Look for the Coming Kingdom
Mark 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Introduction
Introduction
In our passage this morning, we see the theme for our church in 2026. We want to follow in the life of faith this year. We will see this morning the mission of Jesus as He opens the way to the kingdom of God.
Mark was likely the first Gospel written. Under the inspiration of God, he writes with an intent to point his readers toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Those who read are faced with a question: who is this Jesus?
As we grow in our walk with God this year, we want to be Following in the Life of Faith. That means that we must begin with the correct Person to put our faith in. Mark gives us the message of Jesus to all people.
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Will you commit each day to believe God and His promises? Will you confess your sins and choose to grow in relationship to Him? If you have not yet, will you believe in Him for salvation? Let’s Follow in the Life of Faith this year and see God do what He says He will!
Some people are remembered for their messages that they delivered. Consider these:
Paul Revere: “The Redcoats are coming”
When the British soldiers were marching from Boston to Lexington and Concord, Revere rode through the night to warn the colonists. This is an iconic image in American History. Without the warning, the leaders and stores of the Minutemen would likely have been captured.
Alexander Graham Bell: “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you.”
After finishing the prototype for the telephone, Bell spoke into the microphone and called to his assistant on the receiver in another room. This was the first time that sound had been transmitted across the air waves. Think of how amazing this must have been to hear another person in another place for the first time.
Pheidippides: “Nenikēkamen!" (We have won!)
After the battle of Marathon, the Greeks sent a runner to Athens to let them know that they had nothing to fear. The Persian army, massive and successful in capturing other ancient nations, had been defeated. This man ran the 26 plus miles to deliver his message and died on the spot.
Jesus has a distinct message that He is bringing to the people of the world. The time for God’s rule is near and we must be ready. There had been prophecies that pointed to this moment and now the time had come for there to be a proper response to God. What will be the choice that we make? This morning, we see the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
Declaration
Declaration
The prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He came into the land to be baptized of John, to be tempted in the wilderness and then to preach the gospel. Today, we need to prepare our hearts for the coming kingdom by responding to Him with the expectation of God's rule in our lives.
1. Jesus Prepared for Service
1. Jesus Prepared for Service
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Before He came preaching the gospel, Jesus prepared for service. It is interesting to notice the accounts that Mark gives us here in this passage. Instead of beginning with the birth of Jesus or the theological background of Jesus, we see only a few brief descriptions of His preparation. God prepares His Servant in the same way that He prepares us, with a call to commitment and a time of testing. The coming Messiah who John had pointed to has come.
Verse 9 also brings us to the baptism of Jesus. Why would Jesus have been baptized? The answer maybe that the baptism of Jesus was connected with the crossing of the Red Sea and the sin placed on Jesus that was to be removed (Hendrickson). Another view is that this was to begin the pattern that He has for the church. Baptism is one of the two ordinances of the church. It marks the beginning of the life of discipleship and commitment to walking in new life.
Isaiah foretells us about the arrival of God in the heavens in verse 10,
Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, Dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, As an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, The Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: So didst thou lead thy people, To make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, and behold From the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: Where is thy zeal and thy strength, The sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our father, Though Abraham be ignorant of us, And Israel acknowledge us not: Thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, And hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, The tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: Our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; They were not called by thy name. Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, That the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
As Jesus is brought up out of the water of the Jordan, the Trinity is seen in the launching of His ministry of redemption. The Holy Spirit descends “like a dove” on Jesus. The dove was believed by the ancient world to be a bird “without bile” or clean. Though various uses were found for this belief, they often reminded the person that the was peace or power there. The Old Testament is full men that God sent His Spirit on for a task. However, we see here that the Spirit is on Jesus for the greatest task that could have been accomplished, salvation for the entire world.
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
Verse 11 tells us that a Voice speaks as well. Jesus and John the Baptist seem to have seen the Spirit. All seem to have heard the voice according to verse 11.This is God the Father. His words acknowledge several prophecies that point to Jesus. Each time that an Old Testament prophecy is used by a New Testament writer, they are strengthening the case for who Jesus is.
I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
God the Father is publically stating the Jesus is the Son. He is God come to earth. This is the fulfillment of the Old Testament expectation. The word used as “my beloved son” is unique to Jesus. Only Jesus has this special relationship with God the Father.
After Jesus is baptized, He is sent into the wilderness by the Spirit in verse 12. This is only given a short account here by Mark. However, he is clear that Jesus has been in the same situations as us but has won the victory. The service of the angels is indicative of the victory won and the reward of God. Hebrews reminds us,
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Jesus prepared for service. Even God Himself did not begin His ministry without obedience and testing. Why should we expect less? Baptism was what pointed to the Deity of Jesus. The temptation pointed to the victory of Jesus over sin. Will we choose victory and obedience?
