A Wide Door for Effective Service:
Let Jesus "Open the Door"
Author: Dr. Neal Gray
Passage: Revelation 3:7-13, KJV
Purpose: We want to be effective servants of the King. But more than our desire is required. Jesus must allow us to succeed in His work here on earth. Allow us, please, Lord Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
Opening
With this message, we conclude a 6-part sermon series titled, "A Wide Door for Effective Service." The key verse for this series is:
"I will tarry...until Pentecost; for A GREAT DOOR AND EFFECTUAL [DOOR] IS OPENED UNTO ME, and there are many adversaries." (see 1 Corinthians 16:9)
The emphasis for the series has been this: EACH CHRISTIAN MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS, IN FACT, A MINISTER. The Church of Jesus Christ needs YOU. And as a Christian person, YOU NEED TO BE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD. Amen? Of course, Amen! The saints’ calling is to "the work of the ministry," (Ephesians 4:12). We labor for Christ Jesus and for His mission in life.
==> But our labors will be useless; unless...well, UNLESS JESUS ALLOWS US TO SUCCEED. No matter how hard we work, no matter how sincere our desires, and no matter what we think should happen--Jesus has to make the way smooth for us. JESUS HAS TO "OPEN THE DOOR" for us to walk through!
==> The Apostle Paul waited for Jesus to "open the door," before he continued on in his ministry. That is the right thing to do; wait for Jesus to "open the door." And then, go through the open door and do God’s business!
Scripture
Our Scripture is the letter to the sixth church, the real Philadelphia Church of the Nazarene! Look with me at Revelation 3:7-13.
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.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name.
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
THESE THINGS SAITH
Introduction
The church at Philadelphia, (located in Lydia about 28 miles southeast of Sardis; I’m sure that helped you know where Philadelphia is located! Not!), received good words from Jesus.
It’s interesting that JESUS SPOKE NO HARSH WORDS to this church. There were no "I have this against you" words from the Lord, as He spoke to the other six churches. And speak to them, He did.
The High Character of the Speaker
Look at the high character of the One speaking to the church. The church knew that Jesus Himself was speaking to them. Look at the qualities of the Speaker, (in v. 7), namely, "These things are spoken by"...
* He that is holy,
* He that is true,
* He that hath the key of David,
* He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and,
* [He that] shutteth, and no man openeth.
He That Is Holy and True
Jesus is speaking here. In my life--and in your life, too--many, many persons have spoken to me, many persons have spoken to you. Most people are nice, at least they are nice enough for the business we must do. But few people have the characteristics of being "holy" and "true."
One wonderful thing about being a Christian--a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ--is that THE PERSON WHOM WE SERVE HAS BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER QUALITIES.
* Our Jesus is "holy." There is nothing ugly in Him; there is everything that is godly and beautiful in Him.
* Our Jesus is "true." Everything He says and does is right, accurate, and helpful; nothing He does harms the sincere soul.
==> In my life--and in your life, too--JESUS SPEAKS TO US. We can trust Him to help us conduct the business we must do. Because...our Jesus is "holy" and our Jesus is "true." JESUS IS THE HIGHEST OF CHARACTER.
He That Has the Key of David
Look again at verse seven: Jesus possesses "the key of David." With this "key," HE OPENS DOORS that no one can close, and HE CLOSES DOORS such that no one can open them again.
==> Here in this verse is the whole point of this sermon; I’ll give it to you early in the sermon: "Jesus must open the door that allows us to bring persons into His Church." I find in this passage the TRUTH that Jesus--and Jesus alone--is able to open the doors to His Church and to His Kingdom!
An Isaiah Prophecy
This "key of David" is an interesting phrase. Remember, the Lord Jesus is speaking here; and apparently He is referring to a prophecy made by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, namely:
"I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open." (Isaiah 22:21-22)
The reference is that God will succeed the king of that day with a Chosen One who will be immensely powerful.
The New Testament shares with us Jesus’ step-father, Joseph, was in the lineage "of the house of David," (see Luke 1:26ff.).
==> Jesus fulfills the Isaiah prophecy, i.e., the One who has "the key of David," able to open and shut doors supremely.
"PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR," LORD JESUS
Introduction
Let’s bring this to where we live today.
My Ambition is for the Lord Jesus to Open the Door
I want for our church here in Parkville, located as we are in the northeastern suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland; to grow, grow, grow. Don’t you? I pray you do.
It is not that I personally have an ambition to be the Pastor of a very big church. Believe me on this. As Paul the Apostle said on many occasions, "I tell you the truth, I am not lying," (see Romans 9:1; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Galatians 1:20; 1 Timothy 2:7). My ambitions in life are so simple; they are to...
1. Lead a life pleasing to God
2. Lead lost and dying people to salvation in Christ Jesus, and,
3. Lead Jesus’ people to become better disciples.
==> If Jesus "opens the door" to allow these three things to happen IN MY LIFE, then OUR CHURCH WILL GROW A LITTLE.
