The Secret Door

Everybody loves a mystery. There are books that are mystery books that twist and turn and keep people wondering what's going to happen. Films and other forms of entertainment often follow that same mysterious question that's posed. What is going to happen? What is in the future? Sometimes people will form organizations that are mysterious, including fraternities, that have secret rights or secret purposes. Some of these are for the furtherance of business or education or politics, but they remain a secret. And everybody loves a secret. Fraternities, according to the dictionary, exist for brotherhood and, by extension, deep friendship or camaraderie. They may refer to a secret society or other order. The purpose is to promote fellowship among those in a particular academic discipline, a field or a career. An example of this came out, I don't know, a year or two or three years ago, a film called National Treasure. It was a fictitious film. But it pursued this mystery of a secret order that supposedly had existed for nearly 2,000 years. And in this, the initiation rites had extreme consequences. Plus, as things went down through time, there were a massing of great power politically and also some of the greatest wealth known to man. The clues of it were everywhere, including on an American $1 bill. It should have been obvious to everybody, but it was obvious to nobody because it was a secret society. Everyone disregarded the clues. Today, there is a true secret society. It truly does exist. The hints of it are everywhere. There's information about it, but everybody disregards it. There are initiation rites into it, which require extreme commitment with extreme consequences. Members have a special ID. They are amassing unbelievable wealth. They are seeking global political control. And one of their primary ambitions is to find a secret door. This is a quest that each member of the secret order is pursuing with great vigor in their lives. In Mark 4, verse 11, in the New International Version and the Revised Standard Version, Jesus Christ told them, The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. A secret, and it's been given only to you. Today, I'd like us to understand that this word secret, translated in the Bible from the Greek word, mustyrian, which means a hidden thing or a secret. This secret and the order that goes along with it is something that you belong to. Whether you understand it, whether you want to or not, you are part of a secret order that is pursuing the secret door. The title of the sermon today is, The Secret Door. And I'd like to analyze, from a biblical's perspective, the secret door that you and I seek and the path to it. One thing I should note right up front, we don't want it to be a secret. In fact, we try to tell everybody about it. We try to invite everybody in to the order. We try to give all the information as to how to get to the door the best we understand it. And yet, somehow, it remains a secret. It's uncomprehended by others. And one purpose of the sermon today is to help us to understand how precious the secret is because so few understand it.

Also, to show how much others discount it and even want to free you up from knowing about it or pursuing this silly secret. I hired a repairman to come out to our house recently. Actually, I've been trying to hire him for months. And every time we talked, our schedules wouldn't work out. They just couldn't connect. He came out finally on a Tuesday evening. And it was interesting.

He said one of the first things. He said, you know, we've been trying to get together for a long time. Why could you never make it on a Saturday? And I told him, well, Saturday is the Sabbath. Saturday is the day that we worship on. And I'm always not available on the Sabbath. Hmm. That's interesting. He said, my day is a different day. And he told me what day that was. I said, fine. He says, now, why would you worship on the Sabbath? Well, that's the day Jesus Christ worship on. That's the day the Bible commands to keep.

Jesus Christ was the Lord of the Sabbath. The apostles kept the Sabbath. Yes, yes, yes, yes. But all that was done away 300 years later by some pagan ruler in Rome. And I said, well, I don't think he had the authority to do that. Oh, but it doesn't matter.

We're not under law. We're under grace. Well, it's impossible to love God's law without showing that you love it by trying to keep it. But it's impossible to keep it. Well, sure it is. But the very act that you're trying to keep it, would it invoke God to give you his Holy Spirit to help you keep it? And then it is possible. Did you used to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? Did you guys used to come out to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri?

Did you have a feast building up there just past the bridge? I had the hotel that was the closest to your feast building. Of course, the stories came rolling out. But it was interesting. He discounted everything that we have held and believed in a flash and then went on to talk about other religions and various cults, etc., etc. It was there. He was close to it. He almost understood it. He could talk about it. But there was no understanding of the secret.

Continuing in Mark 4, verse 11. But to those who are outside. Outside what? What is Jesus Christ? I thought Jesus Christ was all inclusive and loved everybody and everybody was part of this. Here he's talking about those who are outside. All things come in parables so that seeing they may see. Notice, everybody gets to see and seeing they may see.

The eyes are wide open and as they see, just as this individual could talk and see and discuss, they do not perceive. They're shut. They're blind. That which is even discussed is not perceived.

