God's open door - will you step in?

[0:00] Talking along a theme of an open door. An open door. Now, as a young man, I can distinctly remember a conversation I had.

[0:17] ! Here am I on the left here. I'm the good-looking one. Of course, in year 12, in my English literature class in Elizabeth High School, it was my final year at Elizabeth High.

[0:30] And I can distinctly remember a conversation I had around about this time with the principal at the time, the school principal. And I was sitting there, next to me is Greg.

[0:42] Greg Restall. And Greg and I, in year 12, we had a Christian fellowship for the year 12 of Elizabeth. And we did that in our lunch times.

[0:55] So we were serving the Lord there at that young age. I was 18 or so. Maybe younger there. But I can remember having a conversation with my school principal at the time.

[1:08] And I walked down to the principal's office and sat down. And the principal said, along this line, you know, life is like a hallway with lots of doors and possibilities.

[1:20] And the principal explained himself. He said how you can take a certain door. Maybe you choose maths. Or you choose a door that says science. Or art.

[1:31] Or art. And that choice can open up a whole new passageway of doors that leads to certain jobs and careers. But the door we open can close off other doors.

[1:43] So he was really talking about subject choices. So it was an important time for me to consider about these different doors that I would choose. To open or to close.

[1:55] And as it was, after matric, I was offered entry into university courses, which could have given me the choice of certain careers. But instead I chose to go to Bible school.

[2:05] So I was fresh out of school, year 12. The next February I was in Bible school on the Gold Coast. That was the door that was opened up for me.

[2:18] And God sets the doors before us, doesn't he? The doors of life. Doors. And in a way it can reflect the wisdom that we have in making life's choices, can't it?

[2:28] We can choose lots of things. And it's like doors that we can take. Whether it's doors of subject choices or careers. And we end up going in this direction when it's completely opposite to the other direction.

[2:41] But think about it in life. And hopefully you can follow the logic here that there's doors that open for us in life. And do we see the hand of God that opens certain doors?

[2:52] He gives us a certain opening. And maybe he closes doors too. But do we see the door or do we miss it? Miss God's will. Now it can be that there's doors into relationships too.

[3:03] Here you see, not long afterwards, God opened a door into a relationship for me. One of the early doors that I walked through led me to my first girlfriend.

[3:17] Who was to become my first wife. Julie. And now that was a door that opened for me. Opened for me. Now it's interesting at the time, the pastor that we had refused to marry us.

[3:30] He didn't think it was a good idea. And another one said, another pastor said, it's not God's will that you get married. But 42 years later we still are.

[3:41] But you can think how, you know, sometimes we can get counsel. It might be godly counsel. But it could be wrong too. We don't always have to follow counsel. We can, you know, have our own prayerfully led decisions.

[3:57] And I, there was one man said that I was actually infatuated with Julie. And I've got to confess I still am. Now we can be infatuated, you know.

[4:11] They were kind of discounting that. But Julie was a godly and still is a godly woman. And I know that it was the right choice before God that I was prayerfully led. And we've got to make these choices in life, don't we?

[4:22] Younger men, younger women. When we think about the doors that open or shut, are they the right things to do? Sometimes the doors that we go through could be times of testing. It doesn't mean that it's wrong.

[4:34] It could be times of challenges, heartaches, loss. Yet God is faithful, isn't he? Through the doors that we answer through life, God is faithful. He walks with us as we entrust our lives to him.

[4:45] And of course the most important door is the Lord himself. Talking about doors as we get to the scriptures now. He says to you, I am the door. I am the door. The context of the sheepfold.

[4:56] He says, I am the door. By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. And shall go in and out and find pasture. The door of salvation. That is the ultimate door, isn't it?

[5:06] The one and only door that all must enter in by. The door that is Christ. And Paul writes about this theme of a door. So we're going to get to the main scripture we're going to talk through.

