God Will Either Open or Close the Door at the Right Time for Overcomers
God sovereignly opens and closes doors in our lives to guide us towards His perfect will.
Zac Poonen preaches on the significance of being an overcomer, emphasizing that if we are in God's will as overcomers, no door will remain closed to us. God strategically shuts certain doors to prevent us from straying into unprofitable paths, ensuring we walk in His ordained ways. Just like in Jonah's life, God orchestrates the opening and closing of doors to guide us back to His perfect will, even if it means starting afresh. As wholehearted disciples seeking to glorify God, we can trust that God holds the key to every door, opening and closing them at the right time to align us with His divine purpose.
Text
In Rev 3:7 The Lord describes Himself as the One who can open or shut any door. ("And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens�)
If we are overcomers, we need never stand before a closed door at any time, when it is the will of God that we should go through.
But the Lord also shuts certain doors before us, so that we don't go into paths that He has not ordained for us - paths that He knows will not be profitable for us.
It is really an exciting life to be an overcomer. The Lord Himself decides which doors we should go through, and which doors we should stop knocking at.
In the book of Jonah, we see how the Lord shut one door (of a ship, by getting Jonah thrown overboard) and opened another (of a fish's mouth, by getting it to swallow Jonah). When the fish came to the coast of Israel, the Lord opened the fish's mouth once again to place His servant ashore. Thus God brought Jonah back to "Square One". Then He told him once again to go to Nineveh, where He wanted him to preach. Then Jonah went.
If God wants us in any place for any purpose, He has ways and means of closing the wrong doors before us (getting us thrown out of somewhere perhaps!) and of opening the right doors in front of us. He even has means of transporting us back to "Square One" in our lives, so that we don't miss His best! What He did for Jonah, He will do for us too. He will do even more.
The key to every door is in His hand. If you are a wholehearted disciple of the Lord, with no ambition in life but to glorify God, you can be certain of one thing - that nothing can stand in your way. Like automatic doors that open as soon as a person comes near them, every closed door that hinders you from moving forward in the fulfillment of God's will, will open up before you - as soon as you come near it. He opens each door at the right time - not too soon and not too late. He will also close those doors that would make you miss His perfect will for your life.
Sermon Outline
- I. God's Sovereignty Over Doors
- A. The Lord can open or shut any door (Rev 3:7)
- B. He decides which doors we should go through and which we should stop knocking at
- II. God's Protection from Wrong Paths
- A. He shuts doors before us to prevent us from going into paths that are not ordained for us
- B. He knows what is best for us and will not lead us astray
- III. God's Provision for Our Needs
- A. He has ways and means of closing the wrong doors and opening the right ones
- B. He can even transport us back to 'Square One' in our lives
- IV. The Key to Every Door is in God's Hand
- A. If we are wholehearted disciples of the Lord, nothing can stand in our way
- B. Every closed door will open up before us at the right time
Key Quotes
“The key to every door is in His hand.” — Zac Poonen
“If you are a wholehearted disciple of the Lord, with no ambition in life but to glorify God, you can be certain of one thing - that nothing can stand in your way.” — Zac Poonen
“He opens each door at the right time - not too soon and not too late.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We should trust God's sovereignty over the doors of opportunity in our lives.
- We should be wholehearted disciples of the Lord, with no ambition in life but to glorify God.
- We should be patient and wait for God to open the right doors at the right time.