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The Violence
Needed to Enter the Kingdom of God By Jay Wegter Adapted from Heaven
Taken by Storm, by Thomas Watson Watson’s book is intended to show the holy violence a Christian is to
put forth in the pursuit after glory. “We must offer violence to heaven in regard
to the difficulty of the work – taking a kingdom. Our own hearts oppose us. This is a strange paradox; Man naturally
desires happiness, yet opposes it; he desires to be saved, yet hates that holy
violence which would save him” (Thomas Watson). Luke 16:16, “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed
until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and
everyone is forcing his way into it.” (NASB). Matthew Matthew 11:12, “And from the days of John the Baptist until
the present moment the kingdom of heaven has been continuously taken by storm,
and those who take it by storm are seizing it as a precious prize” (Williams
Translation). Part and parcel
of the holy violence necessary to enter the The reason
people are tricked into error is because they do not adequately love the truth
(2 Thess “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one
another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance
was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His Name” (Mal
3:16). Holy violence
entails: the resolution of the will; the vigor of the
affections, the strength of endeavor. The affections are “violent” things (Ps
42:2) (Note the relationship between the
mind, the affections, and the will – the mind explains what is precious to the
affections and the affections instruct the will to pursue that which it regards
to be its treasure.) The Christian offers violence to HIMSELF. Pampering of the
flesh is the quenching of God’s Spirit (the
flesh lusteth
against the Spirit – Gal Paul beat down
his body by prayer, fasting, and watching (1 Cor All the
exercises of worship are contrary to nature.
We do violence by awakening ourselves that our exercises might be done
with intensity of spirit and without distraction. It is holy labor (violence) to stir ourselves
to be centered upon God and raised above self-interest (Watson, p. 11). Violence by the reading of the Word. The Word teaches
us how to please God. It fills the heart
with grace. They who are vessels of
grace shall be vessels of glory. The
Word gives us weapons against sin to cut asunder the lusts of our heart
(Watson, p. 13). On the Last Day,
there are two books God will go by: the book of conscience and the book of
Scripture. One shall be a witness and
one shall be a judge. How we must
provoke ourselves to read His Word with care and devotion. Those who dishonor the Word now by neglect
shall bow to it as judge on that day (Jn In this life, it
is a profound mercy to have our consciences washed by the Redeemer’s blood,
educated by the Word of God, and sensitized by the Spirit’s ministry. Violence by prayer. The
names of prayer imply violence: wrestling, pouring out the heart,
fervency (Gen 32:24: 1 Sam 1:15). Stir the soul to
take hold of God. A good way to quicken yourself in prayer is to review your wants. Do you want the light of God’s presence? Do you want a spiritual, humble frame of
heart? Pray feelingly in order to
pray fervently (Watson, pp. 19-22). Violence by meditation.
Meditation is opposed to flesh and blood – how hard it is to fix our
minds and thought on God. Our flesh quarrels
with this duty. Hearing
begets knowledge, but meditation begets devotion. Only by meditation do
we feed our affections
(Watson, p. 23). Do you get your
spiritual insights by personal meditation upon the Word of God, or are all of
your insights “second hand” from your pastors and teachers? Meditation gives
ballast to the heart and makes it serious.
Meditation on eternal life makes us labor for a spiritual life. It has the effect of comforting and
reinforcing in us the shortness of natural life. Death comes on us by degrees (see the
metaphors for aging in Ecclesiastes 12). Where do we find
a meditating Christian? Most people live in a hurry, enveloped by
distractions. This is UNLIKE the saints
in former ages (p. 27). Consider the
paramount truths that are ready subjects for meditation: meditate upon the corruption of your nature and what it means to
pull down our pride. Meditate upon the
death and passion of Christ and how He was bearing the Father’s wrath against
our sins. Consider how dearly our sins
cost Christ. See how this evokes love
for Him in our hearts. Meditate upon
your evidences for heaven: (Was your heart ever thoroughly convinced of
sin? Did you ever see yourself lost
without Christ? Has God ever made you
willing to take Christ on His terms as your Priest and King? Are you willing to renounce the sins to which
the bias of your heart does naturally incline?
