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Mark 1:14-20
The Kingdom of God has come near. That's a message we all need to hear. The reign of God is near. No longer can we act as if God doesn't matter in our world . . . No longer can we act as if justice and righteousness are irrelevant today . . . No longer can we act as if life has no meaning and that there is no hope. The Kingdom of God is nearer than it has ever been before.
Did you know there are serious scientists who are saying to us that we are on the cusp of changes in our world that over the next three decades will render our world unrecognizable to earlier generations? Advances in medicine and technology, particularly computers and robotics, may produce a world in which human life is extended for hundreds of years. These scientists are saying that many of the limitations on our physical bodies may eventually be eliminated.
Did you know that ten years ago the symbolic kick-off for the 2014 World Cup at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil was delivered by a paraplegic? How does a man, paralyzed from the waist down run up and kick the ball to open this great worldwide competition? It was because he was wearing what is called an exoskeleton, that allowed him to move his legs. But what's impressive is that the exoskeleton was operated by his brain. Mentally he told his legs to move, and they moved. Thanks to this new technology, this man's legs operated almost as if he had been miraculously healed. Doctors tell us in the not-too-distant future thanks to advances in medicine and technology the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk.
You say, what has this got to do with the Kingdom of God advances in science are man's doing, not God's? Who's to say God doesn't work through people? Who says God doesn't work through scientists and software engineers, as well as doctors and teachers, and you and me? I personally believe God does work that way. Who's to say the Kingdom of God is not drawing near?
The Rev. Martin Singley wrote a sermon which appeared on the Internet a few years ago in which he shared some of his thoughts about the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven; the terms are interchangeable in the New Testament. He wrote, "I used to believe that Heaven was a place to go to when you die. Before I read the newspapers. Before I moved to the Bible Belt. And before I met Dan."
"Dan was 19 or 20 years old. Brilliant athlete who went off to college on an athletic scholarship. Great intellect. Had such a bright future. One day, Dan came home from college on vacation and got together with some old high school friends at the town park. They popped a few beers, told a few jokes and at midnight decided to go swimming in the town pool. Dan was the first to dive in.
"But in the darkness, he couldn't see there wasn't any water in the pool. In one instant, Dan's life was changed forever. When I met him, he was a bitter, distraught, wheelchair bound quadriplegic struggling to make it through each day. On the one hand, he feared he might die, and on the other hand, he feared he might have to live this way forever. How sad it was to watch Dan blow into a tube to make his wheelchair move left or right or start or stop.
"Dan's tragic circumstances made me rethink my views about Heaven.
"You see, it's all well and good that someday, when Dan dies, he can experience the freedom and new life of Heaven. And what a beautiful day that will be.
"But what about in the meantime? You see, Dan doesn't only need Heaven tomorrow.
"And when I understood that about Dan, for the first time I heard the Gospel of Jesus in a different light."
Pastor Singley is right. Dan needs the Kingdom of Heaven in his life today. Dan needs to know God cares about him in an intimate and personal way today. He also needs to know God is at work through dedicated men and women working to reverse his situation. Someone needs to tell him miracles are occurring every day. He shouldn't give up hope. And he needs to know, above all else, that by the power of God his life can still have meaning, today. The Kingdom of God is near to those who will hear Christ's message and believe that message.
Indeed, the Kingdom of God is not just "here," it is "now." Christianity is concerned with life here and now. Christianity is not nearly as concerned about the Last Day as it is this day. "This is the day that the Lord hath made" (Psalm 118:24).
The Kingdom is at hand right now, so don't put off living until tomorrow. Experience God's love right now. The Kingdom is near, and the Kingdom is now. Mark tells us in his first chapter Jesus proclaimed the same message as John the Baptist, "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!'"
If you and I are not experiencing the Kingdom of God right now, perhaps there's something in our lives we need to deal with, a relationship, the way we spend our time. The Bible is clear; our soul is not big enough for God and sin. One or the other must go.
Ed Young in his book, "Been There. Done That. Now What?" tells a graphic story about the famous journalist Malcolm Muggeridge. It's a story that Malcolm himself shares in his autobiography titled "The Wasted Years."
Malcolm was faithful to his wife throughout their marriage. But in the back of his mind, he knew that if the right opportunity ever presented itself, he would break his vow of faithfulness, just for the experience. That opportunity presented itself in India where he had been invited to teach, far away from his wife and family. Early each morning, he took a swim in the Ganges River. On one such occasion, he saw a woman a distance away bathing herself in the river. He knew this was the moment. "What could it hurt? Who will know?" As he began to swim upstream to her, he struggled, not just against the water, but against his conscience: "Malcolm," a voice inside him said, "don't do it." But then another voice countered, "This is your chance. It's now or never."
He continued to swim toward her, staying underneath the water until he was only a few feet away. When he surfaced, however, it was he, not she, who experienced the shock of a lifetime. He came up out of the water and looked into the eyes of a woman who was . . . a leper. Her nose, he said, was eaten away. There were sores and white blotches all over her skin, and the ends of her fingers were gone. Immediately he thought, "What a wretched woman she is," but almost at the same moment he was overwhelmed with another devastating truth: "What a wretched man I am!"
The wretchedness of a person with sin in their heart cannot be overstated.
In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that many of us have the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It's a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It's revival without reformation, without repentance." It's an illusion. It can't be done. There isn't enough room in our soul for God and for sin.
The good news, though, is that "God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life."
Everlasting life doesn't begin in the far off unknown. It begins the moment we give our hearts over completely to God. It's then and only then our guilt, fear, anger and a host of negative thoughts and emotions can be washed away. At that moment we begin living in the Kingdom of God. Then life offers possibilities we can't even imagine.
Repenting of our sins and believing the Good News of God has a therapeutic effect on our lives. We can experience God's Kingdom in our lives here and now.
"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.