Month: April 2017

The Rich Fool

Posted on by Jack Bailey

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?”
15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.
17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’
18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.
19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

INTRODUCTION

God labeled this man a fool. Why did God call him a fool?

I. BECAUSE HE THINKS LIKE A FOOL

  1. HE THINKS ONLY OF HIMSELF: This is an amazing story. The man Jesus describes is an egomaniac, he thinks only of him self. He has not the first thought for God who is the source of all blessings. This fool does not acknowledge God; he does not thank God for his bountiful provision. This is amazing to me: how could the fool not give God a thought. But neither does he think of anyone else. He never mentions family, wife or children. He never thinks of anyone other than himself.
  2. HE THINKS ONLY ABOUT THINGS: ‘Crops,’ ‘Barns’, etc. He never thinks about people.
  3. HE THINKS LIFE IS IN HIS POSSESSIONS: He believes the more he keeps to himself, the more he has. He believes success is measured by how much a person owns.
  4. HE THINKS ABOUT SAVING BUT NEVER ABOUT GIVING: There is a simple solution to his problem. Instead of spending all that money on tearing down old barns and building new and bigger barns–the wise thing to do would be to fill the old barns and give the excess away. This would save him thousands of dollars. How is it, that this fool never thought about giving? Because he was obsessed with his greed. Greed had totally consumed him and greed never sees giving as an option.
  5. HE THINKS HAPPINESS IS IN HAVING THINGS: This fool was not riding a white horse and shooting silver bullets, most Americans believe that happiness is bound up in things. If I can get this car…I will be happy. If I can just own my own home… I will be happy. If I can get this piece of property…I will be happy. Yet the more we get, the more we want.

STORY

I know what it’s like to want. I bought my first car when I was 19 years old. I bought if from a Baptist deacon. He told me what he wanted for the car but when I got there to pick it up, he upped the price $100 which was a lot of money in 1968. My daddy warned me, not about dealing with a deacon but about buying a foreign car: it was an Austin Healey Sprite. Daddy told me, “Son that car is wore out which is why he wants to sell it. You will spend more money on the car than it is worth. Don’t get the car.” Did I listen to my daddy? No! I bought the car and my daddy was right. The car became a headache, a nightmare to be honest. Things will not make you happy. Elvis had things, any thing he wanted but he died from abusing drugs which means he was not happy.

II. BECAUSE HE LIVED LIKE A FOOL.

This man was a practical atheist: He lives as though God did not exist. Not only does he refuse to show gratitude to God, he ignores his accountability to God. The man is a horrible steward. He lived like there is no judgment. Unfortunately, there are people today who think a lot like this man. Many of them do acknowledge God but they make the same mistakes with the resources God has entrusted to them that this man made. He was so intent on saving and hoarding that he lost everything. You would be shocked at the number of people who live without regard for others when it comes to sharing resources. GREED is a huge problem in the Baptist Church.

I met a man just last week who is being cared for by one of his daughters who is doing it with his money but her sister is upset that she is spending their inheritance taking care of their father. Our church is in partnership with Guatemala where we build houses for $400. It is actually a shed, something we would used to store tools in here in America. I know a man who not only has wealth in banks, he has old cars, barns filled with old cars, washers, dryers, refrigeration. This scrap metal that is rusting is worth thousands but he will not part with it. It isn’t helping him, nor is it helping anyone else. He could build 4-6 houses in Guatemala by just getting rid of scrap but he will not allow you to touch it. This is horrible stewardship. No one is getting any use of these wasted resources. Like the unfaithful Steward, he has buried God’s resources so that no one can benefit from them. All misers are miserable: there are no happy misers.

 

What would you call a person who built a house on a camping spot? It would not be intelligent or wise. If you drove into a State Park and saw camper after camper and then some dude building a house on one of the camp sites, you would laugh and say, “What a fool?” You can’t build a permanent home on a campsite. You don’t have a deed to the land. Sooner or later, the park ranger is going to show up and your little mansion is coming down. You may not like my analogy but this world is a “camp ground” not our home. We are here for only a short time. Abraham understood this principle and that is why he lived in a tent; even then he didn’t drive his tent stakes too deep. He never settled in this world and neither should you.

