God's Message for Humanity

We’re studying Mark, and I hope you’re beginning to see that the figure of Jesus leaves no room for neutrality. We’re not allowed to say we’re undecided. And this morning we’re going to look at a part of our introduction to Jesus Christ where this is made abundantly clear: When Jesus begins his public ministry. Here is where he introduce a word that is central to God’s announcement to mankind: Repent.

Mark 1:14-15.

This is God incarnate coming to earth to speak to humanity, and the center of his message, at the very heart of how one becomes right with God is this word repent.

It’s absolutely critical we get this right. Could there be anything more important than this? Repent and believe -- those two words summarize God’s demands to humanity. And the amount of havoc wreaked upon the church because we have messed up these words is immeasurable. These are the divine directions for being reconciled to God.

We tend to talk about getting right with God in terms like this: “asking him into my heart” -- or “giving your life to Jesus” or “making a commitment.” But this morning we’re going to look at what God requires of humanity. We’re just going to work through this text.

#1 First, Jesus location.

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee.”

Chronologically, this takes place after John the Baptist was arrested -- Remember: His whole ministry was to “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Mk. 1:3). We don’t get the details of his arrest yet, they come in chp 6. We are simply told that Jesus came into Galilee after John’s arrest.

We know from piecing together the other gospels that after Jesus’ temptation, there was what some people call a “obscure year.” This is where, as John’s gospel indicates, he attends the wedding in Cana, talks with Nicodemus -- essentially John 2-4 happen here. So by now, Jesus is recovered from his 40 days of fasting as he begins a more public ministry.

It says he came into Galilee. That, of course, is his geographic location. This is the northern part of Judea. Remember, you have the Sea of Galilee in the north, the Jordan River flows south into the Dead Sea, and just west of the Dead Sea you have Jerusalem. Galilee is where he was born, and it’s not nearly as metropolitan as the south.

Some have noted that for Jesus to start his ministry in Galilee would have been counterintuitive. We would expect he go straight to Jerusalem. If you want to be a moviestar, go to Hollywood; If you want to be a country singer, go to Nashville. Religious elite? Jerusalem. Not Jesus.

#2 Jesus Method

Who is he? He’s the divinely anointed, God-incarnate, come to rule and reign King. God had promised, throughout the ages, one who would destroy the devil’s work and restore God’s righteous rule on the earth. It would be one from Abraham’s nation Israel, it would be one from David’s lineage -- and he would, in the words of Genesis 3:15 “crush the head of the serpent.” He would undo the curse, he would restore creation to its original intent. Or, as 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

How will he do that? You might imagine -- him coming with a massive army, dethroning Caesar, setting himself immediately on the throne of David in Jerusalem, subjugating his enemies and establishing his righteous rule. But he doesn’t.

Of course he could -- but God has a different plan. A more subtle plan. What’s Jesus' message? “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God.”

This is Jesus’ method of ministry. He is preaching. It really is astounding that of all the ways the Son of God could come into the world and accomplish his purposes, he chose preaching. The word in Greek is kerusso, and it refers to an official announcement, like when a king sends a herald to announce a decree. Jesus comes preaching.

Our God speaks. Ours is not a silent, stone idol. Ours is a living God who speaks. He creates the universe in Genesis 1:1. How? He speaks. He forms Adam from dust in the ground the very next chapter. How? By his divine breath. When he reveals his holy character in his Law at Sinai -- how does he do it? Does he paint a portrait? Does he show a movie? God speaks to his people. And listen, when God created us, he gave us ears. We are made to listen.

God reveals who he is by his speaking. Listen to 1 Samuel 3:7 “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” Do you see a parallel here? Samuel didn’t know the Lord -- why? -- because the word had not been revealed. God speaks, and we cannot know him until we know his word.

Jesus comes preaching. It is his method for revealing God to the world. When God creates the universe, he speaks. When God creates life, he speaks. And listen -- if we want the church to filled with true life and true vibrancy -- filled with the Spirit and compelled to sacrificial love -- we must preach God’s Word. There are no shortcuts here.

Maybe some of you have sensed that the evangelical church needs revival. Why is that? Why does the church seem so sick? The answer, fundamentally, is a low view of preaching. In many places, preaching is thought to be impotent and outdated.

When churches doubt the power of the preached Word of God, they show it by reaching almost anywhere to find something with a little more zing. Slide shows, movie clips, dramas. Could you imagine thinking you could add more zing to the force that created the universe?

Lloyd-Jones was spot on when he said “I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.”

God speaks. John the Baptist was preaching, Jesus came preaching, Jesus sent the apostles to preach, the church is to be preaching. Through the ages, fads come and go, trends come and go, and the church must always and ever be preaching the Word of God. We believe that something significant is lost when a congregation never hears God’s Word delivered at length, with power, in an uninterrupted sermon.

