Jesus IS KNOCKING

Jesus  is Knocking 

A sermon preached by Fortune Nwaiwu on Sun. 9th June, 2019.

Introduction:

There are different varieties of doors. We have interior doors, exterior doors, glass doors, and wooden doors. But in all, the door that Jesus Christ is Knocking on is your very HEART. Heart is a domain of forces, supposedly a dwelling home of God. Jesus is eager and meek to come into your heart and dwell in there to feed you with good thoughts nourishing your soul to keep it secure from danger and sin, and to give it life in abundance but Satan is aggressively fighting to steal it. Jesus Christ says:

‘The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly', John 10:10 NHEB.

There are people whose souls have been stolen by Satan with the wealth of this world, and they tend to believe that they have gotten all they want in life. Such people are not only unbelievers but also some church members. Their belief in self-satisfactions results in their lukewarm attitudes in the worship of God. This is the problem with the church at Laodicea in the book of Revelation. The members were described by Jesus Christ like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, and Jesus promised to vomit them out just like someone being thirsty and needed cold water but unfortunately warm water is brought to him. He wouldn’t be happy, and may likely vomit it and pour it out.

The question is this, do you mix your life with righteousness and wickedness? If so you have a lukewarm attitude, and the very one who owes your soul is standing at the door of your heart knocking that you may open and welcome him for him to transform it, scanning your heart to remove the viruses which your heart has been contaminated. 

Illustration:

There was a pastor who was on a mission of distributing alms to the poor. He had gathered more than enough money from his church members, and had learnt about a poor widow whose house rent had expired, and her landlord was about giving her a quit notice. Then the pastor came and was persistently knocking on the widow's door to give her some money to solve her problems but the poor widow refused, thinking that it was her wicked landlord. The pastor wasn’t happy. So he left, and went to another poor widow woman. This woman was very sick. There was no one taking care of her. As the man of God came and knocked on the door of this sick poor widow, the woman mustered her remaining strength and asked: Who is it? The man of God responded: 'I am a pastor, I have come to have a word with you”. This woman was very glad to receive the man of God. She crawled down the bed to open her door. The man came in and saw her condition. He did not only give her the money but he also share the Word of God with her and prayed for her. By God's grace the woman was healed and she gave God all the glory.

Lessons:

1. There are people who hear the voice of the Lord through his ministers, and yet they harden their hearts.

2. There are also people that have the opportunity to receive Christ but because of their problems they feel like God does not exist.

3. Accepting the Word of God heals a broken heart.

Caution

1. Don’t harden your heart when the Word of God is preached to you. Instead, receive the Word with your heart, and the Word will have something good and effectual to do in your life. Thus your miracle can come from believing in the Lord who is preached to you.

Two important people who received Christ when He knocked on their doors.

1. The Samaritan woman at the well who had in the course of adultery married five men, and none of them was her real husband. When she encountered Jesus Christ, she opened her heart for Christ, and accepted him. She then became an instrument for evangelism, bringing more souls for Christ, ( John 4: 1-42).

2. Zacchaus: Among the people that  crowded Jesus Christ when he was passing in the town of Jericho, it was Zachaeus, a tax collector who opened his heart for Christ. He was thought of the worst irreputable sinner so far, but he gave his life to Christ. Now listen to what Jesus said to Zacchaeus:

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully” Luke 19:5-6.

Lessons:

When Jesus calls, you don’t need to delay to receive him with joy. It is a privilege that Jesus is calling us today. Both Zacchaus and the Samaritan woman would have one reason or the other to give to Christ, a. Jews refused to do anything with us- we the Samaritans and so I wouldn’t believe in you, b.  I am short and so I can’t see you to know who you are. 

In all, there is no excuse to give when Christ knocks on the door of our heart. Let's turn to him, and he will save us. Let us make our heart a dwelling place of the Lord, and it shall be well with us in Jesus' name, Amen.

Sing this song with me:

Into my life, into my life;

Come into my life Lord Jesus;

Come in today, come to stay Lord Jesus.

May the Lord Jesus Christ always dwell in us, heal our broken hearts and set us free from the want of worldly pleasures. God bless you.