April 1, 2012
Welcome means… to receive with pleasure and friendliness into ones company or home; a welcomed guest.
In
order to have the power to welcome one must be the owner of the house, the
store or the body through which the guest comes. You also have to have the
power to welcome someone into our lives. We can welcome someone superficially;
when we are just being, as they say, polite. But welcome means to receive with
pleasure and friendliness. True welcome comes from the heart and not the
presentation of how you welcome the person. For the welcome to be true our
heart must be sincere; we have to want them to be there. Often times those who
we don’t want are the ones that make it their business to be in our business.
When
Jesus dwelt among us were we welcoming Him or was He extending a welcome to us?
Did the people in the crowd even know what was going on? It only took one in
the crowd to start to the cheer, Hosanna, to get the rest of the crowd going.
But the crowd did not know what was going on. We know this because days later
when the cheer went out, Crucify Him, they cheered then too.
It
wasn’t triumphant because we were welcoming Jesus but because He was welcoming
us. God says I invite you to be a part of my group. In the Gospels, Jesus says
no longer do I call you disciples but I call you friends. He welcomes us into His
family with pleasure and friendliness. He doesn’t tell us to take our shoes off
at the door. Our sin is not going to change if we take our shoes off at the
door. He tells us to come as we are.
When you are ill, when you can’t settle things in your mind, He says just come.
After
we receive His welcome we must welcome Him into our lives. Many people accept
God’s welcome and walk in but never welcome Christ into their lives. It’s not
about the presentation. The presentation of when God welcomed us was on a
rugged tree, His hands outstretched, spear in His side, bleeding out. He wanted
to open His arms wide and have us run to Him. But instead, it took two nails we
put there because of our sin.
Revelation
3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
We need to open our hearts and welcome Him in. This Word is powerful,
sharper than any two edge sword. It shows what this world is like and that He
overcomes all that happens in this world.
Today
he wants us to welcome Him because he has welcomed us. As He has welcomed us
with pleasure and friendliness into Him home He wants us to welcome Him with
pleasure and friendliness into ours. Have you welcomed Him in? Will you let Him
in?
Pastor Pete
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