Life + Faith – joncoombs.com

Tag: Kingdom

  • King Jesus: The Kingdom of God

    Have you ever received news or advice that changed your life?

    There are moments and events that reshape how we live and how we see the world. On a cultural level we might think of events like 9/11 or the COVID pandemic and how they altered patterns of work, travel, and security. On a personal level it could be a job promotion, a relationship breakdown, or the loss of someone close. These moments leave a mark.

    On a spiritual level, coming to Christ and trusting him as Lord and Saviour ought to have been life changing. As we walk with Jesus we might come through seasons, take a step of faith, or sit under the influence of a mentor that alters our life. I know that when I read a very basic biography of the missionary Jim Elliott I was never quite the same again. There are a few other moments like that I could name. 

    In Mark 1:14–15 we come to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. It begins with an announcement and a call. It is a moment that is life altering not only for those who first heard it, but ultimately for the world. We read, 

    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!”

    What do we notice? 

    First, Mark gives us the timing. Jesus begins his ministry after John the Baptist is imprisoned by Herod. The one who has prepared the way has completed his ministry, now it’s time for Jesus. 

    Second, Mark gives us the location. Jesus goes into Galilee. Technically he is already there because Nazareth is in that region, his home town. But the Sea of Galilee is around 30km away from there and this is where he shares this message. Note that this is not the religious centre of Israel or Jewish thought. This is a northern region, far away from the seats of power and influence. 

    Third, Mark tells us what Jesus is doing. He’s proclaiming the good news of God. He is announcing something that demands attention and response. He is bringing a life changing message. 

    In the Roman world, good news (or a gospel) would often be declared after a war victory, or at the birth or coronation of a ruler. There’s even an ancient inscription that speaks of “the beginning of the gospel of Caesar Augustus.” Mark deliberately uses this same kind of language, but now the good news is not about Caesar. It is about Jesus and the reign of God.

    Jesus says, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near.” 

    The long-awaited moment in God’s plan has arrived. What God has promised and prepared is now here.

    It’s hard to define the kingdom of God. One commentator I recently read had nine different angles on the kingdom of God from Mark alone! 

    At its most broad, the kingdom of God is God’s rule and reign over his creation. But in other places Jesus describes the kingdom using metaphors and objects in life. It’s like a mustard seed that grows into a large plant (Matthew 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19). It is like yeast that when mixed with flour transforms everything it touches (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21). It’s like a pearl or a treasure that is so valuable that one sells everything to gain it (Matthew 13:44-46).

    In terms we might understand in our day and age, we might say the kingdom of God is like a washing machine. Dirty clothes go in and through the action of water and detergent they come out clean and renewed. Or perhaps it’s like the body when eating well and exercising, change is happening even if you do not see it on the scales each day. Or maybe it’s like a software update working in the background so that over time everything runs differently and hopefully better (!). 

    In Jesus the kingdom of God is not just an idea. It’s personified. The kingdom of God makes a personal appearance in Jesus. The rule and reign of God is revealed through the person and work of the Son of God. 

    When we enter this kingdom through Jesus, we are aware that it is not fully complete, either in us or in the cosmos. But as we step into it, and continue in it, we are asking Jesus to take his rightful place upon the throne of our heart and to establish God’s kingly rule over every dimension of our lives 

    This proclamation by Jesus then brings a call to action. To repent and believe. 

  • Your Kingdom Come

    Well, it seems I’m in a little series about the Lord’s Prayer. The last couple of posts have been about the start of the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13. You may well be familiar with it. I figure I might as well continue with it too. So, this week we come to the next phrase of this prayer, ‘Your kingdom come’ (Matthew 6:10)

    Over 10 years ago I was impacted by a song related to this theme. The song, which can be found here, is conveniently titled, Let Your Kingdom Come and was released in 2003. I thought at the time, and still think now, it’s a great congregational song for any church. And it upholds the truths of scripture, the sentiment of this verse, and calls for God to continue to make his presence felt in this world. The lyrics go:

    Your glorious cause, O God
    Engages our hearts
    May Jesus Christ be known
    Wherever we are
    We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown
    The cross has saved us so we pray

    Your kingdom come
    Let Your kingdom come
    Let Your will be done
    So that everyone might know Your Name
    Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
    Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
    Let Your kingdom come

    Give us Your strength, O God
    And courage to speak
    Perform Your wondrous deeds
    Through those who are weak
    Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
    By grace we’ll preach Your gospel
    Till our dying breath

    When I pray this prayer that Jesus teaches, and if I ponder these words, ‘Your kingdom come…’, then I am struck by the tension that is within it. For in praying for God’s kingdom to come we are recognising that it isn’t all here yet–it being ‘God’s kingdom’.

    We live in a world that is broken and sinful and, at times, downright horrendous. But we also live in a world where there is joy, happiness, and satisfaction. We live in a world that is in tension all the time. Whether it be through personal relationships or the environment and creation groaning, or whether it be the internal nature of our soul and attitudes. We are living in tension and learning to constantly live in tension our whole lives.

    The theologians among us may be familiar with the term ‘Now and not yet’. This is a phrase that describes just this–the tension of living between two worlds. The kingdom of earth and the kingdom of heaven. For what we do recognise as believers is that God has entered the world in the form of his Son, Jesus Christ. And through entering this world he has begun the redemption and restoration of his kingdom. And yet, not all is well. Sin still reigns, brokenness still exists, and pain is still present. We continue to wait for the glorious reconciliation of all things.

    2 Corinthians 5:1-8 reflects some of this when Paul writes,

    For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

    So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.

    To bring in a sporting analogy, we are playing away. We are playing our games away from our home stadium and our home city. And so while we recognise this tension we live in, this playing away from home, we also know that God is here with us. Through his Spirit he is present in our lives and in this world and at work in it. And so we strive to serve him, by his grace we strive to know him more and make him known to others in this world.

    If you pray, ‘Let your kingdom come’ this week, may you be aware that he is with you in the tension that you live in. And may you call on him for the comfort and grace that you require this week.

    This continues our series in the Lord’s Prayer. More posts can be found at the following: