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| Mark 1:14-15 - What would Jesus Preach Today? |
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Jesus was the greatest person that has ever walked this earth. He came into our world and revealed to us the heart of God through His words and through His actions. His message continues to speak to us in our day. His message has not changed. If He were invited into church services this weekend, what would He preach? What message would He deliver?
To answer that question we must go back to the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. Jesus had just been baptized in water by John the Baptist. At His baptism, the Spirit descended on Him and Father spoke words of pleasure from the heavens. He was immediately driven into the wilderness where He would spend 40 days in seclusion being prepared for the ministry in front of Him that would include a violent death on a cross. He overcame temptation in the wilderness and came out ready to touch people at their point of need while He headed to the cross as the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
(Mark 1:14-15 ESV)
The location is Galilee, a province of Palestine. Palestine was divided into three provinces – Judea, Samaria and Galilee. Galilee was the northern most province and it’s here that we get to listen in to the message of Christ. He delivered the good news of God and it was fourfold: the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.
Time is something in which we are much attuned. We look back on our life and wonder where all the time has gone. We can not account for all of it, but we have milestones along the timeline of our life that are very meaningful. For me those times are when I graduated from college, when I got married, when I had children, when I was ordained as a minister of the Gospel and when I finally realized what it meant to follow Christ, taking up the cross and beginning this wonderful journey from earth to glory.
Throughout the time of the Old Testament, from Abraham through the Prophets, Christ was anticipated and expected. As we today read through the Old Testament, we see that Christ was typified throughout. We learn that the salvation of man through Christ is not a random act, but very well orchestrated by Father. Father loves all people so much; He had a plan of redemption in place even before the foundation of the world was formed. But it would not be in man’s timing. It would be in Father’s perfect timing. Jesus came into our world and announces that the time is fulfilled, and indeed it is fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
Jesus fulfilled the old covenant which identified our sinfulness and He brought us a new covenant that would bring deliverance from the power of sin. Under the old covenant the power of sin was identified, but not broken. Under the new covenant, the power of sin has been broken through what Christ accomplished at the cross of Calvary. And in Father’s perfect timing Jesus came into our world. Beloved, God is and has always been in total control.
At this time of Jesus, the Jews believed in two ages. They believed in the present age of sinfulness ruled by Satan and they believed in an age to come when God would destroy Satan and evil once and for all. Jesus comes along and preaches something different than what they believe in. He says the “kingdom of God is at hand”. The people would not have to wait until a future age because Jesus brought the kingdom to earth. This kingdom will ultimately include the restoration of all creation, but we can be a part of God’s kingdom today. It is all about the kingly rule of Jesus. Jesus rules in the hearts and minds of those who follow Him. He not only is their savior, but Jesus is their Lord!
After Jesus’ startling announcement of the immediacy of the kingdom, He is quick to point out how one can be a part of that kingdom with two words – repent and believe. It’s not about walking and aisle and repeating a prayer asking Jesus to come into your heart. Jesus did not teach that. In fact, you will find it nowhere in Scripture. Beloved, we need to get back to what Jesus preached – repent and believe!
How does one repent? Repentance is a change in the mind that results in a change in actions. A person becomes aware of their sinfulness and it sickens them so much, they no longer want to live in that sinfulness. God’s Word says “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT”
We can not confuse being sickened by the consequences of sin with being sickened of sin itself. Many are sorry for their sins because of the consequences they bring, but that sorrow does not lead to true repentance. The sorrow that leads to repentance is a sickening of sin itself. When we get to that point we will decide to run from it and run to Jesus. He will save us.
In what does one believe? Jesus said “repent and believe in the gospel.” One must believe that Father loves them so much that he placed in motion a plan of redemption from sin even before they were created. He wants to give us His very best to show His love for us, so He sent Jesus, His only begotten son, to be the sacrifice for our sin. We must believe in that good news. It is the good news of God. We must believe in the love of Father. We must believe that Jesus is the Savior, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Jesus made it simple – repent and believe. Those who truly repent and believe will experience the kingdom of God now and be participants in growing His kingdom here on earth as we await the return of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.
Beloved, Jesus’ message has not changed. It’s the same today as it was when He walked this earth over 2,000 years ago. He brought the good news of God which is that God loves us and the kingdom of God is near. We can participate in it now. We don’t have to wait for a future age. All we have to do is repent and believe. Praise the Lord! To God be all the glory! Amen.
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