Rev. David Holwick B
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 13, 2002
Luke 17:20-24
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I. The unseen warriors.
A. Special Forces in Afghanistan.
1) TV has given a few long-range shots of Americans on donkeys.
2) Few know what they are doing.
a) Using lasers to paint targets.
b) Giving advice to anti-Taliban fighters.
c) The vanguard of "nation building."
3) These few are highly effective.
a) People ridiculed the apparently minor commitment.
b) No one ridicules now.
B. God's Special Forces are even more powerful.
1) They are few in number but have impact beyond their numbers.
2) They are building a nation that will never end.
3) Any of us can be in his Green Berets.
II. Can the world be a better place?
A. Utopian movements down through history.
1) Sects like Shakers and Amana communities in America.
2) Communism as a Utopian movement.
3) Christianity and Islam are also Utopian.
B. Islam's goal is to convert the world.
1) Divides world into two zones: the house of peace and the
house of war.
a) Islam does not mean "peace," as some are saying.
b) It means submission or surrender, and they look for the
day when all humans will surrender to the leadership
of Allah.
2) From the beginning, Islam has condoned the use of force
to spread their faith.
a) Muhammad rode into Mecca on a stallion with a sword in
hand to conquer.
b) Within a generation his generals conquered much of the
world.
C. Islam continues to grow.
1) Many recent articles on Western converts to Islam.
a) Queen Noor of Jordan, of Arab Christian heritage and
American upbringing.
b) Woman on cover of Newsweek, married to El Qaida leader.
She wears a veil and Mid-East style dress.
Following the Sept. 11 attack she was in a store
and heard person behind her say, "I wish they
would all go back where they came from."
She whirled around and said, "My ancestors have been
here longer than yours!"
(Her mom converted to Islam after dabbling in everything
else.
c) John Walker Lindh, American Taliban fighter.
d) Airplane shoe bomber.
e) The kid who flew into the Tampa skyscraper was not a
convert, just an admirer...
2) The September 11 attack has accelerated the conversions.
On Yahoo: according to "The Almanac Book of Facts", the
world population increased 137% within the past decade*.
Christianity increased 46%, while Islam increased 235%.
#22072
In a recent poll, 100,000 people per year in America alone
are converting to Islam.
34,000 Americans have converted to Islam following the
events of September 11, and this is the highest rate
reached in the U.S. since Islam arrived there.
#22070
3) A missionary's experience.
One Moslem missionary spoke at the largest church in Boston.
He read from the Koran and was applauded.
As she left the church weeping, a woman put a piece of
paper in his hand.
On the paper was written: 'Forgive us for our past and for
our present. Keep proselytizing to us.'
Another man stood at the entrance of the church, his eyes
teary, and said, 'You are just like us; no, you are
better than us.'"
#22070
4) Understanding or insanity?
As part of a 3-week unit on Islam, public school students in
Byron, California, were given several assignments.
The seventh-graders learned the beliefs of Islam and studied
the important figures of the faith.
To make it "hands on," they were required to wear a robe,
adopt a Muslim name and play a jihad game with dice.
It gets better - they had to memorize many verses in the
Koran, and were taught to pray "in the name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful" and chanted, "Praise to
Allah, Lord of Creation."
Christian parents complained the school doesn't teach
Christian prayers and beliefs like this.
Jewish commentator Joanne Jacobs agrees.
She says it's because Byron school officials know that
Christianity is a religion.
They think Islam is merely an exotic culture, so it's kosher
to teach its practices and beliefs in school.
Like celebrating Chinese New Year.
#22075
III. Christianity has had its excesses as well.
A. "Convert or die" has been a recurring tactic.
1) Crusades.
2) Colonization of Africa and Asia.
3) Holy Roman Empire and corruption of church by government.
B. Many have become fed up with visions of a perfect world.
Recent speech by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
"The idea that there is
one people in possession of the truth,
one answer to the world's ills or
one solution to humanity's needs
has done untold harm throughout history."
#22068
IV. The Bible and the perfect world.
A. A perfect world is coming.
1) Old Testament images of Israel's peaceful domination.
a) Their vanished "glory days" would return, better
than ever.
b) All would be at peace, but Israel would be on top.
2) A Messiah-King would bring it about through God's power.
3) Christians who study prophecy can visualize this.
B. Jesus saw it a little differently. #4596
1) He belittled Israel's glory days.
a) Lilies are dressed better than King Solomon.
b) He noted the prophet Elijah got a better reception from
dirty Gentiles than proper Jews.
