DOOR #1: In the Book of Genesis 6:9–9:17, we read about how Noah, his family, and a huge assortment of animals sequestered themselves in an ark to weather the flood God brought upon the earth to clean the slate of people who embraced sinful ways. Noah locked the door of the ark behind them.
DOOR #2: In the New Testament, we read about another door, an open door ready to welcome all who keeps the Lord's word. A door open to all who hear the Lord's voice and responds. A living door who invites all to enter and be saved.
Imagine you're one of Noah's neighbors. You've been watching Noah and his family build this huge boat. Perhaps you wouldn't even call it that. You'd probably dismiss Noah and his family as crazies, and the thing they were building as a useless piece of junk. Kind of like seeing someone building a huge boat in the middle of the desert. Where's the water? Not to mention the fact your backyard was covered by you know what because of all the animals that paraded through your property to get to the boat.
"My man, Noah, my good buddy, wasn't so crazy after all?"
Then the rains come. And come. And come, And keep coming. You think, "My man, Noah, my good buddy, wasn't so crazy after all?" So you pay him a visit and knock on the wooden door as the rain keeps falling, already ruining your first floor furniture. No answer. You knock again. No answer. You pound the door. No answer. "Fine neighbor you are!" you yell, as you head back down the hill to your family, huddling on the roof of your house.
We all know how the first tale of a door ends. In righteous judgement, God locked the door on a rebellious generation, after he opened the door to new beginnings.
A middle-aged Nazarene named Jesus began preaching to more rebellious people.
Fast forward thousands of years to the time when a middle-aged Nazarene named Jesus began preaching to more rebellious people. In fact, John the Baptist, the "voice of one crying in the desert," and the one who baptized Jesus, called all who would hear to repent.
Jesus was also looking to create new beginnings, new beginnings in the hearts of those he met and ours. He even extended an invitation. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)." Not only that, he made the door easy to find. "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:)."
Whereas God shut the door to all who would turn from the evil ways and try to enter his saving vessel, the Lord assures us in the New Testament that all are welcome, and no one will shut the door on us. "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name (Revelation 3:8)."
The Lord even expresses enthusiasm for greeting us at the door.
In Revelation 3:20, the Lord even expresses enthusiasm for greeting us at the door. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Talk about a generous welcome.
We have a God who is still capable of inflicting righteous judgement. But the very same God who locked the door on a rebellious generation in Genesis, has an "open-door policy," identifying himself as the door to salvation, the only door, and invites all to knock and enter.
Also visit: How to Have Whatever Faith
Listen to God's Words
"Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway."
(Proverbs 8:34)
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." (John10:1-4)
Also read: Psalm 24:7, Acts 14:27, 1 Corinthians 16:9
In the Words of Others
“My focus is not on the flood that surrounds me. Rather, my focus is on the God Who surrounds the flood.” Craig D. Lounsbrough
"Frustration is a sign I am acting independently. The more you try your own way, the tighter the doors will stay closed." Joyce Meyer
Things to Consider
Consider what your reaction might have been if you were a friend of Noah, and you saw him beginning to build the ark. Would you be understanding and supportive, or write him off as a lunatic?
Do you think God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? What implications does that have for you regarding his righteous judgement?
Have you ever thought of Jesus as a door through which you can enter and be saved? Compare this statement with John 14:6.
What doors has the Lord opened for you in your life? Were any of the circumstances because you knocked first?