Let us turn once again to the
Word of God in the chapter we read, Matthew chapter 11, and
I want to direct you for a while this morning to the words that
we find here in verse 12. here in Matthew chapter 11 and
the 12th verse and from the days of John the Baptist until now
the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take
it 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 the kingdom of heaven taken by force. You may be aware of a book with
a similar title, The Spiritual Autobiography of William Huntington,
which he called The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by Prayer. And John Warburton, the famous
strict Baptist pastor back in the 19th century, when he first
came upon that little work by Huntington was rather dismayed
at the title as he picked it up he thought well this must
be an Arminian book a free will book the kingdom of heaven taken
by force how can men take hold of God's kingdom how can they
imagine that they're going to take it by their own endeavors
in prayer However, although put off by the title, he began to
read the book and as he read so he discovered that it was
very far from being an Arminian book, that it was one that was
a plain declaration of the sovereignty of the grace of God and the manner
in which God is pleased to work in answer to the prayers and
the pleadings of those that are quickened by his spirit. It was
not an Arminian book and certainly of course the text that I read
this morning which bears that title that is similar really
to the book The book is called The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by
Prayer, and the truth set before us here in the Word is The Kingdom
of Heaven Taken by Force. But we are well aware, I'm sure,
that you won't find one Arminian text anywhere in the Holy Scriptures. And so as we come this morning
to look at this verse of Scripture, I want to try to say something
with regards to those things that accompany true faith those
things that accompany saving faith and deal with some three
headings really first of all out there is that there is an
encouragement to faith and then secondly there is also opposition
there is opposition to faith and then finally we'll say something
with regards to the activity, the activity of faith. First of all, then, to say something
with regards to the encouragement of faith. And in this whole chapter,
really, there is a great deal in the context that is an encouragement
to real faith. Here we see certainly something
of the great clarity of the gospel of the grace of God. Here the
Lord Jesus of course is speaking very much of the ministry of
John the Baptist. That is the immediate context
as we see in the previous verses. The Lord is departing and he
says to the multitudes there in verse 7 concerning John, what
went she out into the wilderness to say? And the rhetorical questions
follow. Did they go to see a ridge shaken
with the wind? Did they go to see a man clothed
in soft raiment? No, it was none of these things.
They went to see a man who was a prophet, says the Lord. Yea,
and more than a prophet, he was a great man. And then he says,
This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before
thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I
say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the Baptist, notwithstanding
he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John was a great man and yet
those who are least in the kingdom of heaven and then the Lord in
the text goes on to speak somewhat of those who have entered into
the kingdom of heaven and how they have done it by great spiritual
violence but he's speaking really here of John and the ministry
that John had been exercising and John he says is really the
fulfilment of what we read at the end of the Old Testament.
He's spoken of there in the last book in the prophecy of Malachi.
In verse 10 the Lord speaks of one who is the fulfillment of
those words that we find at the beginning of Malachi chapter
3. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before
thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. And then
again, at verse 14, isn't the Lord referring to words that
we have back in Malachi chapter 4 and verse 5? Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord. Oh, this is that one, you see,
that the Lord is reminding them of in the words of verse 14.
If you will receive it, this is Elias or Elijah, which was
for to come. The Lord is speaking then very
clearly of John, and John is the last of all the prophets
of the Old Testament. And as he is the last of all
those prophets, so he is also the greatest of those prophets.
