The 3 doors in revelations Rev 4:1
Introduction: How many of you remember the game show let’s make a deal? A lot of times a person would win a prize and then have a chance to exchange it for what was behind the curtain or door. Here in revelation we see 3 doors 1) is an open door for witnessing or evangelism Rev 3:8 I know thy works ; behold, I have set before thee an open door , and no man can shut it: for thou hast little strength , and hast kept my word and has not denied my name, 2) the door of the human heart Rev 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 sup with him , and him with me 3) the door of prophecy or revelation 4:1 I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven.
I want us to look at all three this morning
1) The door of witnessing or evangelism. I have a couple of questions for us, how many times a day, a week or a month do you witness to someone. How many times a week do you invite someone to church? Have you ever done so? The job of the church and Christians is not just to maintain what the Lord has given us but it is to grow and to expand, and yet sadly all across this country too many churches are shrinking in size and many are shutting their doors. Appromintley 75 churches close their doors in America every week around 3500- 4000 yearly according to barna.org. According to church society .org church attendance has dropped from 1, 606, 00 in 1968 to 881,000 in 2005. Less than 21% of Americans attend church on a weekly basis. While the Washington post has reported that those who did attend church are 35% more likely to live longer.
Why the decline? Lack of evangelism. On the trip to the Amish country we learned that those children raised Amish over 90 % when they reach the age of 16 and must decide stay Amish. No electricity, no TV no car and yet they choose to remain with their faith. Imagine where we would be today as a nation if we could keep 90% of PH children. I know too many preachers whose children have left the faith much less others! God help us to do a better job!
We must evangelize our family our neighborhood our town our city our world! I know all are not called to be preachers but all are called to be witnesses to tell our story of what the Lord has done for us. We sing the songs I love to tell the story till be my theme in glory the old old story of Jesus and his love- but do we really love to tell it. We sing look what the lord has done he healed my body he touched my mind he saved me just in time but do we tell.
Remember the story of the wedding. The king sent out invitations and nobody would attend they were all too busy so he sent his servants out into the highways and byways to bring in a crowd so the banqueting hall would be full. The bible also says the kingdom of God is advancing by force. That does not mean we are to be like Islam and tell people convert or die- but it does mean we are actively telling others the good news of who Jesus is.
We have the great commission to go into the entire world and spread the gospel making disciples baptizing in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit- let’s start in our own homes and community!
The door for evangelism is open and we have received the power form upon high according to acts 1:8 to be the witnesses we need to be!
2) The door to the human heart
We as believers must carry the message of the gospel to our neighbors, it is then up to the individual to make the decision of whether or not to serve god. But how can they hear unless we tell them.
There is no need to argue theology with people you can’t win, however, you can tell them you own story how Jesus came into your heart and the change that was made! Too many want someone to tell then for they are hurting. Imagine if you found the cure to cancer and kept it to yourself. Or if you discover a way to make cars get 200 miles a gallon on gas and told no one. In the military there is a term for those who know to do something but do not do it – it is called dereliction of duty and it is a court marshal offense. The same thing is true e of Christianity we will lose some of our rewards not because of what we did but because of what we did not do to him who knows to do good and does it not it is accounted as sin!!!
I have a cure for depression, for loneliness, for bitterness for a broken heart for a sin sick heart and His name is Jesus and I want the world to know it don’t you! But the problem is like someone giving you a gift you always wanted and needed but you forgot to open it or you put it away and say I will open it latter never return to it. The gift of eternal life, eternal peace, and joy unspeakable came gift wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and many have refused to open the gift!
3) The last door the door of revelation or prophecy. You see once a person opens the door to their heart to Jesus, Jesus begins to reveal things about himself of God the father and of heaven to them. In addition Jesus reveals some of heaven sofa the end times to them. You see the reason so many do not see the importance of our alliance with Israel is they have no understanding of the Bible. They do not realize in Zechariah we are told Jerusalem will be a trembling pot to all nations. They do not realize Jesus said in Matthew and in Mark in the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars , they fail to understand the prophecies of earthquakes , severe weather changes , the explosion of knowledge al were prophesied hundreds and thousands so years ago.
The Bible proceed in the last days men’s hearts would fail them ,the devil will try to wear out the saints of god ( the church) and yet how many know people that have heart problems and how many have talked to others that say they are just so tired. Listen to the word of God in 1 Cor. 2:12-14 now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but he spirit which is of God. Which things we also speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth , but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to them: neither can he know they for they are spiritual discerned.
If we know time is running out, that Jesus is coming soon then we have an open door and opportunity to tell others, a duty to witness so that others may come in.
Do you know Jesus is he knocking at the door to your heart let him in today!
