Daily Dose of Hope

September 10, 2025

Scripture – Luke 17:20-37

Prayer: Almighty God, we start by pausing before you. Help us set aside the distractions of the morning or the day and focus on you. In these next few moments of silence, help us gather our scattered thoughts and think only of you...Help us be still and know you are God. God, we rejoice that we can freely read your Word and we are grateful that you speak to It’s truly a miracle. Holy Spirit, we also invite you to join us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. This is the podcast and devotional that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.

It’s Wednesday so that means Recharge day. If you are local, I hope to see you tonight at New Hope, on the Moon Ave. side of campus, for worship, fellowship, prayer, and small groups.

Today, we are finishing up Luke 17. Jesus is initially asked by a Pharisee about the Kingdom of God. Keep in mind, the Pharisees expected God’s Kingdom to be an earthly one, a Kingdom that would overthrow the Romans and allow the Jews to govern themselves, as they once did. But when Jesus speaks of God’s Kingdom, he is talking about something quite different.

We’ve discussed the Kingdom of God quite a bit in the Daily Dose of Hope, but let’s do a little review. God’s Kingdom exists anywhere that God reigns as king and his values are at work, where the world is working in the way that God always intended it to work. The kingdom of God was central to the message of Jesus and wherever he traveled, he proclaimed its coming. Jesus truly lived out the Kingdom in all he did, in all he taught, and in the way he did life. In God’s Kingdom, there is no sickness, so Jesus healed the sick. In God’s Kingdom, there is no discrimination, so Jesus elevated the oppressed, he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. In God’s Kingdom, there is justice, there is mercy, there is love. So Jesus offered forgiveness, he offered acceptance, he offered LOVE in all he did, ultimately giving up his life in the greatest act of love in the history of the world.

Thus, it makes sense that Jesus says to the Pharisee that the Kingdom is not something that can be observed, but rather it is something that is in your midst. Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God. The disciples and the early church continued Jesus’ mission of growing the Kingdom. Even we are part of expanding the boundaries of God’s Kingdom today. It is here in our midst. But at the same time, there are elements of God’s Kingdom that will not be fully realized until Jesus returns in final victory. The Kingdom has a NOW and a NOT YET quality about it. It’s possible that Jesus is alluding to this.

And then, Jesus not so subtly steers the conversation to the last days. He speaks of how people in the time of Noah and with the destruction of Sodom were caught off guard by the judgement. They should not have been, as there were warnings, but they were. And people will also be caught off guard when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.

We get this warning once again – be ready. Be watchful and be prepared because Jesus will return again and it will be at a time that is most unexpected. When the disciples ask Jesus where this will happen, he responds with a proverb, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Basically, the location is not the point. Rather, the fact that judgment will occur is the point and it will occur wherever there is sin and spiritual death. The vultures gathering gives us a word picture for what’s going to happen --- they will gather around the spiritual “carcass” or dead body.

What are your thoughts about the end times? Media and Hollywood have given us a lot of bad information about what will happen when Jesus returns. The Left Behind series, while entertaining, is not very scriptural accurate. As believers, we really don’t have a lot to fear. In fact, we have nothing to fear, we simply need to be ready. Are you ready?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki