The Kingdom Advances

Main Idea:

Christ’s Kingdom advances over sin’s tyrannical reign through prayer, preaching, and compassion.

Every fall, hundreds of thousands of football fans fill college stadiums all across the country to cheer on their teams as they take the field to battle the visiting opponent. And with that, one of the most anticipated moments of those games is the pre-game entrance by the team.

Now, every team has their traditions and ways they seek to intimidate the other team but some schools have gone above and beyond and the pre-game entrance is sometimes looked forward to more than the actual game itself.

For the USC’s Trojans the pre-game begins with the drum major walking out to midfield in Trojan gear and a sword where they then stab the logo at mid-field. It’s an event that even the visiting teams love to watch.

Penn State has their “white out.” Over 100,000 fans all chanting “We are Penn State” and stomping their feet literally shakes the ground beneath them and creates a very intimidating atmosphere.

The Miami Hurricane’s enter the field through a cloud of smoke that other schools have tried to imitate but can’t do it the way Miami does it.

Yet, probably none of these schools compare to Virginia Tech’s “Sandman Experience.” From the band to the student section to people probably too old to do it, everyone in Lane Stadium jumps in unison as the song builds to its climax and the team runs onto the field.

Just about everyone who covers those games says that entrance is one of the most thrilling and exciting entrances in all of college football.

All these teams are seeking to create an atmosphere of intimidation toward their enemies, the opposing team. The focus of these pre-game traditions is to seek the advancement of their team’s name, mission, and reputation. The desire is victory at all costs.

Jesus has just begun his public ministry. His mission from the very beginning has been to push back against that which is dark and broken in the world. But not only to push back against it but to destroy it, crush it, defeat it and bring renewal to God’s creation.

His enemy, the Devil has sought from the beginning to wreck and destroy and corrupt all that God has made and now his time of roaming free is coming to an end. Jesus is entering the field, His mission is clear and victory will come, but it will come at great cost.

What we’re seeing this morning in our text is the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom over sin’s tyrannical reign. Since the fall of humanity all the way back in Genesis 3 mankind has been subject to the curse of sin. We have been enslaved to it longing deep within our soul to be set free yet unable to gain our freedom on our own. The enemy is to great for us. We needed another. We needed a Savior.

We needed the better Adam - one who would represent mankind yet without sin. We needed the better Isaac - the one perfect sacrifice who would be accepted by God. We needed the better Moses - the one who would truly lead his people to the heavenly Kingdom. We needed the better David - the one true shepherd, the one true King, the one true warrior who defends us and has defeated the Goliath of sin so we could run onto the field in victory.

And we now, his people, his children, citizens of the Kingdom are called to go with him revealing the glorious Kingdom and the King as it advances to the nations. Though the power of sin has been defeated on the cross, the curse of sin, the remnants of sins effect still loom in the world today while we await the final return of the King, the final consummation of all things to how they were created to be. A life free from sickness, disease, and death. A life free from tyranny and abuse, life as it was intended.

The mission ahead of Christ’s church is not an easy one. It will not be comfortable, it will not be simple, it will be costly. But it will be glorious. And so, we must follow the pattern set by Jesus as he advanced his Kingdom.

His Kingdom does not advance through human strength and might, nor by sword or by spear, but through prayer, preaching, and compassion.

For the past few weeks we’ve taken a look at one day in the life of Jesus. And it’s been quite the day. He’s taught the Scriptures with an unmistakable authority that can only be attributed to the fact that he is God himself, the author of life itself. He’s cast out demons, he’s healed the sick.

And now the day has finally come to a close. We don’t know how late into the evening Jesus was ministering to the poor and hurting, but it was most likely late. And now, he’s getting up early to prepare for the next day.

Look with me at verse 35.

Mark 1:35 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

The past 24 hours in Jesus’ life have been pretty remarkable and yet, there is still more to be done to further advance the kingdom of God. And so, what we’ll see in our text today is a strategy imposed by Jesus himself which will advance God’s kingdom.

We just read the first strategy in verse 35.

Strategy number one:

God’s Kingdom advances through the power of prayer.

Mark is going to record three specific moments of prayer throughout Jesus’ ministry. Now, without a doubt, Jesus was continually communing with his Father and so these recorded prayers, the first one being here in Mark 1 at the beginning of his ministry, the second being found in Mark 6 right after the feeding of the 5000. Jesus once again goes to a desolate place to be alone with His Father. The third coming at the end of his ministry found in Mark 14. We see there Jesus pray in Gethsemane right before he is arrested, tried, and crucified.

