Text: Mark 1:13-20
"Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."
God has promised a kingdom. In the saving work of Jesus—His death, burial, and resurrection-He has inaugurated a kingdom; a kingdom that is not yet fully consummated. Theologians say, "Already but not yet," meaning that we as believers are actively taking part in the kingdom of God, although the kingdom will not reach its full expression until sometime in the future when Jesus comes to rule and reign--exercising His full authority and restoring creation to His original design.
John 18:36 records Jesus' response to Pilate after His arrest, "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.'”
You and I can reveal God's kingdom by being set apart from this world, living holy and righteous lives while not engaging in the sinful activities the world promotes. What are these activities? Paul tells us some of the things that are not of the Kingdom in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. "
These are not who we are anymore as followers of Jesus, as followers of the King and citizens of His Kingdom. In fact, in the next verse, Paul states, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
The King's victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil is now already ours as we use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God! The King's power to shine in a dark world is now already available to us. And the King's gifts--the gifts of the Spirit--are now already available for ministry!
NEXT STEPS:
1. Trust God's Kingdom is Better. As citizens of God's kingdom, refuse to live for money, sex, and power. These are lies of Satan and pursuit of these always result in anxiety for God's children. Anxiety about this stuff is a waste of time. Jesus tells us to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, and He will meet our needs (Matthew 6:25-35).
2. Citizens of the Kingdom Love and Serve Each Other. "We need each other. The Christian life must be walked out within the encouragement, edification, and accountability of Christian community. We need teachers to teach us how to do it, encouragers to inspire and sustain us, givers to remind us to give, helpers to help us embrace servitude, prophets to speak truth to us, and so forth (The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson)."
