August 4, 2024 Sermon, "Don't Answer The Door!"

Scriptures: Genesis 4:6-7; First Peter 5:8; Revelations 3:20

Good morning Strangers Rest. This morning, I am here to warn you, so the title of this message is, “Don’t Answer the Door!” The message I will be delivering this morning is a warning, not just to Strangers Rest, but to the Church as a corporate body. With that said, I want to emphasize something early in this message: as God’s sons and daughters, we have spiritual authority, through His Son, Jesus Christ, which enables us to overcome and avoid all the warnings that we see in Scripture.

Let me give you three examples. First, there are many Christians who believe the extent of being a Christian is going to Church, participating in Church activities, praying, and reading their Bibles. They read the stories of the things that Jesus and the disciples did in the gospels, but they do not believe that they are empowered to do the same things today. Secondly, we ask for prayer when we are sick, but many of us do not honestly believe that God will heal us miraculously versus being heal through the actions of a physician. And please understand, there are things that I am dealing with medically that I see a physician for, so I am right there with you. The third example is there are Christians who read about demonic spirits in the Bible, but do not believe they are active today. God has given us authority here on earth and I hope, before we leave this world for the next, that we will choose to walk in it because when we do, lives will change. Remember my message from last week on “let” being a choice? Well, I hope you will make that choice this morning because this message is about our walking in our authority to not “let” something happen – opening a door to our lives that should remain closed.

So let me tell you a personal story about when to leave a door closed. A few years ago, Nikki and I had just gone to bed when we heard a noise out on the patio. We got out of bed, turned on the patio lights and saw an opossum rummaging through the things we had on the patio – specifically the can that I use to clean out my grill. You see, when you have good barbeque even the wildlife come out of the woods to enjoy some! When I saw the opossum, I decided that I would get my pine-sol sprayer and spray the area (and the opossum) so that it would leave as they hate that scent. As I went to open the door, Nikki yelled at me not to do it because the opossum could potentially run into the house. As I calmly shared with her that I would not let that happen, she quickly left my side and went across the room just in case it did happen. I could have easily listened to her and just not have opened the door, but I am a man and I do what men do – which is often going against the sound advice of their wives. While this situation worked out in my favor as the opossum did not come into the house – what would have happened if the opossum had gotten into the house? Do you think I would have heard the end of it? Do you think there would have been any sleep gotten that night until that thing was found and removed from the house? Do you think I might have joined the opossum outside and been sleeping on the patio that night? Sometimes we must use wisdom and simply do not open the door! As you think about my boldness in handling that opossum, consider this: why do we feel obligated to rush and answer the door whenever someone knocks or rings the doorbell? Most of you know that there are times when we should keep the door closed and that will be the focus of the warning this morning.

Consider this question, “Is it really rude not to answer the door when the person knows you’re home?” When I was younger, I watched scary movies. It always seemed so stupid to me that when the monster, vampire or murderer was roaming through the neighborhood seeking someone to devour that people, knowing that the danger was lurking outside, when the danger knocked on their door they would always answer. Common sense would dictate that if a monster were at the door, you would not answer it. But that never was the case in these movies. Even though they knew it was dangerous, they answered the door anyway. I would talk to the TV trying to encourage the person not to answer the door, but they would answer it anyway and that would be the end of them. I used to wonder what would happen if they simply did not answer the door. Would the monster go away, and they would live, or would the monster break the door down? I never found out because the people were drawn to the door as if they had no choice but to answer it. Maybe that was because of how the script was written. But in real life, did you know that we do not have to answer the door every time someone knocks?

But again, why do we rush to answer the door just because someone is knocking? What would happen if we did not answer the door immediately or not at all? Let us say we were busy or in another room and had to make our way to the door. What do people do? They begin to look in the window to see if you have one by the front door, to see if they can see anyone moving in the house. This is why I love frosted glass with blinds and curtains because when someone rings your doorbell or knocks on the door, and you do not answer immediately that is when they decide to start looking in your door windows to see if you are home. With frosted glass and blinds they cannot see anything. We have a large window on each of our front doors and I made sure that they were frosted. When people come to the door, if we do not answer, they cannot see in the house to know if we are home or not. We also have one of those doorbells with the microphone that allows us to talk to whoever is ringing the doorbell. Now we can find out what they want, tell them to leave, and do it without ever opening the door. But even though we have that capability we still go to the door and open it thus proving my point. But logic and common sense would dictate that if the person wanted to answer the door, they would do so when they heard you knocking. But for some, that is obviously not the case. So, by looking in the window, some believe that the person, if they are home, will see them and answer the door. It gets really bad if they know you are home, or they see you walking in the house. Then they keep knocking until they drive you crazy or even call out saying they know you are home. I used to do this to my father, and it drove him crazy. He had a loud doorbell, and I would ring it constantly until he answered. My father sometimes just stood at the door and let me do it just to see how long I was willing to stand there and ring the bell. He usually gave in by my 4th or 5th ring. How many of you know you have an enemy knocking on your door and looking in your window trying to get your attention so you will open the door?

First Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” I want you to see the truth held within this verse. Peter said that we must be sober and vigilant because our adversary, like a roaring lion, lurks about seeking someone to devour. The fact that the devil must seek someone to devour means his attacks on us are focused on those who have a door open for him to gain access. Strangers Rest, if we do not give the devil a door, he cannot devour us. Do you see this? That is the authority that we have in this life because we are God’s children! The word vigilant in this verse comes from a Greek word that means “to be on guard, to be watchful, or to be attentive.” The word primarily denotes the watchful attitude of one who is on the lookout to make certain no enemy or aggressor can successfully gain entry into his life or place of residence. This verse tells us that we must be on high alert against an enemy who is seeking to gain access to our lives. In other words, when the enemy comes knocking on the door or ringing your doorbell, you know not to answer because you have been expecting the enemy to attack. Remember what James wrote? He said in James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When we submit ourselves to God, and that is the absolute first thing that we must do, we are empowered to resist the devil – not opening the door to him. When we stand in our God-given authority, we know there are some doors that will remain closed in our lives. When the devil cannot get in, he will leave to find someone else. I want you to know first that we have an enemy that is seeking to devour us, and we can resist him. We must not answer any door that allows him to get a foothold into any area of our lives.

This morning, I want to speak to your spirits about the doors that we might have opened that must be closed and how we must exercise wisdom so that we will not open them or other doors in the future. As I have said before, we have an adversary whose only goal is to destroy our relationship with God – if we have one, or to keep us from having one if we do not already. While he does this by any means necessary, we must open the door to allow him in for him to be successful. For everyone who does not have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, keeping doors closed will be difficult. However, for us, we have been empowered to not answer doors and to close those that we previously opened. Our enemy’s normal route is the doors we open through blatant sin. But he will also use our fear, hate, anger, greed, or anything else at his disposal.

I have told you before that because he is not God, our enemy is not omnipresent. He cannot be in more than one place at a time. So, he cannot be trying to hinder you and me at the same time. Therefore, he has his servants doing the work against us. We are dealing with his demonic spirits who has one assignment – to hinder us. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Understand what he is saying here. When people are doing things to hurt us, we shouldn’t focus on the person per se, but the spirit using them. That’s what we pray against. And understand this, if a person is being led by the wrong spirit operating within them and they come to you for support and you give it to them and take on their offense, that same spirit begins to operate in you also. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but the devil spirits operating within people because they opened the door to them. If you are not sure what this looks like, ask yourself how you treat people when you are offended.

Let me give you an example. Remember now, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against unrighteous spiritual forces of the devil released on this earth to hinder us. So let’s say that I did something that offended you and now you have a problem with me. The question that you must ask yourself, since you have a problem with me, is what spirit is operating within you? If, in my actions, I did what God’s word told me to do then I must have had the right Spirit operating within me – hopefully. If that is the case, then if you are offended in me doing what is right by the word of God does that mean the spirit operating within you is also the right Spirit? But why would God’s Spirit get offended in something He has commanded be done by someone else? He wouldn’t!

Now if you are offended with me and acting differently towards me because you are offended, what spirit do you think is operating within you? While you walk around offended and sulking, what spirit have you opened the door to and given access to your life? Remember, your struggle is not with me but the spiritual forces operating within me. If that spiritual force is not the Holy Spirit then you should have a problem with me. HOWEVER, if that spiritual force is the Holy Spirit then you actually have a problem with God and not me, if I did things the way God wanted and with the right spirit. But let’s say that I was operating with the wrong spirit when I did what I did and you have a justified reason to be offended with me. What should your response be? Well if you are allowing the wrong spirit to operate within you in your response then you might do what is recorded in Proverbs 17:9 which says, “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.” If you cover an offense you are actually seeking love and operating by the right Spirit. However, and this one defines many in the Church, if you repeat the matter, tell others about the offense so that they become offended also, then you my friend are being led by an unrighteousness spirit possibly without even realizing it. Anytime we get so offended that we allow that offense to control us, just remember that we are not wrestling with flesh and blood but spiritual forces operating in others and within ourselves.

