Learning from Missed Opportunities in Biblical Stories

 
WHEN GOD CLOSES DOORS
 
INTRODUCTION
 
Today’s lesson can essentially be summarized
in two words:
Q: How often do we pray to God to provide
us with opportunities in a given area?
Q: How often does God answer our prayers
in the affirmative, yet we fail to do our part?
When we fail to take advantage of an
opportunity God has given, that particular
opportunity is lost
 
Missed
 
Opportunities
INTRODUCTION
 
Through His grace God may give us yet another
opportunity in a particular area
However, in some instances that opportunity
never presents itself again [it is gone forever]
God has “closed the door” and that door will
never be opened again
Paul in some of his epistles described his
opportunities to share the gospel as “open doors”
(1 Cor 16:5-9, 2 Cor 2:12-13, Col 4:2-4)
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
 
In our lesson today we will look at both OT &
NT examples of 
Missed Opportunities
C
ircumstances were ideal for individuals to
accomplish something good, but…
Subsequently, God closed the door on these
particular opportunities and they were no
longer available to the individuals involved
Lesson For Us
: Opportunities are a precious
commodity and they don’t exist in infinite
supply
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
 
Seeing the wickedness of mankind was great
upon the earth the Lord God was grieved in
His heart and decided to destroy mankind
thru a worldwide flood 
(Gen 6:5-7)
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
(Gen 6:8)
 God instructed Noah to build an ark to save
himself, his family and various animals
identified by God 
(Gen 6:13-22)
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
 
Gen 7:13-16 
records after Noah, his family
and all the animals entered the ark that 
the
Lord God shut them in
Essentially, God “closed the door” of
opportunity for anyone else to enter the ark
and be saved
On that very same day, God brought the flood
waters upon the earth and destroyed the
human race (with the exception of Noah and
his family)
ABILITY
 
Recall some important facts recorded about
Noah in 
Gen 6:8-9
#1) Noah found grace in the eyes of the
Lord
#2) Noah was a just (righteous) man,
perfect (blameless) in his generations
#3) Noah walked with God
Q: Was Noah the only person of his time who
had the ability to display these traits? 
NO!
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
ABILITY
 
We learn in the NT of the people’s ability to
obey God if they had chosen to do so,
because of the efforts of Noah 
(2 Pet 2:4-5)
As a preacher of righteousness, Noah tried
to persuade others to make themselves right
with God before that great day of
destruction
The people like Noah had the ability to find
grace in God’s eyes, live righteously &
blameless and walk with God 
(Gen 6:8-9)
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
OPPORTUNITY
 
There is something we can necessarily
conclude from the description of Noah as a
preacher of righteousness
God thru His grace was giving others of that
generation the opportunity to be saved
Sadly, only Noah and his family availed
themselves of that opportunity
All others chose to reject Noah’s message and
the salvation God made available to them
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
RESPONSIBILITY
 
It was the people’s responsibility to respond
to (accept) God’s message thru Noah to be
saved
God did not force the people to obey Him
Neither will He force us to obey Him today
The choice to obey was theirs [and ours]
Choose life or choose death 
(Deut 30:19)
All but Noah and his family chose death
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
ACCOUNTABILITY
 
God held the rebellious human race
accountable for the golden opportunity they
squander to make themselves right with God
They rejected Noah’s preaching and God
As He had declared, God destroyed rebellious
mankind for their wickedness and refusal to
repent 
(Gen 7:17-23a)
Only Noah and those who were with him in
the ark remained alive 
(Gen 7:23b)
THE PEOPLE OF NOAH’S TIME (GEN 6 & 7)
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
 
An account recorded in 
Num 13 & 14
Two years after leaving Egypt Israel arrived at
the wilderness of Paran (i.e. Kadesh-barnea)
God instructed Moses to send out 12 men
(leaders) to spy out the land of Canaan and
bring back a report to Moses and Israel
Ten spies gave a negative report 
(Num 13:25-
29)
, two spies (Caleb & Joshua) gave a positive
report
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
 
