Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: I believe that when God opens a door, even if you have multiple doors that appear to be open, he is not a God that's trying to play guessing games with us. And I believe if you pray, if you are after God, God is not going to play games with you, not going to yank your chain, trying to have fun, just toy with you. He will give you an answer.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Richard's style is unlike anyone else's, where he shares the life-changing message of the gospel in a way that's real, refreshing, focused, and fun. We know that life is pretty challenging these days, but these talks will help you meet those challenges head-on with biblical truth, encouragement, and direction.

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Richard Ellis: The title of today's message is The Doors. I'd like to start by reading a few signs I found that were on some doors. On the door of a plastic surgeon's office, they had a little sign that says, "Hello, may we pick your nose?" I thought that was interesting. On a maternity room door, they had a sign that said, "Push, push, push."

On the door of a computer store, they had put a sign up that says, "Out for a quick byte." And on the door of a music library, a little sign that said, "Bach in a minuet." So, unless you love music, you won't get that one either. Life is filled with doors along the way.

One of my favorite shows as a kid was a show called Get Smart, which they've made a movie out of. But how many of you all are old enough to remember watching the show? There we go. Everybody over 40 raised their hand. So, Get Smart. And I don't know if you remember this, and I've asked a few people this over the last few weeks, if you remember the beginning of the show.

And there was the music, you know. And what went with the music? It was Maxwell Smart walking into his building, right? And he would walk into this impenetrable fortress. Every time he would step up to a door, the door would open. And he'd keep walking and it would open from top to bottom, from side, it'd slide. There were like dozens and it's like, what is this place? But it was like this impossible place to get into, but all he had to do was walk toward those doors and bam, the whole place opened up. Never stopped, just kept going, going, going, going.

In our lives, in my life, and I'm going to go back to something pretty personal for me, there was a time when I was working at a church in Dallas and I knew it was time to go pastor a church. That's kind of what I was feeling. I'd been in the business world for 10 years, had worked at that church for three years, and I just circumstances, everything, it was time to move on. And I thought it was to pastor a church.

And I prayed and prayed and prayed, sent resumes out, called everybody I knew. And when you're the sixth generation of preachers in your family, you think it's not going to be hard to find a church. And it was such an awkward time for me and it was such a weird place and I was really passionate about going and pastoring a church. Literally, if anybody had bit, if anybody had responded to one of those resumes—and somebody almost did and then that didn't work out—I would have taken anything. Have you ever been in that situation?

Where you either needed a job and didn't have one and you would go and do almost anything? You're just at that place. Well, the frustrating thing about the doors all being shut was I thought, well God, what are you doing? But the reality was, if any one of those doors that I had knocked on down that hall of that piece of my life, I'd have pushed the door open and tried to go through. They were a lockdown and it forced me to the end of the hall, so to speak.

And something that I had had deep in my heart, way back in my mind, thought, well, and somebody had told me, "Oh, you don't want to do that," which was to start a church. But because all of the doors were closed, it forced me down to the end of that hall and I said, "Okay Lord, there's nothing happening. Are you telling me this is the possibly the thing to do?" I've told Rebecca, I said, "I'm going to fast and pray until I get an answer." I didn't tell her how long. I thought, you know what, you and me God, either I'm going to die or you're going to answer my prayer.

And luckily about the sixth or seventh day, he was gracious enough to say, "You're supposed to start a church." Now, I don't know where you are in your life and I don't know what's going on with the doors of your life, and you say, you know, maybe I can look back on my life and think of all the girls I tried to marry. And I got nothing against those women, but I was not supposed to marry those women, even one at a time.

And I prayed, I cried, I wept. I can remember being in love with somebody. Just because you're in love with somebody doesn't mean you're supposed to marry them. But if you're in love with somebody and you find out you're not supposed to marry them, it is a gut-wrenching, catastrophic thing. I mean, I can remember one girl we were friends forever, then we dated and then we broke up, it was horrible. And I'd be in my apartment with my chair and my plastic bowl for cereal and the spoon, the spoon, the butter bowl thing, that's all you had, one chair and that's all you need as a single man.

And the phone would ring and my whole body would react. I'd think, "Oh, what if it's her?" Now we were broken up, but that door had closed and it was a very, very painful thing. And waiting and seeing, "Well, maybe it's the next girl." And you see someone, "Oh, maybe she's it. Maybe she's it." And then finally, you know, you meet your wife. But we've all got stuff that happens. And you say, well, you're talking about easy stuff. I've had someone die. Maybe that's your deal. And that is a closed, closed door. Or something you've worked at for years and all of a sudden they lay you off or you feel led to quit and you're like, "Well, now what do I do?"

This opening and closing of doors is a huge part of life. And I simply looked this up and we use this phrase, for instance, well it seemed like there was an open door. Well, what does that mean? It's very fascinating how this even ties to our church. Open door means the policy of admitting people of all nationalities or ethnic groups to a country upon equal terms as for immigration. It also can mean the policy or practice of trading with all nations on an equal basis. And then this: admission or access, unrestricted opportunity. When you have an open door into something, it's wide open.

