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The Truth of The Matter is- Episode: 191 Delving Deeper Into The Effects Of The Government Of God
25 Plays13 days ago
The Word of God can be easy to read at times and hard to read at times. The key to be a good student is to be willing to search and be wrong. Everything in the Bible should not be taken literally and everything in the Bible should not be taken figuratively. The challenge is finding out when we should read it in that lens. Continuing in the Gospel of Matthew series we come across a passage that requires time to unpack and after listening determine if you agree or disagree with my conclusion. Let’s dig deep and see what we can learn and ponder on.
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Transcript
Introduction and Gratitude
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Welcome to the Truth For The Matters Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and this is episode 191. Let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
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are
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We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience. And I pray that regardless of the episode that you find yourself pressing play on, we believe that it can and that it will be a blessing to you.
00:01:16
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So I hope
The Importance of Accurate Scriptural Content
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everyone's doing well. Thank you so much for your patience. Obviously, it's been maybe about two to three weeks since the last recording. And I've just been pretty much occupied with work and several other things.
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And particularly when it comes to this text that we're going to be talking about today, I spend extra time making sure that whatever I share with you, not only can it be supported by scripture,
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But of course you have the liberty of going back, studying what it is that I shared with you today, the passages, and of course the commentating that comes along with what I believe can be a blessing to you.
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And so I wanted to make sure I provided that, not just with confidence, but also knowing deep down that it was accurate, at least from my vantage point.
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And so I believe that what I'm going to share with today will be a blessing and also will be educational. And that's what we try to do here on the Truth For The Matters podcast.
New Segment: Bible Trivia
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Now, with that being said, since this podcast started, we have encouraged you to reflect
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throughout the week to see how God has blessed you. And we hope that you will continue to do that on your own in your spare time. But for now, we're going to take a break from that and add something else in this place, a different segment.
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And this segment is going to be Bible trivia, right? Moving forward, we want to briefly tell you something that you may have not known about what's said in scripture.
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And we hope that it will be a blessing to you. So I came across this book called Bible trivia written by Timothy Parker.
Interesting Bible Trivia Facts
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And I thought in preparation for anything that we discussed scripturally, this could be a great icebreaker, right? Something interesting that we haven't covered something that I may know and something that you may know. And then they're going to be some things that you don't know.
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And so beginning every podcast episode specifically discussing gospel series, I'm going to share with you a few things that maybe you did not know.
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So the book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not mention the word God in it. Again, the book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not mention the word God. Another interesting thing that you may have not known, there will be no marriages in heaven.
00:04:28
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And of course, if you want to check out the validity of that statement, you can look at Matthew chapter 22 verse 30. You can look at Mark chapter 12 verse 25.
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And of course, you can look at Luke chapter 20 verses 34 to 35.
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Another thing that you maybe did not know is that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea at night, not during the day. The Lord created a pillar of cloud to provide light for the Israelites while the Egyptians saw only darkness.
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Of course, you can find this particular portion in Exodus chapter 14 verses 19 through 22. And I'm going to provide you with one more.
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Hmm.
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Although Joshua wrote the book of Joshua, he could not have written Joshua chapter 24 verses 29 through 33, which describes his death. in Israel after his death.
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And so that's interesting thing. So I guess we would have to surmise how that piece of literature information was provided. And so for now, that's going to be what I will share with you in a second. As a matter of fact, I'll share with you two more.
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Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2 instructs us to always show hospitality to strangers because we may unknowingly be helping an angel.
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Again, Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2 says instructs us to always show hospitality to strangers because we may not know that we could be helping angels.
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Lastly, Luke chapter 19 verse 23 speaks about putting money in the bank to allow it to earn interest. So obviously for those who did not know the Bible does provide financial advice and moving forward, always try to show hospitality to people because you may be entertaining angels.
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So again, I hope everyone is doing well.
Prayer for Guidance and Understanding
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And so we're going to move right into prayer and then right into what I want to talk to you about. Obviously continuing in the Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew series.