And hearing, they may hear. The ears are open. They hear. They can read. They can understand. But they do not understand. They can understand and move the words around. Just like you and I could at one time. But somehow it's foolishness. Foolishness. Now if I told you that there existed a secret restaurant and this restaurant had no advertising. This restaurant had no sign. And this restaurant had no visible location. Would you believe me? Anybody here been in the restaurant business? Anybody seen a restaurant open up here and there? Maybe on a prime corner or right by the freeway and six months later it's out of business. It's gone. There's no secret.

Couldn't be a secret restaurant. Restaurants can't exist. That would be dumb, wouldn't it? Well, actually there is a secret restaurant. My family has been to it only because someone showed us where it was and took us there. And this restaurant didn't open six months ago. It opened in 1966 and has been continuously in operation and a big success and has always remained a secret.

It's located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and it's called the Safe House. Fittingly called the Safe House. Its location has to be secret. Just like in the spy movies or in real life, an international espionage. The people involved in that have to be able to go somewhere at times into a house that's safe. No one knows anything about it being connected with the spy business. Therefore, you would have to know. You'd have to be in the know or you'd have to be taken to this particular house. It could be next door to you in the apartment building with you.

You just would never know it's there. Most never know in Milwaukee that there's a famous hidden restaurant there and it's a secret. It's just an old building. It's kind of down in the warehouse district. It's trucks go by there and there's warehouses. And if you drive right by it, you'll see that there's nobody there. There's no cars parked. It just says along the top of the building, International Exports Limited.

Established 1868. It's kind of boring because there's hardly any windows or...oh, there is a door. Maybe two or three doors, in fact. And one of them is painted red. Now, if you happen to just be in that nondescript area of town at night, when most people would go to the restaurant and you probably wouldn't want to be there at night, just driving through, you'd say, I don't want to be here.

But if you happen to go to the red door and open the red door and walk inside, there would be nobody in there. All you would find is a small office with a table and some books and a phone and nobody there. And guess what? Nobody's ever there. It's just an empty office. Meanwhile, as you stood in that room, everybody in the restaurant upstairs would be laughing as you looked around and called and finally walked out and went home. Because if you don't know how to get into the restaurant, you don't get in the restaurant.

Remember? It's a secret. It's a curious thing because what you're standing in is Miss Moneypenny's office. But, you know, when you walk in off the street, you don't, oh, this looks like Miss Moneypenny's office from one of the James Bond films. No? If you picked up the phone and say, hello, is anybody there? Sure enough, somebody be on there. It's the bartender upstairs. And he'd have a funny little chat with you and you'd go on your way. You could walk around the room and stand there for a long time. And it's funny, a lot of people do as you're eating dinner. You watch people on the TV screens around the room. They don't know how to get in and they leave.

It's a funny thing that this place has existed for over 40 years. It's doing quite well. If you go to their website, I notice it says classified top clearance. I will not disclose the clandestine location of the safe house in Milwaukee. I will tell no one that the red door of International Exports Limited at 779 North Front Street, that's a secret, is in fact a contrived front for the safe house. What you have to do is go to the right book in the bookshelf and pull out the book and a secret door opens, which will take you to the elevator and you can go up and dine in the restaurant. But if you don't know about the secret door, how to get to the secret door, you're not going to dine at the safe house in Milwaukee. If you had a friend, he would take you there. He could show that to you. You know, everybody seeks paradise. Everybody wants their version of paradise, whether it's heaven or some nirvana or the kingdom of God. But you cannot find the kingdom on your own. And you can't find the secret door to the kingdom of God because you have to enter at a particular place. Even if you knew what the kingdom of God was, an individual of and by themselves wouldn't know where it is or how to get there. Jesus said in John chapter 14 and verse 6, John chapter 14 and verse 6, I am the way, the truth and the life. And here's a funny thing when it comes to Christianity, which everybody thinks they know so well and are such an authority of. And there are 10,000 different versions of Christianity. So why everybody thinks they know it, I have no idea. But people like to take this concept of what the Bible speaks about and change it, turn it into something of their own liking. And it takes them on a different way, using different truth to a destination that is not accurate. Jesus said, I alone am the way. I alone am the truth. I have the facts. And I alone am the life. But what is He the way, the truth and the life of? Verse 6, continuing, no one comes to the Father except through Me. Didn't say no one comes to the Father unless they know Me, unless somebody throws My Name around. They have to come through Me. Jesus Christ is the door. You have to go through Jesus Christ. And without Him, you can't get into the kingdom of God, even though you may know about it. Even though you may even be shown the way, He has to open for you.

The kingdom and the family of God is a secret. It is discounted. It is largely ignored. It is changed and twisted into some fabulous things that were never mentioned in Scripture, but came along from very, very ancient history or very, very ancient pagan cults and ideas that are intriguing and they're mysterious. And they involve dissensions from space and heaven and ascensions back to space and heaven and various twists and turns and orders that involved, interestingly enough, some of the mentality of the Egyptians, who had mysterious passageways and formulas to get back into the afterlife. But Jesus is the true way, the true path of life. There are many paths, but these paths do not lead it to the door and they don't go through the door. Believe me, every religious person is on a path, on the path. You can just ask any one of us. We all feel that we're on the path and people will fight wars about the path that they are on and in fact are even doing so today. They are sure, they are certain that the path that they are on is the right one. They are offended by other paths, which they'll label by various names, including cults. Why it is the way that leads to destruction, Jesus said, because mankind has discovered carnal ways, more interesting ways, easier ways, more intriguing ways, ways that go along and satiate the carnal human mind that wants to promote the self. It's all about me and the Lord, me and Jesus, me in the kingdom, or me in heaven. And it's all about me and my and obtaining my future in paradise. And it feels good. But the truth is, the truth is that God is gracious and God is love. And that, brethren, is the truth. God is gracious and God is love. If you ever really fully comprehend what it means that God is gracious and God is love, then you understand pure truth.

Most of the other truths today involve the end of law, the end of the old covenant, dead. We're now saved by something called grace. Grace is not something in our vocabulary. We don't go around during the week in our jobs or education and talk about this thing called grace that sort of bongs you. You're not under law, crush. You're under grace, bong. And it's better to be under the bong than under the crush. But that's a religious term that's used sort of on Sundays. And it allows people to think there's an end of law. They don't understand the meaning of the term grace. They think of grace as an event or grace as a deed. Grace isn't the act of forgiveness. Grace isn't the bong you have now been graced. Now, grace is not that. We are saved by grace, but grace isn't a bong. It is a mentality. Grace is a mentality and God has it. The big question is, do you? God is love. He has it. The big question is, do you? God wants us to grow in graciousness and love to become like Him. God graciously forgives sins of those who repent. And then He turns around and says to you and me, you need to forgive others who sin against you and be gracious to them when they repent. Forgive me my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. Jesus Christ taught us to pray. What is sin? Transgression of the law. The law is very much in force. The law never went anywhere. The law is stronger today than it was in the Old Testament. Jesus showed us that in Matthew 5 and 6. He showed us the old statements from the commandments and then He showed how they are magnified, not done away with, and that not even a fleck of a letter of the law would be done away with.

Now God gives us the Holy Spirit as a helper to keep the law. It's no longer a burden to keep. God is gracious to those who attempt to keep it. We're saved because God is gracious. We're not saved by the bong of grace. Grace doesn't float over us like a cloud. We are saved by the graciousness of God. By God's mentality of graciousness. That He doesn't hold sin against us. That He sent His Son to die in our stead so that He graciously can set the penalty for sin aside and let His Son pay that penalty for us. That is very gracious. He is very loving. He is very patient in His graciousness. In 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9, we find that we are saved by God's graciousness, not by our deeds or our works or our keeping of the law. That doesn't earn us anything, though it does show our love for God's love, which is what the law exemplifies, what the law teaches us. 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9 says, God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and graciousness. That word grace, look it up, you'll find it means graciousness. We're saved by God's graciousness, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. It's so gracious that they developed this plan for us before time was ever even invented.

