When God Closes a Door...
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· 10 viewsWhat are some popular Christian sayings we use? "When God closes a door, He opens a window." "You are never more safe than when you're in the center of God's will." "God will not give you more than you can handle." Are these true? Jesus' words to the Church in Philadelphia challenges all these sayings.
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Honoring Max and Cathy...
Turn to Revelation chapter 3 verse 7.
Think of some popular Christian cliches or sayings that we use…all the time...
Let me give you some example:
When God closes a door…he opens a what…a window… That’s cute isn’t it? Is it true? Is it sorta true, does it depend?
You are never more safe than when you’re in God’s will. Is it true? sorta true? depend?
Let Go and (scream for your life) and Let Go and Let God.
God will not give you more than you can handle.
God helps those who help themselves
are there others? I am sure there are.
Are these true?
I won’t be able to address every single cliche today...
BUT
the passage we are in in the book of Revelation will help.
Please turn to the book of Revelation chapter 3 verse 7.
Jesus is writing to 7 seven churches in Asia (modern day Turkey), and he has a specific message for each church.
This particular church is the city of Philadephia.
Please stand as I read:
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
so let’s see how well you were listening....
couple questions:
Did Jesus say anything negative about the church? No. There are only 2 churches that don’t receive anything negative;
Smyrna
and now Philadelphia
Here is a guess—is the church of Philadelphia—would we as American churches in the 21st century, call it an IMPRESSIVE CHURCH?
probably not at 1st glance…we have to read betwen the lines
verse 8 says they have little strength
it’s like they are holding on.
vs.8-9 talk about the Philadelphians keeping God’s Word, not denying his name.
look at vs. 9
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Now, to be clear, the Bible is not against Jewish people—but there is a particular group who is bringing intense pressure and persecution on them.
Revelation A Door Opened for Salvation
It is not hard to imagine ways in which the church of Philadelphia was weak. The people may have come largely from lower economic and social classes. They probably did not have influence with the government or great material resources, and their numbers may have been fairly small. But their spiritual attainments contained a great power, as they preached and obeyed the Bible and continued their witness to Christ. In all these respects, the Philadelphians faced a world not much different from that facing believers today.
so it is probably not an impressive church that most of us would flock to…or choose in our consumeristic society.
“let’s go to a church being persecuted...”
“Let’s go a church that has to persevere and struggle…that feels weak...”
but Jesus commends it, encourages it, and pleads to keep going.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
so back to some of our Christian cliches.
Jesus’ words of encouragement actually challenge some of our Christian cliches.
think of that 1st cliche:
Cliche #1: When God closes a door…he opens a window.
now, sometimes I get why we use those phrases. maybe an opportunity presented itself in your life, maybe a new job or ministry, circumstance, but then “bam” it shut. and it may not make sense why it shut. a phrase like this can remind us that God is still in control. He can open up other opportunities.
and it’s good to remember also open doors for opportunities may not be good. think of Jonah and the whale—when he disobeyed God—went in the opposite direction and just happened to find a ship sailing away from Nineveh—he could have said “Here’s an open door.”
and closed doors, continual ones, aren’t always bad either. sometimes God want us to be persistent.
but this cliche technically is not in the Bible.
In fact, look at how our passage uses the phrase open doors.
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
what does Jesus mean by open doors here? when we use the phrase open doors—we often think of the next steps in our lives? a decision, a big opportunity.
here he means at least 2 things:
#1 He means the door of salvation, or God’s kingdom
when Jesus says — he holds the keys of David—and what He opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open—he is talking about how He is the one who controls entrance into God’s eternal kingdom of salvation. and eternal life. He holds the keys—it is only through Him—the way, the truth, and the life that we are saved.
He says he is a door or a gate John 10:9
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
and this would have been so encouraging for the Philadelphians—why?
because it felt like they were outsiders. They were excluded. They were persecuted. they weren’t advancing in society. they felt powerless.
Jesus. says--- “Hey, i know what your circumstances feel like—but change your perspective. I am still the key holder. I am still the one who enables entrance into the kingdom of God. I am the real one who includes people into my kingdom, and if people reject me, I exclude them. so remember, that I am the one controlling your ultimate destiny in the kingdom of God!” and you are in my kingdom—no one can take that way.
so when open doors is used here—it is talking about entrance into God’s kingdom—and if you are in Christ—you are secure—b/c He grants it. no one is going to mess with that.
btw--and if you are not a believer—God is placing before you an open door—are you going to enter? are you going to give your life to King Jesus? what are you waiting for?
#2 another things he means by open doors is an opportunity for witness. look at verse 8.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
i have placed before you an open door. In the NT—when the idea of an open door, spiritually speaking is an opportunity to witness to others for Christ.
27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
and so Jesus encourages them--
remember—I have the keys—I control the door to eternal life—you are in and secure. people are messing with you—they ain’t gonna mess with that.
and remember—I have an opportunity that despite your little strength and persecution—you can actually witness for me. you may not feel like this is an opportune time, but it is—to talk about Jesus.
so back to the phase—when God closes a door, he opens a window. it’s not the worst phrase in the world—but this passage challenges it—
because open doors refer to entrance to God’s kingdom and opportunities for ministry and witness even during hard times.
Let’s apply this to us.
how many of you sometimes feel excluded in your family…in this community…even in this church....we can feel that way. It’s hard.
Jesus say “Hey I have the keys. You belong to me. You are in my kingdom.”
and he also says—I have placed before you an open door. no it may not be for a better job, a new circumstance or opportunity, but for witness.
there is something really powerful about our witness—that if we are suffering, if we are facing some type of adversity or opposition, and we point people to Jesus Christ, that is powerful.
In fact, it’s so powerful that look at verse 9 again.
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Jesus says that those people who are persecuting you, if you testify about me, I will make them come and fall at your feet—meaning that they will turn to Christ, they will recognize that they were wrong and need Christ.
so as we think about open doors today....
what open doors of ministry and witness do you have? even if you feel like you have little strength…could it be that God wants to use you?
think about open doors to share the Gospel — some practical tips---to share Christ
Tip #1:
let people know that you are a Christian—do the people that you reach out…do they know…that you are a Christian and that you like it. one of my mentors called that letting the cat out of the bag…that can open a door.
Tip #2:
offer to pray for someone. If you have a co-worker struggling or a friend or family, you can say, “Hey, may I pray for you RIGHT NOW?” turn to your neighbor and say that “may I pray for you?” that can open a door.
tip #3
invite them—to church, your SS class or group, Brianna’s Hope. Invitations to church things can really open doors. invite them to read the book of Mark with you in the Bible and discuss. and if you don’t know an answer when they ask a question, say “I don’t know. I will ask Pastor Mike.”
tip #4
send them a resource, a message, a podcast, or sermon (doesn’t have to be my sermons—send them a better preacher than me)
tip #5
trust Christ
look at verse 9
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
I will make them—Christ will do it. we are going to talk about Christ’s power and all things predestination and election—how God chooses people for salvation this Wednesday at Ripples—not too late to join.
Remember
your suffering is an opportunity for witness. suffering is hard. you may be going through a difficult time—but when you go through dark times, that is when the light of Christ can shine. how can you shine brightly for Christ during really hard times?
let me tackle one more Christian cliche.
Cliche #2: “You’re never more safe than when you’re in God’s will.”
and related—that if God opens a door—it will be easy.
Now in some ways that is true.
It is always true spiritually speaking.
look at verse 7 again.
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
That is spiritually true—that no matter what man may do to us—spiritually speaking we are always safe. no one can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
look at verse 10:
10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Jesus promises to keep them from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
there are a couple ways this is interpreted:
one way by some Christians is that this must mean what is called THE RAPTURE. That at the end—things will get really bad on the earth, and before that God will rapture or take up immediately all the Christians in an instant. WE will be raptured. and our clothes will be left behind in a big pile, and then the Great Tribulation will come. This is one popular view. and it may be right. for the longest time, I thought that’s what this verse meant.
however, I no longer hold that. while I do believe that there will be a Great Tribulation of some kind towards the end. and btw-you are free to disagree with me. Here is what I mean: “Note that Christ is speaking here primarily of spiritual rather than physical protection, for nowhere in Revelation are believers promised immunity from physical suffering—indeed, as the letters already studied make clear, they are to expect it. Paul also frequently makes the same point (Rom. 8:35–39; 2 Cor. 4:16–5:10; Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24, etc.). The words spoken by Christ here (that He will keep them from testing) are the same words He used in John 17:15, the only other place in the NT where the phrase (tereō ek) occurs. There Jesus prayed, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” In John 16:33, Jesus promises believers peace in the midst of certain tribulation. According to Jesus’ words, therefore, believers will endure physical suffering, but will be kept spiritually safe in the midst of it.
Therefore, this verse does not speak of a physical rapture before the beginning of a coming “Great Tribulation.” Rather, it refers to Christ’s protection through the end-time tribulation, which had already started in the first century and would become worse as the final end neared (Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H. (2015). Revelation: A Shorter Commentary (p. 86). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)
hear what that is saying? Christ will protect us spiritually through it, so we won’t fall away, so we will endure—so that we will not deny Christ and can enter his kingdom—so that we will not be marked by Satan or man or the beast. Jesus is promising them and us THAT! we are not guaranteed protection physically all the time.
even if we go through a Great Tribulation, we are not guaranteed protection from man’s wrath, but we are guaranteed protection from God’s wrath.
so back to this phrase— “You’re never more safe than when you’re in God’s will.”
It’s always true spiritually
not always true physically.
if God calls you to something, it doesn’t mean it will be easy. in fact, we have an enemy, the devil and kingdom of darkness.
there are people against Christ.
we live in a fallen world.
opposition may come and hinder the progress, blocking the door—but take heart—Jesus will help us endure and he can open what others shut for effective Gospel ministry.
Either way—Christ helps us endure to the end.
We have looked at 2 Christian cliches.
When God closes a door, he opens a window...
You’re never more safe than when you are in the center of god’s will.
and God certainly gave them more than they can handle but not more than He can handle.
I don’t have time for the rest.
I think these 2 statements redefined help us have perspective and perseverance in the Christian life.
b/c we are not good at that. we are not good at sticking with something, persevering...
If you want to get good a sport…you have to practice, persevere, work out and work hard even when you don’t feel like it—getting in shape is hard work...
same is true in music—I am watching 2 of our kids persevere sometimes begrudgingly in piano lessons. It takes a lot of repetition and endurance
to gain a valuable skill in the workplace—it takes education and experience—and sometimes we give up before we get there
both these cliches help us—reminding us that Jesus—He is in charge of the doors of his kingdom. He opens doors of effective Gospel ministry.
they give us perspective that life will not always be easy—yet it is worth it. we are not guaranteed smooth sailing. but we are guaranteed spiritual protection.
I want to end by thinking about Jesus. He also helps us persevere.
Let me read verses 7-13 thinking about Jesus
vs. 8 Jesus knows what little strength is like. as he was in the Garden praying before he went to the cross. yet he said not my will but yours be done.
as he hung on the cross bleeding crying out—It is finished.
he kept the Father’s Word to the end. finishing.
because He died and rose again he has all authority—the key of David—to control the kingdom of God.
open doors — Jesus regularly took advantage of all the open doors of Gospel ministry that He had in his life. He was the perfect model of open door ministry—even in the cross—God opened doors for him to forgive the thief on the cross.
vs. 10 he endured the worst hour of trial. he was not kept from the worst hour of trial in every way possible.
and let me read verses 11-13. Look at what Jesus can do
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
that crown is the crown of salvation.
that pillar—the city of Philadelphia was famous for experiencing severe earthquakes! The church was being shaken spiritually in many ways. Jesus says that if you persevere in his kingdom—he will make you an unshakeable pillar…in the temple…meaning you have full access to God. Jesus was shaken on the cross so you could be so secure in Him.
he says he will write a name on us—3x!
He will identify us---we are His!
Jesus gained this for us—b/c on the cross—he was shaken—as he became sin for us in our place. On the cross he was undone, so we could be secure in Christ.
Application:
open doors—who can you share the gospel with this week—and point to Jesus?