Heaven on Earth

This morning we get to talk about Heaven on Earth.  

If you’re like me, that phrase brings a few songs to mind, or my wedding day of course. I better put that in there, so I don’t get in trouble later. 

Many people describe their favorite places as “heaven on earth,” but there was only one person who truly knew what they were talking about when they said that the “Kingdom of Heaven was at hand,” as we’ll see in Mark chapter 1. 

Susan grew up in a modest Scottish town—the youngest of nine in a crowded, working‑class home. As a baby, she’d suffered oxygen deprivation at birth; the doctors suspected she had mild brain damage. As a result, childhood and school were harsh: she was bullied and often isolated, retreating into music where she finally felt safe. Sundays found her singing at church, and singing became her escape from the harsh reality of people's judgement. 

  After her mother died, she fell quiet. For years, she stopped singing. But grief slowly hardened into resolve, and with her mom in mind, she decided to try and share her voice with the world. The memory of her mom gave her the courage to pursue a dream. 

  At 47 years old, plainly dressed, and older than most contestants, Susan stepped onto the stage. From the first moment you could feel the room tilt against her—smirks, eye‑rolls, the kind of knowing laughter that says; we’ve already decided you’re not good enough. Even the judges were openly skeptical.  

No one was expecting much as the music began to play. 

Then she sang the first line—and everyone went silent. The snickers died, faces lifted, and mouths hung open. By the end of the verse, the entire room was on its feet cheering. That single performance became one of the most‑watched audition clips in TV history, an overnight reminder that appearances hide realities.  

  By now you probably know I’m talking about Susan Boyle, and her Britian’s Got Talent audition.  

That moment launched a record‑breaking debut album, and, ultimately, more than 25 million records sold.  

We so often judge according to what we can see, almost instantly. It is hard to shake a first impression, it’s unfortunately how we are as humans. 

We saw Susan step on stage and made an instant judgment—ordinary, unimpressive, not worth our attention. She didn’t meet our standards for what a star should look like. 

But once her voice was revealed, we immediately listened in awe.  

Someone who looked so ordinary and plain, revealed a voice that was simply amazing and extraordinary. 

Jesus has a similar story. He stepped down from Heaven, was born in what the world viewed as a humble and unfortunate beginning, in a manger, in a dirty stable. 

He grew up in Nazareth, where “nothing good comes from,” an ordinary carpenter. 

He was often rejected and despised by the “important people” of His time. 

And then, as He began His ministry, Jesus declared: “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand,” and began teaching, healing and revealing what God was like to the world. 

People were amazed at Him and wondered, who this man? 

Jesus was God Himself in flesh! 

This morning, I want you to see three ways that Jesus revealed the Kingdom of Heaven to us on earth, and you can join me in amazement at who King Jesus truly is. 

1.) He revealed the Kingdom of Heaven through His Authority 

2.) He revealed the Kingdom of Heaven through His Miracle 

3.) He revealed the Kingdom of Heaven through His Teachings 

PRAYER 

Last week Frank talked about John the Baptist came and was a forerunner to Jesus. He was preparing the way for our Savior and turning people back toward God in repentance for sin. 

Jesus was baptized, not because He needed to repent of sin, but as an example for us to follow.  

It also marked the start of Jesus’s ministry on earth.  

The book of Mark wastes no time quickly running through the ministry of Jesus. 

The word immediately is used 41 times in the book of Mark.  

It shows the urgency of Jesus’s ministry on earth and revealing the Kingdon of Heaven, but also the pace Marks set for how quickly the book jogs through the miracles and teachings of Jesus. 

Frank took the opposite approach last week in his approach. 

Right after Jesus’s baptism, Mark 1:12 says Jesus immediate was driven into the wilderness for 40 days and was being tempted by Satan.  

Satan knew why Jesus had come to earth and was doing all he could to stop it. 

This was a time of preparation for Jesus and as soon as He came back to Galilee, He proclaimed the Kingdom of God was at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. 

King Jesus was present on earth, and repentance and faith in Him are man’s require response to God’s gracious offer to salvation. 

The time had come for Jesus to reveal why He had come to earth, which was to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven. 

1. The first way He revealed the Kingdom was through His Authority 

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. 

Jesus started His ministry by calling HIis disciples. 

And telling them their primary purpose was to be fishers of men or share the gospel. 

Our purpose as a disciple is still the same today. 

Notice these men’s response, what did they do? 

They immediately followed Jesus. Not questions, just obedience. They stepped away from their career and family, their way of life. 

That's how Brother Frank wishes I would respond to his coaching...I’m still working on that. 

I don’t know this for a fact, but I think these disciples responded that way because of something they saw in Jesus, that authority that no other man had. 

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.  

People were astonished, Jesus taught with absolute authority, not like the scribes they were used to hearing. 

It reminds me of a gentleman named Dave. Dave had watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to make a steak and decided to invite his neighbor over for dinner to “teach” his neighbor how to grill steaks. 

His neighbor politely listened while Dave explained the importance of properly getting the steaks to room temperature, seasoning them, proper searing technique, and resting steak for the appropriate amount of time. 

