Tag: kingdom

Who Isn’t Ready for Jesus’ Second Coming – Luke 17:31-37

God continually demonstrates His faithfulness throughout Scripture by keeping every promise He makes. One of the clearest evidences of His faithfulness is the fulfillment of prophecy. The probability of the countless prophecies recorded in Scripture being fulfilled by chance is virtually impossible. Yet God has faithfully fulfilled them all. The only prophecies that remain unfulfilled concern Christ’s second coming and the events that will follow. Before that glorious day, however, Scripture teaches that the world will grow increasingly sinful and corrupt, leading ultimately to God’s judgment. As Jesus continues teaching His disciples about the coming of God’s kingdom and His return, He also warns that not everyone will be ready when that day arrives. The common characteristic of those who are unprepared is an unhealthy heart. In today’s text, Pastor Paul examines two marks of an unhealthy heart that reveal who is not ready for Jesus’ second coming.

A worldly heart is unprepared for the coming of God’s kingdom. Such a heart loves the world, is focused on earthly things, and has not been transformed by God’s grace. Jesus warns His disciples that when He returns, they must be concerned with His presence rather than their possessions. Some will be so attached to their earthly goods that they will hesitate to leave them behind. These are the unprepared. A person’s response to Christ’s return will reveal the true condition of the heart. Those who treasure material possessions more than Christ will miss the significance of His coming and face judgment.

Materialism is a preoccupation with earthly things rather than the kingdom of God. Those who love the world are governed by its sinful principles. As the Apostle John writes, “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 Jn. 2:16). A worldly person embraces sin rather than resisting it and fears the opinions of others more than the judgment of God. The heart was never created to have two supreme loves. If the world becomes our treasure, God cannot be treasured rightly. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

Materialism is ultimately worldliness. To love the world is to place oneself in opposition to God. Since Satan is the ruler of this fallen world system, those who love the world submit themselves to his influence rather than to God’s rule. Yet the world is temporary and unable to provide lasting satisfaction. King Solomon experienced every earthly pleasure imaginable and concluded, “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” (Ecc. 1:2). In contrast, believers are called to have the perspective of the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).

Christians may be tempted by the world for a season, but because they have been born of God, they cannot ultimately love the world as their master. One way believers fight worldliness is by remembering that the world is empty and powerless against death. Death eventually strips away every earthly achievement and possession. The world was never intended to be our ultimate purpose. Christians are pilgrims passing through this life and stewards of what God has entrusted to them until they enter eternal glory. Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Mk. 8:36).

Godly and heavenly-minded believers fix their hearts and minds upon Jesus Christ—His person, character, and saving work. The Christian alone finds true satisfaction in Christ. Those who know Christ yet continue searching for fulfillment elsewhere will inevitably look to the world and be disappointed. Samuel Rutherford beautifully described Christ’s surpassing worth: “Put the beauty of ten thousand worlds of paradise into one… and yet it would be less to that fair and dearest Well-Beloved, Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole seas.” To treasure anything above Christ is spiritual betrayal. When Christ becomes our highest treasure, we will also treasure His Word and walk in the power of the Spirit. Scripture equips believers to resist the world while sanctifying their hearts.

Therefore, the direction and trajectory of the Christian life must remain fixed upon Christ and His Word. When believers neglect the sanctifying work of Scripture, they place themselves in danger of having their hearts and minds gradually captured by the world.

Here’s a polished rewrite of the second major point and conclusion, maintaining the same paragraph structure and theological emphasis while improving clarity, flow, and readability.

A divided heart is unprepared for the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus gives a sobering warning in this passage: “Remember Lot’s wife.” What makes Lot’s wife such a striking example is that she was delivered with her family from the city by escaping, yet perished in the end because her heart was attached to it. She came so close to safety but never entered into the blessing God had prepared for her. Her story reminds us that outward association with God’s people does not guarantee genuine salvation. Many professing Christians may appear religious on the outside, yet their hearts remain unmoved by Christ. Lot’s wife serves as a warning that it is possible to be near the people of God and still far from God Himself.

A divided heart has another master competing with God. In Genesis 19:17, Lot and his family were commanded to flee Sodom and not look back. Yet Lot’s wife looked behind her because her heart remained attached to something she was leaving behind. Though her feet were moving away from Sodom, her affections were still rooted there. Her actions reveal several marks of a divided heart: half-hearted devotion, partial or delayed obedience, and a greater concern for losing earthly comforts than for maintaining fellowship with God. To guard against these dangers, we must regularly ask ourselves who truly reigns over our hearts and what brings us our deepest joy and satisfaction. If Christ were to return tonight, would He find us wholly devoted to Him or divided by competing loves? This is why Jesus commands His disciples to remember Lot’s wife.