He says in verse 13, all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. and there was not a greater or
there never was a greater than John the Baptist he says there
in that 11th verse now how was John greater than all those prophets
that went before him and of course we are familiar I'm sure with
those prophets that we read of in the Old Testament scriptures
the ministry of men like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel not
to mention those that we refer to as minor prophets not because
they were any less prophets than those great men but their writings
are not so long and so profuse but surely men like Hosea and
Zechariah and Zephaniah and Malachi and all those minor prophets
they were great men and they were men who were faithful in
proclaiming and preaching the word of God and yet We're told
here that John is greater than all of them. Now, all of those
prophets, they would speak of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't
he that one who is the spirit of prophecy? But those Old Testament
prophets would often speak in dark figures. it was much that
was shadowy and difficult to understand in the ministry of
those men if we read through a book like that of Zechariah
the prophet it's not always easy to to understand some of the
ministry that that man is exercising but when we come to the ministry
of this man John the Baptist why is declaration of the truth is so
clear and so plain because he is preparing the way for the
actual appearance of the Messiah. He is the real harbinger. And
now we see him in very direct terms calling men to behold the Lord
Jesus Christ. We have those words. in the opening
chapter of John's Gospel concerning the ministry of the Baptist when
he says to his own disciples, behold the Lamb of God, why here
is that one who was promised from ancient times and he directs
men quite clearly to the Lord Jesus and how we see it Again
there in that opening chapter of John, in the words that he
speaks in verses 33 and 34. John says, I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see
the Spirit descending and remaining on him. The same is he which
baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that
this is the Son of God." Or he plainly declares that Jesus of
Nazareth, the one upon whom he had seen the Spirit descending
when Christ came up out of those waters of baptism, but the Spirit
not only descending but remaining upon Him. The Spirit immediately
drives Christ into the wilderness where He is tempted 40 days and
40 nights and then the Lord returns from the wilderness in all the
fullness of the Spirit. Why? The Spirit doesn't just
descend but remains on Him. And John says, we bear record
that this is the Son of God. He plainly declares him the truth
of Christ's eternal sonship. And this is that one, of course,
that Peter will then acknowledge and confess at Caesarea Philippi. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. John speaks very plainly concerning
the Lord Jesus, who he is, and his ministry. And as he as he
speaks of Christ. So he also speaks very plainly
of the sins of the people. Why? This Christ has come to
be the saviour of sinners. And his harbinger then must also
speak the truth concerning the sins of the people. That's his
ministry. The baptism of repentance. We read of it previously here
in chapter 3. We are told how when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said
unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come, bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. And think not to say within yourselves,
We have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is
able of these stones to raise up children unto Abram. And now also the axe is laid
unto the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy
to bear. He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost. and with fire. Oh he speaks yes
of Christ but he also speaks concerning the awful reality
of sin and how his ministry was such an offense and we are told
later concerning the king Herod how John was so bold in denouncing
the sins of Herod in chapter 14 and there at verse three were
told Herod had laid hold on John and bound him and put him in
prison for Herodias sake his brother Philip's wife for John
said unto him it is not lawful for thee to have her or we could
say as Nathan would say to King David thou art the man he would
even address himself to the king and he suffered of course he
suffered as a consequence why he was ultimately executed, beheaded
in a cruel manner by that wicked King Herod. Here is John and
the Lord speaks of that ministry of John. You see the clarity
of these things as the Christ is about to appear. Isn't John
really the fulfillment of that tremendous passage that we find
back in the prophecy of Isaiah? You know the portion there in
chapter 40 and verse 6 following where we're told of his ministry
the voice for the voice of one crying in the wilderness the
voice said cry and he said what shall I cry all flesh is grass
and all the goodness thereof is as the flower of the field
the grass withereth the flower fadeth because the spirit of
the Lord bloweth upon it truly the people is grass The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall
stand forever. Christ comes, you see, and he
comes to call sinners unto himself. And here, as we saw at the beginning
of the chapter, John, the great man that he was, great prophet
that he was, the greatest of prophets, and yet, when he's in the prison, he seems
to have certain doubts and fears. Is Jesus of Nazareth really the
Christ? Art thou he that should come
is a message that he sends through his own disciples. Art thou here
that should come, or do we look for another? And now the Lord
answers. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers
are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the
poor have the gospel preached unto them. Oh, it's the day of
the gospel, the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ that has just
begun. and what is it that we have in
the gospel is not just that clarity that is so plain and so clear
but also there is that great call of the gospel and we have it here in verse
15 as the Lord speaks he that has ears to hear let him hear
this is the call of the gospel And of course the whole chapter
concludes on that tremendous call. Come unto me, all ye that
labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart. And ye shall find rest unto your
souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What a contrast! What a contrast
when we consider something of the content that we have here
in this portion of Scripture when we turn back to the Old
Testament and the giving of the Law. Remember how we have the
Ten Commandments here in the 20th chapter of Exodus but previously
the scene is set in chapter 19 and how the people are told to
keep back. bounds our sets around Mount
Sinai and if anyone dare to approach or they'll be struck down dead.
