May the Lord help us this evening as we consider his word prayerfully. I would direct your attention to Revelation 3 and part of verse 8. Revelation 3, verse 8. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. The whole verse reads, 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 has kept my word and has not denied my name.

The book of Revelation is a book that in many parts is incomprehensible to us as we read it in terms of, shall we put it like this friends, upbringing our understanding of the scriptures. It needs the Lord to reveal to us exactly the hidden meanings behind much of it. What is so wonderful about Revelation is this, and that was a man in Shutting John who had the inspired word and indeed the revelation was revealed to him. He was shut in prison in a rocky island, Patmos, and the reason being that he delivered the word of truth and he preached the gospel. And Satan therefore desired to use men to shut him down, but that was not allowed. And this blessed book has been used many times for the Lord's people in times of blessing, favor to their never dying souls.

It speaks as much as any book in the Bible of the glories in heaven. It speaks of the blessed number seven which is the perfect number many times and it talks of the way of salvation and it ascribes all the glory to the Lamb as it refers often to the Lamb of God. So it's a beautiful book and Satan failed in his attempts to prevent this book being written or the gospel being spread. Rather, it was spread the more and still is spread today through the most wonderful revelations made to John.

One of the things that we will find, and I must say this at the outset, is that if we have the Spirit of God, and if the Holy Spirit works in a church, in a people, and us indeed as individual believers, we will know the attacks of the enemy. And one thing that concerns me are those that walk on in this, as they say, they love the Lord and everything is always good and okay in their religion, and they don't know the attacks of the enemy. You see, friends, we will know that we are in an enemy's world if we're going to glory, which is why we need the door of salvation to be opened unto us. And we do hope to come to that in a moment.

But Revelation is a most glorious book and we would praise God for the fact that these divine revelations were made to John the divine. Now, In chapters two and three, there are those particular messages to the seven churches that were throughout Asia at that time. Now these churches all today would be in Turkey. Now I don't know if you're like me, but I pondered this. I wondered, what the strength of the churches are in Turkey today. You know, we sometimes get that tendency of thinking that we're one of the nations of the world where the truth is still preached and it's full gospel. But friends, here was the foundation, these seven churches that had been founded and John had been involved in them, indeed so had Peter before him. And we think of the preaching that had gone on in these churches. And we wonder today what the situation is in that land.

But we do know this, we do know this, that in the last days, the Lord's people will come in the last day from all corners of the earth. And we must ever remember those things. But you see these seven churches, we do not have time to even consider the messages to those seven churches, but they were rather mixed. There was a lot of sin, there was a lot of, as it were, materialism and other things in the churches in that time. But a particular church that this word was spoken to in Philadelphia, was a word really of encouragement but also suggesting that they were a church that had followed the name of the Lord.

There were three aspects at the end of our verse that set forth regarding the church at Philadelphia. Thou hast a little strength, we read first of all. And that speaks of the Church of Christ, a little strength.

Now the reason that the open door was put before them was, I do believe, for these three reasons. Firstly, then, they had a little strength. Secondly, they kept my word. And thirdly, they did not deny the Lord's name.

Because of those three reasons, before them, he that had the key that could open and the key that can shut, yes, the key of David, as the son of David through the generations, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's like this, I know thy works. and the free works that they've got were works that they desired to serve the Lord. And so it's a question for us before we come to the words of our text, as we consider just the context here, are we those that have a little strength? What does that mean? A little strength in prayer, a little strength to continue, that we're looking to the Lord Jesus that as our days, so shall our strength be. And that strength is not in ourselves, but that strength is in him, a little strength.

You see, friends, if we're very strong, then it's like this. The strength will be of ourselves. And that's just a personal strength. We need the strength given to a wrestling Jacob. He wrestled till the daybreak. That was strength. He had a little strength, more than a little strength.

And the man, said to be, as it were, the angel that we read, and some have said it was the Lord Jesus himself, but we leave those thoughts just to say this, that he said, let me go for the day breaketh, and he could not be seen when the day was to break. That wrestling in prayer, that is the strength. May we pray then to be given a little strength.