Are you willing to take Christ for better or worse; to take Him with His
cross? Do you have the indwelling
presence of the Spirit? What has the
Spirit done in you? Has He made you meek, merciful, humble? Has He left the impress of holiness upon
you?). Meditate upon the uncertainty of all earthly comforts (Ps
49:11). Meditate upon God’s severity
against sin. Sin kindles hell and stirs
up God’s wrath. Meditate upon eternal
life (Watson, pp. 24-27). Meditation – “The
clean animal chews the cud – the regenerate person chews truth.”
Meditation makes the Word preached to profit. Meditation quickens the affections (assimilation
of spiritual nutrition into the innermost being). Meditation has transforming power (note the
principle of transformation – we become like that which fills the heart). Meditation produces reformation. The only way to
consistently meditate is to get a love for spiritual things. We
naturally meditate on the things we love.
If we loved heavenly things, we would meditate on them more (pp. 28-29). Through meditation, our affections are
conformed to God’s truth. If our
affections are not continually conformed to the truth we will manifest some
combination of the following sins against God’s truth: suppress the truth,
neglect the truth, distort the truth, or deny the truth. Violence of self-examination. The good and
wise Christian begins as if it were the Day of Judgment in his own soul. We must be aware of the impediments: self love works against objectivity. You would give yourself no rest if you
bounced a check until the account was made right with the merchant, yet so
opposed is our flesh to examination, that denial and self-deception reign;
we’re too willing to live with outstanding accounts of conscience (pp. 30, 31). How the flesh
resists self-examination – though we know that a lust is having its way in our
soul like a raiding burglar, we do not even stir ourselves to turn on a light,
instead we allow sin as a thief to steal our spiritual comfort, our boldness,
our peace, and our sense of God’s presence.
(Regarding self-examination, see
Paul Zahl’s helpful chapter on self-criticism in his
work, A Short Systematic Theology, pp. 79-82 .) Your salvation
depends upon you taking pains in self-examination. The “harlot-professor” is seldom home, but
always out spying on the faults of others.
By contrast, the true believer does violence by self-examination (pp.
32, 33). If we will not
try ourselves and we belong to the Lord, God will try us by scourging! (Note
the promise in 1 Corinthians 11:31 – “If
we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.”) “Lord show me my
heart, lest I perish through mistake, or go to hell with hope of heaven” (Ps
139). The warning is “do not come short”
(Heb 4:1). Today we see
believers visiting each other without giving their souls a visit. By way of example; a traveler talks about the
home and country to which he is traveling, so also when we meet together, we
should talk about our heavenly country (Heb 11:16). We ought to provoke ourselves to good
discourse (this is only possible with some kind of violence – without it our
conversations will remain light and airy, void of any eternal good). Discourse
reveals the contents of the heart.
“While they communed together and reasoned, Jesus drew near” (Luke
24:15). Those with kingdom values cannot
help but make those kingdom values the content of their discourse. Violence in overcoming the world – Christ gave Himself to redeem us from
this present evil world (Gal 1:4). If we
are to be saved, we must swim against the world like a fish against the current
(p. 44). This world is deceitful,
defiling, perishing (biblical adjectives that modify world). The
world is always attempting to seduce us, inviting us to lodge in its false
refuges by promising comfort, security, fulfillment, and supply. Violence in our pursuit of heaven. Consider
the categories or metaphors that clearly imply violence: striving (Lu 13:24); wrestling (Eph 6:12); running (1 Cor 9:24); pressing towards the mark (Phil 3:14); fighting, laboring, warring (1 Tim 6:12); praying fervently (James 5:16); make
calling and election sure by diligence (2 Pet 1:10); go from faith to faith (Rom 1:17); overcome (Rev 2 & 3)
(Watson, pp. 45, 46). Without violent
AFFECTIONS, we shall never be able to resist violent TEMPTATIONS. Consider what we shall gain – a kingdom! So many fancy an easy way to heaven – that it
can be gained with an idle wish, a feather pillow of grace without means, a
death-bed tear, BUT Scripture tells us that we must offer violence. Heart affections must be regularly “wound up”
by prayer and meditation – this is essential if we are to be spurred on to holy
violence (p. 47). The gates of
hell are like the doors of an immense iron gate that open at their own
accord. The way to its entrance is all
downhill; nothing in our nature resists it easy and broad path (p. 48). Nothing is easier than to slide into
hell. There is no harder work than
repentance, and there is no labor more daunting than attempting repentance when
it has long been delayed. Heaven involves
sweat to get to the top of the hill.