It says in Luke 4 verse 22 that Christ was very gracious. The people there all bore witness of Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. God is a gracious God in all of His thoughts, in His words, in His deeds. He's not a spiteful, angry God. He's a gracious, patient God. 1 Peter 2 verse 3, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

1 Peter 3 verse 7, husbands in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner or actually the more precious vessel. He's talking about vessels here in the kitchen, the more China crystal decorated vessel in comparison with the man who's more the pots and the pans kind of a vessel. But notice as He goes on, as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. God is such a wonderful, loving God and He has graciously given us this life and is graciously giving us eternal life. We need to realize that we are under this graciousness of a God and we should not take it for granted. We should not offend Him and His graciousness and His patience and His kindness and His mercy. We should learn to be gracious to others and forgive them and to love them and be merciful with them and patient with them. This is the mind. This is the mentality of God. Eternal life is a gift from a very gracious God, but He requires effort from those who seek the gift. And this is part of the secret. Most people think it's just a free gift that's thrown out to any and everybody who will mumble a few words and then trample all over the graciousness of God and the law of love. All other ways are false because they falsify this effort that is needed. The effort required to receive God's grace is to keep His law. He wants us to do that. And yet any other way eliminates that or it alters it or replaces it.

In 2 Peter 3, 18 it says, grow in the graciousness and knowledge of Jesus Christ. When you turn that word into its meaning, grace, which means graciousness, when you grow in the graciousness of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you're growing into what God is. You're growing up into Jesus Christ who is the head. You're becoming more like Him in graciousness. You're learning more about His mannerisms, His love, His mercy, His thoughtfulness, His outgoing concern. Whereby He even came and lived and divested Himself of all personal glory so that He could serve you and me right down to His very blood. In 1 John 2 and 4, those who grow in the knowledge of God, those who grow in this gnosis is the Greek word. To really know God, what is it that they do to really get to know God? If you're going to grow in the knowledge and the graciousness of God, what is that? 1 John 2 and 4. Towards the end of the New Testament period, there was so much confusion. So many people were throwing the law aside and going after these other mysteries that seemed more enticing that John had to write these words. 1 John 2.4. He who says, I know Him. Here's the gnosis again. Those who say, I know Jesus Christ, I've grown in the knowledge of the Lord and does not keep His commandments is a liar. You see, all the other ways that set the law aside, that say somehow it was either nailed to the cross or it was done for us, it was fulfilled by Him, it was taken out of the way, it was that thing that, you know, misunderstanding the Scripture and twisting it, anything that takes the commandments, the law of God aside says the truth is not in Him. And therefore, the way and the door, once you get there, remains a mystery. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. And by this we know that we are in Him. He who says He abides in Him, the word abide there from the Greek means to continue in Him, to endure in Him, to remain in Him, to stand in Him. It's not just a one-time event, but to continue in, continue on with Jesus Christ, ought Himself also to walk just as He walked. So the law is part of the way, and the way takes us to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the door of the Kingdom. A major point of this sermon is we need to appreciate and understand that we live a secret way. That we live a truth that is not understood by others, shown by light that is not shown to others. Now, the important thing for this is many people will argue that. Many people will discount it. Many people will write it off and say, that's a cult, that's a sect, you don't know what you're talking about, you're not educated. I can show you a stack, a mile high of books and authors and authorities on this topic, and you just don't get it. You think that you're something special. Well, we don't think we're something special. We think God is something special. And to a few, He has put out some light so that we can see a secret.

It is a way via truth revealed by light. In John 1, verse 4, as the Apostle John opens the book, he describes who Jesus Christ is and why Jesus Christ came. In verse 4, he says, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Humanity at large cannot comprehend the light. It can shine, but it's the opposite of what makes sense. Consequently, they cannot comprehend it and therefore do not live it. But they will discount your secret, and they will try to help you out of the way and out of the truth, which leads to life. And that, brethren, is something that I hope you will grab onto and appreciate. You know, once again, it sounds like I'm talking about something kind of secret. But it's only a secret because others won't see it, not because anyone's trying to keep it a secret. After all, the number one selling book in the world is full of the secret. And most everybody has a copy. It's not that it's intended by you and me to be kept a secret, for we are to preach it to the whole world, and it will be taught to the whole world, we're told, before Jesus Christ returns. Even so, it remains a secret. In 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 14, those who are pursuing this mysterious way, this secret way, that they're trying to share with everybody else, but no one will listen, are told to do something in order to preserve their path, so that they will be secure and successful along the way, because the risks are great of being diverted, talked out of it, enticed off of this path and onto some other path. 2 Corinthians 6, 14, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. There are those who simply will not believe, as God has opened your eyes to see. For what fellowship has righteousness with... Uh-oh, lawlessness. There it is. What fellowship has righteousness with those who say the law has been done away? Lawlessness. And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with veil? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement is the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. What? You see, the secret order that wants to tell it to everybody is a secret habitation of God Himself. Most people would say that is almost blasphemy. They'd say, you are nutso.

