The Kingdom Of God - "The Kingdom Proclamation”

The Kingdom of God

“The Kingdom Proclamation”

Mark 1:14-15

Watch on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j229bA9ECY

Like the children's drawing puzzle, many people have been trying to connect-the-dots in their lives. Their lives and understanding of Christianity have been a series of unconnected dots, but without a key to guide them, as to the right color to draw, or without the numbers to connect-the-dots, the picture ends up making no sense.

In today’s church, we have all these talking points. We talk about salvation, repentance, redemption, heaven, hell, and other prominent themes of the Bible, along with practical advice taught in God’s word. But people still get confused because these are singular points with no connecting thread.

And this is the reason for this new sermon series, “The Kingdom of God,” and our message title today, “The Kingdom Proclamation.”

The writer of Hebrews says we’re receiving an unmovable kingdom, and that while everything else around us is being shaken to its core; we have a kingdom that is unshakable. Therefore, we are to serve God being full of grace and godly fear (Hebrews 12:25).

It’s important, therefore, that we understand what this kingdom is, and that we live within it, so when life gets out of control, we can stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Only then when the wind and waves of life, or as I like to say, “the wind and waves of outrageous fortune,” which Jesus calls trials and tribulations, come against us, we can survive and thrive, firm in our belief and hope.

This morning we’re looking at what Mark gives us at the very beginning of his gospel. It’s a kind of synopsis of the entire message he’s unfolding. And in our passage, he introduces it.

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15 NKJV)

Mark’s gospel begins with this announcement saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1 NKJV)

He then gives us a glimpse of the ministry of John the Baptist, who was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and the forerunner and herald of the Messiah’s, Jesus, arrival. As John's ministry was closing, Jesus came not preaching repentance, although it was an integral part of the message; rather, He came preaching the Kingdom of God, and thenthe need for the people to repent and believe.

That is what I want to call our attention to because it is a perfect summary of Christianity and what it stands for, as well as the message of what the Gospel is all about.

The reason I’m starting with this message as one of the first teachings in this series is not because this is where Jesus started, which in itself should be sufficient, but also because there’s nothing that is so desperately needed in our world today as the simple direct statement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We’re living in days and times of great confusion, which the church is partially responsible for. The church has mistakenly believed that the more modern we make Christianity, the more it will gain acceptance. But with the overall decline in church attendance, along with a decline in new believers, what this reveals is that these modern ways and techniques don't work.

And that’s because it’s sounding more and more like modern humanism, and people have had that in spades. Sadly, our uniqueness is gone. We’re supposed to be a bride for the most glorious Bridegroom in the universe, and then inviting others to join us into the glorious event of the wedding feast of the Lamb.

It is therefore important, if not downright urgent, that we be clear about our approach to the Gospel, because if our initial approach is wrong, everything else that follows will be wrong as well.

When thinking about this new modern approach to evangelism with its performance centered approach, there is something the Lord says that stands in direct contrast, and is in direct conflict, with this approach.

In the book of Jeremiah, this is what it says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” (Jeremiah 16:6 NKJV)

Unfortunately, we’re no different, because their response to God was, “We will not walk in it,” and neither do we.

But take a moment and think about this with me. If we are setting out on a journey and we want to go to a certain place, we’ll never arrive if we’re on the wrong road. The time to be careful is at the beginning, and at the very first step.