The Kingdom of God is different than the world we live in. So different! He asks us to surrender all we are to Him, yet are we willing to give it all to Him?
We’ve been talking about surrender this past few months. Surrender is the first section in my book, Rejoice in Your Work. All the topics we have been discussing are expansions on a subject from these chapters.
In the last episode, I interviewed Dr. Leanna Hollis of Global Outreach International and the founder of The Whisper Gathering. When I asked what surrender is, she began with this phrase, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Her passion is speaking to women about repentance. This repentance or surrender of everything in our lives leads us to a daily relationship with Jesus.
Recently, we visited our son and his family in Nebraska. We stayed an extra day so we could spend more time with them on Sunday and attend their church. The music brings you into worship of God. The sermons are Biblically-based and the depth of them brings you to an understanding of who God is and how we can apply His principles and commands in our lives. The sermon title was “The Value of the Kingdom” and Pastor Ryan mentioned surrender towards the end of the sermon. Thus, our title for today is: “The Kingdom of God and Surrender.” I will share a couple of things from his sermon and you can listen to the rest of it here.
What’s the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God?
John the Baptist and Jesus first began preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet in other places, Jesus refers to the Kingdom of God. What is the difference?
Kingdom of Heaven or God?
There are different thoughts on using one term or the other. In general, the word, kingdom, is about God reigning or his activity of reining rather than a specific place. The term in general is used synonymously. However, due to the Jewish reverence for the name of God, the term Kingdom of Heaven was used more frequently. Since Matthew spoke to Jewish listeners, he said Kingdom of Heaven the majority of the time throughout the book of Matthew. The other three gospels, Mark, Luke, and John, used the Kingdom of God and their audiences were mainly Gentile.*
* Bible Gateway, Kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven
Ultimately, the kingdom of God is about having the hope of eternal salvation with God. In Matthew 6:33, we are told to seek first the first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. More on this in a bit.
Kingdom of God
Jesus often spoke in parables or stories to convey his message. We all love a good story, right? The parable that I want to highlight is found in Matthew 13.
The Mustard Seed
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31-32 ESV
The mustard seed if very small but it grows into a large tree. It is amazing when you think about it really. The seed is so small yet it grows into such a large tree that birds make nests in the tree.
The key behind this is that small things can become big things in God’s kingdom. Later in Matthew 17, Jesus told the disciples that their faith was little and that if they had the faith of a mustard seed they can move mountains (Matthew 17:20 ESV).
The World’s View
In the world, it is small, then it can’t be good or of significance. It needs to be bigger or better. A bigger house. A fancier car. Or a job title that shows you have made it to the top, like the CEO, or Chief Executive Officer.
However, we see from this passage that something can start small – like a tiny seed. And it becomes a large tree.
God’s View
One example that Pastor Ryan talked about was interesting to me.
In talking about things in God’s Kingdom can start small and grow beyond our imagination. In Pastor Ryan’s example, he talked about there being a small number of disciples. Overtime, that number had grown. After the resurrection of Jesus, He appeared to five hundred disciples at one time (1 Corinthians15:6 ESV). In 350 AD, Jesus’s disciples grew to 31 million. And today, there are 2.6 billion Christians in the world!
God can start out something small that looks like nothing according to the world. But then it becomes something big and shows how magnificent God is.
Personal Example
When I first started the blog, God’s Plan Guided Steps, I was worried about the number of people on my email list. The bigger your email list, the more likely you are to get a publisher to invest in you as author. One morning, I was praying about the numbers and growing the ministry. I clearly heard God say, “I will make the increase.” “Okay, God,” I said. “I will trust you.”
With any website, you need to have ways to get readers to come to your website. The hope is they will return to your website again and again. To get readers to your site, you need to offer them something. One item that is on my website and I have talked about on my podcast is my, “25 Ways to Contentment and Satisfaction in life.”
Since adding that to my website and offering to readers, my tiny email list has grown tremendously! God was right! He said He would make the increase and He did!
I am so thankful for all of who have come to God’s Plan Guided Steps and to the Contentment Matters podcast! It means so much that you take the time to read or listen to the podcast. I hope that you have learned from the study of God’s Word and how you can have contentment with God in this life.
Kingdom of God: Do you know Him?
Remember a little bit ago I said that the Kingdom of God is about eternal life? Do you know Jesus – have you surrendered your life to Him?
In John 3, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. He was a significant man among the Pharisees and ruler of the Jews. He approached Jesus at night to ask him questions. Nicodemus must have been watching him do miracles and knew that he was from God.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3 ESV). Of course, being a smart man, Nicodemus wonders how a grown man can go back into his mother’s womb. That is completely true – it is not possible for any of us to enter back into our mother’s womb. However, Jesus clarifies more for him.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:5 ESV
Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus that in order to be in the eternal Kingdom of God, He needs to repent and be baptized. Once he turns from his sins, then He receives the spirit. This reference in chapter three is early information about the Holy Spirit and His presence in our lives. But we know from reading later in John when Jesus speaks to His disciples about Him leaving the earth a helper is coming in His place (John 14:16 ESV).
After these verses, Jesus tells Nicodemus the famous verse that we hear about many times.
For God so love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 ESV
Do you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord? If you haven’t accepted Jesus’s gift of eternal life, you can go here and find out how you can have peace with God.
Surrender & Living in God’s Kingdom
When we repent and accept Jesus as our savior, we are surrendering all to Him. Our lives become one of being focused on the Kingdom of Heaven and living a righteous life.
But why do we struggle with fully surrendering to God? There are many reasons but I will share only a few here.
- We may struggle with our past and whether God has really forgiven us. Or we can’t forgive ourselves.
- Control may be an issue for us. If we don’t believe in God or are rebelling against Him, we want to be in control and aren’t interested in His plan.
- Doubting or a lack of trust can affect our full surrender to God. We wonder whether His plan is the best plan. It could involve pain or loss. And are we ready for that?
God’s Kingdom is like Fine Pearls
One of the other parables that Pastor Ryan referred to was the parable of the pearl of great value.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46 ESV
The point of this passage is not that you need to sell everything you have. The point is that you are sold out to God in surrender to Him. Our relationship with Him is worth more than fine pearls or anything we own or have in our lives.
Surrendering means completely giving all of ourselves to Him. That could be selling your house. Giving up your job. Or a relationship or a person that you have put them first place in your life instead of God.
You know what or who you need to surrender. Surrendering is the hard part. But the rewards are more than what we expect or imagine.
Surrender your life today for the Kingdom of God! It is a decision that you won’t regret. God has promised us eternal life. And when we accept Him, serve Him faithfully, and live in obedience to Him, we can have full joy! (John 15:11 ESV)
How can I find all of your episodes? Thank you; contentment is so right on time. I had to repent and get it right with God.
Hi, Genevieve,
I am glad to hear that you found Contentment Matters and spent some time in repentance.
The podcast episodes can be found on most podcast platforms – Apple, iHeart, Spotify, Audacy, and Amazon Music/Audible. While I am not currently doing new episodes, you can click on any of the podcast player links on the website and listen from there.
There are many different blog posts on Contentment as well, which can be found with the search icon.
While I am not currently writing posts, you can get my bi-weekly newsletter and I write content there. Keep leaning on Jesus! He is the only way to true contentment in this life!
Blessings, Cindy