Matthew 11:12……….Working

Matthew 11:12……….Working

11:12 From the days of John the Baptist (John’s ministry) until now, (Present time, Jesus speaking) the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing (971-To force, crowd, press into.) and the forceful (726-Determined, earnest, eager. Tenacious) men lay hold of it. (Expresses not physical violence, but a spiritual battle of the soul in being bold and determined in pressing forward in one’s Salvation.) (For Complete Expository Get the Book)

Extended Sermons

“Calls for a holy violence & determination that’s throwing off sin, complacency, apathy, and anything else that hinders our faith” ⇒ Will you refuse to become complacent in sin. Wil you have a resolve that refuses to negotiate with temptation, refuses to make peace with the flesh, refuses to excuse spiritual laziness, refuses to tolerate lukewarmness, refuses to settle for half‑obedience, refuses to let distractions dilute devotion, refuses to let culture define conviction, refuses to let comfort silence calling, and refuses to let the enemy reclaim ground Christ already conquered.

“Calls for a faith that refuses to drift, settle, and stand still while the Spirit is moving and the battle is raging.”  ⇒ You need the kind of faith that refuses to stand still while old habits try to reclaim ground you already surrendered to Christ. Or when the flesh tries to lull you back into comfort, apathy, or distraction. A faith that refuses to stand still while culture tries to disciple you more than Scripture does. Don’t let your calling sit dormant when God is urging you to rise, build, pursue, and obey. Don’t let your spiritual fire cool because you’re not feeding it with prayer, the Word, and obedience. (Spiritual fire grows when you feed it, not when you wait for it ) You need the kind of faith that says “If the kingdom is advancing, then so am I. If grace is calling, I’m moving. If God is working, I’m not staying stuck.” A kind of faith that says: “I’m not waiting for perfect conditions — I’m stepping into God’s invitation.” A faith that says “I’m moving even when the feelings aren’t there, even when clarity isn’t full, even when the path is uphill.  The enemy doesn’t wait, temptation doesn’t wait, compromise doesn’t wait, and the world’s pull doesn’t wait — so you can’t wait either!

“Calls for being earnest and determined in our faith. (You can’t just slide and skate your way into the Kingdom.”) ⇒ You can’t wait for spiritual growth, peace, or purpose thinking it’s just going to happen, you have to pursue them. The Christian life is not a stroll in the park. We don’t get to bask in the Saving work Jesus has achieved for us and say: “Oh how wonderful, we have a free ticked to heaven, free eternal life, smooth sailing ahead. We can just coast our way into glory.” It’s not for the apathetic. It’s not for the indifferent. It’s not for those who want the easiest and most comfortable path possible. We can’t sit passively by just waiting on God to spoon-feed us. We have to be actively engaged in our faith by setting aside dedicated times for reflection, study, and meditation on God’s Word. If not careful we can start to rest of our laurels or our own righteousness. Or we can start to become callous, slowly compromising our walk for other things, no longer going to Church or reading the word.

“Even today, we need a holy urgency and passion that’s actively pursuing a life of worship, prayer, confession, repentance, service, and witness.”⇒ As believers we need to approach faith actively, cultivating prayer, sacrifice, and intentional love. A passive faith quickly grows cold, but an active faith keeps our hearts sensitive to the voice of God. When we stop pursuing God, we stop perceiving Him. When we stop moving toward Him, we stop noticing how He’s moving around us. But when our faith is engaged—when we pray with expectation, obey with conviction, serve with joy, and seek Him with hunger—our spiritual senses stay awake. We begin to recognize His whispers, His warnings, His nudges, and His invitations. If we’re going to take the Kingdom by force we need to live with a holy integrity, kindness, and a determined spiritual courage that refuses to drift. A life that doesn’t just “believe quietly,” but leans forward into the things of God. A life that takes hold of grace with both hands. A life that resists spiritual laziness and pushes back against the pull of the world. A life that says, “If the kingdom is advancing, then I’m not standing still.

“Jesus is not talking about a striving for Salvation, but a striving against everything that keeps us from it.” → This is not a violence against people, but violence against everything in us that resists God. The struggle Jesus describes is not a fight to deserve heaven, but a fight against sin, apathy, unbelief, compromise, and every distraction that dulls our hunger for God. It is the daily choice to resist whatever pulls us away from Christ and to pursue the life of obedience, repentance, and trust that flows from genuine faith.

Additional Notes & Applications

Warns how a passive and complacent Christianity won’t cut it.  (If the kingdom is being violently opposed, then the people of God must be violently committed.)

Calls for expecting resistance when you obey God. (Don’t interpret opposition as failure — interpret it as confirmation.)

Displays the spiritual struggle needed in actively engaging and cultivating perseverance, prayer, sacrifice, and active love.

Teaches how the kingdom is not for the passive — it is for the spiritually determined.

Calls for strenuously fighting and contending for the things of God. (Don’t be “If it happens it happens and if it doesn’t’ it doesn’t.”)

Calls for perseverance and determination, that there’s going to be things that will fight us every step of the way. There’s going to be forces pushing the other way, the devil, the world, the flesh.

Teaches if were to see breakthroughs we need to stay energetically and passionately involved in the things of God.

Calls for getting past our failures and mistakes and pressing into God’s grace and acceptance.

Calls for a faith that refuses to accept our current condition as the end of the story, that God can change us, that He has a greater purpose for our lives.

Displays the great pains, lengths, and self-denial we’re to go in in securing eternal life.

Note: When Jesus says “the violent take it by force,” He is not endorsing violence, political zealotry, or militant takeover. He’s describing the spiritual intensity, opposition, and conflict surrounding the arrival of the kingdom — not a method for entering it. He’s saying the kingdom is breaking in with urgency, confrontation, and decision. Neutrality is impossible.

Note: In Greek, “forcefully advancing” allows for both “active & passive”. In context it can actually support both meanings. There are Two Greek terms: “biastai” — “violent ones,” “forceful ones,” “those who use force”. And “harpazousin” — “to seize, snatch, take by force, lay hold of” Both words can be used negatively (attackers, aggressors) or positively (those who seize something with determination) If taken in the “Negative” of those who attack the kingdom. Jesus is describing: John imprisoned by Herod, Pharisees resisting the message. Crowds rejecting both John and Jesus, A generation that is “offended” at Him So one layer of meaning is: “The kingdom is under attack.” Hostile people are trying to stop it, silence it, or distort it. This fits the negative sense of “violent ones” — those who oppose God’s work. If taken in the “Positive” of those who lay claim to the kingdom with holy determination. Jesus is describing: People flocking to John, Sinners pressing in to repent, Crowds desperate for healing, Disciples leaving everything to follow Him. This fits the positive sense: People are forcefully, urgently laying hold of the kingdom. They are not passive. They are not casual. They are pressing in with spiritual hunger. This matches the idea of:  “Striving to enter” (Luke 13:24)“Selling all to buy the treasure” (Matt. 13:44)“Running to win” (1 Cor. 9:24). So the same Greek phrase can describe: Enemies attacking the kingdom, and Believers aggressively pursuing the kingdom Both are happening simultaneously in Jesus’ ministry.

HOW TO FORCEFULLY LAY HOLD OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

• Stay in the truth of God’s Word

• Stay reading and meditating on the Word of God

• Stay diligent in following and servicing God

• Stay abiding in God’s mercy & grace

• Stay confessing, repenting, and putting off sin

• Stay focused on heaven and eternity

• Stay recognizing all that Christ has done and suffered for us

• Stay motivated by the blessings and promises of God