The King of the Kingdom of God

A couple of weeks ago, we started a new sermon series through a part of the Bible that closely follows Jesus Christ, and the events of his life – we’ve been working through the book of Mark. Mark was an early follower of Jesus, and he was supernaturally guided by the Holy Spirit to put this record of Jesus’s life into writing, such that this isn’t just the word of Mark – but it’s the word of God. And what we’ve seen so far, here, is that Jesus is a figure of absolute, utmost significance. Mark has been insisting that Jesus is the divine LORD of heaven, who has come to his people in human flesh – that Jesus is the Son of God. (The king of the kingdom of God).

And Mark has been dropping many hints, telling us how we can know that this is true. He’s been pointing out a number of incredible things – that Jesus fulfills prophecies from the Old Testament Scriptures – that Jesus has a special forerunner, named John, who prepares for his arrival. We’ve seen that Jesus is flawless and perfectly pleasing in the sight of God. For Jesus the heavens are torn apart and opened up, and the Father’s voice announces that this Jesus is His beloved Son. The Spirit of God comes and settles on him, distinctly and visibly. And Jesus wins a victory over Satan and his temptations that no other human being has ever been able to win. Mark has been getting us right to the point. Jesus is extraordinary. He’s the Son of God.

And in our text this morning, this great figure, Jesus – he speaks. Jesus himself explains more fully why his coming is significant, and what we must do about it. So if you haven’t already, please turn with me to Mark, Chapter 1. If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find our text on page 785. I’ll be reading Mark, Chapter 1, verses 14 through 20. But first, let’s pray and ask for God to work with power as his Word is proclaimed this morning:

[Pray and Read Text]

See, Take, and Be Transformed

One of the things that my family and I like to do during the summer, is we like to go on walks. Sometimes we walk to the library. Sometimes we walk to one of the parks that are near our home. And sometimes we walk down to CMU’s campus. And one of the places on campus that we enjoy visiting together is the botanical garden. There are a variety of lovely flowers around a pond, and there’s a little waterfall set up that’s rather scenic. It’s pleasant to walk around and observe.

But there’s another part of the garden, too, that’s filled with a variety of herbs and vegetables. And even though the rest of the botanical garden space is simply a look-but-don’t touch kind of garden, the vegetable garden is different. There are actually signs posted there that encourage people to come up and harvest things – to take the vegetables home and to make use of them. The bean plants and peppers and carrots – they aren’t just there in order to look nice. But the intent is that people would actively benefit from them.

And as we’re confronted with Jesus, and the things he says here, Mark doesn’t just want us to admire Jesus from a distance, in the way that people admire a public flower garden. Jesus isn’t just a spectacle for us to look at. Instead, Mark is pointing our attention to the signs that have been posted. And he’s telling us to take Jesus home. Jesus’s life is something we’re supposed to internalize and practically benefit from. If Jesus’s coming isn’t engaging us and changing us, then we’re missing the point.

So as we work through our text this morning, I’ll be describing four ways that Jesus’s coming should inform and affect how we live – four things we should do now that Jesus is here. First, you and I should expect that godly people will be opposed. Second, we should enjoy Jesus’s good news (about the kingdom of God). Third, we should engage in repentance and faith. And Fourth, we should embrace the call to follow Jesus. These will be my four main points: (Expect that godly people will be opposed, enjoy Jesus’s good news, engage in repentance and faith, and embrace the call to follow Jesus).

Expect That Godly People Will Be Opposed

So let’s jump in, and consider the first way that Jesus’s coming should impact us. We should expect that godly people will be opposed. We see this at the very beginning of our text. Verse 14 says, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee…” John, remember, John the Baptist – he was Jesus’s forerunner. He wasn’t sinless. He didn’t do any miracles. But he was a faithful man of God, preparing the way for Jesus.

And because of John’s special work and his service to God, we might expect that he’d have a life full of heavenly privileges. We might expect God to give him a long, healthy life, plenty of food, protection from harm – all kinds of benefits like that.