But let me give you an example of being offended and choosing not to open a door to an unrighteous spirit to gain access to our lives. Colossians 3:12-13 says the following, “(12) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” This is how we respond when we have the right spirit operating within is – we immediately shift to forgiveness, mercy, kindness when we are offended. Responding this way keeps the door closed to unrighteous spirits gaining access to our lives and leading us to cause more division within the Church. For this reason alone Churches are filled with mess and Christians walking around being led by unrighteous spirits but believing they are saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, but only fooling themselves. God cannot lie and His word tells us how we are supposed to act. So the question is, “Are we acting the way God’s word says or the way an unrighteous spirit leads?” None of us are immune to the devil trying to use us, but this is why we are commanded to be on guard!

Remember, since Satan is not omnipotent, he is not all-powerful and that is why we can resist him, and he will flee from someone who is humble and puts up resistance. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus said, “…. All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”  Jesus said all authority and the power to execute that authority was given to Him. Strangers Rest, Jesus has given to each one of us that same authority to defeat evil! I am going to say that one more time: Jesus has given to each one of us the same authority and access to the power that goes with that authority to defeat evil. It is especially important that we realize this because Satan is an opportunist. His demons will seek out our weakness and try to use it against us. And do you know what the greatest weakness is for many of us? Hosea 4:6 tells us. The first part of the verse says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….” Many in the Church lack the knowledge and understanding about who they became when they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and the authority that came with that acceptance. And our enemy knows that we will only act on what we genuinely believe. If there is any doubt within us, he will see it and pounce on it! I know you remember the story of Cain and Abel as recorded in Genesis chapter four.

Cain was the elder brother and Abel the younger. One day Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s. Cain became incredibly angry, and his anger was focused on his brother. This is what God told Cain when he became angry. Genesis 4:6-7 from the Amplified Bible says, “(6) And the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? (7) If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.’” God told Cain that sin was crouching at the door, desiring to have him – but he must “master” it. God warned Cain that his anger would open the door to sin which was crouching at his door. Cain had the chance to address his anger and keep the door to sin closed, but that was not the choice he made. Instead, he allowed the enemy in. Cain opened the door to sin and sin eventually got him to the point where he murdered his brother. Remember how Peter warns us to be on the lookout, to be alert? Why? Because our adversary, the devil, is out there looking for someone to hinder, someone to destroy. He is looking in windows and knocking on doors to see who will answer. While we are minding our own business, Satan is actively looking to find a way to stop us, and he will often find that way through other people.

God tried to get Cain to release his anger and focus on doing what was right. He tried to get Cain not to open the door because sin was crouching outside it waiting for an opening. Cain, like so many of us, did not listen. Strangers Rest, there are times when we do not need to answer the door. If sin was waiting for Cain, trust me, it is waiting for us too. The last point I want to make from this story is what God told Cain in verse seven. God told him that sin crouched at the door and desired to have him, but he had to master it – to rule over it. Ephesians 4:26-27 from the Amplified Bible says, “(26) BE ANGRY [at sin – at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], YET DO NOT SIN; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. (27) And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].” Paul wrote that when we are angry we should not sin – anger opens a door as it gives the devil an opportunity just like we saw with Cain.

Let me give you a natural example to share a spiritual truth. Our home is our shelter as it provides protection. If someone came knocking on the door and their intention was to harm us, the only way they could get in would be if we let them in – if we were home protecting the house. Picture this scenario. My doorbell rings and I go to the door. I ask who it is, and the person says, “I am here to hurt you.” Now if I do not open the door, I am fine. However, if I were like those people in those scary movies, I would be stupid and open the door and say, “Come on in, I am ready to be hurt.” This is what we do spiritually. When sin comes knocking at the door, we answer it. We invite it in and give it a hug like a long-lost friend that we have not seen in a while and once it gets in our home – in us as the temples of God – it is extremely hard to get it out. It might not look like sin at first, but it turns into that after it gets its hooks into us. Sin is always standing and knocking at the doors of our lives, looking in the windows to see if we will let it in. Sin is like that thief that tries to get in through the open basement window or the unlocked back door. Whatever he can do to enter our lives he will do it. That is the reason that Jesus called Satan a thief. He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…..” (John 10:10)

Now, let me give you a few examples of how we can open the door just a little and our enemy will come barging in with accusations leveled against us after the sin caused havoc in our lives:

·         Overspending and then using credit cards to go further into debt. Why is this opening a door? Because it puts us into slavery to the lender and, our enemy will use our debt to present us with more opportunities to take our minds off Christ. Solomon told us that, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7) Our debts make us slaves to the one who loaned us the money. And for those who borrow and do not repay, Psalms 37:21 tells us, “The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.” How we manage our money opens doors that can be hard to close.

