Scripture: Mark 1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1-3
Theme: Kingdom of God
Title: It’s Kingdom Time!
What does it mean to repent and be a part of the Kingdom of God?
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
When we read the Gospel of Mark, we have to be ready for the ride of our lives.
Mark’s Gospel does not ease us from one story to the next. It’s not a Gospel that provides many finite details.
Mark moves rather quickly. He doesn’t pause to smell the roses. He goes from one major event to the next.
Over the last few weeks, we have seen him go from the beginning of the Gospel Story to Jesus’ baptism then makes a quick turn to Jesus’ temptation and today we read about the start of Jesus’ ministry. All of that takes place in just 15 verses.
It takes Matthew three chapters and Luke four chapters to get to the same place that Mark takes 15 verses.
In our passage this morning, Mark quickly tells us that John the Baptizer has been arrested. John’s mission of being the forerunner of Christ is nearly over. No secondary details just quick facts.
Now, is the time of Jesus.
So, when we read verse 15 –
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
What does all that mean?
What was Mark trying to share with us?
Well, let’s take a few moments this morning and see what we can glean from these few words.
I. It’s time – For Jesus
For the past 20+ years Jesus had been living in Nazareth. He had been enjoying life working as a carpenter and living with his mother Mary and the rest of the family. He had been busy making friends and just experiencing life here on His Heavenly Father’s Good Earth.
But upon John’s arrest, Jesus knows that the final part of His earthly mission needed to begin. His time of being a full-time carpenter and making his home in Nazareth had come to an end.
It was time for Jesus to travel and share the Good News. It was time for Jesus to share the Good News of rescue, redemption, New Birth (regeneration) and the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit.
Over the next few years, Jesus would reveal His full identity. He will make plain the truth that He, Jesus of Nazareth is in fact the Son of God, Israel’s Messiah and Savior.
Over the next few years, Jesus would display His power over all of creation as He walks on the sea, calms the storms and multiplies the loaves and fishes.
Over the next few years, Jesus would display His power over sickness, disease and even death as He heals the leper, the blind, the mute and the paralyzed along with raising people from the dead.
Over the next few years, Jesus would reveal He will take the place of the sacrificial lamb for atonement. He would fulfill the prophesies written in Isaiah 53.
Over the next few years, Jesus would reveal how that through His death the penalty of sin and the power of sin would be broken. The stranglehold that the Devil and sin held over all creation would be broken.
Over the next few years, Jesus would make clear that He would die for all mankind on the cross of Calvary and after three days He would rise again in victory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
II. It’s Time for All Mankind
It was not only time for Jesus, but it was also time for humanity as well.
It was and still is time for humanity to receive, accept and allow the Kingdom of God to become a constant reality in their individual and collective lives.
In Genesis 6:3 the Bible tells us that the Spirit of the LORD will not always strive or work with mankind. There comes a point where the door of opportunity is closed.
It’s one reason why Jesus gave us the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).
It was not to scare us or threaten us.
It was to share an eternal truth. There comes a time just as it did in the time of Noah when the Ark of Salvation’s door is closed.
In other words – we are to never waste an opportunity to either share the Gospel or receive the Gospel. We should never waste an opportunity to turn away from a life of sin and turn towards the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
The Good News is that salvation, redemption and being infilled with God’s Holy Spirit is available here and now. We are invited to take full advantage of what God has for us today.
And what exactly is that?
Let’s look at that a little more in detail
III. Salvation – Today and Forevermore
In our passage Jesus uses and throughout the Gospels Jesus repeatedly uses the word “REPENT”.
Oftentimes when we think of the word “Repent” we think of being sorry, feeling guilt and shame for our sins. We think of people acknowledging the reality that they have sinned against God and all of creation.
And as we look at the word repent it does contain those ideas and thoughts. But it contains a great deal more.
The most common word used by the Hebrews for repent/repentance is the word Teshuva (t?šuva ) and the most common Greek word that our writers used for repent/repentance was the word metanoia (met-an'-oy-ah).
Both words point towards the ideas of sorrow and forgiveness but at their very core they also deal with the radical transformation of one’s heart, mind and soul.
Unfortunately, in some circles the idea has arisen that we are only to help people to understand that they need to be sorry for their sins. That emotionally all they need to do is to confess their sins and ask God for forgiveness. Plain and simple.
And while that does contain a great deal of truth, it is only part of what true salvation means.
True salvation is coming to understand what Jesus was inviting his listeners to do and that was:
+To transform their hearts, minds and spirits.
+To turn from the life path that they were traveling and turn back to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY physically, emotionally and spiritually.
+To return to God and receive His Spirit and then to commit to walking God’s Path led by His Holy Spirit.