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Heavenly Father, Lord, in Jesus name, we thank you so much for what you're doing, what you've done. And of course, the people that you've placed in our lives to be blessing or a challenge.
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We believe all things that have come have come with a purpose. And so with that in mind, we thank you for it all. Whether that is designed to develop our character, whether it's designed to have us remain vigilant, cautious, thoughtful, intentional, we thank you for it.
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As we go into your word today, we ask that you open up our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our hearts to receive, and our minds to understand. what it is that maybe at first we could not understand.
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We thank you for grace and mercy. We appreciate you. We love you. And we ask that we have a much more clearer understanding of your word as we depart one another, but never your presence.
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Lord, use me as your instrument to share what is true. Guide me, direct me, instruct me. to be as authentic, honest, and sincere about what your word has to say, leaving my feelings and thoughts out of it that are not consistent with your truth.
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And on that note, Lord, we thank you and we honor you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Avoiding Misteaching Scripture
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So continuing with the Matthew series, the Gospel of Matthew series, this particular text, I have to be honest, was one that had me really taking my time with it.
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And of course, we have to be very cautious when we enter your word, because if we misinterpret your word and then proceed to try and ah attempt to educate people wrongfully,
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Right. I know scripture says do not be eager to be teachers us because you will be judged more harshly. And so my attempt has always been to give you some suggestions, a different way of viewing the scripture.
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my goal is for you to be optimistic, right? For you to ask questions, for you to take your time and study it. And i believe in time, not only will God reveal what needs to be revealed to you, I think through the art of fellowship, you can draw near to God, not just by your own thoughts, but by hearing the thoughts of others.
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And so I've learned the importance and the value of not just sitting with the information on your own, but taking the time out to share what others and hear what others have to say about it.
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And so I'm going to share with you something today, a particular outlook on this portion of the Gospel Matthew. And I hope that what I have to share with you will bless you.
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And on that note, we're going to be looking at Matthew chapter 11 verses 12 to 15.
Exploring Matthew 11:12-15: Kingdom of Heaven
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And we're going to be looking at this in the English Standard Version.
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excuse this cough that I have ever so often. I think it's due to allergies. Not completely sure what it is, but I wanna make sure that what I have to say can be understood.
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And if you hear me take a break, that's because I wanna make sure that I get rid of what might be hindering my speech. So Matthew chapter 11 verses 12 to 15 says from the days of John Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and a violent ticket by force.
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For all the prophets and the law prophesies until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears, let them hear.
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So John the Baptist's ministry lasted for approximately six months, ending with imprisonment and soon after he was beheaded.
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Now, do I think it was a coincidence that John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus, making him roughly six months apart in age? No, I don't think so. I think that John's ministry in a gap between himself and Jesus, which was approximately six months, happened to be intentional.
00:12:30
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In my opinion, that's all about God's timing, you know, God's reasoning. and God's purpose. But when I read the first couple of words in verse 12, what immediately stood out to me was the importance of biblical history.
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Again, the importance of biblical history. When you read from the days of John the Baptist until now, as the reader of this text,
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I think we ought to take it into consideration of the events that have transpired previously up until now, the present day, that being said by Jesus and the text that we're reading.
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If I were to briefly give you a sub-theme that is within this text, it would have to be an aggressive pursuit and desire for truth.
00:13:27
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Now, there are two passages that I have mentioned often on this podcast that come to mind, and I believe it's apropos to mention them once again. Matthew 7, 7, and of course, you know that I love the NLT. says,
00:13:42
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Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will knock. Keep on knocking and a door will be open to you. The point here is that you don't give up, but that you keep on doing in pursuit of what it is that you desire.
00:14:02
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And in James chapter 4 verse 8, which says, draw near to God. And he would draw near to you. Now, both of these passages of scripture speak to the actions of a person who is in pursuit of truth.
00:14:17
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For those who have discovered the truth know there's not a concept that you have come to arrive at. But a person who you have come to have a relationship with.
