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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Jesus, the Door to Heaven

Now I didn't find this in the great commentary everyone should buy---> But...

With extreme weather conditions that we might face in any season, people, most of the time, feel safe inside of a building, especially a home. As Christians, we see Heaven as our home, because that is where the Father dwells. He not only dwells in Heaven, but also in our hearts. The part that defines the home the most is the door. When your hand has reached the door, you have reached home. What does the Bible say about doors?

While the word door is used quite often in the Bible, I am not sure if every mention of it is significant. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some, but I just don’t see it at this time. There does seem to be a running theme in the Bible that if you are inside or behind the door, then you are safe. This is salvation.

Exodus 12:22-23 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood which is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to slay the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to slay you.

Now, see part of the parable of the five foolish virgins who go off to buy oil for their lamps because they don’t have enough for when the bridegroom comes:

Matthew 25:8-13 And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Notice also what is in this warning - the five foolish virgins are waiting for the bridegroom - who is Christ. So they are waiting for Jesus, and yet they were not prepared when He comes, and were thus denied entry. Just because you are waiting for Christ doesn’t mean that you will be ready when He comes.

Before I go any further I need to go to the end. The Book of Revelation gives us the "key" to the door, so to speak.

Revelation 3:7-8 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall 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 think the door theme is about grace and Heaven and Christ. The open door is the open invitation to Heaven and Eternal Life. Grace flows out of the door of Heaven to the world.

Revelation 3:20 - 4:1 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne….4:1 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this."

There is a famous picture of Jesus knocking at the door, and if you look closely, you see that the outside has no doorknob. It must be opened from the inside.

It is as if God is saying, "Look, the gates of Heaven are open to you. Just open the door to your heart and let me in." Now, see "who" the door is.

John 10:1-2 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
John 10:7-9 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

From what I understand, a shepherd in Jesus’ day would have a pen of rocks for his sheep yet no physical door. There was a narrow path for the sheep to enter and to exit. The shepherd would sleep in that doorway to both make sure the sheep wouldn’t leave and detect if thieves or wolves would get in. To get into the sheepfold, you literally have to "go through" Jesus.

Luke 11:5-10 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistent demand he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

The man that is being bothered here represents God the Father, who will give us what we need, even if the door is shut. He will open it if we call out.

Luke 13:23-27 "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, `Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, `I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, `I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!'

So, the door to us is open from Heaven. We can, in a sense, shut the door to Heaven through sin. When we repent, the door again opens, but there will be a time when the door will be closed forever.

1 comment:

NHYLJUAIRTSUA said...

congratulations!very good food for the soul to every 1 of us Christians...LET US SHOUT TO THE WORLD THAT jESUS IS THE DOOR TO HEAVEN...AMEN!