Open or Shut?
Notes
Transcript
A. Rapport for the time
How do you know whose leading you? Sounds like a simple answer. The answer would be I’m leading me or God is leading me? Those who are apart from Christ are obviously led by themselves and their earthly desires. Those who are found in Christ should obviously be led by him as we have submitted ourselves to the Lordship of Christ. The Spirit of God has been active in Acts in a new way by indwelling people . You and I have confirmed that scripture is clear that the same Spirit in Acts is the Spirit that is in believers to this very day. With all that why ask who is leading us? This morning I’m proposing that even as Christians we can lead ourselves if we are not careful. By leading ourselves, I mean putting our motives and desires before those of Christ. I will even tell you that if you are not pursuing the Lord daily and seeking his wisdom and knowledge regularly you are destined to lead yourself because that is our default position.
B. Reading of the text
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
C. Review of the text
As we have journey in Acts the Spirit has been at work in the lives of believers. We have covered the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas and a few weeks ago we saw the early church trying to work out what salvation truly looks like. As the church began to grow and Jewish converts began to spend time with Gentile converts they began to try and influence one another.
Teaching us a good lesson for how we are to center ministry around the word of God and not just our opinion on topics.
D. Relevance of the text
I. God closes doors
I. God closes doors
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
Picture of map for them to see the route taken by Paul on the second missionary journey. I wanted you to see geographically the location that we are talking about. Understand that Luke is informing us about the trips they are taking but that is not the point of this passage.
These three phrases are the story of this passage. This is what is important for us to look at.
Having been forbidden—to hinder, prevent forbid, to withhold a thing from anyone, to deny or refuse one a thing.
Attempted—To attempt to do something, with the implication of not succeeding,
Spirit of Jesus—This is another way to speak about the Holy Spirit. And to talk of his leadership in the life of believers
Flesh vs. Spirit
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Not a slave but a son
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Spirit led care for others
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
OT prophets led by the Spirit
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
One of the cool things in this passage is that the entire Trinity is involved. Holy Spirit listed first, Spirit of Jesus listed second, and God call them to preach the gospel to them in vs. 10.
Spurgeon— “You will not find a Christian who does not have to mourn over his self-righteous tendencies; you will not discover a believer who has not at certain periods in his life, to groan because the spirit of self-confidence has risen in his heart, and prevented him from feeling the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit-has led him to put his confidence in the mere strength of nature, the strength of good intentions, the strength of strong resolutions, instead of relying upon the might of God the Holy Spirit alone.
Application:
T.S. God closed doors but also directed their paths opening others.
II. God directs
II. God directs
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
The Lord sees fit to stop them in one direction but to point them to another. When we read this verse most get caught up in who the person in the vision actually is and whether it was an angel or represented by someone that we can guess like Luke or Alexander the great. But understand the importance of the vision is not in the person but in what they say. The man of Macedonia was asking for help!
Help from what? Does he need Paul’s help to plan out military strategy because they are being invaded and Paul has a special skill that we don’t know about yet? Help! Help!
8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
There is none like our God. None, can forgive sins but the one true God. Help—is needed because the man in Macedonia needs to be set free from sin and Paul has the only message that will do.
Application: a world full of people who are in desperate need of help and the majority don’t know it. God guides us into their paths for his Name.
T.S. God directs Paul and Paul can only be obedient to God’s direction
III. Obedience to God direction
III. Obedience to God direction
10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
immediately—Without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening; soon directly
This word is used at least 35 times in the book of Mark to move things from one event to another. Paul does not wait, does not debate, does not way his options or as for more clarity. He simply goes immediately at the direction of God. He does not know why other doors have shut to go to places he believed the Lord wanted him to go but he goes. This is an example to us of being led by the Spirit of God, by the Holy Spirit, By the Spirit of Jesus.