Why did Jesus, God in the flesh need to pray? Was it for the same reason that you and I pray? Well, yes and no.

The, “no” reason is fairly easy to address. Jesus was sinless, we are not. Therefore, there was no reason for Jesus to spend time in confession as we just did as a church just a little bit ago. There was never anything for him to confess. And so, Jesus did not pray in order to find and receive forgiveness and mercy as we do.

However, he was praying often because he was in need, just as we are. Though, he wasn’t in need of mercy and forgiveness as we are, he was in need of strength that comes only through the Father.

Yes, Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man.

Philippians 2:6-7 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

There is mystery for sure surrounding the dual nature of Christ, both fully God and fully man but this is clearly what Scripture teaches. And so, I’ll say it again, though Jesus was without sin, he still embodied human weakness and frailty.

And his spirit was refreshed and strengthened just as ours is through communion with the Father in prayer. Jesus lived his life on earth as a man fully dependent upon the Father.

John 5:19, Jesus replied…”The Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.” (CSB)

His strength to advance God’s Kingdom came from God the Father. Church, our strength to see the gospel advance throughout our community and around the world is not dependent upon our might, our will, our abilities, our intelligence but solely upon our God who works mightily through us for his glory, not ours.

The strength to battle sin and temptation in our lives does not rest upon us but upon the power of God. If you find yourself continually falling into sin, the teaching and encouragement from Scripture and Christ’s life is to rest in the power of God Almighty, to abide in him.

John 15:4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

If our lives are going to have any meaningful, lasting impact in the world today it’s going to happen through our abiding in Christ and nothing else.

Kingdom advancement begins through the power of prayer, not our will or might. Not through events and programs, but by crying out in desperation for God’s strength, His Spirit, His power. A cry that says, “I need you, I can’t do this on my own.”

A cry that says, “Your kingdom come, not mine.” “Your will be done. Not my will.”

Let’s look at strategy number two that Jesus employs to advance the kingdom.

Verse 38.

Mark 1:38 “And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.””

Strategy number two:

God’s Kingdom Advances through the primacy of preaching.

D.L Moody once said,

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.” - D.L. Moody

It’s once been said that the key to life is finding out what matters most and building your life around it.

Jesus understood better than anyone else that has ever existed what truly matters in life. He clearly understood his mission and what mattered most and he built his entire life and ministry around that one thing.

And what mattered most to Christ was the advancement of God’s Kingdom which is the reign of God through God’s people over God’s domain, over God’s creation.

What are the first words Mark records Jesus as saying at the beginning of his ministry?

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus had just spent the last 24 hours revealing the Kingdom of God. God’s reign over life, over death, over the spiritual domain. Showing that there is no power greater than the power of God. Satan and sin will not reign forever. Death, disease, and sickness will one day no longer exist. The spiritual forces of evil and darkness will one day be totally confined and put away.

Jesus is showing the people, giving the people a taste of God’s coming Kingdom and calling on them to follow him, submit to God’s reign, confess, and repent and believe the gospel.

But they were missing it. They wanted temporal fixes rather than eternal life in glad submission to the reign of Christ over their lives.

The crowds of people were coming back to Jesus the next morning looking for more miracles but really nothing else. Repentance and belief and submission to the King of kings wasn’t on their radar. They wanted a genie in a bottle who would grant their wishes whenever they wanted. A Jesus of their own liking and own making. Someone they could control.

They didn’t understand and even the disciples missed it. They didn’t understand why Jesus had come into the world. But Jesus knew very clearly. He had come to preach; to proclaim the gospel.

Even today, we miss it. We so often want a Jesus that fits into our agenda, our schedule, our plans not the other way around. We exist and breathe and have our being to fit into his agenda, his plan, his will. And I know that statement rubs against the grain of our cultural mantra. The messaging today is you exist for nobody else but yourself. You are whoever you determine yourself to be and nobody has any right to say otherwise.

And I’m here to say today that that messaging is from the gates of Hell itself. You are not God. You exist for him, for his will, under his reign and rule not yourself and only when we submit to that truth will we actually find meaning and purpose in life. Because we’re living according to his plan for his creation.

And what’s his plan? To advance the Kingdom. “God’s reign and rule through his people over his domain, his creation.”

Jesus moved on to another town because the people missed it. They missed him and their greatest need. Let’s not miss him.

Lastly, strategy number three.

God’s Kingdom advances through compassion.

Verse 40.

Mark 1:40-41 “And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.””

There are two remarkable things taking place here.