Israel accepted the negative report of the ten
spies and rejected the positive report of Caleb
& Joshua
As a result of their great fear, Israel refused to
enter Canaan and take possession of the land
as commanded by God
They rebelled against Moses and God
God held them accountable for their rebellion
ABILITY
 
Because God was with Israel, 
clearly
 they had
the ability to take possession of Canaan
The land God had promised hundreds of
years earlier to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
their descendants
The land of rest Israel could call their own
Caleb and Joshua pleaded with the people,
trying to convince them of Israel’s ability to
take possession of the land with God’s help
(Num 13:30, 14:6-9)
, but to no avail
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
ABILITY
 
Instead of listening to Caleb and Joshua, the
people chose instead to listen to the evil
report brought back by the other ten spies
(Num 13:31-33)
Their negative influence on the people was
powerful 
(Num 14:1-4)
The Israelites were so convinced by the evil
report 
[we are not able to do this]
 they
were ready to stone 
Caleb and Joshua to
death in order to silence them, but God
intervened 
(Num 14:10)
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
OPPORTUNITY
 
How quickly Israel had forgotten how God
miraculously delivered Israel from Egyptian
bondage 
(Ex 7-11, 12 & 14)
How He had sustained them for two years in
the wilderness 
(Ex 16, 17, 19 & 20, Num 11)
How He had safely led Israel to the border of
Canaan (the Promised Land)
Canaan was theirs for the taking
A golden opportunity lay before them
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
RESPONSIBILITY
 
The Israelites had a simple responsibility
Obey God and take possession of the land
He had promised them
Israel refused to fulfill their responsibility to
God
They squandered a great and precious
opportunity
They were going to answer to God for their
failure to fulfill their responsibility to Him
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
ACCOUNTABILITY
 
God held Israel accountable for their refusal
to enter the Promised Land 
(Num 14:36-37)
God condemned Israel to wander in the
wilderness 38 more years [40 years total] until
the death of the men of war 20+ years old
603,548 men [with the exception of Joshua
& Caleb] 
(Num 1:44-46, 14:29-30)
Israel failed to enter their promised rest
because of the sin of unbelief (disobedience)
(Heb 3:16-19)
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
ACCOUNTABILITY
 
Sadly, the account did not end there
After hearing God’s condemnation against
them, Israel acknowledged their sin to Moses
They declared they would now enter the land,
but Moses told them they would not succeed
God was not with them 
(Num 14:39-45)
God had slammed the door shut on Israel’s
opportunity to enter the Promised Land for
another 38 years
ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN
THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS
 
See 
Matt 7:21-23
This text reminds us of a number of things
Entering heaven is conditional, based upon
individuals doing the will of God [obedience]
Jesus will not accept every religious work
men claim to have done in His name [by His
authority]
On the last day [that day], men’s works will
be examined 
 
to determine their true quality
ABILITY
 
God has given all men 
the ability to determine
what constitutes lawful worship and works
B
y appealing to God’s word 
we are able to
determine what is authorized (lawful) and
what is unauthorized (unlawful) 
(2 Tim 2:15)
Sadly, many fail to respect the boundaries God
has established 
(2 John 9-11, Rev 22:18-19)
Like the Jews of Paul’s day men are ignorant of
God’s righteousness and seek to establish
their own righteousness 
(Rom 10:3, Eph 5:17)
THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS
OPPORTUNITY
 
All who have access to God’s word have been
given the opportunity to obey the gospel and
the opportunity to worship God in spirit and
in truth 
(Mark 16:15-16, John 4:24)
According to the pattern in His word
Our text in 
Matt 7:21-23 
clearly demonstrates
not all who call Jesus 
“Lord, Lord” 
are availing
themselves of the precious opportunity God
has provided to accomplish His will
THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS
RESPONSIBILITY
 
All who claim to follow Jesus as Lord have a
serious responsibility to 
truly
 do all in the
name of the Lord 
(Col 3:17, Luke 6:46)
That is by His authority
V22 in our text declares on that day (the last
day) many will claim to have done many works
“in Your name”
These claims will be proven false by Jesus
Jesus declares they will be held accountable
THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS
ACCOUNTABILITY
 
Jesus will renounce and banish the lawless
eternally from His presence on the last day
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness!”
 
(V23)
On the last day the door to do God’s will
accurately will be slammed shut
There will be no opportunities available for
a do-over
Now
 is the time to accurately do the will of
God according to His divine pattern
THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS
ABILITY
 
D
uring his lifetime t
he rich man obviously had
a significant amount of material resources at
his disposal
He was clothed in purple and fine linen
He fared sumptuously every day
He therefore had the ability to accomplish
much good where the poor were concerned
He could have easily assisted Lazarus, and
perhaps others, if he had chosen to do so
THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS 
(LUKE 16:19-26)
OPPORTUNITY
 
Lazarus (a beggar) was laid at the gate of the
rich man with the hope Lazarus would receive
aid (alms) from the rich man
The text appears to infer an awareness on the
part of the rich man Lazarus was at his gate
Lazarus didn’t desire much, but simply the
crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table
The rich man wasted a golden opportunity to
show compassion to needy Lazarus
THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS
RESPONSIBILITY
 
Whether he recognized it or not the rich man
had a responsibility to help Lazarus, but he
refused to do so
The law of Moses was very clear in this
matter 
(Deut 15:7-8)
The rich man failed miserably in fulfilling his
responsibility toward Lazarus
In the process he squandered a great and
precious  opportunity he would later regret
THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS
ACCOUNTABILITY
 
In the course of time both Lazarus and the
rich man died (V22)
The rich man was held accountable by God
for his lack of compassion toward Lazarus
After death he was condemned to torments
in Hades where he sought relief (V23-V26)
There was no relief and physical death had
robbed the rich man of any additional
opportunities to do good in this life
THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS
CONCLUSION
 
Hopefully, we have seen in this lesson the Bible
contains numerous accounts that relate to the
subject of opportunities
The greatest of these opportunities God has
made available to us is the opportunity to be
saved and spend eternity in heaven 
(John 3:16,
Titus 2:11-14, 1 Tim 2:4)
Those who have obeyed the gospel have
availed themselves of this precious
opportunity
CONCLUSION
 
However, like God instructed OT Israel, we
must remain faithful to avoid forfeiting this
great and golden opportunity 
(Rev 2:10)
A part of remaining faithful as Christians is
recognizing and taking advantage of the
opportunities God presents us to do good in
His service 
(Eph 2:10, Titus 2:14)
We must never forget one day time will cease
for each of us, thru death or the Lord’s return
Then, all opportunities will cease 
(John 9:4)
 
CONCLUSION
 
Q: ARE WE STRIVING TO
MAXIMIZE THE PRECIOUS
OPPORTUNITIES GOD
MAKES AVAILABLE TO US?
Slide Note

Good morning and welcome

I am thankful for the opportunity today to share with you a portion of God’s word

The title I have given to today’s lesson is…

Embed
Share

Explore the concept of missed opportunities in biblical narratives, focusing on how individuals failed to seize God-given chances, ultimately leading to loss. Through examples like Noah's time, learn the importance of recognizing and responding to opportunities provided by God. Reflect on the lesson that opportunities are valuable and finite, emphasizing the need for proactive engagement.


Uploaded on Sep 26, 2024 | 0 Views


Download Presentation

Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.

The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. WHEN GOD CLOSES DOORS

  2. INTRODUCTION Today s lesson can essentially be summarized in two words: Q: How often do we pray to God to provide us with opportunities in a given area? Q: How often does God answer our prayers in the affirmative, yet we fail to do our part? When we fail to take advantage of an opportunity God has given, that particular opportunity is lost MissedOpportunities

  3. INTRODUCTION Through His grace God may give us yet another opportunity in a particular area However, in some instances that opportunity never presents itself again [it is gone forever] God has closed the door and that door will never be opened again Paul in some of his epistles described his opportunities to share the gospel as open doors (1 Cor 16:5-9, 2 Cor 2:12-13, Col 4:2-4)

  4. INTRODUCTION We sometimes describe opportunity in terms of a mathematical equation Ability +Opportunity= Responsibility Accountability

