The Kingdom of Heaven Taken By Force

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” -Matthew 11:12 [KJV]

Many view this verse as saying that men, by sheer force of their own power, goodness, and will, can gain salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven. This is far from the truth. This verse speaks of the desperation God the Holy Spirit brings God’s elect to in conviction. It is when we as sinners are brought to the point that we see no other hope but the grace of God in Christ – no hope of forgiveness but by His blood and no hope of justification but by His righteousness imputed.

When the Holy Spirit reveals to us our sin, impotence, and depravity, we in desperation by God-given faith lay hold upon Christ, and we cannot and will not let go of Him. This is not forcing Christ to save us, but it is the force of conviction that causes us to cling to Him for our lives. Like Jacob wrestling with the Angel (a preincarnate appearance of Christ), we say, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26). If God did not intend to save us according to His sovereign will, He would not bring us to this point of desperation. But this is where the Lord brings all His people. We cannot force Him to bless us with salvation, but He brings us to such a point of desperation that we cannot and will not let go of Christ.


-preacher Bill Parker

https://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=reignofgrace


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