[5:18] It's 1 Corinthians 16 verse 9. Paul writes about this theme of a door as representing a life's step. As a faith step. A step into ministry. We see that there. And this is where we're going to spend a bit of time here tonight.

[5:31] 1 Corinthians 16 verse 9. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me. And there are many adversaries.

[5:44] So Paul's talking here of a door of ministry that was opened unto him. This great door that Paul talks about, it speaks of a new opportunity.

[5:54] Of God's providence and provision. And we can think about it through life. As I think back, I took that door to study. That door to marry. And various doors to minister.

[6:07] To serve. And God leads us through life, doesn't he? Through different doors. Sometimes we make the wrong choices too. I confess I have done at times too. But hopefully we're prayerfully led in those life choices.

[6:19] Those decisions that we make through our life. That God helps us. You know, we can have wisdom in hindsight. I took the wrong door back there. But hopefully we can know God's will. And so this is the theme I'd like to talk through tonight.

[6:33] And this door that Paul's talking about, it represents an opportunity to do God's will. To advance his cause. How about you? When you see those doors that might present in your life.

[6:45] Has God set before you a door? Has God given you an open door? Will you follow God's leading? Sometimes we can miss it. When God gives us a door.

[6:56] We don't go into it. How do you know what is God's leading? What is the right door? Now in the context for Paul, in the context he's talking about taking the gospel into Ephesus.

[7:07] Into this idolatrous city. It's an opportunity. And Paul entered in through that door. That was the door to Ephesus. And Paul laboured there for three years.

[7:18] And he stepped into that door. Now notice what he says about this door that is opened unto him. Notice firstly he says, This is a great door. God shows us places so we can serve.

[7:31] Now I've been encouraged of late. Now there's been an opening. We've long had an opportunity that wasn't fulfilled of having a new comfort class. And Rodney and Torrin and Michelle have stepped into that.

[7:44] They've served and they've taken that opportunity on. Now that was something significant. Something that we've wanted as a church to have. Such a training facility for newer or young or brand new Christians.

[7:58] And so that's a blessing. Sometimes it's something that just presents. And we jump into it. We say I'm going to offer myself to serve. And this door for Paul, it was an opportunity to serve.

[8:11] And this door was great. It was significant. Ephesus wasn't the easiest of places to go. And sometimes when we see something that's a great door, we can shy away. We can naturally feel I'm not inadequate.

[8:22] I'm not able. We can always think about our own inadequacies. It's the same with the youth group and the young adults. That Peter and Chloe have stepped into the gap there. And I commend them for that.

[8:33] It was a big step. It was a great step. It was a great door. And sometimes we can shy away from doing something that's big. It's scary. We've never done it before. But will we stand with our big God and hold his hand?

[8:46] And know that he'll guide us through. Whatever your situation too. There might be things that God's challenging you to say, hey, this is what I'd like to do for the Lord. And it can be great.

[8:56] It can be a challenge. We think of through the word of God. We see Esther. She faced some great challenges, didn't she? And yet God had given her this. She was right there where God wanted her to be for such a time as this.

[9:08] In this time of great national peril and danger that she stepped in for such a time as this. She stepped up and she went into the king's presence, which was something that could have meant her death.

[9:22] It was a great thing that she did. Nehemiah saw the need. When he heard about the wall broken down, the gates burnt of the holy city, Nehemiah heard the need.

[9:34] And he went and saw the need. And it was a great need. And he answered the call, didn't he? He answered the call. He could have just stayed at home in the comforts of being the king's cupbearer. He could have just stayed at home and took it easy and enjoyed the comforts that he had back there.

[9:50] But no, he went into the danger zone. He stepped over the line. And when some came to deter him, to detour him, he told them that he must continue the great work without stopping.

[10:01] We see his words here in Nehemiah 6 verse 3. These messengers came unto him. They wanted him to have some kind of meeting, to do this or that, to basically take him from the work.

[10:12] And he says, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you? Now, he saw that what he was doing was a great work. He saw that what he was doing was great.