We’re seeing the heart of Jesus revealed.

His is a heart of compassion and love. It’s a heart that moves toward the hurting and the afflicted not away from it.

But we’re also seeing here:

2. A picture of the glorious gospel.

A leper in Jesus’ day was an outcast. Judged by the law as unclean. In fact, the people would view lepers as those who were cursed by God. They lived in isolation. They lived on the outskirts of the community. They had to remain at all times at least 50 paces away from others. They wore torn clothes, they had to cover their faces and they had to cry out “Unclean.” They had no relationships, no love in their lives. No community whatsoever.

The famous Biblical historian, Josephus said a leper was, “in no way differing from a corpse.”

The book of Leviticus gives instructions to God’s people on how they were to live and how they were to handle diseases and sicknesses. Many sicknesses and diseases could be healed, but leprosy, Leviticus 13-14 says not only had be healed before a person could enter back into the community, but also had to be “cleansed.” There was a spiritual component to it.

Leprosy, as seen in Leviticus 13-14 is a picture of mankind's sin. It’s deeper than the skin. It spreads, it defiles and isolates us from one another and from God himself.

And like leprosy was viewed in Jesus’ day, our sin needs to be both healed and cleansed.

This leper violated every cultural custom of that day. Pushing through the crowds, he was desperate to get to Jesus because he knew only Jesus could heal him. He knelt before Jesus, showing humility and submission, he begged Jesus, showing desperation and need and he found healing.

This is how we are to approach Jesus. Not with demands, but in desperation, knowing our neediness.

Gospel proclamation.

Jesus makes the unclean, clean.

And he did so by becoming the curse himself.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of this suffering servant-King said of Jesus:

Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

Before Jesus, the life of this leper was one of isolation, rejection, and separation. Now, because of Jesus, his life was one where he was welcomed back into community and relationship with God and others. No longer did he have to shout out, “unclean!” No longer did he have to cover his face. His shame had been removed. Christ healed him.

But, look what happens in verse 45. This is such a picture of the gospel.

Jesus tells the man not to tell anyone what had just happened. And it’s because the crowds would just get bigger and bigger. It would draw more attention from his enemies and opponents which would lead to more conflict before it would be time for him to go to the cross.

Yet, this man can’t remain silent and look what happens.

Mark 1:45 “But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.”

What is the good news of the gospel? Christ became the curse for us so that we could be restored to right relationship with God. Do you see in this text how Jesus and this man just swapped places? Before, the leper was out in the desolate places and Jesus was among the people. Now, the leper is cleansed and in community and Jesus is out in the desolate places.

He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. What a Servant-King he is!

Application:

As we wrap up here today, let me give you just two quick points of application from this text.

Number one:

Like Jesus, our focus must be on being rather than doing.

I’m a doer. I like projects. I like having my mind constantly engaged. I don’t like to sit still. Even in the mornings, if I eat breakfast, which I actually rarely do, I pace around the house. I don’t like sitting at the table. I get anxious, I get nervous because there’s things to be done.

Now, sometimes maybe that can be good but more often than not, it’s a problem in my life. I’m more focused on doing things in my strength and staying active than in resting and abiding in the work of and strength of Christ.

And so, in my mind and my heart, what’s driving me is the belief that I have to get to work if the ministry is going to be fruitful and successful. My identity and worth is being wrapped up in how busy I am and what needs to be done. It’s depending on me.

There’s often no resting in and depending on the strength of God.

What we’re seeing modeled through the life of Jesus is not a call to laziness but a call to dependence.

Number two:

Unlike the crowds, our focus must be on the eternal not the temporal.

We often confuse what’s urgent with what’s important.

The crowds saw their sicknesses as urgent needs that had to be addressed more than anything and they missed the truly important need of their souls. What they needed was Jesus himself. What they thought they needed most was a temporal fix to their problems.

Human beings are on a search for meaning and purpose and we’ll fill our schedules and lives with what we think will give it. But sadly, we fixate on the temporal rather than eternal.

Several years ago, The New York Times ran an article titled “The Busy Trap.” Listen to what this writer said.

Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day…I can’t help but wonder whether all this exhaustion isn’t a way of covering up the fact that most of what we do doesn’t matter.

The world sees it. The world senses that what we spend our lives fixated on doesn’t in the end really have any significance, and yet, it doesn’t offer a solution because apart from Christ and spending your life lived out in glad submission to his reign and rule there is no solution. Jesus is it and if you reject him, don’t follow him, don’t center your life around him and instead look more to the world for significance, you’ll never find it.

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”