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And that's Jesus Christ who actually calls himself the truth. And I believe we ought to acknowledge that both these passages that I often mention here on this podcast speaks to a person's effort to have an encounter with Jesus Christ and does so with the intentions of not giving up.
00:14:54
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Now, there's one thing that's undeniable about Jesus, and that's his ability to liberate us. And in fact, liberate ourselves. who are enslaved to sin.
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And he sets them free. There's a beautiful passage in the Gospel of John, and I believe it's chapter eight, verse 35 through 36, that says a slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever, right? If the son sets you free, then you are truly freed indeed.
00:15:27
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Remember, because of Adam's transgressions, we are born into a condition of sin. Because we have found Christ and have chosen to have faith and belief in him, we are born again, which makes us no longer slaves to sin, but rather slaves to righteousness. And if I had a decision to make, should I be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness?
00:15:50
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I'm picking righteousness. So to really drive this point home, and I think it's imperative that that we need to read Romans six, the whole chapter, right? This chapter is so good that I could not single out a portion of it without acknowledging that all of it is very profound, especially to the point that I'm trying to drive home.
00:16:15
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So let's read that Romans six. When then should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?
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Of course not. Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we join him in his death?
00:16:42
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For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
00:16:55
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Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised in life to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.
00:17:10
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We are no longer slaves to sin, for when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin, and since we died with Christ we know we will also live with Him.
Romans 6: Freedom from Sin
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We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead. and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
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When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
00:17:49
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Do not let sin control the way you live. Do not give in to the sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.
00:18:01
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Instead, give yourselves completely to God for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
00:18:13
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Sin is no longer your master for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. Well, then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning?
00:18:28
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Of course not. Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin which leads to death or you can choose to obey God which leads to righteous living.
00:18:42
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Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin.
00:18:53
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You have become slaves to righteous living because of the weakness of your human nature. I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led every deeper into sin.
00:19:14
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Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living, so that you will become holy. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.
00:19:27
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And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God.
00:19:40
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Now you do those things that lead to holiness, resulting in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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To take it a step further, knowing Jesus and keeping his word allows a believer to remain free and avoid chains of slavery. Words of deception and falsehood.
00:20:11
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You know, this is a great passage in the book of Psalms. I think it's 119 verse 45 says, our will walk about in freedom while I have sought out your precepts.
00:20:24
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Amen. So when I read the first half of verse 12, and I was actively working things out to truly comprehend with a sincere heart.
00:20:38
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Going back to the first half of verse 12, it says, from the days of John the Baptist until now. You know, I believe that this period in time marks the beginning of a new era in God's redemption plan.
00:20:54
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And John came on the scene. You know, i believe he was calling for people to repent and ask them if they would like to get baptized. And I believe that that this was all done in preparation for the way, which is another phrase that expresses the life and person of Jesus Christ.
00:21:12
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When I went on to the second half of verse 12, it goes on to say that the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violence taken by force. And now I had to honestly sit with that phrase and ask myself, you know, how has the kingdom of heaven suffered violence?
00:21:31
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And how have the violent taken it by force? And to be honest, the literal reading of this threw me off.
00:21:42
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So what did I do to help bring clarity? actually went back to the basics. And that's Herman Newick's, which is a healthy approach to reading scripture, right? There's a Herman Newick's for other portions of literature that you read.
00:21:59
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And so. For more information in this, I suggest that you check out episode one, which is where I introduced the importance of hermeneutics when it comes to interpreting and reading scripture.
00:22:11
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And if you want an an even deeper breakdown, I revisit episode one and I dive deeper into these things in episode 181. OK.
00:22:22
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okay And so when I began to delve deeper and into trying to understand what the government of God is, I discovered that the kingdom of heaven is not just a place, because if it were just a place and I've read this passage only believing that it was just a place in a literal sense.
