1. Introduction
1. Mark 1:9-15 ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by in the Jordan. ¹⁰Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him;11and a voice came out of the heavens:“You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” ¹²Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. ¹³And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. ¹⁴Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
1. “Kingdom” → (“Malkuth”) → An active rule and reign
2. “Kingdom” → (“Basileia”) → A rule and reign of a Sovereign power
2. “God’s rule and reign has come to earth, and it has come in Me !”
2. The Old Testament view of the Kingdom of God
1. Is. 2:1-4 ¹The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ²Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. ³And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ⁴And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.
2. The Old Testament prophets were actually “seeing” two different comings of the Messiah!
3. I Thess. 4:13-5:6 ¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.¹⁸Therefore comfort one another with these words. ¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.³While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
1. We are living between the two comings!
2. We are living between the inauguration of the Kingdom of God and the consummation of the Kingdom of God!
3. Christians are the people of the Kingdom of God
1. Is God “ruling” us ?
1. Rom. 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2. Matt. 7:21-23 ²¹â€œNot everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.²²â€œMany will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’²³â€œAnd then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
2. As the people of the Kingdom of God, we are thrust into a war with God(s enemies!
1. Sin
2. Guilt
3. Condemnation
4. Fear
5. Hatred
6. Sickness
7. Disease
8. Poverty
9. Hunger
10. Death
11. Etc.
3. A (disciple( of Jesus is to do all that Jesus did when He was on the earth!
1. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”
4. We are to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God by doing the powerful acts of God!
1. Matt. 10:1, 5-8 ¹Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. ⁵These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;⁶but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”
2. Luke 10:1, 9, 17-20 ¹Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. ⁹And heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁷The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” ¹⁸And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. ²⁰Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
5. Our mission as Christians:
1. Do what Jesus did!
6. Mark 8:34-36 ³⁴“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”
4. Conclusion

(Unless otherwise indicated all Scripture verses are in the New American Standard Version.)