Dig Deeper:
THE GLUE HOLDING IT ALL TOGETHER: Remember that Luke likes to stitch teachings Jesus gave in different places in ways they fit together logically. The main point of ch. 17 comes right in the middle, or as it's put in v21, right in your midst. That's where you'll find the Kingdom of God. We often like to support projects and ministries that seek to 'build up the Kingdom' by rehabilitating broken communities or bringing the light of Christ to different spheres of society, and it's not that that's an entirely wrong way to understand building the Kingdom, it's not how Jesus describes it. Rather the Kingdom is being built up in you. The best way to build God's Kingdom then is to build up your faith and knowledge of Him, which is what this chapter is all about.
THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE are all represented in this chapter.
PAST: v1-10 - Repent of sins, and forgive those who have sinned against you, for this is your duty. This section begins with a stern warning about those who drag others into sin, and ends with a reminder that the work you have done for God has simply been your duty as His servant.
PRESENT: v11-21 - Give gratitude to God for His gifts to you, especially for building up His kingdom within you (v21). The primary example in this section is the one leper out of the ten who were healed who returns to thank Jesus.
FUTURE: v22-37 - Always be ready for the return of the Son of Man. Jesus gives several examples of how His return will catch the world by surprise, so you need to be constantly prepared for the day that's quickly approaching.
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God who rules in righteous judgment, just as He has shown in the days of Noah and Lot (v26-29)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: When your faith is aligned with God's will, even the smallest amount of faith will produce tremendous things in Christ's name (v6)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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