This morning we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark, and today we begin to answer an important question that rises out of Mark’s announcement. Remember, the singular concern of Mark’s Gospel is that you would know that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. He is the promised King of Israel who would rule over all the world, which also means that he is the true Son of God. That fact begs an important question: if Jesus is a king (or rather, the king), where do we find his kingdom? We might ask that question for two reasons. For one, a skeptical listener might hear the announcement of King Jesus and think, “OK, this Jesus claims to be the king of righteousness who will usher in a kingdom full of goodness and grace, but I don’t see it.” I mean, look around. The world is filled with hate, perversion, pain, suffering, disease, and death. It doesn’t seem as though Christ is ruling. Part of that perception is a valid one. The Bible tells us that there is another ruler in this world. Eph. 2:1-2 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” So, it is true that there is a ruler who dominates the will and desires of humanity. His name is Satan, and for those outside of Christ, the Bible says that he blinds them to the truth.
We might also ask to see evidence of the kingdom because, as Christians, we earnestly want to know how to engage with this world. This question of how the kingdom of God is manifested is a hotly debated subject among Christians. There are some, like the Roman Catholics, who take a militant view of the kingdom of God. They believe that the kingdom is both an earthly and spiritual kingdom. So, God’s kingdom is clearly seen, to the militant, in the rule of the church over human affairs. This is why, for centuries (and even today), the Pope has directly engaged in the affairs of state. It’s why, in its worst moments, European countries in the Middle Ages and early in the Reformation used the power of the state to enforce religious beliefs. Others take a separatist view, arguing that the kingdom of God is only seen in the hearts of believers. To the separatist, Christ only rules over Christians, not over the rest of the world.
So, where do we find the kingdom of God? Is Jesus the king without a nation? Does Jesus hold a title without any force? To answer those questions, let’s consider Mark 1:14-15. In this passage, I want to focus primarily on the proclamation of Jesus from verse 15. In that proclamation, I want you to see three points: the Chronology of the Kingdom, the Closeness of the Kingdom, and the Call of the Kingdom.
First, in verse 14 we are told that there is a shift in the story. Up until this point, Jesus has been in the background as his messenger, John the Baptist, prepared his way. Up till now, John has been shouting, “Get Ready! Repent! Prepare the way for the kingdom of God!” But now, it’s the exact time for the kingdom of God to appear. So, Jesus announces in verse 15, “The time is fulfilled.” In this statement rests an important question we need to answer: When did the kingdom of God come to be? You might say that the kingdom of God began in Genesis 1:26-27, where God created man and woman in his image, and he charged them with taking dominion over all of creation. But, there is a problem with that, because no sooner had God established Adam and Eve in the Garden, than we find Satan deceiving them. It’s often lost on us just what happened in Satan’s deception of Adam and Eve. The sin of Adam was not in the simple act of eating the wrong fruit. His sin was in seeking wisdom outside of God. He wanted to be like God by some other means than following God, and in so doing, he brought all of humanity under the rule of Satan. In the Garden, the king of the world gave his crown to Satan.
If the kingdom of God seemed lost in the Garden, we might then say that we find it in the nation of Israel. After all, God tells Israel, in Exodus 19:6, “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” He would go on, in 2 Sam. 7 to promise king David an everlasting kingdom. In Isaiah 9, we begin to see hope of a king who would come out of Galilee to rule the nations, and in verse 6 there is the promise that he would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” But, Israel’s kings lost the thread on their obedience to God’s law. They led the people into idolatry, and God judged the people of Abraham by sending them away into exile. Even when they reinhabited the promised land, they continued under foreign rule, and it seemed that the line of David was lost.
So, when did the kingdom of God come to be? We find it right here, in verse 15 – “the time is fulfilled.” When Jesus says that the time is fulfilled, the word he uses means “complete” or “finished.” For example, he uses it in Matt. 5:17 to say that he has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. So now he says, with the beginning of his ministry, the time of preparation is over. The old covenant is passing away. The time to get ready has ended. Now begins something new.
