| The Gospel of the Kingdom |
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I. A Troubling Observation Let me begin with an observation. It’s a serious observation, and a surprising observation; and when you think about it, a sad one as well. We don’t talk about the gospel the way Jesus talked about the gospel. Did you hear that? We don’t talk about the gospel the way Jesus, our Lord & Savior, talked about it. Mark chapter 1, verse 14. After John the Baptist was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. The word translated ‘good news’ is the Greek word, euangelion. From which we get the word ‘evangelical’. Another English translation for that word is gospel. So after Jesus’ baptism by John in the river Jordan. After his 40 days and 40 nights of testing by Satan in Wilderness. After John is arrested and thrown into prison—Jesus begins his public ministry. He begins by proclaiming the gospel. What does Jesus say when he proclaims the euangelion, the evangel, the good news of the gospel? Verse 15. ‘The time has come,’ he said, ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe this good news!’ The gospel Jesus preached—apparently—is the good news that the Kingdom of God is coming to earth The gospel is the announcement, the proclamation that the time has finally come; And God’s Messiah, God anointed King, is here. Now this way of talking about the gospel—as the good news of God’s kingdom come—is not found just here in the book of Mark. If you turn to Matthew chapter 4 or Luke 4 you will find the same summary of the preaching and teaching of Jesus. It’s all about the coming Kingdom of God. Then if you turn to Luke 9 or Matthew 10 you will discover that the kingdom of God was also the content of the message Jesus sent his disciples out into the surrounding villages to preach. In fact, I dare say that if you read through Mathew, Mark and Luke, from cover to cover, you will find Jesus constantly talking about the kingdom of God. Telling parables about the kingdom, preaching sermons about the kingdom, answering questions about the kingdom of God. But we don’t talk much about the kingdom, do we? Maybe it’s because we don’t live in a world ruled by kings any more. That could be the reason. Or maybe it’s because we’re not familiar with the language of the Bible any more. That probably contributes. But maybe, maybe it’s because we have developed a somewhat distorted understanding of the gospel. When we talk about the gospel, we talk about being saved-- saved from our sins—saved from the judgment of God—saved from hell. Or we talk about being born again. We talk about receiving the Spirit of God so we can live a whole new life— That way of talking is true as far as it goes. But it doesn’t go far enough. It’s the truth—the glorious truth; but not the whole truth. And it doesn’t put the truth quite the way Jesus put it. II. The Gospel Story So let me say something that might surprise you: the gospel is not about you. At least, it is not first and foremost about you or me or our place someday in heaven. It’s about God and God’s rule and reign over heaven and earth. The gospel that Jesus preached is the good news that God’s Messiah— God’s anointed King—has come. And he has come to restore God’s creation and to establish God’s Kingdom on planet earth. The Bible is a book that tells a story. The Story. The story begins with those unforgettable words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, spoke the worlds into existence by his powerful word. Then this Lord and King of all creation, made a man and a woman. He formed the first human beings from the elements of his earth, And he breathed into their nostrils the very breath of life, and they became living souls—made in the image of God Himself. Then God commanded this man and woman and their descendants to rule over the earth he had made; to take care of it, to manage it with skillful hands and integrity of heart—and in doing so, to manifest the qualities God has formed in them when he created them in his likeness. The purpose of humankind made in the image of God was to live fruitfully— abundantly—and peacefully in God’s world, under the rule and reign of their sovereign creator. And to fill the earth with people who would reflect, in their lives together, the goodness and the truth and the beauty of God. But you heard what happened. You know what happened. You are a part of what happened. There was a rebellion—a rebellion in heaven followed by a rebellion on earth. The man and woman God had made and placed in a Garden Paradise rejected God’s rule and reign over their lives. They disobeyed their King’s command and decided to go their own way. They introduced into the universe something new and terrible—a thing called Sin. Sin is a word that describes any thought, word or deed, any movement of the Human being that is contrary to the goodness and truth of God. Sin, the Bible tells us, once it entered God’s good world spread like a cancer, or like a fire soon out of control. It grew and multiplied, and brought death, and everything that smells of death in our lives. Lies and deception, abuse and oppression, untold agony of soul. The history of the world became the history of humanity in rebellion against God And every good thing God had made was tarnished and twisted, sometimes beyond recognition. But God didn’t give up on the men & women He had made; and God didn’t give up on His created