Christ Stands at the Door and Knock (Revelation 3:14-22)

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 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. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:14-22)

Jesus who is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation speaks to the church in Laodicea. Jesus is the Amen to the Father all the time. He is in the Father and the Father in Him. This intimate and total communion with the Father is the secret for the Lord Jesus to say Amen! He is the faithful and true Witness. He was in the beginning, appeared on the earth, died and buried, rose from the dead, ascended far above all heavens to fill all things, and sat down on the right hand of God. He sees and knows all about what we are and who we are. He is the witness before the Holy God. Apostle Paul says in the Epistle to the Romans that our Lord the faithful and true witness who sees and knows our hearts and minds.

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:5-11)

Jesus is the ruler of God’s creation. He is the firstborn over all creation which tells that He is the owner over all creation (Colossians 1:15). “And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’” (Hebrews 1:6) Jesus who is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the ruler of God’s creation speaks to the church in Laodicea. The owner of all things in the universe pronounces the verdict upon the church. His verdict is true. The Laodicean church is neither cold nor hot, so the Lord Jesus says He will vomit them out of His mouth. They are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. They think they are rich and have everything but in fact they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. They are broke but don’t know it.

They are shallow in understanding the reality of life. They think that everything is okay and going well and do not see what is truly in want. Usually they boast of the numbers in the congregation and the various and lofty programs to show off to the people in the world. They do not think the word of God seriously, nor take careful heed on it.  They think they know the scriptures. But the owner of everything pronounces that they are blind, wretched, naked, poor, and even miserable. He will vomit them out of His mouth because they are disgusting and pathetic.

What is the remedy for them? Jesus says, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” (Revelation 3:18) Some seven hundred years before Christ came to the earth, Prophet Isaiah prophesied so aptly for the people of Israel to buy the real food and drink without any cost.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.“ (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Why does Jesus rebuke and reproach the church instead of punishing them immediately? It is because He wants them to repent and be saved.

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 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. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 2Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:19-22)

In order to give opportunity to come to reality in life that God rebukes and chastens His children to repent. It is proved in history that no one can live without sweating and toiling all time throughout the lifetime until they go back to the ground (Genesis 3:17-19). It sounds gloomy and depressed but is not. It’s an amazing and marvelous invitation of God to come unto Him that He will give the most abundant and exciting life, having the intimate communion with the Father of all. It is eternal life freely given to anyone who opens the heart. Moreover, Jesus will grant to sit with Him on His throne. In fact, those who are cleansed and washed away by the blood of Christ have been made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

What a promise! What a grace! This is the age of the Lord’s favor. Admit that you are poor, naked, blind, miserable, and wretched and repent to the Lord Jesus Christ who is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Into the Cross of Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:5-7)

“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.” (2 Corinthians 1:5-7 NKJV)

How are we supposed be consoled and cheered in the midst of trials and sufferings? The people in the world are wondering and bewildering why there are so much anguish, anger, rage, killings, kidnappings, fraud, swindling, slandering, deceit, and the like. Law and order never seem to be prevailing but lawlessness and unrighteousness does. Although people yearn and desire deep inside to have peace each other and the tremendous efforts and pushes are being made and invented to achieve it, no program avails at all. It’s completely hopeless.   

What is our comfort? It is not of the world such as wealth, status, or fame. It is not visible or tangible either. It is not something you can purchase. It is not something you can make. It is not the summer vacation. Nor is it the bible conference. It is the Person Jesus Christ crucified. Our true comfort is coming from the heaven above. God is the Father of all comfort and consolation. God so loved the world that He sent His begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). God comforts His people by letting His Son to be suffered unto death in our place. He was chastised for our peace and striped for our healing.

“He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV)

Just as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. The endurance and patience of Christ heals as many as those who believe in Him. Paul assures our faith in Christ who continually comforts us with His blood of the cross in Calvary, saying “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:9 NKJV) Christ crucified shall save us now and forevermore, so we shall be comforted eternally by His sufferings in our place.

Likewise, when we are afflicted with the same sufferings of Christ, it is for other’s consolation and salvation. Our sufferings in Christ are not in vain but shall benefit other brothers. That’s why we are told to rejoice in the sufferings. No one among the heroes of faith is without sufferings and troubles in their lives like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, King David, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and many others and let alone Christ Jesus our Lord. All believers in Christ are called to be the partakers of the sufferings of Christ. Apostle Peter says so aptly to the suffering saints in the first century. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV)

The suffering of Christ is the only and genuine resource of our comfort and consolation eternally.

“Into the cross of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go,
Following through the garden,
Facing the dreaded foe;
Drinking the cup of sorrow,
Sobbing with broken heart,
O Savior, help! Dear Savior, help!
Grace for my weakness impart.

