Title: Christ at the Door
Theme: Show the gospel plain and simple.
Text: Revelation 3:20
Revelation 3:20 Jesus said "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Introduction
This is a beautiful verse found in the strangest of places. If you read the context of this passage you realize that this was written to the Laodicea church. Out of seven churches written to by Jesus this church was the only one that He didn’t say anything good about. There was just nothing good to be said.
“It reminds me of a story I heard about a man who came to the pastor and asked him to preach his brothers funeral. Well this brother was a scoundrel. So the pastor kept trying to back out. Finally the man said, “I will give you a hundred dollars if you will preach my brothers funeral and say something good about him.” Well the pastor still doubted but he finally agreed. So the next day he stood behind the pulpit and just let them have it. He talked about all the bad things of this man’s life. He was a liar a cheat and an adultery. Finally the Pastor closed with, ‘I know this man was a bad man but there is one thing good you can say, ‘He was a saint compared to his brother.’”
Now Jesus couldn’t find anything good to say. The main problem was not that they were great sinners their main problem was that they were lukewarm. In other words they were stale. There was no growth. There was no dependence on Christ. They were just playing the game. If there is one thing that Christ hates and that is people who want to play both sides of the fence. Here he tells them that he will spew (or vomit) them out of his mouth.
Yet right in the middle of it all we find this verse 20. And thank the Lord because it was looking bleak. I believe we see the gospel plain and simple in this passage. I want us to notice a few things. Christ’s Position, Christ’s Persistence, Christ’s Pleading, Christ Promise, and finally Christ Provision
Christ’s Position-“stand at the door”
Notice what he is doing. He is “standing at the door”.
This tells me three things
1) He is right near us He is not very far.
2) He is the one who comes to us
3) He will not force His way in
Christ’s Persistence “and knock”
The word here “knock” is more than just a tap, it is more than just a one time event. Here if we look deeper we see that it is two things 1) present tense 2) active voice. That means it is a constant active knocking. When we were lost he was constantly knocking at the door trying to get in. Notice the persistence.
This knocking tells us the Christ is seeking us. That means that he is looking and seeks us out.
Jesus said in Lu 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Matthew 18 gives us three parables about how God seeks us. 1) illustrated in the shepherd and the sheep who left the 99 to find the 1 2) illustrated in the lost coin, the woman who searched and searched until she found it 3) finally in the prodigal son, the father waiting on the hill for his son to come home.
How does he knock?
A. Listening to the preached word (for some this morning)
B. By His creation
C. By other Christians
D. By our failures and sufferings
E.
Christ’s Pleading “if any man hears My voice, and opens the door”
Not only does he knock but he pleads. He is not only knocking at the door but he is calling out to us. We can’t just say, “Well he might have been knocking but I didn’t recognize him.” He says that he is “calling us”. We need to listen to his voice.
We need to open the door. You probably have heard of the picture painted by an author named Tolbey called “Knock on the Door”. Here it is. If you look close you will see that there is no outside handle. This door has to be open from the inside.
Finally we come to the greatest news of all.
Christ’s Promise “I will come in to him,”
He said if we open the door then he will come into our lives.
In John 3 he calls it being “born again”
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Provision “and dine with him, and he with Me”
Finally we see his provision. Not only do we have salvation but we have companionship. We have fellowship with Christ.
Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Message Matthew 28:20 Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
Mt 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Conclusion
Where are you with Christ right now? I have no doubt that he stands at your door waiting to get in.
Jesus must have loved this idea of doors. For the one who is saved he said in Rev. 3:8
Re 3:8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
