[0:00] Let us turn in our Bibles to the passage of Scripture which we have already read. The Gospel of Mark chapter 1.
[0:12] And as God would help me, I would like you to concentrate and speak on verse 15. We'll read from verse 14.
[0:23] First Mark, sorry, Mark chapter 1 at verse 14. Now, after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God.
[0:40] And saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.
[0:53] Most of you will know that the word Gospel actually means good news.
[1:05] And the very existence of this book in the Bible, the Gospel according to John Mark, the very existence of it in the Bible is actually good news itself.
[1:22] Because as some of you may know, some people have called John Mark a failed missionary.
[1:33] And this can be picked up from the book of Acts chapter 13 verse 13 along with chapter 15 verse 37. And you remember it led to a dispute with Paul and Silas.
[1:47] But here's Christ.
[2:17] Good news for failures. The Gospel is good news for those of you who have been disillusioned with things in the church.
[2:31] The Gospel is good news for people who feel insufficient and unqualified.
[2:41] The very existence of this book in the Bible should encourage us all and should help us trust in the good news of the Gospel.
[2:52] So what exactly is the Bible? So what exactly is the Bible saying to us this morning? What is the summary of Christ's message according to John Mark?
[3:07] What is his proclamation of the Gospel of God? God. As we have it here. The time is fulfilled.
[3:20] The time. What time? All the waiting since the creation of Adam.
[3:31] Since the fall of Adam. Since Adam decided to take the forbidden fruit. The world was waiting. Something like 4,000 years.
[3:46] For God to keep his promise. He is going to send a saviour into the world. You know. You know.
[3:57] Time doesn't refer to God the way it refers to you and me. You and I would be very likely to say. 4,000 years.
[4:10] Hey. That's a long time to wait for a promise. What we have to remember is. The one who promised. Is the one of whom it is true. One day.
[4:22] Is as a thousand years. And a thousand years. Are as one day. You could say. God answered his first promise.
[4:34] In 96 hours. If one day. Is as a thousand years. Now. Is the gospel time.
[4:47] The time. Has been fulfilled. Christ has come into the world. And you remember. Christ himself said. My time. Is not yet come.
[4:58] But your time. Is always ready. And the word. The original word. Used here. For time. Is time.
[5:10] In the sense of occasion. Time in the sense of. Season. Time. It could use it. The word. Opportun. The time.
[5:21] Of opportunity. Has now. Arrived. Where there is Christ. There is. Opportunity. Don't need to wait.
[5:34] You actually. Never need. To say it. To say. I need to wait. Until there is an opportunity. Christ. Is here.
[5:45] Christ. Is the opportunity. The only opportunity. We need. The gospel. Brings.
[5:55] Hope. To all. In any. Situation. The time. Is fulfilled. The waiting.
[6:07] Is over. The kingdom. Of God. Is at hand. And the kingdom. Of God.
[6:19] Is at hand. Because Jesus. Christ. Is at hand. Christ. Is here.
[6:30] He's in this building. By his spirit. He is here. If you're not. A Christian. Salvation.
[6:42] Is right. Beside you. As the apostle. As the apostle. Preached on Athens. And Mars Hill. He is not. Far.
[6:53] From. Every. One of you. There is not. A soul. In this building. This morning. That Christ. Is. Far. From. Oh.
[7:05] Yes. You've. Wandered. Oh. Yes. You've. Wandered. Far. Far. Oh. Yes. You've. Wandered. Away. From God. For a long.
[7:16] Long. Time. But he's. He's. Right. Near you. There is not. Even. Air. Between you. And Christ. This morning.
[7:28] In the house of God. The time. Is fulfilled. The kingdom. Of God. Is at hand. Where there's Christ.
[7:40] There's opportunity. Where there's Christ. There's hope. Where there's Christ. There is salvation. From God's side. Everything. Is now.
[7:52] Ready. Everything for salvation. Is ready. Therefore. Repent. And believe. The kingdom.