Jesus’ starts his redemptive work by preaching. In fact, look ahead to verse 38: “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” Jesus prioritized preaching, the church is commanded to be preaching. Paul asks, “How will someone be saved, unless one is preaching?” He says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Church, do you value biblical preaching? Do you prioritize expositional preaching? Do you hunger for the Word, not just zing? And if so, do you work to keep our pulpit strong?

If the Lord answers our prayers, we will be a church that trains men to preach the Word. Are you praying for that? Do you encourage good exposition when you see it?

Sometimes I receive comments after I preach -- and I’m thankful for them -- some are more helpful than others. But I’ll tell you the most encouraging ones are the ones where someone says, “Here’s what I learned from God’s Word, and here’s how I plan to apply it to my life.”

Jesus came preaching because this is God’s method to build his church and gather his elect. But let’s go beyond his method. His message: “proclaiming the gospel of God.”

# 3 Jesus Message

The gospel -- this word refers to an life-altering announcement. It’s news. Life-changing, world-tilting, breath-taking news. Jesus is sent from God, on a mission to preach news about something that will absolutely change your life. It is fundamentally news.

I want to emphasize this reality real quick: this is news. Not a new law. Not a new regimen. Not a new set of techniques for life. Not a lifestyle, even. It’s news. It’s this: Something has happened, is happening, and you need to know about it.

It’s news. It’s an announcement from heaven to be embraced. It’s not a list of things for you to do, that’s human religion. The gospel is an announcement of divine accomplishment -- did you notice? This is “the gospel of God.”

It’s not the gospel of you, how great you are, or how you can change. This is about God.

Here’s an illustration: you’re in a German concentration camp. You’ve overheard the guards discussing how you and the rest of the prisoners will be heading into the gas chamber next week. But somehow, one of your friends has a smuggled message from the outside -- rescue is on the way -- a great army with tanks and supplies and food are coming to set you free!

The gospel is like that: it’s an announcement of amazing news -- here we are captive to our own sin, to this fallen world, to our enemies lies, to the world’s trends -- and God says, “I’ve come to rescue everyone who trusts me, I’ve come to redeem everyone who turns to me, I’ve come to forgive everyone who looks to me!”

Now what’s the content of the news? Verse 15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” -- and then he gives application. But let’s look at these two statements.

“The time is fulfilled.” What does that mean? To put simply, Jesus is saying that everything in ages past has been leading up to this point. Jesus’ coming was according to God’s sovereign timetable, and every prior to the coming of Christ was laying the foundation for what he would come to do. All of human history waited for this hour when the Son of God would enter the world and begin his public ministry. Everything leading to this -- the most significant moment in the history of the world, the incarnate God’s sojourn on earth for 3 years to preach the gospel, to die for sinners, to be raised from the dead. This is the central event of human history.

“And the kingdom of God is at hand.” Time’s up -- a kingdom is coming. God had been promising a kingdom to reign on earth for thousands of years. In Genesis, Abraham was promised that kings would come from his line. Years later, King David established a kingdom in Jerusalem, and Solomon after him. The kingdom split, fractured, and eventually Israel was taken in exile. The prophets, however, never stopped speaking of a kingdom.

In 2 Samuel 7 David was given a promise that one would come after and said, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

That Christmas passage in Isaiah 9 said that one would come who would be called “Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom,.”

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king.”

Daniel prophesied: “And to [the son of man] was given dominion, and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (7:13-14)

And here Jesus comes preaching -- it’s imminent, it’s at hand. Jesus is the king who will set up his everlasting kingdom on the earth. Let’s make something clear -- the kingdom described in the Old Testament is literal and physical. It’s not a spiritual kingdom that rules in our hearts, it’s an actual kingdom that rules on a throne.

But that’s not to say there are no spiritual dimensions to the kingdom. In fact, with many of the promises of the coming kingdom there are promises of a New Covenant. A covenant that promises spiritual transformation for God’s people.

Deuteronomy 30 it is said that some day in the future God would “circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Jer 31:33 promised heart chang “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”

Perhaps the greatest prophesy about the spiritual dynamics of the kingdom is in Ezekiel 36:25 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

That’s a promise of future inward cleansing and healing. So what does Jesus mean that the kingdom is at hand? He’s saying, “The king is here and he’s inaugurating kingdom realities.”

And so we can say there are aspects of the kingdom present now -- we have new hearts, we have the Spirit within us, we have the law written on our hearts. But we also say that we await a coming kingdom, where Jesus returns, sets up his righteous rule on the throne of David, and establishes the eternal joy of his people. As some have said, “The kingdom is already and not yet.” Some aspects have come -- the indwelling Spirit, the renewal of hearts, the law written on the heart -- and some aspects haven’t yet.

