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Seeing the Kingdom of God Present With Power

Text: Mark 9:1-10, Matthew 16:27-28, 17:1-13, Luke 9:27-36
15 June 2014

SEEING THE KINGDOM OF GOD PRESENT WITH POWER

1. A cryptic phrase

The Gospel of Mark

And He said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that there are some standing here who will not
taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”            Mark 9:1

The Gospel of Matthew

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will
reward each according to his works.
Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see
the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
Matthew 16:27-28

The Gospel of Luke

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the
kingdom of God.            Luke 9:27

2. Three important things to consider

a) Observation about the kingdom of God
i) Some would not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power           (All three)
ii) The Son of Man coming in His kingdom           (Matthew)
b) Interpretation
i) The kingdom of God was preached often
ii) The power of God was always present to heal, to perform miracles
c) Interpretive clues from the Greek text
i) Will not taste death (“taste” Aorist subjunctive)
ii) Till they see the kingdom of God (“see” Aorist subjunctive root word, “horao”)
iii) Present (Perfect tense root word “erchomai” meaning “come”)

3. Application

i) The disciples had not “seen” (that is “fully understood”)
ii) They had not fully understood and appreciated the Son of Man nor His kingdom of power
iii) They will soon catch a glimpse of who the Son of Man is and His glorious power
iv) Immediate application would be the Transfiguration            Mark 9:2
v) Further application would be the establishment of the Church (kingdom of God)           Matthew 16:18

POEMS – Charles Tan

#49 WHOEVER DESIRES TO COME AFTER ME

Many fail to comprehend what it really takes to follow the Lord,
Following Jesus is reduced to mere verbal confession of faith in God.
A careful study of what Jesus said to His disciples makes it very plain,
True discipleship demands much from the individual- and it includes pain!

“Let him deny himself,” was the first condition to be given consideration,
The heart is rebuked for it recognizes the truth, the hard realization.
There is little denial of self at all, for throughout life, the center is not God,
The whole focus seems to be amassing wealth rather than living for the Lord.

“And take up his cross,” was an even more solemn and startling declaration,
The heart shrinks from this thought, for it fears the ultimate conclusion.
But Jesus had shown what it means to take up His cross and obey God,
He calls all who truly love Him to be unafraid to suffer and die for the Lord.

“And follow Me,” was the third word that Jesus carefully articulates,
Can we speak of genuine belief if following Jesus is not what we anticipate?
We dare not water down the meaning of what Jesus taught about following Him,
We must pray for a greater faith and love that have roots that reach deep within.

Inspiration: Mark 8:34

#50 WHAT WILL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?

The world prizes wealth, fame and power as the greatest of possessions,
This world-view has deeply seeped into almost all professions.
Long before a person becomes an adult and enters the work force,
The desire for wealth, fame and power has already blinded many to Christ’s Cause.

Many chase after worldly things often at the expense of the soul,
There is hardly any regard for eternal things that could make a person whole.
Jesus had to ask this solemn question for all to ponder over, it must be explored;
This question, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?”- cannot be ignored!

“What would a man give in exchange for his soul?”- is a question we dare not consider,
We look at the poor efforts we have made over the years, and we cannot but shudder.
Is our soul worth so little, that we dare to neglect it for years on end?
What would be our fate if we continue to ignore what portends?

Are we ashamed to attend to the needs of the soul?
Are we afraid to own Jesus as the Saviour who made us whole?
Then Jesus would be ashamed of us when He returns in fullness of glory,
How sad it would be if we were to find ourselves excluded in His righteous fury!

Inspiration: Mark 8:37