“I don’t want to give up ___________.” is a reason that I have heard many people give for not coming to Christ. The blank may be filled with “control of my life”. Or it might be filled with certain sins that are appealing to them, but in answering this way they are missing the point. But by the looks on the face of many believers on Sunday Mornings I think there are a lot of Christians that miss the point also.
The Preciousness of God’s Kingdom
In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus conveys to His hearers the preciousness of the Kingdom of God in two different parables. In the first a man finds a treasure in a field that does not belong to him. So, in order to get the treasure lawfully, he sells everything that he owns in order to buy the property and attain this massively precious treasure. The point of the parable is that the treasure is so precious that he gives up everything to attain it. The second parable is very similar. In it a man who is a merchant of fine jewelry sees a precious pearl and also sells all that he has so that he can attain it. Again, the point is that he sells everything because the pearl is that precious. It is worth the sacrifice.
Now, Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is like both of these parables. The point that He was making was that the Kingdom of Heaven is well worth the sacrifice that is made to attain it. So, what is the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is never defined strictly in Scripture, but we do know what Jesus is talking about when we think just a little about the topic.
We do know that at one time the Kingdom of God was Israel. It was a physical country that was given to God’s people after He rescued them from Egypt. But now the Kingdom of God is something different.
Jesus traveled around with a message about the coming Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). The Kingdom of God was near when Jesus came to Earth. So, what is it?
The Kingdom of God falls into the “already and not yet” category of biblical thinking. The Kingdom of God now exists in the hearts of those who are believers. So, the Kingdom is where God is currently ruling and reigning. Sure, He governs the workings of the entire Universe, but in a different way than He does believers. The world is in rebellion against Him as He rules over them, but believers are not that way. Believers have submitted their lives to Him.
The Kingdom of God has been brought to us by Jesus. Man had rebelled against the Creator and even now lives in rebellion against Him. Because man is in rebellion against God, He has earned God’s righteous judgment against Him. God made a way for man to be rescued from this terrible fate. God sent His Son to die on a cross and pay the full punishment for our sin. Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life, and died in our place. He then rose from the dead three days later. God has achieved salvation for us, now we must respond by submitting our lives to Christ by repenting of our sins and trusting in Christ. Repentance is turning from sin. It is turning from ruling our own lives. Faith is trusting in Christ. So, we turn from running our own lives to following Christ. Now we can become a part of the Kingdom of God and it is extremely precious.
So, the Kingdom of God is eternal life with God. The Kingdom of God is being a part of the community of people that has a perfect relationship with God. One day we will enter the fullness of the Kingdom of God and be completely and totally satisfied in Him, but for now we do so in part. We will one day work and the labor of our hands will produce without the hardships that accompany work today. One day we will have relationships with friends and families that are not tainted with sin. We will one day live forever without the pain and illnesses that are the result of sin. One day Christ will return and the Kingdom of God will be completely realized.
The World’s Joy Vs. The Joy of God’s Kingdom
So, here is the point. There are many tremendous joys that this life has to offer. I am a husband who has a wonderful wife. I have two beautiful children. I live in a house and drive an SUV. The food we eat is very satisfying. I like my bed. But these are nothing in comparison to the joy and satisfaction I will find at the Return of Christ.
Following Jesus is the response God demands to the good news of His salvation. Following Jesus involves an abandonment of our lives. But, almost surprisingly, abandonment of our life gives us greater satisfaction.
My stuff decays and honestly there is a limit to the joy and satisfaction that I can get out of it. But, the Kingdom of God offers me intense joy and satisfaction as my work produces as it ought and my relationships with God and others are as they should be. Where will I find greater pleasure and satisfaction?
One day my relationship with friends will be severed because of sinfulness, either mine or theirs. The same will likely happen to you. Relationships are not tainted with sin in the Kingdom of God. Where will you find greater pleasure and satisfaction in your relationships?
I am married, and I hope you marry well or already have. But even the best of marriages have bumps in the road as sinful responses enter the relationship. I can at times be short with my wife or respond to her in other bad ways. We work through these problems as they come, but relationship swill be perfect in the Kingdom of God. Where will you find greater pleasure and satisfaction in your relationships?
The Choice
The reality of the issue is that the choice is not a mud pie for rocks. This is trading a mud pie for a homemade apple pie. God offers us greater joy, not less. There are hardships in this life, but God is offering us more joy than we would ever get in this life. If we desire maximum joy then we will surrender our lives to gain glorious joy and satisfaction.
R. Dwain Minor
Leave a Reply