God and mankind are fully reconciled in Jesus Christ by not having their trespasses imputed to them. The completed work of Jesus on the cross offers to everyone who will believe in Him forgiveness and righteousness. This finished work releases to every believer the blessing of Abraham whom God called a friend. The gospel gets better still.
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, & the violent take it by force."
MATTHEW 11:12 (NKJV)
Reverend Jean opens his sermon with Matthew 11:12, encouraging the congregation at BEM Grace to come expecting to receive something from the Lord and leave transformed.
In this context, she explains that the kingdom of heaven is the good news of Jesus Christ, not only preached but demonstrated through miracles, healing, deliverance, and salvation. Through the example of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10, Rev. Jean teaches that those who take the kingdom by force are not physically violent but are persistent in faith, refusing to let opposition or discouraging voices silence their cry to Jesus.
She warns that such obstacles may come from within, including condemnation, past teachings, troubling medical reports, and thoughts that make believers doubt God’s willingness to heal. Bartimaeus’s persistence moved Jesus to stop, call him forward, and restore his sight, demonstrating that no one is beyond Jesus’ reach and that believers should persevere in faith rather than surrender to discouragement.
