Sermon Tone Analysis

round:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Open DoorsRev.

3:20  Rev.

3:8-10a

 

*Introduction:*

I have for your consideration “Two Doors.”

·         Both of them have been set before you by an Omnip, Onis, Omnipre CREATOR God,

·         At the 1st door, God stands outside and knocks.

If */you choose to open/*, */He will come in./*

·         If you have opened the 1st door, God sets before you a 2nd door.

This one *God opens and invites* */you to come in./*

*I.

**The Door of Salvation:*

*/Please open your copy of God’s Word to:  (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 will sup with him, and he with me./*

*/The text is to be understood that this offer is applicable to all person.

/*

*ILLUSTRATION:*  *Muslim convert in Uganda*

·         While in Uganda some time ago, my wife and I and our team were ministering on a highschool campus

·         Young man approached my wife wanting one of the QT’s we were passing out.

·         He gave her his testimony.

o    Heard the message - Holy Spirit convicted his heart

o    God knocked on his hearts door and he had to make a choice whether or not to go through that open door.

After much consideration, he choose to receive God’s wonderful gift of salvation.

o    This was not an easy choice for him to make for you see he was Muslem and his family were commtted Muslems.

o    His choice had conesquences: 

·         1st Bible

·         2nd Bible

·         3rd Bible – looking for a 4th.

o    Said, *“/they can kill my body but they cannot kill my soul./“*

*Simple Questions*

*A.   **Who created the door for him to open?*

1.

It was not man!

No isms, schisms, vain philosophies.

2.

*It was God.*

Before the foundations of the worlds were made, God had his plan of redemption.

·         */Eph 1:7/**/  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;/*

·         *Joh 1:12  **But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:*

·         *Act 4:12  **Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.*

3.     Fact is that *God has created* the door.*/

We choose whether to open and invite Christ into our lives.

/*

*B.   **Why him?*

Why was it possible for this sinner, this Muslem – denier of the faith, to have access to the very God of the Universe?

*1.     **Because God loves him.*

·         */Joh 3:16  /**/For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life./*

·         */Rom 5:8  /**/But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us./*

·         */1Ti 2:4  /**/Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth./*

2.     It is amazing to know that God knows everything about me and still loves me.

In fact, it is not vain to say that He even likes me.

*C.

**What did it mean for him to open the door?*

This is a cause and affect situation.

1.

When he opened the door:* Eternally*- his sins were forgiven.

*Positionally -* he now is a child of God.  *All that belongs to Christ,* now, as an heir, is his!

2.     *But there were consequences*:  He paid with unmerciful beatings and loss*/.”Ya

and all they that live godly will/*

*D.   **Who can open this door?*

1.     Whosoevers of this world.

Which to him was great news.

2.     */. . .

if any man. . .

Rom 10:13 . . .

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord,  /*

*Why this way?

Why do we, why did he have to do it this way – Open the door of our heart and let him come in – Why:  BECAUSE IT IS GOD’S DESIGN.

HE DESIGNED IT THAT WAY.*

* *

*How many of you, when God knocked on your heart’s door, asked Christ into your life?

Are your Sins forgiven?

Do you know you have heaven for all eternity?

Are you Glad?  *

*If you allowed Christ to enter this door, then know that THERE IS A SECOND DOOR . . .

.*

 

*We often fail to even recognize that God has set before us another door.

If we do, we are /quick to deny and are comfortable/ to ignore /its’ existence.

/We are quick to open the 1st door and do not want to deny its existence.

If we did, it would mean hell for us for all eternity.

But did it ever occur to us /while we welcomed the first and deny the second/ that it is God that made the second one also?*

*II.

**Door of Service*

*To see this door, please open your copy of God’s Word to:* */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 a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

/*

*/ /*

*Different references to this passage tells of this church being right in the middle of harsh Jewish persecution.

No one wanted to hear it!

In their quest to preach Jesus name, many were threatened with great punishment if they did not deny Jesus Christ – but they didn’t.

The text states: /and hast not denied my name./*

*/ /*

*A door of service was opened for them.*

*A.   **Who opens this door?*

1.

Not opened by:  Programs  or Man's initiative

a.

By looking to the world for its signals, the modern day church is suffering from an identity crisis of monumental proportions.

b.

There are countless isms, scisms , emerging types and methods that have been created to reach out to the lost.

·   */One emerging church organization decided to evalute where they were after 20 years of ministry.

The report reveals that most of what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ.

Numbers yes, but not disciples.

In their own words, “it was a FALIURE.

“/*

*c.     **/With our programs and by our own initiatives . . .

/We are not "making it happen."

*

·   With *four babies being born every second and twice as many being born then die,* all this adds up to a world population of 6.5 billion – *MISSION IMPOSSIBLE* if it is left up to us to open the doors of opportunities that would give everyone in this world a clear hearing of the Gospel.

·   The missionaries are reaching about *2 million lost every year.*

·    Compare the 2 million with the millions in increases in world population annually.

It looks frustrating.

It is too overwhelming.

*Christian Victory*

*BUT NOTE, IT IS .* . . .

1.    *Christ opens the door.*