Sermons

The Story of God: The Kingdom of God
Mark 1:14-15

Many followers of Jesus think the Christian life is like being on a cruise ship to Mazatlan.  You’re glad you are on board, and you’re looking forward to Mazatlan (heaven).  You’re planning on enjoying the trip there as much as you can.  You’re enjoying your friends, doing all you can to make your trip as comfortable as possible, and you’re thankful that Jesus bought your ticket.

But that’s not at all what Jesus taught.  Jesus taught that the Christian life means being a soldier rescuing prisoners of war.  We are living during wartime – between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.  Because of our sin, Satan has held all of us in terrible concentration camps.  But at the price of His blood, Jesus freed you, and given you your assignment – to invade these concentration camps and set these prisoners free.  He’s promised to be with you, help you, comfort you, and strengthen you.  And He’s promised that whatever this costs, He will make up to you a hundred times over forever.

So how do you view the Christian life – as a cruise ship to Mazatlan, or as rescuing prisoners of war?  I am praying that all of us today will understand that the Christian life is rescuing prisoners of war.

 To see this let’s turn to Mark 1:14-15.  If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you.  Mark 1 is on p. 836 in the Bibles we are passing out.  Here Mark gives us a summary of Jesus’ message.  Start with v.14 --      14            Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

15            and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

The message Jesus repeated over and over was that the kingdom of God was at hand; the kingdom of God has arrived.  So what does that mean?

To figure out what this means, let’s start by looking at what kingdom was here before Jesus came?  If Jesus brought the kingdom of God, that means that before Jesus came the kingdom of God was not here.  So what kingdom was here?

The answer might shock you.  Look at what Jesus says in John 14:29-30 (p.901).  Jesus is talking to his disciples right before He will be arrested and crucified.  He wants to tell them what’s going to happen ahead of time so they won’t be shaken.  Look at what he says –

29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming.

Notice that phrase “the ruler of this world.”  Jesus is talking about Satan.  The devil.  Jesus taught that there is a supernatural being named Satan, or the devil, far more powerful than we are in ourselves, whose passion is to ruin God’s creation.  God is infinitely more powerful than Satan.  But Jesus says that Satan is the ruler, the king, of this world.  So Satan is the king of this world, and the kingdom that was here before Jesus brought God’s kingdom was Satan’s kingdom. 

But God created this world.  So how did Satan’s kingdom come to rule this world?  It’s because of our sin.  Adam and Eve and all of us knew that God promised to love us and provide for us and satisfy us in Himself if we will just bend the knee and trust Him.  But we all refused.  We all chose to rebel against our Creator.

And, in His perfect justice, God punished us by allowing Satan’s kingdom to rule the world.  Now don’t misunderstand – God ultimately controls everything Satan does.  But in justice God punishes us by allowing Satan’s kingdom to rule. 

So what happened?  The results are horrifying, as we read in the Old Testament and see all around us.  I’ll mention three results.

First, sin’s power and wickedness increased throughout the world.  We had all rebelled against God, but now sin’s power and wickedness increased, so that, as we read in the Old Testament, we did horrifying things like burn our babies to idols, and what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Second, demonic beings tormented people.  Demons are personal supernatural beings allied with Satan who love to torment people – like the man in Mark 5 who was so tormented by demons that he lived naked in a graveyard, screaming and cutting himself.

Third, sickness spread throughout the earth.  Sickness did not exist before the Fall.  But because of our sin, God let Satan’s rule increase, and the result was the spread of blindness, withered hands, paralysis, leprosy.

Now I don’t want to overstate this.  During the Old Testament there were times when God changed people’s hearts so they turned to trust God; there were times when God healed the sick.  But for the most part – between the Fall and the coming of Jesus -- this world was completely dominated by Satan’s kingdom – full of sin’s power, demonic beings, and sickness – and this was all our fault.  Again and again and again we turned our backs on our Creator, and in perfect justice He allowed the world to come under Satan’s rule.