That brings me to my second point, the closeness of the kingdom. In this proclamation, Jesus says that the time is fulfilled, and now “the kingdom of God is at hand.” Again, we are faced with an important question: if the kingdom of God is at hand, why don’t I see it? Many make the mistake of reading this statement of Jesus to say, “The kingdom of God is coming.” They might argue, well, yes, Jesus came and did some things and died on the cross, but he didn’t usher in his kingdom. That is a future work that he is still yet to do when he returns. But, that’s not what Jesus means here. His statement is not a question of timing, but of closeness. Your translation may even say, “The kingdom of God is near.” At the birth of Jesus, the kingdom of God broke in on this world, and at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the people of God began to see it in real ways. In fact, Mark devotes a large section of his Gospel (thru chapter 8) to showing us just how the kingdom of God was seen in this world. It was seen in Jesus’s discipleship, as he preached and taught. People would say, “No one has ever taught like this”, and large crowds would sit for hours out in the wilderness to hear him preach. It was also seen in his deliverance. Jesus would deliver men and women from bondage to Satan, as demons would flee like scared pigs from him. He would also deliver from the physical corruption of sin, as he would heal the blind, leprous, and deformed. When people drew near to Jesus, they experienced a different kind of life – an eternal life, an abundant life. When they drew near, they received food from a few loaves and fish. When they drew near, their fears of wind and wave were hushed by his voice. When they drew near, paralyzed men stood, blind men saw, shamed women were forgiven, and death was turned to life.
But how did the people draw near to receive the kingdom of God? That brings me to my last point: the call of the kingdom. Jesus ends his proclamation of the kingdom with a call – “repent and believe the Gospel.” Everyone who would receive the blessings of this kingdom will do so on repentance and faith, and nothing else. They will not do it on their good works, as the rich young ruler found out. He came to Jesus bragging that he’d kept all the commandments from his youth, and Jesus said, fine, now sell all you have and follow me. They will not receive the kingdom because their lineage. The Pharisees boasted to Jesus in John 8:39, “Abraham is our father”, claiming salvation because of their heritage. To that, Jesus answered, “If God were your father, you would love me… You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” No, the only way to enter the kingdom of God is through repentance and faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Now, you might be thinking, “Well, that’s fine preacher, but Jesus isn’t here right now. So, if he’s not here, then his kingdom isn’t either.” You’d be wrong to think that. Yes, Jesus rose again from the dead and then ascended into heaven. But, as he ascended, he told his disciples in Matt. 28:19-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I’ve commanded you, and low, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God’s kingdom has not left. It is realized right here, right now, in those who trust in Christ. It is realized in his church. The church is charged and empowered by Christ to disciple, like Jesus did. And, we see that same power of the kingdom when God’s people share the Gospel, and people get saved. There is no greater evidence of the power of God that he would take the foolishness of the Gospel and the lowly people of God and save people through them.
The church is also charged and empowered by God to bring deliverance. Turn with me to James 5:13-20 to see that. Here, at the end of James’ epistle, he encourages the church to take two actions which evidence the nearness of the kingdom of God in the life of the church. First, he encourages them to pray for the one who is sick, and in that direction he offers an assurance that, if they pray, people will be made well. Second, in verse 19, he encourages believers to restore those who go astray. We are to recue those who wander from the faith. Brothers and sisters, I believe that God works through the prayers of his people! I believe that God can heal through the prayers of his people! I believe that God will save through the prayers of his people! I believe this because God’s word says he will. And, I believe it because I’ve seen it. In the NT there is a very real expectation that life in the church is an other-worldly experience – a place where people are saved, where they are healed, where relationships are reconciled, where marriages last, where families grow and flourish, where people have joy in suffering, where widows and orphans have homes. That is the kingdom of God! It is real. It is here. It is at hand.
The kingdom of God is near, and God will have the final victory. Jesus promises, in Matt. 24:14, “The Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world… and then the end will come.” As we live faithfully as a church (a little embassy of the kingdom) here on Sandcut, we work to send out missionaries throughout this world. Those missionaries plant stakes in the ground, claiming territory for the kingdom of God as new churches rise up in foreign lands. Bit by bit, pew by pew, the kingdom of God spreads, until the whole earth is full of his glory. Then, one day, Christ will return to defeat Satan once and for all, and when he does, the kingdom of God will be fully realized, on earth, as it is in heaven. With that hope in mind, consider Rev. 21:1-4 as we end today.
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