Wednesday, June 13, 2018

CLOSED DOORS, OPEN DOORS


Text:  Revelation 3:7-8

“Write this letter to the leader of the church in Philadelphia.``This message is sent to you by the one who is holy and true, and has the key of David to open what no one can shut and to shut what no one can open.  I know you well; you aren't strong, but you have tried to obey and have not denied my Name. Therefore I have opened a door to you that no one can shut.”

Introduction:
·         The title of my sermon is:  CLOSED DOORS, OPEN DOORS.
·         Thomas Carlyle wrote:  When the oak tree is felled, the whole forest echoes with it; but a hundred acorns are planted silently by some unnoticed breeze.”
·         What he means is that it is negative things that often gets the attention, while the good things often go unnoticed.
·         We have all experienced having doors slammed before us, and it is no welcome experience.
·         A slammed door is a harsh sound.
·         It is not an easy sound to listen to.
·         Especially coming from someone whom you expect to open to you.
·         There are times in our Christian lives where you’ve prayed, you’ve sought the counsel of people you admire, you’ve studied His Word that have led you into the way you ought to go, you’ve spent time alone, weighing the pros and cons, your heart is willing, your spirit is ready, your soul is soaring.
·         And about the time you get near it, bang!…the door slams shut.
·         That can be very disillusioning.
·         Painfully disappointing.
·         And you were not living in sin, or your heart turned against what God wanted, or you were selfish in some way.
·         It just closed.
·         Nobody can explain why.
·         You talk to the Lord and it’s as though the heavens are brass.
·         The door has closed.
·         Period.
·         End of story.
·         Or is it?

#  For example, you are growing in a relationship with this fine individual.
  • You go out together for months, maybe more than a year.
  • You fall deeply in love with that person.
  • And just before you get to the subject of marriage, bang!
  • The romance cools and the relationship ends.
  • Closed door.

#  Or maybe you have set your heart on a particular job.
  • You’ve got the qualifications, you’ve got a good resume.
  • You even got the backing experience.
  • You feel so confident that you will be accepted.
  • Then, bang!
  • You’re not chosen.
  • You can almost hear the door slammed shut.
  • No explanation, no reason.
  • You are disillusioned.

·         You’ve prayed, you’ve served Him faithfully.
·         And now you have been denied.
·         You begin to wonder, “Does He really care?  Is it worthwhile serving Him?”
·         Dr Bruce Waltke, a professor in the Hebrew language at seminary, used to say, “The longer I live and the closer I walk with Christ, the more I believe He does not take the time to explain why.  So we trust Him through our lives without expecting the ‘why?’ to be answered.”

·         Closed doors do not mean a God who does not care.
·         Unanswered “whys?” do not mean a God who cannot speak.
·         Life is about learning and growing, falling and getting back up, forgiving and forgetting, accepting and going on.
·         In moments like these, there are 3 very important facts we must hang on to.

1.   THE SOVEREIGNTY AND POWER OF THE LORD
·         Our Lord defines Himself as the one “who is holy,” “who is true.”
·         By that He means He hates evil, and He does not engage in error.
·         Not only that, He “has the key of David.”
·         Which is symbolic of authority.

·         Someone who has the key to the safe has the authority to open the safe.
·         You have a key to your home.
·         That gives you the authority to go into the home.
·         Whoever does not have the key has no right to invade a home.

·         Since Jesus “has the key of David,” it means He has the authority.
·         Look at the description of that authority:  He describes himself as the one “who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.”
·         He alone has the right to open a door of opportunity and escort us through it.
·         He also has the right to slam doors without explanation.
·         Closed doors…open doors:  Either is God’s prerogative.
# Potters at work
  • They will suddenly mash the clay down and start over again.
  • Each time they do this, the clay comes out looking entirely different.
  • Gifted potters can start over and over – each time it gets better and better.

·         He is the potter, we are the clay.
·         He is the one who gives the commands; we are the ones who obey.
·         He never has to explain Himself; He never has to ask permission.
·         Nor does He predict ahead of time that we are going to encounter a closed door.
·         He is shaping us into the image of His Son, regardless of the pain and heartache that may require.
·         We cooperate better when we remember that we are not in charge – that He holds the key.

Acts 16: 5-9   So the church grew daily in faith and numbers.  Next they traveled through Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the Turkish province of Asia Minor at that time.  Then going along the borders of Mysia they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus said no.  So instead they went on through Mysia province to the city of Troas.  That night Paul had a vision. In his dream he saw a man over in Macedonia, Greece, pleading with him, ``Come over here and help us.''

·         This passage gives a classic example of how the Lord opens and closes doors.
·         Paul And Silas were on their way across Turkey, called Asia in this biblical account.
·         Both men had great hearts, they desired to make Christ known; they had no selfish motives.
·         Paul already had one successful missionary journey.
·         This was his second missionary journey and they had come to Derbe and Lystra, and the churches were strengthened and were increasing daily in number.
·         It was remarkable.
·         They were in a pagan region.
·         Churches were being founded.
·         And they left that area and moved on toward the Phrygian/Galatian region with high hopes.
·         But as they passed through that region, the Holy Spirit forbade them to speak the word in Asia.
·         Then they moved on to Mysia, and were trying to go into Bithynia, and yet the Holy Spirit did not permit them.

·         Now wait a minute.
·         They’ve had success, open doors.  It’s working.
·         But when they move into the more central and southern regions of Phrygia & Galatia, God closes the door.
·         There are many there who have never heard of Christ.
·         But God closed that door.
·         It’s another of His surprises.
·         So they tried going up toward the northern regions instead.
·         But when they came to Mysia, and were trying to get into Bithynia, again the Spirit closed the door.
·         Then they went all the way to Troas.
·         Troas was at the northwesternmost point of Asia.
·         They couldn’t go any further.

·         Paul must have thought, “Lord, what is this about?  What are You trying to do?  What are You trying to tell us?  We have passed so many opportunities and you have closed every door.”
·         We don’t know how long they were in Troas before the night vision appeared to Paul.
·         Maybe a week, maybe a month, waiting and praying.
·         I believe that many of us can understand the disappointment of Paul & Silas.
·         They had passed by so many populated places and yet they were not allowed to share in any of them.
·         I don’t know how long Paul was in Troas, but one night things changed.
·         A breakthrough came!
·         A vision appeared to Paul in the night:  A certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

2.  TRUST HIS WISDOM AND FAITHFULNESS
·         Rev 3:8.  “I know you well; you aren't strong, but you have tried to obey and have not denied my Name. Therefore I have opened a door to you that no one can shut.”
·         The Lord knows everything.  He knows us well.
·         He knows the situation you are in.
·         He knows the conditions you are facing.
·         He knows how you have tried to obey and not denied His name.
·         He is not only wise, but He is also faithful.
1 Cor.10:13   No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

·         To the man/woman who seeks to follow after God’s will, He will always open the door that we will be able to go through.
·         We are not told many things.
·         How long they tried the other regions, we are not told.
·         How they responded when the doors were closed, we are not told.
·         How long they waited before the vision came, we are not told.
·         But they waited and they were rewarded.
·         Crossing over to Macedonia was the first work of evangelism in Europe recorded in the New Testament.
·         This will mean having the church at Philippi, the church at Thessalonica, the church at Corinth.
·         God is at work!
·         The door has now swung wide open!
·         It had been closed, but now it is open.
·         God did both without asking permission, without a warning, and without any explanation.
·         He is sovereign, but He is also wise and faithful.
·         Therefore we can trust Him.
·         Trust Him even for things and events way down the future that we have no idea about.
#   There was a man who attended a conference of the Navigators many years ago.
  • Somehow, he and his wife had no peace remaining in the United States.
  • While at the conference, he was offered an opportunity to open a work in Uganda.
  • He had 3 small kids at that time, the oldest son was just about to start school.
  • He told his wife and she agreed to take on the challenge of Uganda.
  • When they flew to Nairobi, Kenya, he put his family up in a hotel while he rented a Land Rover and drove across the border into the country of Uganda to check out the situation.
  • This was just after Idi Amin’s reign of terror.
  • As he was driving, he saw several young kids with automatic weapons, shooting off into the sky.
  • As he drove by, they stared at him and pointed their guns.
  • But nothing happened.
  • As the sun set, his heart also began to sink.
  • He pulled up at a little dimly lit hotel.
  • The clerk, who spoke only a little English, told him there was one bed available.
  • So he went up 2 flights of stairs and opened to a room with 2 beds.
  • It was then that he realized that he was going to share the room with somebody else.
  • He turned to the Lord in prayer.
  • “Lord, I’m afraid.  I am in a country I don’t know, in a culture that’s totally unfamiliar.  I have no idea who sleeps in that bed.  Please show me You are with me.”
  • When he finished praying, the door opened and there stood a 6 foot 5 inches African frowning at him, saying in perfect British English, ‘What are you doing in my room?’
  • ‘What are you doing in my country?’ the African asked.
  • “Well, I am with a little organization called the Navigators,” he tried to explain.
  • “The Navigators!” the African exclaimed.
  • Then he lifted the American off the floor and just danced around with him.
  • “Praise God, praise God,” said the African.
  • Finally they sat down and the African explained, “For two years I have prayed that God would send someone to me from this organization.”
  • He pulled out a little Scripture memory-verse pack, and at the bottom of each card was printed, “The Navigators, Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
  • The door was opened.  Lives were changed.
  • The missionary served in Uganda with his family for more than a dozen years.
  • Finally the missionary and his family returned to the States.
  • They had not been there a year when the oldest son who was going to graduate high school had to go to Washington D.C. for their senior field trip.
  • The father gave his son $40 to buy a souvenir on his trip to their nation’s capital.
  • When the son returned, he showed his father a huge Ugandan flag he bought for a souvenir in Washington D.C.
  • Then he told his dad, “Those years in Uganda were the best years of my life, Dad.”
  • The man had feared that by going to Uganda he might hurt or hinder his family.
  • But his willingness to abide in the will of God had now caused his son to have an abiding passion for missions.
  • It was a passion the boy would never have had if the father had not obeyed and walked through the open door.

3.   THE POWER OF PRAYER AND FASTING
·         Neh.1:4  So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
·         When Nehemiah heard of the broken condition of Jerusalem, it broke his heart and he fasted and prayed to God for favor to rebuild Jerusalem.
·         Nehemiah was a man with a mission.
·         His mission started and depended on prayer and fasting.
·         Many people had aspired to build a castle, but in the face of difficulties, have settled for a shack.
·         That is called “compromise” – giving up on your dream to settle for the second best.
·         Nehemiah began the project with severe antagonism.
·         Even though he had received papers from King Artaxerxes, local politicians tried to stop him.
·         As the work progressed, the opposition tried scorn and ridicule.
·         But they did not stop building those walls!
·         When the wall was nearly half built, the enemies mobilized and began to attack them.
·         Nehemiah instructed that half his people should stand guard while half worked on the wall.
·         Even after the wall was completed, there was trouble within.
·         The rich Jews took advantage of their poorer brethren by overcharging them.
·         In all of this Nehemiah did not quit or give in to weariness because his strength came from prayer and fasting.
·         Nehemiah was a man of prayer.
·         When challenged and confronted with danger, he prayed and kept on doing what he knew was right.
#  Fred Whiteman was a 47 year old man who had met more trouble than anyone his age.
  • Within a 6-month period of time, Fred lost his best friend who died of liver cancer, his mother died, and his wife died, having gone to work perfectly healthy one morning and then dying later that day in a freak accident.
  • In addition to that, Fred’s heart failed him, and he had a heart transplant.
  • But he later had to undergo surgery for cancer.
  • He was also sued by the bank where his wife worked.
  • All these happened within a few months.
  • Did Fred become bitter and cynical as a result of all these?
  • Not at all.
  • Fred quoted Bob Harrington who said, “When we can’t figure it out, we have to faith it out.”
  • The words of a popular song do, “When all hope is gone, go into your room and turn on a sad song.”
  • But Fred took the recommendation of the psalmist instead, “When my hear is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)
  • Fred says that difficulty does several things for a person:
    1. Makes you aware of your intense need for God.
    2. Produces character in your life and refines the integrity of the heart.
    3. Allows God to use you as a witness to other people.

  • Fred was asked to talk to 3 different psychiatrists, one of whom had asked why he just didn’t commit suicide.
  • Fred began to explain his relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • All 3 psychiatrists, professionals who deal with grief and difficulty every day, were left in tears.
  • Fred does not understand why, but he does know that God will meet you at the point of your deepest need.


Conclusion:
·         Perhaps you have come to a closed door, and you have been resisting it.
·         You have been pushing it, fighting it.
·         You have looked for someone to blame.
·         You have determined that this is what you’re supposed to be doing, and it’s hard for you to accept the fact that the door is truly closed.
·         Accept it, give up the fight.
·         Let it be, my friend…let it be.
·         You have come to your own Bithynia or Phrygia, Galatia or Mysia, and to your surprise the door has closed.
·         Ask the Lord to meet with you at your own personal Troas as you look out across that vast sea of possibilities.
·         Ask Him to give you peace in a whole new direction.
·         And be open, be willing…be ready for a surprise!

·         It is easy to be disillusioned and discouraged and to think we have missed it.
·         It is hard to have dreams dashed, to have hopes unfulfilled, to face a future that is unknown and unfamiliar and sometimes, unwanted.
·         But God has a way of guiding us unerringly into the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.

·         Stop trying to figure it all out.
·         Stop worrying, it won’t help.
·         Start having faith.  Start trusting His wisdom and faithfulness instead.