Wide Open Doors – 5

Wide Open Doors – 5

Subject – The Key to Josiah’s Success

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

–Many have testified that the enemy of our soul has come to steal, kill, and destroy and they have having trouble with the whole concept of abundant life...living in freedom every day.

1. It’s Time to Fight to Get Thru the Wide Open Doors.

–Again let me remind you that this fight is for real and your enemy, without the power and armor of God, is stronger than you are:

Ephesians 6:10‑12 (NKJV) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

–I think there needs to be a paradigm shift in our thinking here at LIFE Church...It is time for us to start living in freedom everyday...life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

–We have challenged you to bless the Lord at all times, to put on the whole armor of God, to see every chain broken off your lives, to go thru the wide open doors.

–I believe it is time to get our spiritual and physical house in order...you need to determine that you are going to be faithful to God no matter what.

--You are going to obey His Word even when it is not convenient...you are going to be a hands on parent...

Involved and investing not just education but investing in their growth with Christ.

--It is time to be faithful to Church...what are we teaching our children when we view church as optional. Remember your compromise and complacency will be taken to the next level by your children.

—Jeremy’s staff Sargent in boot camp “Must we look so defeated?”...NO!!! Jesus said: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

–It is time to grow up in the Lord and walk thru the wide open doors God has placed before us corporately, as families, as individuals.  

–Will it be easy...absolutely not...was the cross easy...we must be like Jesus...for the joy set before Him He endured the cross despising its shame.

--Tonight we are looking at Josiah and I believe God has a message for us.

2 Chronicles 34:1‑5 (NKJV) 

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty‑one years in Jerusalem. 

2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 

4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 

5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 

–When Josiah was extremely young he found himself in a place of leadership...King!

–He made a decision even as a child...I will do what is right in the sight of God and walk in His ways and not vary from it.

–You may not be king...but you are probably in a position of leadership...mom, dad, boss, teacher, etc. I exhort you to walk in the ways of the Lord...Do what is right!

–How many of our problems could be taken care of if we were filled with the Holy Spirit, if we did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walk in His ways. 

–Romans 8 tells to walk in the Spirit and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh! The end result is “If God is for us who can be against us?”

Romans 8:37‑39 (NKJV) 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

2. The Key to Go Thru the Wide Open Doors.

–So what is the key?  If someone gave us a house or a BMW it would be necessary for us to have the key to access our gift.

–Josiah found the key for the radical transformation in his life...the key that gave him access to the power and plan of God for his life:

2 Chronicles 34:3 (NKJV) ³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; 

–What do we seek? Sadly, everything but Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We get council from those not qualified, seek pleasure, affirmation from the wrong people, we seek happiness.

–In the OT the Holy Spirit would come upon people and I can’t help but believe that the radical transformation of Josiah was because of the power of the Spirit.

–His seeking of the Lord resulted in action...what are you saying PR? I am saying that when we seek God and we are filled with the Holy Spirit...things will happen in our lives.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year (age 20) he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 

–He began to purge Judah and Israel of all the other substitutes in their lives...all the false images...false substitutes for God...purge means to rid of impurities.

–Life Church, if we will go thru wide open doors and walk in freedom everyday it will be because we seek God, get filled with His Spirit, and get the images out of our lives...chains broken.

–Yes, I understand the difficulty of letting these go...Satan is riled up and dispatches his imps to torment us: You can’t live without this thing or person or addiction in your life?

–Liar! Father of lies is his name. Someone needs to be courageous enough to say enough is enough...the line is drawn in the sand...I will live in freedom everyday...battle is on!

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

3. We Go Thru Wide Open Doors by the Word and by Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD. 

Isaiah 59:19 (NKJV) 19 So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. 

–Who will raise up a standard...the Holy Spirit...Imagery here is the Wind of the Spirit holding up the Jordan River when it was at flood stage or the crossing of the Red Sea...I will drown…No!

–Not if the Spirit of God is in your life...He will raise up a standard...He will hold back the flood waters of the enemy and you will pass thru...Tell someone...I am going thru!

–Remember: It is not you but the Spirit of God within you tearing down the strongholds.

–Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord, he walked in His ways, He sought God, and God gave him the courage to stand in the face of great opposition.

–The pattern is still the same for us...Do what is right, walk in the ways of the Lord, seek God and get filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to tear down the junk in your life and in the life of your family.

Isaiah 59:19‑21 (NKJV) 

19 So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. 

20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the LORD. 

21 "As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore." 

–The Lord’s covenant with us...His Spirit upon us and His Words in our mouth!

–This is Life...abundant life...full life...this is going thru wide open doors and Living in Freedom Every day!

Wide Open Doors – 4

Wide Open Doors – 4

Subject – Keeping Our Joy

By Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

–It has been my observation by watching people that the enemy has tried everything he can to rob us of the abundant life that God has planned for us.

–Because of adversity many have lost their joy and it shows on their countenance. Many are not Living in Freedom Every Day.

–Some people think that when Christians use the term “joy” that it is just a substitute for the word “happy” but there is definitely a difference in the two.

1. Happiness Verses Joy.

–In the late eighties Bobby McFerrin wrote and sang a little song in a Carribean style  called “Don’t worry, be happy”.  It made it to number one on the charts...people loved it.

–All of us love being happy and we would like to be happy more but the question is how?

Cymbala: Happiness ebbs and flows based on our changing circumstances. A new baby or grandchild is born, and we are all smiles. We win a free vacation, and we are ecstatic. The boss gives us a big raise just when we need extra money, and we are elated. But the euphoria is only temporary. Inevitably something happens and takes with it our happiness. The baby gets sick, the vacation gets rained on, our job is eliminated by a corporate merger. The positive feeling is fleeting. At best we are left feeling empty and at worse, even angry.

–So how do we get our happiness back when our situation changes? We can’t wish happiness back. We can’t chase it. Trying harder to regain it only leaves us frustrated.

–If circumstances alone make us happy, then our situation has to change for us to be happy again. We will never have control over the things that make for “Be happy, Don’t worry”

–Happiness is circumstantial and elusive, but joy is not circumstantial. We can have joy even when we are not happy. Here is the key... Holy Spirit gives us joy.

Galatians 5:22‑23 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23 gentleness, self‑control. Against such there is no law. 

–Isn’t it interesting that joy is mentioned right after love. It is obvious that God does not want us to live depressed, cranky, and bitter lives. 

–He knows that happiness is fleeting so He gives us supernatural joy through the Holy Spirit that transcends our circumstances.

–Joy is a beautiful gift that accompanies salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and it is imparted to us by Holy Spirit into our inner most being.

–Cymbala: If joy is a gift, we should expect to see more of it in the church, yet we are often surprised when we do. However, when we recognize that true joy doesn’t come from our circumstances but rather from God and His Holy Spirit, we begin to see joy as a blessing for everyday life. And that joy from the Spirit will make us distinctive to the culture around us.

2. The Apostle Paul and Joy.

2 Corinthians 6:4‑10 (NKJV) 

4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 

5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 

6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, 

7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 

9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 

10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

Barnes Notes on the New Testament - Always rejoicing. So Paul was, notwithstanding the fact that he always appeared to have occasion for grief. Religion had a power not only to sustain the soul in trial, but to fill it with positive joy. The sources of his joy were doubtless the assurances of the Divine favor, and the hopes of eternal glory. And the same is true of religion always. There is an internal peace and joy which the world may not see or appreciate, but which is far more than a compensation for all the trials which the Christian endures. 

–Here it is church: This is the power of God to be witnesses...you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

–When the world sees us with joy and peace in the middle of great trial and affliction they are challenged to question...what is the source of this person’s joy...I need that! 

The Apostle Paul and Silas are perfect examples of this:

Acts 16:22‑31 (NKJV) (After casting the demon possessed girl who followed them:

22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 

23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 

24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 

26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 

27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 

28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." 

29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 

30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 

31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 

–Do you think Paul and Silas…drug in front of the magistrates, clothes torn off, beaten with rods, and thrown into the inner prison with their feet placed in stocks? They were obviously not happy!

–Can you imagine the humiliation and the pain that they went thru but I guess they had made a decision to bless the Lord at all times…his praise be continually in their mouths. How do you know that?

--25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 

–What? Surrounded by darkness, surrounded by criminals, surrounded by the stench (no restrooms), hurting, and bleeding they had joy in the middle of it all!

–The prisoners were listening, your children, your spouse, your co-workers, your church family, your enemies are all listening to see if what you have is real. They need to know it is real!

–Someone else is listening...God is listening...Dan Betzer...God tapping His foot!

–What was the end result of having Holy Spirit joy in the middle of a trial:  immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 

–Most important thing. What must we do to be saved?  When we walk in supernatural joy provided by Holy Spirit instead of hoping for allusive happiness...People come to Christ and their families.

Key - “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and let the fruit of joy be in your life”.

–Bless the Lord at all times, put on the whole armor of God, let the chains be broken in your lives, go thru that wide open door. 

–Horatio Spafford - 1828-1888 - A Chicago lawyer.  In 1870 his only son (4) died from Scarlet Fever...A year later he had greatly invested in real estate in Chicago...Fires destroyed all of his investments...after these tragedies he, his wife, and four daughters planned a trip to England...two reasons...to rest and to help evangelist DL Moody with his meetings.  A last minute business situation made Spafford have to stay behind while he sent his family ahead on the ship. He was to join them later. Nine days later he receives this telegram from his wife “Saved alone” four daughters drown. Sank in twelve minutes. He boarded a ship to go comfort his wife and at the place where the ship sank he penned these words.  

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well ... with my soul!

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Galatians 5:22‑25 (NKJV) 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23 gentleness, self‑control. Against such there is no law. 

24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.