DOORS OF DESTINY
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Late one night, a mugger wearing a ski mask jumped into the path of a well-dressed man and stuck a gun in his ribs. “Give me your money,” he demanded.
Indignant, the affluent man replied, “You can’t do this, I’m a politician!” “In that case,” replied the robber, “give me MY money!”
2. A frantic-looking woman came rushing out of her house and into the street crying, “Help! Help! My young son has swallowed a quarter and is choking and I don’t know what to do!”
Everyone looked the other way, except for a middle-aged gentleman who rushed into the ladies house, found her young son, turned him upside down and shook him until the coin fell out of his mouth.
“Oh, thank you!” cried the lady. “Are you a doctor?” “No ma’am,” replied the middle-aged man. “I work for the Internal Revenue Service.”
B. FUNNY EPISODES WITH PET DOORS
1. Cat refuses to let Dog in Pet Door (.15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g96AFEQ0DEM
2. Chubby Cat comes thru Door (.23)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKH-ZXdxRQI
3. Raccoon Comes through the door (1:32)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPmMangUrEA
4. We’re going to read about a Door God wants us to go through in the Book of Revelations.
C. TEXT
Revelation 3:7-8 “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. 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.”
D. IDENTIFYING THE “OPEN DOOR”
1. The Church at Philadelphia was a church for which Christ had no correction. It was a persecuted Church.
2. To them was given the singular promise given to Eliakim son of Hilkiah in Isaiah 22:22, replacing Shebna as caretaker of the House of God. God would “open a door that no man could shut.”
3. WHAT IS THIS PROMISE?
a. Not necessarily of financial prosperity;
b. Nor “ “ constant happiness;
c. Not of being popular with the World;
d. Or of always having perfect health.
The Philadelphia Church didn’t have all those things.
4. It was the Promise of a). God’s Favor, of b). spiritual growth into the likeness of Christ, and c). of opportunities to share Christ.
5. HOW WAS THE PHRASE “OPEN DOOR” USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
a. Acts 14:27 “On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
b. 1 Corinthians 16:9 “because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
c. 2 Corinthians 2:12 “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me”
d. Colossians 4:3 “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.”
6. DOOR (defined); “a usually swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed and opened”; “a means of access or participation; opportunity: “opens new door” “door to success.”
E. THESIS & TITLE
1. Jesus ended His prophecy to the Philadelphian Church, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the CHURCHES” Rev. 3:13. So this promise of an “open door” is not only for them, but for believers today!
2. We’re looking this morning at the “Doors of Destiny” that Jesus wants to open for us!
I. MISSING THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. In his autobiography, Just as I Am, Billy Graham tells about a conversation he had with John F. Kennedy shortly after his election:
“On the way back to the Kennedy house, the president-elect stopped the car and turned to me. QUES. ‘Do you believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?’ he asked. ANSWER:‘I most certainly do.’
QUES. ‘Well, does my church believe it?’ ANSWER: ‘They have it in their creeds.’
QUES. ‘They don’t preach it,’ he said. ‘They don’t tell us much about it. I’d like to know what you think.’
2. I explained what the Bible said about Christ coming the first time, dying on the Cross, rising from the dead, and then promising that he would come back again. ‘Only then,’ I said, ‘are we going to have permanent world peace.’ PRESIDENT: ‘Very interesting,’ he said, looking away. ‘We’ll have to talk more about that someday.’ And he drove on.”
3. Several years later, the two met again, at the 1963 National Prayer Breakfast. “I had the flu,” Graham remembers. “After I gave my short talk, and he gave his, we walked out of the hotel to his car together, as was always our custom. At the curb, he turned to me. ‘Billy, could you ride back to the White House with me? I’d like to see you for a minute.’
‘Mr. President, I’ve got a fever,’ I protested. ‘Not only am I weak, but I don’t want to give you this thing. Couldn’t we wait and talk some other time?’ It was a cold, snowy day, and I was freezing as I stood there without my overcoat. ‘Of course,’ he said graciously.”
4. But the two would never meet again. Later that year, Kennedy was shot dead. Graham comments, “His hesitation at the car door, and his request, haunt me still. What was on his mind? Should I have gone with him? It was an irrecoverable moment.” Just as I Am, Billy Graham.
B. 3 THINGS ABOUT MISSING A DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY
1. Bill Graham had a door of opportunity that he didn’t enter; he could have affected the destiny of a nation and most certainly the destiny of J F Kennedy.
2. Similarly, we have Doors of Opportunity too:
a. With our Kids, Grandkids;
b. With our Neighbors;
c. With our Co-Workers, etc.
3. We have Doors of Relationships, Doors to new Jobs, Doors for Ministry. We must go through those doors if God’s best will is to be accomplished.
4. One time I was called by some organization (many years ago) and asked if I would speak at their function. I declined the offer. Later, when I was praying, I clearly heard the Lord say, “When I open a door, you go through it!”
5. HGHF. In October we’re going to have a visitation from heaven. Many people are going to be saved. Many lives will be impacted. But sadly, many people here will bypass the opportunity and miss God’s will for their lives.
6. I mean ‘Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames.’ It’s 3 days of Hell-shaking ministry. We always are lacking young to middle age men. I want to ask some of you men to “Man-Up” and sign up to be a part. The rewards you’ll receive from Christ can’t be calculated.
7. The Blessing-Bus is coming; will you get on? I will!
II. GOD’S DESTINY FOR OUR LIVES
A. WE HAVE A CORPORATE DESTINY
As part of the Church, we have a corporate destiny to be people who a). WORSHIP God in spirit and truth, b). WITNESS and c). WORK. We can’t pick one and say we don’t do the others. We also have a personal destiny.
B. WE HAVE A PERSONAL DESTINY
1. By “Destiny” we don’t mean something predetermined that’s inevitable. That’s fatalistic. Destiny isn’t fixed, it’s open-ended. We have a free will. But God has a best will for us too.
2. Destiny is in our own hands as much as it is in the hands of God. We can have a Disastrous Destiny if we choose to live our lives without God and His priorities.
3. Or we can have a Delightful Destiny resulting from choosing to live to please God in and fulfill His plan for our lives. Jesus Christ came to change your destiny. To save you, to have a reason to live. Believe on Him!
4. Destiny, as I mean it, isn’t about your final Destination -- getting to Heaven; DESTINY IS ABOUT WHAT WE DO ON THE WAY.
C. FOUR SYMPTOMS OF A DERAILED DESTINY
1. Number One: You are spiritually stagnant if your Christian walk hasn’t changed much. You haven’t grown. You don’t sense the flow of the Spirit like you used to, and your prayers don’t seem that effective.
a. If you’ve ever seen the Dead Sea, you know that it’s dead, it actually stinks; it’s dead all around it and dead in it. Less than 100 miles north is the Sea of Galilee. It is one of the most beautiful sights you can imagine.
b. There’s life all around it and there’s life in it. There’s only one difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee has both an inlet and an outlet, but the Dead Sea only has an inlet.
c. If we want to be flowing with life, we must have both the inflow of the Spirit and the outflow of the Spirit.
2. Number Two: Your life is lived in your “comfort zone.” You’re living life only on the natural plane. You’re not attempting to step out with God in the miraculous.
a. Your potential is not been released: the gifts, skills, talents, life, and abilities God has put in you.
b. Jesus didn’t die to give you “fire in insurance”! If all He wanted to do was save you, then why did He leave you here? Because He has a redeemed destiny for you.
c. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water, we might say it was the boat of a stagnant experience, to walk on the waters of opportunity. God is calling us to step out of our boats and see what he will do.
d. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Many Christians have lost their vision of what God can do. God wants you to get you’re your “holy optimism. If you’re a Christian, you are an optimist!
e. Psychologists placed a pessimistic boy in a room full of toys. A few minutes later they returned to find the toys scattered all over the room and the boy sitting there with a pout on his face, saying, “There’s just nothing to do!”
f. Then they placed an optimistic boy in a room that contain nothing but a large pile of horse manure. When they returned a few minutes later, the optimistic boy was digging in the middle of the pile. When they asked him why, he replied, “With this much manure, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
g. I’ve got some good news for you – God’s got a pony for you! The devil wants to steal your miracle, but God is planning a blessing for you!
3. Number Three: You haven’t seen anyone saved through your personal Ministry recently.
a. Statistics say 95% of all Christians show no fruit of spiritual reproduction.
b. Why? Because we retreat into our Christian subculture: Christian schools, TV, radio, books, churches, social groups and have little contact with non-Christians.
c. How should you minister to unbelievers? Don’t drag them to church; instead, have fun with them.
d. Ladies take your unbelieving friends to the mall shopping. Men, go hunting, fishing, golfing, and to ballgames. It’s time to break out of our sub-culture and be fruitful for God!
4. Number Four: You have too many members in church! Now I have no problem with people being church members, however, this designation often cements people into a category of receiving Ministry.
a. The truth is, every Christian should be a minister. In Mark 16:17 did Jesus say, “And these signs shall accompany… the Pastor? or the board? or the Evangelist? No! Jesus said, “And these signs shall accompany those who have believed!”
b. God has miracles for everyone who believes. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, then God has ordained miracles for you and through you!
c. It is your destiny to meet needs, experience miracles, and destroy the works of the devil every day – through divine appointments of God.
III. FRESH VISION FOR OUR DOOR OF DESTINY
A. RECOGNIZING DIVINE APPOINTMENTS
1. Do you want a fresh anointing from God? All you have to do is learn how to cooperate with the Lord. “We serve the Lord by serving people.”
2. A miracle is when a need meets its solution. A miracle is a divine appointment, when a person with pain meets a person with the power of God within!
3. You are a miracle waiting to happen because you have God inside you, and He is waiting to meet someone’s needs through you!
B. YOU CAN BE A MISSIONARY WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR TOWN!
C. SEEING THE LOST SHEEP WITH JESUS’ EYES:
1. People are discouraged with their life.
2. People have no spiritual direction.
3. People are lonely.
4. People are weak and vulnerable.
5. People are hurt and wounded.
6. People feel condemned.
7. People are spiritually hungry.
CONCLUSION
A. AT RISK OF FALLING
1. If you go into hospitals now, it’s common to see patients wearing bright yellow bracelets on their wrist. It reads: Fall Risk. That phrase means: Watch this person carefully. She may be unsteady on her feet. Help her get from place to place.
2. First Corinthians 10 tells us we’re all susceptible to “Fall Risks.” We all have a potential to fall into sin.
3. Paul even said, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (vv. 11–12).
4. It’s easy to trick ourselves into believing that we’re done with a particular sort of sin. But we need to admit our problem, repent, and recommit ourselves to following God’s ways.
5. Temptation may come calling. Our part is to respond to His offer of escape. God has set up “exit ramps” for your temptation, but you must take the exit! [DB 8/22/16 Jennifer Benson Schuldt]
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Destiny is All about Progressing and Prospering. We’re not supposed to stay the same, but be progressing.
2. Destinies are Missed because of Distractions. Are you being distracted from fulfilling God’s destiny for your life?
3. Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” Revelation 3:20. God will open many doors for us, but there is one door we must open for Him – the door of our hearts! Have you opened your heart’s door to the Lord yet?
4. HOW MANY OF YOU WANT GOD TO OPEN DOORS OF MINISTRY THIS WEEK? STAND.
[I originally wrote this years ago and may have used material on this site. Please let me know if I used your material and I will gladly give you credit. Thanks.]