But here, we are told, you are the temple of the living God. And as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. In other words, those who are in this special order that I have called a group by an odd name called the Order of the First Fruits, which is not sounding so sophisticated, but nevertheless, only a few people seem to want to be part of it right now.

Those who are in this Order of the First Fruits also are told that they will become God as God is God, because God is a uni-plural term, Eloim, which is a family. Just as a human family has two parents and has children, and they are all equally in the family, though there are authority roles, so God the Father and Jesus Christ will have a bride, and they will bring children into a real spirit-being family, where all of them are of the same name, as Revelation 2 and 3 say, and they actually will be sons and daughters of God.

Notice verse 18. And I will be a Father to you, not a God, a huge God being, and you'll be sort of a little simple pea-brained droid that'll hop around forever and tell me how big I am and stuff like that. Notice verse 18. And you shall be my sons and daughters. Sons and daughters in a family, says the Lord Almighty. That's a secret opportunity. We tell everybody about it. Just pick up anything that we publish on marriage, and we go right to Ephesians chapter 6 or 5, where husband and wife, it's the mystery of Christ and the Church.

God is a family. He's calling us into His family. We're going to be His children. And go to Revelation chapter 21 and verse 7, that He overcomes, will inherit all things, and I will be His God, and He shall be my Son.

And we are co-heirs with Christ. Christ is our elder brother. We are co-heirs, and we'll share all that He inherits, which is everything. And that is literal. And yet, others don't understand that, and therefore it remains a secret. And it's discounted and rejected. And people yell at you, that's figurative! That's not literal, that's figurative! Let go of that passion you have.

Let go of that path that you're on. Get off that path. Jesus Christ is light. He's true. He's the way. And it's invisible. It's invisible to most people. It's just like finding your way in the dark. There is a hike that went on this last year, sometime last year, in a place up on Mount Lemmon in Tucson called Wilderness of Rock. And it's a great name for it, because that's exactly what it is. Rock standing up, and rock that you walk on.

Now, the interesting thing is, there's a trail through the Wilderness of Rock, but there's no marked trail. And when you walk on rock, it doesn't leave a path. And so I was intrigued before I ever went up there, it's going to lead a hike through there. How do you show the way? Well, you have to go find people who have been there before and read how they find their way through the Wilderness of Rock. And the one thing they say is, there's no path. You can't see it.

When you're in the rocks, it's rock. But here's a few clues and here's a few secrets that if you know, you can traverse through this Wilderness of Rock and exit the other side into the woods and pick up the trail again. And so, consequently, having that kind of information is very valuable. If you went back there in the dark with a flashlight and shown it around, you couldn't find the trail. You couldn't find the path. You'd have to go with somebody in the dark who knew where to go through that whole area in order to find the trail on the other side when you broke out into the dirt and the bushes and the trees.

It's like Jesus Christ is taking you and me through the Wilderness of Rock, a dry arid place with no real markings. And everybody has their ideas. Oh, I think it's over here. I think it's over there. But Jesus Christ says, you know, I am the way, the truth and the life. I've been on this path. I know it. Follow me. Follow the light. You ever seen somebody that you didn't trust and he's like, oh, I think it's over this way. You're going to follow him? Ah, it doesn't go over there. It can't go over there. And so it is. You have to see it in the light.

Jesus Christ lived it. Then someone has to tell you or show you the way in the darkness. He was the first fruit, the first of the first fruits. And he knows the way and he shows the way. It says in Psalm 119 verse 105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Notice the motion involved in that. Your word is a lamp to my feet. You ever get in bed at night and just get a lamp or flashlight and shine it on your feet?

You have one of those at home, a foot lamp? That'd be dumb, wouldn't it? What would you want a foot lamp for? The only time you want a lamp for your feet is if those feet were moving somewhere. OK, so they're a lamp to moving feet.

And also a light to my path. A path is where those feet are going. It shows the way. You're not getting transported there. You don't just say, oh, I've read about this. I've heard about it.

Or I know that's the way, but I'll sit here. No. You must walk. You must hike. And Jesus said in Matthew 7 14, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life. And there are few who find it. Not many who find it. There's not going to be a whole mass exodus that runs down the right way and the right path at this time in this era.

