The Kingdom of God

Mark 1:14-15

William Wallace is one of the greatest heroes of the Scottish people. For us in the US we have George Washington, but Wallace went further than leading the people into battle. Wallace died a hero for the Scottish people. He was slowly killed before the people. He died seeking freedom for the Scottish people. He died reaching for a goal for others that he knew was beyond him. Freedom is something that cannot be touched or felt but can only be experienced. Do you experience the freedom in your life that can only come through the Kingdom of God?

In Mark 1:14-15, we see a summary of what is the Kingdom of God. Mark likes to move quickly. He uses the word immediately more times than any other biblical writer. We come into this passage where John the Baptist has been arrested and imprisoned, and now Jesus is entering Galilee where he spends the majority of his ministry. Verse 14 says that Jesus came into Galilee, “Preaching the Gospel of God.” The Good News of God. It belongs to God and is of God. It his story of grace come to man. This is what Jesus is preaching to the people, and today we will see three truths concerning the Kingdom of God.

The first truth we see is the time is fulfilled. This is more than just Jesus came into his public ministry on the correct date, but this is the appointed time set by God the Father. This is more than Jesus was on schedule according to his appointment book, but this is the idea that all things have been put into place and now the time is right. This is like the commander of the military who knows the weakness of his enemy and he sits and waits for the opportune moment to inflict the greatest destruction upon the enemy by taking advantage of the weakness. This is God waiting patiently for all things to be ready and the world is such a state in more ways than one to have the gospel not only preached but preached widely and vastly. The time is fulfilled.

Do you realize that for us, God will bring his gospel to us at the opportune moment? It may be that we are down and out. We have attempted to be fulfilled through accomplishments at work. We are attempting to be fulfilled through awards and pats on the back from other people. It may be that we have seen some horrendous events in our own life or the life of a loved one. It may be that we are in the midst of a time of gross immorality and God is placing his holiness before us in comparison to our filth. God comes when we need to see him and when we are most primed for the gospel. It may be the beginning of God changing us but he gets in.

If the Lord waited until the time was most beneficial and the world was most ready for the Christ then we should be praying that God will work in the lives of the unbelieving of this community so that we when we come with the gospel they will be ready. We need to pray that God would make us sensitive to his leading in sharing the gospel so that when he presents an opportunity to us we would be ready for that moment. If the timing is essential then may we be submitted to his leadership in order to most effectively fulfill his kingdom work in this world.

The second truth that we see is the Kingdom is spiritual. Jesus says in verse 15, “and the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Jews were waiting for their Messiah to come and free them from the bondage of the Roman Empire, but Christ says that the Kingdom is at hand. So He is not speaking of a physical Kingdom because otherwise they would have no longer been under the Roman rule or an army would have been waiting to reclaim their land. Jesus was speaking of something spiritual, something that would free them from the bondage of sin that had caused them to be removed from God’s fellowship. Yet, the Kingdom is at hand. To receive the kingdom was available to the people right then. There was nothing standing in the way for them to receive the kingdom at that moment. The Kingdom was available to the people at that moment. It did not require nationality, ethical heritage or place of living in order to enter because the Kingdom was not of this world but is spiritual. Are we committed to establishing a Christian nation or a spiritual people? What is our greatest commitment? Are we thinking as the Jews thought that Christ came to establish a Christian nation?

Think what it must have been like as a believer in the first two centuries. The gospel is spreading, the believers are at relative peace with the Roman Empire, and then one day you are blamed for a great tragedy and then one of the worst persecutions erupts against Christianity. Yet despite that the nation was waging war on Christianity, the Kingdom flourished and spread unlike seen any other time in history.

Even in the midst of a pagan and immoral world, the gospel and the kingdom may be spread. What is your commitment? Are you working for a spiritual kingdom to be established? Are you committed to the spiritual work that God has called us to?

The third truth we see is the Kingdom requires faith. The time for the Kingdom has come. We are not waiting for it to come, but it is here. All has been fulfilled for the coming of the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is spiritual. Because the Kingdom has come when Jesus was here, but he did not lead a revolution against the Romans then we see that the Kingdom is spiritual. Well, if the Kingdom has come and it is spiritual, then how do you get in? How can I become a member or citizen of this Kingdom? It requires faith. There is not a single action that you can do to enter the Kingdom. Only faith will allow you in. I cannot do anything to get in? No, the cost is greater than anything you can afford or provide. God requires a perfect sacrifice and you are not now nor every will be perfect. Only Christ can provide a perfect sacrifice, and your response is faith and repentance. In verse 15, Christ calls us to repent and believe. Repentance is the sign in your life that you believe. It is a willful turning from the sinful life that you once lived. Believing is your faith that is required. If you do not come in faith then you have not come. The two are so intertwined it is impossible to separate them. Your faith draws you to God’s will which is righteousness and holiness. If you have faith you will desire to turn from sin and turn to God. Yes over time you might fall from this great life, but if you truly have faith then you are going to desire be like Christ and desire his will. Without faith it is impossible to please God. You must be pleasing to God in order to enter the Kingdom. Are you pleasing to God? Only through Christ can you become pleasing. Only through faith will you ever be able to please God.

He had grown-up in the Middle East. His family had been there for as far back as they could trace their ancestry, but he decided he wanted something else for himself. So he chose to move to the US. As he began the process and paperwork for citizenship, he noticed that he would be required to abandon all other citizenships. He wanted to maintain that tie to his family, but he wouldn’t be able to follow his dreams and stay with his family. He was being required to announce his new loyalties. Are you willing to announce your loyalty to Christ and Christ alone?

No one can serve two masters. He will hate the one or despise the other. Are you holding to old ties or citizenships? Are you holding to old ways or are you deeply searching to love your Savior more everyday? With the United States, you can become a citizen and declare your loyalty and never grow to love the country, but with Christ when you declare loyalty you are expected to grow in love for Christ. Are you willing to love him more? Are you seeking to love him more? Are you willing to submit to him more? Are you more committed to Christ than yourself? Have you demonstrated your citizenship with the Kingdom of God through your repentance? Without repentance, there will be very little signs of salvation. Repentance is tied to faith not only here but in Acts. Repent and be baptized! Baptism is your initiation into the church but repentance is the sign of your faith.

· Are you in the Kingdom?

· Are you living with a spiritual perspective?

· Are you living with faith?