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DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
SIN
A.BACKGROUND
... Remember? After almost two years in Luke's Gospel we (and Jesus) are closing in on the end of his life. With urgency he uses every moment to teach, teach, teach.
C. SUMMARY.
Luke 17 takes us from sin to forgiveness to faith to gratitude to the Kingdom of God to the "Rapture". And we did it in one hour! After acknowledging that we are all tempted by evil, Jesus is especially harsh on those who lead others astray. But, he says, if someone wrongs you even seven times in a day, and each time they repent, then we must forgive. When the disciples say that will take more faith than they have Jesus tells them to be amazed at what even a little faith can accomplish. Later, Jesus meets and heals 10 lepers, but only one comes back to thank him. Never the less, all are healed through the use of even small faith. Then, when Jesus is asked about "the Kingdom of God" (KOG) he explains that the KOG is not just something out there (heaven) or later on (after you die, or when Christ returns) but "is within you". Then, in some graphic verses (26-30) Jesus returns to a key theme: be prepared. Always be prepared.
D. KEY POINTS
1.
SIN. (verses 1-4) In last Sunday's sermon ("Twin Sins: Racism and Antisemitism, January 13th, click here to read) I lay out the classic Christian definition of sin and hell. To sin is to miss the mark set by God for our behavior. Whether it is God, a CEO, Vince Lombardi or General Patton, the one at the top sets the standard for what is acceptable or not. The Bible lays out God's target (10 Commandments, Beatitudes, 2 Great Commandments, Fruits of the Spirit, etc.). When we miss the target, the next steps are to confess (admit), repent (change behavior), and be forgiven (fresh start). Truth is, we are both sinners and sinned against. Sometimes we need to forgive, sometimes to be forgiven. Faith is involved with both.
Faith gives us the strength and willingness to forgive. And faith gives us the belief that God truly wipes away our sin. When we are unforgiving toward others, or refuse to believe we are truly forgiven, we hold on to a burden that only hurts us.
2. The Kingdom of God (KOG). (verses 20-21) This is a catch-all phrase referring to various ways in which God truly rules our lives. Here Jesus says, "the KOG is within you", with some translations saying "among" or "in the midst". At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he announced "the KOG is at hand/near you." In the Lord's Prayer he teaches us to say, "thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven". Sometimes KOG and heaven are used interchangeably. In the Old Testament the Jewish people looked forward to "the Day of the Lord" when everyone would be drawn to "the Mountain of the Lord", the lion and lamb would be friends, and swords would be turned into ploughshares. In each instance the idea is that God's ways are preferable and yield a fuller life. It will surely come after we die, but we can experience its benefits even now, beginning "within" each of us.
3. The RAPTURE. In verse 2-35 Jesus mentions Noah's famous flood and the fire and brimstone destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as indicative of how suddenly the end can come, right in the midst of daily life. To that he adds the "Rapture", the idea that God will pluck certain people out from lives on earth and whisk them away to heaven so that they won't suffer the horrors of the "end times". This idea was popularized in the "Left Behind" books and movies of the 1990s and early 2000. It strikes me that Jesus' persistent theme in teachings and parable and personal life is to be ready, be prepared. Life as we know it does end, sooner or later. We are advised to be prepared: have your will written, medical directives declared, "house in order", etc. To be prepared spiritually to "meet our Maker", to leave behind all that we've known and loved in an earthly way, to forgive and be forgiven, to have no regrets Jesus just tells us to add that to our "bucket list".
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