After his lengthy teaching lesson, Dave prepared to start cooking the steaks.  

It was then he noticed the apron his neighbor was wearing said “Executive Chef – 15 Years of Service Gordon Ramsay’s Steakhouse.” 

Dave froze momentarily, then said, “So… uh… you probably already know how to tell when they’re ready to be turned over don’t you?” 

The chef smiled and replied, “Yes. And I also know you just put that steak on the grill before it was hot enough for a proper sear.” 

Dave quickly realized he was dealing with someone with authority in the area of grilling steaks. 

An executive chef’s teaching on making steaks carries a different weight than if I am trying to tell you about it. I make a good steak, but I am not an authority. 

By the way, Dave hasn’t invited his neighbor over for dinner since then. 

Jesus authored the scriptures...He's the one that wrote the book! 

When the author of life teaches the Word of life, I can imagine it would capture your full attention. It just hits differently. 

The people were astonished. No one had ever taught with this the level of authority.  

They started talking...who is this guy? 

23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. 

Just pause for a moment and put yourself in the shoes of those that were in the synagogue that morning.  

They just heard Jesus teach, with complete authority like they had never heard before. An unschooled carpenter, no less. 

Now this same Jesus gets called out by name by a demon.  

The demon knew who Jesus was...the evil spirit said what have you to do with us Jesus the Holy one of God. 

You see this same reaction from other unclean spirits as well, maybe the most impressive being in Chapter 5:7. 

The legion or multitude of evil spirits call out to Jesus as the Son of God and begged Jesus not to torture them.  

They knew exactly who Jesus was and His ultimate authority. 

In each instance, Jesus commands the demons and they obey...immediately! 

It begs the question of why we don’t obey that way...but that’s a sermon for another time. 

Jesus cast out many demons in His ministry, and each time the people were amazed. 

They had never seen anything like this before. 

Who is this man who has authority even over the unclear spirits? 

People started to share what they had seen with other...and Jesus’s fame spread. 

Jump ahead with me to Mark 2:5. 

Jesus was teaching the crowd we assume from His home, and there were so many people, you could even get near the door. 

Four men brought a paralytic to Jesus; they literally had to tear the roof off the place to lower their friend close to Jesus. 

Jesus seeing their faith said, “Son your sins are forgiven.” 

Let’s stop right there! 

Who can forgive sin? 

Only God! 

Remember these people didn’t know who Jesus was yet...and the gospels hadn’t been written down yet...they were living them. 

The religious leaders were like...you can’t do that Jesus. 

Only God forgives sin.  

Jesus was like...that’s my point exactly. 

So, Jesus proving His ultimate authority, even over sin told the paralytic to get up and walk. 

And the man got up and walked. 

Jesus is God! 

Jesus is the ultimate authority over everything! 

Just as God the Father is in heaven. 

In the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s will is done perfectly. 

Everyone bows and worships, in awe of His supreme authority. 

Jesus came to earth and revealed that same level of authority so that we might believe He is the Son of God! 

And that we might obey. 

He had authority over: 

The Holy Scriptures 

Over demons...they obeyed Him. 

Over sickness and disease, He healed many. 

Over sin! He had authority to forgive sin 

Over nature. In chapter 5 He calmed a raging storm.  

A storm so fierce life-long fishermen thought they were going to die. Jesus spoke and the waves were still, and they stood in fear and amazement. Who was this man that commanded even the wind and rain? 

We’ll see next week that Jesus even had authority over death! 

Jesus displayed the same authority that God the Father has in heaven. 

He wanted to world to see what the Kingdom of God is like. 

He wants you and I to see what our amazing God is like. 

What a miraculous revelation. 

2. Which bring us to the second way Jesus reveal the Kingdom of Heaven, was through His miracles. 

Do you know what’s missing from the Kingdom of Heaven...other than our disobedience? 

Pain! Sickness! Disease! 

None of those exist in Heaven! 

I think some of us are going to have a hard time keeping a conversation in heaven, there won’t be any aches and pains or anything to complain about! 

Just kidding...we’ll be too busy worshiping our God and King to complain. 

But just imagine what it will be like to have fully redeemed bodies built for eternity. 

I woke up a couple of days ago and my shoulder still hurts...there won’t be any of that. 

No flu season, or sickness. 

We’ll be in perfect shape to worship God! 

Jesus did miracles while He was here on earth to further reveal what the future Kingdom would be like. 

Mark 2 1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” 

I touched on this miracle earlier, as Jesus reveals that He is God and forgive sin, but I didn’t dive into how amazing this miracle truly was.  

First off, you better put yourself in a group of friends that will love you enough to carry you on top of a roof, tear a hole in the roof and the lower you to Jesus, because they have complete faith He can heal you. 

Eric Call calls those corner toters. They each hold a corner of your life and drag you back to Jesus when you stray away. 

Jesus has been healing people and casting out demons, so everyone wants to be close to Him, they either want to be healed or see Jesus in action. 

Jesus is sitting in the house and people have filled the house and surround the house and these four friends want to get their paralytic friend close to Jesus, so Jesus can heal him. 

