March 11, 2007
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

Slinky Christians
Mark 1:14-15

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’”

You were born to reflect the glory of God with your life—every person is—whether they know it or not. Every Christian is saved so we can reflect God though our service in His name. The “repentance” Jesus speaks of directs us to God and the “believing” keeps us living God’s way.

In the phrase, “¹⁵’The time has come,” the word used for “time” is not the general word for the passage of time, but the word, “kairos” which means a particular, decisive moment in time. Jesus is saying that this is a decisive time for God’s action. In Jesus, God is doing something special and we must respond appropriately.

Jesus brought the Kingdom of God is near to us so that we can experience and live it. “The Kingdom of God is essentially the reign of God, the personal relationship between the sovereign God and the individual.” Through Jesus we are able to be reconnected with God and begin to live God’s way while still on earth. There is choice. Will we repent and believe?

But we don’t just make the choice once. To live God’s way must be chosen over and over again as the world tries to pull us away from God. Will we continue to believe? Will we continue to reflect the reign of God? “Divine kairos,” that is, Kingdom-life opportunities are now available daily.

I. Believing God’s good news returns me to being a child of God.

The sense of Jesus’ call is to respond to the kairos moment—“repent and believe the good news of the Kingdom!” Please let God lead in your life. Believe and follow Him. It is not just about being “saved,” it’s about becoming a Kingdom of God person—a person who is experiencing the presence and reign of God on earth.

What’s your goal in life? Be successful? Be happy? Make a positive impact in life? Make a lot of money? Have and take care of your family? Jesus is saying to you and me that this is our time to believe and reflect God in the world. This is our opportunity to let people know that we are the offspring of the one and only, the most high God.

“This is my time to believe and serve God!” Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”

• At church—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• At home—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• At work—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• At school—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• When with my friends—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• When you’re with strangers—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”
• When you are alone—Repeat: “This is my time to believe and serve God!”

That’s God’s plan for you and me!

II. I must plan to put Kingdom life into reality.

There’s an old saying, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Now that we know what God wants, we can do a better job in insuring that God will get from us. Does your life look like the message of Jesus you read about in the Bible?

James 1:22-25-“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.”

Believe for your mouth—James 1:26-“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” Do my actions there do that?

Believe for your patience (temper)— James 1:20-“for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” Do my words there do that?

Believe for your kindness— Col. 3:12-“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Is this a characteristic people see in me?

Believe for your parenting— Ephesians 6:4-“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Can I do a better job as a parent?

Believe for your use of time and wealth and talents— 1 Peter 4:10 — “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Believe for your treatment of your body— 1 Cor. 6:19-20 - “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Continually say to yourself, “This is my time to believe and serve God!” I want to reflect the glory of my Creator and Savior, in this world, living in God’s reign.

III. Here is my plan.

How will you stay focused, move to achieve? Disciples, you must complete and use this sermon outline.

Make a list
Prayerfully, these are the top 3 ways I need to become more Christ-like in living:
1.

2.

3.

I will know that I am making progress in these when:
1.

2.

3.

Help will come from God’s written word through:
___________________
___________________
___________________

I will share this plan with another person and ask them to pray for and encourage me. _____________________________

“This is my time to believe and serve God! I will live like a citizen of the Kingdom of God—with the Lord’s help.” Amen.

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