00:22:43
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Then I will have to admit that I've been lost and here's why. Right. And the earthy realm in which we reside, the way that war has been conducted has always been the majority of time physical.
Spiritual Warfare in Earthly Realms
00:22:58
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And I have to ask myself, Should I believe that in the heavenly realm, the way spiritual beings handle their differences comes about in physical confrontation as well?
00:23:09
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No, I don't have the confidence in believing that that, you know, that's accurate. That that would be so. And so one of the passages of scriptures that I thought about.
00:23:27
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was Ephesians 6 12 for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil and the heavenly realms.
00:23:43
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And so my takeaway is in the earthly realm, physical wars a occur occur, but they occur based on what scripture has said. And that is,
00:23:58
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Is that it doesn't necessarily begin physical. Instead, truly what I can say that influences that outcome is spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
00:24:13
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I'll say that again, just in case you didn't understand me. When I read Ephesians 612 and I began to ask questions about how things have shifted or changed as relates to how the earthly realm is affected by the spiritual realm.
00:24:40
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It may come out to start that it appears that physical confrontation is how we resolve issues.
00:24:51
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But I actually believe that the spiritual realm affects the earthly realm.
00:24:59
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I believe it's an influence. That things that occur spiritually then take fold in the earthly realm. And if you're really hearing me, you know the difference that there's a huge discrepancy in terms of how things transpire that can leave you confused and concerned.
00:25:25
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And so at one point of another in a text or in a past episode, I spoke about the difference between benevolent and benevolent spirits that are at work and people.
00:25:39
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And when they are at work with people, they have hidden agendas. And those hidden agendas can be fostered or brought up to reveal certain things in the earthly realm that brings warning to us or makes it obvious that spiritual forces and authorities are influencing political issues that govern our society.
00:26:13
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So here's a biblical example that comes to mind. First Kings chapter 22 verse 19. And we're going to read this to 23.
00:26:25
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And Micaiah said, therefore, hear the word of the Lord. ah saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.
00:26:37
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And the Lord said, who will entice Ahab that he may go up and fall at Radom Gilead? And one said one thing and another said another.
00:26:51
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Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, I will entice him. And the Lord said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go out and I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.
00:27:08
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And he said, you are to entice him and you shall succeed. Go out and do so. Now, therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets. The Lord has declared disaster for you.
00:27:24
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And as you can see, based on this particular scripture, the heavenly realm had an impact on how things occurred in the earthly realm. Now, I personally believe that.
00:27:36
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War, spiritual beings engage in our wars of words. And I'm sure at some point we can get into that. And by the way, that's revelation. That revelation was actually free.
00:27:48
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So please, if you're curious about that, look into it. And I'm sure you can follow what it is that I'm saying and potentially discover the revelation in that.
00:28:02
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and Another passage I want to reference into this whole thing about the spiritual realm having an impact on the earthly realm is I would like to go to the book of Daniel, in chapter 10 and look at verses 12 to 14 in English Standard of Version. Just I want to use this just to finish the point off.
00:28:22
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that I'm suggesting here. Then he said to me, fear not Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humble yourselves before your God, your words have been heard and I have come because of your words.
00:28:36
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The prince of the king of Persia withstood me 21 days, but Micah, one of the chief prince, came to help me. For I was left there with the king of Persia and came to make you understand what it is that's happening to your people in a lot of days for the vision is four days yet to come then you prayed about this on the first day it took 21 days before he received an answer again we don't know why it takes a while for god to answer a question but information is power and so to receive it right away isn't always the case and so i've learned to come to the realization
00:29:22
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that some of the requests that we make in prayers, we can't immediately come to the conclusion that God doesn't care about us. Sometimes he's working things out before you can actually receive the blessing that he wants to give you.
00:29:36
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Sometimes spiritual forces are at work to deter you and prevent you from receiving the blessing that he wants to give you. And so we have to be mindful of the fact that these spiritual forces, right?