It's these that the door is open for and then as we move on in this just to also seek this that we might keep the word of God. Now friends we cannot keep the commandments because we know we break them, but we should desire to keep God's word in that way and his new commandment that ye love one another in all these things, to keep my word and has not denied my name.

To not deny his name to our neighbours, to not deny his name. to those that are non-believers, to not deny his name when we see the Lord has done something, and to acknowledge that it is the Lord's hand in our life and in our souls.

Friends, may we be, individually, like the church at Philadelphia, the spirit, the angel of the church, unto him write these things. The church leader, that means, the angel of the church, the elder of the church, write this, he that is holy, he that is true, I know thy works.

I know thy works. And note that you have been enabled through prayer and exercise and burden to keep those three areas that we've just noted. But this, I've set before thee an open door. I have set, I have put in front of you an open door.

Now, let me be clear, friends. I believe as a lot of Christian, a lot of our religion is in looking back. Now that might sound strange because you see what we mustn't do and we must be kept from being like Lot's wife who looked back to sin. She looked back to the city of Sodom and wanted to go back to those sinful ways. That's where our hearts would be. But we should look back at the way that the Lord has led us and consider all the way the Lord has led us, as the text says, those 40 years in the wilderness, but that looking back, that looking back, to say then that it was a door that the Lord opened, that the Lord did make a way, that the Lord did provide for us a new pathway, a new circumstance in soul and in providence, and often the two working together.

and looking back but also I've set before thee a new pathway, a new circumstance, a new situation. And friends there were many doors and may we be helped to ponder some of those doors but I've set before thee.

Now the word set as I understand in the Greek it very closely translates to set but also given. Given the gift of God, I have given before thee an open door. What a gift it is when the Lord opens a door, when the door seems shut, when we're up against a brick wall and there's no door and then the door appears and the way is made and this is how the Lord works. He works like it in Providence. He works like it in our souls, friends. The door that is opened, ah, the door that is fastened, the door that has, I might put on it, the lock on it, and yet he opens the door.

But let us start by looking, friends. I've set before thee an open door, the open door to salvation. Let us refer to verse 20 in this chapter. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. And I want to ask you a question. Has the Lord Jesus Christ ever not, as Jesus, God in heaven, as the Holy Spirit worked to knock on your heart and on mine? Knock, knock. You're a sinner. You're in need of salvation. Or it may be. Sometimes, young friends, he does it this way. He turns your life upside down. The thing that you wanted to prosper comes to naught. That's a closed door because he's going to open another. But what I'm trying to say is, has he not? at the door of your heart. I said before the unopened door, he's going to open the door of your heart so that he works in your heart a change, an effective, an effectual change. So that no longer does your heart long after the things of this life, but you need to know that it is well with you.

Yes, I stand at the door and knock. This is the door of your heart, but it's still an open door and it can only be opened by the Lord. The way of salvation, knocking at your heart and mine cannot be opened any other way. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. What a blessing. to feel that the door of our heart has been opened. We sang in that first hymn, the door of his mercy stands open all day. But we'll only cry for that mercy when the door of our heart is opened. The door of his mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy. Are you poor and needy enough, am I, that knock by the way? You see, friends, he knocks on our heart to make us knock on the door of mercy.

The gospel's so glorious. It's so wonderful. Friends, sometimes I feel in trying to proclaim it, I'm scratching around the edges and we have this beautiful gospel that a poor wretched sinner far off from God in nature is drawn, is drawn to beg and to plead for forgiveness. Wonderful message. Yes. So behold, I've set before thee an open door. I've given thee an open door and that's for some that are further on in the way where there is a looking back and we can see where the Lord knocked in our heart. And it may be through circumstantial matters but he made us turn to him.

Hosea says this, take with you words and turn to the Lord. I preached from that word in a chapel in Sussex, and a young person was, for the first time, they were beginning to be exercised about their soul. And it was not long after that they joined the church because the Lord worked so powerfully in them, because that first hearing that they had under that word, and we thank the Lord for it, Take with you words and turn to the Lord. There was that turning to God. And I think it's Hosea 13, 14. And he says this, take with you words, turn to the Lord, say unto him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. Yes.

So my friends, What a time it was, a change, a change. I will give you a new heart, he says in Ezekiel 36. And so it is, that new heart. Why? Why? Because he's opened the door. He's opened the door. Yes, that door of his mercy. I have set before thee an open door.

Now, there can be those doors in Providence, in the things in this life, where we desire the Lord to make a way, and we plead, and we beg, and we pray. And do you know what it is, poor soul, to do that, and yet the way's hedged up? It seems as if our prayers aren't going beyond the roof and the ceiling of wherever we're praying, whether it's our bedroom or even if we pray in chapel, we can feel like that. The prayers are going nowhere.

I've said before, they're an open door. You know, if the Lord gives you that hope in that word, he will open the door. Now this was to a church. but it also refers to individuals I've set before thee. I've given thee an open door. You've prayed, you've sought, and I will open the door. And you know, sometimes we have to try to handle and see whether the door prayerfully will open and to watch and to see what the Lord will do.

You see, when our way is hedged up, we get very tried and maybe that's where a poor soul is and you know not and you wonder the future and you wonder what the pathway will be in this or that matter, maybe that's exactly where you are tonight. May you live to prove, may you look on and see in due course the working out of this word I've set, I've given an open door and you will walk through that door And you won't walk through that door alone. If the Lord opens a door, my friends, he will go with you in it. My presence shall go with thee. He spake to Moses. You see, that was in a time of trouble.

So many of the dear Lord's saints in the Word of God, when they're really in trouble, that's when the door was open. The golden calf, Aaron had been serving that with all the people, they built the golden calf and Moses comes down from the mountain and you know, What a time when the Lord said he would not go before them and he had to plead with the Lord as man and as face to face as Moses was unable to do, my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest. There's an open door Moses for you and the people.

Ah friends, the open door. Well, you think of the door, think of the doors. One of the doors It's a door of hope. Now poor soul, you may feel your sins are too great. You may feel you're so far off from God. You may feel like this at times, there is no hope for me. But there was that terrible sinner, that man Achan. He got some stones to throw at Achan. He got his wedge of gold, which he hid under the tent. and a desire to get materially therefore better off. Now friends, we do differ but you know that's most men, most women and most children want to be better off, want to have a bit more don't we? We want to be like dear Mr Warburton, that when he was given five pounds, which was a lot of money in those days, to pay off all his debts, he wished he'd had another two to make him more comfortable.

Ah, the dear man, so honest in his book, Mercies of a Covenant God, so honest about his own heart sins. And that's what we want to be. We can't throw stones at Achan. They threw stones. He was stoned. But you know what I mean? Our own heart's sins can be the same. But what is so wonderful is although we read about that valley of Achor, when we read it again in Hosea, it speaks of this. a valley of acorn for a door of hope. How can there possibly be any hope when there's such terrible sin? But my friends, there is. This is the gospel, the door of hope. I've set before thee an open door. Yes, the door of hope.

Friends, Satan doesn't like that door because that door gives a sinner something to look to the Lord too that he has some hope, hope. Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him and then he wants that door shut. But the door is open, the door is open. Now friends let me be absolutely clear again in this in the spiritual matter when we refer to the doors So we've spoken of the door of hope, we've spoken about doors in Providence, and we've spoken about the door of our heart. What about the door itself? The door itself is the Lord Jesus Christ for the saved church, to his sheep. How beautifully that is expressed in John 10, lovely chapter. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door, by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Oh, may we not steal the word. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Yes, the porter openeth, the sheep hear his voice. And he says this. He says this. I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Do you know Jesus as your door? The door, the door to salvation. I am the door, he repeats it later, by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved and should go in and out and find pasture by me. No other way of salvation except through this door. Open to me the door of salvation. May it be your prayer and my prayer that door.

Oh Friends, he will open and show us that door, but we've got to come through other doors before we can do it Yes, our door of our heart to be opened so that we know what it is to be a contrite as a sinner before the Lord pleading for forgiveness our friends the door of repentance towards God, the door of repentance over sins. Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive. Let a repenting rebel live. Are not thy mercies large and free? May not a sinner trust in thee? You see, friends, it's a wonderful favour if we're blessed with that spirit of repentance. But let me just say this, the door for you may be the same in a word, it may be to someone who's tried, it's just come straight to me, that lovely hymn that I've just quoted, was blessed to my soul when I lay on the floor when we lay and some friends in Sydney we were sleeping on there in their lounge floor many years ago and the Lord spoke that into my soul but then the devil says no you know that was blessed to your father you can't have the same blessing Now my friends, let me be clear, you can have the same blessing as another, of course you can. And even through the lovely hymn book we have, or other hymns that are outside of that book, you can be blessed and favoured.