[8:02] Of God. Is beside you. Therefore. Repent. And believe. In the gospel. Now notice.
[8:14] It's said elsewhere. By Christ. Said to Nicodemus. You must. Enter. The kingdom. Of God. You are not.
[8:27] Born. In the kingdom. Of God. God. In the sense. Of salvation. You must. Enter. You must. Enter.
[8:38] The kingdom. Of God. No one. Just. Lands. Some way. Or another. In the kingdom. Of God.
[8:49] There are gates. To go through. Enter. The narrow. Gate. Gate. Because.
[9:00] Wide. Is the gate. Broad. Is the way. That leads. To destruction. Enter. The narrow gate. It's right.
[9:12] Beside. You. Enter it. Go through it. I want to tell you something personal. This.
[9:22] Last. Week. I got a phone call. I want to keep the person. Confident. But he phoned me up.
[9:34] And he said. Can we meet? I have a. Few days. A few weeks. To live. I want. I want spiritual.
[9:45] Counsel. Can we meet? So we arranged. To meet. In the south of Scotland. God was. Kind. In as much. As. It was a wonderful.
[9:56] Opportunity. To try. And explain. The simple. Gospel. Which I. Tried to do. This man. Was brought up. In what you would call.
[10:06] A Christian home. But hadn't worshipped. For. Decades. I think. Decades. And when I finished. We. I said. Well. Where. Where are you?
[10:17] What do you think? And he said. I know it all. But I've got to do it. I've got to go through the gate.
[10:30] Enter. The narrow. Gate. Repent. And believe. In the gospel. You have to enter it. You have to go through.
[10:41] And how do we go through? We go through. By repenting. And believing. Now what does that mean?
[10:53] What is repentance? It is a. A radical. Change of heart. Change of mind. Change of.
[11:04] Of life. With regard. To spiritual. Issues. It's a. A turnaround. In your. Mindset.
[11:14] To begin with. A mindset. Regarding. God. Regarding. Christ. Regarding. The gospel. Regarding.
[11:25] See. Regarding. Heaven. Regarding. Hell. It's a completely new. Mindset. We have to have. Regarding it. A change around.
[11:37] If you like. A turnaround. Almost. A reversal. What do you think of God? What do you think of Christ?
[11:50] Or what do you think. Of. Sin. What do you think of. Salvation. What do you think of heaven?
[12:04] What do you think about hell? Do you really believe in it? Do you really believe in it? Do you really believe? What do you think about these things?
[12:15] Does it reconcile. With. The Bible's. Teaching. And these things. Repentance. Is a change. Of mind.
[12:26] Regarding God. God. You need him. God is true. And every man a liar. What's your mind regarding Christ?
[12:40] Is he who he claims to be? The savior? The only savior? Are you. A sinner? Are you on your way to heaven?
[12:54] Or are you on your way. To hell. A lost. Eternity. But it's not just. Our minds.
[13:05] That have to. Turn around. It's our hearts. You know. You can have a right. Theology. About God.
[13:18] A right theology. An accurate. Theology. Of God. But you don't. Love him. We need to love God.
[13:32] It's not. Listen. Christianity. Begins. In the mind. But it is not. All. In the mind. It has to reach the heart.
[13:43] So that we. Love. The things. Of God. I tell you. If you love. The things of God. I tell you. That's not. Natural.
[13:54] That's. That's. Of God. God. God. Has worked. In you. If you. Love. God. And the things.
[14:05] That belong. To him. But you know. This. Is to go even further. Repentance. A change. Of attitude. To these spiritual.
[14:16] Things of God. A change. Of heart. Toward them. But it also. Has to be a change. Of life. What you believe. In your mind.
[14:27] What you love. In your heart. Has to affect. How you live. What you do. Where you go. What you say.
[14:40] How you respond. To situations. We are to. Obey. God. God. And we are to. Submit. To God.
[14:51] God. We might ask. What's the difference. Between obeying God. And submitting. To God. Well we obey.
