Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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Knock, Knock, Who's There?
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).
I'm sure that many of us have been at an evangelistic service where this passage of scripture has been quoted. Maybe you have read it in a gospel presentation or tract. It may have even been one of the verses that brought you to the Lord. In any case, this scripture is often used to encourage persons who have not yet put their faith in Christ to answer the door and let Jesus come into their lives.
That people may be and have been brought to faith in this way is not being debated here. What I do find interesting is that in its actual context in the book of Revelation, this particular verse of scripture is addressed to the church - to people who are already believers - particularly the church of Laodecia. The troubling question is why Jesus finds himself shut out of believer's lives and knocking at the door, hoping that they will hear and invite him in? Didn't he come to take up residence in us? How is it that he is not where he belongs?
The church of Laodicea had some real problems. However, their issues are not unlike some of the ones that can be found in the church of today. And when we talk about the church, we are not referring to a building, but to people, to us. Jesus said that he knew their deeds. He knows what we are doing, or not doing. There seemingly was activity in the church, maybe even lots of things going on, however, the problem was that nothing was either really hot or really cold. It was all just lukewarm stuff. There was nothing really right or wrong, it was all just nice! And Jesus says, "I wish that you were either one or the other!" (Revelation 3:15). If we were doing things wrong, he would discipline us. If we were doing things right, he could encourage us. What can he do when it is not really right and not really wrong? Like a cup of tea that is great when it is hot and great when it is cold but awful when it is neither, Jesus says, "I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Their big problem, and sometimes ours too is that they believed they could do things on their own.
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see" (Revelation 3:17-18).
Why is Jesus on the outside knocking? Because we have shut him out. We have done without him. We have acquired our own wealth and not looked to him for our supply. We have exalted ourselves and our institutions and our programs and paid him only lip service. We have imagined that we are okay. We have not seen that we are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. But what is anything that we can do, what is anything that we have, if Jesus is on the outside? What is Christianity without Christ?
Knock, Knock. Who's there? It's Jesus, and this is no joke.
Where is your Jesus? With respect to your church and with respect to your life? Is your relationship hot and he is inside where he belongs and you want so much more? Are you cold and know that he is not where he should be but that you need to make things right with him? Or is it warm and cozy and it all seems fine? The last situation is the most dangerous of all.
Jesus is knocking, church. If we hear his voice and open our door, he will come in. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent" (Revelation 3:19). We will only hear when we are listening. We will only let him in when we hear. So open your ears and pay attention to what the Spirit is saying to the church, to us. Pay attention to the word of God. We desperately need more Word and the church will not survive without it. Is the Word being preached? Is the Word being obeyed? Do we hear his voice when he is knocking?
If Jesus is on the outside, we don't stand a chance. If he is where he belongs and we are hot, we will overcome just as he did! Throw open the door! Get into the Word and let it get into you. Listen. He longs to come in and make of your life more than you ever dreamed possible!
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