[10:24] Not because he was doing it. Not because there was any glory to him. But the work was great because it was God's work. It was the work of God and it was a great work. And we see that he stood up and took that challenge that was the great work of that great work of building the wall and summoning the people and harnessing the energy of the people to meet that great need.

[10:49] We see another great need was where Daniel stood up to the test or where he was challenged about prayer. And it was a great risk that he would keep on praying. But he took that challenge, that great challenge.

[11:02] He was up for it. And he did not pull back from doing God's will, which was to pray. It was a great thing that he did. And he didn't shy away from it. Now, sometimes you and me, we can face that great door.

[11:13] But it's something big and scary. You know, I can think back as there's some older man in our congregation. And one time I asked him if he'd like to preach. And I think he was 70 years old or something.

[11:25] And he said, whoa, I've never done that before. And he was kind of packing it. And he was feeling really nervous that that was something that he never had done before. And yet when he did it, God used him for his glory.

[11:37] And that can be a great thing, can't it? When we have a challenge to something that we've never done before. And we just step in and step up. We have that courage to do that, which is the great work.

[11:48] That great door. It can seem daunting. And humanly, we can feel inadequate. But we have need of courage, friends. We have need of courage as we take that leap of faith. It's a great door, but it shouldn't stop us from taking it on.

[12:02] Sometimes we can face what seems to be like a great challenge. Some would run away from the giants that we would face in life. David ran towards the giant. We see that in 1 Samuel 17, verse 24.

[12:14] When all the men of Israel, they saw the man, Goliath, and they fled from him, it says. And they were sore afraid. So they took one look at Goliath and they ran the other way.

[12:25] But then we see it reads on about David. He did the opposite. When the Philistine came and drew nigh to meet David, David hasted and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

[12:37] He ran toward the army, toward the giant. That giant was great. It was daunting. It was scary. And we can feel small. We can feel like David, inadequate.

[12:48] Yet, as the Word of God tells us, little is much when God is in it. As we heard the recent theme of the recent conference meetings, little is much when God is in it.

[13:00] And I liked how one of the preachers at the conference said this. You could also say that much is little when God is not in it. Now, you see the much, as in the mega churches, as they call them, there's a great amount of noise, a great amount of hullabaloo, and they might have great numbers of people.

[13:19] But that is not great in God's sight. Because much is actually little when God is not in it. You can have all the bells and whistles, the shining lights, the disco lights, and the disco dancers in the front of the church, and the whole multi-instrument band and everything else.

[13:43] All that goes with the mega church. But if God is not in it, that's in vain, isn't it? It's really in vain. But rather that you would be the one who's the little.

[13:54] That you're faithful with the little, as the Lord commands those who are faithful with the little. And sometimes the great door can be doing something small too. It's not like you've got to wait for something big to do. Just be a faithful servant.

[14:07] Take the broom and the vacuum. Take the tea towel and the broom. Be the one who does the little.

[14:18] Take the little tasks. Do something little for God. And he'll help you to do something bigger. Amen? Because that's the right thing to do. Serve where you can. Serve however small it might seem.

[14:30] Be small enough for God to use. Sometimes people wait and wait for something of esteem, of something of regard, of something of glory. But yet, if they just labour in the little, then God will give them more.

[14:44] Sometimes God will bypass the proud and the big shots and he'll use the little for his glory. See that through history, through the word of God. I know there was a man, Samuel Brengel.

[14:56] He was a Salvation Army officer. And I think the story goes along the lines that he came to this new outfit and he thought that he'd get some prestigious position and some important role.

[15:10] And so the captain or whatever of the outfit that he went to asked him to polish all the soldier's shoes in the Salvation Army barracks. So he gave him that little job to do.

[15:22] Because he wanted to make sure that he was in that right place. Amen? The humble place. Because sometimes we've just got to be little enough for God to use. And God will help you as you labour in the little things.

[15:33] It's interesting that God chose Saul and he renamed him Paul, which means little. And we know how big Paul was, wasn't he, in his ministry. God gave him the name, which means little.