No. Narrow is the gate, the door, and difficult is the way that leads to life. Very few will find it. You have to strive for it. You have to work for it. You have to prove yourself. You have to be tested along the way. That's what our life is all about.

Let's talk about the gatekeeper. Let's say finally we get all the way down the path and we come up to the door, the secret door. You finally find the secret door. It's a wonderful thing. However, the door only opens for certain people because there is a gatekeeper of the kingdom, a controller of who gets into the kingdom of God.

To symbolize this in the Old Covenant, there were 4,000 gatekeepers of the tabernacle and temple, 4,000 men who served in the service of screening those who came to the temple to keep out those who did not belong. They didn't all serve at one time, but there were 4,000 gatekeepers who all served in rotation. Back in 1 Chronicles 26, verse 1, we can read a little bit about them. 1 Chronicles 26, beginning in verse 1.

Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers of the Korahites, Meshlamiah, the son of Korah, the sons of Asaph. Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men having duties just like their brethren to serve in the house of the Lord. They cast lots for each gate. Dropping down to verse 17. On the east were six Levites. On the north, four each day. On the south, four each day. And for the storehouse, two by two. As for the parber on the west, there were four on the highway and two at the parber.

These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Maryi. Jesus Christ is the ultimate gatekeeper. He is the one that controls who enters New Jerusalem. In Revelation 3, verse 7, I think it's important that we really understand what's being spoken of here. Revelation 3, verse 7, He's talking to His church. He says, these things says, He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David.

The key of a city was held by the one who was in charge of that city. David symbolically had the key to Jerusalem. Jesus Christ, whom David was a type of, has the key to New Jerusalem. And He is the gatekeeper of New Jerusalem. He who has this key, who opens and no one shuts. You can't get it open any other way. You can't close it any other way. And shuts and no one opens. You can't get to the Father in the kingdom of the family of God, in the kingdom of God, without going through Jesus Christ.

He is the only one who opens it. Even if you could find the entrance to the kingdom somehow, you can't get in through the door or the gate without it. Why? You know, in one sense, the answer is easy. You can't seek it as an individual. You must seek it as a family. The kingdom of God is all about the family of God.

It's not about self-serving individuals who might want to be sitting in chief seats in the kingdom, sitting on Christ's left or right, or who are pursuing the kingdom with all their heart, soul, and might, putting it first in their life for themselves. It can't be done like that. If you seek the kingdom for yourself, there won't be any entry because it has to be sought by family for family. We find in Matthew 22, two great commandments. We won't turn there. But the two great commandments have nothing about self-seeking, nothing about self-only, nothing about me and the Lord.

It says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. There's no room for self-seeking there. It's everybody. It's loving the family of God. Just as Jesus Christ came to this earth and sought the inclusion of every human on earth into that kingdom and gave himself for everybody. We are told in Matthew 6 and verse 33, seek first the kingdom and His righteousness. What was His righteousness? Graciousness and love. The righteousness of Jesus Christ was everybody come. I am dying for everybody.

I am the way, the truth, and the life for everybody who wants to pursue this way. Not all the eyes are open, not all the lights are visible, but ultimately everybody gets to come into the kingdom. We must seek the kingdom of God in that mindset if we want to enter it. If we come there with any other clothes, with any other clothes, with any other thought, the bridegroom will say, hey, how did you get in here?

You're not dressed right. You don't have on the garments of righteousness. You don't have the love for others. The faithful know the truth. They travel the right way. They follow the light to the kingdom. The hidden key is doing the spiritual law of God. That is the hidden key. Not just knowing it, not embracing it. Oh, yeah, I love love. We'll write love on our car, make a flag and hang it out on the house. Love. I love you, man. It's not about knowing. It's not about feeling. Oh, I just love love the Lord.

I love it's not embracing. Oh, yeah, I love the Bible. I'm embracing it. Keep it with me everywhere. No? What is it? If it's not these things, what is it? In Luke chapter 13 verse 24, Jesus tells us what the hidden key is.

Beginning in verse 24 and going through verse 28, He shows us who will go through the secret door and who will not and why. Here's the key, as it were, to that secret door. Here's knowing when you go to that safe house in Milwaukee, which book to pull on.

Strive, He said in verse 24, to enter through the narrow gate. For many I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able. They want to come in to the kingdom of God, but for some reason they're not able. When once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door, there's Jesus Christ, the Master, who can open and close, and no one can change that. And you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open for us. And He will answer and say to you, I do not know you where you are from. And then you will begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.

