Who says this? Is it some beggar seeking shelter and food and rest? Ah, no; it is the King of kings, who has: "unsearchable riches." (Ephesians 3:8)
It is the One who is the Bread of life, and whose birthplace is the house of bread; the one who is: "Our dwelling place in all generations." (Psalm 90:1)
It is He who is "a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat." (Isaiah 25:4)
And He who gives rest to the weary and heavy laden. (Matthew 11:28) It is not as a suppliant, asking favors for himself, but as the dispenser of priceless gifts, that He seeks admission. And to whom does He appeal for admission? Is it to the noble, the wealthy, the esteemed? No; it is to the "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17)
To the wretched He comes offering ease; to the miserable, joy and gladness; to the poor, everlasting inheritance; to the blind; the light of heaven and clear vision; and to the naked, the pure, white robe of righteousness and the garment of salvation. He comes to every need "according to His riches in glory." (Philippians 4:19)
He comes to satisfy every longing of the human heart, and to fill the hungry soul with goodness. In Him all fullness dwells, and He freely gives it to all who will receive. "But how can I let Him in? How can I get the door open? I am helpless and ignorant; I do not know what to do."
Who has not had that feeling of helpless despondency? Let us see if we cannot remove it, and make the way clear. The answer is at hand: "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:12)
Unbelief is the only thing that shuts Him out; whoever believes Him receives Him.
You are doubtless aware of what well-meaning friends have told you, that you must get the pile of rubbish away from the door of your heart, in order that it may open to the royal visitor; and your heart sinks, because you have tried to remove it, but in spite of all your efforts it still remains. You say that there is not possibly room for Him and the sin both together, and that you cannot get rid of the sin, so you cannot do what you would, namely, welcome Jesus as an abiding presence.
Well, others have had the same difficulty, until they found out that this door swings outward, so that no amount of rubbish of sin piled up inside can keep it from opening. They let go the latch of unbelief that held it, and, lo, it swung wide, open, and there was nothing to hinder the Saviour from entering.
Christ is the light of the world, and when the true Light shines the darkness must flee away. So as soon as the veil of unbelief falls from the windows of the soul, the bright shining of the Sun of righteousness must necessarily dispel all the darkness of sin. You do not have to drive it out; it goes because the light scatters it. In that light of life the blindest cannot help seeing.
But you say that you are bound, and cannot move hand or foot. Your iniquities have taken you, and you are held with the cords of your sins, so that you cannot rise to open the door and let the Saviour in. This difficulty is provided for also.
Suppose you were ill in bed, unable to rise, and your attendant was away, and a visitor should call on you; you hear his knock, but you cannot go to the door. What can you do? You can say, "Come in," and your friend will walk in. Even so with Christ. Nothing but unbelief can bar the door of the heart; believe that He means what He says, when He knocks for admission, and say: "Come in, Lord; the door is unlocked; there is nothing to hinder your entrance; come, and welcome."
Do not fear that He will not hear your invitation, no matter how feeble your voice, He who bends down from the highest heaven, "to hear the groaning of the prisoner," (Psalm 102:20) and who hears the groaning of the speechless, inanimate creation, will certainly hear your cry, when He stands at the door. He understands your thought afar off, even before you do, and He responds to it.
Once more you ask: "How may I know that He is knocking at the door of my heart?"
Have you never felt your heart beat? Have you never felt the thrill of life in your body? Do you not know that He is the life, and that in Him we live, and move, and have our being? Your lifeblood, and the life-breath that purifies it and keeps it coursing through your arteries and veins, is the revelation of His presence. Every second since you were born He has been knocking, knocking, knocking, knocking, while you, perhaps, have been denying His existence. Oh, what infinite patience and longsuffering!
What blessed assurance there is in this! Even though it be the last hour, so long as He continues knocking there is the certainty that He will come in if given permission. Do not fear that after He has so long and patiently sought for admission He will turn away when at last your dull ear is roused to hear His voice. "While there's life there's hope," because the life that we have is His, and He is the hope of His people.
Yes; our existence is the proof of the presence of the Lord; and since "[He] gives to all life, and breath, and all things," (Acts 17:26) that is the proof of His right to have complete possession and full control. That is what He is knocking for. Every pulse beat, every heaving of the chest, is a knock, reminding you of His right to rule in your heart and life.
He is the Prince of peace, yes, the King of righteousness and peace, and your sole duty is to "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." (Colossians 3:15)
If you receive Him with thanksgiving, "The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
Christ is the rightful King of the universe. Our part, therefore, is to say to Him, "Your kingdom come, your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
We are to say: "Lord, I belong to You; I recognize your right to reign in me, and I give You full liberty to have your own way, to live your perfect life in me; live in this earthly temple just as You do in your sanctuary in the heavens."
The prayer given by Him is not a vain one; He can live as sinless a life in sinful flesh as in the paradise of God. "In what am I to yield to Him? How shall I know?" "By the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)
And the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, uses it to send conviction, that we may know in what places we are still harboring rebellion in the realm of our lives. "Hear, and your soul shall live." (Isaiah 55:3)
He says: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)
And, hearing it, we respond: "Lord, I thank You for the commandment and the promise; take away everything that usurps your place."
He says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)
And we say, "Lord, I confess that I have profaned your name; and I thank You that You will write it upon me, so that it will be my life."
Again He says. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)
And we reply, "Let your presence, dear Lord, abide with me, that I may have rest indeed from all sin, and as I triumph in the works of your hands I will ever delight in your holy memorial."
When He says, "You shall not kill." (Exodus 20:13) "Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer." (1 John 3:15)
We can only say, "Lord, let your love be shed abroad in my heart continually by your Spirit, so that all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, may be put away from me, with all malice, and that I may be kind and tender-hearted, forgiving all even as You have forgiven me." He says, "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)
And again we respond, "Dear Lord, my Master, live in me your own pure life, that I may be faithful to You in every thought; let me ever be joined to You, a member of your body, of your flesh, and of your bones; let us be no more twain, but one new man."
If we are perfectly joined to Christ, we cannot be unlawfully joined to anybody else.
And so we might go through the list. Whenever we become convicted of a sin, we simply say: "Lord, it belongs to You; do with it according to your will."
When a hitherto unknown duty is presented to us, we say: "Lord, I have taken You, not for worse, but for better, even for all that You are, and I pray You live this new phase of your life also in me."
If we thus heartily receive the Lord, no longer holding Him in the inner sanctuary, living face to face with Him, we shall find day by day that even though supping with Him involves drinking deeply of the cup of suffering, nevertheless in His presence in fullness of joy. When He abides in us, we abide in Him, and we can say: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil: my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23:5-6)--Present Truth, October 11, 1900--This article is referred to in article 27, "God's Long-Suffering and Justice." "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)