John
the apostle saw the vision of Jesus in chapter one of “Revelation”,
and he began to write to the “seven
churches in Asia”. He
started with the church located in “Ephesus”,
then the “church
of Smyrna”,
the “church
in Pergamos”,
the “church
in Thyatira”,
“the
church in
Sardis”,
“the
church in Philadelphia” and
finally the “church
of the Laodiceans”
where He told them,
“As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent”.
In chapter three and verse twenty of Revelation Jesus told the
“church of the Laodiceans”
“behold,
I stand at the door and knock” where
we read:
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.
The
verse reads, “Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock:”
John
began with the word, “behold”
which means “look and see”, “I
stand”
or “Jesus is firm, in place, put, fixed and established” “at
the door”
which refers to “at the vestibule, entrance way or passage”, “and
knock”
which means “and rap”. Jesus is “established and fixed” at
the “entry way” and “raps” upon it to notify He is outside of
it.
The
verse goes on to say, “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.” John
added the words, “if
any man”
which means “in case any person whether male or female” “hear
my voice”
or “be endowed with hearing to attend to, consider, understand and
perceive Jesus' sound, tone, language and tongue of uttered words”,
“and
open the door”
which means “to make open the entry way or passage”, “I
will come in to him”
or “Jesus will arise, take possession and make entry into that
person whether male or female”, “and
will sup with him”
which means “and will dine and take the principle meal with that
person”, “and
he with me”
or “and that person with Jesus”. Jesus speaks as He is outside
the
“door”
or “entry way” into a person's life, and if they “hear”
Him and allow Him to come in, He will not only make entry but will
also “dine” with them.
When
we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we see how Jesus desires
to come into the life of every person. He stands outside the
“door” of everyone's heart and “knocks” while
asking in their “hearts” to come in. When a person
receives Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they
have opened the “entry way” of their lives and Jesus comes in
with intimate fellowship such as “dining” with them. May all who
read these words not only hear the “knocking of Jesus” and
His wonderful “voice”, but also open the “door”
to their hearts that He may set up His Kingdom within them.
Next
time
we see John share how Jesus tells the “church
of the Laodiceans” “to him that overcomes will I grant to sit
with me in my throne”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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