What does it mean the Kingdom of God suffers violence

The speaker discusses the meaning of a verse from Matthew where Jesus says the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. They explain that this means the kingdom of God is advancing forcefully and people are reacting to it either favorably or unfavorably. They compare the power of God's word to a plow that turns the hearts of non-Christians towards God. The speaker concludes by saying that the power of God's word leaves no one untouched. Welcome to our weekly exhortation. Thank you for joining me today. Thank you for your precious time. My name is Guylain Meul, Servant of God, Servant of Jesus Christ. In Matthew chapter 11, verse 12, our Lord Jesus says the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. What does it mean? In Matthew chapter 11, verse 12, the Lord Jesus declared and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. What exactly does this mean? Praise the Lord. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force said the Lord. Who is John the Baptist? Well, John the Baptist was a Judean preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first centuries in the years of the Lord. John the Baptist is the one who preached to prepare the way for the Lord, Matthew chapter 3, verse 3. And he is the one who baptized our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Matthew chapter 3, verse 15 to 16. The Lord Jesus is saying that when John the Baptist began to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, a new situation happened which is described in terms of violence. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. The first thing we need to know about this statement is this. Between the group of words, the kingdom of heaven and the violence, which one is doing the action and which one is subjected to the action? In other words, the kingdom of heaven is the object of violence. That's what it means? Has the kingdom of God been assaulted or suffered extreme hardship? This would surprise me since the kingdom of God is God himself. Praise the Lord. He is the supreme being, the God of hosts, the creator of all things. So, there's nothing that can upset the kingdom of God. For it is written, the earth shall pass away, but his word shall not pass away. Matthew chapter 24, verse 35. What our Lord Jesus would want us to know when he says the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence is that the kingdom of heaven is forcing its way. Thus, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a strong wind or a storm that breaks through with great force. Hallelujah. Therefore, the sentence becomes, the kingdom of God has been coming violently, meaning that the kingdom of God is doing the action of advancing forcefully. This makes sense when we read Luke chapter 16, verse 16. There we read that the law and the prophet were proclaimed until John the Baptist. Since then, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is forcing his way into it. When Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is coming violently, he means it's coming with great power. Yeah, it was a power that was pressing forward. So, what Jesus is saying is this. The kingdom of God has been coming with great power since the days of John the Baptist until now. Instead of saying the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently, we can say the kingdom of heaven has been coming quickly. In Psalm 147, verse 15, King David says he sent, meaning here God, God sent his command to the earth, his word ran swiftly, meaning his kingdom travels with great speed. This suggests the notion of power like we mentioned it before. In other words, the power of the kingdom seems to provoke a very strong response. The point of this verse is that when the kingdom of God was preached by John the Baptist and by the Lord Jesus himself, nobody could remain indifferent. It came with a special power and nobody could ignore it. Hallelujah. Furthermore, the prophet Isaiah said something in Isaiah chapter 55, verse 10 to 11 that can help us understand the scope of what the Lord Jesus says. The prophet Isaiah compared the power of God's word to the effect of rain and snow on the earth. He said, just like rain and snow water the earth and make it bad and flourish, so is the word of God. When it goes out, the word of God, it accomplishes what God desires and achieves the purpose for which God sent it, Isaiah chapter 55, verse 10 to 11. The outcome was that following the proclamation of John the Baptist, people were reacting to its coming either favorably or unfavorably. Now, I will dig more of how the kingdom of God comes with violence. You know, being called to be a Christian is to be called to put your hand to the plow. You will find this expression in Luke chapter 9, verse 62. And what does it mean to plow? To plow is to work the land. So, to put the hand to the plow is to serve God. Hallelujah. The person who makes the decision to follow Jesus has committed his life to God's service by plowing his field, the field of God. The notion of service behind this agricultural picture is found in many places in the New Testament. For example, in Luke chapter 17, verse 7, the Christian is spoken of as a servant of God plowing the field. What does the plow do? Well, the plow is an agricultural tool that is used to break up and turn over the top layer of soil. So, the plow causes the ground to turn over. According to Matthew chapter 13, verse 38, the world is the field that we are plowing. We plow by putting the plow into the ground and we let the oxen pull it, right? When all the soil is turned over, everything is turned upside down. This is exactly what was said of the apostles in Acts chapter 17, verse 6. There it is written, these who have turned the world upside down have come here too. You know, the arrival of the apostle Paul in silence in Thessalonica set all the city on an uproar. The Jews, which believed not in Jesus, were no doubt saying, the servants of that Jesus are here also to cause trouble since they didn't like Jesus and his word. So, through the word of God they were preaching, the apostle Paul in silence provoked a major disruption and caused a considerable shift in people's lives in their hearts. So, this is to say that, when the word of God comes out, it goes through the hearts of non-Christians, turning over their hard and sturdy parts into a heart of flesh. In this way, they will be receptive to the word of God. The roughness that causes the plow, while turning upside down the soil, is the violence with which the kingdom of God comes. The violence, however, in Matthew chapter 11 verse 12, are the meek, though who hunger and thirst for righteousness according to Matthew chapter 5. Those are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew chapter 5 verse 3. Conclusion. In this message, we were wondering what does it mean to say the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Well, we said that, this means the kingdom of heaven was advancing forcefully and everyone is forcing his way into it. This means the kingdom of God has been coming with power and people were reacting to its coming either favorably or unfavorably. We went further and said that, the power of the word of God, the kingdom of God may be compared to a plow that goes through the hearts of non-Christians, turning over their hard and sturdy parts into a heart of flesh. Music. Once my heart was heavy, I was living in sin. Then I gave my heart to Jesus, and He took me in. Ultimately, we say that, the power by which the word of God comes to us leaves no one in the field. Praise the Lord. Music. My friend, I hope you enjoy this message. If God wills it, we will be together next week. Abundant blessings. Shalom. Music. Music. So if your heart is burdened, I'll tell you what to do. Just put your trust in Jesus, and He'll save you too. And He saved me, saved me, and from sin let me breathe. Yes, He saved me, God loves me. Yes, Jesus saved me. Yes, He saved me, God loves me. Yes, Jesus saved me. Music.