From the Pulpit: I Stand at the Door and Knock

By: Rev. Mike Scott

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20)

This verse of Scripture can be interpreted in one of two ways, and in either case the meaning is the same.  First of all, most people view this verse as Christ speaking to individuals who are lost in an attempt to become a part their lives and thereby save them.  He is knocking at their heart’s door for the purpose of gaining entrance.  But on the other hand, this verse is in the context of Jesus’ letter to the Laodicean church; therefore, it can be interpreted in the light of a worldly church that has managed to push Christ to the outside.  The modern-day, mainstream church has become so carnal, political, self-centered and exclusive that Christ and His teachings for the most part have been both neglected and forgotten.  When He is alive Jesus asks the penetrating question when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8), and we have to wonder if the answer at the present time is a resounding no. As we examine this verse we are going to discover three major truths concerning the way Christ the Lord desires to interact with both the church and the individuals who make it up. 

First of all, we discover that Christ desires admission in that He says behold, I stand at the door, and knock.  Several artists have attempted to depict this verse, and each rendition has two specific similarities.  The door is always represented as being old, well-worn and covered with vines indicating the separation from Christ which has occurred over a long period of time. But the most striking parallel in each illustration is the truth that there is no doorknob on the outside.  In other words, the only way the door can be opened is from the inside, which means Jesus isn’t going to force His way in.  Christ does the knocking, but it is up to us as to whether or not we are going to respond!

Jesus said He came to build a church over which the gates of hell shall not prevail (Matthew 16:18), and today’s church is both weak and anemic when compared to the one in the first century.  Because this is true it (the church) has lost its positive evangelistic zeal.  As Jesus hangs dying on the Cross, one of His final acts is to carry a soul to Heaven with Him in that He tells one of the thieves dying with Him verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43); and before He ascends into Heaven to take His proper place at the right hand of the Father, our Lord gives the great commission go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).  The New Testament church has the mandate to present the Gospel of grace to every man, woman, boy and girl it possibly can until Christ comes in the clouds to rapture His saints, but it seems we are more interested in budgets, buildings and bingo than we are in winning the lost at any cost. 

Not only has the church lost its positive evangelistic zeal, but it has likewise lost its profuse excitement. The prophet Nehemiah tells us the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8: 10), and the Psalmist informs us happy is the people, whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144: 15); therefore, there is to be a spirit of exhilaration and expectation as we faithfully represent Christ before a sin-cursed world. Lost humanity is watching us; and if we seem as depressed, downhearted and disillusioned as they are, we are sending the wrong message.  Our attitude should be both upbeat and uplifting as we serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100: 2). The future may appear to be dark, bleak and unsettling, but it is in the hands of a God who does all things well; therefore, our attitude is to be positive, our mindset is to be optimistic and our outlook is to be bright.

Beyond losing its positive evangelistic zeal and its profuse excitement, the church has also lost its purpose for existence. Jesus says and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32), and He likewise declares that He has come to establish the Kingdom of God (see Luke 17:21); therefore, the church is to be about the business of both exalting the Lord Jesus Christ and furthering His Kingdom. While it is important to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, comfort the hurting and minister to those who are neglected, it is equally important to lift up the blood-stained banner of the Cross in order that lost humanity might turn to Christ and thereby be saved.  It has been said that the person who chases two rabbits at the same time will catch neither; therefore, the church needs to get its priorities straight as it seeks to accomplish the purpose for which it was established.

Not only does Christ desire admission, but He secondly, desires acknowledgement in that He says if any man hear my voice, and open the door.  We need to both hear and heed the voice of Christ, for in doing so we will discover the purpose of His will. There is a plan, place and purpose for every child of God; therefore, it is our responsibility to discover that place and fill it.  Adam and Eve transgressed God’s will and were expelled from paradise; King Saul disobeyed God and thereby forfeited his throne; Jonah knew God’s will for his life, but his unwillingness to do it resulted in him being swallowed by a great fish.  These and numerous other examples can be given of individuals who turned their backs on God’s will for their lives and ended up suffering the consequences for their poor choices.  It is only when we yield ourselves to the leading of God’s Spirit and obey Him faithfully that we experience His peace, power, presence and prosperity.

