“The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.
10 sermons cite this verse
proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay, he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Amen. The most successful manager of an English soccer team ever is a Scot by the name of Sir Alec Ferguson. He's the manager of Manchester United, which will be of interest to about 1% of those listening to me. But he has actually written himself into the record books as the most successful manager of all time. Therefore, it is no surprise when in reading his autobiography, you come on these two sentences. He writes, I have devoted my life to football. Everything has been thrown overboard for it. I have devoted my life to football. Everything has been thrown overboard for it. Well, that is absolutely unequivocal. It's clear. It's his focus. …
… the time has come, the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news. Mark 1 15. What is the kingdom of God? Professor James Veltz of Concordia Seminary says it is the reign and rule of God. That works. The kingdom of God is how God reigns and rules in our hearts. Most of all, the reign and rule of God is about his love for us all. Jesus often taught about the kingdom of God, about God's reign and rule. Sometimes he did it by commenting on current events, like the accident when the tower at Siloam collapsed and people were killed, Luke chapter 13. Or when he and the disciples were admiring the architecture of the temple, Jesus made a teachable moment and spoke about the end of the world, Mark chapter 13. Other times, Jesus preached. He laid out the truths of God in straightforward teaching, as he did in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 through 7. But very often, Jesus told stories. …
… connects repentance directly to salvation. So the first answer is everyone. Everyone. Passages like Mark 1 15 make the point. Here's what Mark says. Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. It's the first word of the gospel, repent, repent, spoken by Jesus himself. We spend a lot of time on the second part, believe, right? We understand what that is, but we don't spend as much time on that first word, repent, repent. The sad reality is that many people are fuzzy. Maybe you're in that boat, fuzzy. What exactly does it really mean to repent? Is it just me saying the sinner's prayer? Is that all it takes? Have I repented in that way? Well, if not, then what exactly are the qualities of genuine repentance? So it's relevant for everyone as it pertains to the gospel. But on the other hand, there are a few groups that I want to highlight particularly this evening. …
… Now after John was put into prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. And saying, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. repent and believe in the gospel. I wrote myself this note. It's at the bottom of page seven. I said, notice here, the kingdom is inseparable from, number one, the timing. Look at Mark 1, verse 14. Number two, the presence. Number three, repentance. Number four, faith. And number five, the message. The kingdom is all about that. Jesus said to believe on him and to repent and believe and you shall have eternal life. Awesome. Oh, I have too much. We're out of time. Revelation 3.20. That's a good one. Psalm 24, verse 7 and 9. That's really great too. Matthew 6.33. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you? Think of that. What about Luke 10, 9? And Jesus, and he sent them out and healed the sick there and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you. That's amazing. …
… Back in verse 15 of chapter 1, he came on the scene in Galilee and he made this announcement. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. That is the king announcing the kingdom. In effect, he's saying the kingdom is here because I am here. The king has come. Now you would expect that such a king would have some kind of power and he would be able to demonstrate the kingship that he pronounced. That's what they asked him to do. When he goes into Jerusalem and takes a whip and starts driving people out of the temple because he calls it his father's house, the leader said, By what authority do you do these things and who gave you that authority? when our Lord commissioned his disciples before he ascended into heaven and sent them out into all the world he began by saying this all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth but then he demonstrated that authority for three and a half years he showed, he demonstrated over and over again his divine authority, both over the natural world as well as the supernatural world. When it came to the natural world, he did things like turning water into wine. He did things like walking on the water. He did things like healing sick people and raising dead people. …
… here's the beginning of his sermon, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. okay this is not the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus again Mark leaves a lot out and what he leaves out again because he has a purpose in writing an agenda to follow he leaves out the events in John chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 and chapter 4 and what happens is in those chapters and before this is Jesus is down south in Jerusalem in Judea it's his Judean ministry and while he's in Judea he meets with a guy named Nicodemus at night he cleanses the temple he gets a cord of whips and drives people out of the temple he also has a Judean ministry for about six months he then goes up to Samaria to meet a woman at the well of Samaria she comes to believe in him the Samaritan population a large majority of them come to believe in Jesus and then John the Baptist gets arrested by Herod because John the Baptist is very vocal about Herod's sin Herod tosses him in jail that is a cue when Jesus hears that. That's a cue for him to head north and engage in Galilean ministry to set up his headquarters in Capernaum, which he does. So the forerunner, John the Baptist, his job is done. It's complete. Remember John said, he must increase, I must decrease. …
… Number one, you must admit or repent that you are a sinner and you have sinned against God. Mark 1.15 says, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. If that was true then, how much more is it true today? Acts 17 verse 30. truly these times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent number two you must believe that Jesus is God died on the cross and rose from the dead John 20 verse 31 says these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name the first Corinthians 15 verses 3 and 4 says I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and then he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and three confess with your mouth what you believe this is where it all comes together you know just praying the prayer just going through the motion of praying the prayer just I raised my hand and I'm trusting in my hand being raised or I trust in getting dipped in the pacific ocean it doesn't cut it because unless you did this none of that is true or real you have to do this you have to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you have to believe in your heart that …
… John the Baptist is put into prison. It says, Jesus, who had been going around preaching the gospel and the kingdom of God said this, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. It's time, he's saying. It's been long enough. Yesterday, right, you said, here's the big idea. It's about time, believe in the gospel. It's about time, believe in the gospel. Where are we going? It's about time for us to help other people believe in the gospel. Esther says, Esther 4.14, this is Mordecai speaking, words to Esther. If you remain completely silent, if you don't open up your mouth, honey, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. But you and your father's house will perish. And then here's the big thought. I want you to hear this from God to you. Who knows whether you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this. It's about time for you to share your faith, to share your faith, to take the faith that has changed your life, that changed your soul, and to do what you can to share it with other people around you. …
… Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. That was his mission, to give you and I that message, repent and believe. Mark 10, 45. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. The reason Jesus had priorities and posteriorities was so he could accomplish that mission for you. Three times he predicts his death and resurrection. He said no to the healing, to the exorcisms, and went to the next town so he could announce to sinners the way that they could be saved. And so it is for us. Because of the good news of Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, there is forgiveness available when we fail and we will. And there is also power within us so we don't have to always fail. there's strength within us by Christ's Spirit to enable you to do the things you ought to do and to say no to some of the good things you have been doing that in 2026 we might draw closer to God and as we do He promises to draw closer to us let's pray Heavenly Father we ask now for your grace as we come to your table that you would bless us and feed us. …
… of God, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, so here is the gospel of God. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. You want to enter the kingdom? Repent and believe the gospel. So when we pray, Your kingdom come, we're praying for people to be saved. We're like the men that Paul is speaking of in Timothy when he says, I want holy men to lift up hands and pray always, because God is saving His people. I want your prayers to be to that end. So part of the advance of the kingdom, and obviously the initial part, is the matter of salvation. The kingdom advances and grows. The kingdom that is in your midst, the kingdom that is the same as the church in this age, that kingdom moves forward with the salvation of sinners. That's the priority in our prayers. But secondly, the kingdom grows not only through salvation but sanctification. In Romans chapter 14 and verse 17, it says, for the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. …