The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1907-06-06
A SERMON
Preached in the First Baptist Church by REV
GEORGE Z. MORPHY, and published by re-
Text: Behold | stand at the door and knock

The Bible is a wonderful book
whether il BE- considered from the
standpoint Of the influence il has eX-
erted upon human life or from Inc
many wonders revealed IN its pages.
OF all the books in the Bible the BOOK
Of Revelation is II OF the mOS
wonderful. containing as II does the
visions that st. John behcld when he
saw heaven opened and looked upon
the glOrieS OF the eternal world. Now
of all the wonderful statements III
the book the text we have chosen IS
uerhapS the most wonderful. At any
rate il contains truths worthy OF our
our attention, consideration and I'd
miration. The Lord introduces what
He has 10 say by the word behold
10 show that He regarded what follows
as :ery important. We may well
tarry a while Their and contmplate
the truths presented 70 US in the text.
The first is the greatest fact OF all
the world OF thought. the thought OF
the Divine Being for it is God Who
is standing at the door. And what a
wonderful Being He is, Independent,
eternal. infinite. perfect in spirituality,
holiness and love.
But We have presented to us in IN"
text another truth not less wonderful
than the first, the fact OF the incarna-
ton OF God, for it is Jesus Christ who
is standing at the door. The human
mind may not be able to understand
fully the mystery, at the same time
the heart OF the Christian Will con-
tinue 10 cherish as its most precious
possession the assurance that God has
identified himself with the human
race in the Person OF His o our
Saviour. Yet mystery though it Is,
is it the only one in the world? Have
We not read Of men who might be
called incarnatiOnS OF the ideas or
principles which they represent? Was
not Luther the incarnation OF the prln-
ciples OF the Reformation? Did not
Howard incarnate prison reform? And
was not Florence Nightingale the in
carnatiOn OF mercy TO the wounded
and dying soldiers? But in a deeper
and nobler sense Jesus Christ is the
incarnation of God.
The third wonder in the text is that
the Divine Being is standing at the
door and knocking for admittance.
What con~descension is this on the
part Of King of kings, to leave the
glory OF heaven. come to earth All
knock at any door in the world! Ihu
what beneyolence fills His hear 'ndt
He should wish to come and "9lt 'hc
sinful, weak and sOrrowfuD olleS Vi
earth and bestow upon TIM oIs'"
ness, strength and cOmfrl;
But the most amaZi'S lnlhS Ol an
is this, that the doc remains closed
Think of the citV. ne shame Oh II All.
The Heavenly F.ther who has made
All things is n~e,ertheless excluded by
the closed do/f. Ii the King OF Eng
Iond wera ?. visit our land every door
of even tbe most wealthy and eXclu-
.iva napJte in the cities OF Washington
ana New York would readily open
- him. But the King of Heaven
Knocks and waits at many Il door but
is not invited in. How can such a
thing be? The explanation is wrap
ped up in the will of man. God will
not force Himself in though the door.
He respects the nature he has given
us. He enters only by invitation.
But what are the doors at which the
Saviour knocks? He knocks at the
door of the church and alas too often
He knocks in vain. For however in
congruouS the idea there is such a
thing in this world as a Christless
church. When any church has so far
departed from the gospel as to no
longer acknowledge the Saviour in
confession and worship it is a Christ
less body having no spiritual life nor
power.
Whenever a church becomes eXclu-
sive as a certain congregation whose
deacons said when an undesirable APP
plicant for membership vas present
ed, there are no vacancies in the mem
bership, it may reasonably be question
ed if ii is not ChriStiesS.
When the spirit of the world dis
places the spirit of worship. when
amusement displaces alteration, when
Formally displaces f%ervency, when
~selfishness displaces service, and en-
nifty, brotherly love in the church,
then it may be said that Christ has
no place in it. l sometimes wonder
whether if the Saviour, of whom it
was said that the common people
heard him gladly, who mingled with
publicans and sinners to do them good,
who invited the dying thief to enter
paradise, and died himself to redeem
the sinful race, were to come to some
churches He would receive a welcome.
Oh what a pity it is that Christ must
needs stand and knock at the door of
His own church and knock in vain.
And oh what power for service, what
joy in service and what success in
service for that church In which Jesus
Christ reigns supreme.
Another door at which Christ
knocks Is the door of the home.
There are SO many unhappy homes in
this land of ours. The chief reason
Of the unhappiness is that family re-
ligion has almost entirely gone out of
fashion. The founders of our nation
founded it in prayer. Public worship
and private devotion went hand in
hand. But today the home in which
God is wo%rshipped is the exception and
not the rule. We read in the gospel
that our Lord was wont to visit the
homes of His friends. In Capernaum
He abode in the home of Peter and in
the home of Lazarus at Bethany He
was a frequent guest. And into no
home did Christ ever enter without
bringing with Him joy and blessing.
Today He stands at the door of your
home and fain would enterto be your
guest. With Christ in the home purity
anl Iowa will Auall onI uhara ithaca