What does the law say? It says keep back. All the terrors of the Lord of
God and yet what a remarkable contrast when we come to the
gospel. It doesn't say keep back, it says come. Come unto me, says
the Lord Jesus, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, all ye that
have ears, let him hear. Here is the great call of the
gospel. And the contrast with that law, the law says do and
live, and the sinner, why the sinner can do nothing. The sinner
is dead in all his trespasses and sins. You have the language
of Beridge in the hymn, don't we? Run, run and work, the law
commands. But finds me neither feet nor
hands, but sweet anew as the gospel brings. It bids me fly
and gives me wings. That's the difference, you see,
between law and gospel. And what we have here, of course,
is gospel. This is the gospel of our God
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. and this is the ministry of John
the Baptist who has come to prepare the way for that blessed ministry
of the saviour of sinners and so if the call of the gospel
is come and men refuse to come are they not culpable? is not
the fault altogether their own? when God made man, God made man
upright but man sought out many inventions The Lord says Himself,
doesn't He? And ye will not come to me that
ye might have life. Our men are so willful in their
sins, so willful in their unbelief. And so, as the Lord speaks throughout
the chapter, we see Him upbraiding those cities where He had done
such remarkable works, great miracles. Verse 20, He began
to upbraid The cities wherein his mighty works were done, because
they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you,
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of
judgment than for you." And then those remarkable words concerning
Capernaum. which art exalted unto heaven,
it shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which
have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have
remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment
than for thine." What does he teach us this? Does he not remind
us that spiritual sins are worse than fleshly sins? Sodom renowned
of course for sins of the flesh Sodomites it was full of Sodomites
and yet it will be more tolerable for that wicked Satan than for Capernaum because they
were guilty of great spiritual sins oh friends it is an awful thing
to reject the gospel of the grace of God this is the condemnation
that light is coming to this world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil God has spoken in these last
days by his son and how the Lord Jesus Christ is so plain with
regards to the consequence in the lives of those who reject
him and reject the gospel of his grace. Look at the words
that we find in the 15th of John and there at verse 22 of the
following verses. He says, If I had not come and
spoken unto them they had not had sin, but now they have no
cloak or the margin says no excuse for their sin. He that hateth
me, hateth my father also. If I had not done among them
the works which none other man did, they had not had sin, but
now they have both seen and hated both me and my father." How solemn
it is. God reveals Himself. God reveals His truth. and He
reveals these things to those who are poor and weak and so
ignorant that's what the Lord is saying isn't it later when
He addresses the Father at verse 25 O Father Lord of heaven and
earth I thank Thee because Thou hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes even so Father
for so it seemed good in thy sight, or how the Lord rejoices
in that blessed truth then have to come to the Lord
Jesus Christ He is the only one who can reveal
the Father to them there's no other way of knowing God but
in and through His Son He goes on there at verse 27, All things
are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son but
the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son. And he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him. Now, the end of that verse is
interesting because there are actually two verbs which mean
to will. a weaker verb and a stronger
verb, and it's the stronger of the two that the Lord deliberately
uses there. Neither knoweth any man the Father
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal Him. Well, we need to pray to the
Son that it might please Him in His goodwill and pleasure
to reveal God to us. and he will not refuse such a
request, such a prayer as that all that the Father giveth me,
you say, shall come to me and he that cometh to me I shall
in no wise cast out or are we those who feel that that's what
we need even to come to him and to have
that blessed assurance in our heart he will not cast us out
how can we question his words the one who is the true and the
faithful witness when he has declared such a truth as that
I will in no wise cast him out says the Lord but are we those
who as we come under the sound of his word we are made so often
to to feel our own folly to feel our own ignorance really, with
regards to the truths of God's words. We see that we are the
foolish ones. And how the Lord speaks of them,
you see, here in the chapter. Verse 16, He says, Where unto
shall I liken this generation? Is it like unto children sitting
in the markets, calling unto their fellows, and saying, We
have piped unto you, and ye have not danced? We have mourned unto
you, and ye have not lamented? For John came neither eating
nor drinking and they say he had a devil. The son of man came
eating and drinking and they say behold a man gluttonous and
a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified
over children. Oh, let us recognize that the
folly is ours. The folly is all ours. We are
like silly children. when we refuse to bow to the
authority of His Word, to embrace His Word, to rest in His Word,
and to trust in His promises. Or do we feel ourselves then
to be those who are the fools? And yet again we have the grace
of God. I love that verse back in Isaiah
35. At the end of verse 8 it says,
"...the wayfaring men, those fools." shall not err therein
those who would enter through that straight gate and walk in
that narrow way they are wayfaring men they are strangers, they
are pilgrims and those fools in themselves they cannot err
because they are in that way that leadeth unto life eternal
or what do we have here then? we have so much to encourage
with them so much to encourage us with regards to the gospel
of the grace of God the clarity of it, the clearness of it the
gracious call of the gospel the words of the Lord Jesus himself He calls men to Him all that the Father gives Him
they come to Him He will never cast any out that come They're
invited to come, they're invited to look, they're invited to live.
