ARE YOU MAKING AN EFFORT TO GET A SHARE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD? (see Matt:11:6-18). Are you doing what God has called you to do with fear, reverence. Pushing, pressing, making your way through. Matthew 11:12 and the new King James Version says 'from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence. And the violent take it by force.' A lot of people believe that this means that the times of the Kingdom have been manipulated, attacked, beat upon by violent men. But that doesn't square with what the timing that Jesus mentions because Jesus is not saying throughout history the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence. He's speaking specifically something from a particular timeframe...from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven has been taken by storm, and eager men are forcing their way unto it. (Matt 11:12; The New Testament in Modern English for Schools - B. Phillips). The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, no G726 for this reference indicates the meaning “to seize on, claim for oneself eagerly”.
This reference indicates the meaning is that there are men who are seizing on the Kingdom of heaven to claim it for themselves, to claim it for themselves eagerly. So this scripture, Matthew 11;12, is actually talking about those of us who are in the Kingdom. Who want to claim it for ourselves eagerly. Not for vainglory. We're pushing and pressing our way through, not because we want to be seen, but because God has commanded his work to be done and we are the foot soldiers to do it. Let's look at what Jesus said about the Kingdom of heaven as he's talking to the crowd. John sent messengers to Jesus to ask, 'Are you the one or should I look for another?' He said, Go and tell John what you see and hear, that blind men are recovering their sight, Cripples are walking, lepers being healed, the deaf hearing, the dead being brought to life. And the good news is being given to those in need and happy as the man who never loses his faith. Don't lose your faith, John, but look at the works! Then Jesus asks the crowd "What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak Reed, swayed by every breath of wind?" Verse 8 says. Or were you expected to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, he is more than a prophet, he says of John in verse 10, this is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, look, I'm sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you. Jesus tells the crowd 'So you look at things and you make these judgments based upon your lack of knowledge. But Jesus says at the end of verse 19. But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.'
What are our lessons today: