Through the Kingdom Door
The following is the script for the video above.
This drawing obviously represents a door. But a door into or out of what? A house? A doctor’s office? A laundromat? Context matters. Without a bit more information, we can’t tell. As it turns out, this door is the way into and out of a bank. Enter through this door, and you’ll find tellers, financial advisors, and maybe an ATM machine.
Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” But what did he mean? What does the Jesus-door let us exit or enter? Being saved, yes. But being saved is not a place. Instead, being saved is the new situation or condition that results from access into a new place, a place Jesus calls a “pasture.”
It seems, though, that many Christians see the Jesus-door only as their way to being saved. This can lead to a kind of me-ism. Walking through the door by trusting Jesus means forgiveness of MY sin, no hell for ME, and eternal life for ME. Yes, that’s all true, but it’s true within the larger “pasture” context of what Jesus’s whole mission to earth was all about.
Actually, the Jesus-door is both an exit and an entrance. Where were we when Jesus found us? In a dry desert where the prince of this world ruled over us. The Jesus-door lets us escape that horrific place. But the same door opens the way for us to enter into that “pasture” Jesus spoke about, the well-watered pasture of God’s Kingdom where Jesus rules.
The Jesus-door, then, lets us move out of one rule or kingdom into another. It opens the way:
Out of the kingdom of lies into the kingdom of truth.
Out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. So we can now see and live in reality.
Out of the kingdom of death into the kingdom of life. So we are able to serve our Creator and his purposes.
Out of the kingdom of hatred into the kingdom of love. So we can forgive all the wrongs done against us and live for the well-being of others.
Out of the kingdom of bondage into the kingdom of freedom. So we are now released to be and do what we were created for.
Out of the kingdom of fear into the kingdom of faith. So we can now leave worry behind as we trust the One who conquered death.
Out of the kingdom of despair into the kingdom of hope. So we may now welcome the future with joyful expectancy.
This good news—the gospel—is that the pasture of God’s Kingdom has come within reach. “The time has come,” Jesus said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The Kingdom of God is not heaven-when-we-die. Instead, the Kingdom of God is the “pasture” in which King Jesus has the say-so. We may now see it, enter it, and make it our top priority.
But even though the Kingdom of God has come within reach, the kingdom of this world, with all its sub-kingdoms, still exists alongside it. So at present, we live in this in-between time that has been called the already-but-not-yet.
But the day will come when, as John wrote in Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” In that day, the Kingdom of God will appear, so to speak, in all its 3-D fullness, and beauty, and vivid color. Then, the renewed earth “will be filled with the knowledge of glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
In God’s Kingdom-now, as we wait for his Kingdom-then, you and I have a calling. King Jesus summons us to learn how to live under his rule. As we do so, our lives let others glimpse previews of the Kingdom-yet-to-come. We offer in the here-and-now tiny samples of how life will be when everyone and everything on the renewed earth will gladly submit to the rule of King Jesus. We provide little foretastes of what it will look like when God’s will is done on earth as in heaven. Family members, neighbors, and coworkers all need these advance samples of the coming Kingdom to whet their appetites for it.
Each of us belongs to a family. They are your nearest neighbors. What will it look and sound like in your family relationships when King Jesus rules? As you draw from your what you are already experiencing of life in God’s Kingdom, your spouse will experience self-sacrificing love. Your children receive the loving restraint they need for developing self-control as they mature. Your parents will enjoy honor from you, no matter what their age. And your siblings will benefit as you respect their boundaries and differences.
Whether living in a high-rise or in a cul-de-sac, you have next-door, across-the-hall, or down-the-street neighbors. Samples from the Kingdom-yet-to-come could well include taking the initiative to invite them over to get acquainted. It definitely includes the respect due them as made in God’s image. Letting Jesus rule will mean listening attentively to their concerns and being sensitive about the noise levels coming from your quarters.
Six out of ten of us adults labor in some kind of daily work. This puts us into relationships with all kinds of people different from ourselves. If you have workplace neighbors, samples from the Kingdom-yet-to-come will mean making every effort to establish rapport with them. Meeting work deadlines. Refraining from gossip about coworkers. And, as II Peter 2:17 says, “Show[ing] proper respect to everyone.”
So the Jesus-door opens the way into territory that includes but stretches far beyond personal salvation. Walking through the Jesus-door lets us escape the death-desert of Satan and enter the pasture of the Kingdom where Jesus rules. And walking through the Jesus-door puts us on a path to represent now—and then live forever in—that coming Kingdom, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