[15:03] Commands. We submit. To God's will. You see. I can be keeping.
[15:15] All the commandments. I may not be breaking. Any of them. In. And then. God. Gives me cancer. I'm not. A happy. Bunny.
[15:27] I'm. Disagreeing. With. God's. Will. I have to. Repent of that. I can't see. I don't see the senses. I don't see why now.
[15:37] It's awful. Awkward time. If I was a bit older. But you see. Repentance is. It refers.
[15:49] Not to just. The things that we do. But it refers to what we are. I'm always effective. Of that prayer of repentance. We have in Isaiah chapter 64.
[16:00] When the prophet. As it were. Interceding for Israel. Says. We. Are. All. As an unclean thing. And that's what we have to.
[16:11] Repent of. Before God. Not just. Things that we've done. That are wrong. We. Are lumps. Of corruption. And rebellion.
[16:23] We. Have. Our own agenda. For life. But we have to. Submit. To God's will. As well as. Obey. His commands.
[16:34] And here. The son of God. Is telling us. How. To enter. The gate. Repent. Of what you are. And who you are.
[16:46] And believe. In the gospel. Believe. In the gospel. You see. There is. No. True.
[16:57] Repentance. There's no true repentance. Without a genuine. Belief. In the gospel. The gospel. The gospel. The gospel.
[17:07] The gospel. Actually. Is quite hard. To believe. It's almost. Too good. To be true. That's why we need.
[17:20] Faith. And that's why we need. The Holy. Spirit. That's why we need. The Holy Spirit. To work. Faith.
[17:31] Within us. That we really. Do. Turn. To God. That we really. Do. Have confidence. In him. I don't think I've ever.
[17:43] And I haven't done it very often. Right enough. But I don't think I've ever tried to explain. The gospel. On a one-to-one basis. With someone. Without them saying. Oh come on.
[17:53] It's not that simple. Just believe. That's the response. It is hard to believe. That the wickedest sinner.
[18:04] On the island. Can come in. To a church building. For the first time. Hear. That whoever. Believes. On the son.
[18:15] Has eternal life. And walk out. A new creature. In Christ. That takes faith. It doesn't seem fair.
[18:27] Does it. But it's the gospel. It's Christ that saves. So we have to have. Faith in the gospel.
[18:37] Believe in the gospel. Now. The important thing. About faith. Is not actually. How much. Faith. You have. The important thing.
[18:49] About the gospel. Is what your faith. Is in. In. Or. Better. Who. Your faith is in. I think.
[19:00] I may have. Given this illustration. Here before. I'm not sure. Surely. It's worthy of repetition. If I'm told. I have to cross a river. And there are two bridges.
[19:12] One of them. Will hold my. Seventeen and a half stone. The other one. Won't. Put your faith. In one of the bridges.
[19:24] Okay. So I look at the two bridges. And say. Right. Right. I'm going for the one. On the left. I'm going to put my faith. And I'm really going to believe. That bridge is going to hold me up.
[19:36] And I go across a bridge. And halfway across. I plummet into the water. That's not my faith. That let me down. That's the bridge that let me down.
[19:50] My faith was in the wrong bridge. It's the object of faith. That is vital. Believe in the gospel.
[20:01] Believe in Christ. The gospel won't let you down. Christ won't let you down. But you might have your faith. In the wrong thing. I always remember when I.
[20:13] Left business. To enter the ministry. One of the customers. Came up to me. And said. Oh George. I heard about you. Good in you boy. Good in you. Oh I've got my faith. I've got my faith.
[20:25] I said. What in? Oh. He said. I have a lot of faith. I said. Bob. What in? Oh. Don't you worry about me.
[20:36] I've got loads of faith. Bob. I said. What in? What on? He didn't know. It's not really faith that saves.
[20:49] It's faith in Christ. It's Christ. That does the saving. Now. The Buddhist. Got far more faith than I have probably.