Now -- why is this called gospel? Some might call it hostile takeover. If I announced that some king from another country was coming to establish his kingdom here, we’d all take up arms. It’d be battle right. This land is our land, right?

Jesus says, “There’s a kingdom coming” and apparently, this is supposed to be good news. Why is that? Is it good news?

Imagine an old west town run by thieves and outlaws. And a sheriff comes to town and he says he’s going to bring justice. Is that good news? That depends on which side you’re on. Justice is bad news to the outlaw. Justice means I will pay for my crimes. Justice means I will be excluded from the town once righteousness is established.

Jesus says he’s going to bring a kingdom. He says it’s going to be a reign of perfect righteousness and justice. He says all wickedness and evil will be excluded from it.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?”

Eph 5:5 “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous... has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Even at the very end, describing the eternal kingdom of Christ in Revelation 21:27 John says that “nothing unclean will ever enter it.”

And here’s where it gets bad news: The Bible describes humanity as unrighteous, as unclean, as deserving of God’s wrath. I want you to feel this: the kingdom of God is a threat to sinful humanity. It is a new regime of holiness, righteousness, justice, and truth. And nothing unclean is allowed to taint it.

# 4 Jesus’ Demand

Now it’s here -- in light of his coming kingdom -- that Jesus makes his demand. “Repent and believe in the gospel.”

To use the kingdom analogy, here’s what he’s saying. There’s a righteous king coming. He will bring peace and joy and harmony, he will give eternal life and happiness to all his subjects, and he will never allow his country to be plagued by anything sinful. He is coming to be your Lord and King -- but he extends to you know terms of surrender. Lay down your arms. Confess your sin. Admit your bankruptcy. Bow before him, make him Lord, and be his servant.

If you do these things he will forgive your treason, he will pay your debts, he will pardon your iniquity, he will clothe you with royal robes, he will give you a crown, he will share his riches, he will give you the kingdom. All he asks is that you repent and believe.

You may have never thought of it this way, but you are always serving a kingdom -- the kingdom of self, or the kingdom of God. Everything to you is in allegiance to or pursuit of a kingdom.

What is repentance? Repentance denounces the kingdom of self. Repentance says there’s a new king I live for, a new kingdom I’m a part of. Repentance says that I now live for the king of kings. It’s a kingdom where grace reigns, it’s a kingdom of genuine love. It’s an upsidedown kingdom where the king acts like a servant and the servants are treated like kings. The humble are lifted up, the proud taken down.

Repent and believe -- those two words summarize God’s demands to humanity. It’s not “ask him into your heart” -- or “give your life to Jesus” or “make a commitment.” We have to be careful with those phrases because they’re not biblical phrases, and they can smuggle in unbiblical ideas or leave out biblical ideas. Jesus command is to repent and believe.

There are a lot of people who have “asked Jesus into their heart” but have never repented of their sin. In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian meets several characters who he encounters on his journey but entered through the wrong way, and so they’re not going to be welcomed into the Celestial City. You Formalist and Hypocrisy -- who hopped the fence to get on the path.

There is one door that all must pass through if they would be reconciled to God -- and above the door these words are bold: Repent and Believe.

Here’s why it’s good news. Because the king is gracious and there is hope. He loves to save sinners. God is patient, generous, and willing to save all who embrace Jesus Christ -- even the worst of the worst of sinners. There is no sin that God will not forgive when you come to him in humble faith, turning from your old life and embracing the good news.

How do you know? This is what he sent Jesus to do -- to die on the cross. Why? To demonstrate the love of God. Why did he rise again -- to demonstrate his authority over death, sin, and the curse. And now his call to repentance is a call to join his side -- he wants you on his side -- he will save and forgive.

This is God’s message for all humanity: Now I’ll turn and ask you -- have you repented? Has your mind embraced the Lordship of Christ, the filthiness of sin, and the need of God’s grace? Has your heart experienced the sorrow of your failure, the grief of your sin, has it been humbled by God’s holiness? And have you, now, in an act of the will, turned from those thing, removed them from your life, in obedience to Jesus Christ?

And have you believed? -- embraced him as your loving Lord, being confident that your sins are now completely forgiven, being sure that you’re now white as now, being certain that you share in eternal life? Have you embraced Christ as your treasure, and are now giving your life for the purpose he created you -- to love, serve, and worship Jesus Christ?

“There is something like a boardroom in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and rarely agreeing.

We are like that. We tell ourselves it’s because we are so busy, with so many responsibilities. The truth is, we are indecisive, held back by small thoughts of Jesus.

Such a person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give Jesus a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you now. Please run my whole life for me.” That is not complication; that is salvation.”

Have you just given Jesus a vote? Or have you kicked out the others and allowed him to run things? This is repentance.