00:29:50
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Some work for Satan, some work for God. And so based on whether it's benevolent or benevolent spirits, And if they mean you well or they are trying to destroy you, you will know quickly what the intention is.
00:30:10
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And so we have to be more thorough and realize and why certain things are not happening immediately when we think that they should be happening. We don't have all the answers. We're unaware of what it is that God is working out on our behalf. But we know based on upon Romans 8, 28, that he works all things out according to his purpose and for you.
00:30:37
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And it's for your good. And so in returning back to trying to completely break down
00:30:47
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what this passage of Matthew is all about, I had to ask myself another question. What is the meaning of suffered violence in the context of the kingdom of heaven?
00:31:00
Speaker
And so, suffer violence in the Greek means forces its way violently or is taken by storm. Now, in my study, I found this to be something that I could work with.
00:31:12
Speaker
When someone or something is taken by storm, I believe there are two ways that you can interpret it. Taken by storm originally may refer to a military tactic of capturing a place through a violent action.
00:31:27
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Or another way to understand the phrase is figuratively, right? That would mean to describe something that achieves rapid and significant success or popularity. And so I'd ask myself, wasn't there something that was preached that gained rapid and significant success and popularity?
00:31:47
Speaker
Ah, that's right. That's John's message of repentance. Right? and the coming of the Messiah. And then followed by that, that's Jesus' message, the kingdom of heaven, which is why i came to the conclusion safely and supported by scripture that the kingdom of heaven is not just a place.
00:32:10
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would also have to be a mindset, a way of being, thinking, moving, operating. And so Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven is the reign and rule authority of God.
00:32:24
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and this is also known as the government of God. So John the Baptist, you know, informed the people that it was near. And so he urged people to prepare for it.
00:32:36
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And i would have to believe that John's message was a call to action, urging people to bear fruit in keeping with their repentance, right? And this repentance was the forgiveness was the request of the forgiveness of sins.
00:32:51
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And so the meaning of that had to be the impact of how a life of a person that wants to live in lockstep with God has to reflect their changed heart.
00:33:08
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And that also has to come with a changed mind. And so I went back to the Gospel of Luke just to kind of unpack a little bit about what John was saying and doing.
John the Baptist's Call for Repentance
00:33:24
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And I thought it would be pivotal to mention it here, apropos to mention it here. So the Gospel of Luke chapter 3, verse 7 to 15, I think does an amazing job at summarizing what I had just told you. So let's go there.
00:33:38
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Right. Again, I believe John's message, again, was a call to action. Right. I think he wants to urge people to bear fruit in keeping with their repentance.
00:33:49
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And that meant that their life will have to reflect a changed heart and a changed mind. And so he leads with that by saying this right in verse seven.
00:34:00
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He said, therefore, to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, you brought a vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father.
00:34:16
Speaker
For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children from Abraham. Even now that axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, does not bear good fruit. It's cut down and thrown into the fire.
00:34:32
Speaker
And the crowds asked him, What then shall we do? And he answered them, Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.
00:34:46
Speaker
Tax collectors asked, also came to be baptized and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, Collect no more than you are authorized to do.
00:34:57
Speaker
Soldiers also came to him, What shall we do? And he said to them, Do not exhort money from anyone but threats or by false accusations. Do not exhort money from anyone by threats or false allegations, and be content with your wages.
00:35:14
Speaker
As the people were in expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.
00:35:26
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So when I read verse 13, it says one of the prophecies fulfilled can be found. In Isaiah chapter 40, verse three, a voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in a desert, a highway for God.
00:35:46
Speaker
And the second prophecy fulfilled in scripture was in Malachi chapter three, verse one. Behold, I send my messenger. He will prepare way before me and a Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.
00:36:00
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And a message out of the covenant to whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. And so John the Baptist ministry is used, in my opinion, as a starting point, suggesting that from his time onward to the kingdom of heaven, he has been actively sorted and pursued by people with good and bad intentions.