Beyond discovering the purpose of His will, those who hear and heed the voice of Christ will encounter the power of His Word. As Jesus ends His great Sermon on the Mount He does so with a powerful illustration. He says those who both hear His Words and do them are like the wise man who builds upon a rock while those who hear his Words and fail to do them are like the foolish man who builds on the sinking sand. It is important to note that both men hear Christ’s Words, which means the only difference is that one obeys while the other doesn’t. When King Saul disobeys God by failing to kill all the Amalekites along with their animals, the prophet Samuel confronts him with the words that obedience is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (I Samuel 15:22-23).  Through the prophet Jeremiah God says is not my word like as a fire…and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29), and the apostle Paul declares the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12); therefore, it is imperative for believers to submit to its teachings.

Not only will hearing and heeding Christ’s voice result in discovering the purpose of His will and the power of His Word, but it will likewise cause us to realize the profitability of His way.  As King Solomon is praying a prayer of dedication over the recently built Temple, he makes the statement thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should go (2 Chronicles 6: 27); and through the prophet Jeremiah Jehovah God declares stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein (Jeremiah 6:16).  Jesus says in this life we can walk on either the wide and broad way that leadeth to destruction (Matthew 7:13) or the strait and narrow way which leadeth unto life (Matthew 7:14); therefore, there is great benefit in seeking out the good way and in walking the pathway that leads to life eternal.

We have already seen that Christ desires both admission and acknowledgment, but we discover, thirdly, that He desires association in that He says I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  Christ is not so high and holy that He cannot mingle with fallen humanity, for in point of fact just the opposite is true in that He gives the blessed invitation come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).  It is the Master’s desire to have a personal relationship with as many people as possible, and we discover this as He feeds the multitudes, suffers the little children to come unto Him, seeks out the lost and declares Himself to be a friend of publicans and sinners (Matthew 11:19).

To associate with Christ by abiding in His presence brings abundant joy to our lives. There is much in this world to make us happy in that our family is a source of comfort, our pleasures (vacations, watching and/or playing sports, fishing, etc.) are a means of enjoyment and our wealth can purchase those items we desire, but all of this pales in comparison to a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter says our walk with Christ is joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8); therefore, the joy He brings to our lives is exciting in that it thrills our souls, energizing in that it brightens our pathway, exclusive in that it is unlike anything else we will ever experience and eternal in that it never fades.

Not only does a personal relationship with Christ the Lord bring us abundant joy, but it also produces absolute peace. Jesus says to His followers in this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world (John 16:33), and one of the chief truths this statement presents is the fact that we can experience His peace. As far as the world is concerned peace is the opposite of war, strife and conflict, but in the biblical sense peace is the assurance we experience in the midst of our troubles and trails. Through the prophet Isaiah God says He desires to extend to His people peace…like a river (Isaiah 66:12), and the apostle Paul describes this peace as passing all human understanding (see Philippians 4:7). God’s peace is both perfect (see Isaiah 26:3) and permanent (see Ezekiel 37:26); therefore, it will keep and comfort us in the most trying of situations we are called upon to endure.

Beyond experiencing abundant joy and absolute peace, associating with Christ gives us access to His mercy, grace and compassion. Mercy is the withholding of a deserved punishment, grace is unmerited favor (the bestowing of that which we don’t deserve) and compassion is the love our Lord demonstrated by going to the Cross to secure our redemption. These divine blessings are available to sinners, but they can only be actualized by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Being it is by grace through faith that we are saved (see Ephesians 2:8-9), we cannot depend on our works of righteousness which we have done [in that it is] according to his mercy he saved us (Titus 3:5). All of this is due to his great love wherewith he loved us (Ephesians 2:4).

In conclusion, our Scripture text depicts Jesus standing at a door and knocking in order that He might gain entrance. Whether this represents Christ knocking at the heart door of a lost soul or attempting to gain admittance into His own church, the meaning is the same. Our Lord desires admission, acknowledgment and association, for it is only through a personal relationship with Him that both the New Testament church and the people who make it up can flourish. We are the body of Christ; therefore, we are to acknowledge His presence, accept His preeminence and abide in His precepts.