“The Good News of the Kingdom of God”
Sermon Title: The Good News of the Kingdom of God
Scripture: Mark 1:14-15 ESV
Introduction
If you took a poll from both people who attend church regularly and those who do not, and ask what the central message of Jesus is about, the vast majority will say that the answer is love – love God, love others, love your enemy, and so forth – while true, surprisingly teaching about love doesn’t come up much in comparison to other things. It is hard to believe that Jesus’ teachings about love would stir up such a strong (hostile) response form the Jewish leaders. Jesus spoke most frequently about “The Kingdom of God/Heaven” (121 times in the gospels). One may say that the good news of Jesus is all about the kingdom of God.
This central theme is placed at the beginning of the book, with verses 14-15 serving as a summary of Jesus’ teachings, which is reflected in how Mark does not provide us the content of Jesus’ preaching, only that he did here and there. We are to understanding that whenever Jesus went somewhere, his message was “the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” What does this mean and how should we respond to this message?
What is Jesus saying?
1. The gospel is to be proclaimed
· The gospel is meant to be proclaimed and we see Jesus proclaiming it in verse 14
· St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel always; if necessary, use words” This idea challenges Christian hypocrisy where Christians are all talk and no walk. We are to not only talk about the gospel but live and embody it. This does not mean we can be passive or dismiss talking about the gospel! We cannot evangelize entirely through deeds of serve and mercy ministry and so forth. Jesus displayed both acts of love and compassion and he proclaimed the gospel!
· In terms of priority, Jesus proclaimed first and demonstrated second. His demonstrations were always meant to point to his message (Cf. gospel of John; miracles as signs). Jesus would move on to another town as people began to see him simply as a miracle worker because his purpose was to preach and proclaim the gospel (Mar. 1:38) and we are called to do the same.
2. The gospel is good news in tough times.
· "Now after John was arrested… (v.14a)" The gospel is a message of hope in difficult situations. Jesus’ public ministry began right after the imprisonment of John the Baptist. It's a tough time; John is arrested facing imminent execution. In this challenging moment, Jesus steps forth proclaiming his message of hope.
· The Greek word that is used for “arrest” literally means John was “handed over.” It’s the same phrase for when Judas “handed over” Jesus to be crucified. This idea has become a paradigm for the gospel, that the gospel comes when difficult times arise. 1st century readers would have made the connection immediately as Christians were handed over to face violent and cruel persecution at the hands of the Roman emperor Nero.
3. The message of Jesus centers on the idea of the kingdom of God.
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel (v.15)." What does Jesus mean by the “kingdom of God” and that it is “at hand”?
i) Jesus is pointing to the King of this kingdom. Jesus brings to surface of how God is portrayed as the king over ALL of creation in the Old Testament.
ii) Jesus reveals the presence of a rival regime challenging God’s kingdom. It began with Adam and Eve when they fell from grace and extends throughout human history right up to this very second. Humanity has built a kingdom of their own, the Bible says a “kingdom of self.” There is also the kingdom of Satan (Cf. Matt. 12:25-26; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 13:1-18). These kingdoms oppose the reign and kingship of Jesus Christ.
iii) Prophecy fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming. Jesus tells us that one day, God will smash all the rival kingdoms that oppose the kingdom of God (Cf. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Dan. 2)! But most importantly, when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God being at hand, he is pointing to the promises in the scriptures that talk about - one day God's kingdom would come and God will smash the rival kingdoms that set themselves up against His rule. One day, the Messiah would come (Jesus’ second coming) and all evil, suffering, death, and the Devil, would be done away permanently and his eternal kingdom would be visible to all.
· We only have to look at the world to know that the world is not the way it ought to be; something is very wrong. Our recognition of the wrong in the world is our longing for God’s kingdom whether we realize it or not. When we experience joy and peace, share love and life, selfless sacrifice in serving others, we begin to see and experience a small part of God’s kingdom on earth. In this way, the kingdom of God is both here and now and in the near future.
· The kingdom of God will be fully and permanently established on the day of final judgement when Jesus comes back. Until then, the Church is to be a visible representation of God’s kingdom on earth. We are to be a sneak preview of what’s to come. Jesus will reign with power and glory and will restore all things and that is hour hope!
How should we respond?
· Jesus urges us to actively enter the kingdom of God through repentance and faith (v.15). Repentance is more than an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. It is a radical change and redirecting of our lives away from self-constructed kingdoms and refocusing our allegiance to God’s kingdom.
· Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God has come and this truth ought to change everything that you see and do. This truth is to change the trajectory of your life and turn you away from the kingdoms that you've built for yourself. Turn away from those things that you've made into your gods, whether it be money, power or success or whatever else is of value to you. The kingdom of God is at hand and it demands your response.
· Repentance is not the sole requirement to enter the kingdom, you must have faith! You must believe in the good news which liberates you from the bondage of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. You must believe that Christ took your place and bore the penalty for your sins and has triumphed over sin and death.
· Faith is more than an intellectual agreement, it involves trust! It is entrusting every aspect of your life and laying it down at the feet of Jesus in submission. It is a commitment and a resting of your heart in Christ.
· Tim Keller gives an example of this faith – imagine you are falling from a cliff, but you see a branch on the edge and your hope is that it will support your weight. Here's the key - for the branch to save you - You've actually got to reach out and grab it. It's not enough to intellectually believe that the branch can hold you. Because if you just believe it in your head, if you just have intellectual faith, it's not going to save you; you actually need to reach out for it. Otherwise, you're going to fall. But on the other hand, even if you have some doubts, even if you have some lurking uncertainty, you do reach out; you do grasp onto the branch and you can be saved. Why? Because ultimately, at the end of the day, it's not the strength of your faith that actually saves you but it's the strength of the branch that holds you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.
· You don’t need to banish all doubts in order to meet God. Real faith begins with trusting in him; real faith begins by reaching out; real faith begins as you recognize and reject the other things that you have trusted in for your salvation and instead turn to God asking for a relationship with him based on what Jesus has done. And again, recognizing this is not on the basis of your achievements, not the strength of your faith, nor your lack of doubts, but on the strength of the branch, on the strength of the one who died in your place.
Reflection and Response
Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the living God, proclaims, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” Whether you see it or not, whether you feel it or not, in Jesus, the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated. And Jesus is inviting you into His kingdom. He is calling you to repent and believe in the gospel so that you may enter His kingdom.
Jesus' call to repent and believe in the gospel is a decisive choice with no neutral ground. His life and message aren't meant for some distant admiration, but a call to a life-altering decision—where you will need to place your trust in Him for your salvation.
· Does your life embody the kingdom of God, or a different kingdom?
· What kingdoms have you created for yourself?
· What is God speaking into your heart through this message?