The Stranger-Guest Knocking at the Door of the Heart

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.—The Guest of the heart.

I. THE STRANGER-GUEST WANTING TO COME IN.

When a stranger comes to your door, it matters greatly whether he be mean or great. Who is this Visitor? He does not appear very great in starlight, yet at home He is worshipped and wields all command. Beings before whom the mightiest of earth are as infants bow themselves at His feet, their faces shielded from the lustre of His glory.

When a stranger comes to your door, it is a consideration whether he has come by chance or on purpose. Has this Stranger merely happened upon this cottage-door, or does He seek this very home, hoping to be welcomed as a friend? How deeply and how tenderly He means it!

When a stranger comes to your door, it matters whether he has journeyed far. This waiting Stranger comes from another world. Through peril and tribulation, He has come hither.

II. THE STRANGER-GUEST GETTING IN.

"If any man hear My voice, and open the door."

The Stranger did not force an entrance. It is from the inside that a man's heart opens to his Saviour-King. Yet note this: the transaction, possessing this indispensable element of free choice, is simplicity itself. "If any man hear" and "open"—lo! it is accomplished, and the Son of God enters within.