But He will say, I tell you, I do not know you where you are from. Depart from Me all you workers of lawlessness.

That is the key. Keeping the law of God or discarding the law of God. Iniquity in the Greek is lawlessness. But there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. The faithful are allowed through the gate into the kingdom. They come through the door. And who are they and what describes them? Now think of all the warmest, loving, religious thoughts that you can come up with as to who is going to come through the door. And then let's let the Bible tell us who will come through the door. Revelation 22, verse 14.

The last chapter in the Bible. The summation of the way and the truth and the light. Revelation 22, verse 14. Blessed, and the Greek word means, oh how supremely blessed are those who do His commandments. That they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city, New Jerusalem. That's who goes in. Irrespective of all of the religious arguments, all of the religious scholars and theology, and the use of the Bible to discount the keeping of God's law, it actually remains the secret or hidden key to entering into the kingdom of God. Outside are dogs and sorcerers and those who break the law defined as immoral, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie, etc. But the faithful are received, others are rejected. Let's go to Matthew 25, verse 6 here. Jesus Christ Himself telling what the process is. He uses a parable.

In Matthew 25, verse 6, At midnight a cry was heard, Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet Him. Here's Jesus Christ, if you love the Lord, go meet Him.

Dropping down to verse 10. And while they went to buy, the five foolish virgins went out to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding, and the door was shut. There's going to be a marriage between Christ and the bride. The bridegroom is going to marry the bride, Revelation tells us, who has made herself ready, has washed her garments, has made herself clean, and the white garments are the righteous acts of the saints. Righteousness is the obedience of God's law. It is not being under the bong, grace. It is keeping the law of God to the best of your ability imperfectly and having a gracious God who is merciful and forgiving and understanding and supportive and encouraging and comforting and helping along the way. Here we find afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to you, and He answered and said, I do not know you. But the faithful follow the truth, the way, and they receive life.

He said in John 14.3, And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself. Yes, you will be received. Some people will be received. Not blocked out. I will receive you to Myself. And where I am, there you may be also. He said we will be in the temple with Him, a pillar in the temple right in Jerusalem. And where I go, you know, and the way you know. Not everybody knows. You know. How precious is that knowledge of God, that knowledge that comes by the keeping of His commandments, John said. How precious is the secret door that one day you will pass through if you are faithful and if you want it for all and you're part of the family that is loving and gracious and helpful and inclusive and you're forgiving and you're encouraging the secret door, the path to it, the entrance through it. It's being offered to you right now. It will be offered to everybody later. But right now, it's being offered to you only. Remember that. Treasure that. Don't get mixed up with others and get talked out of that. Don't give it up. Don't lose that first love and trade it in for something frivolous and temporary. There's coming a time of trouble for this world. In Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20, things are going to get pretty crazy. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20, we know Jesus Christ said that the times ahead are going to be the worst times that have ever impacted humanity or ever will in the future. During that time of craziness, as world powers go after each other and as religion suffers, true religion suffers, great oppression, what happens to you and this precious gift, this secret that you understand? In Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 20, notice something. Come, my people, is a prophecy. Enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you. God is calling this His people and He's talking to you very personally. Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is passed. This is talking about the day of the Lord. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place, notice why, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Anti-law against the law of God. The beast system is all about being against the laws of God.

In conclusion, there exists today a secret door and a secret society that's pursuing it. We don't want it to be a secret. We're trying to tell everybody about it. But for some reason, it still remains a secret. Information about it is everywhere, but everybody seems to disregard it. The initiation rites require extreme commitment and they have extreme consequences. The members have and use a special identity. It's called the Sabbath. They're amassing unbelievable wealth in heaven. They are seeking global political control as kings and priests to reign and rule with Jesus Christ on this earth. The ruler of darkness views them as a threat to the current civilization. And even Jesus Christ mentioned this sect in Mark where He said, The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. Don't let anybody badger you out of your invitation to the family of God. In closing, again in Revelation 3, verse 7 and 8, Jesus Christ, the gatekeeper who has the key of David, who opens and shuts and no one opens. This gatekeeper says, I know your works. Yes, works. See, I have set before you an open door into the kingdom, and no one can shut it. For you have kept my word and have not denied my name. No matter what goes on around you, no matter what this world pursues, you stay on the path with Jesus Christ and keep heading for that secret door.