This Weeks’s Sermon Was On The Return of a King – Mark 11:1-11

Here’s a question for you: What topic do you think Jesus spoke about the most?

You may be surprised to hear that the answer is He spoke most about the Kingdom of God. He started his ministry preaching about the Kingdom of God (see Mark 1:1) and ended His earthly ministry with it too (see Acts 1: 3-9).

But what is this idea all about, and why is it important, and, what does it mean for us modern people who don’t really like the idea of someone being a king over us?
Or at the very least, the whole idea of kings and kingdoms seems very foreign to many of us in Australia.

The big idea of the Kingdom of God is that it is the place where God’s rule and reign are being imposed.

This is initially within those who have bowed the knee to Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Saviour.
Here, the Holy Spirit brings about a supernatural rebirth and a newness required to enter the Kingdom of God.
We are still being formed on this side of heaven, but the Kingdom of God is advancing within us.
So, until the physical return of the King, the Kingdom of God is somewhat hidden, but its advance in us and the world is relentless.

So why is it hidden, you may ask?
That is a big question, but I think it has something to do with God wanting us to choose His rule and reign rather than our own.
We chose our own kingdoms in the Garden of Eden, and that is where all the trouble began.

Truth be told, men and women still want the kingdom without the King.
We see it every day in the selfish acts of people who want to get ahead at the expense of others.
People who manipulate, cheat, lie, steal and dominate.
People who look good on the outside but are rotten on the inside.
We all were or are like this, and only Jesus can save us from ourselves.
Only the King knows how to heal us, and restore us, and restore the world.

I, for one, look forward to the physical return of the King.
I know I need it, and the world needs it too.
How about you?
Will you work for your own kingdom, or will you first seek God’s Kingdom?
How will you work for the Return of the King today?

God bless you in this work, and may the King be pleased with you.
In Jesus,
Ray.