And even in all the pain and horror of this world being under Satan’s power, we still wouldn’t turn to God and bend the knee before Him and trust Him.

So what did God do?  He loved us.  The Father and Jesus looked upon this world, full of our stubborn rebellion, and they loved us.  They loved us – and chose to save a vast multitude that no one can count from every nation, tongue, and tribe.

But how can this happen?  How can people be saved from Satan’s kingdom?  The problem is our guilt before God.  Because of our guilt, God’s justice removed His kingdom from us, and allowed Satan’s kingdom to come upon us.  Our guilt is like Super Glue that attaches Satan’s kingdom to us.  Here’s us – and here’s Satan’s kingdom – and our guilt makes a permanent attachment between the two that we can do nothing about.  Unless someone else can remove our guilt, dissolve that Super Glue, we will never be set free from Satan’s kingdom.

But there’s good news.  Jesus made a way for our guilt to be removed, by dying on the Cross.  Jesus took our guilt upon Himself, and was punished for our guilt.  So – when you repent and bend the knee in faith to Jesus, His death is like solvent or acetone that dissolves the Super Glue of your guilt, so Jesus can remove Satan’s kingdom from you and bring you God’s kingdom.

So what happened when Jesus brought God’s kingdom?  The coming of God’s kingdom brought an outpouring of God’s saving power – freeing people from Satan’s kingdom.  Three specifics:

First, Jesus freed people from sin’s power.  Look at Luke 19 (p.878).  Zacchaeus was a filthy rich tax collector in Jericho, who had stolen from people and oppressed people to their great harm.  He loved his money and didn’t give a rip about the poor.  But Jesus was going to pay for Zacchaeus’ sins on the Cross – and Jesus was going to save him.  So Jesus changed his heart so he owned up to Jesus, trusted Jesus, loved Jesus – and for the first time in his life, Zac’s heart was completely satisfied; in Jesus.

As a result, Zacchaeus was freed from the love of money.  You can see that in v.8 –

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold."

Jesus freed people from sin’s power.  That’s what happened when Jesus brought God’s kingdom.  Now that doesn’t mean Zaccheus became perfect; but he was changed.  Powerfully changed.  When Jesus brought God’s kingdom he freed people from sin’s power.

Second, Jesus freed people from demons.   Turn to Matt 9:32 (p.814).  In the Old Testament we don’t read of anyone being freed from demons.  No one.  But look at Matt 9:32 --

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. ³³ And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel."

I love the story in Luke 13, about the woman who for 18 years had a spirit causing her to be bent over double.  And what did Jesus do when he saw her?  He cast out the demon, and she was restored.  When Jesus brought God’s kingdom He freed people from demons.

Third, Jesus healed the sick.  Turn to Matt 4:23-24 (p.809).  There had been a few healings in the Old Testament.  A few.  But look at Matt 4:23-24 --

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

This is astonishing.  Jesus healed every disease and every affliction.  His fame spread through all Syria – a hundred miles north of Galilee!  And they brought Jesus all their sick – and he healed them.  When Jesus brought God’s kingdom, He freed people from demons.

Now this doesn’t mean that if Jesus will heal every sickness today.  That’s not what we read in the New Testament.  Jesus did pour out healing during His earthly ministry to demonstrate that God’s kingdom was here.  And we are to pray and ask Jesus to supernaturally heal each other.  But the fact that we see Paul with a thorn in the flesh and Timothy with a stomach ailment shows that Jesus doesn’t heal every sickness today.  But when Jesus brought God’s kingdom there was an outpouring of healing.

So let this sink in.  Throughout the Old Testament the world had been under Satan’s kingdom – people under sin’s power, oppressed by demons, sick.  But Jesus announced that the kingdom of God is here.  And then Jesus went through Israel freeing people from sin’s power, freeing people from demons, freeing people from sickness.  2,000 years ago Jesus brought God’s kingdom to earth. 

