NO ONE ELSE CAN CLOSE THIS DOOR

Isai 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

Reve 3:6-10 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 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. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

I. Jesus has the Keys of the Door to the Kingdom of God

1. Nobody can close the door He opens and nobody can open to door He closes.
2. He alone has power over this doorway
3. Many times throughout the Bible, we read of a door through which we can walk and be saved.
• This was first clearly shown in the Exodus.

Exod 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

• The Israelites would walk through a door surrounded by blood and beyond that door, in the house, they would be saved from death.
• It was a doorway with the blood of a lamb around it.
• Death had already occurred, so the death angel could not enter that home. But it was not the death of a person. It was the death of a Lamb INSTEAD of the person.
• Jesus died INSTEAD of us.
• We can ENTER a place of safety THROUGH our faith in His death. Jesus is the LAMB

John 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

• Every firstborn outside of that door would die.
• This is like the world - all outside of Christ shall die, but all those in Christ alone shall live. (You must get in Christ)

4. Being "in" and "out" is a very large subject in the Bible in regards to salvation.

• Man was "IN" the Garden but cast "OUT" due to sin, and that is why people will be lost who are not IN Christ.
• You could say that IN CHRIST is like getting back IN the garden.

5. Since Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God...

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

• ...we see that Jesus truly has the keys which nobody else holds. He alone can open this door. Nobody can shut it since He has the keys.

In the Bible, The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same thing. SO when we hear Jesus speak of the Kingdom of God and then speak of Heaven we know He is referring to the Kingdom of God again.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven.

"Heaven", above, is the KINGDOM of Heaven. Only one individual was in the Kingdom of Heaven at this time. Jesus.

• Reminds us of Adam
• Adam was once alone in the Garden
• Then Adam laid down and went into a deep sleep, and God took a rib from Him and formed his mate, the woman.
• Jesus laid down His life and slept the deep sleep of death from whose side came blood and water
• he very things which save a soul
• Now many people are born into the Church - the Kingdom

The door is the new birth experience

• YOU "ENTER" THE KINGDOM by being born again.
• you are initially outside the Garden
• you are then given the opportunity to enter this Garden through Jesus' death
• if you choose to enter this door, Jesus holds the keys and you do not have to worry about someone closing it on you.
• no man can close this door

YOU CAN MAKE IT!!!

• the foolish mind thinks it is impossible to get to glory
• The Bible says so much different than what you may have been told
• nobody has any more ability to walk through this door than you do
• the reason so many do not walk in there is simply because they do not want to, or are deceived and give up before they even try due to false notions
• but if you want salvation more than anything else, nothing and nobody can close the door to you
• never fear that you cannot make it
• truth is you will only fail if you allow something to become more important to you than salvation
• this guarantee is demonstrated in the next verse which says that God will keep (PROTECT) us if we have DESIRE.

Reve 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth

• but it is just as true that He can close that door, which He will, and no one can open it
• if he said he can open the door that none can close and he can close the door that none can open, it is pretty clear that
• (A) He will open a door of salvation and
• (B) He will close it one day.
• notice the series of thought -
• first, he can open
• second, he can close

Reve 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

• Jesus will shut the door one day, only after He has opened it that none might close it.

Job 11:10If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

Job 12:14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening

Luke 13:25-27 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity.

Matt 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matt 25:10-12 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Once He shuts the door, nothing in your life can save you if you are not already saved before this time.

But what we want to stress this morning is not that the door will close, though it will, but that while it is open no one can stop you from entering in.

While it is open, hell may try to put its own gates up and keep you out, but the keys of the Kingdom will open a door that nobody can close and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church!

Matt 16:18-19 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Whatever Peter really wants to do so far as the Kingdom is concerned, nothing will be able to stop him. It will be done.

• God sees your desire and nothing will stop it from coming to pass except your own unbelief.

Reve 3:8-10 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. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Nobody can stop you from living for God once you truly want to.

• if you keep his word, obey it, and not deny his name behind your own name, He will ensure nothing will stop this opportunity He has given to you.
• He will make people of the synagogue of satan who resist you
• He will make you not only enter in but also establish you in there as a monument
• If you have only a "little strength", God said He will keep you
• Some imagine that they need to be all powerful before they can make it to glory, as though their human strength will get them there (such people have a false concept of salvation by good works)
• Jesus said, "For thou hast a little strength"
• Faith is so little - as a mustard seed.
• But it is all we need
• His Almighty power is sufficient

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