III. BECAUSE HE DIED LIKE A FOOL. 

This man was a fool because he prepared to live but made no preparations to die. As John Newton said, “We live in the land of the dying.” Earth is a dying planet and the evidence is everywhere. Grave yards and funeral homes dot the landscape. I personally don’t know how a person can miss it but greed has a blinding effect on our minds and we fail to see the inevitable.

This man was an absolute fool because he made no preparations for eternity. Have you made preparations for eternity? Are you laying up a treasure in heaven? Do you love money more than Jesus? Do you understand that money has no future? They use gold to pave streets in the next world. In the world to come, things that are of value here will not be worth anything. Are you spending your times hording manna that will canker and rot?
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Hope

Posted on by Jack Bailey

Scripture: Romans 4:17-25, NLT

16 For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.
23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God.

INTRODUCTION

I preached this message at the Sunrise Service of 1990 {April 15}, our last Sunrise Service at the old campus. Our very first service here was on Easter 1991 which was on March 31. I know you don’t remember the message because I don’t. In the process of moving my office, I came across this sermon and laid it aside. I have made one or two changes but it is basically the same message I preached in 1990.

Our text today is about Abraham who seems to be stuck in a hopeless situation. Abraham is nearing the age 100 and Sarah is 90 and she has yet to produce a son. God has made it clear, the son of promise must come via Sarah. Ishmael is 13 years old but God has already made it clear that he will not be the son of promise: Ishmael was born as an act of the flesh or the will of man. The promised seed will be an act of God.

Although it was a hopeless situation; Abraham did not lose hope. Romans 4:18 states this fact clearly, Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Transition

When you think about it, the history of God’s people is made up of hopeless situations.

  • Adam and Eve– Genesis 3:23-24…. So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Adam and Eve were banished, cursed and separated from the Tree of Life. They had one hope and it was in a seed. {Genesis 3:15} And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He {Messiah, Jesus the promised seed} shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” Paul gives us commentary in Galatians 3:16….Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. Adam and Eve’s hope was in a Seed. That Seed was Jesus!
  • Noah the faithful Sethite living in a world of corruption and violence. He had no protection and things were getting worse and worse. Noah had only one HOPE and it was an ARK. That ARK was Christ. It had only one window and one door: it was the only way and it was God’s way.
  • Joseph in Prison. Betrayed by his own brothers, falsely accused by his captors, unjustly treated by the courts of Pharaoh. He was alone, no help from the embassy. He had no friends or relatives to plead his case from the outside. He had only one Hope, a divine intervention.
  • Jacob living in constant grief. Living under the oppression of a diabolic lie fabricated in the halls of hell and perpetuated by depraved humans. He was a man without hope but then someone told him the truth. Joseph is alive, he is well and he is ruling all of Egypt. Jacob had only one hope, the truth and the truth revived him. The very same TRUTH that sets you and I free, sat Jacob free. Jesus is the TRUTH.
  • Then there is Israel in Bondage. Enslaved, weaponless, oppressed, beaten down to a slaves mentality with no hope. Well they had one hope and only one hope: it was a prayer to Yahweh the Holy One. God heard their prayer and send them a deliver, a liberator named Moses who like Joseph is a type of Christ.
  • Then there is the divided and then fallen kingdom of David. A kingdom that was supposed to be perpetual; a never ending kingdom. But 600 years before Christ, this kingdom bit the dust. It was shattered like a piece of pottery. Again a seemingly hopeless situation but there is one hope…Isaiah talked about in Chapter 53, “The root out of dry ground.” Out of the dust of a fallen kingdom, the Messiah was born, the son of David. The ONE and only ONE who could fulfill the prophesies made to Adam, Abraham, Moses and David. God promised David, “I am building you a Royal House. You will always have a descendant on the throne. This kingdom will last forever. Just as Adam and Eve thought Cain was the promised seed, David and Israel thought Solomon was the one to build the temple and perpetuate the kingdom. But it was never Solomon that God had in mind, it was another Son of David, Jesus the Messiah.
  • Then there was the Crucifixion of Christ: the most horrible event in man’s history. Depraved humanity acting like mindless beast crucified a perfect man. His mother and His disciples watched Him suffer and die. When He died, they died or so it seemed. They were devastated, discouraged, depressed and deeply distressed. If was the blackest hour of their life. It was a hopeless situation if ever there was a hopeless situation but wait, there was ONE HOPE. The disciples remembered Him saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” Unfortunately, it was not His promise that gave them hope; it was His resurrection. Some doubted even after He appeared                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Man of Iron

