“Jesus opens the door to heaven for believers,” says 8-year-old Zachary. “Hell is not a place you want to go.”
The president will probably never call on Zachary to serve as a diplomat at the United Nations. His directness would offend too many people.
I am reminded of the door in the back of the closet in “The Chronicles of Narnia” that brought Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter into the world of Narnia. Remember how Lucy first stumbled upon Narnia when she hid in the closet during a game of hide-and-seek. She struggled to convince her sister and her brothers that Narnia existed.
Christians often feel like Lucy. They have believed in Jesus as his savior and tasted the world to come by his indwelling Holy Spirit, but they struggle to convince others of the world they have seen through their eyes of faith.
“Jesus will open the door to enter your heart and forgive your sins,” says 9-year-old Brooke. “He will cast your sins deep into the oceans.”
Speaking of God’s forgiveness of Israel, the prophet Micah wrote, “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). When God buries our sins in the depths of the ocean, they will never surface. That is exactly what God did when he judged Jesus on the cross for all our sins.
As Zachary said at the beginning of this column, “Hell is not a place you want to go.” I know it’s not politically correct to talk about Hell, but Jesus talked more about Hell than Heaven. In a world where everyone gets a trophy, all doors lead to Heaven as long as you’re honest.
In the real world, people choose to go to Hell every day because they reject God’s free gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ and his gracious offer of eternal life. Instead of trusting only Jesus as the only door to heaven, they knock on other doors that promise life but only lead to temporary destruction and eternal damnation (John 3:18).
If you are drowning in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, am I to blame for your death if you refuse to grab the life preserver I throw at you?
Jesus Christ is God’s lifesaver and life giver. All promises of life apart from Jesus are false.
“Jesus is like a door because he wants you to come and go at any time and be with him,” says 9-year-old Ava.
Disgruntled people often think that “the grass is always greener on the other side.” We know that there is something better beyond our reach. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows exactly where the grass is greenest. He wants to take us there.
Jesus wants to save you from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin. Because you have experienced deliverance from the penalty of sin the moment you put your faith in Jesus as your savior does not automatically translate into living free from the power of sin.
Think about this: Jesus is both the Good Shepherd who gave his life for all and the shepherd who leads his people to greener pastures where they can flourish under his loving protection and provision.
Memorize this truth: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved; he will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).
Ask yourself these questions: Is Jesus your door to eternal life? If so, is he your doorway to the abundant and meaningful life you so deeply desire?
