Kingdom Come

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 Mark 9:1 – “And He (Jesus) said to them,
“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death
before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

Imagine you’re in his audience as Jesus speaks these hope-inspiring words –
words to make the heart leap. If you’re anything like me you’d think: God is on
the move, here, and we’re in on the action. His Kingdom is breaking in. We’re about to
witness a display of heavenly ‘power’. A word used frequently in the New
Testament – for example, Luke speaks of ‘power from on high‘
and Paul, in one of his letters, affirms: “For the kingdom of God is not
a matter of talk but of power.” A word from which we get the two
English words dynamite and dynamo – explosive and energy – POWER.

I wondered why this verse might stand at the
head of Mark chapter 9.   Could it be that, in what follows, the writer, under the Spirit’s inspiration,  is giving us a taster of what we may expect when God’s Kingdom does come ‘with power’ ? Well, here I offer 3 hooks on which to hang my thoughts concerning the remainder of this illuminating chapter.

FOCUS, FIGHT and FORMATION 

1. FOCUS – verses 2-10 describe the Transfiguration of Jesus. He is the focus of attention. There can be no no kingdom without a King. Jesus is the undisputed, eternal King of kings and Lord of
   lords. OT celebrities pale into insignificance beside Him. Peter’s ‘bright
   idea’ (building memorials for Moses, Elijah & Jesus) is eclipsed as
   the Father speaks – “LISTEN TO HIM” – Pay attention to Jesus.
   Surrender your agenda. This is at the heart of true worship – much more
   than a musical slot in a church service, worship is a lifestyle of
   paying attention, focussing on the One who is installed as King in our hearts.
2. FIGHT – verses 14-29 relate an incident in which a desperate father
   brings his troubled child for help.
   The disciples fail, but Jesus brings deliverance. We should
   recognise that behind so much that goes on in our world are varying levels
   and degrees of satanic activity – in politics, in business, in media, in
   culture there is forceful opposition to the Kingdom of God – it is not received
   with open arms. The god of this world is actively engaged, and he is our
   enemy. Paul agrees with this, stating that: “our struggle is
   not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
   authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
   spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms“. Here, in the Gospel story, the
   authoritative word of our King brings victory and the enemy is defeated.
   This reveals 2 key points about spiritual warfare. First, victory is
   a matter of faith: “everything is possible for him who
   believes“, and second, victory is a matter of prayer: “this
   kind can come out only by prayer“. We are the RESISTANCE !!
3. FORMATION – verses 30-50 show Jesus in ‘training mode’ – teaching His followers in what we could term ‘kingdom living’. Such is frequently referred to as ‘spiritual formation’ in
   Scripture (e.g. Galatians 4:19 “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you”.) and through church history, describing
   the process by which followers are shaped into the likeness of Jesus. A sculptor
   was planning to create the figure of a horse from a block of marble when
   someone came along and asked him how he was going to manage that. He
   replied, “It’s simple. I just start chipping away, and I chip away
   anything that doesn’t look like a horse” … that’s what FORMATION
   is. God takes the raw material of our life, as it were, and chips away anything that doesn’t look
   like Jesus. So, in these verses we may discern 4 scenarios each showing something of
   huge value to the King and His kingdom
   

 a)    REALITY – verses 30-32 – without doubt Jesus words about the kingdom arriving
with power excited his followers, raising their expectations – including,
perhaps, their hope of Jewish freedom from Roman occupation. HOWEVER, Jesus
quickly reminds them of the REALITY facing Him – something he had shared previously
(Mark 8:31) and which He’d discussed with Moses and Elijah during the
Transfiguration event (Luke 9:30, 31). The pathway to the Crown is the Cross
… Jesus is eager for his disciples to stay grounded, not to be carried
away with emotion. A price has to be paid – the Cross is to be faced and
embraced. There are no short-cuts.

b)    HUMILITY – in verses 33-37 Jesus questions the disciples over their discussion on the journey. They go remarkably quiet, embarrassed because “they had argued about who was the greatest“. After 3 years living with Jesus they’re still inclined to act like children in a school playground, squabbling about status and self-importance. Jesus’ response must have left them feeling rather foolish. “This is not the way of the Kingdom – this may be how the world thinks, but NO, NO, NO I’m having none of it in my kingdom”. It’s NOT about us, our ministries, our status … and Jesus repeatedly models this for us.
Twila Paris wrote some remarkable lyrics in her song “Keeper of the Door”:

“The One who was no less than God

Took on the flesh of lowly man

And came to wash the feet of clay

Because it was His holy plan”

c)    GENEROSITY – in verses 38-41 John’s zeal for his ‘party’ is very evident. Seeing
someone who “was not one of us” he tries to stop him. He informs Jesus
of this, hoping to get some ‘brownie points’ but is surprised, I’m sure, by Jesus
response: “Do not stop him!” Evidently Jesus is not impressed by John’s sectarianism. Clearly not everyone does things in the same way as we do. There are
other ways, different ways of doing things. To be different is not necessarily
to be wrong. We can be generous without being gullible. When we’re listening to
Jesus we’ll learn to be gracious with those with who we don’t agree. Building relationally is of high value to our King.

d)    RESPONSIBILITY – verses 42-50 underscore how our actions have consequences for
others and for ourselves. We can be either stumbling-blocks or stepping-stones.
The key is being willing to take responsibility for what we do (our hands) where
we go (our feet) and what we look at (our eyes). Self-judgement is a necessary
value of the Kingdom. Paul wrote (in relation to the Lord’s Table): “if
we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment“.
Confession and repentance are not one-off events, but should be woven into our
lifestyle. The prophet Isaiah indicates one consequence of failing to deal with
the matter of personal sin – unanswered prayer. “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too
short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated
you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not
hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2

In Conclusion: FOCUS, FIGHT and FORMATION may well summarize the
Acts of the Apostles (the inauguration of the Kingdom) and is totally
consistent with KINGDOM COMING WITH POWER through the centuries. Every fresh
awakening of Church history has these ‘benchmarks’ and appears to fulfil the
remarkable Messianic Psalm – Psalm 110 – which envisages KINGDOM COME: “The
LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet.’ The LORD will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your
day of battle” (or, in the day of your power, translates King
James Version) …

What an amazing announcement of the King’s enthronement and
the enemy’s overthrow, coinciding with a remarkable WILLINGNESS
on the part of God’s people to FOCUS, FIGHT and BE FORMED by the Word and by the Spirit
into a people fit for the KINGDOM TO COME WITH POWER.

May WE be that people. Amen

(Extended notes of my sermon at the Powerhouse, Christ Church, Doncaster on Sunday 25th Feb 2024)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Sovereign Stoops

She Stoops to Conquer is a ‘comedy of manners’ written by Anglo-Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, and first performed in London in 1773. Based around themes of  miscommunication, mistaken identities and practical jokes, it’s one of the few plays from the 18th century to have an enduring appeal, and is still regularly performed today.

Main plot: wealthy countryman, Mr. Hardcastle, arranges for his daughter, Kate, to meet Charles Marlow, son of a rich land-owner, hoping the pair will marry.

Marlow sets out for Hardcastle’s manor with a friend, but they get lost and stop at an alehouse for directions. Kate’s step-brother comes across the strangers at the alehouse and, realising their identity, plays a practical joke by telling them they’re a long way from their destination and will have to stay overnight at an inn. The “inn” he directs them to is in fact the home of the Hardcastles. When they arrive the Hardcastles, who have been expecting them, go out of their way to make them welcome. However, Marlow and friend, believing they are guests at an inn, behave extremely disrespectfully towards their hosts.

Kate learns of her step-brother’s trickery, and, being further aware of Marlow’s reputation for nervousness around upper-class women, she decides to masquerade as a maid, changing both her accent and garb, and hoping that by putting Marlow at his ease will make him more inclined to woo her – thus stooping to conquer. The play concludes with Kate’s plan succeeding: she and Marlow become engaged !!

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Returning to the 21st Century, and reflecting on this Christmas season, I’m reminded of that mind-blowing act of condescension, described sublimely by St Paul in one of his letters, concerning the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Paul writes: “though He was truly God, he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ the highest place and honoured his Name above all others. So at the Name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” (Contemporary English Version)

A beautiful phrase in one of David’s psalms foresees this wondrous act of our Sovereign Saviour – in humbling Himself  to bring about our salvation, and so elevating us from our dire condition and into His amazing favour. It says: “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great“. I wonder if Frederick W. Faber had such imagery in mind as he penned his excellent hymn: My God how wonderful Thou art, as the fifth verse depicts the Sovereign Lord bowing to win the hearts of His errant and erring creatures:

Yet I may love thee too O Lord

Almighty as Thou art

For Thou hast stooped to ask of me

The love of my poor heart

And was this the subject of his meditations, when Graham Kendrick wrote the words of his modern classic, Servant King:

From heaven you came helpless babe

Entered our world, your glory veiled

Not to be served but to serve

And give Your life that we might live

Reason enough for me to respond: “This is my God, the Servant King” and worship Him, along with countless billions of people alive on earth and in heaven at this joy-filled time.

May your heart thrill at the sound of His Name, too.