Mark: The King and His Kingdom

God's Word upholds everything moment by moment. The total coherence and dependence of the creation refers us back to the Creator God.

Christ's enemies at his crucifixion behaved just as the enemies of the Gospel do today. And so, for today's Church, the crucifixion exemplifies God's love and the world's hostility.

For the sake of the gospel we must be prepared to repent of our sins, deny ourselves, and lose our lives.

Unlike Adam who failed at his calling and hid from God, Christ struggles through prayer and serves as the obedient Son to restore all creation back to God.

Christians are called to work for the kingdom and to pursue a life of watching in contemplation and prayer.

In answering the disciples' question about the destruction of the temple, Jesus foretells signs of an imminent temporal event which will take place in the lifetime of his audience. Instead of end times speculation, the church needs to be busy with gospel proclamation and mission.

Knowing the text of Scripture is not the same as knowing the powerful Word of God. Knowing the love of God personally gives us a heart that will love God whole-heartedly as well as our neighbour.

We have received a kingdom and an inheritance, but woe to us if we now take offence at God's Word. The Lord will crush those who deny Him the fruit of His vineyard.

Note: the video is missing the first two minutes of this sermon but it is available on the audio-only file via the "Listen" link.