The message today is one that I believe is going to challenge traditional thinking in the Body of Christ.
How many of you have heard the following statements and, perhaps, even said them?
? When God opens a door no one can close it.
? When God closes a door no one can open it.
? When one door closes God opens another one.
Don’t raise your hand (like I can really see you if you do?): do you tend to agree with these statements?
Let’s consider “Open Doors” first.
? What do we mean when we say “God opens a door”? Let’s be honest. Most of the time we say “God has opened a door” because it something that we really, really wanted.
? Is a door open because it’s something that we want to do?
? Was a door that was previously closed now open because God opened it?
? And this raises another question: how did we know the door was closed? And what was the reason for the door being closed?
? Do we believe that when something good happens it’s a sign that God has opened a door?
Now, let’s consider “Closed Doors” for a moment.
? What do we mean when we say “God closed the door”? Again, let’s be honest. Many Christians will say things like “I wanted that job but God closed the door. I guess He didn’t because it was the best thing for me.”
? Is the door closed because we believe God has our backs and is keeping something from us that can hurt us? Is that why the door is closed?
? Or, is the door closed because we want it so much but God says “no, not now”?
Many of us pray and when our prayers are not answered we say “It wasn’t in God’s timing.” Or “God is saying ‘no’ to this prayer”. Or “God is saying I need to ‘wait’.
Why do we say God opens and closes doors in our lives? How do we even know it is God who is doing this? More than likely, we believe that God opens and closes doors in our lives because we have been taught this by someone we trust and respect. And oftentimes that someone is our parents, grandparents, another relative or the pastor.
If we subscribe to the notion that closed doors are now being opened or open doors are now being closed by someone other than us, is it possible that God isn’t the only spiritual being who can open and close doors in our lives?
This is going to be the challenging part.
If God opens and closes doors in our lives, this raises some very serious and troubling questions:
? If God is opening and closing doors in our lives, doesn’t that mean He is making decisions for us?
? If God is opening and closing doors in our lives, doesn’t that mean He is taking away our options? Think about this for a moment. Based on what we say this issue, when God opens a door and I cannot close it. Right? And when God closes a door, I cannot open it. Do you see this?
? If God is opening and closing doors in our lives, doesn’t that mean He is violating our free will when He does this?
Let’s take this line of thinking a little further, shall we?
? Suppose I don’t want the door that God has opened for me. Can I refuse to walk through it? Am I allowed to seek “another door”?
? Suppose God has closed a door and I disagree with His decision. Can I walk through it anyway? Will I receive an electrical shock like the dog who tries to walk through an invisible fence?
Why do many Christians believe it is God who is opening and closing doors in their lives? Why is it that they rarely, if ever, consider the enemy of the soul as also being capable of opening and closing doors in their lives?
God is a spirit. Satan is a spirit. So, if God can open and close doors in our lives, doesn’t it stand to reason that Satan can do the same thing?
Is it possible, ladies and gentlemen, that neither God nor the enemy of the soul is opening and closing doors in our lives? Is it?
The answer is yes, it is possible.
When we say “God opens a door” or “God closes a door” it implies that we have no choice in the matter. It implies that we believe God, and God alone, controls “the doors” and that He is pulling the strings in our lives and that we’re merely the puppets on the strings.
It also implies, ladies and gentlemen, that to God we are nothing more than chess pieces that He can move at will for His own pleasure.
After all, He’s God and He’s in control. Nothing happens without His approval or His say-so. Right? Isn’t that what we hear all the time?
Here’s how we typically view an open or closed door:
? An open door is something God approves or supports.
? A closed door is something God does not approve or support.
Here are some questions we must answer.
• How do we know what God supports? Are there times when a “door” with God is always open? In other words, are there things that we can identify in scripture that God always supports?
• How do we know what God doesn’t support? Are there times when a “door” with God is always closed? Again, are there things we can identify in scripture that God never supports?
Who initiates the action?
We’re going to read several passages of scripture and a key point to keep in mind is who initiates the action. Is God the initiator? Or is the person the initiator? Knowing the difference is critical.
Let’s begin with Proverbs 3:5 and 6.
(5) Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
What is the door in this verse? It’s the door that allows God to direct our paths. How do we access this door? We access it by trusting him. We access it by not relying on what we know or what we can do. And we access it by acknowledging Him in everything. When we do these things, the door to His guidance is always open. It never closes!
Now let’s look at Romans 8:29-32.
(29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, then he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
What is the door in this verse? It’s God freely giving us all things. How do we access this door? We access it by continuing conforming to the image of His Son. Do you see this? This door is always open, ladies and gentlemen. If we are not seeing this door open, it’s not because God has closed it. Could it be we are not doing everything we can to look like Jesus?
Now turn to John 2:1-5. What we’re about to read, for Barry, are five of the most powerful verses in scripture.
(1) And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. (2) And both Jesus was called and his disciples, to the marriage. (3) And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. (4) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. (5) His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. When they did the “whatsoever” that Jesus told them to do, what happened? They got wine. The door is always open with God to receive what we need in life when we do what He tells us to do. Always!
We’re in John, go to chapter 11 and we’re going to read verses 41 and 42.
