Revelation 3:20 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.

This second part of the identification of beneficiaries can to be a little confusing. I admit it. Even Nicodemus, one the most learned of religious leaders of his day did not understand and he spoke directly to Jesus face to face. How do we simplify this issue so that we can be assured we are on the list? The simplest way for me to point the way is to return once again to the parable of the sower.

Mathew 13:23a But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;

The gospel needs to be heard and understood. Jesus declares this because you should know what you are doing, this is not a blind trust. You need to come in with both eyes wide open.

This is how you receive and understand the gospel, the Word of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Through faith and not an earthly human faith but one given as a gift by God. The second question is; how do I know of that particular faith, since it is of God?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The bible is not an independent study, it is a dependent study. It is dependent on faith and without it, nothing can be gained which will lead you to that inheritance.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

God will reveal this faith to you because you cannot have a life in Christ without it. This is a trust issue.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Picking up where we left off yesterday, how do you recognize you are broken? I like to picture the process of breaking a wild horse. First you have to catch it, corral it, and ride it until it surrenders to the rider.

The catching of man is God’s sovereign will identifying the time for which any one of us needs to be prepared for surrender. This happens for us in life by situations and circumstances upon which we run wild and free, but suddenly it loses it excitement, it loses its luster. Life takes on a burden it never presented before.

The corral is that hedged in feeling that you cannot seem to escape the uneasiness that now weighs upon your conscience. Every which way you turn, you find yourself boxed in, trapped. There is for some a panic to escape that sets upon our souls.

Now the breaking begins as the Holy Spirit actively rides you into submission. There comes that point where you have no will to do anything but surrender.

This sounds like a severe example and perhaps the description is a little drastic but then again, some horses are easier to break than others. This does not take into account a horse born into the farm where the mother shows the colt that it is right to trust the rider. A colt who sees the mother’s joy in the rider cannot wait for the day they are old enough to be ridden themselves.

This analogy best fits those of us who lived a wild, reckless, and rebellious life. And now it is time to speak to the second part of what identifies a beneficiary, answering the door.

Revelation 3:20 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.