“I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP - I AM THE DOOR” - PRESENTATION IN THE “I AM SERIES OF JOHN’S GOSPEL” PART 2
This is PART two of this address. In PART 1 we looked at Christ “The DOOR of the Sheep.” We looked at the Shepherd of the sheep. Now we continue looking at the significance of the Door in scripture.
[B]. THE DOOR IN EGYPT
In considering Christ as The Door, we just can’t overlook the significance of the door in Egypt. When we read Exodus chapters 11 and 12 we see very clearly the type of Christ portrayed there. Let us consider a household on the Passover night. The people were in the house. There was a door and a lamb. The lamb, a perfect lamb without blemish, was killed and its blood was taken in a basin. With hyssop dipped in the blood, and the blood then applied to the doorposts of the door, and to the lintel on the top of that door, the people remained inside the house to eat the sacrificial lamb that was roasted with fire, with the unleavened bread and bitter herbs. In the morning the people within, opened the door and left the land of bondage at the leading of the Lord.
Let us look at that a bit further. In Exodus 12 v 13 we are told “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The blood was on the door. The blood on the door sheltered the people behind the door, for they had operated in faith. This is a stunning type of Christ in sacrifice as the Passover Lamb. He is the Door. In Egypt, the blood of the lamb was taken, and the hyssop applied the blood to the door, which made the form of a cross as it went from the doorposts to the lintel and the blood ran down. At Calvary, the hyssop was taken and offered to the Door on the cross, He who was the Lamb of God.
Yes, He was the Door on the cross. That Door purchased salvation and opened the way to God for all the redeemed people of God to go in and out, to find pasture as their fellowship with the Shepherd. The very lamb in Egypt whose blood was their redemption, was also their sustenance, their food for the journey ahead in their new life of deliverance. God has made it all possible. “I AM THE DOOR”. He is the Door to all things, but he is also The Door of the Sheep. What a beautiful I AM this one is.
[C]. DOORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
THE DOOR OF FULFILMENT
{{Matthew 24 v 32-33 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so you too, when you see all these things, recognise that He is near, right at the door.”}} This verse is in the Olivet Discourse which is prophetic and speaks about Christ's Second Coming, when He will return to the Mt of Olivet to the Jews. Jesus is the Door of Fulfilment to all prophecy. The fig tree always is a type of Israel in scripture.
THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
{{Matthew 25 v 10 “While they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut.”}} This belongs to the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for the Bridegroom. 5 of them were prudent (wise) and 5 were foolish. The prudent ones entered through the door into acceptance, and 5 were foolish and missed the Door of opportunity. The Lord is the Door of Opportunity today for salvation, but that door will one day close and be shut. If you are not saved by the blood of the Lamb, do so today while the door is still open.
THE DOOR OF OPINION
{{Mark 1 v 32-34 “When evening had come, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed and the whole city had gathered at the door, and He healed many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many demons, and He was not permitting the demons to speak because they knew who He was.”}} This was the great opportunity for the people of that town and they all crammed around the door – the whole city – but we know from all other accounts that not all believed. They had the opportunity, but most rejected the Lord as the promised One. They all had their opinions but not all believed. Today’s world is full of opinions about The Christ, who is The Door, but how many decide to receive Him?
THE DOOR OF PROVISION
{{Mark 11 v 3-4 “and if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and immediately he will send it back here.” They went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street and they untied it.”}} This is a most comforting one for it is the Lord who provides. He is the Door to all pasture for the Christian, and the Door who provides for the sparrow, most surely cares for you, his sheep. Jesus leaves many things “at the door” for us in His kindness.
THE DOOR OF PERSISTENCE
{{Luke 11 v 6-9 “for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’, and from inside he shall answer and say, ‘Do not bother me. The door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.”}} This is such a big one, too complex for us today, but the Door loves to hear the persistent requests and needs, through the knocking in prayer, and with persistence. He is the Door who opens to His sheep’s needs.
