Which Door?
I didn’t really mean to eavesdrop but sometimes you just happen to be in that perfect spot. Even at that, I would normally have made an effort not to listen even if I could hear. But this was different. I heard one man address another in a cordial manner as ‘preacher’ which, as you can imagine, caught my attention. I never could hear the “preacher’s” words. He was just out of earshot. So, some of what I was hearing I was interpreting based on a one sided conversation. The ‘preacher’ said something, after “hello”, about heaven. I am certain of that because the response that came caused me to want to jump up and interject. The other man simply said that when he stood before God he would take whatever comes.I have heard people say this sort of thing before and it always strikes me the same way. They seem to have a casual nonplussed understanding of what that final day will be like. I had all I could do to retain my seating. I wanted desperately to jump up and join this man at his table for a lengthy conversation. However, not being invited to do so left me wondering how I might explain to my wife how I managed to get kicked out of McDonald’s. So, I reluctantly left this gentleman to his ‘preacher’ friend.
I wonder how many people allow themselves such a casual concept of the final judgment. If we understood what God has done to save humanity we would race to Him and flee the terrors hell.
As I thought about his response to the ‘preacher’ I was struck with an image. Imagine sitting in a place like McDonalds. You see several gruff looking young men gather outside the exit door. And for no less than one hour you watch as people try to leave. But everyone who exits that door is beaten violently and left for dead on the sidewalk. Your meal is over. Your coffee is finished. You need to leave. No police have arrived to assist. Will you just get up and say to yourself, “Well, I will take whatever comes” and walk out that door?
Now imagine that just as you stand and begin your approach to that exit door someone reaches out and takes your arm. As they do they say to you, “Wait! Don’t go out there. There is another exit door over there just across the room. It is a safe exit.” Do you really suppose that you would simply say to your would-be-savior that you didn’t want to use the other door, and that you would just take whatever comes, knowing that you would be violently beaten without mercy? The answer is clear. Nobody would choose to suffer if the choice truly was their own.
So, why then, do so many make such foolish statements as our gentleman at McDonald’s? Because they don’t believe there is any real danger. They choose to ignore the warnings. Jude 1:13 “... to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Mark 9:43-44 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (v.44) where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Luke 16:23-24 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (v.24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
God really made it so easy. Yet, so many miss it. He will open the door of Heaven to anyone who will come, provided they come His way. He does not allow us to make our own path. All He wants for us to do is to understand that we really are sinful (Romans 3:23*), that there really is a payment or penalty for that sin (Romans 6:23*) and to understand that His Son Jesus Christ paid that penalty for us already (Romans 5:8; I Peter 2:24*). If we can honestly understand and acknowledge this then He says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13*).
How do we call upon Him for salvation? Romans 10:9-10 gives us the best example, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Simply put, it would be a prayer something like this:
"God I know I am a sinner and without Jesus I am lost forever. I am sorry for all of my sin and today as best I know how I am turning away from sin and asking Jesus Christ to be my Lord. I believe Jesus died in my place to pay the price I owed. Right now I ask Jesus to come into my heart and save me. I believe Jesus was raised from the dead as evidence that my sin was forgiven. Thank you for saving me, Amen."
You see there really are only two doors exiting this life. One leads to eternal suffering the other to eternal joy. You can walk through the door of destruction but it will be your choice. You won’t be able to blame God because Jesus, all the while, is calling out to you from the other door having done everything necessary to ensure your safety.
Every time you hear this kind of message or read it, you make a choice. If you walk away without accepting Christ into your heart, without being born again, you have chosen the door of destruction…at least for that moment. If God has given you this one opportunity it is one more than He owes you.
What is your choice today, which door?
*Bible Passages cited:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth (or proved) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Romans 10:9-10 (gives us the best example), “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Now imagine that just as you stand and begin your approach to that exit door someone reaches out and takes your arm. As they do they say to you, “Wait! Don’t go out there. There is another exit door over there just across the room. It is a safe exit.” Do you really suppose that you would simply say to your would-be-savior that you didn’t want to use the other door, and that you would just take whatever comes, knowing that you would be violently beaten without mercy? The answer is clear. Nobody would choose to suffer if the choice truly was their own.
So, why then, do so many make such foolish statements as our gentleman at McDonald’s? Because they don’t believe there is any real danger. They choose to ignore the warnings. Jude 1:13 “... to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Mark 9:43-44 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (v.44) where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Luke 16:23-24 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (v.24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
God really made it so easy. Yet, so many miss it. He will open the door of Heaven to anyone who will come, provided they come His way. He does not allow us to make our own path. All He wants for us to do is to understand that we really are sinful (Romans 3:23*), that there really is a payment or penalty for that sin (Romans 6:23*) and to understand that His Son Jesus Christ paid that penalty for us already (Romans 5:8; I Peter 2:24*). If we can honestly understand and acknowledge this then He says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13*).
How do we call upon Him for salvation? Romans 10:9-10 gives us the best example, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Simply put, it would be a prayer something like this:
"God I know I am a sinner and without Jesus I am lost forever. I am sorry for all of my sin and today as best I know how I am turning away from sin and asking Jesus Christ to be my Lord. I believe Jesus died in my place to pay the price I owed. Right now I ask Jesus to come into my heart and save me. I believe Jesus was raised from the dead as evidence that my sin was forgiven. Thank you for saving me, Amen."
You see there really are only two doors exiting this life. One leads to eternal suffering the other to eternal joy. You can walk through the door of destruction but it will be your choice. You won’t be able to blame God because Jesus, all the while, is calling out to you from the other door having done everything necessary to ensure your safety.
Every time you hear this kind of message or read it, you make a choice. If you walk away without accepting Christ into your heart, without being born again, you have chosen the door of destruction…at least for that moment. If God has given you this one opportunity it is one more than He owes you.
What is your choice today, which door?
*Bible Passages cited:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth (or proved) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Romans 10:9-10 (gives us the best example), “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
