December 13, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Luke 17:26-37
Luke 17:26-37
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: They were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, the person who is on the roof and has belongings in the house should not go down to get them. Likewise, the person in the field should not turn back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding grain at the same place. One will be taken, and the other will be left.” 37 “Where, Lord?” they asked him. He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered.”
It was about 20 years ago when I won, but really I lost. You see, it was time to pour the concrete for the foundation of our church. I had been camping out in the Shepherd’s Shed watching every detail of the construction and didn’t want to miss it. Then I found out I had to go in to have hernia surgery. A day or two after the surgery my wife was at work, so she couldn’t drive me up to church, and I was feeling really well and thought I would drive up to church (against doctor’s orders) to see how it was coming along. It got to see the awesome concrete work and was so happy to be there. It was a win! I drove back home before my wife got home and acted like nothing happened—I drove without incident, got to see concrete being poured and all was good. But, then the question came, “What did you do today?” Ut-oh! I said, “Oh, nothing. Just hung out.” She said, “Really? I heard that you were up at church today. Did you drive up there?” Oh-boy! I won because I got to see concrete being poured, but I lost, too, didn’t I?
I’m sure you can all tell stories like this. You won because you got to see or do something you wanted to do, but then you lost because that small experience came at a greater cost. To help prepare our hearts during this season of Advent, we want to be sure We’ve Got It Right. The Word of God from Luke 17 causes us to pause and consider this important teaching concerning our soul, our faith, and our life as a child of God. Listen to Jesus to consider: Are you
Saving Your Life or Losing It
We may save our life, but lose it
There are so many differences in the living conditions between the days of Noah and today. There were no cars so you could drive and watch a construction project. There were no airplanes to fly to visit relatives who may have lived far away. There were no telephones, let alone, cell phones that put the world in your fingertips. But, on the other hand, there was no difference at all between the days of Noah, The days of Lot living in Sodom and Gomorrah, the days of Jesus and people today. This one thing is the human heart. The human heart urged people then and now to act the same. “26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage.” They ate, drank, married and carried on all the activities that people do to live. There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, pouring concrete as they did in Noah’s day. But, the thing Jesus pointed out is that their entire interest of life centered on these material things. That was all they thought about and all they wanted. Their heart and soul, body and mind were only concerned with providing for the body’s future by gaining and holding the possessions of this world. Noah even preached to them to warn them of their sinful heart’s desires, “God did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). Can you hear Noah’s sermon in your ears? “Don’t put all your effort into the things of this world! You might Save Your Life for a while, but You’re in Danger of Losing what are higher and better things!” He warned them of their corruption and materialism. You can also imagine the people rejecting God’s warning of repentance wanting nothing to do with Noah’s preaching. They responded by pointing to their barns with grain, houses with families and telling Noah they were Saving Their Life Just the way They Wanted To.
Then it happened just as God had warned them. “27 They were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: They were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” Noah and his family lived in the Ark during the time of the Flood. However, the rest of the human race did not listen to the message of righteousness for their soul’s eternal benefit. They had only one interest of their hearts—to get everything out of life they could—and were destroyed. Lot escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but the wicked people and his materialist wife (turned into a pillar of salt of following her heart’s desires) were destroyed. They Lost Their Lives They Thought They Were Saving. They lost their possessions they thought they were gaining. They lost their Future they thought there were securing. They Thought They Gained Their Life, But They Lost It All.
The Savior Jesus Christ has driven home his point well. We look around and see our world sinking in materialism as they were in the times of Noah and Lot. People are busy with work (compare hours at work to hours spent in God’s Word), busy buying and selling (compare time spent in stores or Facebook Marketplace to time in God’s Word), eating and drinking (compare physical meals to spiritual meals), getting married and raising families (how much time is spent at church)? The warning is clearly heard. All too often people are satisfied with the material things of life and are tempted to look no further. Jesus continued, “34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding grain at the same place. One will be taken, and the other will be left.” When Jesus returns in all his glory it will be a day of selection. Some will be taken to heaven and some will be left to see everything material in this world destroyed. And everyone who only Saved Their Life For This World, Will Lose It All, Including Their Souls in the eternal fires of hell.
