Have you ever counted how many times you go through doors each day? If you add it up, it will amaze you how much they play a major role in our life - ESPECIALLY THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR!
Illus: A woman goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doctor, you've got to do something about my husband -- he thinks he's a refrigerator!"
• The doctor said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Lots of people have harmless delusions. It will pass."
• The woman insisted "But you don't understand, he sleeps with his mouth open, and the little light keeps me awake."
Doors are amazing, we could not get along without them, especially the refrigerator door. But also doors are intriguing.
We can be in a crowded room with the door closed, and if the door opens, almost everyone in the room will look to see who is coming into the room.
Illus: Did you hear about the train that was very crowded. The train stopped at a small town and every seat was full. The door opened and an American soldier walked in, on his way home from the war in Iraq. He walked the aisle trying to find a seat, but every seat was filled.
The only unoccupied seat was directly adjacent to a well-dressed middle-aged French lady and was being used by her little dog. The war weary soldier asked, "Please, ma'am, may I sit in that seat?" The French woman looked down her nose at the soldier, sniffed and said, "You Americans. You are such a rude class of people. Can't you see my Little Fifi is using that seat?" The soldier walked away, determined to find a place to rest, but after another trip down to the end of the train, found himself again facing the woman with the dog. Again he asked, "Please, lady. May I sit there? I'm very tired." The French woman wrinkled her nose and snorted, "You Americans! Not only are you rude, you are also arrogant. Imagine, the nerve of you expecting my Fifi to lose her seat to you!" The tired soldier didn't say anything else; he leaned over, picked up the little dog, tossed it out the window of the train and sat down in the empty seat. The woman shrieked and railed, and demanded that someone defend her and chastise the soldier. An English gentleman sitting across the aisle spoke up, "I say old chap, you Americans do seem to have a habit for doing the wrong thing.
• You eat holding the fork in the wrong hand.
• You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road.
• And now, sir, you've thrown the dog out the window when you should have thrown her out.”
Doors are a big part of our life every day.
Illus: I have always said that church doors are the most amazing doors of them all. It is amazing how religious some people can get once they walk through those doors.
• A husband can be mad as a wet hen at his wife, but once he walks through those magic doors, it is, “Honey this and honey that!”
• A woman can gossip all week long about everyone in the church, but once she walks within those magic doors, she wants to hug and kiss everyone she sees.
• But once they walk out of these magic doors, they are the same person they were before they walked through them.
Doors are amazing!
Illus: A man said, “One time when I was home visiting my folks, my mom asked me to set the table for dinner. I opened the refrigerator, and taped to the inside of the door was a gorgeous picture of a lovely, slender, perfectly built, but scantily-clad young woman.” "Mom, what's this?" I asked. "Oh, I put that up there to remind me not to over-eat," she answered. "Is it working?" I asked. "Yes and no," she explained. "I've lost 15 pounds, but your dad has gained 20!"
Doors are certainly a big part of our daily life.
Illus: There are many “doors” mentioned in the Bible:
• “...the door of faith....” – Acts 14:27
• “...a door of hope:....” – Hos. 2:15
• “...the door of my lips.” Psa. 141:3
• “...a door of utterance,....” – Col. 4:3
• “...the doors of the house of the LORD,....” – 2 Chron. 29:3
• “...the doors of the shadow of death?” – Job 38:17
• “...the doors of heaven,....” – Psa. 78:23
The Bible has something to teach us about doors. With that in mind, we want to look at some other doors that are available in the Bible.
I. THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
When the DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY opens, enter it!
But so often, when opportunity knocks, many just yell, “Go Away!” For example:
• Many could have bought land for only a few thousand dollars, but now it is worth millions.
• Many could have taken a job when they were young and now they would be fixed for life.
• Many could have married a certain person and had a very happy life, but they chose not to do it.
Illus: Speaking of a happy marriage reminds me of the sailor that just got married. The newlywed sailor was informed by the navy that for 2 years, he was going to be stationed a long way from home on a remote island in the South Pacific. A few hours after he got there he began to miss his new wife, so he decided to write her a letter. In his letter he said, "My darling, it looks like we're going to be apart for a very long time. Already I'm starting to miss you and there's really not much to do here in the evenings. Besides that, we're constantly surrounded by young attractive native girls. Do you think if I had a hobby of some kind I would not be so tempted?" So his wife sent him back a harmonica, saying, "Why don't you spend your spare time learning to play the harmonica?" Eventually his tour of duty came to an end and he headed back to his wife. He sent a letter to her saying, "Darling, I can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms again! She wrote back and said, “That is fine, but first I want to hear you play the harmonica I sent you!"
