Please Note:
Next Sunday October 3rd is the 189th Anniversary for Springford Baptist Church. We will be celebrating this at our 10:30 am Service of Worship and we welcome you joining us. There will also be an online Service available.
Revelation 3:19,20
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Revelation 3:19,20 HEARING AND RESPONDING TO JESUS
Springford Baptist Church: September 26, 2021.
Imagine that you were home all day and later in the afternoon a close friend calls to say, “Where were you? I came by to spend time with you earlier. I knocked and knocked, but you never answered the door. I called out thinking you would hear my voice, but there was no response.”
How would you feel? What would you say?
I would feel disappointed and puzzled that I had not heard my friend knocking or calling out.
I would say, “I am so sorry I missed you. Please come again. I really would like to have a chance to spend time with you”!
Then after the phone call I would be wondering to myself, “Now how could I have not heard my friend knocking? What was I doing that caused me to miss knowing that my friend was here and wanting to have time together”?
Hear again our Scripture for today from Revelation 3:20
Jesus says, 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Jesus speaks these words and let me ask, How do we feel at the thought of Jesus standing at the door knocking and us not responding?
Would we be saying, “But Lord, I never heard you knocking and I never heard your voice. If I had heard You, I would have opened the door.”
This has me thinking that I want to address anything in my life that would keep me from hearing that Jesus is at the door. I want to hear His voice and I want to open the door widely for Him to come right in.
These words of Jesus recorded in Revelation 3 are His message to the church in Laodicea. As part of our consideration of LISTENING FOR GOD, we have been guided by the urging of Jesus from Revelation 1:7a, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
We have wanted to have ears to hear what God is saying to us.
Laodicea was the wealthiest city in the region where it was located. It was widely known for its’ banking institutions, its’ textile industry, and its’ medical school. All of these assets gave the people of Laodicea remarkable potential. The major weakness of this city was its’ lack of an adequate water supply.
Jesus’ message to the church in Laodicea is that they are “lukewarm.” This may refer by contrast to the hot medicinal waters of nearby Hierapolis. The church at Laodicea was lukewarm because they supplied neither healing for the spiritually sick nor refreshment for the spiritually weary. Jesus says with exasperation,
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot…” (Revelation 3:15a)
Is that a description of us? If it is then we need to be concerned. Is there a danger that our faith in Jesus and our availability to Him has become lukewarm and half hearted?
If that is the case, then that would certainly explain not hearing Him knocking and calling out for us.
Jesus clearly says, “19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
This is good news. It was good news for the Church of Laodicea and it is good news for us. We might be inclined to resist the thought of being disciplined. Notice that Jesus says that those whom He loves He rebukes and disciplines.
Jesus is not content to leave the church at Laodicea in a lukewarm state and He is not content with that kind of a relationship with us either.
He wants us to be earnest and to repent. Then we will be able to hear Him knocking and we will choose to open the door to close relationship with Him.
What kinds of things in our lives lead to a lukewarm state that does not have us hearing Jesus when he knocks?
Perhaps we are focused on something going on in our lives or in our family. That may have taken our attention so much so that when Jesus knocks, we do not notice.
Perhaps we have questions about the state of our world and are feeling confused and uncertain about where God is in it all. When Jesus knocks, we may have the daily news playing so loudly that we do not hear Jesus.
Perhaps we have been hurt and disillusioned and those voices are so strong in our ears that we can’t hear Jesus knocking.
Perhaps we have become careless and although we know the importance of our commitment to Jesus, other things have crowded in and we have not recognized or admitted that spending time with Jesus is not have first priority for us.
This picture of Jesus knocking is such a hope filled promise.
It reminds us that even when there are things in our lives that have interfered with us being wholeheartedly committed to Jesus, He wants to come and to spend time with us. He will keep on knocking.
If a close friend comes to visit and we do not hear them at the door, eventually they will give up.
Jesus does not give up. He never gives up because He loves us and wants to bring us close to Him. He will keep on knocking until we do respond.
There is something wonderful that happens when we do hear Jesus and open the door to Him.
Jesus says, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20b
Understand that Jesus wants to spend time with us and to linger together. Eating with someone is a time to share conversation and to know each other better. This is what Jesus is offering.
The cares and questions of life that might have kept us from hearing Jesus when he was knocking can be brought to Him as we sit together.
Knowing how much Jesus loves us, has us wanting to hear his knock and to hear His voice. It draws us to repent of anything lukewarm about our faith and to respond by opening the door wide for Jesus to come in and to stay close with us always!