“If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with him.”—Rev. 3: 20.
Great and precious are the promises which Christ makes to them who hearken to His voice in the gospel-offers, and open their hearts to receive Him as offered to them in all His offices; I come in, and bring all the benefits of My purchase with Me, to entertain and feast that soul, even pardon, peace, light, life, grace and glory.
I. Observe the duty called for, is to hear Christ’s voice and open the door to Him; that is, to accept and embrace the free gospel-offers, and heartily to acquiesce in the gospel-method of a sinner’s reconciliation and sanctification through the righteousness of our glorious Immanuel, and willingly receive and submit to Him as our Prophet, Priest, and King.
What is the preaching of the gospel but Christ’s charming voice calling lost sinners home to Himself? What is it but Christ’s following them with invitations and entreaties to come to Him and live? This is Christ’s voice which He would have sinners to hear, come and live; though they generally refuse to do it! O what condemned malefactor would refuse to hear the voice of his sovereign offering him his life, as condemned sinners do? John 5: 40, “Ye will not come to Me that ye might have life.” Yet behold, after many refusals, He follows His offers with arguments, strong arguments to prevail with sinners, and after the greatest obstinacy He is loth to break off His treaty with them, Hos. 11: 8, “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?—why will ye die? ” “what reason can you give for refusing life? or for choosing death? “
II. Observe who it is that Christ calls to hear His voice, and open their doors to Him; it is not this and that man only, or any particular sort of men, it is any man, every man that sits under the Gospel.
“If any man will hear My voice and open the door,” saith Christ, “I will come in.” If the greatest sinner, the most crimson-coloured sinner, will open, I will come in. “Any man,” if the swearer will open, if the Sabbath-breaker, if the murderer, if the drunkard, if the unclean, if the thief, if the cheat, if the liar, if the mocker, if the prayerless man, if the man that hates God and godliness, will open to Me. “I will come in and sup with him.” O what encouragement doth this word, “If any man,” give to every sinner to flee to Christ! If any man, whoever he be, whatever he hath done, if he will welcome Me, receive Me in the gospel-offers, I will come in to him.
III. Observe, Christ requires sinners to open the door that He may come in to teach them; however unable they be, this is their duty; they must endeavour, and use all means to do it, and look up to Him for strength.
He will have the sinner’s consent, and the soul made willing to receive Him. O then cast open the door, open it wide, receive Christ wholly, receive Him without reserve, open before Him “the two-leaved gates,” not the wicket, or one leaf only, but both leaves of the door. Let Christ have full and free consent of the soul, an abundant entrance into it. There are some resolving to open the door to Christ, others perhaps are beginning to open it: O let them not halt in doing it. With some the door is half open, and there they stop. They are almost, but not altogether Christians. O almost Christian, why do you halt? Why would you lose all the pains you have been at? A little more would cast the door wide open, and make you an altogether Christian. Go then a little further, O sinner, to save your soul. Open to Christ all the powers and faculties of your soul. Open to Him fully here, as you would have Him to open freely to you hereafter. O, what mean you to open to Christ by halves? Alas, the half-open door will be ready to close again, and if so, it may never open for the future. Let it be your concern to go a little further than the almost Christian, and rest not in fair beginnings.
IV. Observe, how great the advantage is of opening the door to Christ.
Why! I will come into the house, saith He, even the Friend of sinners, the King of glory will come in, the best guest that ever came into a poor man’s house: how honourable, how profitable, how happy and blessed, must such a visit be! Quest.: For what end will Christ come in? Ans.: He will come in to enlighten the house; for the soul is a dark dungeon while Christ is shut out: He will come in to adorn and enrich the soul with the ornaments and treasures of His grace: He will come in to reign in the soul, and pull down the tyrant that hath long oppressed you: He will come in and sup with you, and cause you to sup with Him: and, because you have no fitting provision in the house, He will bring it with Him. And O how rare are Christ’s dainties; This hidden manna, the Tree of Life, the grapes of Canaan, the Bread that comes down from Heaven! How excellent is the water of life! One drop of it would be an everlasting spring in thy soul, that would keep thee from thirsting after the creature any more. What a rich feast are the graces of the Spirit quickened to a lively exercise! What a blesst feast is pardon from sin, peace with justice, peace with the law, an interest in Christ’s purchase, intimations of Christ’s love, gospel promises applied, communion with God, news of eternal life, well grounded hopes of immortal glory! etc. O how precious and delicate are those gospel rarities which are set before you on the Communion table, and freely tendered to everyone that opens the door to Christ! Who would not welcome such a Guest that brings such glorious provision with Him? Had poor sinners spiritual appetites sharpened for Christ’s feast, there would not be so many shut doors against Him.
Observe how solemnly Christ offers these gospel blessings to you, with a Behold I stand, etc. Christ takes witnesses upon it, witnesses against the refusers: behold ye angels, and witness for Me, how kind and bountiful My offers are to Adam’s rebellious children! Behold, ye ministers, and witness against those who shut Me out! Behold, ye stones and timber of the house, ye elements and communion-tables, bear witness for Me and against them! Behold, ye fellow communicants and hearers, bear witness one against another, that I knocked, I called, I knocked loud, I knocked long, but ye kept your doors bolted against Me. It is a melancholy thought for those who are ministers to entertain, that they will one day be brought in as witnesses against those such, though never so dear to them now, that Christ called, but they refused; He made kind and large offers, but they regarded them not. O then let every soul set about sweeping and washing all the rooms, and cast open all the doors, as wide as they can, to the King of glory, and receive Him with acclamation and praise. Take the crown off the head of self, and put it on the head of Christ, ascribing all the glory of your salvation to Him, and nothing to free-will, or your own doings.—WILLISON.