2) Jesus stayed away from the limelight.
a) They wanted to make him king; he slipped away.
b) He seemed to be most contented by himself with God.
3) He shunned the military approach.
a) He didn't call divine fire down on opponents.
b) When his disciples defended him with two swords, Jesus
healed the resulting wound to a man's ear.
4) His kingdom is not "of this world."
a) He doesn't mean the prophecies are incorrect.
b) He means God's values more than location are what the
kingdom is all about.
c) Today's passage is one of the most significant on the
topic.
5) God's kingdom is "entos." Luke 17:21
V. Is the Kingdom within or among?
A. Option #1 - The kingdom is within you.
1) Popular with Liberals. Christianity is a "heart" religion.
a) Prophecies are not literal but spiritual.
2) However, kingdom is never mentioned elsewhere as internal.
3) And Jesus is speaking to his enemies: is Kingdom "in" them?
B. Option #2 - The kingdom is among you.
1) Grammatically just as possible.
2) Where Jesus is, the Kingdom is.
a) It is not just a future event but a present reality.
b) His kingdom is secretly invading the world through the
disciples of Jesus.
c) Many of his parables teach this.
VI. God's Kingdom as counterculture.
A. Are you God's secret agent?
1) This question on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
inventory test, throws our scores off. But it is true.
2) We are hidden in open sight.
Once upon a time, there was a far-away land that was ruled by a
vicious king.
His iron hand reached into every corner of his subjects' lives.
Every corner - except one.
Try as he might, he couldn't destroy their belief in God.
In his frustration, he finally summoned his advisors and asked
them:
"Where can I hide God so the people will end up forgetting
about him?"
One suggested hiding God on the dark side of the moon.
This idea was debated, but was voted down because the advisors
feared that their scientists would one day discover a way to
travel into space and God would be discovered again.
Another suggested burying God in the deepest part of the ocean.
But there was the same problem with this idea, so it was voted
down.
One idea after another was suggested and debated and rejected.
Finally the oldest and wisest advisor had a flash of insight.
"I know," he said, "why don't we hide God where no one will ever
even think to look?"
And he explained, "If we hide God in the ordinary events and
people of their everyday lives, they'll never find him!"
And so it was done. And they say people in that land are still
looking for God - even today. #21873
B. Love, not military might, is key to Kingdom's success.
1) Ordinary acts of faithfulness reveal God to our world.
2) Our godly influence is only way it will spread.
C. The kingdom is not complete or perfect yet.
1) A Jewish scholar's experience.
In Stuttgart, Germany, in 1933, Martin Buber held a
discussion with a New Testament scholar on why he, a Jew
who admired Jesus, nevertheless could not accept Him.
Why not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah?
The church rests on its faith that the Christ has come,
and that this is the redemption which God has
bestowed on mankind.
We, Israel, are not able to believe this ...
We know more deeply, more truly, that world history has
not been turned upside down to its very foundations -
that the world is not redeemed.
We sense its unredeemedness.
Buber's classic statement took on added poignancy in the
next few years, for 1933 was the year Adolf Hitler came
to power in Germany.
Hitler put to rest any doubts about the unredeemed character
of the world.
How could a true Messiah allow such a world to continue?
The only possible explanation lies in Jesus' teaching that
the kingdom of God comes in stages.
It is "now" and also "not yet," present and also future.
Martin Buber is correct to observe that God's will is
apparently not being done on earth as it is in heaven.
In some important ways, the kingdom has not fully come.
#4596
VII. The Kingdom is present in the church.
A. Kingdom grows as we grow.
1) We are far from perfect, but God is not done with us yet.
B. We must show the world the difference God can make.
1) Love and not polarization.
2) The world will judge the kingdom by looking at us.
* The original source says "decade" but this cannot be correct. "Century"
would be more like it. Apparently Muslim evangelists have the same tendencies
when it comes to numbers that some Christians do!
==========================================================================
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 4596 "The Stealth Kingdom," by Philip Yancey, in Discipleship Journal
#108, November-December 1998, page 52; article is adapted from
the book "The Jesus I Never Knew," 1995, Zondervan Pub. This
article was the inspiration for the sermon and is followed
closely in certain sections.
#21873 "God In the Ordinary," author unknown, compiled by Rev. Brett
Blair's Illustrations by Email,www.esermons.com, Nov. 19, 2001.
#22070 "A Wave Of Conversion To Islam In The U.S. Following September 11"
Middle East Media & Research Institute;
http://thetruereligion.org/convertwave.htm; 2001.