00:36:22
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right The violent could refer to those who were zealous and passionate and determined in their pursuit of the kingdom of God. Or those who oppose the kingdom by taking the lives of those who are looking to expand its reach by declaring its reality and purposes.
00:36:42
Speaker
Now an example that comes to mind was the actions of Herod. but If we go to Matthew chapter two, verse seven through eight, it says that Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men and learned from them the time when the star first appeared.
00:37:02
Speaker
Then he told them, go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him too. So honestly, I mean, did that sound sincere for Herod?
00:37:17
Speaker
No, because why would a present king want to worship a king who has not come into the world yet? But yet, looking back at verse 3 and 6 in Matthew 2, Herod was actually deeply disturbed and others from Jerusalem felt the same way, right? Check this out, verse 3 through 6.
00:37:38
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King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of the religious law and asked, where is the Messiah supposed to be born?
00:37:53
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In Bethlehem, in Judea? They said, for this is what the prophet wrote. And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judea.
00:38:07
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For a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. So this was definitely a threat to Herod's position that forced him to act immediately in retaliation.
00:38:24
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Now, I want us to look at the remaining verses 14 to 15. And this is back originally to Matthew 11. It says, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
00:38:43
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He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Now, I believe that Jesus identifies I believe that Jesus identifies John the Baptist as a fulfillment of prophecy with Elijah.
00:39:01
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And I say that based upon what John has taught, which was a message of repentance and, of course, preparation for the Messiah. And I believe that that was a manifestation of Elijah's return.
00:39:17
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You know, Jesus used the phrase, if you are willing to accept it, to emphasize that understanding the recognizing, understanding and recognizing, you know, John's role as Elijah is a matter of faith.
00:39:32
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And i would have to believe open mindedness, something that the Jews would have to be open to recognizing, especially if they studied the scriptures diligently and intently to be a voice of truth.
00:39:51
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You know, something that is worth addressing, and this is something that I've read in the scriptures, and this is something that I've heard that I think we can't overlook, is that there's a concept that's recognizable in other beliefs, and that's reincarnation.
00:40:10
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And so the mission of John the Baptist was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. And he did so by preaching repentance and calling people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Lord.
00:40:24
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John, and my opinion, was not reincarnated as Elijah. Again, John was not reincarnated as Elijah, but rather, I believe he came in the spirit and power of Elijah to fulfill what was prophetically meant to be done.
00:40:44
Speaker
Again, John was not reincarnated as Elijah. But rather, I believe he came in the spirit and the power of Elijah to fulfill what was prophetically meant to be done.
00:40:58
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And I believe we can have the same mentality to do something. And I could be seen as coming in the same spirit. Right. There are people who come into a place and they bring a spirit of encouragement.
00:41:11
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by Spirit of love, right? Spirit of determination. And then you have people who can sow a seed of a spirit of confusion or a spirit of deceit, a spirit of error, a spirit of hate, a spirit of division, right?
00:41:26
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Pay close attention to these types of people because they're all around us. They truly are, right? he has He who has ears to hear, please let them hear when I say that because it's true everywhere.
00:41:44
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Don't overlook the possibility of people that come into your space to deter you or to delay you.
00:41:56
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Now i'm going to conclude with this as we bring this down to a close. One thing that was carried that characterized John the Baptist's ministry was that there was a large number of people who came to hear what he had to say.
00:42:12
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And I believe that this crowd was loyal and also diverse. This message that John preached had to have touched the hearts of those who you may have thought would have never cared or ever would have changed, right?
00:42:31
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What do we see in regards of those who change the tax collectors? We saw prostitutes and the Roman soldiers. This is all found in scripture that goes without saying that these crowds believed John to be a true prophet of God.
00:42:46
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And that's why not only did they gravitate to what he had to say, but they then took it into consideration. This is why they got baptized. This is the passage that I read a little bit earlier.
00:42:57
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in regards of what they asked of him that they should do. And then they then followed up by doing it. And so what does John understand about his position and who he is in biblical history and why it matters? Well, John understood that he came to make way for the Messiah, for the way.
