How many doors are there in your house? I counted sixteen in mine and that's just doors that I go through, not counting ones that I don't - doors that open into wardrobes, airing cupboard, store cupboards, etc
All doors serve a purpose. Security, privacy, confining activities to a special place. They keep out noise, cold, pets, people and dust. The dictionary defines doors as barriers.
No two doors seem to be quite the same. Some squeak, some get stuck, some open easily, some have keyholes, some have none and some have numerous locks. w
I would like you to join me and consider several different doors today.
First -Let's look at the front door. This is a security door with strong locks. It is the main entrance to the house so there are good reasons why it should be extra secure. But if we want to be friendly we have to open it to let people in. We are careful about who we open the front door to. Maybe even have a little safety chain as an extra precaution when we do.
When we open it and let people in we have choices to make. We may not even invite them in, just exchange a word or two on the doorstep. If it isn't convenient for one reason or another, we may not invite them in any further than the hall, giving the unspoken message that we are not expecting them to stay too long. Others may be invited into the living room and offered refreshments. When you think about it what follows when we open the door tells us much about ourselves and our relationships.
Jesus said : Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will go in and eat with him, and he with me. Rev.3.20
It is a daring thing to open the door to the Lord. Make no mistake. While he is outside we are in control, once we let him in He will expect to become part of our lives. To open the door is an act of faith, we have to trust Him. The problem is that we need him our side of the door. Without him all the locks in the world cannot keep us safe. He is our real security. He has the key to a better life now and an even better one later on. We are the prisoners of sin and only Jesus can release us from it and open the way to a life of peace with God, with ourselves and with everyone else.
So Jesus is standing at the door. Have you opened it? Is the safety chain still on as you consider further whether to trust him or not? Or is he standing outside an open door but not being invited in? Or has he got as far as the hall while we consider whether to ask him to come in any further?
The Dining Room door
When we meet new people one of the ways we get to know them better is to ask them round for a meal. So opening the door to the dining room is often the next step. That meal usually is a deciding factor on whether the relationship will develop or not. Over a meal one can talk and discover things about one another in a natural way. If the evening is successful then it is likely that the relationship will develop.
From the text we can see that once the door has been opened Jesus expects it to lead to the Dining Room. I will eat with him and he with me. When Jesus comes into the Dining Room we find that He becomes the Host and the Feast. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never thirst. Jn.6.35
Christians can speak from the experience of knowing that this is true. He meets our most basic spiritual needs. He satisfies us. When many people found his words too hard to accept and he asked the disciples "Will you also leave me?" Peter said "To whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life". Peter had tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
If you haven't already done so will you ask the Lord into the Dining Room?
You can do this by reading the Bible regularly and talking to him every day.
The rest will be up to Him. He will not disappoint you. I've had a friendship with the Lord since I was a teenager and I can vouch for that. But I have disappointed him over and over, I've sometimes neglected the friendship, even betrayed it, but he has never disappointed me, neglected me or betrayed me. He is the best friend I've ever had.
