WHEN GOD CLOSES A DOOR - Acts 16:6-10

All right, if you have a Bible or an

app, let's open it up. We're back in the

book of Acts. Acts, chapter 16. We're

Acts 16 · chapter mention

continuing our series as we walk through

the beginning and the history of the New

Testament church. And I always want to

ensure that we are reminded of this

truth that what God began back in Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost didn't

conclude when the book of Acts ends. As

a matter of fact, I've reminded us of

this countless times before. There is no

official conclusion to the book of Acts.

And Luke is purposeful to do that. Why?

Because we are an extension of the

church today. We are known as the Grove.

We are First Baptist Church of Orange

Grove, Texas. We are a local body. But

more than just being a local body

positioned in this community, we are

part of what's known as the universal

body, the big C, capital C church. That

means our brothers and sisters across

town, our brothers and sisters across

the state, our brothers and sisters that

are worshiping across the nation and

across the world, many places in secret

out of fear of persecution.

We are all part of the body of Christ.

And what the Lord began in here, what

the Holy Spirit empowered in here, he

continues to do today. And so we dive

into Acts chapter 16

Acts 16 · chapter mention

and we get an amazing glimpse of what

happens when things don't necessarily go

our way. Anybody ever had a bad day

where you felt like one decision after

another didn't go the way that you

hoped? Or a door that you expected to be

open and for you to walk through ended

up being closed or maybe in some

occasions slammed right in your face? We

all know what it's like to experience

moments where the things that we hoped

for and the things that we desired

didn't go our way. Maybe it's a

diagnosis from the doctor.

Maybe it's desiring a promotion at work.

Maybe it's thinking that your

relationship is going to take a turn.

Maybe it's thinking that this friendship

is going to be different this time

around and things don't necessarily go

the way that you hoped.

And the reason is because we are a

people who love to make plans. Even if

you're not a type A personality,

we all make plans in our mind. We love

to make sense of situations.

We do well and we operate well in

clarity.

If you know me well, I am not one who is

easily offended. I just want clarity.

Be truthful with me, I'll be truthful

with you. Because when there's clarity,

I know where we stand. And if I know

where we stand and there is an issue,

then together we can work towards a

resolution, a solution, and maybe

reconciliation.

We are a people that love clarity. We

like doors to open at our convenience.

We like doors to open immediately. We

want prayers to be answered at the

moment that we declare them before the

Lord. So, how do we react when things

don't go our way? when things don't

happen the way that we hoped or even the

way that we planned. This is where our

passage speaks.

Here in Acts chapter 16, we find that

Acts 16 · chapter mention

Paul is faithfully following Jesus

and yet he still encounters

confusion.

There's a moment that becomes unclear

until God begins to speak. And what

we'll learn is sometimes you can be

walking in obedience.

Sometimes you can be doing things that

are God-honoring, that are faithful to

the word, and still run into closed

doors.

This is where we pick up in our journey

through Acts. Acts chapter 16, beginning

Acts 16 · chapter mention

in verse 6. We'll read all the way

through verse 10.

Luke, the great doctor, wrote these

words.

They went through the region of Friia

and Galatia.

They had been forbidden by the Holy

Spirit to speak the word in Asia. We're

going to get to this in just a moment,

but this is important to recognize right

out the gate. They were forbidden by

who?

>> The Holy Spirit. So immediately God is

up to something. And God is up to

something in the process of what? In the

process of their work, in their

ministry, in their going, in their

pursuing, God is working. I'm getting

ahead of myself, but here's what I want

us to understand. Even though there may

be a closed door in our life,

often times it's not a denial, but it's

God repositioning us for something else.

This is what we're going to discover

here in Acts 16

Acts 16:7

verse 7.

When they came to Misia, they tried to

go into Bethnia, but the spirit of Jesus

did not allow them. Now, for you Bible

nerds in the room, you may have picked

up picked up on something interesting.

In verse six, they're forbidden by who?

>> The Holy Spirit. In verse seven, they're

forbidden by who? The spirit of Jesus.

So, we have actively the triune God,

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, working in the

midst of this situation. Plus, this is

extra, but I think you'll enjoy this.

Who is the head of the church?

Jesus.

What did Jesus say prior to his

ascension? Do you remember? He says,

"I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm

going to leave you a comforter. Someone

who will ensure that I am with you

always, even to the end of this age.

Someone who will come alongside you in

those moments of pain, in those moments

of confusion, in those moments of dread.

