14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” Mark 1:14-15.
Jesus heads into Galilee to proclaim the good news of God. The good news is the gospel. Jesus has just returned triumphantly from combat in the desert with Satan and joyfully announces the good news of God. John is only proclaiming that “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” in verses 7 and 8. Jesus is proclaiming the good news of God!
Jesus makes his appearance when it is His time, kairos time, when the time of Christ is fulfilled. This is time seen from the Divine side. And what does he proclaim? That the Kingdom of God has come near. The time of waiting for God’s intervention is over. All that God has ever said and done in history is reaching its culmination, then end. because Jesus is, indeed, the Christ, the Son of god, then the Kingdom of god is at hand. God stepping into history in Jesus Christ is nonetheless a surprise and a scandal to all whose vision is limited to the presence and power of human kings.
So when Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God, He is speaking of the decisive display of God’s ruling power over the world. The reign of God is God intervening powerfully in human affairs to achieve His unfailing plans and purposes. Jesus will spend much time in His life teaching and preaching what the Kingdom of God is like. With the coming of Jesus, the Kingdom of god has arrived. Jesus’ presence is God proclaiming that God is King, and that God the King demands our absolute submission to him and him alone. The Kingdom of God demands from us, repentance, submission to God’s reign, and trust that the incredible is taking place.
The proclamation of the good news, then, the gospel, is the coming of the Kingdom of God. Three (3) things describe and define the Kingdom of God:
Jesus is victorious over the power of Satan. What Jesus accomplish personally in the desert when he battled Satan, He accomplished on the cross for all of humanity. The victory over sin and death has been achieved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s the Gospel, that’s the good news.
The good news of the coming of Jesus Christ is the coming of the Kingdom of God that has come near to defeat all of the corrupt kingdoms of this world. The coming of the Kingdom of God is preparation for the end of the world.
The Kingdom of God is the reign of God on earth, and in no way does this depend at all on our obedience. The Kingdom of God coming to us is entirely an action of God. Our actions do not bring the Kingdom of God. All we must do in life is decide to stand for or against God, decide to stand for or against Satan, and decide to repent or not to repent in response to God’s initiative through Jesus Christ.
So pray for repentance, and do not postpone your repentance. Pray that you will follow Christ and embrace the Kingdom of God in your life, and don’t postpone it. The call to believe in the Gospel assures us that repentance is not an end in itself, but the first step of faith. Faith is absent only because repentance is absent. Only when we turn our lives to God, can we see and believe what others cannot see or believe.
Pray!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33.
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world’” John 18:36.
““The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” Mark 1:15.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17.
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