Give Us This Day - 10

                                                                 Give Us This Day - 10

Subject – Go Through the Door

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:9-15 (NKJV)
⁹  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
¹⁴  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

--This series “Give Us This Day” has definitely been appropriate for 2021 for so many reasons. When God spoke to me and said this year would be a year of transition, I did not fully understand.

--It is probably good I did not understand because I may have been tempted to run and hide somewhere. We have seen a change in our pastoral staff with Pastor Juan leaving.

--We have seen a transition in La Vida with Pastor Neftali stepping in to be the new pastor of our wonderful Spanish ministry. He is doing a great job.

--We have seen a change in our youth pastor position with Pastor Jose coming on board to help take our youth deeper in the Lord. He also is filling the position of maintenance supervisor. Transition.

--We have seen transition with others on our supporting staff…change, change, change. We have seen new people come and we have seen others go. Lord, please help us!

--We have seen the dream of the campus in the Villages come to pass with Pastor Bob and JoAnn coming back to serve with us. Pastor Marty and Faye working with them. Wonderful but transition. Change!

--We have watched some transition from this life into the presence of God. Wonderful change for them but definitely pain for the families and those of us who loved them. David Icker.

--We have watched people who have been healthy battle with cancer, Covid, and other sicknesses. They struggled as they looked for health and healing.

--During Covid we have seen change in how we have done church, how we learned to livestream, how we have seen people, because of fear, stop coming to church.

--You may not be aware of this statistic but during Covid over 20 percent of church attenders have changed churches over a multitude of reasons. Mask or no mask. Vaccines or no vaccines. Transition.

--Because of the stress and the change so many in the ministry have either retired early or just said “enough is enough” and have walked away altogether. The stress on leadership has been through the roof.

--Others feel a call to ministry but seem to be floundering about how to follow the Lord and to do what He wants them to do. 

--We know we are told in Scripture not to be anxious about anything but we are. What is the answer, Pastor?

1. Jesus says, “I am the Door of the sheep.”

John 10:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
⁹  I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Everything…everyone say everything, we have just mentioned above can be handled by making sure we go to and through the Door of the sheep.

--Pastor, there is so much transition in our church and I don’t do change very well. Go to the Door. Go to the Door. Go to the One Who has changed your life. Run to the Door.

--I am stressed out about Covid, I am stressed out about the new leadership in our country or lack of leadership in our country, run to the Door! He is our leader and our God.

--I am fearful about a pandemic, I am fearful about China, I am fearful about the economy, I am fearful for my family, I am consumed with fear…Run to the Door. He has not given us a spirit of fear. Holy Spirit.

--I have just been given a terrible diagnosis from the doctor and I don’t know what to do. Jesus said I am the Door of the sheep. Run to the Door. I am the Lord Who heals all your diseases. I am your Door to healing.

--Pastor, I feel a call into ministry but I do not know how to get where I believe God wants me to be. Stop trusting in man to get you there and run to the Door.

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV)
⁹  For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 

--Hear your pastor, if God has called you and you know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are not enough demons or adversaries that can stop you from doing what God has called you to do.

--Here’s the key, run to the Door. Go through the Door to get into ministry not through man. My pastor in Louisiana told me to go to college in Springfield. Why?

--“You will meet the right people and have the right contacts to get where you want to be in ministry.” I told him, I already do have the right contact. His Name is Jesus and He is my Door to ministry. Run to the door!

--I heard a preacher one time say, “If you can’t find the door or open the door, look for a window.” No, a thousand times no. Jesus is the Door of the sheep. Run to the Door.

2. Jesus warns us about the “thieves and robbers.”

John 10:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 

--There are many thieves and robbers out there and sometimes in here who want to steal from you what God has for you. Bad advice is not in short demand.

--Even in the church when people are going through the testing of their lives you can hear some of the most ridiculous advice. Just do this, just take this, just read this, just stop please.

--At the chance of sounding redundant let me say it again. Stop with all the secondary advice and run to the Door. I am glad for you that you have something to help you but as for me and my house, running to the Door.

--So much advice and so many voices. Sometimes in the church world we are left with our heads spinning because ministers and people are advising us to do everything but trust God. Hear what Jesus said:

John 10:3 (NLT2)
³  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

--With so many thieves and so many voices, it is imperative that we recognize the voice of Jesus. When you can hear and identify Jesus’ voice, you will not follow another. 

--But, pastor, how do we learn to identify and recognize the voice of Jesus? Here we go again, run to the Door of the sheep. Spend so much time with Him that you know His voice well.

--Why is that so important? The verse that was the catalyst for Life Church’s name gives the answer:

 John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--How many of you understand that the thief can come in many forms? It may be one of Satan’s little imps or it may someone you fellowship with. We need to hear the right voice. Run to the Door.

--Why wouldn’t we run to the Door? Jesus said: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Do we want abundant life or are we satisfied with the status quo or even less. Run to the Door for your healing, for your provision, for your peace, for reconciliation, for your miracles, for more abundant life.

3. Jesus, our One and only Door, can lead us through the double doors.

Isaiah 45:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
²  'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
³  I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 

--What do you mean, the double doors, Pastor Rick. Let’s look at this promise to Cyrus. If we run to the Door, to Jesus, we can have a wonderful personal relationship.

--On one side of the double doors Jesus will hold our hand (security), He will go before us (guidance), and He knows us by name (intimacy and relationship).

--So what’s on the other side of the double doors…the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. I believe the treasures of darkness are those who are lost who will come to the Light.

--The hidden riches are the blessing that have been kept from the Kingdom because these people have been lost.

--Yes, Jesus is the Door and if we will run to Him we will have personal relationship (life and that more abundantly) and souls (prodigals) who are in darkness but will come to the Light.

--Run to the Door! Run to the Door! Run to the Door!