Reading this morning from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, and I begin at verse 22. I am reading from the New International Version. Then He said to His disciples, The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, There He is, or Here He is. Do not go running off after them, for the Son of Man in His day will be like lightning. which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by his generation, just as it was in the days of Noah. So also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage up to the day when Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the day of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rang down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be like this on the day of the Son of Man, when He is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house with his goods inside should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed. One will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other left. Luke chapter 17, verse 22 through 36. I would say this passage of God's Word is most interesting, difficult, and of some controversy, yes, and even error. I find it in the lesson that we should be careful not to be concerned about the times and dates when these things will take place. Acts chapter 1 and verse 7, our Lord said, it is not for you to know the times and the dates. The Word also tells us not to take events and fit them into the Scriptures. I believe the Lord here has given us certain general principles rather than a detailed program as to what we should expect. He is concerned that we Christians should not spend our time trying to come up with the exact date when He would return and time will come to the end. The point is that we should be ready at all times, any time, whenever it might come, and that this should be the principle that guides and keeps our lives in order. Our Lord tells us these things are responsible for all the problems of the human race, and it is the reason for the end of all things. And I sum it all up in one word, and that word is WORDLINESS. It is an attitude of mind and heart which has been the characteristic of man from the beginning, and it's so today. And Jesus speaks by taking us back to the ancient history of man, Luke 17, verse 26, just as it was in the days of Noah and the days of Sodom. And verse 30, It shall be just like this in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed. And that, my friend, is very important. He goes back not a couple hundred of years, but almost to the beginning of history. And whatever may come to pass, men, women, boys and girls, will still in heart and mind be what they were at the beginning. Our generation boasts of progress, especially in recent years. But according to our Lord Jesus, man is essentially what he was four or five thousand years ago. According to the words of our Lord, there are two kinds of people on the planet. One is the worldly-minded, and the other is not. Let's not lose the reading this morning as we progress. For the final end of both groups depends on that fact. The worldly will suffer the same fate as the people before the flood and the people in Sodom. The others are in the group of Noah's family and Lot. They are safe. To which one now do you belong? I would like to help you to answer this question this morning. I want to bring out some of the characteristics of the people who lived in the flood and the people who lived in the plain. We can find the account in Genesis chapter 6 through chapter 8 of the nature of life of the race before the flood, and in Genesis chapters 18 and 19, the character of the inhabitants in Sodom. It would do us good to read the account again at our leisure. When we read both accounts, Jesus does not mention their wickedness nor their sinfulness. He knew very well all the details of the life, no mention of the wicked practices. Rather, his emphasis is on worldliness, and I believe he did this deliberately, for he had a lesson for them, and he has a lesson for us. The reason I believe this is that the Lord Jesus, as well as all the scriptures, are concerned about the causes and the reason why they were guilty and deserve such severe penalty. What was it in them that made them do such terrible things? The reason, I believe, was the condition of their mind, and I call it worldliness. It was their unnatural attitude concerning things. Before the flood, we read day 8, they drank, they married, Luke 17, verse 27. They traded, they bought, they planted, they built, verse 28. Now let's be fair, we know all these things are necessary, they are needed for life on the planet, and so they must be legitimate. We see nothing wrong in them, and they really are harmless in themselves. If this is so, why are they mentioned by our Lord as being so terrible? That man on a planet should eat and drink was something planned by our Lord, who gave us what we call the body, And for that body, God provided food and drink to satisfy the need of that body. And besides this, God also planned that man should enjoy blessings and pleasure with one another, so He ordained marriage and family and other necessary activities in life. All this He provided for the good of the human race, eating, Drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building. All these are legitimate. Now, why did the Lord tell us that this kind of life brings disaster? All these things are all right in their proper place. But when they get to be the all and the end all of life, then they are in the wrong place. God created body, soul and spirit in the first place and provided for each. Those who live for the body only and neglect the spirit are neglecting God's highest gift. That was the trouble of the ancient people. They lived only for the things the Lord listed, no other interests in life. That was everything, eating, marriage, family, business, pleasure, not a smidge of a thought of the things of the spirit, the higher nature, no time to cultivate God's highest gift. That is what man was, and that is what man is today. What an accurate description of life today in a city and a country! Is it not evident how people live for family, home, cars, clubs, pleasure and entertainment? All this plus ordinary labor makes the average person's life. And the work alone many times is spoken of as something that robs us of so much of our time that we have no time to spend in other activities of eating, selling, and especially pleasure. What was true 5,000 years ago is still true today. But now what about you, my friend? How much time do you give to think about your eternal soul? How much time do you give to develop your spiritual life? Are you satisfied with that life that serves the body only? Are you so dissatisfied with your life that you are ready to leave pleasure, money, food, and all else for the deeper, higher life in the Spirit? Do you realize God has made us for something more than eating, marrying, buying, selling, and pleasure? The tragedy is that this kind of life lives only for the present, ignoring. ignoring the greater life in Christ Jesus. They lived that kind of life until the day Noah entered the ark, Luke chapter 17 and verse 27, and until Lot left Sodom. They were proud of this kind of life, the smart bunch, you know, fashions and things to do, just as we see today. Let's go to the city and see the up-to-date life. How happy and carefree they are! How wonderful! Not a thought that it is possible this will end. They had a feeling this kind of life will always be. It's