This cannot be done without violence.
To get to heaven, we must force our way, besieging it with
sighing and tears, holding fast to the scaling ladder of faith in order to
storm it. We must work and fight; use
the sword and trowel (Neh We must charge
against the whole army of lusts – each one as strong as Goliath. A Christian can never take a vacation from
the fight of faith. He is either
watching or praying at all times. While
not under trial, the believer watches; he is suspicious of the apparent calm,
knowing that the enemy waits for negligence as an ideal time to spring his next
ambush. Countless souls
sit in self-deception, imagining that they are on their way to heaven though
they offer no holy violence. They
content themselves that their soul’s estate is well -- they sit under
preaching, though they never look at their hearts (p. 49). (How many
churches are filled with folks who imagine that the precision of their creed
and the eloquence of their pastor shall in the end save them.) Compartmentalization
of religion is proof that so many professing believers are trapped in a
soul-endangering pattern of moderation.
Moderation in the world’s sense is to not be too zealous, too
violent for heaven, too fierce to enter glory. Moderation is not to venture further in
religion than may coexist with self-preservation (p. 50). Moderation in
the world’s sense is NEUTRALITY – a “happy medium” between strictness and
profaneness (neither debauchery, nor purity).
Here is the warning: moderation is
lukewarm-ness. Be zealous and repent
(Rev 3:19). A moderate pace will never
win the prize – it has made many miss heaven just as the foolish virgins did. No man is saved
by chance, he must know how he came by it – by offering violence (note all the
warnings in the book of Hebrews alone) (p. 51). Take heed when the desire for heaven is
not as strong as it once was. This is a
shrewd sign of lukewarm-ness. RECOVERY from losing one’s first love
begins with diagnosis: 1.) The more violence, the more peace you will have (2
Pet Examining whether we are offering
violence. Do you strive
with your heart to get into a holy frame?
Do you thirst for the living God?
Do you desire the holiness that is heaven? Do you desire to be like Christ as much as to
be with Christ? Are you skilled in
self-denial? Can we cross our wills to
fulfill God’s? Can we “behead” our
beloved sin? Do we love God more than
fear hell? Do we keep a spiritual watch?
(pp. 63-64). Are these disciplines and spiritual postures
of soul increasingly your practice?
Plead for more grace to do violence at these junctures. God makes the
way hard that we might raise the price of heavenly things. If entrance into the kingdom of glory were
easy, would we value its worth? (p. 66).
The more we sacrifice for heaven, the higher premium we place upon
glory; the better able we are to reckon where our true treasure resides. The narrow way
is hard by design; it makes us choose over and over again. In every step of progress toward heaven, we
leave something behind down here. Every
pinched place on our journey, every thorn, every tear shed helps the saint
consolidate all of his hopes and affections upon glory. Difficulties in the Way steel and solidify
our determination to have a united heart before the Lord. If a man is so
drunk with the cares of the world that he cannot find time for the needs of his
soul, he is not offering violence in seeking to take heaven. If he does not repent, will not God say to
him, “Why did you not take pains for heaven?” “Why did you eschew the cross?” (p. 70). This violence
for heaven is the grand business of our lives.
Why else did we come into the world?
It is the main errand of our living here – shall we go through life and
avoid the errand? All of life is preparation to live with God. Our journey’s end is the knowledge of God
that we might come into the presence of the Holy One whom we know and
love. God does not intend to make His
eternal abode with strangers who loved the Holy violence has much delight mingled
with it (Prov The damned in
hell would gladly serve a thousand year apprenticeship in hell if they could by
it be given another opportunity to do violence for heaven. Do violence now while God’s terms are easy! (p.
82). A little violence would ease our fear of
death and make the believer willing to die to be with his Lord.