It is very clear, it is very obvious and you say, well, what if you got three open doors? Because a lot of times you get options. At this point let me just say this. I believe that when God opens a door, even if you have multiple doors that appear to be open, he is not a God that's trying to play guessing games with us.

And I believe if you pray, and in my case I felt led to fast, if you are after God, God is not going to play games with you, not going to yank your chain trying to have fun, just toy with you. He will give you an answer. But you've got to be very careful to ask him and not to just go running through things because every time you go through a door, it sets you on a path for a sometimes a long time in your life.

I'd like to read you some verses. That's probably not any shock to anybody. First one's in John chapter 10. In John chapter 10, let's start in verse one and I'm going to read a few here and then we'll do some in First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Colossians, and then Revelation if you're trying to find these things in your Bible. In John chapter 10, verse one, Jesus is speaking here and he says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."

"To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Everybody back then knew exactly what he was talking about. People had sheep, they were shepherds. He talked in terms and used analogies that they would understand in explaining what he was trying to say here. In verse four, "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers."

And let me just say this, if you claim to be a sheep in this fold—and I'm not talking about this church, I'm talking about in the body of Christ where Christ is the shepherd, and he goes on to say that later in this chapter—you will follow him because you know his voice and he knows you. And if you don't spend time with him, the reason sheep know their shepherd is they're around him. They hear him talking, they hear him taking care of them. So when he speaks, they go, "Oh, I know that voice." Where we get in so much trouble is we have so many voices we listen to and someone pulls us, says, "Hey over here!" And we go, "Well Lord, is that you? I'm not really sure." If you spend time with him, you're going to know his voice and it's going to be very difficult for you to get duped along the way if you know that voice.

Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which he spoke to them. Verse seven, "Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you...'" Now he's not just saying what he said before, he says, "I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.'"

So the first thing, Jesus is literally the door. And this is where people freak completely out when I have conversations with them about heaven, about God, about Jesus, about being quote-unquote saved. You know, do you go to heaven or to hell? All these things. And they say, "Well then you believe there's only one way to heaven and that's Jesus." I don't just believe it. The reason I believe it is because I'm quoting him. This isn't something I made up.

You say, "Well, then you just think that." No, I don't just think this, I trust that this is the word of God and if this is quoting Jesus—which I believe it is—and he actually said this, not just "I'm the door," he said, "I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life, no man comes to the Father except by me," there's something to this. And you've got to be gentle in how you say it, but you can't back off when someone pushes back and says, "Well, I think that's narrow-minded and you're, you know, you think you've got the only answer." Exactly. That's exactly what I think. And there is no reason to back off that because if you're going to back off that, what are you going to offer them?

So Jesus here literally says, "I am the door of the sheep. You cannot get into this fold, you cannot get into this place without going through him." There is no other way to get there. Now go to First Corinthians chapter 16 and let me move a little bit more toward the opportunity side of an open door or the doors in our lives. Let's just jump in here. This is Paul writing to the Corinthians. First Corinthians 16, verse five, he says, "Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia, for I am passing through Macedonia, and it may be that I will remain or even spend the winter with you that you may send me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way, but I hope to stay a while with you if the Lord permits. But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost."

And then look at verse nine, "For a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many adversaries." And I think it is very fascinating that's the combination. He says, "I'm going to stay here why? Because a door has opened for me, a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." You cannot assume that because you have adversity, you don't have an open door.

You say, "Well, it seems like the enemy's against me, that I'm getting shot at, that there are problems." You still may have an open door. And Paul knew what these things were. He knew when there was literally a door of opportunity and he said, "Pray for me. A great and effectual door has opened to me and there are many adversaries. And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord as also I do. Therefore let no one despise him, but send him on his journey in peace that he may come to me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren." All along the way Paul knew when these moments happened, a great and effective door has opened to me.

Now go to Second Corinthians chapter two. Let me show you another one here. Second Corinthians chapter two and let's jump in at verse 12. And he says, "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia." Again here he talks about this door opened to me by the Lord.

Now, I don't know what your purpose in life is, I don't know what your plan in life is, but most people when they talk about these doors, they think in terms of business. Well, God's going to open some door in my business and going to bless me and it's going to be monetary and I'm going to be successful. If you'll notice in these things, and we're going to keep reading them here in a second, the open door is about sharing the Gospel. It's about living the Christian life. And my question to you is, are we, are you, am I praying for open doors in this regard? That God you would show us a way to reach more people, a way to talk to somebody, an open door maybe at work. Okay you're there to make a living, but you're there not just to make a living, you're there to have an impact. And do we have these open doors, do we even ask for them?

Go to Colossians chapter four and let's jump in there at verse one. "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak." The guy's in jail and he's asking for an open door to preach the Gospel.

Now this is where I wanted to end up today and it's in Revelation chapter three, the last book in the Bible. And he quotes some passages, Revelation chapter three, and I'll read this out of Isaiah 22 in a second, but he quotes here something out of Isaiah. But let's jump in Revelation three and let's jump in at verse seven. And he says to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write—and he has written to a bunch of different churches, seven churches here I believe and this is what he wrote to the angel of the church in Philadelphia—"These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David."