2. Jesus Preached the Gospel
2. Jesus Preached the Gospel
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
After the preparation of Jesus, Jesus carries out what He was sent to do. Jesus preached the Gospel. This is still what we as believers are to do. Everything is centered in Jesus and Jesus ought to be in the center of everything. So one writer,
Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but one who stands in the thick of the whole thing.
Oswald Chambers
After John’s ministry focus of preparing for the arrival of the One that is Greater is complete, he is moved to his next place of service, a prison. Mark will carry on with his story in chapter 6. However, the focus of verses 14-15 is on the preaching of Jesus.
We see in verse 14 that Jesus arrives in Galilee. It seems that the first year of Jesus ministry in Judea has not been outlined here by Mark as one commentator points out. Instead, we see the beginning of Jesus’ time in Galilee and His baptism by John.
We must always remember that Jesus is the preacher par excellence. He is the message and we should always do our best to follow the example of His preaching in content, intent and focus. What are the divisions of His message?
The name of the message “the gospel of the kingdom of God”:
This is a message of good news. The good news is that there is now a remedy for sin. As we saw last week, the preaching of John and the preaching of Jesus match in their content. All men are sinners and are in need of forgiveness. This forgiveness in found in the sacrifice of Jesus alone for us.
If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, That thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, And in his word do I hope.
This is a message that God reigns. The good news is that God is the One who created, controls and will redeem this fallen world. When a king tries to fix the great problems of the world, he can only do so much. He can outline laws and punish evil people. But there will always be another who sins because of the sin in each human heart. God is not such a King. He alone could come to us in our sin. We cannot get to Him but He came to us. The Kingdom of God is the Victory of God and His presence as the One who is Sovereign over all things.
And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
The time of the message “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand”:
This is the time when God has chosen. The time that God had chosen for the arrival of His reign is now. For many years, He was working in the children of Israel to prepare them for the offer of the kingdom. He was working in the empires of the world to bring about the Greek language to carry the good news and the Roman roads to provide the transportation. God has chosen this moment to bring salvation to the world. He has chosen the kingdom to come near in the ministry of His Son.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
This is the time that God will do something that only He could do. Only God could make peace with Himself. The coming Cross remove the sin of the world and place it on Jesus Himself. This alone could bring peace with God.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
The message itself “repent ye, and believe the gospel”:
Repentance is a turning away from your sin. The message of the Old Testament prophets was a message of change. When the children of Israel were worshipping idols and living lives of sin, Jeremiah called for them to repent and return. When there was any time of rebellion against God, He sent a prophet. Today, the call for all of us is to stop doing the wrong thing and start doing the right thing. Repent of your sin!
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Believe on Jesus alone for victory. If we don’t believe in the Gospel, we are trusting in ourselves. If we rely on what we can do instead of what He has done, we are destined for eternity in Hell. So is the message of Jesus here to place complete trust in the good news. Paul gives one of the best summations of the good news about Jesus.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
There are two parts to the application of the preaching of Jesus: repent and believe. The are both commands that we must respond to. Will you repent of your sin today? Are you walking in faith in Him? Faith is not just a simple agreement to a statement, it is a commitment to growth in the knowledge of Him. Yet, Jesus begins here with the simple statement of the Gospel. The time has come for the removal of the sin of the world. What will you do with this good news? Will you place your faith in Jesus alone for salvation? Will you follow in the life of faith this year?
Conclusion
Conclusion
The prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He came into the land to be baptized of John, to be tempted in the wilderness and then to preach the gospel. Today, we need to prepare our hearts for the coming kingdom by responding to Him with the expectation of God's rule in our lives.
The ruling of God in our lives is not something that is a single time choice. Jesus’ message of repentance and belief carries on each day for us. Will we follow Him despite the challenges and the tests of our faith. The Bible points us to a life of faith instead of sight. How many in the Bible knew what was going to happen when they obeyed the next time? The answer is only Jesus. He will guide us toward the Kingdom of God if we follow Him.
Two applications are pertinent this morning:
Have you obeyed the gospel of the kingdom? The gospel is clear. You are a sinner. You have chosen to disobey God. God has chosen to make a way for sin to be forgiven. Jesus, God’s perfect Son, has come and died for you in your place on the cross of Calvary. He was buried in a tomb. On Sunday morning, Jesus rose again having conquered death and sin. Will you repent of your sin? Will you believe on Him? He waits for you at the gate of the kingdom of God.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Are you living the gospel of the kingdom? The life of kingdom is a life of repentance and faith. We choose to turn away from our sin each day. We choose to follow the Word of God. This is the call to discipleship and commitment to Him. We believe what God says in His Word. One day, He will return and we want to be about His business. Are you living this gospel? The good news is that you can commit to this today.
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Look up! Expect the arrival! The kingdom of God is at hand. Are we following in the life of faith behind Jesus? He has opened the way to the kingdom, will we follow Him?
