THE DOOR IS OPEN
Easter Sunday
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, April 9, 2023
(Mark 16:2–8, NLT) “Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.”
1. THE DOOR OF FORGIVENESS.
(John 10:9) Jesus said, “I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved.”
A. God understands me better than anyone.
(John 10:7, NASB) “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”
B. Jesus is my door to a truly meaningful life.
(John 10:10, NASB95) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
2. THE DOOR TO HOPE.
(Hosea 2:14–15, NASB) “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”
3. THE DOOR TO POWER.
(Matthew 16:19, MSG) “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”
4. THE DOOR TO OPPORTUNITY.
(Revelation 3:7–8, NLT) “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open: “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”
5. THE DOOR TO FOREVER FRIENDSHIP.
(Revelation 3:20, NLT) “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
(Revelation 4:1, NLT) “Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
(Acts 10:35, Message) “It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.”