An open door

Sermon notes from Sunday 18 August 2019

2 Corinthians 2 verses 1 - 13

"a door was opened unto me of the Lord"

Paul was writing about the service for his king.  Was there a day when the Lord reached down to where you were and he saved you?  You were dead in your sin and trespasses, blinded by the God of this world.  Then God in his great love and mercy reached down to where we were and showed us our need of salvation.  He pointed to Calvary.  His son died there just to save you and became your Saviour.  Paul was talking about Christ his king as well.  He wanted to serve him.  Have we a Saviour today but not a king?  That we want to serve? 

The door that Paul had.  He didn`t pray to be released from prison.  He wanted an open door to preach the gospel even where he was.  What a driving force was in the apostle Paul - was it in his own ability?  No it was in gratitude to Christ for what he had done.  Somehow he couldn`t stop serving him.  As he went into the office of the priests to receive letters and papers to give him authority that if he found a Christian who was disobedient to the law of Moses and trusting in Christ as Saviour he could arrest them and put them in prison, even put them to death.  There on his journey at midday he was brought down to the dust.  This man was stopped in his tracks.  From that day he had gratitude in his heart that he couldn`t stop serving the Lord.  Here he is serving the Lord yet again.  Somehow we can get so acquainted with what the Lord has down for us that we lose out on what the Lord really has done for us..  When the Lord reached down and prevented us from going to hell.  Think of the man in Luke 16 who lifted up his eyes and saw the poor man in Lazarus` bosom.  He just wants a drink of water on his tongue - why - because he was in torment.  That is where we are going.  The Lord reached down and saved Paul.  Are we just glad today that we are saved, on our way to heaven, have so much going for us?  He gives a peace that sins are forgiven, that we are justified and sanctified. He does not want us to be content with that.  He wants us to reach out to others.  Romans 1 verse 14 "I am a debtor"  That is how he saw himself.  "both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise."  The only way I can repay the Lord is to go and tell others about the lovely Saviour we have.  That is what we want to do as we go into the winter work.  This is an open door.  When men and woman have the opportunity to hear the gospel of saving grace for our families, that we might do all we can.  Paul saw himself as a debtor when he considered all the Lord had done for him.  Matthew was a tax collector shunned by all the people.  He was prospering the Roman empire by lifting taxes.  One day the Lord came by and he said to him "follow me".  What was the first thing he did?  He went into his home and invited many in as he could.  He had something that he could never pay for.  Why would the Lord ever look at me or give me a second thought?  Mark 16 "Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast 7 devils."  That was someone with gratitude for what the Lord did.  She never left his side, followed him to the cross and the tomb.  On the first day of the week she was there again.  The young man of Gedarra was living amongst the tombs.  He couldn`t do anything for himself, driven out into the wilderness, he cried out day and night.  No-one could help him.  One day he met the Lord and the demons were cast out into the pigs.  That young man had a desire in his heart to follow Christ but the Lord said "no, go back into your own village and tell them of what the Lord has done for you."  That is what the Lord wants to do for us.  Not just to be sitting in the house of the Lord but rather telling others of what the Lord has done for us.  Remember when Paul travelled to Macedonia, as he preached by the wayside he realised an opportunity was being opened to him.  An open door from heaven to hear about Christ.  Do we realise we have an opportunity for the gospel today?

The discovery Paul made - "a door was opened unto me of the Lord."  When we find the desire to serve the Lord always opens a door.  God opens a door very specifically for you.  Troas was a great commercial city, a bustling city, Paul came to Troas to preach.  His mission, his goal was the gospel.  It was a place of selling and buying.  When Paul stood in Athens there was great architectural all around him but Paul saw however a whole city given over to idolatry.  A people lost in sin, going out into a Christless hell.  The Holy Spirit was moving within him.  He is coming to preach the gospel.  When he came to Corinth the Lord opened up the door for him.  We cannot sit back and take things for granted.  We need to be up and doing.  Amos the Old Testament prophet warned of what was about to come on the land.  This people had grown careless about their worship.  They turned their backs on God.  They grew careless.  Amos 6 verse 1 "woe unto them that are at ease in Zion."  Amos told them to lift up their eyes, to look around them because the the enemy is at hand.  Haggai 1 verse 4.  There is a desire in our hearts to go forward.  Paul was writing to the churchat Philippi comforting those who were anxious.  He sees it as an open door.  Imagine being imprisoned today, seeing it as an open door.  Phillippians 1 verse 20.  There are those with him who would never be saved but look what happened in the very heart of Caesar`s palace.  Imagine being a soldier in that day, getting the duty to guard Paul.  When he opened the door to his cell Paul would see it as an open door to tell this man of Christ.  They were taking it out right through Caesar`s palace.  People were saved because of Paul`s desire to further the gospel where he was.

There are the difficulties in service.  1 Corinthians 16 verse 9 "and there are many adversaries."  He was in Ephesus travelling down to Corinth but something happened.  He couldn`t go to Corinth.  He had to tarry where he was in the place where the Lord would have him to be.  There were battles and difficulties.  People were opposing the gospel message.  He received a message telling him to stay there and he remained for another year and a half.  Adversaries come in different forms in places in Ephesus and Thessalonica.  The devil used large members to oppose him.  Acts 17 verse 5 would have turned the city apart if they got hold of him.  When Paul went down to Berea he began to preach.  A member came from Thessalonica who tried to do the same thing.  We need to pray that children will hear the gospel and be saved.  Other difficulties you will find too.  There will be those who will not oppose you to your face.  In Acts 14 some of the Pharisees opposed Paul and as a result there was a dispute about circumcision.  If there is a desire to serve the Lord you will discover the doors opening but don`t be put down because the Lord is on your side.