March 26 2017 - When God Closes a Door...

This week, we are looking at the church in Philadelphia. The preceding church – all Jesus had to say was – You think you’re alive, but you’re dead – and I’m going to destroy you!

Revelation 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

The Church in Philadelphia was a small church with little influence. The city itself had a very strong Jewish population that had power and influence in the city. In the church – throughout the Roman world – there are many Jewish Christians who remained connected with the synagogues in their city. And in Philadelphia, the synagogue officials have shut out the Jewish Christians. This has a profound effect – because, through the synagogue, the Christians had been able to participate in the socio-economic stuff in the city – and now they are no longer able to do that.

The situation is tenuous at best – they are experiencing some persecution – but they remained faithful to the Lord through it all. In this one – there is no “I have this against you.”

Jesus is the true One – the Holy One – and He has the keys of David. David – to them – was the king – and so Jesus had the keys to the kingdom. Though the synagogue officials shut you out and lock the door – I am the one with the true keys.

You’ve probably heard the phrase – God will close one door to open another. And we probably have anecdotes in our lives. But what I have also seen – is God may close one door – to close another door – to close another door. And both are true.

But when we think of doors opening and closing – we think of opportunities in this world. But that is not what Jesus is talking about here. This is a completely different door.

The church in Philadelphia has had all the doors of this world closed to them. But Jesus has opened another door of opportunity in HIS kingdom. It is a door of service to the king. Often what God does – He shuts doors of power and opportunity and advancement in this world – to open a door for us to serve in His kingdom. This is important – because when all is going well – health, finances, career – relationships – things are looking up – the tendency is to forget God and no longer need Him.

God warned Israel – when you go into the Promised Land – and all the blessings have come true – don’t forget Me! Because that is human nature.

We go to church – we tithe – and all is going well – THAT is the situation to be most careful regarding – because you begin to think – I can love God and love all my stuff. But Jesus says – you cannot do both – we talked about it two weeks ago. You cannot love and worship God and stuff.

It is okay to prosper, they say – but it is never okay to love our prosperity. Because it will always take the place of God if we love it.

I think we have allowed culture to define what an open door is. When doors open in that way – we think God is on our side – “I just got the job I always wanted, God is on my side”! But when the door closes, we think God is mad at me. We confuse God’s gifts and simple good fortune – and God’s grace, favor and love. God’s grace, favor and love are often most displayed when all the doors are shut – but that is hard for us to imagine.

God does His best work through our weaknesses and limitations. Through our closed doors – He works best

2 Cor. 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When we are limited – is THAT when we think we are strongest? In order to do this – we need to acknowledge and admit our weaknesses. We think we need to appear strong – to act like we are in charge and have everything under control.

If we want to experience God’s power and grace in our lives – we need to say – we don’t have it.

We need to admit that it is okay that we have limitations – to be content in it.

We need to seek to discover – instead of resourcing our limitations – we need to first discover how God might want to reveal His grace and power in our lives.

A few examples – most of us know people with physical disabilities who have incredible testimonies of doing amazing things – they don’t let those disabilities hold them back.

People with health issues who bear up under it with incredible grace.

Marital struggles – I have heard – a lot of times we look for marriage help – we look to experts – people who have put together books and videos – but I know of folks who have really struggled here in our church – but God in His grace and [power have gotten them through it. And they are some of the best teachers. We always learn from those who have struggled – the experts don’t have much to say to the real people of the world. If they are EXPERTS – they got there because they weren’t.

We know those who have experienced tremendous grief and loss. Incredible testimony. We think we could not do it. It is in those situations that God’s grace and power flow in and flood us.

We are always trying to be powerful and strong and having it all together – but we will never experience it if we don’t allow God’s power to work.

Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, 'Our own strength has delivered us.' 3 Now, announce to the men, 'Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.'" Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained. 4 The LORD spoke to Gideon again, "There are still too many men.

They are going against hundreds of thousands – and the few they had did not seem like too many.

We all possess power and resources that are preventing us from experiencing God’s power.

One of the things I do as part of my job in life – I preach sermons. God has graciously given me the ability to research and study and read – I devour it – I have that capacity in me to do that. But every week – there comes a point where I have to say, STOP! Get rid of all of that! And I have to say, No, I am not going to rely on this at all – but God, what do You want to say?

God has given each of us abilities – and it is so easy to trust it and rely on that – and the minute we do that, we are dead – it is over. Instead, we need to examine the areas – intellectual? Material? Relational? In what areas do you have power that you might rely on? You might want to remove it from your life. Not always literally – if you are relying on your spouse – you can’t get rid of your spouse! ~

Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more.

(God will eventually remove our power and resources)

When I say, 'This one should go with you,' pick him to go; when I say, 'This one should not go with you,' do not take him." 5 So he brought the men down to the water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink."

6 Three hundred men lapped; the rest of the men kneeled to drink water. 7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men should go home."

God places us in positions where only trust in Him will work. He likes to bring us to a point where it seems impossible to get the desired outcome – and that is scary! But God wants us to get to a point where we have to say, God did it! We can choose to move to that point where God will do it.

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Poor in Spirit – we have turned it into a thing of spiritual poverty – and we see it as a praiseworthy characteristic. That is not what Jesus is doing here. IN the context, Jesus is looking over the crowd – look at all these people. Most who have come are simply not spiritually qualified. Blessed are those who are spiritually unqualified for the kingdom because the kingdom belongs to them.

The people who were drawn to Jesus had no spiritual qualifications. And those who had those qualifications had no interest in following.

Blessed are YOU – who have had every door closed for you – because yours is the kingdom of God.

Sometimes today – the church likes to draw the proud, the accomplished – the self-sufficient – but Jesus loved to draw those who were limited and weak.

9 I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying-- I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.

This is probably an image of Joseph and his brothers bowing at his feet.

10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

Patient endurance- - this is a word for our day. People are locking doors and forcing others open. Our tendency – use whatever power or influence we have to make sure our way is happening – because our way is the best. But Jesus says that this church in Philadelphia patiently endured – and we need to learn patient endurance.

Dallas Willard calls it the “Gentle nonconformity to evil” – unleashes God’s power and grace in incredible ways. The history of the church is an unbelievable story of how God grew and expanded the church when it had no power and influence. In every circumstance where the church had little power, it grew like wildfire – and every time it got power – its growth stopped.

The first century – they had no influence – 60 ad to 312, until Constantine made the empire “Christian” – we see incredible growth. Constantine takes over – and from that point on – the only time growth happened was when Christians removed themselves from the established church. Benedict, Anthony, Francis – Luther, Calvin – they were set up by those before them. This October is the 500^th anniversary of the reformation.

John Wesley – in an incredible movement of God – was banned from the pulpit and went out to the coal mines and started preaching there. This was one of the greatest time of growth.

One of the greatest – 1949 when all Christians were ordered out of China. All the Chinese Christian leaders were either locked up or killed – and now there are 120 million Christians in China. Every door was closed. And in that circumstance, God’s power is unleashed. It is not just about church growth – but ours as well. When the doors close, you can know that God’s grace and power are about to be released.