I. Revelation 3:20 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.
A. What the Lord is doing? 1. Stand 2. Door
3. Knock
B. What man needs to do?
1. Hear the voice of the Lord 2. Open the door
3. What door? The door of your heart C. What the Lord wants to do
1. Come in
2. Sup with us = Vines = the chief meal of the day = spiritual communion between Christ and the faithful believer.
3. And he wants us to sup with him
II. WHEN WE DON'T OPEN THE DOOR
A. Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
1. [waxed gross] Greek: pachuno : to make fat, stupid, insensible, inattentive, dull, and callous. The idea here is that the people became this way, little by little, until they were past normal, vigorous obedience to truth and righteousness.
B. I Timothy 4:1-2 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1. Conscience Seared
2. Conscience = Vines = the witness borne to one's conduct by conscience, that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God, as that which is designed to govern our lives;" hence (a) the sense of guiltness before God; (b) that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad,
3. Seared = Strong's Greek Number 2743 = Greek word: kauteriazo kow-tay-ree-ad'-zo
1) to mark by branding, to brand, branded with their own consciences
1a) whose souls are branded with the marks of sin
1b) who carry about with them the perpetual consciousness of sin
2) seared
Vine's = The reference is to apostates whose consciences are "branded" with the effects of their sin.
C. Romans 5:2 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
1. Hardness = Caused by a long course of rebellion. = Strong's Greek Number 4643 (stubbornness)
D. Mark 6:53 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
1. Hardened = Vines = "to make hard, callous, to petrify"
E. I John 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1. Blindness = Vines = the dulling of the intellect
2. Where does this blindness come from
F. II Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
III. When we open the door
A. Revelation 3:20 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.
B. II Corinthians 4:5-7 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
C. John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
D. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1. When we don't open the door we get the wages of sin; which is death
2. When we open the door we received the gift of God; which is eternal life
3. This life is through Jesus Christ our Lord
4. BEHOLD HE KNOCKS
5. Will you open the door? 6. Or will you lock the door?
7. Only you can open the door
8. And only you can lock the door |