ROOTED Week 3 Fall 2025
Main Scripture: Mark 1:2-3; 14-15
Teaching Outline:
Read Mark 1.2-3 and 14-15.
If a guy walked into the gym right now and he was king, how do you think we would know he was a king? (crown, maybe guards, army, robe, jewels, etc…)
Yes exactly - a king is someone who is given authority and rules over a kingdom.
We need to talk for a few minutes about the kingdom of God because it’s not just a simple kingdom…
In the OT, God chose the Hebrews, the nation of Israel to be His people and he would be their king. They had what was called a Theocracy - theo meaning God and cracy basically meaning rule or king. Of course the people complained and later wanted a human king like the other nations but God continued to call them His own and made a covenant with them that if they listened, he’d be their protector but if they didn’t listen, they would struggle.
But all along there was a promise that someday one would come who would be the King of Israel forever - a Messiah.
And so Israel hoped and hoped for this person to come, to defeat their enemies, and to rule and protect Israel forever.
Then comes Jesus - not what they expected.
Point 1: Jesus brings the Kingdom of God with Him
When Jesus shows up, He brings the kingdom near. The kingdom isn’t about land, or armies—it’s about God being King in people’s hearts and lives. Being the one who would save them from their enemies.
When Jesus came, He didn’t bring a crown or army—He
brought healing, forgiveness, and hope and most importantly salvation from our enemy - death and sin. That’s what His kingdom looks like.
Point 2: The Kingdom means changed lives.
Jesus calls those that he calls his own to repent and believe. Repent means to turn around—stop walking toward sin and start walking toward God. Believing means trusting Jesus is the true King.
What the people of Israel wanted was a king who would come and physically defeat their enemies like the Roman empire. When he didn’t do that, they didn’t believe he was King. And this is where is gets confusing - the true Israel are and have always been God people - those who repent and believe. So today, God is still saving his own people, the new Israel which we call the church. So is everyone in the church saved? No, only those that repent and believe.
Read Isaiah 9.1-7 (NLT)
Point 3: The Kingdom grows as we obey and follow Jesus.
In the very next verses (Mark 1:16–20), Jesus calls His first disciples. The kingdom grows when people follow Jesus and lead others to Him.. Jesus told them they would be “fishers of
men”—helping bring all of God’s people into the kingdom.
So the main point tonight is a question…
Who do you say Jesus is?
Is he King or is he a crazy man? He really can only be one or the other.
C.S. Lewis once said:
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
So we need to decide if Jesus is important or not.
If he is, then he is of infinite importance and our logical response must be to repent and believe.
That means we fight sin in our life (knowing we will fail from time to time but we get back up again), we pursue the Lord through knowing him more and more through His word and other brothers and sisters, and we glorify God with our lives and enjoy Him.
DIscussion Questions:
If you were living back in Jesus’ time, what kind of king would you have expected God to send?
Why do you think so many people had a hard time believing Jesus was the true King?
What’s the difference between a kingdom with armies and land versus God’s kingdom in people’s hearts?
Jesus said the kingdom of God is near—what do you think that means for us today?
Repent means to turn around. What are some “directions” student your age might need to turn away from?
How can believing Jesus is King actually change the way we live day to day?
Jesus told His disciples they would be “fishers of men.” What do you think that looks like for middle school and high school students?
If someone asked you, “Who do you think Jesus really is?”—how would you answer?
(Opp to share the gospel?)