Those who profess Christ but fear death are bothered by a conscience
that correctly tells them that they have taken none, or too few pains for
heaven (pp. 85, 86). (The conscience
will not generate peace and comfort if bogged down with the rust and baggage of
this world. By contrast, the heavenly
citizen is unwilling to endure the hardships of travel on the narrow way.) The time is
coming to every man wherein he will wish with all his might that he had been
more violent for heaven. (Christ and free grace is the cause of us inheriting
heaven. But we shall not obtain the
kingdom of heaven without violence.) God’s will is
that we should pray and repent, making our calling and election sure (2 Pet Take heed who
you bring into your intimate company.
Those who are unacquainted with the spirituality and sweetness of
religion judge all zeal to be frenzy, therefore they will lay hold upon us to
hinder us in this sacred violence. When
we are earnest suitors to piety, our carnal friends will raise some ill report
of it and endeavor to break the match (p. 93). Labor to grow in
sanctity/holiness – for the more grace, the more strength, the more strength,
the more violence. If
you would be violent for heaven, convince yourself that offering violence is a
laborious work. If you think that heaven may be had without
much in the way of violence, you will be apt to slacken your pace. This work is not easy – “Strive as in agony.” It is a work above nature and against it – it
is as great a wonder for a soul to be saved as it is to see a millstone lifted
up into the upper atmosphere (p. 94).
Kingdom values are utterly realistic – strive for realism (the reality
of God’s Kingdom will someday fill the universe.) A man will be violent for nothing but
what he loves. Are you constrained by the love of Christ? (2
Cor Find companions
that fear God! (Ps 119:63) (pp. 96, 97).
Godly companions will sharpen you.
Their company will energize your conscience – holy dialogue will
heighten your awareness of areas where you have been slack and repentance is
needed. Prepare your affections for God by
contemplating the excellencies of God. Study your own wants – consider how much
you need God – you cannot be happy without Him (pp. 111, 112). Draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith (Heb Some folks in
this world perish for not having the Scriptures, and other perish for not improving
their possession of the Scriptures (Heb 4:1, 2). That God should pass by millions and yet set
His electing love upon you move you to holy ecstasy and wonder. Like God manifesting Himself in the pillar of
cloud and the blazing mountain, think that God should show His dark side to
others, yet a light side to you. That to
others the Word is a dead letter, but to you, it is the savor of life. Marvel that Christ is not only revealed to
you, but in you (Gal 1:16). Are these
infinite riches not a cause for offering violence? When our holy
affections are inflamed, we will find ample motivation to do violence. When our affections for the Lord burn bright;
our taste for the “cistern water” of this world will be dulled. Our longing will be for the “Fountain of
Living Water” (Jer Have you walked
with the Lord for many years? Consider
just how much those around you are in need of your ministry in their
lives. Let this sink in next time you
are reluctant to do holy violence – “Those
around me need my holiness; for it is only by holiness that I shall be a clean
vessel available to the Lord for their spiritual welfare” (2 Tim Conclusion
on doing holy violence (taken from Prophetic Ministry, by T. Austin-Sparks). The spirit of
citizenship in the Kingdom is “by force” (Matt Everything from
devil and men works to obstruct one’s entrance into the Kingdom, therefore to
enter requires violence. If you are
willing to be hindered; you will fail to enter in. If you are easy-going, you will tend to give
in to antagonistic forces. To enter
requires violence. To gain the Kingdom is not a once-for-all
entering in; it is a continuous entering.
You have to
make it a desperate matter because everything will be there to stop you. Violence must characterize us – we must
desperately mean business (T. Austin-Sparks, p. 93). How easy it is
for lives to become side-tracked, simply because they are not desperate
enough. The only way to get past all
obstacles that oppose our progress is to be men of violence, to be men who are
desperate; to be men who say, “By God’s grace, nothing and no one, however
good, is going to stand in my way; I am going on with God.” If the above describes your heart’s
posture, God will meet you on that ground.
God will be toward you what you are toward Him.
He will mean business if you mean business (p. 94). In order to get
in, the Kingdom calls for violence. Are
you ready to do violence to everything that stands in the way of God’s full
purpose as revealed in Christ? You will
never know what God’s purpose is unless He finds that you are one after His
kind – entering violently. Are you like
that? If you are passive, everything
will be lost. If you mean business,
everything will be gained (p. 96). |