This is where some people have gotten confused.
They want to point back to a time when they felt bad for what they had done. They understood that they shouldn’t have done some things and they felt bad for their behavior. They even asked God to forgive them for their bad behavior.
However, in a matter of days they go back to living life the same way they have always lived. Nothing has really changed. Life goes on like it did before they made their confession.
Now, that is not what Jesus was inviting his listeners to do.
Sure, there is sorrow and remorse.
But there is a line in the sand moment as well.
At the beginning of our service, we watched a video by King and Country called “Burn the Ships”.
In an artistic fashion they were displaying what full salvation means.
The song is based on an event that happened in the life of Cortes, the Spanish conquistador. When Cortés arrived in Mexico to conquer the Aztec Empire, he ordered his men to burn their ships as a symbolic gesture.
This action left them no room for retreat and forced the men to fully commit themselves to the mission at hand. Similarly, the song encourages it’s listeners to let go of their past mistakes, regrets, and fears, and to embrace the future with bravery and determination.
Burn the Ships also shows what it means to leave behind your old life, leaving behind the person that you were to become a new person.
Did you notice how they spoke about leaving things behind?
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon the heartache, yeah
So long to shame, walk through the sorrow
Out of the fire into tomorrow
So flush the pills, face the fear
Feel the weight disappear
We're comin' clean, we're born again
Our hopeful lungs can breathe again
Oh, we can breathe again
Did you notice that they took off their uniforms – symbolizing they were going to forever leave their old lives, their old way of living life?
Did you also notice that they dove into the water – a symbol of their baptism?
Did you also notice that they burned the ship – they said goodbye forever to their former life and committed heart, mind and soul that they would make a new life on the new land?
As we will begin to see next week in the first calls of Jesus’ disciples when Jesus calls there is more to that call than mere forgiveness and sorrow. There is a transformation. There is a new life plan. There is a new way to experience life.
Being born again is a real-life experience.
“…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Being transformed by God is a real-life experience.
A real-life experience that has real life consequences.
For example, remember the story of Joseph and his brothers.
Joseph was taken captive by his brothers, trafficked to the Midianites who then proceed to traffic Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. At the time Joseph was around 17 years of age.
Fast forward approx. 20+ years. Joseph has spent time as Potiphar’s servant, been falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison. After a few years, he interprets Pharoah’s dream concerning the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine. He then released from prison and appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt in charge of food and resources.
Sometime after the famine hits, his brothers come to Egypt to buy grain because the famine has hit not only the land of Egypt but the Middle East as well.
Joseph recognizes his brothers (they do not recognize him) and begins a series of tests to see if over the last 20+ years they have changed. He wants to know if they have repented of what they did to their brother (him) and have they turned their lives around.
He gives them an opportunity to trade their brother Benjamin in for their own survival. All they have to do is to hand Benjamin over to him and they would be able to win their own freedom along with plenty of food for their families.
After all, they sold one brother could they not sell another brother just as easily.
But they wouldn’t do it. Judah wouldn’t do it.
Judah had been the brother that originally came up with the idea of selling Joseph for money. He didn’t want to kill Joseph if it meant that he could make some money.
Now, Judah would not only take anything for Benjamin. Judah told Joseph that he would become Joseph’s slave. He would remain forever in Egypt doing whatever Joseph asked him to do if Joseph would let Benjamin go back home a free man.
The whole story is a story of repentance and forgiveness. It’s the story of how Judah repents, how Joseph repents and how the rest of the brothers repent and become new men.
And it leads to another story right at the end of Genesis. The brothers are concerned that Joseph might do them some harm now that their father, Jacob has died. That the forgiveness that they had experienced 17 years earlier might have ended.
But true repentance is radical. True forgiveness is radical. It is everlasting.
This is what Jesus is inviting to everyone as He share the Good News. Jesus is inviting us to experience such a repentance, such a forgiveness and such a life experience.
When we come to Christ. When we repent. When we accept grace and are born again it is not for just a day or a week or even a month.
True acceptance of grace is a day to day walk for the rest of our lives.
It’s why Paul would later writes these words to those who had accepted Jesus as their Savior and LORD:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” – Romans 12:1-2
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3
14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,[a] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All of those verses speak of life changes and a life plan.
Jesus’ call is not a light call.
It’s a call to true repentance. It’s a call to allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and rebirth you – to be born again from above. It’s a call to allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse you, infill you and guide you.
It’s a call that will transform your life day by day.
This is what Jesus is inviting all of us to experience today.
This is what Jesus is inviting all of us to share with the world today.
This is the Word of God for all of us today.
Let us pray:
Song - Consumed By Fire - Walk With Jesus
https://youtu.be/6GPzrNxlyYo
