Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries |
The Doctrine of the Open Door, Part 37. The closing of the open door.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
God always speaks to us through the Bible as His spoken Word, which is called logos. God loves to be personal with us and He speaks to us in a very special way through the logos, the Word of God, a word of encouragement sometimes referred to as a rhema.
Rhema is just simply God’s way of speaking to us in a personal way as He fulfills HEB 11:6c, that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Humor brings God closer to mankind.
The first time laughter is mentioned is found in GEN 17:15-17, where God dealt with Abraham and Sarah in a humorous way. Their son would be called Yitschaaq meaning laughter because they laughed at God.
We never build our doctrine on the basis of a rhema, a personal word from God, our doctrinal viewpoint is based upon the logos, the written word inspired by God the Holy Spirit.
Under the doctrine of Numerology that God’s number 37 speaks of perfection, sanctification, and salvation, or being saved.
The 3,700th verse of the Bible we find the Lord selecting the Levites to be the tribe of Priests who are to be holy and set apart for serving God.
God speaking to us in a very personal way through His Open Doors in His perfect Divine Timing.
He has done so by means of the word of God, and what some call a coincidence, which I believe are really personal rhemas or words of encouragement from God.
In the book of Numbers notice that this principle is found in the 3rd chapter and 7th verse (37).
NUM 3:7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
There are only seven books in the Bible that have a chapter 37 and all seven chapters speak of being saved, raised up, or being holy or perfect.
Gen 37 - Joseph is thrown into a pit but in GEN 37:36, he is lifted out of it and is delivered (saved).
In Exo 37 - There is the perfection of furniture in the tabernacle which represents - things of Pure Gold or being holy or perfect.
In Job 37 - in the 13,777th verse in the Bible, JOB 37:7 says He seals the hand of every man because He is holy and perfect.
In JOB 37:7 -- The Lord will save his people -
Psalm 37:37 says Mark the blameless man (saved).
In Isa 37 - God will save Jerusalem says the 733rd verse of Isaiah -
ISA 37:35 “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”
In Jer 37 -- Jerusalem was saved when the siege was lifted and Jeremiah was also saved from death -
JER 37:21, (Interesting Chapter 37 x verse 21 = 777).
In Eze 37 -- The dry bones vision of Israel who will be saved - EZE 37:28 “And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”
LUK 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The last principle in our doctrine of the open door, Point 11. dealing with The Importance of Divine Timing Pertaining to the Open Doors from God.
Some of these doors depend totally upon the sovereign will of God in spite of the free will of man while, most of them depend upon the sovereign will of God working together with the free will of man.
Divine timing is perfect and God is perfect, therefore, you were born at the perfect time according to divine timing and then sent through the open door of life.
Regardless of the circumstances and events that surround your birth, God gave you life at that moment, so that was the right time for you to be born.
God’s timing is perfect and you will die when God determines under divine timing and sent through the open door of eternity.
There are at least two times in life you will go to and through the open doors provided by God under His perfect divine timing, - the day of your birth, and the day of your death.
Your choice lies in where you will spend eternity for the issue will be
MAT 22:42 “What do you think about the Christ?”
If you refuse to believe in Christ, God has an open door that you will be forced to go through where you will be separated from Him forever as you go into the open door of the fire of Torments, when you die. (LUK 16:23-25). You believe in Christ, the moment your soul departs from your body you will be “absent from the body, face to face with the Lord” forever; (2CO 5:8).
What you do with the human life which God permanently imputed to your soul is strictly up to you and where you spend eternity depends upon your attitude toward the open door provided by God.
The Hebrew word for plant is nata which means to plant, to work, to invest. God has allotted or assigned to you a profession, a business, a job, and this also includes the time for parenthood.
Planting and plowing describe an agricultural economy at the time that Solomon wrote this. “there is a right time to invest and there is a right time to reap from that investment.”
ECC 3:2 says that whatever you do in life by way of making a living, there’s a right time and a wrong time.
Uproot is the Hebrew verb aqar which means to root up; to destroy, to exterminate. Before you can replant after your crop grows you must destroy the old to make room for the new.
Divine timing provides for us the open doors concerning when it’s time to “harag,” to kill the enemy in battle or to execute the criminal.
The verb to heal is rapha which means to heal; to bind up wounds, to restore life; to save life; to mend or repair, or to reconcile. Divine timing reveals the open doors concerning the time to restore relationships and to heal and reconcile us to others.
A time to tear down is the Hebrew verb paratz which means to demolish or to break away. There’s a time when we must have things in our life completely removed, and God provides for us the open doors to separate.
The Hebrew banah is used for construction of something wonderful, something great, it can also mean to repair something.
It could refer to a friendship, a relationship, and a family matter etc.
Throwing stones can mean a lot of things such as to fight for your country or if in law enforcement, practice capital punishment! “to throw stones” can also mean to pick up stones and to clear the land for construction or building.
To gather is the Hebrew verb kanac which means to collect materials for building; to collect stones for construction, or to clear a field for plowing, or to prepare the military with weaponry.
This passage teaches that there are destructive and constructive times in the believer’s life. God has allotted a certain amount of time for us to be destructive and constructive and has provided the open doors to do so.
A time to embrace is the Qal infinitive construct of the Hebrew verb chabaq which refers to the love affair and sex with your mate.
A time to search means to depend upon the open doors to go to and through concerning the time to seek after, and the time when you should just “give up” because you must get on with your life.
To keep means to guard, to protect, and a time to throw away to cast away things you thought were important before. you will have to forget about some friends who are not compatible with your norms and standards any longer and who become a distraction.
If you disagree, read Mat 23 and see if there’s a time to rip apart with words! There’s a time to level with someone and tell someone off and to make it clear even if it may sound like you’re ripping them to shreds.
Under the open doors He sets before us that lead us to the open doors of restoring our relationship with others.
A time to keep silent means under the timing of God and the open doors that God provides, He reveals to us when to be still; to hold our peace; to keep silent; or to be quiet. There’s a time to speak, when you can open your mouth and say something that’s wonderful, edifying, helpful, and comforting.
"A time to love" means to give our total attention and concentration to the object of our love, a time to hate means to despise that which is anti-God; anti-establishment, or to hate human viewpoint, acts of injustice, prejudice ought to be hated. A time to hate also refers to hating that which is antagonistic to God’s will, plan and purpose, and Bible doctrine.