## The Door

## John 10:9

Doors are among the most common things in the world. There are ornate doors of cathedrals, steel doors to vaults in a bank, canvas doors to tents, large and small doors in all kinds of vehicles, glass doors to greenhouses, and every other kind imaginable in homes throughout the world. They can be expensive or inexpensive, strong or weak, beautiful or unattractive, but they have one thing in common they are doors!

When the Savior claimed to be the door of the sheepfold, He spoke of truths which demand consideration. Actually, most of the sheepfolds to be found in Middle East countries have no door; they have a doorway-the shepherd becomes the door, and entrance is only possible when he permits it.

I. A door is a means of Entrance.

Christ came to be the means whereby those who were afar off might come near.

There was but one door in Noah’s ark; there was only one door in the tabernacle in the wilderness.

"Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men; whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

There is but one Door.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6.

There are many religions and churches, but there is only one Savior.

God has revealed clearly that Christ is the only highway to eternal life.

Men who ignore His words exhibit stupidity.

II. A door is a means of Separation.

To be on the one side of a closed door means to be separated, or cut off, from those on the other side.

Seldom is a door used as an ornament!

Doors are made to be used, and when this is done, a person passes from one place to another.

There is a vast difference between being inside and outside; when the door is closed, it is not possible to be on both sides at once.

It is the same with Christians.

To respond to the claims of Christ means to forsake the company of those outside, to turn one’s back upon that which is evil, and to identify oneself with the people of God.

When Jesus claimed to be the Door of the sheepfold, He implied that He would be the great divider of men.

People would be either for or against Him.

III. A door is a means of Protection.

When the icy blasts of a midwinter storm beat upon a home, a closed door becomes a shelter.

Behind its solid strength is warmth, comfort, and protection.

The claim of Christ to be the Door suggests not only that He was inviting sinners to seek refuge in His kingdom, but also that He was promising to safeguard them in every time of stress and danger.

"I will never leave thee" seems to be the talk of a truly good Shepherd.

David often proved the reliability of such a promise.

He wrote, "For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." (Ps. 61:3-4).

IV. A door is a means of Exclusion.

An open door issues an invitation, a strong door promises protection, but a locked door is something to be feared.

Matthew 25:10-12 suggests that all men should strive to enter the kingdom of God while the door is open.

The time must come when it will close.

"Afterward came all the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not".

The Lord also said, "Strive to enter at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Luke 13:24).

It is a serious and solemn thought that He who died to redeem sinners, will refuse some day to accept people who refused to enter His kingdom.

That He will one day judge the would in righteousness should encourage all people to heed the warning message of the gospel.

Doors may close in a moment and they jam sometimes, so that entrance becomes an impossibility.

To be on the right side of heaven’s Door should be the greatest ambition in a person’s life.

"One door, and only one, and yet its sides are two. I’m on the inside, on which side are you?"

Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior today? If so, then you have gained entrance into heaven; separation from this world; and the protection of a loving Savior. Without Christ none of those things can be true in your life!