Posted on by Jack Bailey

Scripture: 2 Samuel 19:31-38

31 Barzillai [bear-zi-lie] of Gilead had come down from Rogelim [Ro-gee-leem] to escort the king across the Jordan.
32 He was very old—eighty years of age—and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.
33 “Come across with me and live in Jerusalem,” the king said to Barzillai. “I will take care of you there.”
34 “No,” he replied, “I am far too old to go with the king to Jerusalem.
35 I am eighty years old today, and I can no longer enjoy anything. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and I cannot hear the singers as they sing. I would only be a burden to my lord the king.
36 Just to go across the Jordan River with the king is all the honor I need!
37 Then let me return again to die in my own town, where my father and mother are buried. But here is your servant, my son Kimham [Ken-hum]. Let him go with my lord the king and receive whatever you want to give him.”
38 “Good,” the king agreed. “Kimham will go with me, and I will help him in any way you would like. And I will do for you anything you want.”

INTRODUCTION

Barzillai {Bear-zi-lie} was a highlander from Gilead. He lived in the mountain village of Rogelim {Ro-gee-leem}. I’m sure the village was located on a mountain stream because the name Rogelim means “place of the fullers,” which means the place where they washed clothes. We don’t know a lot about Barzillai other what we have detailed in this story. We do know he was a SENIOR ADULT. I don’t understand why some have such a problem admitting their are SENIOR CITIENS: I love it. I enjoy being a Senior Adult. Why would I enjoy it when so many make fun of the way I walk, my failing memory and my lack of a filter. They made fun of me long before I became a Senior Adult. Most of them are not mean spirited when they make fun of me, they are just having fun and I have fun along with them. One guy did tick me off the other night at a ball game. Some of my friends and family were picking at me about my construction ability and this guy who I do not know chimed in with…”Yeah, he is a jack of all trades and master of none.” I wanted to go slap him but he is bigger and younger than my self.

TRANSITION

I have an idea, lets find a better example of a SENIOR ADULT than myself to talk about today and I think Barzillai is just the man. Alexander Whyte describes Barzillai and as a “Lovable old man with invincible charm.” His name means, “Heart of Iron.” This doesn’t mean he was hard hearted, he had a committed and courageous heart. Actually, he was all this and more.

I. BARZILLAI WAS COURAGEOUSLY LOYAL

David was his king and he loved him. David probably never recovered from the betrayal of the elders of Judah and Israel. All were solidly behind Absalom. David was literally run out-of-town in a shameful and disgraceful manner. Where as he had a large and loyal support among the military, he had become immensely unpopular with the public and the policy makers. Things did not look good for David. Everyone thought he was as good as gone. His enemies cursed him and his fake friends deserted him.

It is easy to be a friend with someone when things are going great for them but can you be a friend to those who are being persecuted, falsely accused, caught in a web of shame and scandal? Many are capable of being fareweather friends but few have the courage to stick with you when you are headed for the gallows. With the risk of facing scorn or even death, Barzillai brought necessary provisions to the hungry, thirsty followers of David. Are we as loyal to our heavenly Monarch as Barzillai was to King David? 

II. BARZILLAI WAS GENEROUSLY KIND

When David and his weary antorogue crossed the Jordon as they flead from Absolom, Barzillai and other were their with provisions. They brought sleeping mats, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, butter, sheep, goats, and cheese for David and those who were with him.

Some times Senior Adults have the tendency to grow selfish in their old age. We have this fear of running out of money before we run out of life. It is a legitimate fear but we cannot allow it to control us. The bottom line is we must trust God. How many times has He failed us in the past?

There are two things we Seniors can do better than anyone else: We can give and we can pray. How many of these young people are head over heels in debt. They drive $50,000 automobiles and live in $300,000 dollar homes. Some of them have mortage payments that are higher than our income. On the other hand, how many of you SENIOR ADULTS are in debt at all? What these kids owe for, you have in a saving account. Guess what: some of you are still saving. How foolish! You are going to lose it all. You say, “I would help if there was a legitimate need.” No you wouldn’t, you would come up with another excuse. Where there is a will there is a way but where there is no will, there is an excuse. Do you not consider the ministries of DBC a legitimate need? Do you think that a $400 dollar house in Guatemalla is not a legitimate need? YOU ARE NOT TOO OLD TO GIVE. Why aren’t you giving?

