July 16, 2021January 5, 2024

Knock, Knock

by in From The Desk of Pastor Gene
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Knock, Knock
 
You may be disappointed but I don’t have a knock, knock joke to share. Although, I do have a vegetable joke but I’m not going to share it because it’s corny. Well then, moving on. Instead of a knock, knock joke, I want to remind us that Jesus is knocking on the door of our heart. In the New Testament book of Revelation, the Apostle John writes what Jesus says to the seven churches.
 
REV 3:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
 
With that as background, let’s focus in on what the Apostle John was inspired to write to the church in Laodicea.
 
REV 3:14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 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. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
 
What is the condition of the church? First, they are lukewarm. This city as it sat at the base of the mountains it was known for its hot springs and fresh cold water coming out of the mountains. Hence, the hot springs and cold water were useful but when they mixed they become lukewarm and otherwise useless. That is to say, if they were cold or hot they’d be useful in faith and ministry and in fellowship with Jesus but they weren’t. Second, they are self-sufficient and arrogant. They think they are rich and prospering but instead, they are spiritually wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
 
What is Jesus doing to help the church? First, He freely offers and will develop in us a righteous character proven genuine through testing (gold refined by fire). And then, we will truly be rich. In this case, we need to be reminded that only Christ can take the self-righteous and arrogant and make us holy (set aside for His purposes). Second, He reproves and disciplines us and calls us to repentance because He loves (meaning tender affection) us.
 
How must the church respond to Jesus’ rebuke? We must repent of our self-sufficiency and being useless (lukewarm) in God’s kingdom work and out of fellowship with Jesus. It is only through repentance that we are restored in fellowship with Jesus.
 
To what lengths is Jesus working to restore fellowship with us? He is standing at the door of our heart knocking (insistent, repeated pounding). Remember, in this context, He isn’t standing at the door knocking on the door of an unbeliever’s heart, but the door of a Christian’s heart whom comprise the church in Laodicea. Why is He knocking? We/they are individually and collectively out of fellowship with Him. He so desires for our fellowship with Him to be restored. Unless we repent, we will continue to be lukewarm (useless in the exercise of our/their faith and ministry and out of fellowship with Jesus) fueled by an attitude of self-sufficiency and arrogance. Do you need to repent? If so, will you even right now?
 
What is the result of true repentance? In the short term, we will be restored to fellowship (I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me) with Jesus and in the long run, we are promised eternal reward (I will grant him to sit with me on my throne).
 
Even though John is writing to the church in Laodicea over two thousand years ago, this is written to us as well. We are individual believers but we make up the local church called Heartland Church. So as we each go individually, we go collectively. In other words, your fellowship with Jesus, or the lack thereof, impacts the entire church. So knock, knock. This is no joke. If Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart it is serious and you must repent of your self-sufficiency and arrogance.

A Work in Progress,

Pastor Gene