In the moments when you need me the

most, my spirit will be active and

present and indwelling in you. And it's

amazing to see that what God has

proclaimed through the son that indwells

and confirms in us through the Holy

Spirit, we see actively happening in

this moment

that though Jesus indeed has ascended

and though he sits at the right hand of

the father, Jesus is still in control of

his church.

And church, so many millennia removed

even from this passage. I want to affirm

in each and every one of us that Jesus

is in charge of this church.

We may have pastors and we may have

employees and we may have servants and

we may have leaders, but at the end of

the day, this is the bride of Christ.

This church doesn't belong to Orange

Grove, Texas. It belongs to Jesus. And

Jesus is the only one who will be the

one who guides, leads, and direct us.

Verse eight.

Passing by Misia, they went down to

Trrowe.

During the night, Paul had a vision in

which a Macedonian man was standing and

pleading with him, "Cross over to

Macedonia and help us." After he had

seen the vision, we immediately made

efforts to set out for Macedonia,

concluding that God had called us to

preach the gospel to them. And all God's

people said,

>> "Amen." Lord, would you bless your word?

Holy Spirit, would you stir our hearts?

There is a lot happening here in this

quick passage. Just so that we're on the

same page at this point, the gospel has

spread rapidly between Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

and Acts chapter 16. We have what is

Acts 16 · chapter mention

believed to be a time span of about 15

to 20 years. So it's about 15 to 20

years after the day of Pentecost. After

the day in which the Holy Spirit indwelt

believers, you had signs, miracles, and

wonders, one of which was the speaking

in tongues before people, thousands came

to know the Lord. And what was the

result of that? The gospel began to

explode. The gospel was moving forward.

So within that time span, you now have

the gospel that is now traveled into

different kingdoms, into different

nations, into different states. It is

now traveled between 800 to,200 miles

outside of Jerusalem and the surrounding

areas. We are indeed seeing the

fulfillment of the great commission

here.

But then suddenly

it seems as if God is hitting the

brakes.

And if we're unfamiliar with what takes

place in the rest of the book of Acts,

then we're going to have questions.

Why does God close a door? Don't the

people of Asia need Jesus?

Don't the people in those communities

need to hear the gospel?

Why is God closing a door? We read twice

that it was the spirit

that was forbidding them to go there.

And so what happens? We have Paul now

standing in the city of Trrowaz. Now

this is interesting if you know what's

happening geographically.

So Paul makes his way to one area. The

Holy Spirit forbids him from going any

further. He tries in Bethnia to go

somewhere else. The spirit of Jesus

forbids him from going any further. And

so if you're like Paul, you're curious

on what's happening. So he tries

somewhere else and he finds himself at

the end of Trrowaz. Trrowaz was a port

town on the edge of the Aian Sea. I

should have created a map for us to

recognize this, but it would be quote

unquote almost the last destination

before you exited the eastern part of

the world and began to enter into the

western part of the world. And this is

precisely what is happening here. We're

coming to discover that the reason God

is closing particular doors is because

he's repositioning Paul to now take the

gospel into Europe. And here's where

it's incredible. I love this. Because

once the gospel gets into Europe, you

now have what was at this point

happening around the eastern side of the

globe start to make its way into the

western part of the world. And guess

what? We're the result of that. Did you

know the grove exists? Because at some

point some people some word decided

there should be a church planted in

Orange Grove, Texas.

And those people from others somewhere

uh at some point decided that their

church should be planted in their

community, Alice, Texas. And this

continues all the way back until you get

to those who traveled across the Pacific

Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, those who

traveled across the AGN Sea, who travel

large sums of distances so that the

gospel would be proclaimed. God always

has a plan.

And so, how does this plan unfold? Paul

gets a vision.

You know, God still gives visions today.

What? We don't say that in the Baptist

church.

God still speaks.

He has spoken to us in his word. He has

spoken to us in his son.

Now, he doesn't speak in new revelation.

He doesn't tell us something brand new.

But what he does is he confirms. He

clarifies. He directs. How does he do

that? By granting us the power of the

spirit. How is the spirit working in

you? How is the spirit moving through

you?

And so Paul and Trrowaz has what's known

as the Macedonian vision or the

Macedonian call

where this man beckons him, "Come to

Macedonia and help us." And I love this.

Don't let this get get lost on us this

morning, church. Paul discovers that

what feels like an interruption

ends up becoming a moment of divine

intervention.