And yet, though there is so much in the chapter that's an encouragement,
we must be faithful and recognize there is also opposition. There
will be opposition. What does the text say? It speaks
of the necessity, really, of striving. he speaks of violence
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffered violence and the violent take it by force so similar to
those words we find in Luke's gospel strive to enter into the
straight gate says the Lord for many shall seek to enter in there
at and shall not be able there is to be that that striving at
the gate in order to to force one's way in through that straight
gate, into the narrow one. And I'm sure you've read it there
in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Remember what Bunyan says as
poor Christian eventually arrives at the straight gate. And he's
about to enter in but there's Beelzebub. Beelzebub is firing
his arrows Oh, what arrows! What arrows
they are! Even at the very guide he will
seek to hinder those who would enter therein. What are the arrows?
Well, there's an accusing devil. There's an accusing devil. There's
that devil who is so clever, so subtle. Does he not sometimes
come even when the poor sinner is at the very guide of the narrow
way about to enter in and he comes with his accusations? and
he'll say to that sinner, you know you're not a big enough
sinner to go into the way of salvation you've got to have
a deeper conviction of sin before you can enter in through this
gate that's what he does, he comes and he makes silly accusations
to turn us away he'll trouble us with his accusations we'll
feel something of the accusation of our own conscience you know
when we sin and of course he is the one who tempts no man
when he is tempted he says I am tempted of God because God tempteth
no man and God himself cannot be tempted with evil we are tempted
when we draw the way of our own lust and entice but when the
devil comes and gains that advantage over us and we fall and so often
we do fall and then what does the devil do? why? he is the
accuser of the brethren and he accuses them day and night and
he will accuse us there at the gate and he'll say well we can't
enter in because we are too great a sinner he'll either say we
haven't got enough conviction of sin or we've sinned away the
day of grace We've refused so often to enter in. We've never
entered in through that narrow gate and now it's too late. The
day of grace for us is past. This is how subtle it is, you
see. This is what Bunyan is painting
there in Pilgrim's Progress. He has all these various arrows.
Carnal reasoning. When we try to reason it out
for ourselves, to think we know better than God. or he'll tell
us we've got a hard heart. How can hard-hearted sinners
enter into that narrow way that leads to life? He'll come, you
see, and then implant in our minds all sorts of doubts and
fears. We'll feel so unbelieving. How can unbelievers, how can
those who are guilty of that awful sin, unbelief, how can
such enter into the into the narrow world there is opposition
or there is opposition and that's why the Lord in the text speaks
of that spiritual violence from the days of John the Baptist
until now the kingdom of heaven suffered violence The margin, you know, gives this
alternative here in this pulpit Bible. Sufferers, it says, literally
means, is gotten by force, and they that thrust men. The kingdom
of heaven is gotten by force, and they that thrust men. It's taken then by violence. It's taken by violence. I like the comment, the remark
of David Dixon. You may have his commentary on
this Gospel of Matthew. Banner of Truth published it
some years ago. Davis Dixon, of course, was one
of those great Scots divines back in the days of the Puritans
and he makes this very telling comment. He said, if we cannot
remove impediments let us set our feet upon them as stepping
stones all those sort of impediments that I've just sought to mention
that will hinder anyone entering in when the devil comes with
all his clever words and subtle arguments if we cannot remove
the impediments Dixon says let us set our feet upon them as
stepping stones whereby we do enter into that narrow way that
leads to life. Or there's encouragement, and
yet we have to recognize there will be opposition. The devil
won't be inactive, he'll seek to prevent any sinner entering
into that narrow way that leads to life. And then finally, to
say something this morning with regards to the activity of faith. The activity of faith. What do we see here? Well, we
see two things, I would say. There's the power of the gospel. What is the Lord speaking of
in the text? He's speaking of the kingdom
of heaven. That's God's kingdom. That's
God's kingdom. Our God is in the heavens, says
the psalmist, and he hath done whatsoever he pleased. The heavens
rule. The heavens rule. Salvation is
of the Lord. Again, there, at the end of Psalm
3, we're told, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. It's God's prerogative,
salvation. This kingdom that we're considering
and that narrow way that leads to the Kingdom, it is God's Kingdom. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name unto heaven given
amongst men whereby we must be saved. And God has laid up that
