To the Church in Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14-22

Theme

Lukewarm Christianity.

This week’s lessons teach us about the importance of getting on fire for Christ.

Scripture

20"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.

21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

–Revelation 3:20-22

Lesson

There is a story about a village atheist in a small Tennessee town who was never known to go to church. His name was Uncle George. While the Christians were in church on Sunday or for a mid-week meeting, he would sit in front of the village store and whittle small wood figures and ridicule the church. One day the church caught fire. There was no fire department in the village, so the people formed a bucket brigade and Uncle George pitched in. He was actually at the head of the line throwing water on the flames. The pastor said, "This is the first time I ever saw you at church, George."

"Yes," George said, "but this is the first time I ever saw a church on fire."1 When we get on fire for Jesus Christ, the world will begin to listen to us and some people will be saved.

Revelation 3:20 is often used wrongly as an evangelistic text. It is used to picture Jesus standing helplessly at the door of the sinner’s heart, begging to come in. Conversion is not like that. Conversion is accomplished by Jesus who uses the preaching of his Word to bring the dead sinner to life and draw the antagonistic rebel to himself. But here Jesus is standing outside the door, and he is knocking. He is knocking at the closed hearts of those who are his but who have turned their backs on him and shut him out of their complacent, self-satisfied, worldly Christian lives. The knocking Christ is an image, not of Jesus calling unbelievers to give their hearts to him, but of calling drifting, worldly believers to sincere repentance and renewal. Steve Gregg says, "Familiar as an evangelistic text for sinners, this verse, in context, actually expresses Christ’s feeling of being an outsider from his own church, desiring to be invited back in."2

I have been in many churches where Christ has been locked out. The people inside have found him to be too honest, too disturbing, too commanding, too holy for their worldly, compromising state. Are you like that? Are you a Christian who has shut the door on Jesus Christ because you do not want him to intrude? Because you are satisfied with your insipid, sinful, worldly life and do not want to change it?

Perhaps you have seen a copy of the painting by Holman Hunt that hangs in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. In this painting Jesus stands by a closed door. The hinges are rusty. There is no handle on the outside of the door. Vines cover the side posts and lintel. Jesus’ hand is poised in the air, uplifted, ready to knock. Many stories have been told about this picture, but here is one that is to the point now. A little girl stood with her father looking at the picture very seriously. She was deeply moved. Finally she asked, "Daddy, did he ever get in?"3 It was a very good question. Apparently he did not get into the church in Laodicea, for it soon ceased to be. If you are shutting Jesus out, will he ever get in to fellowship with you?

In the letter to the church in Thyatira Christ’s appeal was to a remnant (Rev. 2:24). In Sardis there were still "a few people" who were faithful (Rev. 3:4). Here the appeal is to "anyone" (Rev. 3:20). It is to the individual believer. It is to you.

In John’s vision of Jesus in chapter 1, Jesus is seen standing in the midst of the lampstands which represent the seven churches (v. 13). In the vision to come in chapters 4 and 5, Jesus is pictured as a lamb standing before the Father’s throne (Rev. 5:6). Here he is seen as one seated with the Father on his throne, offering the right to sit with him to all who heed these words and overcome. The important fact is that he is already enthroned. The promise is that those who overcome in this life will reign with him in his kingdom.

The final exhortation, as with the other churches, is to hear what the Spirit is saying. Will you hear it? Will you alter your life as a result?

Francis J. McConnell once painted a word picture of the Boxer Rebellion in China in which hundreds of Chinese Christians were martyred. He pictured them kneeling with their heads on the execution blocks, the executioners standing with drawn swords in their hands. All the Christians needed to do to escape death was to grunt a mere word, indicating that they were willing to recant their Christianity. "What would I have done under those circumstances?" the Bishop asked himself. Then he answered for himself and others, "I speak not only personally but in a representative capacity, for I think the rest of you are very much like myself. With my head on the block I think I should have said, ‘Hold on! I think I can make a statement that will be satisfactory to both sides.’ "4

Christians have probably taken that approach in every age. But that is exactly what makes Christ sick. Don’t let it be true of you. Don’t live a lukewarm Christian life. Get on fire for Christ now. Love him. Invite him in. And serve him while you can.

1#In J. Ralph Grant, Letters to the Seven Churches and Other Sermons (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1962), pp. 72, 73.

#2Steve Gregg, Revelation: Four Views, A Parallel Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1977), p. 80.

#3J. Ralph Grant, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 75.

4J. Ralph Grant, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 66.

Study Questions

• How is conversion accomplished?

• To whom is Jesus knocking in Revelation 3:20?

• What is a common misinterpretation of Revelation 3:20?

• What happens when Christians get on fire for Jesus Christ?

Reflection

Are you a Christian who has shut the door on Jesus Christ because you do not want him to intrude? Are you satisfied with your worldly life–and you don’t want to change it?

Key Point

Don’t live a lukewarm Christian life. Get on fire for Christ now. Love him. Invite him in. And serve him while you can.

This daily devotional study is from the Bible teaching of Dr. James Boice on the broadcast The Bible Study Hour. You may order the audio version of his studies here.