In this teaching, Pastor Mike unpacks one of the most difficult sayings of Jesus: Matthew 11:12, where Jesus says “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Pastor Mike explains the historical, biblical, and theological background of the passage, showing how the kingdom’s arrival through John the Baptist and Jesus overturned the religious status quo. Rather than respectable religious elites, it was repentant sinners, outcasts, and unlikely followers who urgently embraced the kingdom. This explanation helps clarify how spiritual hunger, repentance, and bold faith—not social status or religious pedigree—marked those who truly entered God’s kingdom.
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1/25/2026Where and what was Jesus doing before the incarnation? Are there hints of Christ in the Old Testament? Yes! There was magnificent preparation and planning, which foreshadowed the incarnation that only a sovereign God could accomplish.
Be sure to request the book The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney and discover Christ in the Old Testament.
Where and what was Jesus doing before the incarnation? Are there hints of Christ in the Old Testament? Yes! There was magnificent preparation and planning, which foreshadowed the incarnation that only a sovereign God could accomplish.
Be sure to request the book The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney and discover Christ in the Old Testament.