But at the beginning of verse 14, here, we see that this isn’t the case. At some point, shortly after Jesus’s baptism, John was arrested. Later on, in Mark 6, verse 17, we’ll see the details of why John was arrested. (It was because he confronted the immorality of a major political figure). But those details aren’t the point here. In this moment, Mark simply wants to point out that John’s ministry ended with arrest – with opposition – with suffering.

Now, some people would look at this and assume that this must mean that John the Baptist was a fake. They may think that true messengers of God would never end up like this. But that’s not the right assumption.

Because most of the world is still in rebellion against God. They want to live for themselves, so God’s authority seems like a threat to them. They don’t like Him. And if deep down, people don’t like God, we shouldn’t expect them to like his servants.

And so throughout the Bible, we see that many of God’s people are faced with suffering. When God sends prophets in the Old Testament, nearly all of them faced some sort of opposition. And over the course of Mark’s gospel account, this man John isn’t the only one who’s arrested – who’s handed over to the authorities. No, the same Greek word is used to describe what happens to Jesus, when he’s betrayed and delivered over to be crucified. And Jesus uses this same word in Mark, Chapter 13, to tell his followers that they also will be delivered over to physical harm, hardship, and death. Godly people will be opposed.

But why is Mark reminding us of that here? Remember, Mark’s goal in writing about Jesus is to convince people that Jesus is the Son of God – that we should believe him, and revere him, and obey him. But when Mark draws attention to John’s arrest, that doesn’t seem to help his case. Who’s going to want to be associated with Jesus, if it comes with a cost? If it involves hardship and inconvenience? It may seem like Mark is hindering his overall argument.

But you need to see, here, the opposite is actually true. Because Mark is showing us that John’s message and his relationship with God are more important – more valuable – than having earthly comfort and freedom. Mark wants us to see here that John has found something of greater worth than a convenient, pain-free life. Whatever it is that John believed – whatever it is that John had – it’s worth standing your ground for. It’s worth suffering for. Mark is preparing us to have this perspective, as we become more acquainted with Jesus’s life and teaching.

Enjoy Jesus’s Good News (About the Kingdom of God)

And so from here, Mark quickly moves on and pulls our attention to Jesus’s ministry and message later in verse 14. “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the word gospel means good news – it means that something good has happened. So Mark wants us to know, here, Jesus’s message is good. It’s happy news – something that should be enjoyed and celebrated. Jesus is proclaiming the gospel, the good news, of God.

But why is Jesus’s message described this way? After all, over the course of world history, all kinds of good things have happened. Right? Wars have ended. Cures have been found for deadly diseases. Healthy babies have been born. Anniversaries have been celebrated. We would say that those things are good news. But Mark points at Jesus’s message, and says that he’s proclaiming the good news of God. We’re supposed to understand that the newsworthiness of what Jesus is saying here – the goodness of his good news – is supremely greater than everything else.

So why is Jesus’s message so special? What’s is this good news that Jesus has for us? Well, you’ll see in our text, there are two main parts to this news.

First, Jesus announces, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” When Jesus says, “the time is fulfilled, essentially what he means by this is that God has made plans, and the appointed time has now arrived for those plans to be carried out.

And this shouldn’t have been a surprise to Jesus’s audience. The vast majority of people in the region of Galilee, where Jesus was speaking – they were Jews. They were familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures that we have here in our Bibles, and they were aware that the prophets had made comments about God’s plans for the future. In particular, many of the Jews recognized that God had promised to send a king for them, to overcome their enemies and set things right. The coming king is spoken about in various places – 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Isaiah 52:13, Daniel 2:44, Zechariah 9:9, and so on. The Jews knew that God had promised an ultimate king. And were waiting for God to act.

And it’s in this context, that Jesus comes, saying, “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand.” And when he says that the kingdom of God is at hand, he uses a word that most often refers to things that are very close spatially – something that you’re geographically near to. So Jesus probably is talking about timeline, here. He’s not just saying that the kingdom is coming soon. But he’s saying that the kingdom has come, and now it’s right here in the presence of his hearers.

