Closed Doors - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. What if the Father had said yes? Where would you be? Where would I be?

Where would all of us be? God said no to His Son, which enabled God to say yes to every human being who put their trust in His Son and what He did on that cross. A closed door can not only be a good thing, a closed door can be a great thing. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. This past week I was reading a biography about a young man who was born in abject poverty and he resolved that one day he wouldn't be poor. He was a really hard worker and not from his teenage years on when he worked, no matter how little he was paid, he always found a way to save some of it. And so he saved all that he could and he decided that he wanted to go into business for himself. So he took his savings and he had to put it with two other things. He had to put it with a partner and he had to borrow as much money as a lender would give him to start a grocery store. Now, one of the problems that he ran into that his partner was an alcoholic and that created enormous problems. The other thing that he ran into is he didn't know the first thing of running a grocery store and so it was a absolute total failure. And he says in the biography, I prayed every day for this grocery store to succeed, that I wouldn't lose my life savings, that I'd finally get out of poverty and it failed miserably. So after it failed, he realized he'd never be an entrepreneur so he decided to go back to school and he went back to school and he studied law. And he had an average or decent law practice and then decided from the law practice to go into politics and in 1860 he was elected president of the United States. And it's interesting that when you read Lincoln from Lincoln's point of view, one of the things that amazes me, sort of like what happens with Joseph in his second inaugural address in 1864. One of the things he says in that address is that he had great confidence of how God is at work to bring about an outcome of that war, that civil war with infinite wisdom rather than the will of two sides who are praying every day that they win.

And I thought he got it. That's the way it works. Sometimes God has plans that you don't know about.

It happened in my life, it's happened in yours. I think of all the plans that I had when we finally went to seminary and we were going to go into ministry and go into a church. One of the plans we had was to plan a church in Plano, Texas and so we were planning it and it seemed like the perfect deal. We had about 20, 25 people but the people were uniquely gifted. We had people who had financial resources that would say we'll do whatever it takes to make this work. We had people who had spiritual wisdom and experience. We had people who had giftedness with children and teens. We had people that could sing, play guitar, play piano. You know, I mean really, looking back, it must have been me.

I just thought of that, you know. Anyway, but I was praying about that on a regular basis and the door stayed closed. It failed.

I remember once getting a chance to maybe apply to a church near State College, Pennsylvania and I was really excited about that, sent off my resume, prayed about it fervently. Nada. Nothing.

I had never even heard of Metairie, Louisiana when I was in. Now I look back and I think, wow, all the blessings, all the people that have crossed my path, all the chance to influence so many people for Christ when traded for anything in the world ever. But see, that's the way God is. The door is shut but it's shut for a reason because he knows what we don't know in a very different way. You remember many years ago Garth Brooks sang a song, Thank God for Unanswered Prayer.

It's a unique song and in a song with the lyrics with Garth, one of the things he says is he goes back to a football game at his high school and he meets the girl that he was just crazy about at that time. As he meets her and he's walking by, he whispers under his breath, Thank God. Now what's funny about that is I read this story in an account of a pastor who was writing a book and this pastor gave this story and I thought, oh, that's pretty neat. And he said, and I want to tell you how that story can really apply to your life. He said, this is the young pastor. He said, I was at my reunion some time ago and I saw a girl that I had been nuts about in high school. He said, now years later we saw each other and that same prayer was whispered, Thank God.

He goes, I know it was whispered because I heard her whisper it. You might be somebody's unanswered prayer. And thank God for that. Sometimes we're knocking on the wrong door. Sometimes God has plans that we don't know about.

And sometimes the door is closed to help us grow. And to help us grow, not only in our walk with the Lord, but ability to serve him more effectively. Turn with me to Second Corinthians, chapter 12. And we had just looked at this chapter in our Bible study on heaven in midweek.

