Text: Luke 16:16
‘The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. ’
Putting this in context, Jesus explained that the law and the prophets were proclaimed until John the Baptist; but since then, the Kingdom of God is being preached, and all men are pressing into it.
According to Jesus, John the Baptist was indeed the greatest of all the prophets. (Luke 7:28)
Why? All others prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, but John himself saw the Messiah and baptised the messiah. No other prophet had this honour.
In Matthew 3:1-2, the Bible says:
‘In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Jesus emphatically declared that the kingdom of God has come in the following verses of scriptures:
Luke 11:19-20
‘But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.’
In Matthew 4:17, the Bible says:
‘From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Also, in Matthew 10:7-8, the Word declares:
‘And when he sent his disciples to preach the gospel, the instruction he gave was: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.’
The Kingdom of God is already at hand.
The word press is not passive. It is an action word. It is a word that connotes action. To press requires the exertion or application of force.
To press into the kingdom of God requires effort. It is not something to be done without lifting a finger. It is not something we do passively.
The question is: why must we press into the kingdom of God? What is involved in the ‘pressing’ process and how we can press into this kingdom?
God painted a graphic picture of the word ‘press’ in the Bible.
I want us to examine the following passages, and may the Lord help our understanding.
In Mark 5:24, the Bible says:
‘And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.’
The expression ‘throng him’ means to press unto him.
In Luke 5:1-2, the Bible says:
‘And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.’
He had to borrow the ship because of the ‘press’ from the multitude of people. In other words, there was pressure from the multitudes.
In Luke 5:19, the Bible declares:
‘And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.’
They tore the roof in order to bring to the presence of Jesus the man taken with palsy.
Also, in Luke 8:43-45, another graphic picture was painted:
‘And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?’
The woman with the issue of blood had to press through the crowd to get her healing.
Why should men press into the kingdom of God?
Men should press into the Kingdom of God because of the enormous benefits of being citizens of that Kingdom. The citizenship of a country confers on that citizen some benefits.
In the same manner, being citizens of the Kingdom of God confers benefits. It is inconceivable that a man will enjoy the blessings of citizenship of a nation if he is not a national of that nation.
There are several compelling reasons why we must press into this Kingdom.
1) The Kingdom of God is our City of Refuge.
In 2 Samuel 7:10, the Bible says:
‘Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime.’
There is no safety outside of it. Outside the Kingdom, there is the enemy that roars like a lion, seeking whom he might devour.
2) The Kingdom is a place of peace. Jesus said in John 16:33
‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.….’
My peace I give to you, he said. Outside the Kingdom, there is no peace.
Furthermore, in John 14: 27, he said:
‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
The peace of God that passeth all understanding is the gift of God to every believer.
3) The Kingdom of God is a place of rest: Jesus said in Matthew 11:30
Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden…and I will give you rest.’
There remaineth a rest unto the people of God, and by faith, we enter into that rest.
I decree that the enemy will never disturb or disrupt our rest in God in the name of Jesus.
4)The Kingdom is a place of joy. In Isaiah 12:3, the Bible declares:
‘Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.’
Again, the Bible says in Romans 14:17:
‘God’s Kingdom is not about meat and drink, but about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.’
The joy of the Lord shall continually be our strength in the name of Jesus.
5)The Kingdom of God is where we are entitled to the defence of God.
In Isaiah 49:25, the Bible says:
But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
God fights our battles and oppresses those that oppress us. Why should men not press into this kingdom?
6) God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of provision. Jesus spoke to us in Matthew 6:25-26:
‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Even your heavenly father knows that you have need of these things.’
And if we, being evil, know how to provide for our children, will God not provide for us?’
In Philippians 4:19, the Bible says:
‘My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’
If God supplies all our needs, why would men not want to press into this kingdom?
7) The Kingdom is where God’s power and authority reign.
In Luke 10:19, the Bible says:
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. And because we are citizens of God’s, this power is at our disposal. Why would we not press into his Kingdom?
If God says this power is available to us, why would men not want to press into His Kingdom?
8) The Kingdom is where we are given assurance of a victorious life in Christ Jesus.
In Romans 8:37, the Bible says:
‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’
If God says we are victorious in Christ Jesus, why would any reasonable man choose defeat in place of victory?
9) God’s Kingdom is a place of dominion.
In Luke 10:17, the Bible says:
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
If God has made the enemy subject unto us through the name that is above all names, why would any man choose to be in subjugation?
10) The Kingdom is where we spend eternity with God-
In Matthew 13:40 -43, the Bible says:
‘As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’
Given all these benefits, the question is: how then do we press into the Kingdom of God?
Firstly, via a strong desire to belong to this Kingdom: salvation grants us access; therefore, we press into the kingdom of God via a strong desire to be saved.
The issue of salvation can be seen from two perspectives:
- From the perspective of the unsaved.
- From the perspective of those who have received the gift of salvation.
Now, for the unsaved, there has to be a desire to belong; a desire to be saved.
In Acts 2: 36-38, the Bible says:
‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’
In verse 37, the Bible says that the men were ‘pricked in their hearts,’ and they asked: ‘What shall we do?’
In verse 38, Peter responded by saying:
‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’
In Acts 2:41, the Bible declares:
‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.’
Therefore, for the unsaved, there must be a strong desire to be saved. That is how we press into the Kingdom of God.