[21:04] In Buddha. But wait a minute. Buddha doesn't believe in heaven or hell. What good is that going to do me? Are you looking to Jesus?
[21:16] Are you trusting in his work? When he said. That Friday afternoon. On Calvary's cross.
[21:28] When he said. It is finished. What was he referring to? What do you think he was speaking about? We sometimes forget.
[21:39] That Friday afternoon. Three men. Were crucified. Three men were crucified. Only. The one.
[21:50] In the middle. Died. For. Sin. And that is why. The centurion. Looking at it all. Probably the centurion.
[22:02] In charge of. Crucifixions. Maybe Friday was crucifixion day. That Friday. There was three of them. And he was watching them all. And when he saw Jesus.
[22:12] Cry out. With a loud voice. He said. That is not the normal way. Crucified people die. They don't cry out. With a loud voice.
[22:25] Crucified men. Whomper. If they are able to say anything. That man is not normal. That is not a normal human being. Truly. He was.
[22:36] Who he said he was. The son of God. And he glorified God. That is his son.
[22:47] That is Christ. It is Christ. That saves. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. And believe. In the gospel. Of Christ.
[23:00] Trust. In his work. At Calvary. He was paying God. For all the sins. Of every person. Who will be in heaven. That was his work.
[23:12] I remember. Again. Student. Studying. Doing my. BA. We had to do a course.
[23:22] On world religions. And I was. I was. Terrified. At doing that course. I thought it would destroy my faith. But instead of that. It increased it. That is.
[23:33] My faith in Christ. And when we came to the Christian religion. The tutor gave us. A very accurate account. Of the crucifixion. What Christians believe. It was.
[23:43] It was. So biblical. And I of course. Just went up to him after. And said. Oh. So pleased to hear you're a Christian. Oh. He says. I'm not a Christian. I said.
[23:54] You give a most accurate account. Of the crucifixion. So biblical. Oh. He says. I don't believe. He was dying here for sin.
[24:06] See. What was Christ doing. At that cross. Was he paying God. Was he receiving. The punishment.
[24:17] Of all the sins. Of everyone. Who will be in heaven. Everyone. Who trusts him. Believe. In the gospel.
[24:28] So what. Is the gospel now. The gospel. Let me. Try and summarize it. My own words. Is a genuine.
[24:41] Offer. From God. A genuine. Offer. To God. To. Every. Man. Woman. And child.
[24:52] An offer. Of. Instant. Forgiveness. And eternal life. Upon repenting. And believing.
[25:03] A genuine. Offer. From God. Repent. And believe the gospel. You've got salvation.
[25:16] You've got forgiveness. Of every one of your sins. I'm sure. I don't need to. Expound. You're either forgiven.
[25:27] For all. Your sins. Or none of them. You're not forgiven. For some of them. You're forgiven.
[25:38] For all of them. Or none of them. It's worth thinking about. Worth meditating on. Forgiveness. Forgiveness.
[25:52] It's wonderful. The gospel. It's wonderful. A genuine. Offer. From God. For all. Your sins. Past. Present.
[26:04] Yes. And future. And future. The gospel. Wonderful. Upon repenting. And believing. Everyone.
[26:16] Who hears the gospel. Is genuinely. Offered. Instant. Salvation. No trial. Period. No probation. Period. Believe.
[26:29] On the Lord. Jesus Christ. Instant. Forgiveness. And instant. Possession. Of eternal life. That's worth thinking about.
[26:44] That's the gospel. God. Then. Treats you. From that moment. Onwards. As if you never.
[26:54] Sinned once. He treats you. As his. Favorite. He'll. He'll. He'll. Be with you. All through life. But you must believe.
[27:07] You must trust. You must depend. You must. Lean. On. The gospel. Offer. In Christ. So I want to close.
[27:20] With just one. One. One point. One final thing. We didn't read it. But it's very clearly. In verse. 27. Now we're all. Amazed. So that they.
[27:30] Christchained. Among themselves. Saying. Saying. What. Is this. A new. Teaching. With authority. A new.
