Ep. 77 | The Closed Door | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 7:16. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Every story has a beginning. And if you don't understand the beginning, you'll likely misunderstand everything that follows. Welcome to Formed by the Word. Currently, we're going back to the very beginning as we look together at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters explain our world, our struggles, and much about ourselves. We'll see beauty and brokenness, purpose and pride, judgment and grace. We'll watch humanity fall and see that God already had a plan to restore his relationship with us. The Bible doesn't start with a problem, it starts with a perfect God, and that changes everything. So, wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, because the God who spoke in the beginning is still speaking today.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Well, I started back towards the last screen to retrieve the glove and it started to rain. So I picked up the pace a little bit. Then it started to pour. Now, fortunately, the golf cart shelter became my refuge and friend until the downpour slagged. Now, most people don't think about shelter when the sun is shining, right? I had seen that shelter many times, but never thought, oh, that would make a nice place to stop and wait out a rain shower. We think about shelter when the storm arrives. But Noah's story reminds us of something important. In a spiritual sense, the time to find safety from judgment is before the storm begins. One of the greatest questions a person can ask is, how secure is my salvation? Can I really know that I belong to God? Can I truly have a peace when life's storms come? Can I be sure that my chosen place of refuge is a storm worthy? Surprisingly, part of the answer is found in a door on the side of Noah's Ark. A door God opened and a door God closed. Last time we saw in Genesis 7 that God shut Noah safely inside the ark before the first raindrop ever fell. And that simple detail reveals a beautiful picture of God's grace. Before we explore the meaning of this second door, let's recap what we learned about the open door found in verse 1 of chapter 7. We noted that at the right time God invited Noah to come in to the ark. God instructed Noah to build one door on the side of the ark. So obviously, when Noah entered the ark, he went through that door, and obviously that door was open. Today I want to talk a little bit about that same door, but this time the door is closed. In verse 7, chapter 7, and verse 16, we read these words. A male and female of each kind, that is each kind of animal, is what he's talking about there. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them. What a powerful little sentence. And I know we can't just stop at every little sentence, but this one just arrests my attention for several reasons and several things that I observe here. First of all, notice that God shut the door. It was not Noah who closed the door, the Lord shut him in. Now that seems like a detail unimportant, but it's very important. It's important to note here that sometimes God opens a door and sometimes he closes a door. By the way, it's also true that God will sometimes close doors that he had previously opened. The second thing I notice is the closed door provided Noah complete protection through the storm. Once the door was shut by the Lord, the rains came. But those inside the ark were safe. This reminds me that being shut in, if you will, by God brings supernatural peace in the middle of chaos and danger. Notice this important point. God shut Noah safely inside. Now there is the gospel in Genesis, right? Noah's security did not depend on his grip on the ark. It depended on God's grip on Noah. Here again, the ark is a beautiful picture of Jesus. The open door represents God's invitation. Come to me, all that are weary and heavy laden, Jesus said, Matthew chapter 11. The closed door represents God's provision and protection of his people. As Noah was shut in, or we might say sealed in the ark, believers today are sealed into salvation by the Holy Spirit. Our salvation is not secured by our ability to hold on to God, it is secured by God's ability to hold on to us. The shut door represents the Holy Spirit, who seals the believer's salvation. Paul wrote it this way in Ephesians chapter 1, 13 and 14. He writes, In him that is in Christ, you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed, the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the possession to the praise of his glory. He said it this way to the Ephesian church later, chapter 4, verse 30. He said, And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You are sealed by him for the day of redemption. We can't help but notice the likeness here as God shuts in or seals the ark, the Holy Spirit seals our salvation, we are safe within the ark of Jesus, despite the chaos and the flood of sin that takes place around. And in spite of the judgment that God is sending upon sin, we who follow Christ are safe inside. Also observe that when God shut the door of the ark, the opportunity for salvation closed for that generation. This reminds us that the day of grace, while open now, will not remain open forever. So let's pause to make some application here that I think makes this very relevant for today. There are many lessons for life that God wants us to learn from doors. And I read an interesting article from Rick Warren. You could Google it and see even more that he learns about doors and in the scripture. But let me mention just about three thoughts. First of all, every open door requires a decision. In the Bible, doors are metaphors for the choices that we make every day. We discover early on in life that we can walk through some doors, maybe you would call them opportunities, and not others. Most doors or opportunities we face demand that we make a decision. Noah decided that he would walk through the open door in verse one. When he made that wise and obedient choice, then God shut the door behind him. But Noah had a decision to make. Every open door requires a decision. Second, every decision shapes a destiny. These doors, whether you walk through them or walk past them, will shape your life throughout. The tough part is knowing the right door. Every door will cost you some time, some will cost you some money. You can't walk through every door. So we have to discern. We need to make our decisions prayerfully because it's often difficult to get back on the right path if you go through the wrong door. It's critical that we learn discernment because the consequences of poor decisions can be so glaring. Indeed, every door, every open door requires a decision. Every decision shapes a destiny. Third, not every closed door is a bad thing. Just because a door is open doesn't mean God opened it. And just because a door is closed doesn't mean it's a bad thing. People often believe a shut door is a problem, but sometimes it's for our own protection. Maybe you lose a job or a relationship ends. You're devastated. But you come to find out that God shut the door for your protection. Ever happened to you? Think about Noah. When he had done everything God had told him to do, and all the animals and all the families were on the ark, then the Lord shut the door behind Noah for his own protection. God wanted to protect Noah from the flood. And he wants to protect you. Maybe God wants to shut a door for a new ministry assignment because he knows you're not the right fit for it. Maybe God wants to close the door on a relationship because you're drawn by things that are not necessarily healthy. And by the way, God will never tell you something different than what was written in his word. If a door presents you an opportunity to do something contrary to the Bible, it's not a door from God. It is not God opening that door, which by the way reminds us that Satan himself will also open doors of opportunity that will lead us astray. So no matter how exciting a door looks, it'll be a disaster if it's contrary to God's word. My friends, you have doors in front of you right now, perhaps. We all do. I pray you'll have the discernment to know which ones to walk through and the courage to walk through the right ones. Sometimes when God closes a door, it's not punishment, it's protection. Sometimes the most loving thing God can do is close a door in front of us. So here's your takeaway today. I really believe this. God's closed doors are just as much a part of his grace as his open ones. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day. Thank you for the doors you have opened in my life, and thank you for the ones you've shut. Continue to teach me, Lord, to trust you and your judgment and opportunities. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.