[15:44] Interesting thought. And God is with the small ministry, the faithful labourer. That can be the great doer for us. We think, I know there's some faithful independent Baptist ministers labouring in very small country towns or little buildings that don't really have much growth potential.

[16:01] But yet God is using them in those little places because God is in it. Little is much when God is in it. Amen? Those who are faithfully labouring those small ministries. Because God doesn't look at numbers so much as whether it's the faithful, isn't it?

[16:17] We can do a big thing for God in a small place. We can do a great work. And we have before us a great door. A great door. Paul saw also that this door that was opened before him, it was an effectual door.

[16:29] It was an effectual door. When God opens a door, it's effectual, it says. Effectual, it's the same word as powerful. Where it talks about the word of God is quick and powerful.

[16:42] The word powerful is the same word effectual. It's talking of God empowered. Energeo. This door is powerful. It's the operation of God.

[16:54] And when God opens a door for us, a ministry, an opportunity to serve, God will give his power. If God is in it, then we can trust his power to work, to activate.

[17:05] We can trust God's power to enable us to serve, to operate, to do a work. And so this word effectual, energeo, the word ergo, it's work is there.

[17:16] Sometimes we can shy away when there's work to do. But God wants us to put our hands to the plough. We all have a work to do. And what matters is that the work is God's work, isn't it? The effectual door.

[17:27] When God opens a door and it's of God and it's effectual, then God will enable. God will give us the work. And he will do the work because it's God's work, not our own work.

[17:40] And he will energise. He will quicken. He will enable. He will supply. We think of life as you go through those, as it were, the passageways of life and the doors open and stand before you.

[17:52] Opportunities to serve. Sometimes we'll miss it. But there's an effectual door. God wants to use you for his glory. He wants to show his power in us. And it's as we let go and let God that he will do what he can do in our life.

[18:07] So this word effectual, it means action. It's really active faith, isn't it? When we think about Joshua and Caleb, that they entered in by faith into the promised land, didn't they?

[18:20] Joshua and Caleb, they entered in. They went through that door, if you like, that opening. They took that step by faith. But the ten spies doubted and they did not enter.

[18:30] That by faith we can enter. We can be like Caleb and Joshua. We can enter. Believe God. It's an effective door. God will affect what he wants to affect.

[18:43] I like how Daniel 11.32 puts it, that the people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. We can be strong for God. And you might feel that I'm weak in human terms.

[18:55] I'm inadequate. God can use every one of us. Every one of us has something we can do. Every one of us has something we can be. We can all be quiet achievers.

[19:06] Just get on with the work. And we can receive from God. One preacher described this effectual door like this. He talks about, It was effectual to the quickening of sinners, dead in trespasses and sins.

[19:19] To the enlightening of blind eyes. The unstopping of deaf ears. The softening of hard hearts. The turning of souls from the power of Satan to God. The quickening, comforting and establishing of saints.

[19:31] Of salvation to all that believe. It works effectually in them that believe, it says. And so, as Paul entered this door that was Ephesus, God activated.

[19:47] God operated. God brought an effective ministry. What about you and me? Do we think about when something opens? Is it God's leading?

[20:00] Always we've got to question that. Is it God leading? Or is it our own intent? But when God is in it, it will be effectual. God will give you direction.

[20:11] And God will bless your labours. When God is in it, he will do his work by his hand. And we see there's different analogies, different phrases about doors.

[20:24] The Bible talks about the door of hope. It talks about the door of faith. The door of utterance or witness. So, it's being mindful. What is God showing me of those doors in my life?

[20:35] That passageway, if you like. We see that Paul saw a great door. It was great. Ephesus was challenging. We saw that it was an effectual door. That God operated. God brought his power.

[20:47] And then we see, thirdly, it was an open door. The door is open. We see that the door is open. Who opens it? God opens the door. God opens the door. We don't have to go forcing a door to open.