#22072 "The Worldwide Growth of Islam," Http://www.prophetofislam.org/~
html/links.htm
#22075 "Forced Islam In California School," Joanne Jacobs,
http:www.readjacobs.com, January 10, 2002.
#22072 "The Worldwide Growth of Islam," Http://www.prophetofislam.org/~
html/links.htm
These and 20,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
==========================================================================
Study notes:
The Stealth Kingdom Philip Yancey
=================== Discipleship Journal #108, Nov/Dec 1998
I. Childhood visions of a conquering King.
II. Jesus and Messianic expectations.
A. They expected conquering King.
1) Jesus encouraged this belief with use of word "kingdom."
B. Zealots were disappointed by him.
1) Jesus shied from crowds.
2) He belittled Israel's glory days.
3) He shunned military actions. (healing ear)
C. Jesus did not measure up to national image of Messiah.
III. Teaching about the kingdom through stories.
A. Homespun images of seeds and treasure.
B. Jesus had a two-pronged message.
1) To oppressors, words of warning and judgment.
2) To oppressed, words of comfort and consolation.
a) He did not incite them to rise up.
b) He invoked power of love.
c) He honored all groups, insiders and outsiders.
1> People were more important to him than categories.
C. Political movements tend to polarize.
1) Jesus' love cuts across all lines.
2) Activism that drives out love, betrays kingdom.
IV. His kingdom had different rules.
A. No borders, capital, temple or parliament.
1) Not separated but existing among enemies.
2) Creates tension: Caesar vs. God.
B. A slow invasion (and secret).
1) Martin Buber and disappointment that world is not redeemed.
a) Jesus: the kingdom comes in stages.
1> Present and future, now and not-yet.
b) Only at Second Coming is it here in fullness.
1> Day of Lord inspired fear in OT, confidence in NT.
2) The Kingdom is present in the church.
a) Kingdom grows as we grow.
b) We should be an alternative society, what world can be.
1> Love and not polarization.
2> The world will judge the kingdom by looking at us.
COMMENTARIES
Robert Stein. The New American Commentary: Luke
I. Summary of Luke 17-37:
A. The Kingdom of God is present in the ministry of Jesus. 20-21
1) It cannot be calculated by preceded signs.
B. The consummation of the Kingdom is future.
1) It won't come in the disciples' lifetime. 22
2) It won't come in a secret fashion. 23
a) It will be observed by all. 24
1> Like circling of vultures. 37
b) It will be unexpected. 26-30
c) People will not be prepared. 26-30
d) Families will be divided. 31-35
C. It will be preceded by the crucifixion. 25
II. Comments.
A. Does not come with careful observation.
1) Doesn't concern whether Messiah comes on night of Passover.
2) Messianic age will not be preceded by observable signs.
a) There is always a temptation to draw up a chart of
expected events.
B. Here it is.
1) Could be "here it is" or "here he is."
2) Should be second because Kingdom is in view.
C. Kingdom is within you.
1) Two possibilities for not looking at signs:
a) The consummated kingdom will be unexpected and sudden.
b) The realized kingdom is already in their midst. (best)
1> Emphasis is on realized dimension in 17:20-21.
2) "within you" can mean:
a) in your hearts. (NIV)
1> Popular in liberalism.
2> But nowhere else is Kingdom portrayed as an inner
condition of human heart or life.
A> People enter the kingdom, the kingdom doesn't
enter people.
3> Also, Jesus is talking to Pharisees.
b) in your midst. (RSV, best)
c) in your reach.
1> Less likely but correct in seeing kingdom as
present.
D. You will not see it.
1) Three possibilities:
a) It will never come.
b) It cannot be seen (ie, invisible).
c) You will no longer be alive. (clearly correct)
2) Deals with the concern over the delay of Jesus' return.
__________________________________________________________
Biblotheca Sacra -V150 #600-Oct 93-440
The Son of David and the Saints' Task:
The Hermeneutics of Initial Fulfillment
Darrell L. Bock
The Two Declarations
Jesus made two declarations that reflect the kingdom's arrival. One is
Luke 11:20. "If I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom
of God has come upon you." In Theodotian's version of the Septuagint the
verb fqavnw ("to arrive") plus the preposition ejpiv ("upon") appear in
Daniel 4:24,28, which speak of events that "arrived" in Nebuchadnezzar's
life. Jesus spoke in Luke 11:21-22 of a strong man overtaking another's
house in a battle in which a former stronghold is overrun. In Ephesians
4:7-10 Paul wrote of Christ's victory, citing Psalm 68:18 in verse 8.
