Three Knocks At The Door Of Eternity

There is an old burial custom among the emperors of Austria that has always struck me as deeply Christian—perhaps more Christian than many sermons preached in our own day.

When a Habsburg ruler died, his body was carried to the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. The procession would stop before a closed door. A monk stood inside.

The coffin would be brought forward, and there would be a knock.

From within, a voice would call out:

“Who comes?”

And what followed was not mere ceremony—it was theology in action.

This morning, I want us to consider that question:

“Who comes?”

Because one day, every one of us will answer it.

I. The First Knock: The Illusion of Glory

At the first knock, the herald would proclaim the full imperial titles:

“His Imperial Majesty… King of this… Duke of that…”

All the honor. All the glory. All the identity the world could give.

And the answer from within came:

“We do not know him.”

The door remained shut.

This is the first great illusion of man:

That who we are—our status, our identity, our reputation—will somehow matter before God.

We live in a world obsessed with identity:

Titles

Positions

Influence

Recognition

But heaven does not open for titles.

Paul tells us plainly:

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)

You may be respected here.

You may be known here.

You may be important here.

But none of that opens the door of eternity.

And let me say this clearly:

It is not wrong to have a position.

It is not wrong to be respected.

But it is eternally dangerous to trust in those things.

II. The Second Knock: The Illusion of Achievement

The procession knocks again.

This time, the herald lists accomplishments:

“He ruled well… he achieved much… he did great things…”

Surely a life well-lived must count for something.

Again the answer comes:

“We do not know him.”

The door remains closed.

This is the second illusion:

That what we do can save us.

We are a people trained to build our worth on achievement:

Education

Career

Service

Even ministry

And here is where it gets uncomfortable—even in the Church.

You can preach sermons…

You can teach classes…

You can serve faithfully for years…

And still be unknown at that door.

Isaiah speaks with uncomfortable clarity:

“All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Not because good works are evil—but because they are insufficient.

If you are trusting in your goodness…

If you are trusting in your service…

If you are trusting in the fact that you are “not as bad as others”…

The door will remain closed.

III. The Third Knock: The Truth of the Soul

The procession knocks a third time.

Now everything is stripped away.

No titles.

No accomplishments.

Only truth:

“A poor sinner.”

And for the first time, the answer changes:

“Then let him come in.”

The door opens.

This is exactly what we see in our Gospel text.

Jesus tells of two men in the temple:

One stands proudly and lists his righteousness.

The other will not even lift his eyes, but prays:

“God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)

And Jesus says:

“This man went down to his house justified…” (Luke 18:14)

What opened the door?

Not perfection.

Not achievement.

Not identity.

But humility.

The recognition of what we truly are before God.

IV. The Missing Piece: Christ

Now here is where the Gospel takes us even further than the ritual.

Because if all we have is:

“A poor sinner”

—then we have told the truth, but we have not yet told the whole story.

The Christian does not come merely as a sinner.

He comes as a sinner who has been redeemed.

When the door of eternity is opened, it is not because we are honest about our sin.

It is because Christ has dealt with our sin.

He bore it

He paid for it

He conquered death

So that the one who comes in humility may also come in confidence—not in himself, but in Christ.

So when that question comes—

“Who comes?”

The Christian answer is this:

Not a king.

Not a success.

Not a self-made man.

But:

“A sinner, saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.”

---Conclusion---

Every one of us is moving toward that door.

And the question is not if we will answer.

The question is how we will answer.

Will you come with your titles?

The door will remain closed.

Will you come with your achievements?

The door will remain closed.

Or will you come as you truly are—

a sinner in need of mercy—

and trusting wholly in Christ?

Because only one answer opens the door.

Before the Church can rise in power, she must first kneel in trembling.