<TITLE>05. Par 16-18</TITLE>L-16 This is a very strange thing to see a Man knocking on a door to be in a Scriptures. I just forget the artist--or the name--who painted the famous picture of Jesus knocking at the door. I can't call his name. He's a Grecian artist, I believe. And when... All great pictures, before they can be hung in the hall of fame, they have to go through the hall of critics first.
And then, it just reminds me of the church. Before the church can ever be taken to glory, it has to go through the--this world of criticism. And sometimes we try to shirk, pull back from criticism. Well, that's only testing. It's--it's golden nuggets to you. It's something that God has permitted to you to try you and to bring you through a hundred percent, pure gold that's shining. "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," says the Scripture. So the criticism, we welcome that, because that's what we have to have to put us through the fiery trials.

L-17 So this artist, when the picture was going through the hall of critics, there was one critic said, "Sir, I think your portrait of Christ is beautiful. And I think, standing at the door, and the fine anticipations of watching and waiting that someone would open," but said, "there's one thing wrong, that is, that you haven't got any latch for Him to go in at."
And the artist said, "Oh, I painted it thus. You see, in this case the latch is on the inside. You must do the opening. Christ does the knocking. And that's the way it is with every person here tonight that's seeking God for anything. He's knocking at the door, but you have to open up. You are the one that's under control; you're on the inside to open the door. If you need salvation, if He knocks, receive it, open the door. If you need healing, open the door. That's all you have to do. And then He will come in.

L-18 Then if you'll notice, a man knocking at a door is trying to gain entrance. And surely, no man would knock at another man's door unless he had something important, or something that he thought was important, to talk over with the man. And great man have knocked at doors down through the ages.
For instance, back in the days of Rome... What would have happened if the great Caesar, Augustus Caesar, would've went down to a peasant's house and would've knocked at the door. And this peasant would've come to the door; he would've seen who that great Emperor was, he would've fell prostrate on his face and said, "Great man, great Augustus Caesar, come into my house." What a honor it would've been for a poor man, a peasant, to have the Emperor of Rome, standing at his door. That would've been a great honor.
Or in the days of the late Adolf Hitler. What if Adolf Hitler would've went down to a peasant's door, or a German footman, a little soldier's door and would've knocked at his door. And when this soldier opened the door and saw the great fuhrer of Germany at that day standing at his door, he would've come to attention and would've saluted, and said, "Oh, Hitler, come into my house. Anything that's in this house that you want is yours." Why? Hitler was an important man in his day, especially to a German, in the days that he was the dictator of Germany.


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