But, of course, the kingdom that Jesus is holding out to people – it looks different from what most people would expect. His kingdom doesn’t consist of stone castles and cities. The kingdom isn’t a matter of political power, or control over social institutions. Instead, when Jesus shows up here, announcing the kingdom, it’s just him. No armies, no crown, no territory. There are no fireworks, no flashing lights, just Jesus.

And this is just the point. The King is what makes the kingdom. The kingdom of God is good news because of the goodness of the one who sits on the throne. We have a king who is willing and able to rescue us from sin and death, and from all our enemies. God has sent us a king to reclaim us from darkness, to reemploy us in his service, and to rule over us for our eternal good.

And Jesus is announcing this, here, without any gimmicks, without any distractions. He’s simply standing before the crowds saying, “The time is fulfilled. And the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Now, the Jews were looking for this king from God. But I expect that many American’s aren’t. In fact, the idea of a king might sound quite miserable to you. After all, we live in a democracy. Who wants a king to tell us what to do? We just want to live for ourselves – that’s the American way.

But Mark is telling us what we need to hear, even if it’s not what we want to hear. God has appointed a good king over all people – and it’s not you. It’s not me. Even if we tried, we wouldn’t have the ability to give ourselves lasting safety, or happiness, or life. We’re mortal. We’re foolish. We’re weak. You and I can pretend to be kings and queens, but at the end of the day, it’s all imaginary. The true, everlasting kingship belongs to Jesus.

And so Jesus proclaims good news to us, that he is the king, and he will set all things right for his people. He will provide the lasting security and satisfaction that we can’t provide for ourselves. He will change our hearts for the better – even when we don’t have the ability to change ourselves. He is the king who can bring us everlasting joy in the presence of God’s glory. And this is good news. We should enjoy it.

Engage in Repentance and Faith

But you’ll see in our text, Jesus doesn’t just inform us about this good news from God – he also tells us how to respond to it. Specifically, in the second half of verse 15, Jesus tells his hearers to do two things in response to his message. He tells them to repent, and [to] believe in the gospel.

The word repent here, means to undergo change. So Jesus is essentially telling his hearers that they need to change. And it’s not just a superficial change that he has in mind here – like changing your shoes, or changing a few habits. But Jesus is saying that his hearers need to change inwardly, too. There is a wrongness from within that needs to be addressed. They need to have a change in their thinking, a change in their opinions, a change in their desires, a change in their affections.

Now, it’s already implied how Jesus wants them to change – it’s understood here that people have darkness and corruption that they need to turn away from. But Jesus gives further clarification in what he’s asking for, here – in fact, he explains how change is even possible when he urges the crowds to repent and believe the gospel.”

When Jesus tells the people, here, to believe, he’s telling them to trust something, to be persuaded of something, to put their faith and confidence in something. I think that some people have the wrong idea of what it means to believe. They may think Jesus just wants people to say, “I believe in such and such,” and that’s it. But no, Jesus wants the crowds to be convinced of the gospel. To build their life on it. That’s what he means when he urges them, believe the gospel. He’s saying, “Accept the good news, and be changed by it.”

And so, you see, repenting and believing are closely connected with each other. It’s as though Jesus is speaking to someone who’s at home, sitting on the couch with an empty refrigerator – and the person is hungry, the person has no money and no food and is starving – and Jesus is telling that person two things. First, get out of your house. Change your location. Repent. And then second, Jesus is saying go get food from the local soup kitchen. Receive the free food that’s being offered to the pour. Believe the good news. And so you see – repent and believe – these two are two distinct instructions. But they’re both part of the same action.

And so this means that true repentance – true change – it isn’t possible, unless a person is trusting in God and His Word. And the true belief Jesus asks for isn’t happening, unless someone is changed, unless they’re repenting. So when Jesus says, “repent and believe the gospel,” both instructions are urging the crowds in the same direction. Jesus wants them to be changed by the good news of the kingdom, and to entrust themselves to the king.

