Carl wrote:
> =
> In this installment of the sermon series "No, that's NOT in the Bible",=
> David Dykes addresses the phrase "when God shuts one door, He opens ano=
ther"
> which, of course, isn't found in the Bible. However he uses this
> misconception to teach about the op****tunities one receives from God an=
d
> also recognizing God's Will and His guidance in our lives.
> =
> May God bless,
> Carl
> my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
> my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
> =
> ---
> =
> When God Shuts One Door, He Opens Another
another one of man's 'god ideas'
where they all come from of course
> by David O. Dykes
> =
> Acts 16:6-10
> 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and=
> Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in=
the
> province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried t=
o
> enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So t=
hey
> passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a v=
ision
> of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia=
and
> help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to le=
ave
> for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel t=
o
> them.
> =
> It seems doors of op****tunity open and close before us in life. Is it G=
od
> opening and closing these doors? For many years I've heard the saying, =
"When
> God shuts one door, He opens another!" Well, no, those exact words are =
not
> found in the Bible anywhere. However, of all the phrases we'll examine =
in
> this series this statement is closer to the truth. I haven't found the
> original source of the saying, but it sounds similar to a famous quote =
by
> Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. He said: "When on=
e
> door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfull=
y
> upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us=
=2E"
> =
> The best example of open and closed doors is found in Acts 16:6-12. Pau=
l and
> his friends launched their second missionary journey from Antioch. Alon=
g the
> way, they encountered some closed doors and then an open door.
> =
> "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and
> Galatia, having been KEPT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT from preaching the word in=
the
> province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to =
enter
> Bithynia, but the SPIRIT OF JESUS WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO. So thy passe=
d by
> Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a =
man
> of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help=
us.'
> After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Maced=
onia,
> concluding ["knit together"] that God had called us to preach the gospe=
l to
> them. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace a=
nd
> the next day to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman c=
olony
> and the leading city of that district of Macedonia."
> =
> God called Paul to take the gospel to the Gentiles and he was obeying G=
od.
> As he was traveling, he decided to try to go northeast into Asia Minor,=
but
> Holy Spirit said "no." God shut the door. Then he traveled on and tried=
to
> go north into Bithynia toward Russia, and once again God shut the door.=
It
> must have been a puzzling time for Paul. He was on mission for God and =
the
> doors kept shutting in his face. But he didn't go back, and he didn't c=
amp
> out, he kept moving west. When he came to Troas, God opened the door fo=
r him
> to go over into Macedonia, which is modern-day Greece. He had a vision =
of a
> man standing in front of him saying, "Come help us!" Paul understood th=
is to
> be God's directive, so he took the gospel into Greece instead of Asia M=
inor.
> That was the first time the gospel penetrated the European continent, a=
nd
> many of us have a European heritage. We should be glad Paul paid attent=
ion
> to God's closed and opened doors. As we consider open and closed doors,=
let's
> learn four things about finding and following God's will.
> =
> 1. GOD WILL GUIDE YOU IF YOU'LL TRUST HIM
> =
> You aren't just placed on this earth to stumble around in the dark tryi=
ng to
> find out what you should do. The God of the Universe is interested in y=
ou.
> He has a plan for you; He has a pathway for you. The Bible says in Prov=
erbs
> 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
> understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct you=
r
> paths."
> =
> God wants to guide you, but there is a lot of confusion about finding G=
od's
> will. As you seek to follow God, it will be helpful to understand two v=
ery
> im****tant guiding principles:
> =
> (1) The wrong question: What is God's will for my life?
> =
> You may be surprised and wonder what's wrong with that question. Here's=
the
> right question: "What is God's will?" On the surface, the difference be=
tween
> those two questions may seem minor-but they are as different as a light=
ning
> bug and lightning. In the first question the focus is on me. What's God=
's
> will for ME? In the second question, the focus is on God and what He is=
> already doing in the world. I'll quote Henry Blackaby later in this mes=
sage,
> but in his book Experiencing God, he points out that God is already act=
ive
> in this world and our job is to find out what God is doing and to join =
Him
> in His work.
> =
> In Acts 16, God was at work saving the Gentiles. God was in the process=
of
> taking the gospel to the Roman Empire, and Paul found closed doors unti=
l he
> got in on God's plan. So, stop asking God to show you His will for your=
life
> and ask Him to show you what He is doing, and then join Him!
> =
> (2) God often reveals His will in segments
> =
> When God first called Paul to take the good news to the Gentiles, He di=
dn't
> tell him all the details. God didn't say, "Paul, go to Philippi, then t=
o
> Athens, then to Corinth." God just said, "Go!" And Paul went. As Paul
> traveled, God revealed each step. That's the same thing God told Abraha=
m in
> the Old Testament. He didn't say, "Abraham, I have a land for you and y=
our
> descendants." God simply said, "Go." And Abraham went.
> =
> Many young people want God to show them the full picture of His plan fo=
r
> them. Wouldn't it be nice if God would say, "This is where I want you t=
o go
> to college, these are the cl***** I want you to take, this is who I wan=
t you
> to marry, this is where I want you to live, this is the job I want you =
to
> work at, and here's where I want you to retire, and here's where I want=
you
> to die and be buried!" But it doesn't work that way. Following God isn'=
t
> about the destination; it's all about the journey. It's like that song =
by
> Caedmon's Call, "Step by Step" which says, "Oh, God you are my God, and=
I
> will every praise you. I will seek you in the morning, and I will learn=
to
> walk in your ways, and STEP by STEP You'll lead me; and I will follow Y=
ou
> all of my days."
> =
> 2. DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED BY CLOSED DOORS
> =
> As Paul followed God, he encountered a closed door into Asian Minor. Th=
en
> when he tried to head north toward the Black Sea, God shut the door aga=
in.
> Sometimes a child of God can become frustrated because it seems as if d=
oors
> of service and op****tunity are constantly being closed.
> =
> When you look in the Bible for references to opened and closed doors, y=
ou'll
> find there are six or seven times it speaks of God "opening a door of
> op****tunity." However, there is only one verse that infers God "closes
> doors." In Revelation 3:7-8 Jesus is speaking to the church at Philadel=
phia.
> He identifies Himself by saying, "These are the words of him who is hol=
y and
> true...what he opens, no one can shut; and what he shuts, no one can op=
en.
> See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut." So, i=
t is
> true that God shuts doors, but He isn't the only one who shuts doors. W=
hen
> you are trying to serve God and you encounter a closed door you first
> question should be, "Did God close this door?" Sometimes other people
> "close" the door, and sometimes the devil and his demonic forces will =
try
> to place obstacles in the way of your service and devotion. So just bec=
ause
> you encounter resistance or difficulty, it doesn't necessarily mean God=
has
> shut the door. If God has clearly sent you in a certain direction and t=
he
> devil tries to close the door-then knock it down!
> =
> There's a funny story about a gospel singing group invited to a country=
> church. As they were singing, the members of the church started bringin=
g out
> s****s and handling them. The lead singer took one look at the s****s o=
n the
> stage with him and asked the pastor, "Where is the back door?" The past=
or
> said, "We don't have a back door." The terrified singer said, "Well, wh=
ere
> would you like one?" He was out of there! When Satan, our adversary, tr=
ies
> to block out way, knock through his resistance!
> =
> But if you are certain that God closed a certain door, don't be discour=
aged,
> just start looking for the door that He has open for you. Henry Blackab=
y
> wrote: "When you begin to follow God and cir***stances seem to close do=
ors
> of op****tunity, go back to the Lord and clarify what God said. He most =
often
> is not calling you to a TASK, but to a RELATION****P. Through that
> relation****p He is going to do something through your life. (Experienci=
ng
> God, p. 159)
> =
> When God said, "no" to Paul it was because he was going to say "yes" to=
> something better. Sometimes our disappointments in life can become God'=
s
> appointments, so don't let closed doors bother you. The things we think=
of
> as failures and problems can often end up being blessings in disguise.
> =
> In the late 19th century, cotton was king in South Alabama. Cotton was =
the
> sole crop and brought prosperity to that part of the country. In the ea=
rly
> 20th century a natural disaster occurred. The Mexican Boll Weevil cross=
ed
> into Texas and spread from here. Those little boll weevils loved cotton=
and
> by 1915, the farmers in South Alabama were broke. One farmer decided to=
try
> growing peanuts and in the first year produced over 6,000 bushels. Othe=
r
> farmers planted peanuts and other crops, and prosperity soon returned.
> =
> What was first seen as a disaster-a closed door for cotton-actually bec=
ame a
> tremendous blessing because the farmers were forced to diversify. In 19=
19
> the city of Enterprise, Alabama erected a monument to the Boll Weevil. =
That's
> a great attitude: When one door is shut, don't be disappointed! That le=
ads
> to the next principle about doors and God's will.
> =
> 3. BE ACTIVE AS YOU LOOK FOR GOD'S OPEN DOOR
> =
> When Paul encountered the closed doors at Galatia and Mysia, he didn't =
give
> up and return to Antioch. Nor did he sulk and complain. The worst thing=
he
> could have done would have been to sit still and say, "Okay, God I'm no=
t
> moving until you show me which way to go." Instead, he kept on moving; =
he
> took another direction-West. And as he was moving West, God directed hi=
m to
> take the gospel into Europe.
> =
> Have you ever been excited about an op****tunity and suddenly found the =
door
> closed? The worst thing you can do is to camp out at that closed door. =
Don't
> quit-keep on moving, and God will direct your paths. Do may object, "Bu=
t
> what about 'waiting on the Lord?'" Waiting is not a passive experience.=
> "Waiting on the Lord" is acting like the waiter or server in a restaura=
nt
> who takes your order and brings your food. Waiting on the Lord is askin=
g
> God, "May I take Your order? Is there anything else You need?" God does=
n't
> tip-but His retirement benefits are out of this world!
> =
> There is an im****tant principle I call "spiritual momentum." It's easie=
r for
> God to direct a person if he or she is already in motion serving Him. A=
boat
> sitting dead still in the water can't be turned by the rudder. That ves=
sel
> is "dead in the water." It has to have forward motion in order for the
> rudder to be effective. In the same way, if you are seeking God's direc=
tion,
> don't sit still-if you do, you're "dead in the water." If you are activ=
e in
> serving God anywhere you can, it's easier for Him to direct you into
> different paths of service.
> =
> You can walk through God's open door of op****tunity, and you'll often b=
e
> confronted by angry people who oppose you. Paul had an open door in Eph=
esus,
> but He also faced great opposition. He wrote: "But I will stay on at Ep=
hesus
> until Pentecost, because a GREAT DOOR FOR EFFECTIVE WORK has opened to =
me,
> and there are many who oppose me." (I Corinthians 16:9) When you are
> actively looking for God's open doors, you may face opposition, and it =
may
> not feel right-but go through the door anyway. The most im****tant
> consideration is not whether is seems right to you-but will God be glor=
ified
> if you proceed.
> =
> When you find God's direction, move immediately. Acts 16:10 says they
> "sailed immediately." As they headed west they made a "straight line" t=
o the
> coast-in other words, they had a heavenly tail wind. When you are going=
in
> the right direction, there may be human opposition, and it may not feel=
> right, but you'll have a tailwind from heaven!
> =
> 4. DON'T DEPEND ON "DOORS" ALONE TO FIND GOD'S WILL
> =
> Cir***stances aren't the best way to discern God's direction. I remembe=
r
> speaking with a couple in Alabama who met when they worked together at =
the
> post office. They were both already married, but they became romantical=
ly
> involved. The result was two divorces and two broken families-and when =
I
> spoke to them, their new marriage was unraveling. Both of them claimed =
to be
> Christians. I'll never forget a question the man asked me: "If God hadn=
't
> wanted us to be together, why did He open door for us to meet each othe=
r?
> And if He didn't want us to proceed into a romantic relation****p, why d=
idn't
> He close the door?" Whew! I politely suggested to him that perhaps it w=
asn't
> God who opened the door, and it doesn't do any good to lock your door a=
fter
> the thief is already inside!
> =
> Using opened and closed doors to find God's will can be risky business.=
> Cir***stances can be deceiving when you look at them from the wrong
> perspective. Henry Blackaby wrote: "Be very careful how you interpret
> cir***stances. Many times we jump to a conclusion too quickly...A whole=
lot
> of wrong things can happen if you try to look at God from the middle of=
> cir***stances. When you face difficult or confusing cir***stances, the
> Spirit of God will take the Word of God and help you understand your
> cir***stances from God's perspective." (from Experiencing God, pp. 97)
> =
> The old Sears and Roebuck Catalog we got when I was a kid often listed =
three
> levels of quality for the same product. For instance, you could order a=
> basic lawn mower-it was good. Or you could order one with more horsepow=
er-it
> was labeled better. Or you could opt for the most expensive one that wa=
s
> self-propelled-it was listed as best. When it comes to finding God's wi=
ll, I
> think there is a good way, a better way, and the best way. Let me give =
you
> three sources for finding God's Will.
> =
> Three sources for finding God's Will:
> =
> (1) Good: Cir***stances
> =
> Cir***stances can often be God's external guide for us. This is often c=
alled
> God's providential guidance. Sometimes you can determine God's will by
> looking at cir***stances that seem to reveal open and closed doors. God=
has
> promised in Psalm 32:8-9: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way=
you
> should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. (KJV: "I will guide t=
hee
> with mine eye') Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no
> understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle, or they will no=
t
> come to you."
> =
> The key is to have such an intimate walk with the Lord that He can guid=
e you
> with His eye. When my girls were little, if they misbehaved in a public=
> setting, all I had to do was give them the old "raised eyebrow" look, a=
nd
> they knew that I meant, "Settle down, or you're going to get it!" It wo=
rked
> for them, but it doesn't work for other kids.see.because they aren't as=
> close to me as my kids.
> =
> (2) Better: Holy Spirit
> =
> God's Spirit dwells inside His children, so this is His internal guide.=
It's
> interesting in Acts 16 that Luke writes the Holy Spirit prevented Paul =
from
> going into Asia Minor. Then he writes that Paul was prevented by the Sp=
irit
> of Jesus Christ. Those are two and the same. The Holy Spirit IS the Spi=
rit
> of Jesus as well as the Spirit of the Living God. In John 14-16 Jesus
> promised He would send the Holy Spirit who would "guide the disciples."=
As
> He spoke about the Holy Spirit in John 14:18, He said, "You know Him fo=
r he
> lives WITH you (that was Jesus in the flesh); and will be IN you (that'=
s the
> Spirit of Jesus). It means we need to be listening for that still small=
> voice. If we are seeking God's guidance, He will speak to us. In Isaiah=
> 30:21 God says, "Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears w=
ill
> hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it.'" Have yo=
u
> ever heard God's still small voice? When God speaks to your heart, He
> usually doesn't employ an audible voice: It's louder than that. The pro=
blem
> with many of us is that God IS speaking, we just aren't listening very
> carefully.
> =
> In 1898, Frances Barraud was an artist living in Liverpool, England. Hi=
s
> brother gave him a dog named "Nipper" because of his tendency to nip at=
the
> heels of visitors. Frances Barraud was fascinated with the revolutionar=
y
> gramophones which played back recorded voices. He had his voice put on =
a
> gramophone roll and as he was playing it, Nipper cocked his head and ba=
rked
> at the sound. So Barraud painted a picture that later became the logo o=
f RCA
> Victor entitled "Listening for his master's voice." He sold the picture=
and
> the rights for a total of =A3100 (more than $6,300 today)! Are you list=
ening
> intently to what God is saying to you? Are you tuned in to hear the Mas=
ter's
> voice? If you are child of God, you will learn to recognize His voice.
> =
> In Bible times many flocks of sheep were placed in a central sheepfold.=
When
> a shepherd entered the sheepfold, he could call out, and only those she=
ep
> belonging to him would follow. They recognized his voice. If you belong=
to
> Jesus, you will recognize his voice. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my=
> voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)
> =
> (3) Best: God's Word
> =
> Cir***stantial guidance is good, the inner voice of God's Spirit is bet=
ter,
> but the very best is to read and study the Bible. It is God's eternal g=
uide.
> The way you find God's will in the Bible is not to flop the Bible open =
and
> randomly point at a verse or two. One man tried that and his finger poi=
nted
> to, "and Judas went out and hanged himself." He didn't like that, so he=
> tried again. This time his finger came to rest on a verse that said, "G=
o
> thou, and do likewise."
> =
> But if you are a serious and consistent student of God's Word, you will=
find
> the Word of God will light your pathway. Psalm 119:104-105 says, "I gai=
n
> understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Yo=
ur
> Word is a lamp unto my feet; and a light unto my path." Reading God's W=
ord
> will teach you the wrong paths. You start walking on wrong paths when y=
ou
> enter the wrong doors. God's Word teaches you what not to do as much as=
it
> teaches how to live. As you regularly devour God's Word, you'll find Go=
d
> will use a phrase, or verse, or passage and apply it your current life
> situation. It's as if the words literally jump off the page and grab yo=
u by
> the throat. I'll illustrate that in a minute.
> =
> There is a harbor in Italy that can only be reached by sailing through =
a
> narrow channel filled with dangerous rocks. Through the years, many ****=
ps
> were wrecked when they tried to enter the harbor at night. Before Loran=
and
> GPS, they erected three lights on tall poles. One light was in the harb=
or
> and the other two were on the shore. When the three lights were perfect=
ly
> lined up, the ****p could proceed safely into the harbor. If only two we=
re
> lined up, the captain knew he was off course. Just so, God has provided=
> three lights for us, and when you line up cir***stances, the voice of t=
he
> Holy Spirit, and His Word, you know you can proceed safely.
> =
> CONCLUSION
> =
> Thirteen years ago, I was serving as pastor of a wonderful church in
> Alabama. We were very happy, and then I started getting phone calls fro=
m the
> Pastor Search Committee for a church in Tyler called Green Acres-I thou=
ght
> Green Acres was a television show! As we struggled with determining God=
's
> will about coming to serve at Green Acres, God used cir***stances, the =
voice
> of the Holy Spirit, and scripture. The cir***stances would be that whil=
e I
> was serving as a pastor in Birmingham, I was contacted by the Pastor
> Selection Committee. But the cir***stances were confusing, because I wa=
s
> very happy where I was and God was blessing our church. My brother live=
d in
> Alabama and my sister lived just over the Alabama line in Georgia. Cind=
y's
> parents and brother lived in Montgomery, and we didn't want to move awa=
y
> from them. We recently moved into a beautiful new home and were very
> happy-settled and content that we were in God's Will.
> =
> We knew nothing about Tyler, and thought it was like West Texas, flat a=
nd
> dry, but after the committee started visiting with us, Cindy opened her=
> latest issue of Southern Living and found an entire article on the rose=
s of
> Tyler-was God trying to tell us something? When I came in January to pr=
each
> in view of a call, I did not receive a unanimous vote; it was something=
like
> 94%. The other three churches I served had all been a unanimous vote so=
I
> wondered if God was using cir***stances to tell us not to come. Basical=
ly we
> were confused.
> =
> That Sunday evening we were at the staying at the Residence Inn down th=
e
> road, and had pretty much decided we would go back to our friends and f=
amily
> in Alabama, and to the church that had given us a unanimous call! We de=
cided
> we weren't supposed to leave our house, friends, and family and come he=
re
> where we didn't know anyone.
> =
> Late that night Cindy was reading her Bible as she does every day, and =
she
> yelled to me when she read a particular verse. It was Mark 10:29-30 and=
she
> was reading it out of the Bible she still uses. It says, "Assuredly, I =
say
> to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers, or sisters or f=
ather
> or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, w=
ho
> shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-houses and brothers an=
d
> sisters and mothers and children and lands-with persecution-and in the =
age
> to come, eternal life."
> =
> We were pretty blown away by that verse, but I still wasn't convinced. =
On
> Monday morning, some of the men asked if we could have a prayer meeting=
in
> what used to be our chapel. I really didn't want to pray about it, beca=
use I
> was fairly certain we weren't coming, but it looks bad if you refuse to=
> pray, so I reluctantly agreed. During that prayer meeting as some of th=
ose
> guys were weeping and praying, God broke my heart, and He spoke to me w=
ith
> that inner voice. His message was simple: "David, I want you here in Ty=
ler,
> if you don't obey me, I'll take my hand of blessing off of you." That d=
id
> it. I got up crying, the other men were crying, and we were hugging. I =
drove
> back to the Residence Inn, and when Cindy saw my tear swollen eyes, she=
> said, "Well, I guess we're staying." It didn't feel right, and there wa=
s
> plenty of opposition, but today, I am convinced it was God's will. When=
I
> lined up the three lights of cir***stances, the voice of the Holy Spiri=
t,
> and His Word-I knew this was His direction for us.
> =
> So when you face a shut door, first make sure God shut it. Then look fo=
r His
> open door but make sure you depend on His voice and His Word before you=
walk
> through any door.
> =
> There is another door in scripture God can't open-the door to your hear=
t. In
> Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock (=
it's
> the door of your heart). If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I=
will
> go in and eat with him, and he with me." In Holman Hunt's famous painti=
ng,
> "The Light of the World" Jesus is standing at a door knocking. Art crit=
ics
> pointed out that Hunt had made a mistake because there is no doorknob. =
Hunt
> corrected them by explaining that the door was the door to a person's h=
eart,
> and the only doorknob is on the inside. Jesus won't force His way throu=
gh
> the door of your heart. He is standing there, knocking, waiting, and as=
king
> to come into your life. Will you open your life to Him?
|