THE DOOR OF LIMITATIONS
{{Luke 13 v 23-27 “and someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” 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. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ Then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’, and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from Me, all you evildoers.’”}} Again, this is a big one with severe consequences, but there are two points I would make. The narrow Door means that Christ is the only way to salvation, and it is through faith; no other way. You can not broaden that door with man’s inventions of salvation. Christ is the Door. The second point is that many expect to be received by God but they will find the Door shut to them, because there is only one way to God and it passes through the narrow Door who is Christ. How sad it will be when the door is shut and there is no entry. I wonder how many were knocking on the door of Noah’s ark once the floods were rising but it was too late. Enter in NOW through the narrow door.
THE DOOR OF REGRET
{{John 18 v 15-17 “Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside, so the other disciple who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought in Peter. The slave-girl therefore who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”}} The Lord Jesus Christ is never a regret to anyone, but we can be a regret to ourselves. Peter experienced that – standing inside the door and denying his very Lord through fear and weakness. We all fail the Lord, and like Peter, we regret it. It ought not to happen, but it does. In this case it was the Door suffering at the hands of sinful men who heard Peter deny Him after having entered the door of the building, and He had compassion on Him. Just in passing, “Did any prayer of the Lord fail?” Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, but Peter’s courage and boasting failed, but his faith did not, and he was restored. The Lord’s prayer was answered.
THE DOOR OF FAITH
{{Acts 14:25-27 “When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished. When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”}} This is especially precious to us Gentiles. God had opened a door of faith to the peoples Paul had been led to; an opportunity for Gentiles to be saved. Christ is the Door of hope and the Door of salvation and the Door of faith to all who believe. Our salvation is never of our own doing, but it is God who calls; who invites us to enter through the Door of faith.
THE DOOR OF SERVICE
{{1Corinthians 16 v 6-8 “and perhaps I shall stay with you or even spend the winter, that you may send me on my way wherever I may go, for I do not wish to see you now just in passing for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits, but I shall remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Revelation 3 v 8 “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”}} There are two expressions here from two different passages. The chance for service was like a wide door opened to Paul, and God was going to bring many into the kingdom, but Paul adds that there were many adversaries, and that is always the case. When God opens opportunities as in a wide door, the enemy stirs up trouble to try to stop that work. In the second expression an open door was given to the Ephesian church in the Revelation letter, and it was an open door because the Door Himself opened it.
THE DOOR OF DESIRE
{{Colossians 4 v 2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned, in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”}} I called this “The door of desire” for Paul was praying that God would open up opportunities for him in ministry. An interesting expression – a door for the word – and to what purpose? Paul says, so he may speak out the mysteries of Christ.” The plural “we” is used here so this applies to us all. We petition the Door Himself to open the door for us who desire to proclaim and exalt Christ. I hope this can be the aim of everyone here that God gives us the door of opportunity to speak the glories of Christ.
THE DOOR OF JUDGEMENT
{{James 5 v 9 “Do not complain, brethren, against one another that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”}} This is a bit scary because the Judge is standing at the door. He is no other than the Door. When the door is opened for all of us to be in the presence of the Door who sits on the Judgement Seat of Christ, then we give account. How will our account be? Are our failures in the Christian life going to be outweighed by the gold, silver and precious stones that will last, or will it be the other way around and we will be saved as if having been dragged through the fire? The Judge stands at the door.
THE DOOR OF REPENTANCE
{{Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.”}} We come to the last one to finish this message, and it is a really serious one. The Lord speaks to the church at Laodicea and tells them he is standing outside the door knocking. The Door Himself is knocking on the door of the church’s heart. He invites the individual to open the door so He can have the closest fellowship with each person. This verse is sometimes used in the gospel invitation and that is a correct usage, but it is not the meaning behind this verse. You see, like too many of our churches today, Christ is put outside the door, and the emphasis is on programs, man-made worship, social structures, a liberal gospel and just general soul-destroying church apathy! Deadness! God hates it. That is why the Lord said He would spew them from His mouth. This church thought it did not need God and had established its own methods and activities.
That church once was vibrant at its formation but was now spurious in AD 96. I think it not too far off the mark to say many of us can identify with this type of church today. What is God calling for? He wants a church repentance. He asks that those inside, open the door to him so that there may be a restored fellowship and harmony, and a Christ-based service for God. He stands outside and knocks for that is where the church has placed the Lord – outside! The Lord, the DOOR, stands outside the closed door of man’s making, and asks to come inside the church that has rejected Him. May we all take to heart what condition our churches are in.
Thank you.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
