousness that has been imputed unto them, credited
to them. Our righteousness is ours filthy
rags, we understand that. But to trust in Christ, to believe
in him, his perfect righteousness is now our righteousness. And therefore we are justified
before God. The kingdom of God is not only
righteousness but peace. Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. We're not at war with God and
he's not at war with us. We're not his enemy. No. And not only righteousness and
peace, but joy. We rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We rejoice in him and what he
has done for us. You know, in Philippians 3, the
apostle said, for we are the circumcision. We're the true
Israel of God. Not that physical outward circumcision
of the flesh, but the new birth, the circumcision of the heart.
We are the circumcision of God. And how does he speak of us? We are the circumcision, number
one, which worship God in spirit. And the Lord spoke to that woman
of Samaria. She said, well, our fathers say
we must worship God in these mountains. And you Jews, you
say you must worship in Jerusalem. Where? Oh no, God is spirit,
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth. You don't have to be in Jerusalem.
You don't have to be in the mountains of Samaria. You don't have to
be in a church building. God's people worship him in spirit
and in truth. Our Lord witnessed a good confession
concerning the kingdom of God. Number three, he witnessed a
good confession concerning his comings. And I emphasize that
plural, his comings. Most of the writers believe that
our Lord here speaks of his coming, first of all, in judgment upon
the nation of Israel in 70 A.D., and then secondly, his coming
in judgment at the end of the world. I want to read you John
Gill's comments here on verse 24. Notice verse 24. For as a
lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven
shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son
of Man be in his days. And I quote, which is not to
be understood of the swift progress of the gospel after his resurrection
and ascension and the fore and forth of his spirit, but of his
sudden coming. first to take vengeance of the
Jewish nation for their rejection of him, and then at the last
day to judge both quick and dead. In A.D. 70, those in Jerusalem
who heeded our Lord's warning, from what I have read, The Christians
who believed Christ, they believed. When you see the abomination
of desolation stand where it shouldn't be, then flee. And
the believers, those who believed Christ, they fled from Jerusalem
to a city called Pela, P-E-L-L-A, Pela. And they were all saved. And in those caves around Pela,
There has been evidence of that discovered in just the last so
many years. But they, as it were, they lost their
life. They lost their life. They fled,
leaving everything. Because when they saw, if they're
on a house stop, don't even go down. Leave. Immediately leave. And they left. They lost their
life in the sense they lost everything they had in this world. But they
saved their lives. They lost their life. They fled, leaving everything
behind to a city named Pela, preserved. They were preserved
in that city. When the Lord comes again, and
that's what we look for tonight, his second coming, it's going
to be without warning. It's going to be without warning. It's amazing to me over the years
that I, since the Lord began to work in my heart, how I've
seen time after time every event that takes place in this world. There's a new war. There's a
war in Israel right now. There's a war in Ukraine. earthquakes,
famines, all these things these men use, these false prophets
use, and they teach, oh, he's coming. He's coming now. It's
not going to be long. All the signs are here. When
our Lord clearly said, these things are the beginnings of
sorrow. They have always been. There's
not going to be any warning when Christ comes again. He tells
us it's going to be like lightning. It's going to be like lightning
that shoots across the sky, lights up, and it's gone. It's gone. It happens quickly, doesn't it?
When you hear a sound of thunder and then lightning and it's gone. In a moment, and the twinkling
of an eye. That's what he said. That's how
fast it's going to take place. It will be like lightning. Now,
I've got one more thing. Bear with me here. He witnessed
a good confession. I've already pointed out three
things. I want to look at this fourth thing. Notice in verse
25, he said, but first must he that is Christ, the Son of God,
he must suffer many things. Now let's think about four reasons
why Christ must suffer many things. Now, when he spoke this, his
future, wasn't it? His words, but first, must he,
future. Now this all has already taken
place, of course. but he witnessed a good confession
of what must happen, that the Son of Man must suffer many things. The first reason that he must
suffer many things was because it was God's purpose. It was
God's purpose. Notice, turn with me to Acts
chapter two. Why must he suffer many things?
Because it was God's purpose. The Apostle Peter on the day
of Pentecost, filled with God the Holy Spirit, makes this obviously
plainly clear. Verse 22, you men of Israel,
hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know."
Now notice, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. You have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain. He must suffer many things because
this was God's purpose. It was God's purpose from before
the foundation of the world. that his son come in the fullness
of the town. It was his determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God. God, who is both righteous and
gracious, would declare this, that he's righteous and gracious. Think about it. Righteous, he's
righteous, every sin must be punished. But he's gracious. He's gracious. How is that demonstrated
to us? By the coming and dying of Jesus
Christ. The sins of his people, everyone
punished that he might be gracious in forgiving us. He had ordained
his son to die for chosen, guilty sinners. A second must, he must
suffer many things because he was a surety. He was a surety
of God's chosen people. We were chosen to be his bride,
and chosen before the world began, but we fell in our father Adam. But his love didn't stop. No,
no. He was a surety of the everlasting
covenant. And all of us have a debt that
we couldn't pay. And as our surety, he must suffer
to pay our sin debt. And that's so beautifully pictured
to us in the letter of Philemon, isn't it? When Paul intercedes
for this runaway slave, Onesimus, and he tells Philemon, whatever
he owes you, and I'm paraphrasing, however he's wronged you, put
that on my Discharge that to me. The Lord Jesus Christ said
the very same thing, didn't he? Whatever you owed, which was
a mountain of debt, he said, put that on my account. I will
pay it. And he paid it. He paid it. Third, he must suffer many things
because his sufferings were foretold. You cannot read Isaiah chapter
53 and not see the Messiah would be a suffering Messiah, successful
Messiah, but suffering first. And fourth, and turn with me
to Hebrews 2. He must suffer many things in
bringing many sons to glory. Hebrews chapter 2. He must suffer
many things in bringing many sons to glory. Verse 10. For it became him for whom are
all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons
unto glory. to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. Through sufferings. One day, God willing, we'll know just how many, just
how many signs that he brings to glory through his sufferings.
Not through their decision, not through their faithfulness, not
through this, that, or the other, but the many sons that he will
bring to glory through his sufferings. A multitude, John said, that
could not be numbered. Thousands, yea, millions of the
redeemed. The Lord Jesus Christ witnessed
a good profession before Pilate, and yes, always, always. May the Lord bless these words
to us here tonight.