00:43:20
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And so he passed the torch and saying something profound in the Gospel of John, chapter three, verses 30 to 35. He said he must become greater.
00:43:31
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i must become less. The one who comes from above is above all. The one who's from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth.
00:43:42
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The one who comes from the heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
00:43:56
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for one whom God has sent speaks the words of God for God, gives the spirit without limit. The father loves the son and has placed everything in his hands.
00:44:10
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And so the multitudes that have followed John immediately started to follow Jesus and his ministry. And so from the days of John the Baptist until now, there has been a rush of people from all over the surrounding areas.
00:44:27
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that were eager to be blessed. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence. I believe it's figuratively speaking and that people wanted to hear the gospel that by the multitudes, it resembled an army.
00:44:43
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the second The second portion of the verse in the violent take it by force. I believe it just people entering the kingdom were the people that were entered the kingdom were not violent.
00:44:56
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Literally, but I think what has to be highlighted and mentioned is that they had an eagerness to see the coming of the Messiah. And so they were overwhelmed. And it was this, it was no, as if that the city was being attacked or beaten down at the doors to enter were forcefully done.
00:45:17
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And it has to do with the excitement and the curiosity of the people. You know Jesus statement that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.
00:45:28
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You would have to depict that as a graphic picture of the enthusiasm and excitement that is generated by John the Baptist and Jesus teachings, right?
Figurative Interpretation of 'Violence' in the Bible
00:45:40
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People were hungry for the truth and will not be kept away. For centuries, prophets had predicted the coming of the Messiah.
00:45:51
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And now that the Messiah was there, I believe nothing was going to be able to hold them back. The flood of people pressing into the kingdom will not only overpour, but they will not be denied.
00:46:08
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And so again, anytime you read passages like this, you have to discern whether it's literal figuratively. And so when you read certain things figuratively and it doesn't line up,
00:46:21
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You have to go back to the drawing board and check it out. If you read things literally and it is not a lineups, you have to go back to the drawing board and you have to be certain that you've analyzed both perspectives because there are passages like this.
00:46:38
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If you take it literally when it was meant figuratively, like i don't know an example. It's like gouge your eyes out or cut your hand off. If people do it literally, guess what? You can't have that hand back. You can't have the eye back.
00:46:51
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And so you have to have a healthy hermeneut to determine that maybe it's just figuratively. And if it's figuratively, there has to be an example.
00:47:04
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that or a point or illustration that Jesus wants us to read or discover or research or understand.
00:47:17
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And so I thank you so much for hearing me out. And of course, you are entitled to go back and look at the passages that I've read. Write them down, analyze it.
00:47:32
Speaker
Listen to this episode morning once and determine if what I shared with you was a blessing.
00:47:41
Speaker
On that note, we go right into devotional time. You know, this is great passage in 2 Corinthians 9a. It says God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you are bound in every good work.
00:48:01
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And so I want to encourage you that your future is secured. You know, Jesus made a huge effort in teaching his followers the fatality of unnecessary worry.
00:48:14
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Right. He wanted them to trust God under all circumstances. Let no circumstances be something that you can't. rely and believe in God. These words were an assurance that a loving Heavenly Father will always provide if you live according to His will.
00:48:32
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Millions of God's children can testify to the truth of this fact. If you are worried about your future, come and lay your worries at Christ's feet in prayer. Trust Him with your future and follow His guidance, obedience, and faith.
00:48:48
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He will show you the way and will care for you in his divine providence. Here's a short prayer that I want to say to help us close out this particular episode of the Gospel Matthew series.
00:49:06
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My God, I put all my trust in you because I know from experience and based upon what the scriptures say, you will take care of me in the future.
00:49:19
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen. And of course, until next time, the truth for the matter is podcast audience. Be careful, be vigilant and watchful as we depart from one another, but never from the presence of the Lord.
00:49:39
Speaker
God bless. And I'll talk to you next time.