favorable time – Praying Pint

53.z. Revelation 3:20

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

2 Corinthians 6:2    For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Luke 12:36-37    and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

Matthew 25:10   And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.

(Rev 3:20) Many of us are familiar, I dare say, with the devoutly imaginative rendering of the first part of these wonderful words, which we owe to the genius of a living painter. In it we see the fast shut door, with rusted hinges, all overgrown with rank, poisonous weeds, which tell how long it has been closed. There stands, amid the night dews and the darkness, the patient Son of man, one hand laid on the door, the other bearing a light, which may perchance flash through some of its chinks. In His face are love repelled, and pity all but wasted; in the touch of His hand are gentleness and authority. But the picture pauses, of course, at the beginning of my text, and its sequel is quite as wonderful as its first part. ‘I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me.’ What can surpass such words as these?

Who knocks? The exalted Christ. What is the door? This closed heart of man. What does He desire? Entrance. What are His knockings and His voice? All providences; all monitions of His Spirit in man’s spirit and conscience; the direct invitations of His written or spoken word; in brief, whatsoever sways our hearts to yield to Him and enthrone Him. This is the meaning, in the fewest possible words.

There is a revelation in the words, dear friends, of an infinite long-suffering and patience. The door has long been fastened; you and I have, like some lazy servant, thought that if we did not answer the knock, the Knocker would go away when He was weary. But we have miscalculated the elasticity and the unfailingness of that patient Christ’s lore. Rejected, He abides; spurned, He returns. There are men and women who all their lives long have known that Jesus Christ coveted their love, and yearned for a place in their hearts, and have steeled themselves against the knowledge, or frittered it away by worldliness, or darkened it by sensuality and sin. And they are once more brought into the presence of that rejected, patient, wooing Lord, who courts them for their souls, as if they were, which indeed they are, too precious to be lost, as long as there is a ghost of a chance that they may still listen to His voice. The patient Christ’s wonderfulness of long-suffering may well bow us all in thankfulness and in penitence. How often has He tapped or thundered at the door of your heart, dear friends, and how often have you neglected to open? Is it not of the Lord’s mercies that the rejected or neglected love is offered you once more? and the voice, so long deadened and deafened to your ears by the rush of passion, and the hurry of business, and the whispers of self, yet again appeals to you. (MacLaren)

Christ still graciously, by his word and Spirit, comes to the door of the hearts of sinners. Those who open to him shall enjoy his presence. If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will supply a rich one. He will give fresh supplies of graces and comforts. In the conclusion is a promise to the overcoming believer. (Henry)

The Saviour when he approaches man as represented under the image of knocking at the door: that he desires to be admitted to our friendship; and that he recognizes our freedom in the matter. He does not obtrude himself upon us, nor does he employ force to find admission to the heart. If admitted, he comes and dwells with us; if rejected, he turns quietly away – perhaps to return and knock again, perhaps never to come back. (Barnes)

There are two aspects of Jesus’s love, knocking to get our attention and speaking to give us reason to open the door to our hearts.

There are two choices possible:

The knock is heard and the voice is listened to.
The knock and voice are rejected.

There are two outcomes possible:

Eternal life – Heaven
Eternal torment – Hell

I do not fully understand the knocking and speaking that occurs within the hearts and minds of every person. I do know that every person will have the door to their heart knocked upon by Jesus and every ear will hear His invitation to let Him in. It is in this that either acceptance or rejection occurs. How many times will Jesus knock and speak to the hearts and minds of the lost? How many will continue to turn a deaf ear to the knocking and voice of Jesus and reject His offer to come in?

Can you imagine the sight, of Jesus, the Son of God, standing at your front door knocking and saying “I am out here and want to come in and be with you” and you fully knowing who is knocking on your door, refusing to get up and open the door? The Son of God is standing at your door and you are too comfortable, too busy, too attached to things of this world, too………..

Do not reject His visit to your heart’s door. Do not turn a deaf ear to His voice calling out to you.

