Open the Door Before the Knocking Stops

By Gobel Brockman


Earlier this week while home alone there was a knock on my door. When someone knocks on my door I usually look through the window first to see who it is, but this person used the familiar "shave-and-a-haircut, two-bits" friendly knock, so I made the assumption that it was a friend. So without checking first, I opened the door - and was greeted by a complete stranger selling magazine subscriptions. Let's just say I didn't buy any magazines. I also decided in that moment to never again be fooled by a friendly door knock.

In thinking about this, I'm reminded of a verse in the Bible that I would imagine many of you are familiar with:

     "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." Revelation 3:20

Along with this verse, I'm sure that most of you have seen the famous painting that depicts this verse, showing Jesus standing at a door knocking. Although I had seen this painting since my childhood, it wasn't until many years later that a Pastor pointed out something about that painting that I had never noticed before: the door has no outside doorknob. That means that the person on the outside knocking has no way of opening the door; the person on the inside was the only one who could open it.

What an excellent illustration that is to us today. Simply put, this world is in a mess. What makes that even more disconcerting is the number of people who expect politicians to fix our problems. Let me help you with this - that's not
going to happen. I maintain and loudly proclaim that ONLY God has what we need. In His love for us He stands at our door, desiring to come in and help us. We've been hearing II Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot lately, which contains the promise that if we will turn our hearts to God, He will hear from heaven and restore us. He is truly standing at our doors - the doors of individuals, churches, and nations. His love and mercy are knocking loudly, desiring to come with healing in His hands. But there is a crucially important point that I want to make here:

He won't knock forever.

I want to quote the late Steve Hill, who was the evangelist during the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida that began in 1995 and continued for several years. Please pay close attention to what he said:

"The Bible says that Jesus is standing at the door, not sitting. To stand signifies quick mobility. It means He could turn away at any moment. He hasn't settled down and pitched a tent at our doorstep. He is knocking, patiently, but not forever. The presence of Jesus at the door does not mean that He will remain there forever. We must respond now. We must open the door and let Him in."

My friends, my message to you this week is simple. Our God is a gracious God. The Bible teaches us that He is slow to anger and full of mercy. How I thank God for that! But the same Bible teaches us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Read Hebrews 10:31) There will come a time when the loving hand of God will stop knocking, and it's useless to open the door to someone after they've walked away. My prayer is that we will open the door to God while we still can. You see, I can tell you both from Scripture and personal experience that if you open the door to Jesus Christ, He walks through that door bearing great gifts with Him. I can also tell you that rejecting His call will leave you with no other hope. It really is that simple.

So please hear my heart today - Jesus Christ wants to come into your life. But the door that represents your life has no doorknob on the outside. YOU will be the one who decides if the door opens or not. We each make that choice, and we'll each bear the responsibility for that choice.

I say it again - it really is that simple.