“Into the joy of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go,
Rising, with soul enraptured,
Far from the world below.
Joy in the place of sorrow,
Peace in the midst of pain,
Jesus will give, Jesus will give;
He will uphold and sustain.

The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:10-11)

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” (Matthew 13:10-11 NKJV)

Why did Jesus speak in parables? Jesus answered to His disciples, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” What is the mystery of God? It is something humans want to know desperately and only God can make us know and understand. It is reality and truth about our life. Who doesn’t want to know the mysteries of God? That’s why Christ came to the earth to plainly tell the mysteries of God. Christ used many parables, seven of them recorded in the Gospel of Matthew Thirteenth Chapter.

The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are given and known to His followers, but not to the world. This is significant. No matter how the people of the world educate themselves, they are in darkness and confusion for the mysteries of God are not given to them. Even if the people know how to explorer the moon and the mars and how to replicate the animals using the gene technology, they badly fail to understand the kingdom of heaven for it is given to those are cleansed and washed away by the blood of Christ Jesus.

What is the kingdom of heaven? It is where God reigns and rules both the visible and invisible realms. There is no place where God does not reign and rule in the universe. Beyond the universe, there is the invisible kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven is not located far distance away in space but right here yet invisibly. In fact, we are living in the kingdom of heaven for we born of God are in Christ Jesus and He in us.

Jesus says that the parables tell and reveal the mysteries of God. For example, the parable of the sower reveals what is really going on in our hearts when the word of God falls upon us throughout the centuries after centuries. Those who soften their hearts (good soil) and heed to the word of God would bear the fruits of one hundred fold, sixty fold, and thirty fold. It is still going on right now.

Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV)

What is the word of God, the Scripture? The word of God was spoken to people who had written down in languages. It reveals the reality of life, yes the truth on the universe, especially on humanity. To be truly man what God intended man to be, we must come to know the word of God for He made everything. What the word of God teaches is for us to see ourselves realistically in His point of view for what He sees is what we’re.

There is no other way to understand humans than through the word of God. It tells us everything, especially the uncomfortable truths about human evil. Prophet Jeremiah wrote decisively and accurately on the nature of humanity, saying

“The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV)

Psalmist says that there is no one righteous, not even one on earth.

“The fool has said in his heart,

‘There is no God.’

They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,

There is none who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

They have all turned aside,

They have together become corrupt;

There is none who does good,

No, not one.” (Psalm 14:1-3 NKJV)

The word of God plainly tells that we are hopeless and powerless to be saved from the vicious, relentless, deceitful and cunning devil. But it does not stop there. The word of God tells us the good news that apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed through faith in Jesus Christ. The word of God clearly and bluntly tells that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It tells that Christ is the way out of all the troubles and heartaches in our midst.

The lawlessness of many antichrists has already been working in our midst to deceive the saints. “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” (1 John 2:18-19 NKJV)

That’s why every Christian must read and meditate the word of God day and night and in season and out of season in order to discern the wicked and deceiving spirit of the world. God is a truly realist! He knows what we are, so He gives what we need the most. That’s the word of God.

Always Led in Triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-17 NKJV)

Why did Apostle Paul say that Christians are always led in triumph in Christ? It’s because we are in Christ and He in us. Christ Jesus said to His disciples in the Upper Room Discourse that He was in the Father and the Father in Him. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21 NKJV) Christ was in total communion with the Father all the time except the time of suffering on the cross where God made Him sin in our place.

The relationship between the Father and Christ Jesus is exactly the same as the relationship between Christ and His followers who are born of God. We are in total communion with Christ Jesus. That’s way Paul says that Christians are always led in triumph in Christ by God. In the beginning man was made to operate and function in that relationship with God. But Adam fell and so the whole race was lost and away from the intimate relationship with the Father in heaven. That’s the reason God sent His begotten Son to demonstrate the life God intended it to be in the beginning.

Jesus never crossed the boundary of relationship with the Father. His eyes were fixed on the Father in heaven and He saw what the Father was doing and listened to what God was saying to Him. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) That’s the confidence of Christ and ours in Christ. Being born of God, we are made anew in Christ and joined in the family of God. From the beginning, we are in Christ and He is in us by means of the Spirit. Being liberated from the bondage of the evil one, we became the captives of Christ Jesus, being possessed by Him eternally. We died to sin and were made alive to God, says Paul.

That’s where we Christians stand in Christ now and forever. No matter what happens or what circumstance is, our relationship with God and Christ Jesus as sons cannot alter a bit, ever.  That’s why we are always led in triumph in Christ because we are the fragrance of Christ right where God has put us.

“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12)