The Vultures And The Carcass (Sermon On The Rapture)

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Text: Luke 17:37,

Introduction: Because the Lord loved people, He used everything available to teach people.

Jesus was the master teacher.

• Thousands would gather to hang on every word He spoke.

• People traveled far and wide just to hear him teach.

• The lessons he taught spread like fire and literally changed the world.

Let us look at some of the things He used to teach to hold people’s attention.

(1) He Told Stories

Such as the Prodigal Son. This was a story of a boy who disowned his family; partied away his inheritance, came home to beg for mercy, but was surprisingly welcomed with open arms by his father who waited daily for his return.

(2) Jesus Shocked People with hyperboles

He used outrageous examples, exaggerations, or shocking statements to get people’s attention. These statements were not all meant to be taken literally, but they definitely got the point across.

For example:

• Jesus didn’t really mean we have to rip out our eyes and amputate our hands for causing us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30), or else all Christians would be blind amputees.

• He also didn’t mean that the people he was speaking to literally had logs in their eyes (Matthew 7:3-5). He was making a point.

He said outrageous things that aren’t meant to be taken literal but grab attention and communicate the point He was making.

(3) Jesus Used Crafted Memorable Sayings

That is, Jesus spoke poetically.

For example, Jesus memorably said, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:37-38a,)

(4) Jesus Asked Questions

Rather than just tell everyone the answer, Jesus led his listeners to conclusions by asking a lot of questions.

The Lord asked 173 Questions to get people to think throughout the New Testament.

(5 Jesus Used Visual Illustrations

Jesus often used object lessons to communicate truths to his listeners.

• He washed the feet of the disciples to teach servant leadership (John 13:3–17).

• He called a little child to him to discuss childlike faith (Matthew 18:1–4).

• He described unselfish giving after watching a widow drop two small coins into the temple offering (Mark 12:41–44

• When he told the parable of the sower, there is a good chance he was standing near a field.

(6) Jesus Used Repetition

Jesus helped his listeners understand and remember his teachings by the use of frequent repetition. He taught the same major themes again and again.

For example, Jesus' spoke of his death and resurrection over and over again (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34), and his disciples still didn’t get it.

Sometimes people need to hear something many times over before they get it

(7) Jesus Created Experiences

It wasn’t enough for people to just listen to his teachings. Jesus gave instructions and called them to do what he said.

For example, he didn’t just teach the disciples what to do, he then sent them out to do it and report back when they were done (Luke 9:1–6, 10).

HOWEVER, in our text today the Lord is going to teach on the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH by using Vultures.

It has been said that the only sure things in life are DEATH AND TAXES. But there's one more thing we can be sure of, and that is the judgment of God.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

When you live in an age when people do not want to take responsibility for their actions, you can understand why some people in our society also do not believe that we are accountable to God at the Judgment.

God could not be a just God and not practice judgment.

Illus: Suppose a judge knows of a horrendous crime, but because he does not want to make anyone angry, he turns his head.

Now we would call a judge like this a crooked judge, and we would be right.

Many folks have done all kinds of evil things, and it seems they have gotten away with them. But I can assure you that is not the case - GOD IS A GOD OF JUSTICE!

A Bible-preaching church will preach about the Judgment of God, as much as they preach about the doctrines of THE RAPTURE and the Resurrection of the dead.

Why?

Because the Bible teaches all of these things and more.

WHAT IS THE JUDGMENT?

It is different things to different people.

• Perhaps the most familiar picture of the judgment of God is our arrival at the "pearly gates" immediately after we die, and then our receiving either our reward or punishment.

• Another popular idea is that all humanity will appear at one time on the Judgment Day, at which time rewards will be handed out or sentencing will take place.