And I think so many of us if we took

some inventory of our life, we could

probably point back to moments,

situations, circumstances, and seasons

where maybe in the moment we didn't get

it. We did not quite understand it. But

being this far removed, we realize God

was not just interrupting my life, but

he was positioning me with some divine

direction

to put me on a course for his purpose

and for his will.

So here's what I want to do. I want us

to go back through the passage. I want

us to draw out some truths from it.

We'll talk about some applications. What

does this mean for us today? What did it

mean for them then? And how can it

change us as we seek to be men and women

of God, sons and daughters who want to

honor God in everything that we say and

do? So, we're going to draw three truths

out of this. If you if you're taking

notes, here's the first one. God

redirects his children. And I think we

picked up on that

God is in the business of redirecting

his children. It's right here in verses

6 and 7.

They went through the region of Friia

and Galatia. They had been forbidden by

the Holy Spirit to speak the word in

Asia. When they came to Misia, they

tried to go to Bethnia, but the spirit

of Jesus did not allow them.

I think parents could probably relate

with this rather well.

Like a loving parent,

like the loving father that he is, Jesus

redirects us.

How many of us have ever been redirected

in our life?

And in our life, we discover that God

spared us from something dangerous or

God positioned us for something greater

and something better. This is what our

father in heaven does. He aims and

points us in the right direction. We're

going to discover this in just a moment,

but let me just jump ahead for a bit.

Paul was in tune with God.

And when you're in tune with God, you're

able to understand when he redirects

you. Let me just speak to some people in

the room because this is going to

challenge you. Some of you, you think

God's no means your story is over.

But maybe God's no is positioning you

for something better.

Maybe he's giving some divine direction

in your life. And unless you really open

up your heart, your mind to pay

attention to how God is revealing

himself through whatever circumstance

that you're in, you might just remain in

frustration. You might just remain in

confusion. But it's not until you're

intentionally seeking the Lord that you

realize that this closed door that this

perceived no might be God just

positioning you for something better.

But what does it mean? It means

intentionality.

It means seeking the Lord with all that

you are and all that you have. Now, now

think about this for for a moment.

What is Paul doing here?

He's preaching the gospel. As a matter

of fact, this is the beginning of his

second missionary journey. We read about

three missionary journeys that Paul set

himself to the task to accomplish. We

read all about those here in the book of

Acts. Paul would write 13 letters in the

New Testament. 13 books of the 27 books

of the New Testament are pinned by the

hand of Paul. So, this is what I love

about God's word. We get this

overarching view of Paul's ministry and

Paul's life as told to us from the book

of Acts. And as you continue later into

the New Testament, you now get these

microscopic magnifying glass views of

Paul's life and ministry as he pens

these letters to different churches and

different people. But it is clear that

Paul is about preaching the gospel. So,

if Paul is preaching the gospel, why

would God keep him from going to a place

that needs the gospel?

Now, let me jump ahead to the rest of

the story here.

Paul will eventually find himself in

Asia. Much later in the story, he'll

make his way into these communities. As

a matter of fact, you can read about it

in the book of Ephesus. Paul will

establish a thriving church in Ephesus

that becomes the gateway for the gospel

to be be to be proclaimed powerfully

around the world.

But but here's here's what I want us to

understand.

Sometimes and maybe this is where you're

being challenged this morning.

Sometimes we wrongly assume

that if our motives are not sincere

or if our motives are sincere then every

door should automatically open. This is

where we play the bargaining game with

God. You've ever been there? Of course

you have. We've all been there.

This prayer is not answered. This door

close closes and then we begin to

bargain with God. God, but I do this.

But I go to church and I pray and I seek

you.

Do you realize the entitlement

someone would have rooted in their heart

to go before the creator of the universe

and to say, "I don't have this, but

don't you realize what I do for you?"

Let me tell you this. No parent worth

their salt would put up with that from

their kid.

Mamas, what will what would you say? I

gave birth to you. That's enough.

I let you breathe the air in my home.

That's enough. I let you use my

internet. I let you use my phone. That

phone in your hand, that's mine. I pay

for it. Hey, let's keep going. That gas

in your car, clothes on your back, the

food in your belly,

the vacation that you enjoy, it's all

mine. You get where I'm going. All of

this is at the hands of God. And yet we

think that that we can go before the God

of creation and say, "God, I don't have

this, but I should because I do this."

How about God saved your soul? Amen.