And what I want to talk about is the middle of this section, not the beginning. In the beginning of the chapter, the apostle Paul was saying, look, I know your Corinthians are impressed with people who brag. And I could brag if I want to, because I was taken up in the third heaven. He said, now I heard inexpressible words that I'll never be able to speak.

No man can. But he said, I was there. I was in the third heaven. He only uses that as an introduction for something that the Paul is much more important. And so he gets in verse seven and he says this because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations he was in heaven. He said, for this reason.

Now, don't miss this. To keep me from exalting myself. There was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself. Now, again, this is hindsight. I believe Paul was looking back and he says, now I know why I thought about it enough so that I won't exalt myself.

Now, remember something. We all have a propensity to sin in a certain area. We all have spiritual weaknesses. My own opinion is that the apostle Paul was pride. He was Saul of Tarsus, spoke many languages. He was not only from a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. And he had all that working for him. But he was also taught by Gamaliel, the great rabbi. Paul was an amazing human being from an earthly point of view.

And if he had a problem, it probably would have been pride. And so what he ends up with is this thorn in the flesh, he says. And it's causing him notice in verse eight concerning this, I implored and that word means with tremendous intensity. He said, I implored the Lord three times that it might leave. Notice he's knocking on a door three times. Lord, please. You know, I could be more effective, I think. Lord, I can't do it.

And I'm in so much pain all the time. Now, the difference between Paul's closed door and yours and mine is God gives Paul the reason audibly. Which is really great.

But really rare. He said, he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. Paul, I have enough grace to get you through this. And then he said, for power is perfected in weakness. You see, Paul, if I'm going to be powerful through you, you're going to have to be weak. You're going to have to be full of me rather than full of you.

You see, that's the way it's going to have to work from his point of view. So Paul's conclusion is, he says, most gladly, therefore, I would rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. He said, therefore, I am well content with weaknesses and with insults and with distresses and with persecutions and with difficulties for Christ's sake. He says, for when I am weak, I am strong. Paul says, I get it now. Listen, when the Apostle Paul showed up in a town and they were going to arrest him and they hurled abuse at him and they took him and they were going to take him out and beat him with rods. He wasn't like, oh, this is going to be wonderful.

I love to be beaten with rods. He doesn't mean that at all. What he is saying is that, look, I finally can look back on this and see why all this happened. If God is going to use me to his greatest extent of his glory, what's best for me is that I am weak and dependent on God. You see, that's the best thing about weakness. That's one of the great things about unanswered prayer. It makes you more and more dependent on God. And that's what happened with the Apostle Paul.

That's the way you saw it. For example, if you need humility like Paul, then don't be surprised if there's some future endeavor that comes up that's going to feed your ego and the door stays closed. You might not get to be elected president of the club. You see, your children might not be homecoming king and queen.

Your plastic surgery might not turn out as well as you hoped. You see, the reason for it is that God says, look, I need you humble. You see, I don't need to feed your arrogance. I'm not going to. I'm going to keep that door shut. If God thinks you need patience, then the right now door may stay shut.

How many of you are that way? I'll tell you what I want. I want it right now. I want this right now.

I want that right now. It's got to happen right now. Oh, I don't understand. God just keeps the door shut. It never happens right now.

Maybe, just maybe, he's working on your patience. If God thinks you need to be more thankful and more generous financially, he may close a lot of financial doors for you. You know that can't miss deal that's going to make you a fortune, that you're going to be able to make so much money that then finally, then you'll be secure? God says your security doesn't come from that. You see, you already lack generosity.

Why in the world would I give you more to be selfish with? Sometimes doors like that just stay shut. You see, because again, sometimes God is wanting you to grow and he wants you to serve him more effectively. Sometimes we're knocking on the wrong door and sometimes he has plans we don't know about. A closed door can be a good thing. In fact, a closed door can be a great thing.

I want to go to the most vivid illustration of that I know. Turn with me to Matthew 26. You might be surprised when you see this, but the Lord Jesus Christ knows what it's like to have a shut door. He knows what it's like to go to a closed door.

