Spring 1996
Our Need to be Spiritually Needy
Wade E Taylor

"Because you say, I am rich and increased
with goods and have need of nothing" Rev 3:17a.

They were a spiritually satisfied and content people, having no sense of their need. Therefore, Jesus is seen to be outside of their life experience, knocking on the door of their heart, saying, "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him ..." Rev 3:20b. He is seen to be seeking entrance into their, and (our) lives.

Concerning their spiritual condition, they claimed they were rich; but the Lord viewed them differently and called them poor (Rev 3:17b). Therefore, they were given this word of correction, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, so that you may be rich" (Rev 3:18a).

If they would rightly respond, the chastening hand of the Lord would expose their need. The Lord instructed them to buy from Him "gold" that results from being tested in the fires of life. Gold speaks of the divine nature being wrought within us, making us conformable to the image of Jesus. The "fire" is the means whereby the Lord chastens and purges us to accomplish this.

This speaks of the Lord becoming personally active within our lives, that He might bring the needed correction to our spiritual condition. Here, He is without, knocking, seeking entrance, because His nature can be produced within us, only when He is within.

Their self satisfaction was the result of complacency - they had need of nothing (Rev 3:17). The correction for this is to pray for spiritual hunger, which will produce the desire to purchase the gold. However, this may be costly, as the next verse informs that, "As many as I love, I rebuke and I chasten; therefore be zealous and repent" Rev 3:19.

The chastening of the Lord is always corrective, whereby He seeks to draw us closer to Himself. Opposite to this is the condemnation which the enemy tries to put upon us, which always attempts to discourage us and cause us to give up.

If we do something wrong and the Lord does not bring correction, we are in serious trouble. But if we are reproved, we should rejoice because the Word tells us that "whom the Lord loves, He chastens."

An example of this is given in chapter six of Isaiah. Isaiah had been active as a prophet during the reign of King Uzziah. He was welcome in the palace where ample provision was given him. Therefore, he had no need, and was content.

When the source of his comfort was removed (King Uzziah died), Isaiah realized that something was missing, and began to seek the Lord. The chastening hand of the Lord had come upon him.

Now Isaiah could say, "I then saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple." He is saying, "when that which stood between myself and the Lord was removed, I began to seek after the Lord, and He was there, waiting for me."

There are two sides to the door upon which Jesus is knocking. The first is His part, the intervention of the Lord into our lives. This is the Lord knocking upon the door of OUR heart, which speaks of His approbation, or favor resting upon us.

The second is our part, or responsibility, "If any man hear and open the door." This singular attention of the Lord toward us can be cultivated through our response to His desire - "I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." This requires of us a deep sense of need and of spiritual hunger.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the Kingdom of Heaven" Matt 5:3.

The Lord does not leave us to ourselves, He makes known to us what He will do when we invite Him to come within,

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the
fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes
with eyesalve, that thou mayest see" Rev 3:18.

He can say this because He has told us what His approbation, or favor means,

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent" Rev 3:19.

If we have not established the Lord as being first in our lives, it may be necessary for Him to remove whatever is between us and Him (in the year that King Uzziah died). The earthly throne is now empty, and Isaiah sees the Lord, seated on a heavenly Throne, in full control of all things.

"And His train filled the temple." In I Cor 3:16, Paul says, "do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" Notice that His train fills the temple, which temple we are. This means we have a direct connection to the Throne. All we need do is to make Him Lord of our lives.

"Above it stood the seraphim..." Isa 6:2. These seraphim represent an overcoming people, as they are in the place that is promised to the overcomer (Rev 3:21). Each one had six wings, or three sets of wings. There is an old saying, "All Word, we dry up. All Spirit, we blow up. But the Word and the Spirit together, we go up." To function properly, each set of wings, the Word and the Spirit, must be in a right balance.

With two of these wings, the Word and the Spirit, these seraphim covered their face. Jesus is the head. Our face is to be covered, that the mind of Christ will be in full control and Jesus alone is seen. We are to submit to His Lordship, and become obedient to His will.

"And with two, he covered his feet." There was a time when we could go where we desired. Now our feet are to be covered, that we might move only in the will of the Head, as He directs. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" Gal 5:25.

When I submit myself to His Lordship, to the government from above, in submission, my feet are covered. Now I am ready to fly. "And with two he flew." The Word and the Spirit being in the right balance, I can now ascend into His higher purpose.

"And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy,
holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is
full of His glory" Isa 6:3.

As they worshipped, something happened. "And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke" Isa 6:4. The doorpost upon which Jesus was knocking moved, or opened. Worship is a key to an open heaven. Through worship, Jesus is able to move into our lives, into all that relates to us, and intervene to lift us into the presence of His Throne and purpose.

When we lift our eyes from the earthly thrones of temporal satisfaction and complacency, and look up to the Lord on His heavenly Throne, and begin to worship Him in unity with a single eye, He will move toward us and open the heavens to us. "The house was filled with smoke." This speaks of His revealed glory and enabling power.

Truth, before it becomes ours, must be incorporated within our experience. It is not enough to just hear it, we are to eat, or experience it. It will bring us into an alignment with His will and purpose.

In the reflection of this glory, Isaiah saw himself and cried out, "woe is me." An angel came with a coal of fire from off the altar and laid it upon his lips. This speaks of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fire. We cannot stop with tongues, the fire must be applied to do its purging and purifying work.

If the Lord is knocking upon the door of your heart, seeking to remove your "Uzziah," let him go. Whatever this earthly King may represent in your life, let it go. If there was ever a day when we needed to see the Lord, it is today.