>> And that's what matters. And I think

because we thrive, we thrive in a

culture of convenience. And praise God

for conveniences. Like, praise God for

running water.

Some of us lost electricity with the

storm

>> and we about lost our minds.

>> But praise God that we have these

blessings, these amenities here in

America. LIKE, PRAISE GOD FOR THEM. But

let's never lose sight of the fact that

God has saved us, that God has set us

apart. What am I getting at? Just

because a door closes,

just because God answers no, we need to

understand that it's not about the

destination. Sometimes it's about the

direction.

God is saying, I'm redirecting you. I'm

reor orienting you even in your good

motives because I have a plan

and it's his plan and it's his purposes

that are going to prevail.

So some of us this morning we're

frustrated

because a door in our life has closed

and we're frustrated because we prayed

about it. We're frustrated because we we

wanted it. We're frustrated because it

made sense to us, but at the end of the

day, it fell apart.

It's not happening the way that we

desired. And and and let me just

encourage us with this. Don't interpret

God's no as rejection.

But hear me carefully. God's no

is still guidance in your life.

It's still direction in your life.

Because to be the type of faithful

people that God wants us to be, it means

that we're not forcing doors open that

God's closing. It means that we'll

continue to position ourselves to hear

from God

to where he's guiding to where he's

directing us to be attentive, to keep

walking, to keep pursuing. This is what

we see next. This is this is naturally

what happens through the life and

ministry of Paul right here in verses 8

and N because what we find is that God

though he's redirecting Paul he's still

speaking to Paul

and Paul is in a position where he's

hearing from God and so I want to

encourage you that God will speak to you

when you remain near to God

when you remain in close proximity to

him. Look at verse eight.

Passing by Misia, they went down to

Trrowe.

So Paul was active in the ministry. Paul

was seeking. He was still pursuing. The

scripture says it right there. Passing

by. He went down. So Paul's not giving

up. And let me just encourage us with

this. Don't you dare give up.

Don't you dare give in because the enemy

wants you to give up.

The devil wants you to throw in the

towel. He wants you to hang up your

boots. He wants you to turn your back on

God. The devil knows that he's fighting

a losing battle. And because he's

fighting a losing battle, he wants to

take everyone down with him. Don't give

in.

Don't let him one up you. You continue

to press in. You continue to stay near

to the Lord. And here's what I love.

Verse 9.

During the night, Paul had a what? A

vision in which a Macedonian man was

standing and pleading with him, cross

over to Macedonia and help us. Here's

what I love. Paul's vision

came after obedience. Did you see that?

He still continued about the ministry

passing by. He went down to Trrowe.

While he's there, he has a vision. So

again, he doesn't pump the brakes. He

doesn't hit the pause button. He doesn't

give up. He doesn't give in. He

continues to pursue. Why? That only

comes when you know when God's in

charge.

When you know that God's directing.

You know in Matthew chapter 6 when Jesus

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

preaches a sermon on the mount he says

don't worry about tomorrow for today has

enough worry of its own. You remember

that?

>> And he says I feed the birds of the air.

I provide for the liies of the field.

How much more are you worth than those

things will I not provide for you daily

bread? Will I not give you the provision

and the direction that you need? Paul

knows this church. We should know this.

So when it looks like there is a closed

door, when it looks like there's a

barrier, when it looks like it's a no,

we should be so in tune with God that we

realize God has a plan. And let me let

you in on something. God's plan is

always better than ours.

His plan is always greater than ours.

His direction is far superior than ours.

In the meantime,

we must continue to pursue. We must

continue to follow. We must actively be

looking for the Lord. But then I I get

it. There is a rebuttal against this and

I'm right there with you because I often

say this as well, Roland. Why can't God

just show me and tell me clearly what he

wants me to do?

Why can't he just say, "Nope, that's not

the job for you. Yes, that's the spouse

for you. Nope, you shouldn't do that

with your children. Yes, you should do

this. Yes, you you should do that. Why

can't God just clearly step by step,

routine by routine, let me know? Because

if that was the case, you would never

draw near to him in your time of need.

And we all know what happens when life

is going well. It is very easy for us to

go idle. It is very easy for us to

forget the one who's made it all

possible.

God doesn't cause the evil seasons. He's

not the author of the bad in your life.

That's the result of the fall and

humanity's rebellion against God. But

God is so loving. God is so sovereign.

