Whose Kingdom Are You Living For? // 11:15 AM

Main message: The sermon teaches that Jesus’ kingdom is the only true kingdom, and following him requires full surrender rather than negotiation, religion, or rebellion. In Mark 12, Jesus exposes the traps of competing kingdoms and calls people to give God what is God’s: their whole lives.

Key points:

• The religious leaders in Mark 12 represent different competing visions of life and power, but all of them are clashing with Jesus’ kingdom.
• The world’s way is often either religion, where people try to bargain with God, or rebellion, where they reject him altogether.
• Jesus’ way is repentance and full surrender to a good and sovereign Father.
• In the tax question, Jesus shows that civil authorities have a real role, but ultimate allegiance belongs to God.
• Since people bear God’s image, everything they are and have belongs to him, not just their “spiritual” life.
• The sermon ends with a call to stop negotiating with God and surrender areas like anger, pride, greed, unforgiveness, anxiety, fear, addiction, and hidden compromise.

Scriptures mentioned: Mark 11, Mark 12:13-34, Matthew 11, Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Chronicles 29:11, Colossians 1:15, Romans 13:1, Exodus 1, Daniel 4, Daniel 3, Acts 5:29, Genesis 1, Acts 2