For Paul, victory is described not in relation to miracles,
but in terms of the turning point of victory, Jesus' resurrection-
ascension. Again a complementary relationship to the victory motif is
seen as Jesus' ministry and exaltation are related thematically in the
New Testament (similar to Acts 10:34-43). But the concept of a
procession of events in stages is also present, especially when other
New Testament passages show that His work is not yet done (Heb 2; Rev
19-22). Jesus' point is that the process is underway.
Jesus' second declaration is recorded in Luke 17:20-21. Jesus told the
Pharisees that the kingdom of God was "among you," that is, in their
midst (or in their grasp). The point here is that the kingdom had come
(at least in part) and was available when Jesus came. Even if one
prefers to call this the "mystery form" of the kingdom, it must still be
recognized that Jesus was talking about the promised kingdom. This is
part of the promised Old Testament kingdom plan, which was developed in
additional revelation in the New Testament.
______________________________________________
JETS 351 (March 1992 ) 19-30
The Kingdom Of God In The Teaching Of Jesus
G. R. Beasley-Murray*
One final saying of the presence of the kingdom of God in Jesus relates
to its presence, not so much in his deeds or words but in his person. I
have in mind Luke 17:20-21, the climax of which is also ambiguous. Some
Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is coming. To them Jesus
said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they
say, 'Look, (he is) here,' or 'there,' for look, the kingdom of God is
within you." I take it that the observation of which Jesus speaks is of
the kind that enables people to calculate the date of the kingdom's
coming. The invitation "Look, here" or "there" alludes to the belief
that the Messiah's identity is unknown until it is revealed, alike to
him and to others. Jesus said that, on the contrary, the kingdom of God
is "within you." Is that a correct translation? Hardly, for the Bible
does not confine the rule of God within the soul. It extends to all
life, all creatures, and in the end to all creation. May we translate
the phrase "in your midst"? That is possible, for Jesus was standing
there; and where Jesus is, there is the kingdom. But that is a very rare
use of the term entos. More likely we may take the meaning to be as in
various contemporary papyri: "The kingdom of God is within your reach."4
That removes attention from speculation about the date of the kingdom's
coming in the future to an appeal to be sure to enter it in the present
and experience its power now.5 The parables of the kingdom, recounted by
Jesus, have precisely that kind of application: "The kingdom of God is
here; be sure not to miss it!"
__________________________________________
ETS 363 (September 1993 ) 317-329
Luke And The Restoration Of Israel
Larry R. Helyer
Perhaps the most significant text for our present discussion is Luke
17:20-21. Having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God
would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come visibly,
nor will people say 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom
of God is within you." Although Jeremias argues for an eschatological
meaning for the saying, it seems difficult to deny the emphasis upon the
presence of the kingdom in Jesus' ministry.
________________________________
Biblotheca Sacra _V150 #600_Oct 93_458
The Davidic Covenant in the Gospels
Cleon L. Rogers, Jr.
Some writers have objected to the idea that the kingdom John and Jesus
proclaimed was the earthly Davidic kingdom promised in the Old
Testament. A common objection says that Jesus taught that the kingdom is
"within" ("inside") a person (Luke 17:21), and therefore there is to be
no literal kingdom on earth. However, it would be strange for Jesus to
tell the Pharisees that God's rule was "within" them.56 Also Jesus was
speaking of the coming eschatological kingdom to be established by Him,
the Son of Man (vv. 24,30). In the wider context of Luke's writings "the
kingdom is never presented as an inward reality or an inner condition of
human existence."57 This is true not only of the Gospel of Luke and of
Acts, but also for the general Jewish view of the kingdom.58 The word
ejntov" has a number of meanings.59 Though it can mean "within, inside
of,"60 it has other connotations that fit this context better.61 It has
been suggested that the idea is "in the sphere of the kingdom's
influence, authority, or effectiveness."62 Another suggestion is that it
means, "within your reach."63 But the view that seems to fit the
context best is the widely held meaning "in your midst."64 This would
indicate that God's rule on earth was among them in the Person of the
Messiah, the Son of David.
_______________________________________
WTJ 56:1 (Spring 1994) 1
Ecce Homo: The Coming of the Kingdom As the Restoration of Human
Vicegerency
Dan G. McCartney
Note here Luke 17:21, "the kingdom of God is among you." This could be a
reflection of Zeph 3:15, "The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your
midst." The reign of God is amidst even the Pharisees with whom Jesus
was speaking, in that the human king was there. Vicegerency was restored
in Christ. On the other hand, many exegetes now argue for the
translation of ejntoV" uJmw'n originally proposed by C. H. Roberts ("The
Kingdom of Heaven (Lk XVII.21)," HTR 41 [1948] 5ff.): "the kingdom of
God is within your reach." If this is the case, then the saying would
mean that the restored human vicegerency is something the hearers could
participate in. Although the linguistic grounds for this latter view may
be stronger, it still appears to me that the previous saying, that the
kingdom is ouj metaV parathvresi", "not with observation," in contrast
to the Pharisees' desires to be able to predict it, fits much better
with the idea that the kingdom has already come in the person of Jesus
than that the kingdom is open to participation. Although some (e.g., H.