[21:00] We don't have to go charging the door and forcing it, breaking it down. We just look for where God opens his door. Where God opens the door. It's like, as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 12.

[21:14] In another time, he talks about a door was opened unto me of the Lord. Is God opening a door? Could it be for future service, for training, for equipping, for preparing?

[21:30] Could it be that there's a training process for you to answer in? Especially younger men, younger women here tonight. Is it a door that God has opened? The door was opened unto me, Paul says, of the Lord.

[21:44] How many open doors have we walked past? It could be, I can look back and think, have I missed some opportunities? Have I missed some open doors?

[21:54] And I look back and maybe I've made wrong choices. I've made selfish choices. I've made worldly choices. I've made choices that are about my own self rather than godly choices.

[22:07] We can have wisdom in hindsight, can't we? But prayerfully, let's be open to seeking God. What is God showing me? Where does he want me to serve?

[22:18] To be like that gap in the hedge. Where's the gap in this church? Where's the gap that we have? Who's going to be the man who stands in the gap? It could be the gap of prayer.

[22:29] There's a man who stands in the gap to intercede. Where is that service that I could serve but I'm not? Is it an open door that we're missing?

[22:39] We're missing that opportunity. We see that with Paul, that the Lord used him, even as he was driven out of the synagogue in Ephesus and he hired a hall to teach in, and the apostles gathered people in that hall to teach them the word of God.

[22:55] Notice also that it was a door of obligation. We see here in 2 Corinthians 2, as well as in 1 Corinthians 16, notice the words there, a door was opened unto me of the Lord.

[23:08] A door was opened unto me. And it's the same there in 1 Corinthians 16, 9. This door is opened unto me. He didn't say this door is opened to Timothy or this door is opened to Barnabas.

[23:20] He had the conviction, this door is opened unto me. So we get that personal leading too. Paul saw that this door, if you like, had his name on it. There was a personal obligation. And God can move you personally to be personally moved, to be led, that God will put on your heart something that you can do, that he wants you specifically, individually to do.

[23:40] But the open door, sometimes we miss it. It's opened unto me, but we miss it. We neglect it. Do we look for that gap and fill it, that open door and enter it, or do we sometimes close our eyes to it?

[23:53] We see that need, but we don't need it. We see that a great door was opened, and it was effectual, and it was open. It was open unto me, he says.

[24:04] And then lastly, he says, there's many adversaries. He says there's many adversaries. Sometimes when we do something for God, we can get lots of criticism. There's lots of opposition. There's lots of adversaries, obstacles, times of testing, spiritual warfare.

[24:20] You might do something for God, and you're in the firing line. You stick your head above the trench, and you're getting shot from everywhere. And there's opposition to the truth.

[24:30] But sometimes opposition to the truth can be a good sign. We shouldn't shy away when there's many adversaries. Paul was right in the centre of God's will, and he says that there were many adversaries.

[24:41] And he tells us that we should, as he did, fight the good fight of faith, that we should finish our course. We can face adversity. So, brother, sister, you might be, as Paul experienced, what did Paul experience?

[24:55] He suffered many obstacles and hindrances. We see Paul, he had health tests. He had this thorn in the flesh, whatever it was. He had disappointments with fellow labourers. The people let him down every which way.

[25:08] And we see that for Paul, ministry was a struggle. It says in 1 Corinthians 15, 32, Paul says he fought with beasts at Ephesus. So at Ephesus, there was people that were like these ravening beasts that were hurting him and biting him, if you like.

[25:24] 1 Corinthians 15, 32, he fought with beasts at Ephesus. So Ephesus wasn't the easiest of places to be. It wasn't the choicest of places. Ephesus was a place of testing.

[25:36] And we know in Ephesus, as the Acts accounts, and I know Brother Peter has talked about the missionary journeys of Paul, but while he was in Ephesus, he was bitterly opposed. And the Jewish synagogues were right against him.