One key to success in life is to know when the door of opportunity is open to us. And once it is open -STEP IN! So often in the business world, opportunity knocks on their door and they fail to respond.
Illus: Some years ago, an energetic young man began as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old-time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars worth of items that were obsolete or seldom called for by customers. The young man was smart enough to know that no thriving business could carry such an inventory and still show a healthy profit. He proposed a sale to get rid of the stuff. The owner was reluctant but finally agreed to let him set up a table in the middle of the store and try to sell off a few of the oldest items. Every product was priced at ten cents. The sale was a success and the young fellow got permission to run a second sale. It, too, went over just as well as the first. This gave the young clerk an idea. Why not open a store that would sell only nickel and dime items? He could run the store and his boss could supply the capital. The young man's boss was not enthusiastic. "The plan will never work," he said, "because you can't find enough items to sell at a nickel and a dime." The young man was disappointed, but eventually went ahead on his own and made a fortune out of the idea. His name was F.W. Woolworth. Years later his old boss lamented, "As near as I can figure it, every word I used in turning Woolworth down has cost me about a million dollars!" (Bits and Pieces, Vol. F, #41.)
So often opportunity knocks on the door of the church but the people fail to respond.
Illus: Dr. Jimmy Allen, former pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas, said this about an opportunity they had as a church. He said, “We missed him. Our chance to change things came and passed and we did not know it was there. A dark-skinned little boy sat through Sunday School classes for three years at a great Baptist Church (First Baptist Church, San Antonio) but someone missed him. His name was Sirhan Sirhan, and at age 24 he shot and killed Senator Robert Kennedy. In a welter of words and the shudder of grief throughout our nation, the persistent thought keeps recurring...someone missed him.” (Dr. Jimmy Allen, former pastor of First Baptist Chruch, San Antonio, Texas in Pulpit Helps, May, 1991. )
Paul recognized the open DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY. He said in 1 Cor. 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Paul had an OPEN DOOR FOR THE MINISTRY! Opportunity was knocking and Paul was answering.
Sometimes we think that the only ones who ever had open doors of opportunity for ministry were the Apostles. But that is not so, many times opportunity opens to people in the Lord’s work, but they are not smart enough to figure it out.
• The difference between a GREAT CHURCH and an AVERAGE CHURCH is that the GREAT CHURCH KNOWS WHEN THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE LORD. WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED TO THEM THEY STEP IN.
• The average church sits back and says to the door of opportunity - GO AWAY! And guess what, that is exactly what happens.
GOD OPENS DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS WELL. How? Sometimes we have -
A. OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOOD WORKS
Look at Gal. 6:9 10, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore OPPORTUNITY, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
God wants us to look for opportunities to do good to others, especially to fellow believers. In doing these good things for others, we glorify the Name of God.
What opportunities might there be here among believers to do good works?
• You can check on the sick and let them know you care about them as a member of the family of God.
• You can check to see if one of our senior saints needs help with a project at home or in their yard.
• You can comfort those who are in distress
• You can find a project that needs doing around the church and volunteer to do it
• You can pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ on a regular basis
There are many things we can do IF WE WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE!
We have many opportunities every day if we will look for them and exercise some courage!
Illus: Did you hear about the General Manager and a Technician for Boeing airlines who became tired of flying and decided to take a train to Wichita, Kansas?
As they boarded the train, the only two seats available were two seats facing a young attractive girl and her grandmother.
After a while, it was obvious that the young woman and the young tech were interested in each other because they were giving each other "looks." Soon the train passed into a tunnel and it was pitch black.
• There is a sound of the smack of a kiss …
• Followed by the sound of the smack of a slap
When the train emerged from the tunnel, the four sat there without saying a word.
The grandmother was thinking to herself, "It was very brash for that young man to kiss my granddaughter, but I'm glad she slapped him."
The General manager was thinking, "I didn't know the young tech was brave enough to kiss the girl, but I sure wish she hadn't missed him when she slapped and hit me!"
The young woman was sitting and thinking, "I'm glad the guy kissed me, but I wish my grandmother had not slapped him!"
The young tech sat there with a satisfied smile on his face. He thought to himself, “Life at Boeing is good. How often does a guy have the chance to kiss a beautiful girl and slap his General manager all at the same time!!”
