The Door Ps 24; Isa 22:15-25 (Rev 3:7-13), Acts 14:24-28; John 10:1-9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzXlAfad2FQ
Introduction
Despite significant spiritual growth at St Marks in recent years, as a group we have yet to shift our focus from maintaining activities that benefit ourselves to a focus on mission to those outside our walls who don’t yet know Jesus. I learnt early in my Christian life that opportunities to witness to Christ follow intentional prayer for such encounters. Until we become a congregation who think and pray along these lines, we cannot see significant conversion growth with the fresh intensity of joy, praise and faith such a movement brings. To encourages us to head in this direction I want to speak about the biblical metaphor of the “door”.
Jesus the Door
In describing himself as “the door” Jesus makes an extraordinary claim. “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:7-9)
In the Middle East sheep typically follow their shepherd, so here they represent people who obediently come to God through Christ. In describing himself as the door Jesus identifies himself as the sole way to salvation. The repeated claim of Christ to be “the Way” (John 14:6) of salvation is offensive to many people. But only if we think that salvation is about “getting to heaven” rather than sharing in the Son of God’s relationship with his Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter for example preached this truth decisively, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12; cf. 1 Tim 2:5). Christ is not only the door to salvation, but he also opens doors for the gospel message about himself (2 Cor 2:12).
Door and gospel
A clear case of a “door of faith” being opened (Acts 14:27) is found in Acts 16:14-15 where the gospel is preached for the first time in Europe. We read that “The Lord opened her (Lydia’s) heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And…she was baptized”. I think what happened inside of Lydia so that she believed was something like an experience I had during prayer this week. As I was praying for a stubborn situation to open up I could “see” the Holy Spirit like a key being inserted into a person’s heart and turning them towards Jesus. Within a couple of hours that situation did suddenly open up. Paul’s appeal to the Colossians gives us further insight, “pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—” (Col 4:3). In the New Testament, a “mystery” refers to something once hidden but now revealed. The Holy Spirit revealed to Lydia the saving place of Jesus in the plan of God (Eph 1:10) and so she was moved to believe.
Because God’s grace is all persuasive it is able to open hearts. In Revelation 4:1 we read of a “door standing open in heaven”. The reason why the door to heaven stood open was so the apostle John, and the whole Church since his time, might have a revelation of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world” and hear that because of his sacrifice he will receive from the Father a multitude of followers more than anyone can number (Rev 1:1; 4:1; 7:9). God has promised this to Jesus, and it is a promise that should encourage our prayers.
Since the Bible teaches that faith and repentance are gifts from God (Acts 3:16; 11:18; Eph 2:8-10?, Phil 1:29; 2 Tim 2:25; 2 Pet 1:1) we can confidently ask the Lord to open a door of faith in people’s hearts and in speaking the gospel some of them will surely believe (Rom 10:17). This is something Jesus, his Father and the Spirit really like to do (Luke 15:7).
Closed Door
There is however another side to use of “door” in the New Testament which is not pleasing but frightening. Jesus told stories in which he speaks of himself as a master. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’…Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’” (Luke 13:24-27 cf. Matt 25:10-12)
Does the Good Shepherd enjoy the prospects of shutting the door on those for whom he died? He pleads impassionedly through Ezekiel, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (33:11). It is Jesus’ essential redeeming nature to be an open door. The testimony, that God is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet 3:9) should move our consciences so we are people who pray for the salvation of the lost.
To consider people can be lost forever is a sober reality, but passivity and denial are not godly responses. Jesus own example testifies that God works through prayer. He said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32). We must believe that as we pray for lost and broken people are prayers are being united with the all-powerful prayers of Jesus and will be answered. If we are to have a change of spiritual lifestyle to pray in this way we must have our faith encouraged (Rom 1:12).
Door for the Church
In the third chapter of Revelation, Jesus identifies himself to the little church in Philadelphia using language from centuries earlier announcing a transformation of leadership in Israel. “The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Rev 3:7-8). In saying these things the Lord reassures Christ this little church that no one will destroy her witness. Her smallness doesn’t matter, her economic circumstances are not that important, what is most important to Jesus is that his people keep faithfully testifying to him in a world that does not believe. Such ongoing witness requires more than ordinary faith.
Faith and Prayer
When the disciples met together behind closed doors for “fear of the Jews” three days after the crucifixion, Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst (John 20:19). As the master of space and time the resurrected Jesus is sovereign over every place (Luke 24:45; Acts 16:14). In Acts 12 Peter is imprisoned until an angel is sent and the prison doors open of their own accord. In Acts 16:26, Paul and Silas are locked in a dungeon until the Lord sends an earthquake and “immediately all the doors were opened”.
Several of Paul’s references to Christ opening a door come when there is strenuous opposition to the gospel (1 Cor 16:9; Col 4:3). The gospel is progressing in nations like India and China because the Lord uses persecution to intensify the faith of his Church and to grant them power, including miracles, to share the gospel. We are a peaceful little church who are no trouble to the community in which we live. This uncontroversial state of affairs is incompatible with Jesus getting the glory he deserves in Bassendean and beyond.
If Jesus could dispel the fear of the disciples hiding long ago in Jerusalem, he can dispel our fears too. In preparing this sermon I was reminded of an unforgettable painful experience I had almost 50 years ago. I had twice read the Bible from cover to cover over nine months and was inwardly persuaded that I needed to come to Jesus or else I was in danger of the hell of fire (Matt 5:22). This dreadful anticipation plagued me day after day until I knew I needed to do something about it to end the torment. So I rocked up outside the door of a room where I’d heard a group of Christians were meeting. Suddenly, I was literally paralysed by fear, it was as if an impenetrable force-field of terror was in front of me. Unable to move forward I was compelled to turn around and head in the opposite direction. The next week I managed to get through that same door, approach some believers and the rest is history. It soon became clear to me that my dreadful fear was demonically induced, but that the Lord’s grace had proved more powerful than any obstacle, human or satanic.
Conclusion
Speaking to the lukewarm affluent church in Laodicea, Jesus issues a challenge, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20). In his commentary on this scripture Geoff Bingham says, “I am constantly knocking. Can you hear the sound of it?” I am locked out of your life as a church.” Can we hear Jesus knocking on our hearts at St Marks? The one who knocks (Song Sol 5:2) is the one who loved us enough to die for us and who loves all those lost people out there in the same way. If we open the door of our hearts to Jesus to come in to enrich our fellowship he will certainly move our hearts, in a missional direction, he will move us to pray and ask him in faith to open doors for us to take his gospel to family, friends, workmates and the wider community. This will happen if we ask.
We are good at welcoming people through the door of St Marks to fellowship with us and Jesus, but we are weak and hesitant in passing through the same door to bring the gospel to the lost and perishing. What do we want to do?