[25:49] They hated him. They hounded him. He was persecuted. There was opposition from the superstitious, magic crowd of the place, the occult practices, the idol-making businesses were against Paul.

[26:03] And he was really in the target sites, in this place of Ephesus that was given over to superstition. And yet, he was in the centre of God's will, where there are many adversaries.

[26:15] You know, brother, sister, you might feel like, well, this is a hard place for me. Things are hard for me. Things are going wrong for me. Things are difficult for me. You know, this ministry, I don't always see the fruit that I want to see.

[26:27] People aren't showing up when I'm running this meeting. There's disappointments. There's discouragements. Humanly, we can take it to heart. Paul says, there's many adversaries. Brother, sister, expect testing.

[26:38] Expect testing. Like Job. Job was in the centre of God's will. Job lost everything. Yet, he remained faithful. Paul asks for prayer. Pray for those that are ministering.

[26:50] Pray, he says, pray that I may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. He said that there's unreasonable and wicked men. He had opposition from the Jews on one side and the Gentiles on the other.

[27:03] Persistent enemies. Think of it, brother, sister, when you step out for God that you will face attack. And you can expect criticism. And often it's armchair critics.

[27:14] Now, there's a famous, and this is a secular quote, there's a famous quote, it's called, The Man in the Arena. And one of the former presidents told this story.

[27:25] And he's really, he's talking about armchair critics. He says, it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

[27:36] The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

[28:15] So, it's a secular quote for what it's worth, but it's a picture of the man in the arena. In other words, serve God even though you may fail.

[28:27] Serve God even though you may just attract criticism from the bystanders, the people that are watching on. Do something. Do something for God.

[28:37] Don't be afraid to do something for God. We can feel overwhelmed. We can feel like the man in the arena and, you know, in the contest, whatever it is, the struggle of whatever it is, but it's better to be there, to be serving, to be ministering, even if you are subject to criticism.

[29:00] Sometimes it can seem like the odds are against us when we do something for God. You know, there's people in this church that have done things for God and they've attracted some criticism and they've thrown the towel in.

[29:11] Poor, you know, this is too hard. People are picking on me. You know, it's easy to quit. It's easy to quit, isn't it? We think back to the Bible stories, Gideon's army, only 300 men defeated an army of 135,000.

[29:30] The odds might seem against us, but we can serve. Trust God's guidance. Don't be afraid to make the hard choices. And sometimes when, especially in the early days of a ministry, it can be easy to give up.

[29:44] And Galatians 6 says this, Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.

[29:59] And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. And we could think of some of the ministries of this church when there's scarcely anybody doing it, there's scarcely anybody praying, there's scarcely anybody giving up leaflets, there's scarcely anybody going door-knocking.

[30:17] And we could think, well, there's not enough people to bother continuing that ministry. But no, it's not about the numbers. It's not about the numbers. You know, sometimes some of our prayer meetings, some of our Bible study meetings are not very well attended.

[30:31] Do we just give up? Just be like the rest of the churches. They close down the Sunday night meetings because there's not enough people coming to them. And we could give up, we could quit, we could say it's all too hard.

[30:41] But rather, let's keep on keeping on, let's persevere, let's be persistent. Let's trust God. Let's, even though there's many adversaries, even though there's much opposition, even though humanly speaking, it would be easier to, it would be easier to not have to do another service and not have another meeting and be easier to sit home and watch telly.

[31:00] But, is that the right thing to do? There's an open door. It's great. It's effectual. There's many adversaries. That shouldn't put us off. It shouldn't put you off that there's many adversaries.

[31:11] It shouldn't put you off, brother, sister, that there's many adversaries. There's an open door. Don't be discouraged. We shall reap if we fate not. So, soldier on, battle on, persevere.

[31:22] I know the children's ministry, I know the Sunday school, sometimes the numbers are way down, aren't they? You know, we could think, well, there's hardly any children coming. You don't give up, you keep on going. These folk have been going on for years, the Harveys.