The second thing we should be very good at is PRAYER. We have more time. I can’t spend time playing ball anymore. I don’t spend time jogging. I can barely walk. My knees hurt so bad I have a hard time going to sleep. I can still work a little but not like I could. My body is old and it demands more rest. I love being retired. I go to bed when I want to, get up when I want to, work when I want to and quit when I want to. It is not uncommon for me to come in at 3:00 or 4:00 oclock and take a shower and a nap. Sometimes I don’t make it until 3:00. Don’t give me excuses, you have more time. What are you doing with the time you have?

I can tell you what we Seniors do best or at least what are number one past time is: its COMPLAINING. If the Senior adults in this church prayed to God as much as we complain to others, we would have revival.

Look at how much complaining Barzillai did:

  • I can no longer enjoy anything.
  • Food and wine are no longer tasty.
  • I cannot hear the singers as they sing.
  • I would only be a burden to my lord the king.

Seniors, it is OK to complain a little, that is who we are but lets make an effort to balance the board: let covenant together to pray as much as we complain.

III. BARZILLAI WAS HONESTLY NOBLE

The King said to Barzillai…“Come across with me and live in Jerusalem and I will take care of you there.” Barzillai had pleased the king and David wanted to reward him. Are we living to please the KING? Little else matters if we do not please our LORD and KING.

David wanted to provide for Barzillai in his old age but the noble and independant Barzilla would have no part of that: he refused the king’s request. Barzillai realized that it was not about himself. He couldn’t really be a lot of help to David on account of his age. He was afraid he would be a burden on the king so he gave the king his own son. He gave him to be king david’s servant. Of course David, out of respect for Barzillai does not make his son a servant. He gave him title to property in Bethlehem where the son built an Inn. Possibly the same Inn that had no room for Jesus.

We SENIOR ADULTS are known for our honesty. One of the kids from the band was in shock the last time I preached on Sunday morning. He came to me after the service and said, “Brother Jack, I enjoyed the message. You are really blunt.” I would have preferred him to say “You are really bold or brilliant” but he said ‘blunt.’

Barzillai was honest and a bit blunt but he knew that the kingdom did not revolve around him. He had no grand illusions about his own importance. His highest allegience was to the king and his welfare. He simply reminded the king, “Things will be OK now, you no longer need me, you need someone younger so I will give you my son. I prefer to go back home and sleep in my own bed. I want to depart this world from my humble abode and to be buried with my parents.”

Noble men and women are rare: they stand on principle. They give no credence to opinion polls. They have no affinity for popularity or praise. Barzillai told David, “If you want to honor me, let me cross the river with you and then return to my home. That will be honor enough.” Wow, these are the words of a NOBLEMAN. Barzillai felt his services were trivial and unworthy of any recompense from David.  He did not want rank or riches: he simply wanted the honor of being in the presence of his king.

John Trapp said of Barillai, “He was a rose that had lost its colour but not its fragrance.” May the grace be ours to grow old gracefully and beautifully! We may lose our color but may we never lose our fragrance.

Noah And The Flood

Posted on by Jack Bailey

Scripture: Genesis 6:1-9, NLT

1 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.
2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.
3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
7 And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”
8 But Noah found favor with the LORD .
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

INTRODUCTION

Sin by its very nature is destructive and the antediluvian world that Noah lived in was in a self-destruct mode. The only way for God to save a world from self-destruction is judgment. I call this doctrine Salvation/Judgment. There are two universal judgments in the bible and both wrought SALVATION to man. The first was involved the “Flood” and the second involves the “Blood.” The means of the first was a boat, the Ark, the means of the second was a person, Christ.

Today, I want to talk about the first, the judgment of the flood. This message is constructed around the story of Noah and the Ark. God instructed the patriarch Noah to build a huge boat or barge. This flotation device had no engine, sails, rudder. It had three decks, one window and one door. The interesting thing about the story is the threat of the flood. God warned Noah that a flood was coming due to excessive rain but it had never rained. Rain was unheard of, it had no history. Due to Noah’s respect for God and his faith in God, Noah obeyed the LORD and built an ARK when there was no water to support it. So let’s get into the story and we will begin with….

I. A WICKED WORLD

The world that Noah lived in was unimaginable to Westerners of today. Those living in Africa and the East could better relate…First of all….