Now, I think some people make the mistake of thinking that it’s the goodness of our repentance, or the goodness of our believing that gets us into the kingdom of God. But that’s not right. In fact, one of the main things Jesus wants us to understand is that we don’t have any goodness. That’s why you and I need to repent! That’s why we need a king, to rescue us from our sin and its consequences.

So when we repent – when we believe – we’re simply admitting that we need God, and we’re relying on Him for help. We aren’t trying to prove our worthiness to enter heaven. But instead, we’re trusting in the worthiness of the King God has provided to save us. So make sure you notice this in how Jesus speaks: the good news of the kingdom of God isn’t something we earn, it’s not something we create, it’s not something we contribute to. But Jesus announces to us that the good news of the kingdom of God is simply to be received and believed.

The kingdom is a gift. The King has been freely given. And Jesus urges you to be changed, and to receive the good news.

Embrace the Call to Follow Jesus

So in verses 14 and 15, we’ve seen a few ways Jesus’s coming should affect us – we should expect opposition for godly people. We should enjoy Jesus’s good news. We should engage in repentance and faith. But there’s one more thing we see in verses 16 through 20. You and I should embrace the call to follow Jesus.

You’ll notice, when it comes to Jesus’s instructions to repent and believe – Mark doesn’t tell us how the various people in the crowd responded. Marks point so far has just been to introduce us to the content of what Jesus has been teaching. But in verses 16 through 20, we see that Jesus calls a few men very specifically to be his followers – to be his disciples. And from this account, Mark is trying to help us, as the reader, to understand what discipleship means – what it should look like for us to follow Jesus.

And the first thing Mark describes for us is what this call of discipleship looks like. Jesus is passing alongside the sea of Galilee, and we’re told that “he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.” But then in verse 17, Mark tells us that Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Now, it was often the case that boys, among the Jews – they would have some schooling to learn some of the Old Testament writings. And a few young men, if they were ambitious and talented enough, they might be able to prove their worth to a Rabbi, and convince the Rabbi to mentor them. And then these young men would perhaps go on to become a scribe, or a teacher of the Jewish law themselves.

But in this case, Simon and Andrew hadn’t gone that route. They seem to have had more aptitude for fishing than they had for their Old Testament classes. They weren’t looking for a rabbi to mentor them.

But then Jesus shows up. And you’ll notice, Jesus goes against the cultural norms here. Because it isn’t these fisherman who approach Jesus – but Jesus approaches them. Even though he’s the older man – he’s the teacher, he’s the person of higher status who should be pursued and admired – Jesus initiates, and calls them to follow him. And that would have been strange – perhaps even somewhat humiliating for Jesus.

Let me just point out, here, if Mark were making all this up – if he wanted to fabricate a story, to try to make Jesus look impressive and powerful – well, verses 16 through 20 wouldn’t make sense. Jesus’s actions wouldn’t have been impressive to anyone. What kind of rabbi goes out looking for students? If he were a respectable Rabbi, the students would come to him. That would have been the cultural expectation. But, of course, even beyond this, notice who these men are that Jesus is calling to follow him. These men aren’t geniuses from the rabbinical schools. They aren’t particularly influential or talented. But he’s approaching men who are very average. He’s selecting fishermen to follow in his footsteps, and to advance his teaching.

From a worldly perspective, this seems like a bad idea. It makes Jesus look desperate or foolish. It’s confusing. Why would Jesus do this? Mark wants his readers to ponder that question.

And ultimately, we’re supposed to understand that Jesus isn’t concerned about impressing people. His mission isn’t to be popular, or to fit cultural expectations. His highest goal isn’t to preserve his own comfort and social status. But when Jesus shows up on the scene, he brings himself low, and he goes out seeking others in order to bring them to God. And notice, he doesn’t just seek out the movers and shakers of society. He doesn’t have a bias in favor of Senators, and celebrities, and millionaires. But he calls average people. He doesn’t wait for us to achieve anything or prove ourselves – but he initiates, and tells us to come.

