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 him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Those are the words of Jesus the Christ, the son of the Living God… to you.
The context of this verse: Jesus speaking to a particular church full of people who had made it clear to God that they did not need him…didn’t need anything actually “ We are well supplied…satisfied…and wealthy”
· His response was…”Here I am” or “Behold” “Pay attention” or “Check this out”
· I stand – lit. I have been standing – I came to your door and haven’t left – I’m still here.
· If anyone hears my voice – clearly Jesus is not just knocking but saying something…maybe even calling out.
o lit. it could be translated …”if you would just this once hear me and open the door”
· What does he mean opens the door
· And what does he mean by come in and eat with you
o to eat with someone/sit at their table was a cultural form of intimacy or personal relationship.
o So…I am out hear knocking and calling out anxious to be in communion with you.
The great desire of Jesus is to have this happen with each of us. To have communion. Personal connection, intimacy and friendship.
And he today is standing outside the door of your heart calling out, knocking and trying to get your attention…to be able to sit down with you.
· Seriously – the Lord God of the universe wants to have a deep, significant relationship with you.
· Apparently, though, that isn’t going to happen unless you somehow open the door.
Let’s say that’s something that sounds appealing to you. but…How? It’s a lovely metaphor but not very practical.
· Do I just sit and think…will that open the door of my heart?
· Do I just hope it happens somehow? That I stumble into opening the door to my heart to Christ?
Well, thankfully, in the Bible itself and throughout church history we find very hands on, practical ways of opening our hearts to Jesus.
· these ways are called “spiritual disciplines”
· Each of these spiritual disciplines “opens the door” to dinner with Jesus…communion…intimate relationship.
Here are just a few…
Solitude, silence, Sabbath, confession, journaling , accountability, baptism, the Lord’s Supper , Bible memorization, devotional Bible reading, inductive Bible study, simplicity, abstinence fasting, chastity, breath prayers , contemplative prayers , corporate prayers, intercessory prayers, private worship and corporate worship.
Yeah, just a few. Each of those disciplines creates an open door between you and Jesus. Today we are going to see how they work within the Way of Discipleship (that will come later) but before we talk about them in theory we are going to practice some of them.
· specifically, in the next 30 minutes we will practice…
o Silence
o Meditation
o Devotional Bible Reading
o Self-examination
o Confession
o the Lords’ Supper
o Worship
Out hope is that you will taste at least a little communion or fellowship with Jesus and grow hungry for more…
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 him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Jesus is standing just outside your conscious existence…he’s knocking…he’s crying out for you…now, will you open the door?
Message Part 2
For the past few weeks we have been exploring what it means to follow Jesus.
· Following Jesus has a starting point. You don’t just suddenly discover you are following him. It begins with an act of surrender – repentance and transfer of trust and act of the will.
o most of the time that is marked by baptism
o but that’s just the beginning
· Once you’ve surrendered you’re not done. You don’t get your ticket stamped and wait for the A Train to heaven...you begin to follow…you become his apprentice…his disciple.
o Now, you could walk this road alone but I’m telling you you’re not going to get very far very fast.
If you want to make progress and see your life transform effectively…you’ll walk this road with another person…even better following another person (as they follow Jesus)
· For the past 5 weeks we’ve been explaining how we do that at Grace.
The Way of Discipleship is an intentional, time bound relationship focused on learning and embracing 11 practices essential to following Jesus.
· one person inviting another person to follow them as they follow Jesus
o meet regularly for a good amount of time studying together 11 practices that are essential on this road.
Last week we looked carefully at the outcome of the WoD.
· 1st - Become a wonderful person
o external and internal
o character and calling
o moral fiber and destiny
o integrity and impact
· But, today I want you to hear that wonderfulness is not the only outcome of walking together in the way of discipleship.
o something deeper…more mystical happens to a person who becomes an apprentice of Jesus…follows Jesus…becomes his disciple.
Specially something happens between you and Jesus himself.
· Communion, intimacy, relationship, bond, connection
o Something happens in your character, yes…and your calling, yes …but also deep within your soul…down in your heart.
Jesus himself implied this when he said…
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29
Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
and of course what we’ve already seen today…
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 him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
As you follow him Jesus wants your soul, your heart, the deeply you part of you to be at rest, bubbling with life, settled in satisfaction.
There was a fascinating example of this intimacy in one of the stories in the gospels:
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
Luke 10:41-42
So…knowing this is an expressed desire of Jesus, for us to open the door of our hearts, to experience rest, to choose the one thing that is better…
· how? The spiritual disciplines.
As I said earlier (or Mel explained at Fishers) in the first couple of centuries after Jesus left, the church began to experiment with disciplines that would promote communion with Jesus…
Let’s review what they are again:
Spiritual disciplines help us to meet with and draw upon God.
Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines allow the ways of God’s kingdom to gradually replace the ways of the world in our lives. Dallas Willard
Spiritual disciplines are activities that help us live in a power that is derived from the spiritual realm. Dallas Willard
So, all that to say…these are big. These disciplines are hug. These tools are crucial. They must be experimented with to find the ones that best work for each of us.
· And, this is why we have ingrained many of them in the Way of Discipleship.
· If you determine to walk in the Way of Discipleship with someone you will get a chance to try out many of these disciplines:
Solitude, silence, Sabbath, confession, journaling , accountability, baptism, the Lord’s Supper , Bible memorization, devotional Bible reading, inductive Bible study, simplicity, abstinence fasting, chastity, breath prayers , contemplative prayers , corporate prayers, intercessory prayers, private worship and corporate worship.
So, what do you say? Interested in becoming a Wonderful Person?
Interested in learning how to open the door of your heart to Jesus?
…then here is what you do:
1) get two of the books
2) start looking for someone with whom to have a sacred conversation
3) need training
Time to get on the road to wonderful…and learn how to open the door of your heart to Jesus…