The Opened Door

 

There was a great panicked pounding upon the door accompanied by agonized cries, shouting, "Lord!"  "Lord! Open to us!"

The calm fateful reply came,

"I don't know you."

And the door was kept firmly shut.

What a terribly, terrifying consequence of assuming one knows the Lord but in reality, does not.  One had "faithfully" done much work in the Lord's name but had never really known the Lord.  It had all been a convincing act to the fellow human beings, but not to God.  They had only known Him in their heads.  Very sad travesty.

"On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in Your name? (Matthew 7:22 ESV)?

Judas Iscariot was one such as that.  Then he betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin.  He did not repent.  He had remorse, yes; but no repentance.  Therefore, he went and hanged himself.  In the afterlife, Jesus will very likely have to declare to him,

"I never knew you; depart from me..." (Matthew 7:23 ESV).

How devastatingly awful!  Can't get my head around this.  To have known in the head and mind but not in the heart!

Similarly, the five out of the ten bridesmaids or virgins, who did not have enough oil for their lamps cried out saying,

"Lord, lord, open to us."

Again, the bridegroom answered,

"Truly, I say to you, I do not know You" (Matthew 2:10-12 ESV).

The wheat and the tares had grown up together but harvest time showed the difference.

This is solemn scenario.  Those who have grown up well-versed in the Bible, well-churched, maybe even involved in some sort of leadership among the Lord's people; please, with integrity of heart, know the Lord with all Your heart, and not just your head.  Examine your hearts before the Lord and get right with Him.

The "one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven," said Jesus, is the one who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21 NIV).  When they say, "Lord, Lord," the door will be opened to them. In contrast, if one says, "I know Jesus" but does not keep His commandments and shows that he/she does not know Him, expect that the door would not be opened to them no matter how heartfelt the "Lord, lord" had been. God will be the Judge in the end.  He is the One to let anyone in.

Those who "know the Lord," keep His commandments and truly love Him will be perfected.  First John 2:5 and 6 explain how a person can know, that they know the Lord.

"By this we may know that we are in Him:  whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked" (ESV).

Walking the talk, at heart level; truly loving Him both in head and heart, and keeping there.

May this truth be in all of us through Jesus Christ, in all sincerity and when we call upon Him, "Lord, Lord!" we will be confident of His opening the door to us.  The ones who choose Jesus and accept salvation through Him, have a firm foundation and are ready when the Bridegroom comes no matter the time of day or night; no matter whether awake or asleep.  These are the "ready and waiting" ones.

There will be no frantic knocking nor desparate, alarmed screaming, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" at the door, because You know Him and He knows you.  In fact, we will not even have to knock, the Door will be opened to us and Jesus will beckon us on in because He knows each one.

These are the ones who have ,

"washed robes and a right to the tree of life and enter the city by the gates" (Revelation 22:14 ESV).

May each and every one reading this know the Lord in both head and heart and so enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Lord is there and awaits you.  He wants to know you.  Choose Him.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with all" (Revelation 22:21 ESV).

                                                    ~ERC  March 2021~

See also:  Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:11-13; 1 John 2:3-6; Revelation 22:14.

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