He understands that he can empathize with you. The scene is that the night before the crucifixion, it's unimaginable to realize what Jesus Christ must have been going through that final day. It's astounding what he did. Remember, he washes their feet.

It's astounding what he does and how composed he stays because he knows what's going to happen. And in verse 31, it says, then Jesus said to his disciples, you will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written that I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep. He said of the flock shall be scattered. But after I've been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.

He tells them there's a future, but you're going to scatter tonight. Peter said to them, even though all may fall because of you, I will never fall away. And Jesus said, truly, I say to you that this very night before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And Peter said to him, even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same thing, too, because it sounds spiritual. And that's one of the great things about Christians. When someone says something spiritual to somebody we respect, we all want to say, yeah, me too.

I'm willing to go, too. By the way, if you think about it, if they are right, then that would mean that Jesus is wrong. Now, in their experience, how many times has Jesus been wrong? Jesus says you're going to be scattered.

I'm pretty much sure that's what's going to happen. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee.

And it says, and began to be grieved and distressed. This is incredible. I think we don't understand the depth of this. This is a perfect human being. He is the God-man, completely, totally God, completely, totally man. But we often forget he's perfect humanity.

He's sinless humanity. He feels this tremendous grief. And he said to them, verse 38, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me. In other words, I need you here right now.

Luke adds and says that droplets of blood are coming out of his pores instead of sweat or mixed with sweat. Enormous pressure, enormous conflict. The stress is unbearable.

Think of the worst time you've ever felt stressing. You never had that happen. It says, and he went a little beyond them and he fell on his face and Mark adds to the ground. He falls on his face to the ground and he says, my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.

Yet not as I will, he says, but as you will. What a scene. He's crying out. And he came to the disciples and he found them sleeping. He said, could you just stay here with me a little bit and support me? I'm tired, you know, had a long day.

How disappointing that would have been. And he said to Peter, he said, so you men could not keep watch with me for one hour. Keep watching and praying that you may not enter temptation. The spirit is willing, your flesh is weak. Now watch, he went away again a second time and he prayed, my father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done. Think of the anguish of this.

It's astounding, but not over. Again, he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy and he left them again. And he went away and he prayed a third time saying the same thing once more.

Unbelievable. This is the most desperate prayer ever prayed. From the purest heart that ever beat for deliverance from the most unjust suffering ever known.

You know what he got? Silence. Heaven was not moved. Request denied. Door closed.

What was the result? A sin stained, blood soaked cross. What if the father had said yes? Where would you be? Where would I be?

Where would all of us be? God said no to his son. Which enabled God to say yes to every human being who would put their trust in his son and what he did on that cross. A closed door can not only be a good thing, a closed door can be a great thing. Sometimes you might be knocking on the wrong door. And sometimes God has a plan that you know nothing about. And sometimes the door is closed to help you grow and to serve God more effectively. And what the closed door in the Garden of Gethsemane teaches you and me is this, a closed door can be a very good thing.

Not just in the life of Christ, but in your life and mine. Let's pray. Father, I know that there are people this very morning in this room who are praying with very specific prayers. And the door is not open.

The door is still shut. May we be encouraged by the words of our Lord to be persistent to stay with it. But Father, may we also learn from these scriptures that we looked at today that sometimes the door stays shut.

Because sometimes you have plans that we know not about at all. And almost always, Father, you use this shut door to help us grow spiritually and to become more effective in serving you. Father, we must come to the understanding that not only are you our creator and your son our redeemer, but you love us with such an intense love that what you do is always on our behalf. We need to have a sense of contentment about the closed doors in our life.

We need ultimately to have the same thing that Job did when he said, even if he slays me, I will trust him. Father, you are all powerful and you are sovereign over our lives. But we cannot forget you are all loving. You love us as you love your son.

You love us as your child. Father, maybe not today, but someday we will always thank you for the closed doors of our life. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.