And look at this phrase, "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Now who can do that? You are dealing with a God when he opens, no one can shut it, but when he shuts it, no one can open. "I know your works," verse eight, "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it."

And then this, for some reason, and I caution myself and anybody else, be careful reaching in the Bible and jerking verses out and saying, "Oh that applies to me, that was written to me." You have to take the context. But there are times I think when scripture can speak to your situation and be very personal. The Holy Spirit can personalize it for you and here's one of those cases at least for me this week.

He says, "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength and have kept my word and have not denied my name." Do you ever feel that way? I'm nobody. I don't have much strength, Lord, but I'll tell you what I do have: I've kept your word and I have not denied your name. And obviously that counts for something because what does God say he did before that? I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it.

"Indeed I will make those," verse nine, he goes on to talk about "I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you." And you can go on to read the rest of what he says there to that particular church.

In Isaiah 22, let me just read it, verse 22: "The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder, so he shall open and no one shall shut, and he shall shut and no one shall open." If God opens a door, then nobody can shut it. I can't open and close doors. I am a servant of the Most High God. But if God gives you a vision and tells you to go knock on a door, you better get your butt up and knock on the door. Because the day will come when he says, "I told you to build an ark. Where's my ark?"

You better have an answer for that. You say, "But it's impossible. It's stupid. It's foolish. People will laugh at me." I'd rather have an answer for Jesus than get laughed at all the way to the finish line here. Now I don't know what your path is, I don't know what's going on, let me go with you personally. But for some of you, God has pointed at a door and it's a big door maybe and it's a scary door and it is terrifying and you're so worried about what everybody's going to think and what if it doesn't work and what if it doesn't happen and what if you fail. This isn't about you failing. This is about God being God and getting all the glory because the more scared you are, the better it works out for him. Because he gets all the glory and you can't go, "Well, we knew somebody. That's what we did. We're smart. Look what we did with God."

God says, "No, that's not how it happened." But I know a God that if he opens a door, you will not shut it. Let me read this verse again and maybe it'll make more sense. In Revelation chapter three, "These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied my name." And I think that can be said of us.

Go down a few verses and let me shut it down with these verses also in Revelation chapter three that kind of a good place I think to stop. In verse 14 of Revelation three, "And the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.'" Now he's writing to another church. "I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you or spew you or spit you out of my mouth. Because you say, 'I'm rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing,' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.'"

And then these verses, and I grew up hearing these verses trying to get people saved. These next verses are not written to non-believers, they are written to Christians. And people quote these verses to people who are not saved and say, "Behold I stand at the door knock." This is not Jesus knocking at a lost man's heart. This is Jesus knocking at our hearts who claim to know him. And he says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door..."

Would you say, "Well how ridiculous is that? How could Jesus get locked out of his own house?" And we are his house. "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne as also I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Have you locked Jesus out? When's the last time you sat down and had dinner with Jesus? Put a little bread out there to eat, invited him not back into your life to save you, just back into your life to have communication, communion, fellowship. Where when he speaks, you actually know his voice and you do what he tells you to do.

There's a great painting I think by Holman Hunt called The Light of the World and there's a figure portrayed as Jesus standing knocking on this door of a house and he's got a light and waiting for somebody to come to the door. And the fascinating thing if you examine the picture closely is there is no latch on the outside. There's no way for him to get in but to knock and someone from the inside to let him in, to open that door. This little phrase in here in Revelation three that says, "Be zealous and repent" is going to be mandatory or we will not make it. And let God do something extraordinary as he already has done that no one could take the credit for but him.

Richard Ellis: And our Father, I thank you Lord, I just, I thank you for encouragement, I thank you for mercy, for your grace. Help us keep our eye on you, Lord Jesus. I thank you for those listening today who maybe for the first time in their life they see a door, and the door is to heaven. And they've been trying to figure out how they'd get in and what answers they'd have. And now they realize that even the door into heaven is the way into heaven, it is you, Lord Jesus.

So may somebody today reach out the hands of their heart, as it were, and say, "Jesus, I've known who you are, but I want to make you truly the Lord Jesus Christ of my life. I believe that you lived a sinless life, that you died on the cross, you were buried, raised from the dead, that your blood was shed to give me the forgiveness of my sin that I accept as a free gift. That you bought and paid for eternal life for me. I accept it as a free gift. I have nothing to contribute but a yes. I say yes to your offers and I ask you to come live in me and through me and change me from the inside out and use my life. Not just give me a ticket to heaven, but use my life to reach out to people who are sucking air just like me, God, who are hurting, who need hope, who need an answer and need somebody to explain to them that the answer is Jesus."

And Father for those of us that claim to know you, I pray that the door stays unlocked, stays open, that we have fellowship with you, that whatever is keeping us from you Lord, walking with you, that we would confess our sins and know that you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Help us not lay down, just quit and settle for heaven, though that is a great thing. Help us live lives that would bring honor and glory to you. You're not just an awesome God, you are the awesome God. Above you there is no other and we cry out with the seraphim who encircle your throne: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with his glory. May that be the truth in our lives today. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray, amen.

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