Bible League: Living His Word From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.If you want an earthly kingdom you must violently take it. You must overcome any opposition there is in front of it, forcefully break into it, and boldly take possession of it. Since it requires some doing to take possession of a kingdom, the kingdom must be worth the effort. There must be treasure within it in order to justify the difficulties of a military campaign. In our verse for today, Jesus used the physical violence of a military campaign as a figurative image to describe spiritual entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since the days of John the Baptist, who first proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom, until the days of Jesus, who did even more in this regard, the Kingdom had "suffered violence." That is, the Kingdom had been spiritually broken into with great force by a horde of sinful intruders that would not be denied the many treasures of salvation within. It takes a certain kind of person to take an earthly kingdom. The complacent, the passive, and the lazy won't make the effort. People like that figuratively represent the spiritually indifferent. The spiritually indifferent will not make any kind of effort to possess the Kingdom of Heaven. They refuse to overcome any opposition that may come from family or friends, refuse to forcefully break into it, and refuse to boldly take possession of its many treasures. The spiritually indifferent are foolish because they fail to realize the value of the prize. They fail to realize their desperate need for it. The physically violent, on the other hand, have what it takes to take an earthly kingdom. The physically violent figuratively represent the spiritually violent. The spiritually violent will not be denied the Kingdom of Heaven. They will overcome any opposition from family or friends, forcefully break into it, and boldly take possession of its many treasures of salvation. The spiritually violent are wise because they realize the value of the prize and are relentless in their pursuit of it. The spiritually violent take the Kingdom of Heaven by force. That is, they realize they are sinful intruders who don't really belong in the Kingdom, so they must use force. They must use the force of faith in Jesus Christ and the gospel message to break through. They must forcefully believe by faith that the many treasures of the Kingdom are theirs for the taking despite their sinful deficiencies. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 45, 46 Ezekiel 45 -- Portion of Land for the Sanctuary, the City, and for the Prince NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 46 -- Ordinances for the Prince in His Worship NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Peter 3 2 Peter 3 -- The Day of the Lord; A New Heaven and Earth NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.Insight Jesus was in great agony as he prepared to face death. Although Jesus cried out to God, asking to be delivered, he was prepared to suffer humiliation, separation from his Father, and death in order to do God's will. Challenge At times we will undergo trials, not because we want to suffer, but because we want to obey God. Let Jesus' obedience sustain and encourage you in times of trial. You will be able to face anything if you know that Jesus Christ is with you. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 74:17 Thou hast made summer and winter.My soul begin this wintry month with thy God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind thee that he keeps his covenant with day and night, and tend to assure thee that he will also keep that glorious covenant which he has made with thee in the person of Christ Jesus. He who is true to his Word in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world, will not prove unfaithful in his dealings with his own well-beloved Son. Winter in the soul is by no means a comfortable season, and if it be upon thee just now it will be very painful to thee: but there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord makes it. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes over the once verdant meadows of our joy: he casteth forth his ice like morsels freezing the streams of our delight. He does it all, he is the great Winter King, and rules in the realms of frost, and therefore thou canst not murmur. Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills, are of the Lord's sending, and come to us with wise design. Frosts kill noxious insects, and put a bound to raging diseases; they break up the clods, and sweeten the soil. O that such good results would always follow our winters of affliction! How we prize the fire just now! how pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw nigh to him, and in him find joy and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of his promises, and go forth to labors which befit the season, for it were ill to be as the sluggard who will not plough by reason of the cold; for he shall beg in summer and have nothing. Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 32:2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.Hebrews 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, Zechariah 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate," Declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. John 10:30 "I and the Father are one." Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Isaiah 4:6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. Psalm 121:5,6 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. • The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
Click for Video Devotionals     |