·         Another door opens when we go to a company function and have a few too many drinks to be social. Why is it a problem? I had to terminate a person’s employment due to this lack of judgment, and others have gone through divorces based on things that happened during their time of being social. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:29-30, “(29) Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? (30) Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine.”

·         Watching adult content on TV because you consider yourself to be part of the “MA” rating group (Mature Audience). This is a problem because it can stimulate images that, for some, will cause their imagination to run wild with the possibility of doing what they saw. And that is when our enemy presents the opportunity. James said in James 1:13-14, “(13) Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

·         Cheating on tax returns. I know there are many people who take extra deductions on their tax returns, or they cheat so they can reduce that tax “burden.” Do you know this opens a door for our enemy? Jesus said, “….Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Luke 20:25b) Then Paul wrote, “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:7) We are expected to walk in this world in all areas of our lives as representatives of God! 

These are just a few examples of how we, as Christians, open the door to allow our enemy (the devil) to enter into portions of our lives. And once that door is open and he has his way, then we live with the accusations from him. Remember what Peter said about Satan being our adversary? That word adversary in the Greek carries the meaning of a lawyer who tries to bring us down by prosecuting us with the facts of our past sins and mistakes. So, when we open the door to him and the sin which follows, once it has created havoc in our lives, our enemy begins to taunt us with sayings like: “You’re in this mess because of your own dumb mistakes!” “You’re reaping what you sowed – there is no way out for you now!” “Karma – you are paying for your past!” “What goes around, comes around.” Do you see what I am saying?

Our enemy wants us to open the door so that he can come in and create havoc in our lives and then hold it over our heads in an attempt to keep us from ever moving past our mistakes. Strangers Rest, the devil wants to remind us of who we used to be before we met Jesus. But praise God we have a Savior Who does not want us to live in the past of mistakes. Even though the things Satan might be saying are true, we must never forget what David told us in Psalm 103:2-4. He said, “(2) Bless and affectionately praise the LORD, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; (3) Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; (4) Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;” Satan wants us focused on our past. Jesus wants us focused on our present and our future. Remember hope – believing that what is today will not be tomorrow. As long as we have tomorrows, we have days of change. God is a good God!!! He is a restoring, delivering, redeeming God! He wants to snatch us out of the power darkness and get us over into His realm of life and light where past sins will not continue to exert their influence upon us.

So, what is the Spirit of God telling us? The devil, and the sin that accompanies him, is always knocking at our doors, but we must choose not to answer it. We must choose to resist the sin. We must choose to master it. James said when we choose to submit to God it is then that we can resist the devil. Some people have this totally backwards. They submit to the devil and then resist God when He corrects them. When we are opening doors that should not be open, we are submitting to the devil and resisting God Who is telling us to keep the doors closed. When we submit to God, we are then able to resist the devil, to resist sin. When we do that, he flees from us. But remember, he flees temporarily – he will always return to try again! Strangers Rest, there is no resisting the devil without being in complete submission to God. When we are submitted to God, we are dwelling in His secret place. God gave us His word so that we would know – we have the authority and the power that comes with that authority – and that authority is in God’s Word. When the devil (or his representative) comes before us, rebuke him in the name of Jesus. You have the authority. The book of Jude records an account between Michael, the archangel, and Satan. Satan was trying to take possession of Moses body after Moses died. Instead of Michael pronouncing a judgment against him, he only said “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 9) 

The power is within us via the Holy Spirit because we are children of God through Christ Jesus. We have the power not to open the door because of the Spirit of God living within us – we have submitted ourselves to God. In our home, sometimes we have someone else go to the door to see who it is. Well, we can do that spiritually also. Someone else can open the door and then bring the sin to you – do not accept it! If you will not open that door to sin do not let someone else open it for you! I opened with what was captured in First Peter 5:8. It says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  If Satan is seeking someone to devour, is your door open? Can he walk into your home? Is he on your job waiting for you to clock in for the day? I do not know about your situation, but I do know this: we can unlock and open the door, or we can keep it locked and closed. The decision is ours to make!

I will close with this simple advice on when to answer the door. Jesus said in Revelations 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” When Jesus knocks on your door please open the door. Know the difference between the Lord’s knock and that of the devil. If we open the door to the devil, we are asking for trouble. When we open the door to Christ, we will receive peace, love, and joy. Opening the door to Christ happens more often than when we just get saved. That is the first time. After that, we continue to open the door to Him in our everyday situations. Allowing Christ to rule in our lives in every situation, from the smallest to the largest, is opening the door to Him. Someone is knocking at the door – do you know whether you should open it or not? Know when to open the door. 

Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26)