Sermon Central
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Open Doors
Contributed by Billy Ricks on May 7, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: An open door of opportunity stands in front of all churches waiting on them to walk through in obedience to share Jesus with the world. A sermon to Calvary Baptist Church with an open door to reach a community for Christ.
No one came into this building tonight that did not come through a door. It was either opened for you or you opened it. But to gain access to this building tonight you had to make you way through one of its many entrances. We as Calvary Baptist Church have an Open door before us tonight. We can either ignore it and it will be shut, pass it by and it will be shut, think we need another door and the one we have will be shut. But we must as obedient children of God walk through the door that God has before us.
1 4.1 Door standing open in heaven
Rev 3.8 Door opened that can’t be shut, church at Philadelphia
Rev 3.20 Jesus stands at the door of you heart and knocks
1 Cor 16.8-9 (here it is)
2 Cor 2.12 Door opened for the Gospel for Paul
Amplified Version 1 Cor 16.9 “For a wide door of opportunity for effectual service has opened to me [a great and promising one], and [there are many] adversaries.
(continuing opportunity) perfect tense the door stands open.
With great opportunity comes great opposition(illustrations in acts 19)
What so important about a door?
Entrance into something
Controls entrance and exit
What kind of entrance do we have before us tonight. A door of opportunity.
Someone once said that “Opportunity does not send a letter of introduction.” But God sent us a book of with an introduction to the opportunity of a life time called His word. He has given us the door of opportunity to be of service to Him. (He is trying to teach us it is not about us)
Door of opportunity for what
I. Door of Opportunity for Blessing.
A) Receiving
1) Blessings of God
a) Salvation (Eph 1.3 “Blessed (praised) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
Benefited with every heavenly benefit.
Most people even wal-mart employees complain about their benefit program, social security, medicare, etc. .
Folks we have a benefit program that will never run out!!!!!!
Let’s not gripe and complain about what we have to do let us proclaim what we do have!
b) Presence of God
1) I will be with you
2) Never alone.
c) Provision of God
1) “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
2) A promise to Proclaim
3)
d) Protection of God
1) Our Shield
2) Our Rocks
3) Our Fortress
4) Our present help in danger
e) Promotion by God
B) Giving
1) Sharing the Gospel
2) Sharing in the rewards of Heaven
Our door of opportunity for blessing should lead us to walk through the door of opportunity for service.
II. Door of opportunity for Service
A) Service for the Savior
1) Enlarging the Kingdom (Go!!! ) (It is not about us)
When we share we don’t share us, our church building, or our way of thinking we share Jesus!!!!!
2) Engage the Community for the Kingdom of God
a) Don’t just go!
b) Do teach them to observe all things commanded
B) Service to the Sinner
1) Greatest service to a sinner – to Share Jesus.
2) Give the Gift of Life. Jesus the Way, Truth, and Life.
a) Truth is most of us don’t share the way to life because we are empty of the life we should be over joyed to share!!!!!!!
III. Door of opportunity for Reward
A) Reward comes from right Action
B) Reward only comes from Jesus
1) Colossians 3.24 “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
2) Reward from the Righteous one.
3) Reward to return to the king.
C) Rewards to return to the King
1) Rev 4.5-11
Jesus is the door. . . John 10.9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me he wil be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
In this passage we see all that we have said
Salvation, protection, saved from the sin, protected from harm, hurt, and heartache.
The ability to go in and out and share with others the great opportunity in Jesus.
John
Vance Havener: You have not really learned a commandment until you have obeyed it. . . . The Church suffers today from Christians who know volumes more than they practice.
Conclusion: Revelation 3.20 a door that not even God can open is before us tonight. It is the entrance to everyone of our hearts. It is the door way to the throne room of your heart. Jesus wants to take a seat on your heart and on the heart of all the people in this community. It is up to us whether or not we will walk through the door of opportunity also called obedience.
If that door is never opened you will not walk through the door of opportunity to share that life with the lost in our community.