They had so much faith that Jesus could heal their friend, they somehow managed to get on the roof of the house, tear a hole in the roof and lower him in front of Jesus. 

Sometimes faith will drive us to do things we normally wouldn’t do. 

I don’t think tearing off would have been my first thought, and I always wonder what the people in the house listening to Jesus teach would have thought. 

But Jesus saw their faith and told the man his sins are forgiven. 

That’s the most amazing miracle of all...that we can be forgiven. 

Jesus saw past the mans paralysis, to his true need of salvation. 

We all have that same need, and each time a lost sinner destined for hell is saved by our amazing, gracious and merciful God...THAT IS A MIRACLE! 

Miracles still happen today! 

Jesus still forgives sins today!  

It’s amazing! 

Jesus then tells the man to get up, pick up his bed and go home. 

He immediately got up, picked up his bed, and made his way through the crowd. 

He was completely healed...physically and spiritually. 

The pharisees completely miss the miracle, because they can’t imagine this previous carpenter could possibly be God. 

The pharisees seemed to be the only people that witnessed Jesus’s miracle and hated Him for doing them.  

He didn’t fit the picture of the Savior they thought would come and conquer the earthly kingdom they had imagined. 

In the beginning of Mark Chapter 3 Jesus was in the synagogue again teaching on the Sabbath as He did regularly. 

There was a man with a withered hand there. 

This could have been a birth defect, muscle atrophy, an old injury... 

Maybe he had elbow surgery like Shawn. 

We aren’t told. 

Jesus told the man to come forward and asked a simple question. 

Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? 

The Pharisees said no work could be done on the Sabbath...even healing a man. 

Jesus miraculously healed the man’s hand. 

Revealing that the Kingdom of Heaven was about more than rules the Pharisees had created to follow. 

Jesus’s miracles taught us much about the Kingdom and how amazing a perfect it is. 

3. Jesus revealed the Kingdom of Heaven through His Teaching. 

When we think of the Kingdom of Heaven and how Jesus revealed it on earth, I think most peoples thoughts go to His miracles and death on the cross. 

Both of which are truly amazing. 

But I also love His teachings. They are truly amazing and a peek into the mind of God. 

Jesus often taught in parables; these were stories with an applicable meaning. 

Jesus taught in parables, because it would take people intentional effort to understand what He was saying. 

It is still true for us today. 

However, much effort your put into studying God’s Word is what you will get out of it. 

There are no substitutes or shortcuts. 

Starting chapter 4, Jesus sits down in a boat and begins teaching the crowds a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 First of the parable of the sower, a reference to Jesus and His disciples, who sows seeds of the gospel to the people. 

Some hear the words of life and Satan immediately influences them away from life. 

Second are those that hear and receive the word with enthusiasm, but there is no true life transformation, and at the first sign of trials they bail. 

Some hear the words of life, but they are so busy pursuing the deceptive promise of happiness of money and material possessions; they are blinded to the eternal joy of the gospel. 

Lastly, there are those who hear the words of life, believe, and obey. Their lives are transformed by the gospel and they in term go and make disciples.  

In Chapt 4:30 Jesus teaches a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. 

It is hard for our human minds to fully comprehend the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, so Jesus uses a simple illustration of a seed. 

The Kingdom on earth starts as a tiny mustard seed, or one man...Jesus. 

We are called to plant seeds, but we’ll never truly know the impact of them in our lifetime. 

In 1858, a humble Sunday School teacher named Edward Kimball didn’t just teach a lesson; he went to a local shoe store to find a distracted teenager stocking shelves. In the back of that store, he led Dwight L. Moody to Christ. 

Moody became an evangelist who shook two continents, and under his preaching, a man named Wilbur Chapman was converted. Chapman became a preacher who reached a professional baseball player named Billy Sunday. 

Billy Sunday’s ministry ignited a revival in Charlotte, North Carolina, which led to the conversion of Mordecai Ham. And it was at a Mordecai Ham meeting that a lanky, skeptical high schooler nicknamed "Billy Frank" walked down an aisle to give his life to Jesus. 

The world would later know him as Billy Graham. 

Edward Kimball never preached to millions. He just showed up to a shoe store on a Saturday. He was a single seed that produced a forest he never lived to see. 

You can count the apples on a tree, but only God knows how many apples are in a single seed.  

Do not grow weary in doing good. You have no idea whose life—and whose legacy—is attached to your obedience today. 

Conclusion 

Jesus came to earth to reveal to us what the Father is like and to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven. 

His authority over everything, His miracles, and His teaching were a small glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, but people were amazed by what they saw. 

I have two applications in closing for us this morning. 

1. Don’t ever lose your amazement for King Jesus. 

The most dangerous thing about the Christian life is that we learn how to do it. 

We can say and act the way we think we should, but inside we lose our amazement for our Saviour and King. 

And we lose sight of the fact that we could plant a seed that could grow a Kingdom forest. 

2. Never stop planting gospel seeds. 

You know how Jesus’s fame grew so quickly while He was on earth? 

People couldn’t stop talking about Him! 

They couldn’t help themselves. 

Would go out from here today, and tell others about our amazing Savior and the amazing things He’s doing among us. 

Prayer.