Christ is knocking today at the door of your heart through the Holy Spirit. He says, “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). Does Christ knock at the door of a few select friends? No. “[The True Witness’] voice is appealing to every heart. . . . (Revelation 3:20 quoted).”1

“Jesus is going from door to door, standing in front of every soul temple, proclaiming, ‘I stand at the door and knock.’ . . . ‘Open your doors,’ says the great Merchantman, the possessor of spiritual riches, ‘and transact your business with Me. It is I, your Redeemer, who counsels you to buy of Me.’”2

Among the busy activities of your life, do you hear Christ’s knock? Are you familiar with His voice or do you think He is a stranger? Are you perhaps so mesmerized with the sounds of the world that you no longer recognize Him? Will you let Him in? Do you anticipate He has good or bad news for you? Can you open the door? Are you prepared to receive the heavenly Guest?

A knock at the door could bring good news or bad news. It could be the delivery service bringing flowers for Mother’s Day. During World War II, many homes in the United States were visited by uniformed government officers. They came to bring the bad news that the husband, father, or son was “killed in action.” When we open the door, we must be prepared to hear what the messenger has to say.

Have you ever wondered what this “knock of Jesus” on my heart really means? Inspiration tells us that “Every warning, reproof, and entreaty in the Word of God, or through His delegated messengers, is a knock at the door of the heart; it is the voice of Jesus asking for entrance.”3 (This message has wide, multiple applications, but, for the purposes of this article, we will make a personal, spiritual application of this timely “knock.”)

Christ uses the Bible, or the Spirit of Prophecy, or “His delegated messengers” to warn, reprove, and encourage us. These messengers may be pastors, teachers, and brothers or sisters in the faith.

What happens if we don’t open the door at once? “With every knock unheeded, your determination to open becomes weaker and weaker. If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude of other voices, the world’s care and business engross the attention, and conviction dies away. The heart becomes less impressible, and lapses into a perilous unconsciousness of the shortness of time, and of the great eternity beyond.”4 How dangerous! If we don’t open immediately, we eventually become spiritually unconscious.

The verse describing Christ’s knocking at the door of our wayward, human heart is found in Revelation chapter 3 - right at the end of the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. It is a message for our time! Now - more than ever before - Christ wants to dwell in human hearts. He does not necessarily speak to us in an audible voice but rather in the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit to our conscience. How important it is, therefore, in the time of the outpouring of the latter rain that we understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the conscience.

“Conscience is the voice of God, heard amid the conflict of human passions; when it is resisted, the Spirit of God is grieved.

“We want all to understand how the soul is destroyed. It is not that God sends out a decree that man shall not be saved. He does not throw a darkness before the eyes which cannot be penetrated. But man at first resists a motion of the Spirit of God, and, having once resisted, it is less difficult to do so the second time, less the third, and far less the fourth. Then comes the harvest to be reaped from the seed of unbelief and resistance. Oh what a harvest of sinful indulgences is preparing for the sickle!

“When secret prayer and reading of the Scriptures are neglected today, tomorrow they can be omitted with less remonstrance of conscience. There will be a long list of omissions, all for a single grain sown in the soil of the heart. On the other hand, every ray of light cherished will yield a harvest of light. Temptation once resisted will give power to more firmly resist the second time; every new victory gained over self will smooth the way for higher and nobler triumphs. Every victory is a seed sown to eternal life.”5

The psalmist prayed, “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11, emphasis supplied). He prayed that his sin-stricken, divided heart would be united as he learned of God’s ways of doing things - and he pledged to walk in the ever-advancing truths he would learn. This is a growing process of ever-increasing love and obedience to the Master. The Holy Spirit convicts us more and more of ways in which we can come to higher and higher ground until finally, like Enoch, we can be ready for translation into the heavenly courts. The heavenly Comforter will be ever convincing us “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). And as a result, our own personal standard of character that we are seeking will be higher, ever higher. Therefore, how great is our need of Christ’s saving visit to our soul - and now!

The great Redeemer represents Himself as a heavenly Merchantman, laden with jewels of truth of the richest value. He is calling from house to house, presenting His priceless goods. He has merchandise for every member of the family. We must buy the gold tried in the fire (faith and love), the white raiment (the robe of Christ’s Righteousness), and eyesalve (spiritual discernment) for ourselves.