too good to stop. Why do I say this? Where do I find it? I'll tell you where I find it. in the words of our Lord, in the buying, the selling, the planting, and the building, setting down to enjoy life. No thought of any other world but this one. The only future is to prolong this kind of lifestyle, life on the planet today, as we enjoy it. Building my house, my car, why shouldn't this kind of life go on forever? What can stop it? Our health schemes? our modern skills and technology, we have come a long way. Why think of the end of this age and the hoping of a new world when this world and life is so wonderful? Why take a coffee break and think of where this is leading? Why think when thinking makes us miserable and unhappy? Just keep on going. And they did, until the flood came and destroyed them How are you living? Do you ever think of the end of your life on the face of this earth? Do you ever think of eternity beyond the grave? And do you ever try to prepare for it? No, I am not suggesting that anyone should spend a miserable life in a cave or in some kind of a cell. I say eat, drink, marry, buy, sell, plant and build and enjoy every good and perfect gift God in His grace and mercy has given to us for our enjoyment. And you do just that, enjoy it. But do not live for it, do not be taken up by it, do not be mastered by it. Know that you are an immortal soul and never dying, and that you are only a passing stranger in this world, and soon, very soon, you will be in the next world, face to face, before your God. Do not be fooled by the world and its attractions. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life shall pass away, and you with it. Those are the words of John in his first epistle, chapter 2, verse 16. And then Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 18. Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal, and what is unseen is eternal. Do not ignore God and His warnings and His offer of safety. They lived a life that ignored the warning and lived for the present world. That's very clear in our text. They lived that kind of life until the day Noah entered the ark and the flood came. They lived a low grade of life, that is true, but they also ignored the word of warning, and that was fatal. I return to the word that man's nature has not changed. Isn't it something that we think that the way people live today and imagine that godlessness and despising of religion is something new, and it is what the twentieth century produced. But that's not true. The truth is, history tells us of the downslide of mankind, and this has been the severe judgment of God in one way or another. The flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and it will be the reason for the final judgment of everything, when the Son of Man will be revealed in all His glory, and the end of history and time will have arrived. Godlessness should not cause the true Christian to doubt as to whether the word of God is true or not after all. All was predicted by our Lord Jesus, who said in Luke chapter 18 and verse 8, When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? Our godless generation continuing to be what they always have been, but also they are proving and verifying the prophecy and the fulfillment of our Lord's words. What a tragedy! People who ignore and reject God harm themselves. Paying no attention to God's warnings and His offer, they are headed for misery and damnation. But, in spite of all we see and know to be true of the people, God is still gracious, kind and patient, as He calls sinners to repentance. Turn, turn, He says, from your evil ways. Why will you die? If our story were nothing else but the struggle of our own effort, we would be long ago in hell. But, praise the Lord, it is not so. In spite of all the sinful human history, God has not stopped to be active in love and salvation. God sees, as He looks on this earth, the sorrow of the human race and their inevitable end, and He has warned man, and He is warning man today. The Ark of Safety is ready for all to enter. Come on in. God sent Noah, giving him the message of repentance and righteousness to give to the people. The call was to give up their sin, turn to God, or destruction is on the way. This message was portrayed before their very eyes by the building of the Ark. A warning. Likewise, the people of Sodom. God used the Apostle Peter, who describes for us Lot as just Lot, to preach to the people to repent and turn to God. God did all that, and He continues to do so through the Old Testament dispensation by His law, His prophets, and so many other ways, always warning to flee from the wrath to come. And finally, He sent His Son. His only begotten son, John chapter 3 and verse 16. Jesus of Nazareth. The one who spoke the word we need this morning and we are considering it just now. He not only warned, he also preached righteousness and commanded men everywhere to repent. Acts chapter 17 verse 30. And also he did more. He did much more than that. Noah could only build an ark and try to convince the people to repent. God also could do no more than that. But we have one Jesus Christ who has made a way to bring us out of a desperate situation. He not only exposes the sin, but atones for the sin by taking its punishment on Himself. Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 28 we find, So Christ was crucified once to take away the sins of many people. I will take away their sins. He was despised and rejected by men. He was crucified, and by that death he preached pardon and forgiveness to all who will believe in him. Noah could only preach righteousness and show his belief in God by building the ark, but Jesus Christ pleased the merit of His blood. He does not say, Save yourselves, but I have died to save you. We have all sinned against God and deserve punishment. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have forgotten Him. We ignore Him. We disregard His way of life and set out to please ourselves. This deserves the wrath of God. His due reward for sin. And the time is coming, not someday, but one day, when He will return to judge the world and all who have lived and all who live on it. He Himself has given this warning, and He Himself has provided the way of escape, the way of salvation. He offers free pardon, no matter how deep or how great our sin. He gives a new beginning of life, what is known in a word as born again. or born from above, or born anew. Anyone who rejects this has no other recourse. Those who respond and accept the warning look forward to the day of His coming, for when He comes they shall see Him, and more than that, 1 John, Chapter 3, and verse 2, we read, Dear friends, and now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears we shall be like Him. for we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3 2 I close with the question, to which of the two groups do you belong? In which company will you be found? Now is the day. Tomorrow may never come. The door may be shut. If you respond to his invitation, Revelation 3 20 Here the Lord of Glory speaks. The God of salvation says, Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. I stand at your door and knock, he says. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him and he with me. The book of Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20. Turn to Jesus in the words of Simon Peter and say, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And I believe and I am sure You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen.