To begin this new series on The Gate, I invite you to read Genesis 4:6–7:
6 Adonai said to Kayin [Cain], “Why are you angry? Why so downcast? 7 If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants you, but you can rule over it.”
GOD told Kayin that evil, sin, lies at your door, “but you can rule over it.” What was Kayin’s response? Kayin did not rule over sin. The result: evil entered Kayin’s life. The Devil entered Kayin’s life and drove him to kill his brother. The Devil also urged Kayin to insult GOD. When GOD asked him, “Where is Hevel [Abel] your brother?” Kayin replied, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s guardian?” (Genesis 4:9).
Kayin is an example of those who play with fire. Many people are like him today. Kayin opened the gate to the Devil, who entered him…
In everything you do, if GOD opens the gate for you, be sure to close it behind you so that no stranger may enter. But if that gate remains open, you will have all sorts of trouble.
Let us take an example: You need a job, and GOD opens the gate for you to get a position. You walk through that gate and take your place, but you must close that gate for fear that someone might come and push you out of that position and someone else might take your place.
If someone rents you their house, are you going to wait for them to close the gate to that house? No, it is up to you to close it.
In the same way, when GOD gives you a Blessing by opening the gate for you, it is up to you to close that gate once you have received the Blessing.
What helped Avraham [Abraham] in the fulfillment of GOD’s Promise? It was the gate… Understand this Word clearly and stop crying! Let us read Genesis 18:1-2:
1 Adonai appeared to Avraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day. 2 He raised his eyes and looked, and there in front of him stood three men. On seeing them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, prostrated himself on the ground,
What saved Abraham? He was sitting at the door! GOD took the form of angels and appeared to him.
Likewise, what helped Lot and enabled him to be saved? We find the answer in Genesis 19:1: “The two angels came to S’dom that evening, when Lot was sitting at the gate of S’dom. Lot saw them, got up to greet them and prostrated himself on the ground.”
Where was Lot sitting? At the gate of Sodom!
Let us continue reading in Genesis 19:2–6:
2 He said, “Here now, my lords, please come over to your servant’s house. Spend the night, wash your feet, get up early, and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we’ll stay in the square.” 3 But he kept pressing them; so they went home with him; and he made them a meal, baking matzah for their supper, which they ate. 4 But before they could go to bed, the men of the city surrounded the house — young and old, everyone from every neighborhood of S’dom. 5 They called Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out to us! We want to have sex with them!” 6 Lot went out to them and stood in the doorway, closing the door behind him,
Why did Lot close the door once his visitors had entered his house? To ensure safety inside his home and to ensure GOD’s Presence…
But what about you? What are you doing? You go out and leave the doors open! In that case, the enemy will enter your home… That is the cause of many problems in your life! The doors are not closed.
Let us continue with Genesis 19:7–11:
7 and said, “Please, my brothers, don’t do such a wicked thing. 8 Look here, I have two daughters who are virgins. Please, let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them what seems good to you; but don’t do anything to these men, since they are guests in my house.” 9 “Stand back!” they replied. “This guy came to live here, and now he’s decided to play judge. For that we’ll deal worse with you than with them!” Then they crowded in on Lot, in order to get close enough to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out their hands, brought Lot into the house to them and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they couldn’t find the doorway.
Notice the spiritual battle that GOD waged against those people who wanted to harm Lot! First, Lot went out of his house and closed the door behind him. Then, those people attacked Lot, trying to break down the door and enter his house. When GOD saw that things were getting dangerous for Lot, He pulled Lot behind Him and struck those people with blindness. Why? To prevent them from seeing the door and entering the house. Lot’s enemies were fighting but could no longer see the door. That is how GOD saved Lot.
Your adversary knows the door. The enemy knows the door to GOD’s Goodness in your life, to your long life, to your elevation—the door to your Blessings!
Today, if you have problems, it is often because the enemy has seen the door or the gate and entered your home. Even if an Angel has visited you, if the door is not closed, you will have problems! The enemy does not come just to leave afterwards! He lies in wait at your door! He knows that sooner or later, you will leave your house. And when he enters your house, he destroys everything. You will begin to cry out in the Name of GOD, but remember what GOD said to Kayin: “And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants you, but you can rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).
Let us read Psalm 127:3-5:
3 Children too are a gift from Adonai; the fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 The children born when one is young are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. 5 How blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them; he will not have to be embarrassed when contending with foes at the city gate.
The children referred to in this verse are not only biological children, but also spiritual children. Anyone who has children who fear GOD will see those children talking with enemies at the gate—not inside the house! These children will feel safe because they will have already closed the gate to the house…
The place of conflict caused by the enemy is at the gate. If you don’t close the gate, the conflict will move inside your house. If you leave the gate open, you will never have any sense of direction…
Many people’s lives have been destroyed because their gate was not closed.
Let us read Acts 3:2: “a man crippled since birth was being carried in. Every day people used to put him at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, so that he could beg from those going into the Temple court”.
This Gate was called “Beautiful,” and that is where the beggar had been placed. The duty of many people who are at this Gate is to ask for alms…
Perhaps many of you are saying, “We here have no luck! GOD gives us nothing!” But ask yourselves this: What is the name of the gate where you are standing?
There is a gate called “the Corner Gate”…
Let us read 2 Kings 14:13:
Y’ho’ash [Jehoash] king of Isra’el took Amatzyah king of Y’hudah [Judah], the son of Y’ho’ash the son of Achazyah, prisoner at Beit-Shemesh. Then he went to Yerushalayim [Jerusalem] and demolished the wall of Yerushalayim between the Gate of Efrayim and the Corner Gate, a section 600 feet long.
To reach the Corner Gate, an opening had to be made in the wall…
Jeremiah 37:13 states: “and had reached the gate leading toward Binyamin [Benjamin] when a guard commander there named Yir’iyah the son of Shelemyah, the son of Hananyah, seized Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah] the prophet, shouting, “You’re deserting to the Kasdim!”
The Binyamin Gate is where Binyamin, son of Ya‘akov [Jacob], would receive his Blessing.
There is also the Sheep Gate, mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1:
Then Elyashiv the cohen hagadol [high priest] set out with his fellow cohanim [priests], and they rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and on to the Tower of Hanan’el.
The Horse Gate is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:28: “Above the Horse Gate the cohanim made repairs, each one opposite his own house.” This Gate is the place of the Blessing of Sovereignty. Understand that our GOD is not a GOD of disorder.
2 Kings 11:19 tells us about the Gate of the Guards:
He took the captains of hundreds, the Kari, the guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Adonai, going by way of the gate of the guards to the royal palace. There he sat on the throne of the kings.
There is a gate for everything. To attack you, the enemy will seek to identify the specific gate in your life and enter through it!
Nehemiah 3:26 states: “(since the temple servants were living in the ‘Ofel) as far as opposite the Water Gate to the east and the tower that projects out.”
Here, water represents the HOLY SPIRIT who gives us Life. No one can say today that he or she doesn’t need water! If the enemy blocks the Water Gate in your life, it’s over for you… I believe that sorcerers and magicians who master spiritualism understand exactly what I’m saying.
Whether it’s about elevation, rejoicing, peace in the home, or any other Blessing from GOD, there is always a gate connected to it. If the LORD permits, we could organize a seminar to delve deeper into this topic.
The Blessing reserved for those who garden and cultivate the fields and the land lies at the gate of the dunghill. It is found in Nehemiah 2:13: “I went out by night through the Valley Gate, to the Dragon’s Well and the Dung Gate, and inspected the places where the walls of Yerushalayim were broken down and where its gates had been burned down.”
Do you see how Nehemiah went from door to door? And the enemy will do the same because he knows that in your house, there are many good things and many doors. There are main doors and side doors. For example, to enter a house, you go through the main door. Then you’ll see doors to each room, like the bedroom doors.
Jeremiah 39:3 states: “All the officers of the king of Bavel [Babylon] entered and sat at the Middle Gate — Nergal-Sar’etzer, Samgar-N’vo, Sars’khim the Rav-Saris [chief officer], Nergal-Sar’etzer the Rav-Mag [high official] and all the other officers of the king of Bavel.”
The middle gate represents those who provide for the people around them. When someone comes to the middle gate, it means there will be provision. In families, in countries, there is always this middle gate with these people who provide. All the names mentioned in this passage represent false gods.
When the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem, they attacked the Middle Gate. This resulted in the deaths of many among the people of Israel and widespread destruction, including the walls of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:4–8) …
Let us read Acts 5:9: “But Kefa [Peter] came back at her, ‘Then why did you people plot to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out too!’”
This verse speaks to us of the spirit of death waiting at the door…
All this to say that each of us has doors that we must watch carefully. For it is through these that the enemy passes to attack us, whether it be our home or every aspect of our lives. We must close all the doors of our lives; otherwise, the enemy will succeed in entering our lives and attacking us.
I thank the LORD for allowing us this moment, and I pray that He will grant us His grace so that we may continue this teaching on The Gate. I encourage all of you to pray earnestly for every gate or door in your lives. As we delve deeper into this teaching, you will better understand where many of the problems in your respective lives come from.
Receive this Word in the Name of JESUS CHRIST.
| “The Gate”, translated into English from a sermon by Pastor Léonard Matchide Gonitoua on January 4, 2026 at the HOPFAN Church of Boy-Rabe (Bangui, Central African Republic – CAR). Unless otherwise stated, the Bible verses presented here are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net. |
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