==> If Jesus "opens the door" to allow these three things to happen IN YOUR LIFE, then OUR CHURCH WILL GROW A LOT!
The Lord Jesus Must Open the Way
But here is "the key." THE LORD JESUS MUST OPEN THE WAY. We cannot, on our own, by our own schemes, make any real progress in the spiritual life.
As leaders in your church--and a great many of you are leaders in our church--you must hear this truth. ONLY JESUS CAN REALLY MAKE IT HAPPEN. TO BE SURE, when you see "the open door," you must take every initiative to go through it. YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR PART, ONCE JESUS OPENS THE DOOR. But you cannot make the door open.
There is an old saying that we must, "Let go and let God." Well...yes, we must let God open the door. But then we must adjust that old saying to something newer like, "Get God and get going!"
And yet, sometimes we work so very hard, and the Lord chooses to not open the door we would wish. For example, I know a pastor who served his congregation for over a dozen years. They were a respectable sized church, between 100 to 200. But they never could really grow. Finally, that pastor moved to a different church; one that had been averaging around 300 persons in Sunday morning worship, and had stayed at that level for years and years. But very quickly that church began to grow. Here is his story:
"We worked and served and tried everything we knew to do. But the church just wouldn’t grow. Finally, I moved to pastor a different church, and it grew from 300 to 500 very quickly. And I did not, as far as I know, do anything different at the new church."
What happened?! The Lord Jesus "opened the door!" Why didn’t Jesus open the door at the other church? I don’t know. That pastor doesn’t know. All we do know for sure is that God is sovereign.
Synagogue of Satan
Just a note of caution. Some folks might say that there was "secret sin" in the first church. I don’t know. Jesus speaks of "the synagogue of Satan," (v. 9).
What I do know for sure is that we do not ever want to be accused of harboring sin in our church. Never. Ever. Not one little bit. God help us to be pure and holy here. Amen?! Of course, Amen!
You are my friends. But listen, if you have "secret sins" in your life, God will close the doors on the success of your life. The psalmist put it this way:
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." (Psalm 66:18)
Many people at the Philadelphia church were coming in, claiming to be religious people of that day, "but [they] do lie," (v. 9). For me, in today’s society, these people are the lost people, the unsaved people; what Jesus calls "the synagogue of Satan."
==> But Jesus says that He will bring them into the church, (see v. 9). Amen. Let’s get those people to worship, not at our feet, but at the feet of Jesus!
CONCLUSION
Church of Brotherly Love
I think I have said most of what God has laid on my heart for today. Almost all, that is.
Brotherly love. When we say, "Philadelphia," we think of "brotherly love."
May it be that we are known for our love, one for another. That’s exactly what Jesus wants. Then they will know for sure that we are Jesus’ disciples, (see John 13:34-35).
May the high character quality of LOVE, genuine love, ooze at of this holy church.
Keep Doing Good
Finally, the journey through the open door will not always give us the results that we might wish for. But, but, but, our faith is in God--our Sovereign God. "Let us," as the Scripture says, "not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not," (Galatians 6:9).
My faith is in the Right and Good and Holy Lord Jesus the Christ; who is my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Friend, my Beloved.
==> And I know that I know that I know that He intends to "open the door" for us to be His ambassadors right here in Baltimore. Amen!
The Apostle Paul said, "I will tarry [until] A GREAT DOOR is opened unto me." Jesus will surely open "a great door" for us, too!
Let Jesus "OPEN THE DOOR"!
"He that has an ear, let him and let her hear what the Spirit says to our church." (see Revelation 3:13)
Hymns & Reading
Suggested hymns and choruses:
What a Might God We Serve
I Belong to a Mighty God
Sing for Joy
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Open the Eyes of My Heart
Draw Me Close
AMEN.
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| Copyright 2002
| Practical Holiness Ministry (r)
| "BRINGING PRACTICAL IDEAS TO
| THE CHRISTIAN LIFE." (tm)
|
| You may reprint or publish or hopefully preach
| this material as long as it is not-for-profit,
| except that it may profit one’s soul,
| (see Mark 8:36).
|
| Dr. Neal Gray is the Senior Pastor of the
| Baltimore Parkville Church of the Nazarene.
| 8510 Fowler Ave -- Baltimore, Maryland 21234
|
| You can reach Dr. Gray by e-mail at:
| drngray@earthlink.net
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| Also, please visit the church’s website:
| http://www.ForMinistry.com/21234BPCOTN
|
| LEARNING. MENTORING. SERVING. (tm)
| 2 Pet. 3:18 - 2 Tim. 2:2 - Matt. 20:26-28
|
| All Scripture is the King James Version.
| Used with God’s blessed permission.
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