Last time, we saw that Christ has patience and grace. He is still patient: He is about to spit the Laodiceans out, but it has not yet come. We hear Christ’s admonition: Buy from me spiritual produce (instead of taking care of yourself).
What is the reason for indictment and exhortation? Verse 19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” It is the love of Christ, which is not lukewarm. Chastisement is the lot of all whom God loves. Proverbs 3:12, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). One commentator writes “It is a touching and unexpected manifestation of love to those who deserve it least among the Seven Churches.” The Lord’s love asks for zeal and repentance in return. We read in 1 John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.” Christ's indescribable and incomprehensible love compels us to fall down in repentance and to love him with heart, soul, and mind.
The emphasis is on the personal pronoun: 'I' in verse 19. This is followed by a strong urging in verse 10, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door.” “Here, I am!” Christ stands at the door and knocks. Beware, this means that he is outside! But he knocks, He beckons, He waits... His voice is sweet... Again, this shows that salvation is sovereign grace. The LORD comes and calls. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
But notice! In verse 20 it says, "If anyone..." In other words, it is a personal matter. These words are a strong personal appeal. We are reminded of the beautiful words in Song of Songs 5:2 “I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” Up until now, the whole church in Laodicea has been addressed, but now it is personal. What is opening the door? It is repentance. Opening the door involved repentance and faith in Christ. There is a rich promise attached to this rebuke. Verse 20b, “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” When the door is opened with repentance, it becomes a feast. What a miracle. Christ then enters (Himself). Christ is then host (and not guest).