Christ comes with a message of peace. He wants to cleanse our soul temple of every defilement and sin. His very presence cleanses and sanctifies the soul. “Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart” (Psalm 95:7, 8). “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh” (Hebrews 12:25). “Today go about the work, else you may be one day too late. The impression that you have now may not be as strong tomorrow. Satan’s snare may close about you. The candlestick may be moved out of its place, and you left in darkness.”6

You would think that such an important Guest would be welcomed by everyone! Unfortunately, however, not all open the door to Jesus. Like the great majority of His own people rejected Christ nearly 2,000 years ago, so He is rejected today. “Many refuse to receive [our Redeemer]. The Holy Spirit waits to soften and subdue hearts; but they are not willing to open the door and let the Saviour in, for fear that He will require something of them. And so Jesus of Nazareth passes by. He longs to bestow on them the rich blessings of His grace, but they refuse to accept them. What a terrible thing it is to exclude Christ from His own temple! What a loss to the church!”7

Christ does not force His entrance, but He persists with a stronger, louder knock. He “continually seeks the lost ones, saying, ‘How shall I give thee up’ (Hosea 11:8)? He returns to plead with greater force, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ The winning power of His love compels souls to come in. And to Christ they say, ‘Thy gentleness hath made me great’ (Psalm 18:35).”8

They open and finally He comes in. What peace, what calm to the soul.

What happens each time we refuse to hear His message of mercy? “Every time you refuse to listen to the message of mercy, you strengthen yourself in unbelief. Every time you fail to open the door of your heart to Christ, you become more and more unwilling to listen to the voice of Him that speaketh. You diminish your chance of responding to the last appeal of mercy.”9

After reading the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, “Do you believe that the testimonies of reproof which have been given you are of God? If you really believe that the voice of God has spoken to you, pointing out your dangers, do you heed the counsels given? Do you keep these testimonies of warning fresh in your minds by reading them often with prayerful hearts?”10

Christ is represented as waiting outside the door. Why does He not enter? There are several things blocking the entrance to the door of our heart. “I saw that many have so much rubbish piled up at the door of their heart that they cannot get the door open.”11 “It is the sinner himself who has barred the door. Will he take down the barriers? Will he unbolt the door? The locks are all on his side of the door, not on the Saviour’s side.”12

“We are to clear away the rubbish, open the door, and invite Jesus to come in and abide with us.”13 Here is a partial list of hindrances that prevent Christ from coming in.

“The love of sin has closed the door of the heart.”14 “Christ will not enter a heart that is defiled with sin. It is our work to put away all iniquity.”15

“Some have difficulties between themselves and their brethren to remove.”16 “Find out what it is that separates you from your brother and plead for the unity that Christ has said should exist in the church.”17

“Others have evil tempers, selfish covetousness to remove before they can open the door.

“Others have rolled the world before the door of their heart, which bars the door.”18

“We must put away everything like passion, impatience, murmuring, and unrest, and find a place for Jesus in the heart.”19

“The question of highest importance to you is, ‘Do I have an experimental knowledge of God? Am I ready to believe what He tells me, to do what He bids, instead of following my own judgment? Am I drawing nearer to God?’ The Scripture says, ‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned’ (1 Corinthians 2:14). If your hearts are not fully surrendered to God, if you do not submit your will to His, you will devise and plan without the guidance of Him who is mighty in counsel. . . .’

“It does not become anyone to drop a word of doubt here and there that shall work like poison in other minds, shaking their confidence in the messages which God has given, which have aided in laying the foundation of this work, and have attended it to the present day, in reproofs, warnings, corrections, and encouragements. To all who have stood in the way of the Testimonies, I would say, God has given a message to His people, and His voice will be heard, whether you hear or forbear. . . .

“‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:20). Even the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart is to be tested by the word of God. The Spirit which inspired the Scriptures, always leads to the Scriptures.‘

“‘Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold’ (Matthew 24:12). The True Witness says of the church, after enumerating many virtues, ‘I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love’ (Revelation 2:4). The prevailing idolatry and iniquity have had a paralyzing, deadening influence upon piety and godliness. There is distrust, selfishness, and suspicion. A few hold fast their profession of faith. Others have been leaving the simplicity of the faith, and as the result they are now treading on the borderland of skepticism. They are spiritually beclouded; and thus many are holding serious errors. Some sit in judgment on the Scriptures, declaring that this or that passage is not inspired, because it does not strike their minds favorably. They cannot harmonize it with their ideas of philosophy and science, ‘falsely so called.’ Others for different reasons question portions of the word of God. Thus many walk blindly where the enemy prepares the way. Now, it is not the province of any man to pronounce sentence upon the Scriptures, to judge or condemn any portion of God’s word. When one presumes to do this, Satan will create an atmosphere for him to breathe which will dwarf spiritual growth. When a man feels so very wise that he dares to dissect God’s word, his wisdom is, with God, counted foolishness. When he knows more, he will feel that he has everything to learn. And his very first lesson is to become teachable. ‘Learn of me,’ says the Great Teacher; ‘for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls’ (Matthew 11:29).

