Fellowship at the Table with the Lord
Revelation 3:14-22
Hallelujah! I pray that the grace and peace of our Lord be with all of us. Today, I want to share God’s message from Revelation 3:14-22 with the title “Fellowship at the Table with the Lord.” In the spiritual realm, the Lord comes to us, seeking to share fellowship at the table. When we open the door, we will experience the grace of sharing a meal with Him.
God loves us. He gave His only Son, who was crucified to grant us happiness and eternal life. However, because the Son of God was without sin, death could not hold Him. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He rose again. He became our Lord and Christ, and He came to us as our King. We live in the midst of unseen spiritual turmoil. The devil creates spiritual chaos that seeks to rob us of our happiness, bringing worry, anxiety, fear, and distress. It is into this situation that the Lord came to find us. No matter what circumstances we face in this world, when we break free from spiritual confusion, we find true happiness. This happiness is found in sharing a meal at the table with Jesus, who has come to us. Why is this fellowship so joyful?
In the world, sharing a meal with an important person is one of the greatest secrets to solving problems because it fosters deep fellowship. How much more, then, would sharing a meal with King Jesus help solve our worries and problems in the best possible way? So, how can we share this spiritual table with Jesus? Jesus is always willing to dine with us, but the issue lies with us. Even now, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. We need to open the door of our hearts. But how do we open this door? What does it mean to open the door of our hearts? The Lord said, “Be earnest and repent.” This is the way to open the door.
“Be earnest,” He said. Now, consider what you are currently earnest about. Reflecting on this will help you understand what it means to be earnest. Whatever you are passionate about is surely something you are interested in and find exciting. Think about things that do not interest you—how much do you know about them? The answer is usually very little, because you don’t try to learn about them, and thus you have no enthusiasm for those areas. But in this world, the more you know about something, the more interesting it becomes, and the more passion you develop for it. Confidence grows in that field, and if given the opportunity, you will talk about it with others. The same applies to the world of faith. The more you know about the spiritual world, the more you become passionate. If you don’t understand the spiritual world, you will have no interest or enthusiasm for it.
The Laodicean church was neither hot nor cold spiritually. Applying this to us today, it can be compared to a passive faith life influenced by parents. Such passive faith can become neither fervent nor committed. To those in this state, the Lord calls for repentance. He tells us to be earnest and to know Him deeply. Knowing the Lord begins with repentance. What should we repent for? First, buying refined gold from the Lord to become spiritually rich is repentance. Second, buying white clothes to cover our shame is repentance. Third, buying salve to anoint our eyes so we can see is repentance. Making these three things our own is true repentance. Let me explain this more concretely.
First, we can become spiritually rich by buying refined gold from the Lord. “Gold” represents a pure state without any impurities, symbolizing a sanctified faith and sincerity before God. To attain this 100% pure gold, God allows us to go through trials and hardships. The fire represents the trials that refine us. Through these trials, God has us pay the price, and with that price, we can buy the gold. Therefore, when trials come, the Bible tells us to consider it pure joy because God uses them to enrich us spiritually, leading us to give thanks in all circumstances. Through many trials, I have been able to acquire such gold and become spiritually rich. I pray that you too will follow this example and become spiritually wealthy.
Second, true repentance involves buying white garments and covering our shame. “White garments” symbolize purity, cleanliness, innocence, and victory. We all need such garments to cover our shame. Through the atoning blood of Jesus, God washes our garments white. Revelation 16:15 says, “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps their clothes with them, so that they may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Faith is not mere theory; it is only as real as the transformation in your life based on what you understand from God’s Word. Repentance means a change in thought and life. This is the meaning of putting on white garments. Those who sleep are unaware that they are without clothes, exposing their shame. I hope you realize how your words and actions may be shameful before the angels.
Third, true repentance requires buying and applying eye salve. The command to buy and apply eye salve is not a mere suggestion; it is an urgent request for us to open our spiritual eyes, recognize our true condition, and see the light of truth. The phrase “buy from me” does not refer to a monetary transaction but implies a spiritual decision gained through sacrifice and commitment. Therefore, applying eye salve means delving deeply into God’s Word and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, examining our spiritual state. This requires investing time in prayer and reading Scripture. We have all learned the Lord’s Prayer and engaged in spiritual disciplines to pursue Christian perfection. However, without repeatedly reading and meditating on what we have learned until it becomes part of us, we cannot buy the eye salve. Repentance involves revisiting and meditating on what we have learned. When we do this, we begin to understand the world of faith deeply, which naturally stirs up passion. This passion leads us to fellowship with the Lord at His table.
Finally, the Lord stands at the door and knocks, waiting for each of us to respond. Even when we are spiritually unaware or prideful, He waits and knocks at the door of our hearts. How does He knock? He knocks through the messages of His servants. This very message is proof that the Lord is knocking on the door of your heart. The Greek word κρούω (krouō), meaning “to knock,” is in the present tense, signifying continuous action. This shows that Jesus does not just knock once and leave; He persistently waits for our response, demonstrating His love and patience.
The Lord does not merely knock; He says, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door.” This phrase requires our active decision. When we open the door of our hearts, the Lord promises, “I will come in and dine with him, and he with me.” This promise signifies more than just a meal; the Greek word δείπνον (deipnon) refers to a banquet that symbolizes deep fellowship. Jesus desires to share this intimate communion with us when we open our hearts to Him. Therefore, I pray that today we respond to Jesus’ invitation, open the door of our hearts, and experience deep spiritual communion with Him, becoming believers filled with joy and happiness. Such spiritual decisions will lead us to eternal life and spiritual richness.
In conclusion, the Lord, through His message to the Laodicean church, calls for our awareness of our spiritual state and repentance. Through this message, the Lord is knocking on the door of each of our hearts, revealing Himself. This knocking is not a one-time attempt but a continuous act reflecting His endless love and patience. We must listen to His voice and open the door of our hearts now. The Lord has promised, “I will come in and dine with him, and he with me.” This promise speaks of deep fellowship and restored relationship, far beyond a simple meal. The King, our Lord, allows us to experience true joy and happiness when we share this spiritual table with Him. This fellowship provides us the opportunity to entrust all our concerns and problems to the Lord.
I pray that we may all open the door of our hearts, buy refined gold, wear white garments, and apply eye salve to see the truth clearly. As we deepen our knowledge of the world of faith, we will develop a desire for more. This earnest desire leads us to open the door of our hearts. To those who seek, ask, and knock, the Lord will come in, share the spiritual table, and grant the grace of solving our problems. In this way, we will find greater happiness than anything this world can offer and will enjoy the eternal life and richness that God gives. Let us pray together.
Gracious and loving Father God! We believe that You have called us to make us happy. According to today’s message, we desire to repent and be zealous. We confess that our lack of zeal in knowing You was due to not having an experiential knowledge of You; we only knew You theoretically and lacked genuine interest. We repent. Now, as evidence of this repentance, we desire to buy refined gold to become spiritually rich and put on white garments. We have realized that we need to apply eye salve as well. We want to read and meditate on the teachings we have learned through the church repeatedly until they become our own and we know them precisely. Holy Spirit, help us. Create in us a thirst to know the Lord more deeply in the spiritual realm, so that we may open the door of our hearts, receive the Lord, and share the table with Him. Through this, may we lay all our problems before the Lord, hear His words, and find solutions. Help us to know the Lord experientially. In the name of Jesus Christ, who loves us unchangingly, we pray.