The command to remember is significant throughout Scripture. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Moses commanded the Israelites to remember how God delivered them from Egypt (Ex. 13:3). Though it seems impossible that anyone could forget such a great act of salvation, God knew how quickly His people could drift when trials and hardships arose. The same danger exists for believers today. Remembering God’s works strengthens faith, while forgetting them often leads the heart back toward sin and worldliness.

The heart always follows its treasure, and a divided heart eventually reveals itself through disobedience. Lot’s wife received more warnings than many people ever receive, yet knowledge alone could not save her because her heart remained unchanged. Information without transformation is insufficient. True obedience occurs when both the mind and the heart are submitted to God. Furthermore, a divided heart often remains hidden during seasons of comfort and ease but becomes exposed when a person is forced to choose between Christ and competing affections. In that decisive moment, the true object of worship is revealed. Jesus therefore calls His disciples—and us today—to learn from Lot’s wife. A divided heart and an idolatrous heart are inseparable.

The only remedy for a divided heart is to treasure Christ above all things. As our love for Christ grows, competing loves lose their hold on us. We must continually ask ourselves whether we are seeking Christ above everything else or pursuing lesser treasures. The Apostle Paul possessed status, influence, education, and earthly success, yet when he encountered Christ, everything else lost its value. He wrote, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:7–8). Paul’s transformed life demonstrates what happens when Christ becomes the supreme treasure of the heart.

To follow Christ faithfully, we must cultivate quick obedience and carefully guard our affections. We should pay attention to what occupies our thoughts, what causes us anxiety, and what continually competes for our devotion. These competing loves must be put to death as we abide in God’s Word. Peter exhorts believers, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2). One of the clearest indicators of spiritual health is a growing appetite for Scripture. At the same time, we must live with Christ’s return continually before us. As we do, we are reminded that our hope rests not in ourselves but in Christ’s perfect righteousness, which has saved us and will sustain us until the day He returns in glory.

Sometimes we view the devotion of the early church in the book of Acts as extreme because they lived with a constant expectation of Christ’s return. Yet their anticipation was not rooted in fear but in love for Christ and confidence in His promises. They understood the warning of Lot’s wife and sought to live with hearts fully devoted to their Savior. Their readiness for Christ’s return strengthened them to endure suffering, persecution, and hardship for the sake of the gospel. Likewise, our preparation for Christ’s coming is not found in stockpiling supplies or becoming consumed with earthly anxieties, but in examining our hearts daily before God. May we strive to pray as David prayed: “Teach me Your way, O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Ps. 86:11). A heart united in its love for God is a heart prepared for the return of Christ.

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Kingdom Economy: The Value of Humility – Luke 14:12-14

Christians are called to be citizens of God’s kingdom, defined by a lifestyle rooted in love and humility. These kingdom values shape not only individual character but also the communal and eternal economy described in Scripture. The passage for today centers on the “kingdom economy,” particularly emphasizing the cost and reward associated with humility. While God, in His sovereignty, is not indebted to humanity, there is one notable exception: He promises to reward believers at the resurrection of the righteous. This divine “repayment” implies a moral and spiritual exchange rooted in grace, not obligation.

True blessing, as understood in the Christian context, is not merely earthly happiness, but spiritual fulfillment that stems from God. Though people often pursue happiness through worldly means, Scripture asserts that blessing is unattainable apart from addressing the problem of sin. In the New Testament, Jesus outlines the path to blessing in the Beatitudes, where He states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This reflects the paradox of kingdom life—those who recognize their spiritual poverty are the ones who inherit the riches of God’s kingdom.

Timing is crucial in understanding the promise of reward. The repayment occurs at the “resurrection of the righteous,” a time when God will evaluate the lives of believers. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” The Greek term for “judgment seat” is bema, which historically referred not to a place of punishment but to a platform where rewards were distributed. Jesus uses this concept to teach that believers will be judged not to be condemned, but to be rewarded based on their faithful service.