[27:42] Teaching. With authority. You know. In the last. Analysis. What you need. And what I need. Is to hear.
[27:54] Christ. Speaking. With authority. Authority. What is authority? Authority.
[28:07] Is. Having. The right. To say something. Or the right. To do something. When Christ. Has.
[28:19] That. Right. Listen to him. The last words. He said. To his disciples. Isn't it wonderful?
[28:31] Christ's. Last. Words. Were not. Christ's. Dying. Words. Isn't that amazing? Of whom else. Can you say. His dying.
[28:42] Words. Were not. His last words. His dying. Words. In view. Of. Next. Week. Is what?
[28:54] Do. This. To remember. Me. Don't. Make up. Your own agenda. Don't. Make up. Your own. Idea. How I can. Stand up. And witness. For him. Just listen.
[29:05] To him. Do this. To remember. Me. That's his dying. Words. But they weren't. His last words. They weren't. His last words. He rose again.
[29:18] He came back. And he gives the great commission. Go. Tell. Every creature.
[29:29] The good news. Tell every creature. The good news. My friend. If. If. If. That world. Out. There. Does not. Believe.
[29:39] On. Christ. That's on. Their heads. But listen. If. That world. Out. There. Never. Hears.
[29:50] About. Christ. That's on. The church's head. That's on. Our head. God. The last thing. He said. Is. Go. Tell. Every creature.
[30:01] The good news. And so. How did he. What was the basis. Of which. We're to go out. And tell. Every creature. Is it not this.
[30:13] The beginning. Of the great commission. Matthew 28. 18. All. Authority. Is given. Unto me.
[30:24] In heaven. And on earth. When Christ spoke. He spoke with. Authority. Do you remember. When the cohort. Of soldiers came. They say.
[30:34] They say. I can't verify it. They say. But it could have been. Up to 600. And they said. Who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. Do you remember. What Jesus replied?
[30:46] I. Am. He. In the original. Two. Mono. Syllables. And in two.
[30:57] Mono. Syllables. The authority. Of Christ's word. Floors. A cohort. Of soldiers. John chapter.
[31:07] 18. Verse 6. I think. I am he. They have fell. They have fell. To the ground. With two. Mono. Syllables. Of Christ. Speaking. With authority.
[31:19] And so. I close. Hearing the words. Of Christ. Quoting. What Christ. Quoted. With authority. Listen to him.
[31:30] I came. I have come. Not. To call. The righteous. But sinners. To repentance.
[31:44] Are you hearing him. Speak with authority. Are you a sinner? He says. He spoke with authority. I came. Not to judge.
[31:55] The world. But to save the world. Are you afraid. Of the judgment. When you think. Of the grand. Final. As size. Before an assembled universe.
[32:08] On the day of judgment. Are you afraid? Listen to Christ. I have come to save. I have come to save. The world. He is speaking with authority.
[32:20] Listen to him. As he says. The son of man. Has come. To seek. And to save. That which was lost. Are you saying. This morning here.
[32:30] I'm lost. I'm lost. I'm lost. Christ came. Not just to save. But to. Seek.
[32:42] Out. The lost. As he found you. As he found you. Today. As a time. As the kingdom of God.
[32:52] Well. The kingdom of God. Is at hand. Last word. I have come. As a light. Into the world.
[33:03] That whoever. Believes in me. Should not. Remain. In darkness. How tragic.
[33:14] If we remain. In darkness. When the light. Of the world. Is right beside you. The time.
[33:25] Is fulfilled. And the kingdom of God. Is at hand. Repent. And believe. In the gospel. May God.
[33:36] The Holy Spirit. Make his word. His truth. Effectual. To every one of us. Let's bow our heads. piggy On the Let's.
[33:58] Amen. Father. Amen. Let's matt б recession. Amen. Remember here. Will be heard in the holding room. We'll be heard in the yaz side, but tonight. We'll be ready for this challenge. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[34:13] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.