Greetings again my Brethren. What a wealth of knowledge contained in Revelation 3:20-21. So far (October) we have looked at Jesus standing at the door of our heart and knocking for a time of fellowship. This is an example of the attention to God wanting us to come to Him when He makes His approach to us. He arrests our attention to make known His desires and to obtain that correct response He is looking for in us to make to Him. I cannot over emphasize that point. God knows the way we are to respond to Him. Now there are many responses we can make, but there is only one right one that God is looking for in us. Last month (November) we looked at the opportunity for fellowship that will lead us to commune with Him. This opportunity extends not to us alone, but to all men or mankind: male and female, free, bond, or slave the LORD’s opportunity for time spent with Him is extended to all. All we have to do is slow down and find some quiet time with Him. And this month (December) we will look at perception. Here are the verses we are looking at to draw out these critical Biblical truths. John writes, “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. 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:20-21) Not the hearing of the natural ear, but the hearing of the inner hearing of the heart.
Right before Jesus shares the parable of the sower Jesus shares these words, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (Matthew 13:13-17) So as we see to hear and understand what God is saying has nothing to do with our two natural ears, but the perception of understanding of what the Spirit is saying as we receive from revelation. We also see “the people’s hearts waxed gross” or thickened, fatten, or callous which affected their ability to hear Spiritual things. If our spiritual heart is fattened like the walls of a blood vessel filled up with cholesterol plaque then it will block the flow of the Spirit and we will not be able to discern or perceive what the Spirit is telling us. And if we cannot hear from the LORD by the Spirit how can we know His will? And if we do not know His will how can we do His will? It is impossible to do that which God has directed us if we cannot hear from Him. Most Christians today are in this boat. They really do not hear from God by the Spirit thus cannot perceive, but presume what the Spirit is saying. Maybe one of our their 1,000 times they get it right, but the other 999 times they are moving further and further away from the will of the LORD. But in verse 16 Jesus talking to the disciples says, “blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” And why? Because they (the disciples) have spent time with Jesus and saw and heard the mighty works and miracles He did. Oh we may hear and see in the natural (and we will), but in the end that hearing and seeing will not matter if we do not have the spiritual understanding by the Spirit to what is really going on. Remember if it happens in the natural realm it has happened in the spiritual realm first. We see this truth in Matthew 18:18 and in Matthew 16:19, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind (gather together like sheaves of wheat not tied up) on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18) Notice if it is bound on earth (where we live and move) then it had to have been already bound first in heaven. So if it is gathered (or bind/bound) to you in earth than it has been already gathered to you in heaven. Our daily and habitual daily walk with the LORD will develop our inner perception to hear His voice clearly. The more correct we walk with Him daily the more correctly we will be able to hear His voice and move with Him. The sharper our perception for the things of the Spirit the better we will know God and His ways. Perception is critical in our lives. Just like with opportunity “if any man” desires to commune with God then “if any hear” it is open to all. If any man has a heart for God then he can hear from Him.
Next month we will continue on with more spiritual principles contained in verses found in the Book of Revelation as we look at our response. Do you hear Him calling? Please know God is calling. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you. Written by David Stahl