But you see, this is what we're up against. And that came into, no you can't. Don't forget, as you read his experience, your father's experience, how that hymn was made so special to him.

the door, the door of the sheep, and it's not restricted in any way, that's what I'm saying, the Lord will use whatever means he will to open that door. So don't be tried if you think, well I'm, you see stealing a promise and going up some other way, which we read of those in John, is those that take the word, oh that word's suitable for me, I'll have it. I'll have it.

Now it's different when the Lord applies it, even if it is the same word as someone else, someone else in the family, can even be husband and wife, friends, the Lord will use what he will use. How dare we be restrictive? But you see, that's the enemy of souls.

As I said earlier, where we know the blessing of God, we know that the enemy's not far behind. But these doors, these doors. You see, another door that I thought of was the door of the gospel, the preaching of the gospel. And we are thankful that in this day that door is still open.

But we would be, we would be alike Paul of old who speaks of this in the first of Corinthians chapter 16, a great door, an effectual is opened unto me. And may that be so, the door and here may it be so, in the pulpit here through the ministry of the dear pastor, you see this, that great door is opened and it can't be shut. until the Lord shuts these things.

Because it's very clear, wasn't it, in the verse before that he hath the key of David. He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth. I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. No man can shut it. Only God, if that's an open door of the Lord.

But you see this, a great door and effectual is opened unto me. But you have to read on. It's exactly what I've been talking about, not to dismay you, but that you realise it's not going to be an easy pathway. And there are many adversaries. There are many that would oppose the word. And that is where it is, where the blessing of God is.

A great door and a factory is opened. Yes. But those doors, I thought of some of the doors that were open. I thought of Peter. He's escaped from the prison, and now he gets to the house where they'd been praying for him. And, you know, many were gathered together praying. And, you see, it was like this. He stood before the gate, and he was in danger, and he had to keep knocking.

But Peter continued knocking, and when they'd opened the door, they were astonished. to see him, but the door had to be opened. The door of safety for him, naturally, away from those in the prison that would have been seeking where he was. But what a wonderful favour that that door was opened.

And I do say this, You young friends, if you're able to honour God, lay him before you in your pathway, seek that the Lord would go before you. Perhaps you worry about the future. The Lord will open doors for you. He will make a way if you honour him and you will prove it to be the case. Sometimes he'll close a door and open another, but he will. He will do it in the things in providence.

Mr. Jesse Dowles was, I may have mentioned it here before, but it's always struck me as rather remarkable. I think it was about 1920, that sort of time. And he was working in a village in Sussex and in a shop in the shoe and boot trade. And he heard the man coming down the road announcing the evening paper. as they did in those days. And his first indication was, no, I don't think I'll read the paper this evening. And then there was a voice, go. There's like this inclination, go and buy the paper. He bought the paper. He saw a job advertised in Brighton for, again, a similar trade. And he applied for the job. He was unable to get the job. He was brought to attend Galene Chapel. Under the ministry there, he was brought to join the church. Under the ministry there, he was sent out to preach. Under the ministry there, he was eventually led to take his own pastorate at Clapham and he said it all went back to that time, my life's minutest circumstance. The door opened by spying the paper that evening and it led one step to another.

And so I would encourage you younger friends, well each of us really because I know not what the older ones are walking in either, but this encourage us to seek that the Lord would open those doors, whereas perhaps we can see no opening whatsoever.

What I love, and I thought of the different kinds of doors, what I love are those doors, you know, you walk to them, some of them are revolving doors, others are automatic doors, and they sense the body heat, and when you get there the door opens, and I so see in that the work of the Lord and how he deals with a poor sinner to open up a way in the wilderness where there seems to be no way and indeed to open up the way of salvation. It's a great thing.

