The Kingdom Is Now

Introduction

Early cycling years - the hill right south of my parents’ house. 1 Mile to the top left you breathless, but the ride down was breath taking! By the time I would hit the flat I felt like I could peddle for hours in the freedom that momentum provided.

Mark begins his recording of the life of Jesus by using a similar structure:

A - The Gospel of Jesus Christ

B - John the Baptist in the Desert

C - John Baptizing in the Jordan

C’ - Jesus Baptized in the Jordan

B’ - Jesus in the Desert

A’ - The Gospel of God

The Gospel can propel you forward in a meaningful life.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

v. 1

This is the beginning - Mark does not include the nativity scenes we find in Matthew and Luke. Instead, He starts with the work of John the Baptist and the inauguration of the ministry of Jesus.

Gospel = Good News

Shorthand for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and how a person can receive forgiveness and eternal life by placing one’s trust in the person of Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

We might consider Mark’s work here to be the ramping up of Jesus, preparing to launch Him into the next three years of ministry which will finally conclude with Him going to the cross.

John in the Desert

vv. 2-3

“It is written” - perfect tense. The continued effect that these words have on the current reader.

Isaiah, but understood by the reader that this goes beyond Isaiah. Exodus 23:20a; Malachi 3:1; and Isaiah 40:3. All put together provide this complete picture for what John the Baptist would accomplish.

Wilderness = Desert. Arid, rural area. A word that was related to the picture of people being distant from God. See the children of Israel as they would wander in the wilderness for forty years - as they were distant from God.

This is where John goes to announce that a person is coming who will provide a way to be reunited with God.

John is fulfilling Scripture.

The Gospel was always God’s plan.

All these details along the way - including the details of the ministry of John the Baptist!

His plan includes you.

Your salvation is part of what God is accomplishing.

Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

How great is that fact! Before God created anything in Genesis 1 - He had already decided to love you and choose you to be apart of His family.

John Baptizing

vv. 4-8

He was proclaiming a baptism as a response to forgiveness of sin. Baptism was something expected of Gentiles, but here he is calling the Jews to do this! Reminding them that they cannot base their salvation on their heritage.

Where did John go to do this? Into the wilderness.

The Wilderness represented disobedience and rebellion to God. Where the Israelites spent 40 years before they were allowed to enter into the Promised Land. This was the description of where John went to baptize. Not in the city of Jerusalem!

God comes to where you are.

In our rebellion, Jesus came to save us!

Called for them to confess their sins.

Forgiveness requires admission.

And here we find ourselves at the peak of preparation for the arrival of the Messiah, the Lamb of God!

Jesus Baptized

vv. 9-11

Why in the world did Jesus need to be baptized?

Jesus set an example of obedience.

In this moment we find the arrival of Jesus on the scene and the launching of His ministry. And the nature of Jesus is on display!

The experience of seeing the sky ripped open and the Spirit coming down, signifying the ministry of Jesus.

The Old Testament’s use of the Spirit being upon people as a way of indicating their special role.

Then, there is an even greater sign - the voice of God: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?

Some have taken this to mean that Jesus was created. Simply not the case.

A son has the same nature as a father.

Mark, as he introduces Jesus, lays out the fact that Jesus is God. Upon this truth, the rest of the ministry of Jesus gains momentum.

Jesus In The Desert

vv. 12-13

Now we find Jesus taking the next steps forward in experiencing victory over Satan and temptation.

How we often think about this experience: The Temptation of Jesus. Maybe we should think about it in terms of the victory over temptation.

Jesus knows what it is to experience temptation.

He identifies with you in the struggle to overcome sin. And He sets a model for us to experience victory! Matthew 4 provides a pretty detailed narrative of that experience.

Jesus set an example of faithfulness.

Having been baptized and overcome temptation, Jesus now sets His face towards the next three years of ministry that would come to its conclusion with His crucifixion and resurrection.

The Gospel of God

vv. 14-15

“The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

Where God reigns!

Our lives, our homes, our church!

When God reigns in those domains, He then blesses our nation and our world.

And the Kingdom is here!

Why?

The presence of Jesus changes everything.

And we receive the presence of Jesus when we repent and believe.

This is why we live in the tension of the now and the not yet.

We experience in part the Kingdom of God, but we long for the day when Christ returns and His Kingdom is experienced fully!

Conclusion

In 1994, the struggling Dallas Mavericks chose with their first pick Jason Kidd. In an interview following the draft, the UCLA star stated, “We’re going to turn this program around 360 degrees.”

For those who may struggle a bit with math...

What he meant to say was “180 degrees.”

To turn 180 degrees is the idea of repentance. But, it isn’t just a turning, it is a complete transformation.

The word literally means to have a “new mind.”

Repent & Believe

These final words at the bottom of our passage’s hill - where the momentum is established to move Jesus to the cross and you to salvation.