But this raises a crucial question – why is Satan’s kingdom still around?  It is, you know.  Are people still under sin’s power?  Are people still in bondage to demons?  Do people still get sick?  Yes.  So Satan’s kingdom is still around.  But why? 

The answer is in Luke 13:18-21 (p.873) –

18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?  ¹⁹ It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." ²⁰ And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?  ²¹ It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened."

Both illustrations show that the kingdom of God starts small and then spreads.  Jesus brought God’s kingdom, but it started small, and after Jesus died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven – He would continue to work through us to spread His kingdom to more and more people.

He also taught that as His kingdom spreads to more and more people, Satan would increase His efforts, bringing more and more persecution to Jesus’ followers.  Satan will do all He can to draw us from Christ, destroy our faith, make us to fall away.  Do you understand this?  Satan is like a roaring lion seeking to keep you from trusting Jesus, and to draw you from trusting Jesus.  Oh, we have to be vigilant.

And Jesus taught that at the end of history – when He comes back – He will remove every bit of Satan’s kingdom from this world.  At that time He will cast Satan and his demons into hell forever – along with all those who have refused to bend the knee before Him.

Then God will transform the heavens and the earth into the new heaven and the new earth.  We will be completely set free from all sin – and completely healed from every sickness.  There will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more tears.  And Jesus will welcome His followers into the joy of knowing Him and beholding him forever.  This will involve a great multitude that no one can count from every nation, tongue and tribe – all filled with joy in beholding Jesus glorified as Savior, Lord, and Treasure.

But that’s why Satan’s kingdom is still around – because Jesus will work through us to cause His kingdom to spread to more and more people until He comes back and brings history to a close.

So what does Jesus call us to do in the meantime?

Most all of us have heard the Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20.  That’s where Jesus tells us what to do – to go into all the world and make disciples. 

But this morning I want to close by showing you a different passage which gives us a powerful picture of what Jesus calls us to do.  Look at what Jesus said in Matt 12:28-29 (p.817) –

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God – which showed that the kingdom of God had come.  But then look at this amazing illustration Jesus gives in v.29 --

Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Here’s the picture.  Satan is the strong man who’s got a house full of goods – people who have rebelled against God and who now are now under Satan’s power.  Now you can’t break into a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless you first bind the strong man.  But Jesus has bound the strong man.  By paying for our guilt, Satan was bound, so now God can bring His power upon people and change their hearts, take out their hearts of stone, give them faith and repentance, and save them.

Here’s what this means for us.  Everyone you know who is not trusting Jesus is under Satan’s kingdom; in Satan’s house; like prisoners of war in a concentration camp.  See that.  Ponder that.  Feel that.  Picture them prisoners of war in a concentration camp.

And Jesus has bound the strong man.  By His death on the Cross Jesus has broken Satan’s power.  And Jesus calls you to plunder Satan’s house, by loving your neighbor and sharing Jesus with him.  And as we love them and speak of Jesus to them, Jesus will save many, many, many of them.

That’s the Christian life.  Not a cruise ship to Mazatlan, where we are happily saved and seeking as much material comfort as we can and enjoying our friends and looking forward to heaven.  That’s not the Christian life. 

The Christian life means being a soldier rescuing prisoners of war.  We are living during wartime – between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.  Satan is holding men and women in terrible concentration camps.  At the price of His blood, Jesus has freed you, and given you your assignment – to invade these camps and set prisoners free.  He’s promised to be with you, to help you, to strengthen you.  And He’s promised that whatever this costs He will make up to you a hundred times over forever.  That’s the Christian life.

Questions?

Think about it like this.  God could have all of us in heaven right now.  So why are we still here?  One reason – to plunder Satan’s house.  That’s why we have our jobs – to pay our bills so we can plunder Satan’s house.  That’s the point of marriage – to labor together in this glorious cause – plundering Satan’s house.  That’s the point of families – to make disciples of our kids so they can plunder Satan’s house.  That’s what our home groups are for – not just to encourage each other – but to encourage each other so we can plunder Satan’s house.

Take time in your home group this week to wrestle with how you can do that.