salvation in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's to Christ that we have to
look. It's to Christ that we must come. We can only know God in and through
His Son. He is the image of the invisible
God. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily we're told. This is life eternal to know
Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. It all centers in Christ in his
person and in his work we were only reading at home this morning
there in that great second chapter of Philippians you know that
great passage concerning The humility of the Lord Jesus Christ,
he taught not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of
no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, was made
in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the
cross. There is salvation in the person and work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord, it's
the great purpose of the Father, it's that that has been obtained
by the work, the obedience of the Son of God manifest in the
flesh and of course it must be the work of the Spirit to bring
it home to the heart of the sinner. Or when that Gospel came to those
in Thessalonica, what does Paul say? that gospel came not in
word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance
this is the greatest of all the works of God the salvation of
sinners and it involves all the persons in the Godhead Father,
Son and Holy Ghost all true Christians is composed of truth from nature
never learned that Father, Son and Holy Ghost to save our souls
are all concerned it's God's prerogative that's the power
of the gospel and how awful it is that men should ever think
that they can do anything to save themselves really at roots to think like
that is atheism it's to deny God it's to deny God because
God only saves it is God's prerogative and yet We have these words in
the text concerning this kingdom of heaven. It suffereth violence
and the violent take it by force. Well what do we see here? We
see something of what faith is. What we've said so many times
it's that strange paradox which is real faith. Although salvation is of the
Lord, When God deals with sinners, sinners are not passive, are
they? We have it, the paradox of it illustrated really in what
happens with the children of Israel there in Exodus 14 when
they've come out of Egypt. Now Pharaoh is pursuing them
with his armies, with his chariots. And they're shot in, they have
the Red Sea before them, mountains all around them, what can they
do? They can't go forward, they're trapped. And remember what the
Lord God says to Moses there in Exodus 14, He says, stand
still and see the salvation of God. Be still and know that I
am God. And yes, within a few verses,
God says to Moses, Wherefore cryest thou unto me, go forward. The one verse he's saying, stand
still, see the salvation of God, there in verses 13 and 14, and
the next verse, verse 15, God says, Wherefore cryest thou unto
me, go forward. And that really indicates something
of what faith is. You see, true faith is never
passive. And how do we enter into the
kingdom? We enter by faith. And what is faith? Faith is that,
that is waiting with such an expectation. There's such longings
and yearnings, hungerings and thirstings in the soul. Wait
on the Lord, be of good courage. He shall strengthen thy soul.
Wait, I say, on the Lord. What is this waiting? Well, there's
another passage, isn't there, there in Romans 8. Remember how
the apostle speaks of the whole creation groaning and travailing
together until now. Because of man's sin, all of
creation under the curse. groaning. And then we read this
there, Romans 8, 19, we read of the earnest expectation of
the creature. The earnest expectation of the
creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Oh, that's
the end of time, that's the restoration of all things. New heavens and
a new earth, that's what's being spoken of. But it's that expression,
the earnest expectation and it's just a single word that's really
being translated by that expression the earnest expectation but the
word literally means to watch with an outstretched neck to
be strained to see it and that's how we're to wait on the Lord
if we would enter into this way we're stretching our necks we
want to see it or we yearn to enter in, we're longing to get
in. That's how the Lord deals with
us, you see. That's something of the paradox of faith. It's
all of God, it's all of grace, yes, but all what blessed exercise,
what longings, what yearnings in the souls of those who would
enter in. This is how it suffers violence.
It's the grace of God in the soul of the sinner. It's God's
working effectually and that sinner brought ultimately to
experience that great blessing of salvation because God's works
can never be aborted he that hath begun a good work in you
says the apostle will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
from the day of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence and the violence, take it by force. Oh God grant that we might be
those friends who know what it is to partake of these great
blessings, the blessings of the Gospel, of the grace of God in
the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless
His work to us. Amen.