Life With the King: The Priority of God's Kingdom (Mark 1:14-15)

Series: Life With the King

Sermon: The Priority of God's Kingdom

Scripture: Mark 1:14-15

Date: September 2, 2018

 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom 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)

 

He talks about the kigndom more than eighty times in just over eighty chapters.  That's a lot of kingdom talk.  

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom 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)

He "went about all Galilee...preaching the gospel fo the kingdom"  (Matthew 4:23)

The unifying central theme, the common thread, throughout the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - is the glory of God through the advancement of His kingdom

 

Let's talk about 3 truths that will help us repent and live life with the King:

1. the King is sovereign
   • Throughout the Bible, the kingdom of God is His rule, His plan, and His program.  There is a ruler and some rulees.
2. the King desires
   • A kingdom person says not my will but your will be done.
   • I can't tell you what following God's kingdom agenda will mean for you.  I just know that whatever it is, you must be willing to do His will.
   • The most crucial battle for the kingdom is won every time a human being repents, believes, and submits to the lorship of Jesus, becoming a new center for the reordering of life on earth as it is in heaven.
   • Families disintegrate because they exist for their own fulfillment rather than for the kingdom.
   • Churches are having a limited impact on society because they fail to understand that the goal of the church is not the church itself but the kingdom.
   • Getting into God's kingdom is through conversion, but experiencing God's kingdom in your daily life is through love, fatih, and commitment.
   • "You don't get to enjoy the blessings of the King if the King cannot enjoy the blessing of you."  -Tony Evans
   • WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Spend some time in your alone time with the Lord telling Him you like Him.  Pray for revival.  If you don't have a regular alone time with the Lord, start today.
   • If you need suggestions on what to read in your alone time with the Lord, try googling Daily Hope with Rick Warren, Upwords with Max Lucado, or daily devotions with Charles Stanley.
   • "Royalty is my identity.  Servanthood is my assignment.  Intimacy with God is my life source."  -Bill Johnson
   • "As Christians, we don't join an illegitimate rebellion.  Instead, we live for King Jesus in contrast to those around us.  We live in loyalty to the very One the world rebels against."  -Ed Stetzer
3. the King's plan is for the kingdom to operate for His glory
   • You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.  (Revelation 4:11)
   • When you do His will, you become His representative in a world that longs to see a better way to live.