“Would that the spiritual eyesight of all the workers might be clear to distinguish the sacred from the common. Blinded by self-love, many lose sight of the claims of others, and also of the glory of God. When you see yourselves as you really are, and see God as He wants you to see Him, you will feel deeply your need of Jesus and will seek Him with contrite hearts. Then He will be found of you. You will seek for His heavenly treasure of graces as one seeks for precious pearls; and when you find it, there will be no doubt on the minds of your brethren but that you have found the pearl of great price. You will have the mind of Christ; you will work and speak as Christ did.

“The people of God are not to be guided by the opinions or practices of the world. . . .

“The word of God plainly declares that His law is to be scorned, trampled upon, by the world; there will be an extraordinary prevalence of iniquity.”20

“When the heart is emptied of self-importance, the door will be opened to Christ.”21

“Jesus says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. . . .’ We are to divest ourselves of everything that separates our souls from Him. When this is done, we shall see of the salvation of God.”22

“O, remove everything that obstructs the entrance to your heart, and let the Saviour in.”23 Let us open wide the door and welcome Jesus in with open arms. “Let the hearts of all respond with exceeding joy for the priceless gift of the Son of God.”24

Once Christ comes in He wants to feed us an abundance of spiritual blessings. “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). The very presence of Christ in the soul will bring the following:

He brings peace and removes fear - “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

He brings patience and calmness - “When the peace of Jesus enters our heart we are calm and patient under the severest trials.”25

He brings love - “When the love of Christ enters the heart we strive to imitate the character of Christ. . . . The more we study the life of Christ with a heart to learn, the more Christlike we become.”26

He brings understanding - ”Into the heart of every true doer of the Word the Holy Spirit infuses clear understanding.”27

He brings heavenly graces - “The more we crucify selfish practices by imparting our blessings to others and by exercising our God-given ability, the more the heavenly graces will be strengthened and increased in us.”28

He brings all the fruit of the Spirit - “We will grow in spirituality, in patience, in fortitude, in meekness, in gentleness.”29

He brings light and joy - “ ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock,’ says the Saviour. . . . He humbles Himself to seek an entrance at the door of the heart, that He may bless us with His light, and make us to rejoice in His glory.”30

He brings everlasting life - “[The Saviour] will redeem from sin and death all who will come to Him; and will elevate them to His throne, and give them everlasting life.”31

“With Christ abiding in the soul, the human agent becomes a partaker of the divine nature and is a coworker with Jesus Christ. He manifests ardor and earnestness and possesses that perseverance, so that, like his Master, he will not fail nor be discouraged. Let all turn away from the heart cravings for selfish gratification; let all empty the soul of self-love, selfish desires and ambitions, and Christ will supply the vacuum; He will reign in the heart that is emptied of self, and from His divine presence will flow forth living streams to revive and refresh the souls of those who are ready to perish.”32

Once we are emptied of self, Christ comes in and abides with us. We receive His divine nature and become coworkers with Him. With a new zeal and earnestness, we help Jesus knock on the doors of the hearts of our fellow human beings.

What is your real standing before God? Are you satisfied with your spiritual condition?

“So great is the unwillingness of the Lord to leave you, and such is His love toward you, that notwithstanding your life has not been in accordance with His will, and your works and ways have been offensive to Him, the Majesty of heaven condescends to beg the privilege of making you a visit and leaving you His blessing: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.’ The mansions in glory are His, and the joy of that heavenly abode; yet He humbles Himself to seek an entrance at the door of your heart, that He may bless you with His light and make you to rejoice in His glory.”33

Brethren and sisters, let us prayerfully look at the list of hindrances that are blocking Christ’s entrance to our heart. He will show us specifically which ones they are and give us the power to remove them.

“Jesus will not force open the door of the heart. We must open it ourselves and show that we desire His presence by giving Him a sincere welcome.”34

“How is it that so many of you are saying you do not know whether you are accepted of God or not; that you want to find Jesus? Don’t you know whether you have opened the door? Don’t you know whether you have invited Him in? If you have not, invite Him now. Don’t wait a moment. Open the door, and let Jesus in.”35