  1. It was a DANGEROUS WORLD…twice the scripture says “the earth was filled with violence.” {verses 11, 13}
    • It was a world without churches. If you think our world is bad, try to imagine what it would be like without churches. There is no question that we as the church have failed but if you removed the influence of the church, our society would rot in a hurry. Who fights vice and crime? Who opposes gambling, alcohol and abortion? Who began our colleges and universities? Who planted hospitals and orphanages all over the globe?
    • It was a world without government. I’m talking none, nada, zilch. No police force, no militia, no army, no judges, no law enforcement at all–none. You think crime is bad now; remove all law enforcement and see what happens.
    • It was a world controlled by crime. Keil and Delitzsch believe that the world was controlled by these “heroes” or “warriors” mentioned in verse 4. It was run by organized crime. In other words, it was a frightening world. Noah was the last of the Sethites, those who feared God–all the rest had died or had been murdered.
  2. It was a DEPRAVED WORLD…The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.

    The second thing I call your attention to is….

II. A GRIEVING GOD

Note verse 6, So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. The AV, which I grew up on, reads….And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

The NIV reads…The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Classical theism affirms that God is dispassionate, they He cannot be moved by human emotions or feelings. Therefore He cannot be grieved with man’s actions but Jesus was anything but dispassionate. Jesus was compassionate. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He lamented over Jerusalem. As a matter of fact the word used in Luke 19:41 means to wail which is a violent form of weeping. The kind of weeping we do when the death angel strikes.

Although God is self-sufficient and has no needs, He chooses to love us and where there is love, there is grief. Grief is the price we pay for love. Because sin hurts us, God grieves when we sin. Indifference laughs and scoffs but love grieves because it cares deeply.

Genesis 6:6 is the John 3:16 of the old testament. For God so loved the world, it grieved Him when sin began to destroy it. Let me share a story, a true experience that will help you grasp this point.

Growing up, I was very rebellious. I was not mean. I did not like nor enjoy hurting things. I did not torture animals or anything of that nature but I had a hard time with rules and I didn’t like anyone telling me what to do. My mother was a good woman, ultra Victorian, very strict. She did not believe in sparing the rod nor spoiling the child. One day {I was 15 or so} she was beating me for being disobedient and I got angry. I did not hit her but I stood erect and refused to cry. I also looked at her with as much contempt as I could muster under those conditions. She did something that day that she had never done before, she stopped whipping me. Then she collapsed on the ground and began to sob. Her weeping was hurting more than the switch. 

I stood there like a hardened criminal. Then I heard her say, “Son, rather than see you grow up and act like a stubborn fool, I had rather you not been born.” That got my attention. I walked away to lick my wounds so to speak but what she said stuck in my hard head. It remained an unsolvable mystery until years later, I read Genesis 6:6 and the truth hit me like a bolt of lightening. My mother knew that ultimately, rebels end up in hell and she was afraid that is where I was headed. When she said, “I wish you had not been born,” she was not saying “I don’t love you,” she was saying the opposite. It was the ultimate expression of a mother’s love. She would rather forfeit the privilege of motherhood rather than see me go to hell.

If God did not love us: He would not care what we do…

III. A MAN NAMED NOAH

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. {Genesis 6:9}

  • Noah was a godly man. [verse 9]
  • He was without blame among the people. [verse 9]
  • He walked with God.[verse 9]
  1. Noah’s Obedience:  Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him. {6:22, 7:5}
  2. Noah’s Sermons: He did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others.
  3. Noah’s Salvation: Noah went into the Ark and “The Lord Closed the door behind him.” {Genesis 7:16}

CONCLUSION

John 10:7-9 {NKJV}

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus is the ARK, Jesus is the Door. He is the means and He is the way. He is the ONLY door. He is a timely door. He is open now, may not be open tomorrow.

I ran cross country in college. I loved and admired our coach. I never heard him use any foul or off color language. I assumed he was a Christian. One late Saturday night as we drove home from a meet in South Alabama, I asked him about church and I was stunned at his answer. He said, “I don’t attend church. I should but I don’t. I do believe a person has to repent and trust Jesus but I am not ready to do that at this time. Some day I plan to be saved, to join a church but right now is not a good time for me.” I trembled at his response. He treated salvation like a loaf of bread, something he could go to the market and get anytime he wanted.

God’s word teaches us that God has to draw us {John 6:44}… No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Look at Genesis 6:3, And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”