Just Wait

Jason Stephens

20 When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;
21 no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he told the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it.
23 They will say to you, ‘See there!’ or ‘See here!’ Don’t follow or run after them.
24 For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.
25 But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man:
27 People went on eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.
29 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife!
33 Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will betaken and the other will be left.
35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked him. He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

18:1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.
2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people,
5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

–Luke 17:20-18:8 

Big Idea: Because the return of the Son of Man will come certainly but not immediately, Jesus calls His disciples to wait with patient, attentive faith—guarding against disconnection, desperation, and distraction—by persistently praying and not losing heart.

1. Disconnection: We Wait Poorly When We Disconnect the Kingdom from the King (17:20–21)

• The Pharisees sought the benefits of the kingdom while missing the King standing right before them.
• We, too, can desire relief and justice more than we desire Jesus himself.
• Waiting well begins by reconnecting our longings to the presence of Christ we already have.

2. Desperation: We Wait Poorly When Our Longing Turns Into Desperate Grasping (17:22–30)

• In seasons of pain, counterfeit saviors and false hopes promise shortcuts to the kingdom.
• We become desperate when we forget that God has deemed waiting necessary for our formation.
• Jesus assures us that the Son of Man will return visibly and decisively, so we must resist the pull toward quick fixes.

3. Distraction: We Wait Poorly When Our Hearts Drift Toward Lesser Kingdoms (17:31–37)

• Distraction forms long before Jesus returns, shaping our affections toward things we will not want to release.
• The slow drift into comfort, busyness, and self-security weakens our desire for Christ’s kingdom.
• Jesus warns that his return will expose what we have truly lived for in the waiting.

4. Application: How to Wait Well — We Pray Always and Do Not Give Up (18:1–8)

• Because prayer anchors our longings in God, frees us from desperation, and keeps our hearts focused on God’s perspective rather than our distractions.
• Because God brings His kingdom in power—making all things right and defeating His enemies—on your behalf, to vindicate you for all you have endured.
• Because Just as God placed Noah safely in the ark, He has placed us in Christ—giving us His righteousness, securing us by His own hand, and keeping us with Jesus in His death, resurrection, waiting, and return so that nothing can pull us out of His salvation.