God is so faithful that he will use

those things to draw you near

to deepen your affections for him. Which

is why time and time again we will read

in the scriptures things like, "I count

it a joy when I go through trials."

that I embrace suffering because it

produces endurance and perseverance.

There is a moment in our life and many

of us are there. I've heard your

testimonies. I've heard your stories and

you you've you've seen the lights where

you've tasted and seen the goodness of

God where you realize the pain and the

suffering in your life that God in his

mercy has used it to develop deeper

affections that without the stuff that

you went through those affections might

not exist.

Paul received a vision

as a result of his obedience,

as a result of him staying near to God.

Now, you you may never receive a vision

to the extent that Paul received a

vision, but you can live near to God the

way Paul lived near to God. You can

pursue him the way Paul pursued him. And

you can live so close enough to the Lord

that you recognize that he's leading you

and guiding you over time.

And sometimes, someone needs to hear

this. Sometimes

the next step is not figuring out what

the next 10 years are going to look

like. It may not even be figuring out

what the next year is going to look

like. Your next step is just simply one

step ahead.

Little by little, one step at a time,

trusting that God will be there every

moment, every step, every single day.

And here's what I love. Because when

Paul finally receives direction, what

does he discover? He discovered that

God's plans were far bigger than his

own. Because once he crosses the Aian

Sea and once he gets into Europe, what

happens? The church in Philippi is

started.

He meets this rich uh this wealthy uh

young woman by the name of Lydia

who becomes a catalyst for gospel

proclamation in that part of the world.

The Philippian jailer gets saved.

You have a demon-possessed girl gets

saved. You see these big moments of

ministry

that were not delays but gospel

expansion. And here's the third thing.

We'll close with this.

Godgiven vision leads to godly action.

This is a moment that becomes a lynch

pin in church history.

The gospel crossing cultures,

crossing into parts of the world so that

the kingdom of God goes to the four

corners of the globe. Verse 10. After he

had seen the vision, we immediately made

efforts to set out for Macedonia.

So the vision resulted in what? Action.

So many of us, we we know what God has

called us to because we feel it in our

guts. We feel it in our spirits.

But we've delayed action.

And when you delay action

as a result of what God has called you

to do, you live in disobedience.

Who's in charge? God's in charge. And if

God calls you to it, you better believe

God's going to see you through it. This

is what is happening here. Now, now

here's here's here's a tidbit of info

for some Bible nerds.

Notice the shift in verbiage here in

verse 10. After he had seen the vision,

we

immediately made efforts to set out for

Macedonia.

Who's the author of Acts?

Gentleman by the name of Luke, who is

the same individual who wrote the Gospel

of Luke. At this point in the story,

this is when Luke joins Paul on his

missionary journeys. Many biblical

historians agree since Luke by trade was

a medical doctor. Later on, we learn

that Paul was afflicted by what he calls

a thorn in his flesh that he prayed for

healing. Healing never came and he

understood that God was using that as a

way to draw him closer to the Lord, to

seek the Lord, to deepen his affections

and his worship for the Lord. It's at

this point in the story that Luke, as

he's written these first 16 chapters,

has finally joined Paul on his journey.

And what happens in Macedonia?

They concluded that God had called us to

preach the gospel to them.

The action resulted in gospel

proclamation. And let me just let let

you in on this, church. When God calls

you to something, it is always, it is

always. Your method might be different.

Your platform might be different. The

way you go about it might be different.

But if God calls you to it, it is always

for the proclamation of the gospel. And

if someone ever comes to you and says,

"God told me to do this," absent of the

proclamation of the gospel, God didn't

tell them to do it.

They're lying. Or a demon told them to

do it.

Godly vision leads to godly action.

And so this this entire chapter, we'll

learn more about it next week, reminds

us that God's guidance

is always present.

Sometimes his guidance might look like

uncertainty. Sometimes it might look

like waiting. Sometimes it might look

like a closed door. But God is still

guiding us. So don't stop walking with

God.

Stay near to him. Seek him.

Because when it's all said and done, he

stays near to us. He came to seek us.

And he did it through his son

by his death on the cross to call you

out of sin into life everlasting.

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your

word and we thank you that in you and

through you there is life eternal.

And Lord, we pray that you would

continue to move in this place.

Lord, as we celebrate the Lord's supper

here in just a moment and we conclude

our time together, may we understand

that your spirit is active

and you are calling people.

You are calling people out of death and

sin to life eternal.

Lord, we love you. We're for you. We ask

this in your name. All God's people

said, "Amen.