REVISITING CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO TODAY’S EVANGELICALS

Part IV: Christ’s Offer To Wean Us From Evangelicalism’s Factions To Himself

B. Christ’s Cross-Before-The-Crown Solution Applied

3. Christ’s Offer To Use Past Opposition By The Factions To Position Us For The Crown

a. Christ’s Offer To Use Opposition’s COST For Victory Over The Sin Nature

(Revelation 3:20)

I. Introduction

A. In Rev. 3:18-19, Christ called a pastor to be weaned from Calvinist and Arminian factions, applying solutions to the spiritual needs made by the last three of Calvinism’s five errant points and parallel Arminian errors.

B. However, this weaning process costs a pastor job security as it puts him in conflict with the factions’ donors!

C. Rev. 3:20 gives Christ’s solution to this trial that benefits both a pastor and his receptive hearers while also meeting the spiritual need created by Calvinism’s first errant point of depravity and parallel Arminian error!

II. Christ’s Offer To Use Opposition’s COST For Victory Over The Sin Nature, Revelation 3:20.

A. We learned from Rev. 3:17 that the word “wretched” (KJV) critiques both Calvinist and Arminian views of depravity, errant beliefs that have actually led many believers to live by means of their sin natures!

B. In Rev. 3:20a, Christ shows how He meets the fourth (Rev. 3:17) need of victory over the sin nature, and in doing so, He explains His income security for BOTH the obedient pastor AND his receptive hearers:

1. Christ’s words, “Behold! I stand at the door” recall James 5:1-9, the only other Scripture passage where God stands at the door (Moulton & Geden, Con. to the Grk. Test., p. 469-471). There, a laborer’s pay is withheld by his employer, tempting the laborer by his sin nature to murmur and not wait for God to judge, and the passage’s broader context (Jas. 4:13-17) tells one not to get a different job apart from God’s will!

2. The James 5:9 phrase “at the door” is literally “on (epi) the door,” what metaphorically refers to Christ’s soon arrival elsewhere only at Matt. 24:33 and Mark 13:29 where, as one sees prophecy being fulfilled in the arrival of the Tribulation era trials, God expects him to KEEP DOING the Lord’s will in view of this insight and regardless of the trials he faces UNTIL CHRIST returns to REWARD him, Ibid., p. 464.

3. The words “and knock” recall Luke 12:36, the only other N. T. verse where a superior knocks to gain entry from a subordinate(s), Ibid., p. 563. That verse’s context shows one must sense his accountability to God and wait for Him to meet his material needs versus faithlessly striving against others to meet them.

4. Christ’s call to “hear My voice” recalls Heb. 3:15-4:7 that cites Psa. 95:11 (Ryrie S. B., KJV, ftn. to Heb. 3:7-11), and both passages call one to cease doing his own works and instead heed and trust in God!

5. The section of Rev. 3:20 that contains the phrases, “ if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in . . .” allude to John 14:23 (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845, ftn.; p. 389) where Christ promised involvement in one’s daily life if he exhibited love for Christ through heeding His Word!

6. Thus, if a pastor heeds Rev. 3:18-19 to stand against the Calvinist and Arminian factions, some donors to his income in the factions will resist his stand, sinfully withholding his pay in some way! This trial can tempt a pastor (a) to recant his stand and return to rely financially on the factions’ donors, or (b) to leave his current church for another pastorate or (c) to leave the pastoral ministry altogether for a secular job!

7. However, if a pastor notes that this trial was foretold in Rev. 3:17-20a so that he trusts in Christ for His help, Christ meets the pastor’s income needs in ways that benefit him and his receptive hearers, v. 20b:

a. As for the verb “sup” (deipneo) in Rev. 3:20b KJV, only in Rev. 19:9, 17-18 elsewhere in Revelation does even a derivative of deipneo exist – the noun deipnon of Christ’s Armageddon “dinner” where He speaks a word, His foes fall, and His bird “guests” dine on the fallen (Arndt & Ging., Grk.-Eng. Lex. of N. T., p. 172). Some who fall may have ceased doing good works to align with the antichrist, Rev. 16:12-16; 19:8!

b. Thus, if a pastor trusts Christ to meet his income needs, Christ enters into his life (John 14:21, 23) to lead him to teach Christ’s Rev. 3:14-22 words that critique the errant factions and their allies, and Christ spiritually “sups” vicariously through Christ’s receptive hearers on those words, Acts 9:4; Jn. 21:15-17!

c. Christ then meets the pastor’s material needs through receptive hearers’ donations (1 Cor. 9:11) and/or giving him added provisions and/or insight in life (John 14:21, 23) fully to have his needs met!

d. This process includes Christ’s material provisions for receptive hearers that they might meet the pastor’s material needs, so the receptive hearers materially benefit along with the obedient pastor!

Lesson and Application: May both the pastor and the congregation trust Christ and heed His Word on the errors of the factions and their allies that Christ might meet the spiritual and material needs of each believer involved!