world. He began, the book of beginnings tells us, a rescue operation. He called a man named Abraham to become the Father of a people— A people among whom God would dwell, A people to whom God would reveal His will and his ways, And a people through whom God would save his fallen creation. I will be your God, he said to the children of Abraham, and you will be my people. A holy nation, a kingdom of priests—bringing the nations to me and me to the Nations. So the story of the nation of Israel begins. And it fills the greater portion of this book. But as you know, and as the Bible tells us, this nation did not succeed. From generation to generation they failed to remain faithful to their God— And they failed to bring God’s kingdom to earth. But God knew. God knew that someday He would send His Son, born of the seed of Abraham, Born in line of David, to be the savior of this World. Before He sent His Son God sent His prophets— Prophets who predicted the coming of the king—God’s anointed one— His Messiah. This Messiah, when he came, would finally do what Adam & Eve had failed to do This Messiah would do what Israel failed to do. He would do what every man & woman since the beginning of time had failed to do He would bring God’s Kingdom to earth. He would rescue God’s world from its bondage to Satan, sin and death. He would restore God’s rule and reign over all the earth. Just before this Messiah appeared, God sent his last prophet. A man named John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness, Prepare a way for the Lord. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Then came Jesus, preaching, The time has come. The kingdom of God is near; right here. Repent and believe the gospel! The crowds listening to Jesus knew what he meant. Of course they did; they read their Bibles. They knew Jesus was claiming that the words of the prophets were being fulfilled In their day. They knew that Jesus was claiming that God had sent his Messiah, his king, to restore his Kingdom here on earth. But what the people listening to Jesus didn’t understand is that this Messianic King would have to die. They didn’t understand that God’s kingdom would come only through the defeat of sin and death on the cross of Calvary. They didn’t understand that Jesus must come first, as the lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, and then come again, as the King who sits on the throne. The people listening to Jesus didn’t understand that the Kingdom of God was destined to grow in Stages—like a plant. First the seed—Jesus—would have to die and be buried. Then He would rise from the ground and His church, His people, would begin to Grow, to multiply. They would grow and grow until like a mighty tree they would reach to the sky— or like a luxuriant vine, would cover the earth. They would proclaim the good news of God’s Kingdom from generation to generation—until King Jesus came to establish his physical reign over the earth for a thousand years. There were many things the people listening to Jesus did not yet understand. Jesus would have to explain to them the mysteries of the kingdom— through parables and sermons and his own death and resurrection. (In fact, that’s what I think the conversation on the road to Emmaus was all about) But these people did understand something that some of us may have forgotten. Something absolutely, supremely important. The gospel is about the rule and reign of God over His entire Creation. It is about the truth of God being known; it’s about the commands of God being obeyed; its about the glory of God being revealed in heaven and on earth. It’s about the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. III. All Authority and… That means that being baptized into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is more like being drafted into an army than being rescued from hell—or being given a ticket to heaven. Mathew 28: 18-20. The resurrected Jesus Christ speaking to his disciples, In words that we have come to call the Great Commission. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. In other words, I am God’s anointed Messiah; I am his king of heaven and earth. In my death and resurrection I have broken the power of sin and death over human life. Now, I am ascending to the throne at the Father’s right hand— To rule over the course of human history. I am coming again—riding on the clouds w/the armies of heaven— To bring God’s Kingdom to earth. Until then, Jesus says—Verse 19. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything, everything I have commanded you. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Two baptism stories, both of which I have told before. The first one comes from the early years of the Holy Roman Empire, after Constantine had declared Christianity the official religion. A whole army of Gauls were converting, professing faith in the new religion. But they didn’t quite understand—or maybe they did. Because when the men went down into the water they held their right arms up. They didn’t want the arms that held the sword to be baptized. They wanted those arms free to do what they had done before. Now contrast that with the baptism of Sam Houston, the man after whom the city of Houston is named. Sam Houston was a sinner. Now, I know, we are all sinners. We all fall short of the standard of God’s holiness. But Sam Houston, I am told, was a real sinner— and everyone who knew him knew it I am also told that when he was baptized, Sam Houston went down into the water with everything on—his hat, his boots, his belt, even his wallet. Because everything, he said, needed to washed in the blood of the lamb; And everything needed to be dedicated to King Jesus. Sam Houston, and not the army of Gauls, understood what it means to be baptized. It means bowing the knee to King Jesus. It means doing what he says, going where he tells you to goes, and becoming what he wants you to be. Please take careful notice of what Jesus calls his disciples to do. In Mark, chapter 1. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe this gospel! Repent, Jesus says. Call sin what it is—rebellion against the God of the Universe and His Messiah. Call it what it is—and recognize what it does. Sin deceives. Sin destroys. Sin leads human civilization down a path of self-destruction. It was sin—yours, mine, everyone’s—that sent King Jesus to the cross. Call sin what it is; recognize what it does; and then turn from your sinful ways. That’s what repentance means. Turning around and going the other way. Responding to the gospel is not just asking God to forgive you. It is crying out for salvation to the only one who can save: Save me! Save us—from the power and the presence of sin in this life and the next! Repent, Jesus says, and believe. Believe the Good News that the King has come. King Jesus has died; King Jesus has risen; King Jesus has ascended on high; And King Jesus is coming again. Repent and believe; or as Psalm 2 says, kiss his ring. But that’s not all; that’s not all Jesus says to his disciples. Mark 1:16: As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of me. Repent. Believe; and follow Jesus. Like we said last week, being a Christian is not just a set of beliefs. It is certainly not just a ticket to heaven. It is a way of life. The way of life that Jesus commands; and the way of life Jesus lived. Being a Christian is following King Jesus in this way of life— because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. All authority and power. IV. All Authority and All Power Now, what I am about to say may feel odd to some of you. But I don’t think we are as afraid of King Jesus as we ought to be. I don’t think we have any idea what it will really be like when Jesus comes Again in power—or when we stand before the resurrected Jesus face to face. When it happened to John on the isle of Patmos he fell at Jesus feet like a dead man. When he saw Jesus’ eyes blazing like fire, When he saw his feet burning like bronze, When he saw his face shining like the sun in all its glory, When he heard Jesus voice like the sound of a multitude of waterfalls— It was like the wind was knocked out of him. John was standing, face to face, with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus had to say, Do not be afraid. Because John was afraid. How about us? We say we believe in Jesus, but we don’t tremble at his word. We breeze in and breeze out of his presence in our prayers— But we don’t change. We keep living in sin. We keep doing the same old things. We keep acting as if Jesus is not the awesome, almighty, overwhelming King of the Universe. We don’t understand—maybe we don’t believe that Jesus is actually King. That he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. That he has the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that He is Lord. We don’t tremble at his authority; and we don’t realize his power. Do you remember the servant of Elisha in the village of Dothan? The King of the Aramean has just sent an army to deliver the prophet Elisha to him. The king is ticked off, because Elisha keeps foiling his plans to defeat the nation of Israel. So Elisha’s servant walks out of the house to get some water—and he sees them. Scores of Chariots surrounding their little village. Dropping the bucket he runs inside. Master, Master, he cries. There’s an army out there! Elisha simply prays, Lord, open his eyes. The Lord opens the servant’s eyes and he sees the hills filled with chariots of fire—the very army of the living God. We don’t tremble at the word of the Lord because we do not see King Jesus with the eyes of our heart. We see King Obama, or King Wall Street, or King Hollywood— Or maybe just the little king who rules our school or our place of work. We don’t see the power that King Jesus has this very day. The power he has to do what He wills in heaven and on earth. The power he has to heal our diseases and to forgive our sins. The power he has to set us from sin and death— And to bring us into life abundant. We don’t see. Some of us won’t see until the day Jesus comes riding on the clouds. But let us pray today, Lord open my eyes. Open my eyes so that I may see and believe, believe and see. So that I may repent in my believing. So that I might rise from the waters of baptism to follow you with all my heart. So that I may obey all your commands and tremble at all your words. So that I may experience your power over sin and death in my life— And the lives of those around me. So that you may make me a fishermen who catches me. So that you may enable me to make disciples of all nations. So that you may enable me to teach them to obey all your commands, as I obey all your commands. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus is King—that King Jesus rules and reigns over all of reality—and that King Jesus is coming again to earth. |