Yes, there are many opportunities staring us in the face if we are smart enough to take advantage of them. There are OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOOD WORKS, but also there are -
B. OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOOD WORDS
God not only provides open doors of opportunity for GOOD WORKS, He also provides opportunities for us to speak GOOD WORDS! But any time we open our mouths, we need to be careful what comes out of them.
Illus: A new company was going down hill because the CEO was a soft spoken man that never raised his voice. They fired him and hired a new CEO and they stated, “We need a CEO that is not afraid to open his mouth and tell the employees what we expect of them.”
He accepted the job. On the first day he noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room is full of workers and he thinks this is his chance to show everyone he means business!
The CEO, walks up to the guy and asks, “And how much money do you make a week?”
Undaunted, the young fellow looks at him and replies, “I make $200.00 a week. Why?”
The CEO said very loudly, “You are fired,” then hands the guy $200 in cash and screams, “Here’s a week’s pay. Now GET OUT and don’t come back!” Without a word the man left the building with a smile on his face.
Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks, “Does anyone else want to get fired?”
One of the employees said, “What do you mean does anyone else wants to get fired? That fellow you just fired was the Pizza delivery guy, he was not an employee here!”
Every day we can use these mouths to SPEAK GOOD WORDS or BAD WORDS!
Look at 1 Pet. 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
We must be ready to OPEN OUR MOUTHS when God opens the Door of Opportunity! The apostle Paul said, “A great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”
BUT NOTICE THE WARNING WHEN WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES!
Notice, with opportunities come opposition. There will be times that you will run into opposition because you are doing good and being effective for the Lord!
As we serve the Lord, we all will have enemies trying to stop us. Even the apostle Paul acknowledged the door of opportunity was there, but so were the enemies!
Illus: A knight and his men returned to their castle after a long hard day of fighting for their country.
• The king called the captain in and said, "How did things go today in the battle?”.
• "Sire," replies the knight, "I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west."
• "What?" shrieks the king. "I don't have any enemies to the west!"
• "Oh, no..." says the knight. "Well, you do now."
The fact is, when we take advantage of OUR OPPORTUNITIES, we are going to have enemies in the East, West, North and South.
We have looked at THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY, but let us look at one more door, ....
II. THE DOOR OF OFFERING
Look at Rev. 3:20, we read, “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.”
You might have seen that classic picture of the Lord Jesus knocking on a door. There is no handle on the outside of the door, meaning that the one on the inside must let Him in.
This verse illustrates the fact that each one of us must open the door of our hearts by faith to receive Christ as Savior. It is our decision.
But make no mistake about it, THE DOOR OF OFFERING that leads to heaven can only be entered through Christ.
John 10:9, the Lord said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved...”
Many folks in our society are trying to get to heaven:
• Through their good works
• Through church membership
• Through tithing
• Through baptism
• Through partaking of communion
While all these things are good, the fact is, you can do all of them and still perish. Why? Because these things will not save ANYONE!
We are all saved by the precious blood of Christ:
• The Mormons may not like it
• The Jehovah’s Witnesses may not like it
• The Catholics may not like it
• The Jews may not like it
• The Muslims may not like it
But it is the only way a person will be saved - THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST!
A good example of how the precious blood of Christ saves us is found in the Old Testament Passover. God was going to send the death angel to kill the firstborn of every family that did not have the blood on the door post.
In Exodus 12:1 13 we read about the Passover. At the appointed evening, the lambs were to be slain, roasted and eaten. The blood of the lambs was to be applied with a plant called hyssop, to the top and sides of the door. When the death angel saw the blood, he would "pass over" that house.
Israel was told that there was a way to avoid the judgment that would come upon Egypt. A spotless lamb must be killed. The lamb was perfect and the lamb was innocent. The Passover lamb was a perfect offering that would allow Israel to avoid the same judgment that came upon Egypt.
John the Baptist talks about that Lamb in the New Testament. In John 1:29, we read, “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Knowing that Jesus died as a perfect sacrifice for your sins is not enough. There must be a Door of Offering in your life. He said, “I am the door!” The blood of Jesus must be applied to the door of your heart.
• You must believe that Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God who died in your place
• You must believe that Jesus was buried and rose again.
• You must put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord
Then you can rest assured in the fact that you have done what God said to do, and there will be no judgment of eternal death. Instead there will be eternal life!
Rom. 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Conclusion:
I. THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
II. THE DOOR OF OFFERING