At this point it almost goes without saying, but we also need to evaluate our hold on material things. Yes, God created this world for us to enjoy, to work, to save, to buy, to keep, to accumulate, to taste and enjoy. But, being content is a huge key here. St. Paul reminds us, “12 I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough. 13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Phil 4:12,13). Contentment is a choice we make. That choice is always a blessing when it is firmly founded on God’s strength, love and peace through Jesus Christ. Oh God, help us remember that if the things of this world are our life, then we shall lose it. Rather, let us be content, yes, consumed with the message from heaven, our great and awesome God.
Transition: It happens in the Bible so often that the Lord turns the world’s ideas up-side-down. In our world it makes no sense that when we lose our life, we save it. This is a timely message for Advent because we Want To Get It Right. Jesus teaches us that when we have to give something up, it becomes even clearer that we are gaining salvation for our soul. Yes,
We May Lose Our Life, but Save it
Last week we were reminded that our religion is right, namely, that our salvation does not depend on anything we do, that there is not a reward we have gained through our efforts—that if I do the best I can and avoid sin as much as possible, then God will be satisfied with me and take my soul to heaven. Jesus doubles down and teaches us that our soul’s salvation is accomplished in a different way. “ 30 It will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, the person who is on the roof and has belongings in the house should not go down to get them. Likewise, the person in the field should not turn back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” It is the blood of Jesus Christ who won our soul’s salvation. It is the work of the Holy Spirit who brought us and keeps us in faith through the gospel in Word and sacraments. This was all due to God’s grace to us for Jesus’ sake. Then we, in thankfulness for all of God’s grace and love, we joyfully live a holy life and do many good works. Do you see? Jesus turns things up-side-down. We naturally put our good life first and expect God’s favor in return. Jesus puts God’s work of saving us first. Next, uses God’s law to show us our sins and bring us to repentance. Then uses the gospel to show us our Savior and create faith in our hearts that is followed by thankful, godly lives. With this in mind we can sum it up like this: 33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? This is easier said than done! I know we’re human and we want to enjoy as many pleasures as possible. This takes work. First, there are the sinful pleasures God forbids that the devil will use to try and destroy our faith (disrespecting those who hold authority over us, over eating/drinking, husbands and wives failing to love each other, sex outside of marriage, greed, hurting the reputations of others, etc). Jesus wants us to lose this part of our life knowing in Christ we are gaining a godly life now, and a perfect life in heaven.
What about our willingness to confess Christ’s name? By nature we want peace. We want people to think well of us. But, how many times has that peace been attacked when you bring up Jesus, or when your faith in him is ridiculed? The temptation is to maintain peace and agree with others in order to maintain our friendship. Some of the peace we have with others who are openly living in rebellion against God’s holy Word is sacrificed on the altar of confessing Jesus as Lord. But, Jesus wants us to lose this part of our life and to speak openly about our trust in Jesus to gain a glorious life in God.
Before we end our thoughts on this Word of God, let me mention something about our attitudes. If you are like me, you insist on being right when you know you’re right. Listen to Jesus, “34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding grain at the same place. One will be taken, and the other will be left.” 37 “Where, Lord?” they asked him. He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered.” Can you perceive the yearning heart of Jesus? If you know someone you love is stuck in a dangerous situation, don’t you want to help them? Of course. Likewise, our attitude is not haughtiness, but meekness when we share God’s solution to a dying world.
Finally, consider this proverb Jesus uses. This is a difficult proverb to understand. Perhaps in the context it simply means that Christ’s return will be as easy to spot as a flock of vultures circling over a carcass. It does not seem necessary to go beyond this simple meaning, but if Jesus is answering the question concerning where those who are taken will be located (verse 37), he is saying that the place will be obvious and no one will have to hunt to find it. However, the morbid metaphor (vultures . . . carcass) more likely suggests that Jesus is talking about the place where those who are left behind will be located— a sad scene in hell we won’t want to examine.
When I drove up to church to watch concrete being poured it is obvious that I sacrificed my doctor’s advice and trust of my wife on the altar of my right to watch concrete being poured. I should have given up that right. Living in this world it is obvious that God wants us to repent and give up the sinful ways of our life in order to show our thankfulness for the eternal life Jesus has gained for us. So, let’s leave here tonight eager To Save Your Life By Losing It—and You’ll Get It Right. Amen.
