When God Says No by Brother Curtis Hansen

         This morning, we are going to be reading from the book of Revelation. We are not going to dive into the end time text of John, but we will be reading a single verse from chapter 3. We will be reading verse 7. 

        7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

        If God opens a door, no man can shut it. This could be a door of opportunity in your life which occurs. If he closes it, no man can open it.

        In the denominations of the UPC and Apostolic church, both operate a lot in emotion. Whenever the holy spirit is present, there's a sense of peace. It doesn't have to be this sanctuary. It can be your home or your workplace. There's a feeling of peace that cannot be duplicated. This feel is something you and I are to be stewards of in life.

        When Satan was cast from heaven, he was holding dominion over the earth. The men of this earth gave Satan his power in large part to this.

        If there is a subject or title to this message this morning, it would be when God says no. A lot of people have this inclination to think God saying yes to all of their wants and requests. God will say no for 4 different reasons. When you're going through things in life, you are also doing so in the spirit. It's often tied to a learning experience. 

        If God shut it, don't try to open it. The first reason is for protection. What's behind that door may be your destruction. The prophet Baalam was dealing with this thing in his story over in the book Numbers. It has a moment where his donkey speaks to him a warning as Baalam had grown more frustrated. Bitterness can set in your life when you can't open a door, and it can lead to resentment which could very well pull you off your path.

        When God says no, the 2nd point is just the timing of the request. You may not be physically or spiritually ready for the next step. You can have all the things in your life align for you somewhere and God may still tell you no. Timing is everything. Look inward and ask yourself, "What am I lacking?" You will never get the promotion out in the world if there's no progress in your spiritual walk. The example I thought of for this 2nd point was King David. King David had a heart for God and wanted to build a temple to worship God. God told him no because the amount of blood on David's hands was great. David had the heart to build but he was told no. His son Solomon would supervise the building. That leads me to say to you today that a no right now doesn't mean never.

        When God says no, the 3rd reason is often tied to a course correction. If you read Acts chapter 16 and at verse 6, Paul was wanting to travel one direction in his missionary journey to Asia. The spirit directed him toward different areas. By verse 9, Paul receives a vision of a man in Macedonia praying for Paul to help. Paul is similar to Baalam, but the difference is Paul was led by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we need a course correction. God telling you no should have you evaluate your life and direction. Where am I going, and where is God leading me?

        The last reason I want to speak about when God says no, reason 4 is trust over comfort. Comfort is an enemy for your spiritual walk. Comfort usually leads into a routine, into a rut, and then a stale life. Faith isn't proven when God tells you yes on something. Faith is proven with a no. An example I was thinking of this was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Read Matthew 26 for more context. In essence God said no with no answer to Jesus' request. Jesus accepted it as his will be done. In every time, watch for silence from heaven because salvation is at risk. The next choice you make is critical.

        If the devil can't get you with sin, he can get it through earthly good. God speaks once and twice at most. If you don't obey the instruction the first time, there is no second time.