Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

Mark 1:14-20

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching 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." ¹⁶ And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰ And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.

Focus and Function

Focus: Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of

Heaven is at hand, repent and believe the good news!” This means that the

Kingdom of Heaven is a reality that can be experienced right here, right now.

We don’t have to wait until we die and go to heaven. We pray for the Kingdom

of Heaven to become present on this earth each time we say the Lord ’s Prayer.

We say, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom

come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” When Jesus called Peter,

Andrew, John and James, they immediately left what they were doing to join the

Kingdom of Heaven. We should do the same. We should immediately enjoy the

fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven by repenting of our sins and trusting in Jesus as

our Lord and Savior.

Function: To encourage the congregation to act immediately to be God’s tools in

bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

A. Written by Dr. King on April 16, 1963 in response to a letter written by eight white Alabama clergy men titled “A Call for unity”. In this letter, the white clergy men called for Dr. King to have more patience and cease the demonstrations.

B. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King wrote, “One of the basic points in your statement is that action that I and my associates have taken in Birmingham is untimely………Frankly I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well-timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word ‘wait’. It rings in the ears of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never’. We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurist, that ‘justice to long delayed is justice denied’”

C. Dr. King was extremely passionate about his belief that NOW was the time to end segregation and obtain freedom for all Americans. This passion led him to April 4, 1968 where he met an assassin’s bullet.

D. As Christians, we should be even more passionate about the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and its availability in the here and now!!!

II. The present availability of the Kingdom of Heaven (KoH)

A. The KoH is available to all people through repentance and faith in Jesus. We can experience it right here on this earth.

B. We don’t have to wait until we die and go to heaven.

C. We don’t have to wait until Jesus returns to give final judgment.

· Some people point out that sin (racism, hatred, sexual immorality, oppression, war etc…) will always be here until Jesus returns for final judgment. This is true, however….

· In the midst of sin, we can still experience the KoH. The KoH can exist on earth, even though sin will be surrounding it.

· The church is called to make the KoH a reality in the midst of this sinful and fallen world.

III. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming the present availability of the KoH

A. Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are interchangeable. They refer to the same thing.)

· The time is fulfilled = The time is now

· The Kingdom of God is at hand = The Kingdom of God is available right now

· Repent and believe the gospel = you enter the Kingdom of God through repentance and faith

B. Peter, Andrew, John and James understood the immediate availability of the KoH. Without hesitation they left their old way of life and immediately began their journey into the KoH (Mark 1:16-20)

· We should follow their example. If you feel the pull of the Holy Spirit, don’t resist. Repent and trust in Jesus. By the power of God’s grace, leave your old sinful life behind and enter the KoH

· Experience the indescribable joy and peace that comes with the KoH.

IV. What it means to experience the KoH on earth.

A. What is the KoH? The answer is found in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10)

· “Thy Kingdom come”: We are praying for the KoH to be present on this earth.

- Present in our governments

- Present in our work places

- Present in our families

- Present in our churches

- Present in our personal lives

· “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”: The KoH is present whenever God’s will is being done.

- When we gather for worship, God’s will is being done, the KoH is present

- When we do our best to be good parents, God’s will is being done, the KoH is present

- When we sacrifice for the sake of others, God’s will is being done, the KoH is present

- When we love our enemies through prayer or service, God’s will is being done, the KoH is present

- When we give our all, God’s will is being done, the KoH is present

· Experiencing the KoH during a mission trip to Uganda: Supprted Watoto Child Care ministries by building a home for eight orphans and house mother. Visited one of the Watoto villages where orphans were being raised in a Christian family environment. God’s will was being done, the KoH was present. (For more info on Watoto, visit www.watoto.com)

B. Benefits of experiencing the KoH

· Indescribable joy and peace in the midst of sin and suffering

- The peace I felt during the life and death of my daughter and the health issues my wife faced

- The next time you experience suffering, seek God’s will and experience the peace and joy that comes with the KoH.

· Unconditional love

- God is love, so His will is love

- When KoH is present, love is also present. They always go together

V. Conclusion: The KoH is available to you right here, right now through repentance and

faith in Jesus.

A. If you have never repented and placed your trust in Jesus, you can do so right now

B. If you are a Christian, you are called to spread the KoH throughout the world by proclaiming the good news and serving others in the name of Jesus