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In the summer of 1976, I attended Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, California. After taking a course on evangelism, God called me to preach my first sermon on the street – at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue in Disneyland. My sermon was short because every time the light changed, a new congregation came along.
My sermon text was Matthew 3:2. After each change of light I said, If John the Baptist were here today, he would still be saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” This single verse is simple in its message, but has profound meaning.
JI Packer once said, “There is a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you really know God, you have the energy to serve Him, the courage to share Him with others, and are content with Him.”
The call to “repent” is a call to turn away from spiritual indifference and apathy toward God – a call to surrender your life to Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. It is a call that invites us to a radical transformation of our hearts.
It is an urgent call; the time is now. It is a call for immediate action, for immediate change. Allow no procrastination or delay. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” – not a distant reality, but a present one. It is here and now.
The time for repentance has come
The urgency of now – we must not hesitate to respond to God’s call. The term “near” refers to proximity and immediacy. In Mark 1:15, Jesus declares, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand.” This implies that the kingdom of God is immediate and attainable.
Second Corinthians says, “Now is the time of grace, now is the day of salvation” (verse 6). It is urgent to act now because tomorrow is not guaranteed. This is not meant to scare us, but to remind us how precious time is and how important it is to make the most of the time we have been given.
It is a call with transformative power. This is underlined by the word “repent”. Repentance is a call to turn from our sinful ways and turn to God, a call to change, a call that has the power to transform us from within. The nearness of the Kingdom of God is not a passive state, but a dynamic, life-giving force that is meant not simply to reform us, but to transform us.
It is a call that is still relevant today, a call that continues to move hearts and change lives, a call that continues to lead us to God to enable us to have a deeper relationship with our Creator. This is the power of closeness to God, a power that we can connect to.
The call is a daily invitation – a reminder of God’s faithfulness and desire for us to live in the light of His Kingdom and to remember that we do not walk alone. He is with us every step of the way. His Kingdom is not a faraway place. It is as close as our next breath.
Rev. J. Patrick Street is the senior pastor of Redeemer Church in Marion. He can be reached at [email protected].