Significantly, those who will receive this divine repayment are described as people who extend hospitality and compassion to society’s marginalized. This is shown in the parable of the Great Banquet that Jesus speaks to, where true generosity is shown not by inviting the wealthy or influential, but by welcoming “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” (Luke 14:13). In contrast, hospitality extended only to the socially elite reflects a transactional culture—one of self-interest, not kingdom values. Jesus critiques this mindset, noting that if one loves only those who reciprocate, “what reward do you have?” (Matthew 5:46). Such actions, while socially accepted, do not merit divine repayment because they are not grounded in agape—the selfless, unconditional love of God.

So, when does God “owe” anything to His people? Only when they live out agape love. Those who embody this divine love toward others—especially the vulnerable and overlooked—reflect the heart of Christ and participate in the values of the kingdom. Jesus modeled this love by humbly serving and caring for sinners and the spiritually needy (Matthew 15:31), ultimately offering His life in obedience to the Father’s will. For His loving humility, Jesus was exalted by God (Philippians 2:9–11), providing the ultimate example of the reward awaiting those who follow Him in love and humility.

Furthermore, genuine hospitality in the kingdom of God is distinguished by its sacrificial and inclusive nature. It does not consist merely of providing resources or performing community service. Rather, it involves extending personal invitations, forging relationships, and offering love to strangers. Kingdom hospitality arises from a heart transformed by Christ and reflects an eternal perspective—one that values treasures in heaven above rewards on earth (Matthew 6:20–21).

How can believers sustain this kind of life? Through humility. Love, according to Scripture, “does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5). As Tim Challies writes, “Love is impossible without humility. If I want to excel at love, I first need to learn to be humble.” Andrew Murray adds that true humility is only proven in our relationships with others, as we learn to forsake self and allow God to be all. The ultimate display of divine love and humility was Christ’s sacrifice for us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

As God’s people, we are invited to see His kingdom by faith and to live according to its values now, with eternity in mind. Those who understand the kingdom economy—where humility and love hold ultimate worth—must live accordingly. The reward awaiting believers in heaven will reflect the depth of their love and humility on earth. Therefore, the Christian life is not merely about right belief but about embodying the heart of Christ: loving others through humility, serving without expectation, and investing in the eternal.

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Fear and the Kingdom Citizen, Part 2 – Luke 12:32-34

Continuing his series on living fearlessly as Christians, Pastor Paul delves into Jesus’ teachings on the heart’s true focus. Jesus urges us to center our lives on Him and His kingdom rather than on worldly wealth, particularly money. He reminds us that as members of God’s kingdom, Christians are spiritually rich because our Father supplies all we need. “The earth is Yahweh’s, and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” (Ps. 24:1). As God’s children, we inherit endless resources and are called not to let material possessions rule us. Instead, wealth should serve us, not the other way around.

Jesus commands us to “sell our possessions and give to charity” (Luke 12:33). With new hearts given by the Holy Spirit, Christians are led to give rather than to keep for themselves. Everything we have ultimately belongs to God, making us stewards of His blessings. Our call is to be faithful in managing what God has entrusted to us. Through the Spirit, we recognize that nothing compares to the kingdom’s value, as illustrated in Matthew 13:44. Only through God’s work in our lives can we come to treasure His kingdom.

Since Jesus resides in our hearts, our loyalty cannot be divided. He said, “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24). Our lives reflect what we serve. Those who worship wealth cannot find satisfaction even if they accumulate more (Luke 12:17). The Apostle Paul shared that the secret to contentment in all circumstances is making Jesus our King (Phil. 4:12-13).

In a world obsessed with wealth, we are called to be focused on giving to those in need. Jesus teaches us to build “money belts that do not wear out”—to invest in heaven by giving generously. Our heavenly treasure will never be subject to decay or theft, for our rewards in heaven are secure with Jesus.

For those who feel they have little to give, remember that generosity goes beyond material possessions. Christians can give through service, encouragement, and kindness, knowing that every act of love is an investment in heaven.

Those who solely amass treasures on earth are shortsighted, for we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing with us (1 Tim. 6:7). When we live with heaven in mind, our actions reveal our commitment to our true home with Christ. Through God’s grace, we are transformed from receivers to cheerful givers.

Devotion and charity are closely linked (Acts 2:42, 45). When we give, we show obedience to our King, not as an obligation, but as a joyful act of worship. Why are some Christians more generous than others? Our sacrificial giving reveals the true condition of our hearts, for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). Our heart reflects our innermost self, and God calls us to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is (Col. 3:1-2).

In the end, what matters most is the condition of our hearts and our heavenly perspective. God, by His grace, has transformed us to love Him deeply and to see His kingdom as our greatest investment. When we live this way, there is nothing to fear.

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