[31:35] Bless them. You know, you keep on going, don't you? You keep on persevering. It's a battle. You've got to soldier on. Battle through the weariness. We all have weariness. We can feel faint, but there's an open door.

[31:47] Paul says there's an open door. And we can choose to ignore the open doors that come in our lives. We can choose to go in other doors. We can choose to open doors and go our own selfish ways.

[31:58] Or we can choose what is rather fitting. Choose what is rather glorifying to God. Choose that which will bring him praise. Enter in that open door, whatever it be. Maybe if God puts on your heart, there's some ministry that God's moving you, putting on your heart to do.

[32:13] It's an open door for you. Of course, you've got to pray about it. You've got to discern, is it God? Is it the flesh? Is it the devil? Is it the world? Is it just my own thinking? Sometimes we can make rash decisions.

[32:25] Sometimes we don't have much time to make a decision. If we miss the open door, we can miss the opportunity to serve. Sometimes we get too busy with the doors of our own making, don't we?

[32:35] We can think, oh, I've got these ambitions, these aspirations, but are they godly ambitions? Is those career ambitions, are they godly career ambitions? Or is it just our flesh?

[32:46] Is it just our self? Or could it be that God will use those things, that training, that learning, that career, that vocation, that you can actually grow and be a servant of God in that place of work as well?

[32:59] It's not discounting that. There's some secular places you can serve, you can be used of God there. Not discounting. That secular work can be just as much a ministry. But sometimes we get too busy with the doors of our own making, don't we?

[33:12] We pick and choose the doors that suit our flesh, that suit ourselves. We miss God's open door. We can have wisdom in hindsight. I look back at my life as I was sat around that desk in English literature in year 12 in 1980 and think, did I choose the right doors?

[33:31] Did I make the right choices? Maybe I didn't always make the right choices. I think this was the right choice, marrying this woman. Amen. Amen. We look back on life, we see the doors that we've missed, don't we?

[33:43] We see the doors we could have gone into. Wow. Now sometimes we can miss the doors. Some would say that we need to let Jesus Christ be Lord of every aspect of our life.

[33:59] Really, Jesus is Lord. We do not let Jesus be Lord. We do not give Jesus his Lordship. It's rather we submit to his Lordship, don't we?

[34:10] He's the Lord of our life. He's the Lord. He'll open the doors, he'll show us the way. God helping us prayerfully will be spiritually led to make decisions that glorify him, that we will willingly and self-consciously submit to Jesus and his Lordship.

[34:26] We don't make him Lord, he already is Lord. It's us saying, make me your servant, isn't it? I'm here to serve. Here am I Lord.

[34:37] Here am I, send me. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that through life we see many choices and doors as it were. We see Paul saw a great door.

[34:49] It was challenging, it was hard, it was effectual, you were in it, you were working by your power. You were enabling him, empowering him. We see Lord, there was a door that you opened, that you made that door open, you made it clear, you gave that opening, you gave that entry point, you gave that door and it swung wide open and you gave it to Paul specifically, you opened the door unto me, he says Lord and we thank you that it's the same for each one here.

[35:21] Lord, we've got a passageway of life, there's different doors we can go down, different choices we can make. Some of us have got maybe more doors, we've still got a young life, even for us older ones, there's still doors we can choose to enter or disregard, we can miss the doors that you want us to enter in by faith.

[35:42] Help us to enter in like Caleb and Joshua entered in. Help us Lord to enter in as Esther entered in to the King's presence. Lord, help us to have courage to enter in to where you want us to be, to help us to serve, help us to see the gap that we can fill, help us to see the door that you want us to enter, the door of opportunity, of ministry, that we can have faith to enter and trust you.

[36:11] We pray for younger ones amongst us that maybe have thoughts about this or that, that you'd prayerfully lead us Lord in the direction you want us to go. So we'll look back at the doors we've walked through in life and we'll have known, yes it was the right door that we took because you led us so.

[36:28] We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.