God shut the door of Noah's ark. Once that happened no one could get out nor in. How terrifying for those outside when they realized Noah was NOT kidding (Genesis 7). As the rain bucketed down and the water levels rose up higher, and higher and higher, unabated, so too, the terror would likely have escalated. Think of the screams, shouts and perhaps, curses, that could be heard piercing the air.
A prophecy, in reference to the coming of Jesus, given to Isaiah, tells the solemn prediction about "the door",
"I will place on His shoulder the key to the house of David; what He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open" (Isaiah 22:22 NIV).
There's another door that will be shut. Look how Luke records it:
"When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then He will answer you, 'I do not know where your come from...'" (Luke 13:25 ESV).
The advice, also from the same Luke passage but verse 24 (ESV), was to...
"...strive to enter through the narrow door..."
Recently I watched a short video of an ice-hockey puck challenge. Normally an ice hockey goal post is wide open, except for the goal tender, of course. However, for this challenge, the whole hockey net was blocked off except for a very small opening at the bottom, ice level, not bigger than a letter flap on the front door of someone's home. In fact, it appeared much smaller than...
The 'challengee' had to shoot one goal in to earn a brand new car. The participant had three chances. The odds seemed insurmountably slim yet not totally impossible. However, one chap actually managed to score! Even the game host was stunned.
Striving to enter the narrow door to God may seem unattainable to some but it is definitely NOT impossible.
The 'door' to God is, Jesus. He said,
"I am the Door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9 KJV).
The Door, Jesus, is the One through whom we all must enter. We must all strive to enter.
By 'strive' I do not mean "earn our own way"; no, Jesus has already paid the price for our salvation. We must willingly, from our hearts, accept this Gift from God. This is often a struggle of our will, thus the need to strive. Many times there are many excuses, fears, roadblocks and resistant attitudes to receiving this Gift God offers. Therefore a person's striving must be to overcome and break down the door of his/her own heart before going through Jesus, the Door to Heaven.
Will you open Heaven's Door?
Is your door shut or open?
God is not going to force that door open.
"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" (Revelation 3:20 KJV).
He's waiting for your decision.
Open the door of your heart to Jesus. He is the Door to the Father in Heaven.
There's a Sunday School song that kids long ago used to love to sing,
"One door and only one, And yet its sides are two; Inside and outside, On which side are you?"The Door is open to "whosoever will" at the moment. As the folks in the church in Philadelphia learned,
"...behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it..." (Revelation 3:8 KJV).
There will come a day when the "master of the house (heaven) will shut the door. That indeed will be a doomsday for all those who haven't come to the Father through Jesus, the Door (Luke 13:25-27).
This may sound harsh but remember this; the time of opportunity is now.
God's Word declares,
"...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV).
The people in Noah's day had more than 100 years to hear about the coming flood and how they could escape it. None took heed. Only Noah and his family were saved along with the two and seven of a kind of animal. No one can blame God or Noah for not being warned.
They had had to act on the knowledge just as folks nowadays do so they too would not perish. Come to Jesus the Door, before it is forever too late. Do not procrastinate.
Once a person has opened the Door and come to the Father through Jesus Christ, he or she can keep the door of his/her heart shut in another way that's not recommended; keeping Jesus standing outside and knocking.
Followers of Jesus Christ can have as much or as little as they wish of Christ. He wants to come in and 'sup' with them, though. He wants to commune and have fellowship; to spend time. We need to open our heart's door wide, allow Christ to have access to every area of our heart and life so His almighty power and Holy Spirit can transform us to be more "like Christ". Let Jesus truly be Lord and Master of our life, as well as Savior.
A line of another Sunday School song sang...
"At the heart's door your Savior's waiting..."
Let's let Him be the Master of our heart's house. Let the brilliance of heavenly things illuminate each individual all because you "walked through" the Door of the heavenly Father and to life in His kingdom. Keep your door open to Him.
~ERC January 2020~
One Door and Only One
At the Heart's Door
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