The Seven Doors of God

In the New Testament

1. The Door of Salvation

John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Let us notice for a few moments this the door of salvation:

1. What is the door of salvation? The Door of salvation is Jesus Himself. Jesus said “I am the door”. He is the door of salvation, He is the way of salvation, and He is salvation.

2. Jesus is not just a door, but He is the only door! There are not many doors of salvation and Heaven, but one and only one- and this door is Jesus Christ. Baptism is not a door of salvation; church membership is not a door of salvation; no system of works for salvation; or any Jesus other than the Jesus of the Bible is a door of salvation. Yes, there are a lot of “Jesuses” that are merely production of men’s own imaginations:

-There is the weak Arminian Jesus who did all He can do, and leaves it up to sinners to do the rest. We’ve all heard about him “Jesus did His part, now you have to do your part”. This sounds good to the old flesh, but it is a lie of the devil. Jesus did it all; “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe! Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!!!” There is nothing the lost sinner can do for salvation.

-There is Jesus the Martyr, who accomplished nothing for lost sinners in his death. People feel sorry for this Jesus, and say He died for a good cause. But this Jesus cannot save your soul.

-There is Jesus the good example, who’s only purpose in life was to be an example. Oh yes, Jesus set a perfect example, but His example alone cannot save your soul.

-There are all the false religions and cults of the world whose saviors are still in their graves, and their souls are burning in the torments of hell. They are no saviors, they cannot even save themselves from the wrath of God, let alone anyone else.

-Beloved, there is but one true Jesus of the Bible, Who came to save His people from their sins, by His redemptive work on the cross of Calvary. As the Lamb of God He purchased the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation for all of His people by His death, burial and resurrection for our sins!!!

3. We see that the sheep did not hear those thieves and robbers.

The Lord’s true sheep don’t hear or enter into these false doors, but by the Holy Spirit of God they are shown the only true door, enter into salvation thereby.

On what side of the Door are you this evening? Have you seen the Door, and have you entered in through the Door into eternal salvation. Those who enter in by Jesus, the Door of salvation, shall be saved. And they will not only be saved, but they will be nourished and fed, and cared for by the Good Shepherd. Why would any one not want to enter through this wonderful Door? The answer- sin, selfishness, pride, and spiritual blindness. May the Lord be pleased to show you the Door of salvation this evening!

2. The Door of Faith

Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

The second door is the door of faith.

-Thank God for this wonderful door of faith that God opened unto the Gentiles, which includes all of us here, and most of the Christians in the world today.

-The way to enter the Door of salvation, that is, to enter into Jesus Christ, is the door of faith. This is how we enter into Christ and partake of His salvation; by faith in His work of redemption on the cross of Calvary.

-If you are to come through the door of Salvation- then you must come by the door of faith. Believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and that He rose again the third day for you, and you shall be saved- even the very moment you repent, and believe in Jesus as your Savior you receive the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life.

3. The Door of Utterance

Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

The third door is the door of utterance; that is to preach the Gospel.

1. The liberty to preach. Freedom from human restraints such as civil governments and the devices of wicked men. Freedom from the devil and his forces of evil, which endeavor to stop and hinder the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. The ability preach the Gospel as we ought to preach it and as we want to preach it. “Lord, put my mouth with the right words, the words you would have us to speak”.

3. The effectual working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens the door of faith to lost sinners to receive the Gospel message that we preach... Notice the following verse:

1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Thus we need the liberty to preach, whether behind the pulpit, from house to house, or wherever the Lord leads us; and we need the ability to preach as we have the liberty; and we need the Holy Spirit to make the message effectual in the hearts of lost sinners. This door of utterance is essential if lost sinners are to hear the Gospel and be saved.

4. The Door of Liberty

Revelatio 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

The fourth door we want to study is the door of opportunity and of liberty.

-This is the door of liberty to serve and worship the Lord as the church desires.

-This is the door of special blessings of the Holy Spirit and of protection from our enemies so that a church may serve the Lord with liberty and safety.

-This is the door of evangelism whereby many would be saved and come into the church.

-This is a door of the Lord; of His making; of His opening; and of His keeping.

-Beloved, this is a real door that the Lord opened to the church at Philadelphia. This is a real door that the Lord can open unto His Churches today if He so desires.

5. The Door of Fellowship

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

The fifth door is the door of fellowship.

-This is not talking about salvation. This door is not the hearts door, and Jesus outside pleading to come in to save the sinner. This door is to those who are saved and members of one of the Lord’s churches.

-I’m not even sure that the Lord is talking about the church door as such.

-It may simply be the door of spiritual fellowship between the Lord and His local church. The door through which that sweet communion between the Lord and His church is communicated. The door through which the Holy Spirit of God communicates the blessings and joys of Jesus to His church, and attends the prayers and supplications of the saints of God up to the Savior. The door through which the Lord anoints our services with the sweet fragrances of His courts in Heaven, and causes our hearts and souls to be lifted up to Heavenly places on high; whereby we say surely the Lord is in this place. Whereby we say that we have been in the presence of God and worshipped in His Holy Temple. Whereby we say “it has been good to be in the house of the Lord.”

-Churches and church members can get out of fellowship with the Lord. Churches can become lukewarm- that is, become careless, halfhearted, and lackadaisical towards the Lord, and His work, and His house. This is dangerous ground for a church to be on. Such half-heartedness and complacency makes the Lord sick! He told this church at Laodocia in verse 16 that He will “spue” them out of His mouth!!!

-The cause of half-heartedness in the case of the church at Laodicea was their wealth and self-sufficiency. They had need of nothing, not even the Lord, or so they thought. Watch out for the deceitfulness of riches and wealth. Churches in America are most susceptible to this grievous condition. This may well be the case of many of our kind of churches in America today.

-Beloved, we need the door of fellowship with the Lord to be open always. We cannot afford for that door to be closed; not for a moment. We can’t do without the Lord’s fellowship with us in His church. Our services and our labors and our lives will dry up as a barren desert land without His fellowship; Without the Lord’s sweet fellowship our branches will whither up and we will bear no fruit of the Spirit.

6. The Door of Heaven

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

The sixth door is the door to Heaven itself.

This is the door of our hope- the door to which we as the saints of God are looking and longing with expectation.

This door I believe will soon be opened unto the saints of God when Jesus comes back for His people in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This is a door to which we who are saved ought to be looking for, and longing for, and hoping for. This door ought to cause us to watch and wait, and to serve the Lord here in anticipation for His soon return.

7. The Door of Judgment

James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

The seventh and final door is the door of judgment.

Beloved this is a door that we don’t want opened unto us. We don’t want the Lord’s judgment.

-We need to have the unity of the Spirit of God, and brotherly love and kindness, and not grudge one against another, as this will kill the spirit of a church and bring God’s judgment upon us. We need to have a great love for the Lord, His Word, His house, His cause, and His will for our lives and for the Church where He has placed us.

-We don’t want His judgment. James is warning the Lord’s people and churches against the opening of this door. We want to strive to do everything we can to avoid the Lord having to open this door to us.

1 Peter 4: 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

If you are here and lost, please consider this passage of Scripture seriously. If judgment begins in the house of God, what do you think your end will be, if you obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? It will be eternal punishment in the eternal lake of fire of God’s wrath. If you are lost, you are in a miserable state. The Bible says in John 3:36 that the wrath of God abides upon you, even this very moment. We beseech you to repent, and believe the Gospel of Jesus…

(explain the Gospel)

Conclusion:

We’ve seen:

-Door of Salvation, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

-We saw the door of faith by which we enter into the Door of Salvation.

-We saw the door of utterance whereby the gospel is preached to the lost.

-We saw the door of opportunity, the door of fellowship, and the door of Heaven. These are all wonderful doors and most desirable to the children of God and the Churches of God.

-And Last of all we saw the door of judgment, which is a door that we don’t desire.

I pray that the Lord will give everything in this house tonight ears to hear this message.

Thank you and may God bless you!

(Sermon preached by Brother Burke at the Calvary Baptist Church in two parts)