Riesenfeld, "Le rgne de Dieu parmi vous ou en vous? (Luc 17,20-21)," RB
98 [1991] 190-98) argue that ejntoV" uJmw'n cannot mean "among you," J.
Lebourlier ("Entos hymon-Le sens 'au milieu de vous' est-il possible?"
Bib 73 [1992] 259-62) has demonstrated from Xenophon and especially from
the literalistic translations of Aquila and Symmachus that ejntov" at
least may have a distributive sense of "among," especially when Semitic
sources are involved.
__________________________________________
JETS 35/1 (March 1992 ) 31-36
A Response To G. R. Beasley-Murray On The Kingdom
Craig L. Blomberg*
Sixth, Beasley-Murray appropriately rejects the translation of Luke
17:21 that makes the kingdom something internal. It seems incoherent to
view Jesus as telling his Pharisaic opponents that God's royal power
already existed inside of them, even though the translation "the kingdom
of God is within you" persists in many circles (including the NIV,
though the footnote acknowledges the alternative "among").11 "In your
midst," "among you," or "within your reach" are all surely preferable.12
__________________________________________
Biblotheca Sacra -V156 #622-Apr 99-233
Periodical Reviews
Robert D. Ibach, Editor
Though John the Baptist and Jesus both said the kingdom was at hand
(Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15), it had not arrived. Toussaint suggests
that the verb "is" in the clause "the kingdom of God is in your midst"
(Luke 17:21) is a futuristic present tense verb: "the kingdom of God
will be in your midst." When it does occur in the future, it will come
suddenly. As a result the Pharisees would not be able to know of its
coming through their observations (v. 20; pp. 359-60).
__________________________________________________________________________
Mission Frontiers
MF2001.12.14-Struggle
The Struggle Within Islam:
What is the mindset of those who would terrorize for Allah?
Sam Schlorff
Arab World Ministries
The truth is that there is another side to Islam, a side that embraces
violence "in the way of Allah." As has often been said, Islam divides the
world into two zones, Dar as-Salaam ("House of Peace"), and Dar al-Harb
("House of War"). Islam is not just a religion, as I have written elsewhere;
it is an ideology with a political agenda. It holds that all men are created
to live in submission to Allah, as prescribed by Islamic law. Muslims believe
that Islam's destiny is to extend its control until the whole Dar al-Harb is
subject to Islamic law in an Islamic state, and this includes the use of
force. The word "Islam" does not mean "peace." It is related to the Arabic
word for peace (salaam), but it means "to surrender, to submit (as a slave to
his master_Allah), to make peace by laying down one's arms in submission."
It has a militaristic connotation. Herein lie the origins of radical Islam.
It is a fact that killing and violence have always been part and parcel of
Qur'anic teaching. This even includes giving one's life to advance the cause
of Islam. In saying this I do not mean to imply that such acts have always
and uniformly been practiced throughout history, at least to the extent of
the barbarity seen on September 11th. In our modern world, at any rate, most
Islamic nations try to live at peace with other nations and have taken a
position against violence and terrorism, but these have been present to a
greater or lesser degree from the very beginning of Islam. In a word, one
cannot make as hard and fast a distinction between normative Islam and
radical Islam as some would like.
One can readily find passages in the Qur'an that exhort the faithful to fight
and kill the "unbelievers," that is, to wage Jihad (Holy War). Consider, for
example, Sura 2:190-191a: "Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight
against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. And
slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they
drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter..." (See also
2:216-218; 8:38-41; 9:5-6 & 29 etc.). Other verses promise the shahiid
(martyr), who gives his life "in the way of Allah," the forgiveness of sins
and direct entry into Paradise. Take Sura 3:195b: "So those who fled and were
driven forth from their homes and suffered damage for My cause, and fought
and were slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and verily I
shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow_A reward from
Allah_" (See also 3:169; 4:74-77 &100; 22:58, etc.) And then there is the
example of the Prophet himself who, as has been recorded in the Hadith
(Islamic tradition), did not hesitate to have his opponents and critics
killed.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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