41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Do you see this? What does Jesus say? “Father, I thank thee that hearest me always.” Turn to First John 5:14.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hearest us.
What is the door in these passages? Answered prayer. How do we access the door? We pray according to his will. Do you understand why Jesus prayed the way he did? And notice the verse says this is the confidence that we have in him. Was Jesus “in him”? Was He “in the Father”? Yes. Jesus never got “out of him”. Jesus was always aligned with the Father. When we are “in him” – when we are in Jesus like Jesus was in the Father – the doors are always open to us.
We’re going to see this stated differently in Ephesians 1:3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
What is the door? Spiritual blessings. Where are the spiritual blessings? They are in Christ. That word in, just like the ones we read earlier, means “a place of rest, a place of complete dependence”. How do we access the door of spiritual blessings? We access this door when we are at rest in Him, when we are completely dependent upon Him. That door, ladies and gentlemen, is always open!
Let’s go to Hebrews 4:14-16.
(14) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
(Let us hold fast our profession of what? Go to Hebrews 10:23. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith...” What do we have to do ladies and gentlemen? We must have a firm grip on what we believe! We can’t be unsure. We have to know!)
(15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore (because we’re holding fast our profession of faith) come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
What is the door in this passage? It is God mercy and grace. How do we access this door? We must come boldly to the throne of grace believing we will find what we need. When we come boldly before the throne of grace, we will obtain mercy and find the grace we need to deal with whatever we’re dealing with. When? All the time. That door is always open with God! When we go to Him for help, He never says “no”. Never!
Now look at 1 Corinthians 14:2.
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
The Bible says that when we speak in tongues we are having a conversation with our Heavenly Father. It’s not just one way. It’s back and forth. When we pray in tongues that is always the case. That door is always open. Now how often do you open that door?
One more verse about open doors and, ladies and gentlemen, please read this verse carefully. Second Corinthians 1:20 says “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”
What is the door? All the promises of God! How do we access this door? When we are in him, when we are resting in Jesus, when we are staying put in Jesus. There’s no praying and God not answering it! There’s no praying and God telling us to wait. All the promises in him are yea and Amen. It’s not maybe God will answer this prayer.
What is the issue? We are not staying in him. If God is not answering prayers in our lives, if God is not moving in our lives, we may want to ask ourselves “Are we staying in Him?”
What does it mean to be in him?
Let’s look at a couple of verses that defined for Jesus what it meant to be in the Father. But before we do, let me remind you of the definition of the word in. It means “a place of rest, a place of complete dependence” – in the passages we’re going to read, it’s Jesus’ complete dependence on the Father.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. (John 5:19)
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30)
Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (John 7:16)
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)
These verses show us what it meant to Jesus to be in him, to be in the Father. These verses show us what it means to be in him, to be in Jesus.
• When we are in him, we do what we have seen Jesus do; and we see what Jesus did in the four gospels.
• When we are in him, we seek to do the Father’s will.
• Now this is a big one: When we are in him what we believe agrees completely with everything the Father believes. Period.
• When we are in him, we always do what pleases the Father.
Based on what we’ve read, does God open doors for us? Based on what we’ve read, are doors already open and just waiting for us to walk through them? We have seen in scripture that God has opened doors to such things as His guidance, blessings mercy and grace among others.
We decide whether or not to walk through those doors and what determines our ability to walk through them is how much of our lives are being lived in him. Our relationship with Jesus is what gives us access to God’s open doors.
Closed Doors
Now, is there a time when the “door” with God is always closed? Again, as we read these passages keep in mind who it is that initiates the action.
Look at Proverbs 14:12.
There is a way (a path, a road) which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
What door is closed? The door that leads to life. How was it closed? The person followed what seemed right to him. For example, the person who believes God doesn’t have a problem with killing babies in the womb is walking a path that seems right to him. A person who believes God’s love allows for same-sex marriage is walking a path that seems right to her.
Why are the ways of man the ways of death? They are ways that are in total opposition to God’s ways. That’s why they lead to death. That’s why they lead to our ruin. If our ways are not God’s ways the door to God’s blessings is closed. Always. We have closed the door because the way we are living is not in agreement with what God desires of us.
Turn to Proverbs 28:9.
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
What is the door? Answered prayer. Why is the door closed? We have turned away our ears from following the voice of our new nature. We are not listening to the conviction that rises up in our new nature when we are disagreeing with God and His ways. God cannot answer our prayers when we are in rebellion to Him. Our rebellion, ladies and gentlemen, closes that door.
Turn to Jeremiah 2:13. By the time we get to verse 13, God has talked about all of the things He’s done for the children of Israel including how He brought them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. But when they got to the Promised Land, the children of Israel, as my mom used to say, started “showing their butts”.
When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior we were taken out of our spiritual Egypt, the sin nature, and brought into our Promised Land – the new birth. The kingdom of darkness is no longer our spiritual home. We live in the kingdom of God’s dear Son. We now live in the kingdom that’s filled with light – God’s love. This is now our home!
Many Christians are “showing their butts”. They are agreeing with the ways of man more than they are with the ways of God. God has kept His promise – eternal life that does not include the lake of fire – and yet many Christians still think and live as if they’re not born again. If they don’t change ladies and gentlemen, they’re headed for an eternal that includes the lake of fire.
God is the fountain of living waters.
Back to Jeremiah 2. Let’s begin with verse 11.
(11) Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
(The Body of Christ has taken the life and nature that I have given them and put it on the shelf. They have chosen to depend on man and what man can do rather than believe Me and My Word.)
(12) Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye desolate, saith the Lord. (13) For my people (He’s talking to us ladies and gentlemen.) have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
The children of Israel rejected the fountain of living waters so they could live by their own doctrines, their own beliefs, their own standards of right and wrong – their own cisterns, the barrels that they fill with their own water. And the Lord says your cisterns are broken.
Are we not seeing this today in the Body of Christ? Society has become the voice many Christians listen too rather than the voice of the Lord, which speaks loudly and clearly in scripture.
What is the door in this passage? The fountain of living waters. Who is closing the door? We are when we choose to live by our own waters.
People love to quote John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Amen! Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know of any other door to God in the Bible that is as wide open as this one. Nothing comes close. Whenever a person comes to God for everlasting life, the door swings open so fast that the gust of wind salvation’s door produces can nearly knock the person down! Always. Always. Always.
But people don’t often read down to verse 18.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I pray that you see what this verse is saying. What is the door in this verse? Eternal life without condemnation. Who is closing the door? The person who never believes or confesses Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
The Bible says this person will spend an eternity in the lake of fire, which was originally reserved for Satan, his angels, hell and death, and the antichrist. There is no get out of “the lake of fire” free card. There is no repentance. It’s too late.
Our decisions can close doors to God.
Based on what we’ve read, who determines whether or not a door is closed with God? Again, the decisions we make determine whether or not a door is closed to God’s blessings and promises.
But Bro. Barry, what about Paul when he wanted to go Bithynia in Acts 16? Didn’t God close that door? Let’s find out. Acts 16:6-10.
(6) Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
(“See, God does close doors!” Are you sure? “Yes, he told Paul he couldn’t go to Asia. Sounds like a door slamming shut to me, Bro. Barry.” Yes, the Lord did forbid Paul to preach in Asia. But based on what we say about God and doors– “When God closes a door no one can open it” – Paul would not have had a choice in the matter, right? Would God have violated Paul’s free will to disobey Him and go to Asia? No. Has God ever violated your free will? No. Paul could have decided to go anyway. He could have gone to Asia but he would have been in disobedience and out of God’s will.)
(7) After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not,
(Could Paul have gone anyway? Yep. Would he have been outside of God’s will? Yep. Would he have been in rebellion? Yep. Would he have been stupid? Yep.)
(8) And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. (9) And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. (10) And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
What happens to Paul when he goes to Macedonia? He’s put in prison. So God opens the door for him to go to prison. Is that right? I can hear Paul now “Lord, what doors are you opening today?” And God says, “Prison.” And Paul says, “Hold up. Can we talk about this God? Please?”
Paul recognizes the dream as the Holy Spirit leading him. He is obedient and because of that the church at Philippi is established. And this church would be Paul’s biggest financial supporter for the rest of his ministry. The Lord simply told Paul where he wanted him to go. Paul had a choice. Obey or disobey.
Do we truly know our Father’s will for our lives?
When we say that God opens and closes doors in our lives, we’re saying we don’t know our Father’s will for us. We’re saying we haven’t spent enough time with our Father to know His heart. We are saying: God made the decision for me because I would not have made the same decision on my own.
God can open doors and He can close doors. He’s God. He can do whatever He wants. But the question is not what He can do, the question is what will He do? And we know from the Bible that God is not going to overstep our ability to decide for ourselves. If He was going to do that, He would have done that in Genesis 3.
Remember Genesis 1:26?
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
If we are just like Him, except we are not deity, then should we not already know what is and what is not God’s will for our lives? Shouldn’t we already know the doors He has opened and the doors we are closing?
Earlier I said one way to view open or closed doors is as God’s giving or withholding His approval. How do we know if something is okay or not okay with God? How can we know for sure? Let’s end this lesson with Romans 2:13-15.
(13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law [those who have the ability to do it] shall be justified. (14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (15) Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness [with the law written in our hearts], and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
We get accused by our new nature before we do the act, not afterwards. We get accused by our new nature while we’re thinking about doing something wrong. If we feel our peace disrupted on the inside, the answer is “no”, not maybe, not in a couple of weeks. That is what these verses are saying.
We are sons of God!
When we say it is God who determines whether or not we are allowed to do something – when we say God opens doors or God closes doors – we diminish who we are as His sons. We are the ones responsible for knowing when God is giving us the “green light” and when He is giving us the “red light”.
Either way, we are the ones who make decision to obey or not obey God and His Word. So ladies and gentlemen, does God open or close doors in our lives? No, He does not. We open and close doors in our lives by how we respond to our new nature. God is not going to tell us what we can and cannot do. He has already equipped us with a nature that knows right from wrong. He has empowered us to know what is and what is not of Him. That makes us special ladies and gentlemen