We demonstrated our desire to press into the Kingdom of God the very day we became saved.
The Bible paints another picture for us in Acts 16:25-30.
‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
This is almost like a repeat of what happened on the day of Pentecost. The Bible declares that at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God… and suddenly there was a great earthquake.
This earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and loosened everyone’s bands and chains.
The keeper of the prison has never seen a thing like this before. He witnessed a powerful demonstration of the awesome power of God, and he asked in verse 30: ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
That is how the unsaved press into the Kingdom of God.
In Acts 8, the eunuch of Ethiopia had an encounter with Philip the Evangelist. The Bible declares in Acts 8:35-36:
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
That is how the unsaved press into the Kingdom of God.
- And for us that are saved, we must demonstrate a strong desire to remain in the faith. Do you know brethren that some of the disciples of Jesus went back and stopped following him?
In John 6:66, the Bible says:
‘From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.’
Jesus had told them that he is the bread from heaven. He told them that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed. He declared that any man who eateth of this flesh and drinketh of this blood shall not die.
These men of Belial reasoned and said: this is a hard saying: How can we eat of this man’s flesh and drink of his blood. We are not cannibals. They were offended, and from that time, many of his disciples withdrew and walked no more with him.
But Simon Peter and his colleagues stayed the course. They refused to go away.
In John 6:67, Jesus asked them, ‘Will ye also go away?’
Then in John 6:68-69, Peter replied:
‘Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe that thou art Christ, the son of the living God.’
Men and brethren, that is how we press into the Kingdom of God.
Secondly, we press into the kingdom when we do not allow circumstances to discourage or hinder us. When we press into the Kingdom, we do not allow our zeal to be dampened by circumstances.
In Luke 9:57-62, there was an encounter between Jesus and some Jews. The Bible says:
‘And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’
Three people were expressly invited, and two gave excuses. One said: ‘Suffer me first to go and bury my father.’
And the other said: ‘Let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.’
But the first said: ‘I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.’
That is how to press into the Kingdom of God. We continue to press, circumstances notwithstanding and always bearing in mind the saying of the Lord: ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:62)
Thirdly, we press into the kingdom of God when we engage with God and advance the interests of His Kingdom as one would with any business. In other words, when we add value to the Kingdom of God, we press into the Kingdom.
Jesus, at the age of 12, knew that the preaching of the gospel was the business of the Father.
Luke 2 gives us an idea of how to approach this business of our Father.
He asked his parents who had come looking for him in Luke 2:49:
‘And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?’
An indication that he took his father’s business seriously could be seen from Luke 2:47
‘And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.’
How can we demonstrate that we are taking our father’s business seriously?
In prayer, we pray with all fervency, engagingly as in spiritual labour.
- Elijah… we pray with passion until fire falls.
- Paul the Apostle… we pray like Paul who was instant in prayer.
- Jesus … we pray like Jesus who would always go out alone and at night or early in the morning to pray.
And when we evangelise, we do so with the consciousness that we are pulling souls out of fire. Jesus demonstrated unusual zeal in his ministry.
Chapter 4 of the Book of John gave an account of his encounter with the woman by the well of Samaria.
In John 4:5-8, the Bible says:
‘Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)’
His disciples had gone to town to buy food.
They came back and saw Jesus having a conversation with that woman. They served the food they bought and asked him to eat:
The following conversation ensued:
‘In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’
He refused to eat because the business of the Father was more important to him than meat and drink.
It is written: For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. (Ps 69:9)
The grace to engage God’s kingdom as a business, adding value to it, is released upon us today in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Do you know that when we engage in praying for the Kingdom of God, going on outreaches and rendering other kinds of service, and ensuring that new converts are established in the faith, we are adding value to the business of our Father?
Paul the Apostle said in 1 Corinthians 3: 6 -8:
‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.’
So, whether we are planting or watering, we are adding value to the kingdom of God.
By the grace of God, I am engaged in the ministry of the word and prayer. (Acts 6:4)
That is my calling, and every man shall be rewarded according to his own labour.
Fourthly, we press when we demonstrate a strong desire to overcome all opposition and barriers.
One of the lessons I learnt from the deliverance ministry is this:
In 2 Timothy 2:3, it is written:
Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Paul the Apostle admonished Timothy saying: ‘remember you are a soldier of the Lord. You must endure hardness.’
Do you know brethren that we are all soldiers of the Lord? And every good soldier must demonstrate not only discipline but tenacity and endurance.
Paul the Apostle demonstrated a tenacity of purpose. Paul demonstrated a strong desire to overcome all opposition and barriers.
In Acts 14:19 -20, the Word says:
‘And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.’
- He was stoned and left for dead, but he stood up, shrugged it off and moved on to another city.
- He suffered a shipwreck, but he did not allow that to deter him.
- In the city of Philippi, he was jailed along with Silas, but he did not allow that experience to deter him.
Preaching the gospel was a necessity to Paul the Apostle.
In 1 Corinthians 9:16, he said:
‘For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.’
He was a veritable soldier of the Lord.
We are soldiers of the Lord, and what is expected of soldiers? Soldiers of the Lord are expected to ‘endure hardness.’
The grace to endure hardness is released upon us today in the name of Jesus.
The Bible says that ‘he that endureth till the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matthew 24:13)
The grace of the Lord that empowers us not to capitulate but to endure till the end, is released upon us today in the name of Jesus.
Hallelujah!
