sermonette: Doors

Joseph B. Baity
Given 03-May-25; Sermon #1816s; 18 minutes

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My studies for this sermonette took me to an unusual place. For I've been studying doors. And in a week where I have been studying doors, I also oversaw the installation of 3 new doors, one of which is right over there, here in the office who says God doesn't have a sense of humor. But when you think about it, the door has an immense significance in our lives. What would our lives be like if we did not have doors? Our privacy would be greatly compromised. Doors helped to keep neighbors, co-workers, salesmen, wild animals, and even our nosy children out of our space. In fact, doors help to better define our space. A closed door creates a boundary, making a home, an office, or a room within more exclusively ours. How many times have you been in a bathroom or a dressing room behind the closed door when someone else tries to enter and you shout, I'm in here, which for the time being anyway, makes it yours. Doors provide for our comfort and security. Doors or closed doors help to keep cold, heat, dust, snow, or rain, and the unwanted elements out of our space, our sanctuary. Doors send messages. A closed door implies exclusion. Stay away. Perhaps you do not want to be bothered or you'd rather no one enter without prior notice or permission. On the other hand, an open door implies freedom to enter or even that a welcome hospitality awaits within. And authors, screenwriters, and visual artists employ images of doors to convey mystery, something hidden. Or perhaps a transition, maybe a difficult decision or a major crossroad as one crosses or fails to cross a particular threshold in life. They imply entry or exit not only to a building or a room but into or out of different phases of our lives. In fact, They are often used to represent the duality of so many of the choices we must make in our lives. Opening or closing, in or out, hiding or revealing. When opportunity comes knocking, do we open the door and say yes to embrace the risks of a new idea or an offer or direction, or do we shut the door and say, no, embracing instead, our comfort zone. Or when temptation comes knocking, do we open the door and allow the trouble in, or do we wisely keep the door closed to stay safe? The great outdoors brings fun and adventure, but with exposure to the elements and even a little danger. While the indoors usually allow for more comfort and security, that can bring on boredom and even facilitate our fears and inabilities to cope. The different uses and metaphors are practically endless and more to my intentions today, today. The Bible frequently employs door imagery throughout the old as well as the New Testament. And we will not turn to any of these, but think of God's description of sin lying at Cain's door, implying great danger in Genesis 4:7, or God shutting the door to the ark for the safety of Noah's family and all of the inhabitants in Genesis 7:16. Or how about the door to Lot's home. Now it was busy. First, Lot welcomes into his home and entertains his special visitors. Then he goes out the door to confront the evil men of Sodom who mock him and try to break down his door. Then he is pulled back through the door into safety, and the door is slammed shut. Or how about the door to salvation closed by the master of the house in Luke 13:25 or the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25 who were not ready for the bridegroom and pleaded for him to open the door while the five wise virgins who were prepared were safe inside behind the shut door. And we often speak of waiting for God to open a door or wondering why he shut another. And there are so many more. A few of which I will get to. But let's consider that God's conditions for protecting the Israelites during the final plague in Egypt was for each Israelite household to paint its doorposts and lintel with the blood of an unblemished lamb, and none of them were to go out of the door of his house until morning. I would imagine then that the head of each household saw to it that the door was shut and locked. The next day, of course, these same Israelites walked across their thresholds and through their open but blood-stained doorways to begin the next phase of their lives, their wilderness journey, which brings me to the, the thrust of this message. You know, as we entered a couple of weeks ago into the Passover season. We voluntary voluntarily removed through our doors the leavening in our homes while welcoming instead the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth into our homes and our hearts. Now we could say that the wave sheaf Day opens a portal or a door each year through which we step to begin walking on our path to Pentecost. This is always such a fascinating and eye opening time of the year. God always seems to be so very active, and nearly 2000 years ago, during the hours and days following the resurrection of Christ was certainly no exception. In fact, it was what happened following Christ's resurrection, especially behind closed doors that spurred my studies for the sermonette and a desire to point out some noteworthy parallels for our Pentecost journey this year. And my key scripture for the day is found in John 20, so let's please turn there. John chapter 20. And as you're going there Uh, John 20 details the events along with the excitement, and confusion, fear, and anxiety that followed the disciples discovery of Christ's empty tomb. Shortly following, of course, his resurrection. And consider with me what our spiritual ancestors were experiencing that day. The powers in and around Jerusalem had become increasingly hostile to the point that all who believed and followed Christ were in grave danger. And of course Christ, their leader. Teacher, guide, benefactor, indeed their protector was gone. And not only was he gone, he had been brutally murdered before their eyes after a betrayal by one of their own. And even though Christ had explained repeatedly that his death was all part of the plan, without the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, without the very mind of Christ working within them, the disciples struggle to understand, to believe. They were crushed, bewildered, perplexed, scared, and frighteningly unsettled. And adding to this was the guilt that I'm sure they felt for abandoning Christ shortly after his arrest, including, of course, Peter's infamous three-time denial. And it was with this mindset that they left the empty tomb on the first day of the week, a mindset that rattled their resolve and confounded their reaction. So what was their reaction? Well just like on the night of Christ's arrest, they withdrew. They hid behind a closed door. So in John 20, I want to read verses 19 through 22, followed by verses 24 through 29, with a slight detour of sorts in the middle. Verse 19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side, and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Verse 21. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Now you guys stay there and John and I'm just going to detour over to Luke for just a moment and read a few verses, which are the uh Luke's account of this very same moments. Luke chapter 24 and verses 36, 38, and 45. Now as they, the disciples, said these things. Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said, Peace to you. But they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you so troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? So as we know, he then displayed his wounds and had a bite to eat. We skipped down to verse 45, and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Now, we fast forward a few days while going back to John 20. Now I'm going to read from verses 24 through 29. Now Thomas called the twin, one of the 12, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord. So he said to them, Unless I see his in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side. I will not believe And after 8 days, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God. And Jesus said, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Now I've always been fascinated by this particular passage. What does it mean that Christ breathed on them? But we should consider first the fact that they are hiding behind a closed door. And while their fears are certainly very understandable. They strongly imply a weakened faith. Christ appears to the bewildered disciples accepting Thomas and terrifies them. Then he rebukes them for their unbelief, shows them his wounds which confirm his identity. And at this point they begin rejoicing, but they were still confused. How is this happening? Then Christ breathes on them, and he opened their mind to understand the scriptures. Then 8 days later, he appears to them again this time with Thomas and deals with his unbelief with the mild but firm rebuke of verse 29. So what do we take from this today on this, the 14th day of our journey to Pentecost this year? It seems to me that Christ, fully aware of the disciples' weak faith and their fears in the face of the remarkable events that were transpiring, wanted to show them that though he was about to go away to be with his father in heaven, they had nothing to fear but their own unbelief, particularly since he would soon be sending them the helper. So I believe he mercifully granted those who were gathered a little taste of what was to come on the day of Pentecost that was rapidly approaching, much in the same way that God enhances or enables our understanding through His Holy Spirit when he first calls us. So Christ broke bread with them, breathed on them, and opened their minds to the truths he'd been trying to teach them for 3.5 years. And it also seems fair to surmise, of course, that Thomas's unbelief was significantly stronger than the others, and sadly, his reaction was to retreat and hide behind yet another closed door, not only from the hostility of the Jews but also away from the disciples, trying on his own to process what was happening, but without the benefit of the fellowship of his brethren. And while there are always be moments where we need the quiet and the stillness of seclusion. We should never underestimate the value of our fellowship. It is noteworthy that Christ chose not to deal with Thomas's unbelief until he had rejoined the pack. So he missed out on the meeting with Christ and the little taste that it appeared he had offered the others. Now the first disciples lived through extraordinarily difficult times, and their faith, their belief was tested beyond what any of us could likely fathom today. And because they had not yet received the full measure of the Holy Spirit that they would soon receive, Christ was there to help them through it all, especially after his death, in spite of their anxious fears that simmered behind those closed doors, those locked doors. Brought on, of course, by their own belief. Christ was about to give them their commission. Go ye therefore into all the world. And it was time for them to resolve their fears, anxieties and doubts and get to work. And today While we have not yet witnessed or experienced the level of hostility and danger that the first disciples did, we know that even more troubling days are approaching, and we know that our faith as well as our fellowship needs to be stronger. Luke 18:8 warns. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith? You know, to be found by Christ among the fellowship of the faithful, it's incumbent upon us all, especially during our walk today, our journey to Pentecost, to remember who we are and what we've been called to do, to check our unbelief, approaching all our decisions, all our doors along the path with circumspection and faith. And to be prepared to discern the body and engage with one another as believers in a spirit of love. And as we keep walking toward the end of this age, we will all have to make many decisions to open or walk through this door or to shut and walk away from the next one. It's fight or flight. But we need to recognize. That trying to permanently shut the doors on our fears as the disciples and especially Thomas tried is likely nothing more than a fool's errand. A closed door often provides only an illusion of security, and as the elect of God, we must ask him to help us to know when to shut the door in the face of trouble and when to open it to face our fears and to help one another to do so. So let's be careful that we are always ready to open the door when Christ knocks, to be prepared so that we recognize His voice and always ready to receive through the doors of our homes and hearts one another, for the day is here when we need to call upon our Lord and for the day is here when we need to call upon our fellowship with one another, for the day is coming when nothing nor anyone else will even matter. And for a few final verses, I want to read Hebrews chapter 1024 and 25, Revelation 3:20 and John 10:9. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but of exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me. I am the door and if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out. And fine pasture.