But make sure you notice what it is, specifically, that Jesus calls these men to do here. He doesn’t just say, “Follow God.” That’s essentially what most of the prophets said. He didn’t say follow the Law of Moses – the Torah – that was what many of the Jewish teachers and scribes would say. But instead, Jesus says something scandalous. He says, “Follow me.” And so Jesus is making a statement about himself. He’s saying that he’s exceedingly great – that he has the same authority as God and his Word. (He is, after all, the king of the kingdom of God!)

It’s a bold statement. But Mark wants us to understand that it’s true. When Jesus speaks, he speaks divine truth, with all the authority of heaven. And when he calls people to follow him, that means that we must follow him alone. We can’t go on following our own opinions anymore. We mustn’t follow our feelings. We can’t just live our lives based on what’s convenient. Jesus says, follow me.

As the message of Christianity has spread around the world, it’s been common, throughout history, for people to miss this. They perhaps hear about Jesus, and they think he sounds great. They might decide to give him some attention. But here’s the problem. Sometimes these people have gone on practicing their old religions, and have simply added Jesus to the mix. They’ve thought they can keep on living for their old idols and ideologies, next to Jesus.

It may sound silly. Yet please realize – it’s a real temptation for you and for me. Some of the most common idols today, that people in America value more than God, are things like romance, work, sports, money, entertainment – and then, of course, there’s the false god of self – we want be God. We want to live by our own standards and priorities. For many of us, we might fool ourselves into thinking that it’s okay to hold on to these old idols, and to simply add Jesus to the mix. But that’s not what Jesus is calling his followers to. He says, follow me. Hard stop. So what are you doing with that? Who are you following?

Now, I think it’s helpful to acknowledge, here, that there’s a sense in which Jesus was uniquely calling these men to enter the ministry. And so Jesus calls them away from their previous livelihoods, and at the end of verse 17, he tells them, “I will make you become fishers of men.” They won’t be seeking out fish anymore – but Jesus is giving them a new vocation, to go out seeking people, in order to teach them good news (about the kingdom of God).

And yet even though that’s true, Jesus’s call here corresponds to the way he calls all of us. Jesus calls us to follow him – to follow wholeheartedly, without having any rival allegiances. This doesn’t necessarily mean we have to quit our day job in order to be a Christian. But it does mean there may be things in our life that need to change. And so as Mark shows us how these fishermen respond to Jesus’s call, it’s supposed to get us thinking. How will we deal with this call to follow Jesus?

Notice verse 18. When Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, Mark tells us that immediately, they left their nets and followed him. And the other two fishermen – James and John – they do something almost identical in verse 20: “Immediately, he called them” – Jesus called them – “and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.”

Notice, first, the fishermen don’t delay when they hear Jesus’s call. They don’t push Jesus off, and tell them that they’ll check him out later when they have more time, or when they’re a little bit closer to their deathbed. Instead, they follow Jesus, promptly, immediately. And Mark wants it to be clear, here – if Jesus is calling you today, then you need to respond today. You might be dead tomorrow. You might be too arrogant to follow Jesus tomorrow. Your heart might be too unwilling, too ensnared in the temptations of the devil. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Jesus is calling today – to receive a place in the kingdom of God. That’s one of the things we need to make sure we see here.

But Mark also wants us to see that if we’re going to follow Jesus, we very well may have to leave certain things behind. We may have to leave behind our old social circles. We may need to give up habits, or hobbies that take up too much of our time. If we come from a family of unbelievers, following Jesus may put us at odds with our parents or siblings. But the costs may be even greater for some people. At the time that Mark was writing, becoming a Christian could mean that you would lose your job, your home, your life. In fact, it’s believed that at least three of these four fishermen end up being killed because of their commitment to follow Jesus.

And so as Mark once again confronts us with the true, historical Jesus, you and I need to ask ourselves, Is the coming of Jesus affecting us the way that it should? Do we have the right expectations? Do we have the right response? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come, urging us to repent of our wrongs, to receive his kingship and the blessings of the kingdom of God, and to follow His lead, whatever the cost. So be changed by this. Just as Jesus himself is saying, repent and believe the good news. Let’s pray: