Knock Knock: What’s behind door #1
Revelations 3:7-8 “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.”
3 things about walking through the right doors.
1. Don’t give up on unopened doors
Just because a door is not open doesn’t mean it is closed.
Luke 11:5 “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you
keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[d] 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Opportunities usually come with lots of opposition.
I Corinthians 16:9 “There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.”
2. Don’t knock down closed doors
2 reasons God closes a door…
- It’s not the right thing:
Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
b. Its not the right time:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 “For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.2
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.3
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.4
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.5
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.6
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.7
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.8
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful
for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. 14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.”
When God closes a door it’s for your protection.
Psalm 91:1 MSG “Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. “
3. Pray for wisdom to know the difference
Luke 10:38 “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
The difficulty is not finding something to do, the real difficulty is in determining what are the most important things to do.
How do I know if something is a good decision?
2 things…
- do my homework:
Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
b. let the HS do His work
Acts 15:28 “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”