04/25/2019
You have undoubtedly heard the voice and the knocking of Jesus Christ at the door of your heart, and I hope you have let Him in at some point, but are you making Him knock again and again each time He desires to dine with you? Do you constantly treat Jesus as a visitor? Well, He doesn’t want to be a visitor at our door, but a family member in our home.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20 ESV
When my wife and I were dating, I remember the first time that she brought me to spend a weekend at her parent’s house. Her mother immediately made me welcome, showed me where things were, and told me to make myself at home, while she prepared a special meal. Her brothers immediately befriended me and began to treat me as if I were family. I felt at home there. I felt so at home that I missed them as family when we went back to school. The next time Ann spoke to her mother on the phone she remarked about how I felt like a part of the family to them as well. She said that I would come and go as I pleased, would go into the kitchen to get a glass of water, or do other things without having to ask... just like one of her sons. This is how Jesus wants to feel when He comes to us. He will knock and wait for us to invite Him in the first time, but then He desires for us to be make Him feel at ease... at home there. Paul puts it this way when writing to the Ephesians:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14-15, 17-19 ESV
Paul explains here that we are named as part of the family by God, Jesus wants to live with us, and that in this way we will experience the fullness of a relationship with Him, and God.
Ann and I have lived a couple of streets away from one of her brothers for many years, and we have raised our families together. When they come to our house they enter without knocking... and simply call out “Is anyone home?” When playing close by, their children have freely come into our house to get water, use the bathroom, or find another toy... they are like our own children; they are our family. This is the relationship that Jesus desires to have with us; He wants to come and go as a member of the family. I have a couple of questions for you... do you make Him knock every time he arrives? Do you treat Him like a visitor?
Jesus wants to live with us here, He says as much when He says “where I am you may also be”, and in Heaven He wants us to live with Him in our Father’s house. Let’s read that scripture...
“In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going."”
John 14:2-4 ESV
So when Jesus knocks that first time, and calls out to us, do we go to the door and let Him in? After that do we recognize Him as family, and give Him free access to our abode? If we are making Him knock like a visitor, then know that when we reach our Father’s house in Heaven we will be treated similarly. Scripture teaches us that we should treat others as we would have them treat us, and that God will forgive us our debts if we forgive others, so it will be the same when we come to His door... are you prepared to walk into the house of God as His child, or knock like a stranger; to be family, or a visitor? Be more than a visitor... accept Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and be the children of God.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Romans 8:16-17 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling me your child, and thank you for Jesus Christ who came to my door and knocked so that He could announce to me that I am His brother, and that you are our Father. Open the eyes, the ears, and the hearts, of all those at whose door He stands knocking. Give each of us the confidence in Him that allows us to accept Him as family, and give Him the key to our heart so that He can come and go as He pleases. I pray Holy Father that in this way you will not find it necessary to receive us as strangers and visitors at your door. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who calls us son, or daughter, and prepares a table for us in your house. Great is your love that sent Jesus to suffer, die, and rise from the tomb, so that we might find our way to your house, and be welcomed without knocking. We will sing your praises Father, and shout of your Glory before all of the heavenly host!! Praised be your name always!
Recognize us Lord Jesus as we recognize you at our door; know us as we now know you, so that on that day we will not hear you declare...
“And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”
Matthew 7:23 ESV
Rich Forbes