44.i. “Now is the day of salvation”

2Corinthians 6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;

“Life is options up to a point, and then it’s decisions made.” But no decision we make is more consequential than choosing where we are going to spend eternity. The decision is not whether you are going to live forever but where you going to live forever. And it is a decision you cannot put off indefinitely. If you wait until you die to decide where you are going to spend eternity, then you will have waited too long. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “The ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation”. Where we choose to spend eternity will be reflected in how we live our lives right now.

The older I grow the more I am convinced that real practical holiness does not receive the attention it deserves, and that there is a most painfully low standard of living among many high professors of religion in the land. But, at the same time, I am increasingly convinced that the zealous efforts of some well-meaning persons to promote a higher standard of spiritual life are often not “ according to knowledge,” and are really calculated to do more harm than good. Let me explain what I mean. It is easy to get crowds together for what are called “ Higher life ” and “ Consecration ” meetings. Any one knows that, who has watched human nature, and read descriptions of American camp-meetings, and studied the curious phenomena of the “ Religious affections.” * Sen¬ sational and exciting addresses by strange preachers or by women, loud singing, hot rooms, crowded tents, the constant sight of strong semi-religious feeling in the faces of all around you for several days, late hours, long protracted meetings, public profession of experience,—all this kind of thing is very interesting at the time, and seems to do good. But is the good real, deeply-rooted, solid, lasting ? That is the point. And I should like to ask a few questions about it. Do those who attend these meetings become more holy, meek, unselfish, kind, good tempered, self-denying, and Christ-like at home ? Do they become more content with * Sec tlie work of President Edwards on this subject. FEEFACE. :vii their position in life, and more free from restless craving after something different from that which .God has given them ? Do fathers, mothers, husbands, and otherrelatives and friends, find them more pleasant and easy to live with ? Can they enjoy a quiet Sunday and quiet means of grace without noise, heat, and excitement ?CAbove all, do they grow in charity, and especially in charity towards those who do not agree with them in every jot and tittle of their religion ? ^ These are serious and searching questions, and deserve serious consideration. I hope I am as anxious to promote real practical holiness in the land as any one. I admire and willingly acknowledge the zeal and earnestness of many with whom I cannot co-operate who are trying to promote it. But I cannot withhold a growing suspicion that the great “mass-meetings” of the present day, for the ostensible object of promoting spiritual life, do not tend to promote private home religion, private Biblereading, private prayer, private usefulness, and private walking with God. If they are of any real value, they ought to make people better husbands, and wives, and fathers, and mothers, and sons, and daughters, and brothers, and sisters, and masters, and servants. But I should like to have clear proofs that they do; I only know it is far easier to be a Christian among singing, praying, sympathizing Christians in a public room, than to be a consistent Christian in a quiet, retired, out-of-the-way, uncongenial home. (Ryles)

Out of great mercy, grace, and love, Jesus willingly went to the cross and paid the price for our sins. What manner of people should we be? How should we live? How should we speak? How should we think? Do people see a new creation born again changed life? Does the light and love of Jesus Christ flow out of you?

Let your days be filled with a single thought: Let my thoughts, words, and actions today be filled with honor and glory for Jesus Christ.

While He may be found

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Psalms 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages,

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Luke 19:42-44 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

John 7:34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Psalms 34:2-5 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Psalms 4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Titus 2:12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”. “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you;”. “Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;” The day of salvation is now and yet for some it will never again come or be open to their eyes and hearts. They have rejected and set their heart against God, rejecting Him, and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is very hard to watch and see people who are like this but many of us too were at such a place in our lives at some time. We heard but we rejected, we saw but we discounted, and we chose to follow thoughts of those who cling to what is present in this world. To those who choose to listen, follow and obey God there is peace, joy, hope, love and promise of eternity with God in heaven. To those who continually reject His salvation there is promise of eternity in hell separated from God, forever tormented. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to believe, repent, follow and obey. God wants you to come to Him just as you are. You are not required to get right before you come to Him. He is standing at your heart’s door knocking seeking to come in and transform you into a life with Him. Come as your are He is knocking. Come now in this day of salvation. All changes in your life and how you see life this side of eternity will come at His leading and your willingness to let Him be Lord of your life – your everything.