And again on this opening of the door, you know, I thought of those in the prison We read that wonderful word. At midnight, Paul and Silas sang, prayed, and sang praises unto God. And the prisoners heard them. These prisoners, no doubt, were not, were probably typical of prisoners, really, that had done certain crimes, and there they are, imprisoned. And yet, they're hearing the word of God. They're hearing this. And suddenly, there was a great earthquake. The foundations of the prison were saken. were shaken and this, I love this, immediately all the doors were opened. Everyone's bands were loose. All the doors, not just one, all the doors were opened. This is Almighty God and he does it for us friends. He opens the door of providence, the door of grace and it's just wonderful at times to see it and sometimes we need to be looking back.

As I said much earlier in our sermon, to look back and to see all the way the Lord thy God have led thee to open the doors. Oh, the blessed Lord who truly goes before his dear people. making a way for them. Oh, they may look on and say, where is the way? Where's the way, Lord? Well, we sung that hymn. I am the way. I am the way. I'm the door, and then I'm the way thereafter. Yes, looking unto Jesus. Yes, the author and finisher of our faith.

Yes, these doors, they're precious things. and the door of salvation made as it were almost, it's almost in a sense prothetic language in Exodus when it speaks of the destroying angel, the enemies you could say, the destroying angel but cannot or the effects of sin but the destroying angel cannot destroy the Lord's people, why? And this is again where we lay up our prayers and exercises before God. Now, you see, the Passover, they had to take the blood of the lamb, a male of the first year, it was all very precise, strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door posts of the houses, but the door should remain shut. But you see, it's near the door, that the door of salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the sides of the doors. You know, it struck me as so beautiful. It has to be right up against the door. And that's our prayers, and that's our exercises, and that's our desires, my friends. It's a great thing. It's a great thing. Because it's all of the Lord, but it's that that door of salvation will be opened. We will be safe.

safe and you know in the open doors I saw so much too and we don't have time in the closed doors and you know it starts the door to the ark was open the animals went in two by two and Noah and the eight uh souls including Noah went into that ark and we read that lovely word and the lord shut him shut them in Let's quote that if I can correctly. And the Lord shut him in, we read. Yes, they all went in and they were shut in. But that door was open. That was an open door of salvation for them in natural things from the flood. But then the door was shut. They were shut in. And the wonderful thing about those that the Lord opens the door for, is that he shuts them in with the people of God. They're shut into the sheepfold as sheep and as lambs of Christ. And friends, they may wander, but he'll bring them back and they're shut in and there they will ever be, shut in with the people of God. What a theme it is.

Yes, well, friends, this word and some meditation came upon it. upon me when I went to preach at Colnbrook on Tuesday evening and I got stuck in some very difficult traffic. As you know, Colnbrook is near to Heathrow and that part of the M25, it was most trying and an hour and 20 minute journey took me not far short of three hours. Thankfully, I'd allowed enough time to to just about get there on time. But in my meditations, as the Lord dropped this word in, I realised that's why the traffic's a jam. That was why it had to be as it was. That the Lord would show me, at the beginning of this week, what I should bring to you this evening, and friends also, as we tried to speak of it to the friends this morning, but that open door, that open door. It's almost as if the Lord said, well, here's an open door to the text. But the people need it.

Now, you know what you're walking in, but may we all know the open door of salvation. Friends, I've missed many doors out. We scratched around with the word, but it is the promise of God to those that seek to walk closely to him. Yes, I've set before thee. Now, just one door, the door into heaven, that door that is open. Friends, we've seen those, some of us have seen those that have died and they've entered in. I shall never forget my dear mum entering into glory as she raised her head very poorly, of course, She died quite young from cancer. She raised her head and a smile covered her face. And my dad said to her, is he coming? And she weakly was able to nod. She saw heaven. And the door was opened and the door will be open to each of his. If you take nothing away from tonight, and I don't friends, May we ever pray that the door of heaven will open for us when we take our last breath. I've set before thee an open door. No man, no man can shut any of these doors and that is a great favour because they will try and shut these things down and so will Satan, but no man can shut them.

Well, the Lord bless his own word. Amen.