  5. INTRODUCTION In our lesson today we will look at both OT & NT examples of Missed Opportunities Circumstances were ideal for individuals to accomplish something good, but Subsequently, God closed the door on these particular opportunities and they were no longer available to the individuals involved Lesson For Us: Opportunities are a precious commodity and they don t exist in infinite supply

  6. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) Seeing the wickedness of mankind was great upon the earth the Lord God was grieved in His heart and decided to destroy mankind thru a worldwide flood (Gen 6:5-7) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen 6:8) God instructed Noah to build an ark to save himself, his family and various animals identified by God (Gen 6:13-22)

  7. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) Gen 7:13-16 records after Noah, his family and all the animals entered the ark that the Lord God shut them in Essentially, God closed the door of opportunity for anyone else to enter the ark and be saved On that very same day, God brought the flood waters upon the earth and destroyed the human race (with the exception of Noah and his family)

  8. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) ABILITY Recall some important facts recorded about Noah in Gen 6:8-9 #1) Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord #2) Noah was a just (righteous) man, perfect (blameless) in his generations #3) Noah walked with God Q: Was Noah the only person of his time who had the ability to display these traits? NO!

  9. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) ABILITY We learn in the NT of the people s ability to obey God if they had chosen to do so, because of the efforts of Noah (2 Pet 2:4-5) As a preacher of righteousness, Noah tried to persuade others to make themselves right with God before that great day of destruction The people like Noah had the ability to find grace in God s eyes, live righteously & blameless and walk with God (Gen 6:8-9)

  10. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) OPPORTUNITY There is something we can necessarily conclude from the description of Noah as a preacher of righteousness God thru His grace was giving others of that generation the opportunity to be saved Sadly, only Noah and his family availed themselves of that opportunity All others chose to reject Noah s message and the salvation God made available to them

  11. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) RESPONSIBILITY It was the people s responsibility to respond to (accept) God s message thru Noah to be saved God did not force the people to obey Him Neither will He force us to obey Him today The choice to obey was theirs [and ours] Choose life or choose death (Deut 30:19) All but Noah and his family chose death

  12. THE PEOPLE OF NOAHS TIME (GEN 6 & 7) ACCOUNTABILITY God held the rebellious human race accountable for the golden opportunity they squander to make themselves right with God They rejected Noah s preaching and God As He had declared, God destroyed rebellious mankind for their wickedness and refusal to repent (Gen 7:17-23a) Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive (Gen 7:23b)

  13. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN An account recorded in Num 13 & 14 Two years after leaving Egypt Israel arrived at the wilderness of Paran (i.e. Kadesh-barnea) God instructed Moses to send out 12 men (leaders) to spy out the land of Canaan and bring back a report to Moses and Israel Ten spies gave a negative report (Num 13:25- 29), two spies (Caleb & Joshua) gave a positive report

  14. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN Israel accepted the negative report of the ten spies and rejected the positive report of Caleb & Joshua As a result of their great fear, Israel refused to enter Canaan and take possession of the land as commanded by God They rebelled against Moses and God God held them accountable for their rebellion

  15. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN ABILITY Because God was with Israel, clearly they had the ability to take possession of Canaan The land God had promised hundreds of years earlier to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants The land of rest Israel could call their own Caleb and Joshua pleaded with the people, trying to convince them of Israel s ability to take possession of the land with God s help (Num 13:30, 14:6-9), but to no avail

  16. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN ABILITY Instead of listening to Caleb and Joshua, the people chose instead to listen to the evil report brought back by the other ten spies (Num 13:31-33) Their negative influence on the people was powerful (Num 14:1-4) The Israelites were so convinced by the evil report [we are not able to do this] they were ready to stone Caleb and Joshua to death in order to silence them, but God intervened (Num 14:10)

  17. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN OPPORTUNITY How quickly Israel had forgotten how God miraculously delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage (Ex 7-11, 12 & 14) How He had sustained them for two years in the wilderness (Ex 16, 17, 19 & 20, Num 11) How He had safely led Israel to the border of Canaan (the Promised Land) Canaan was theirs for the taking A golden opportunity lay before them

  18. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN RESPONSIBILITY The Israelites had a simple responsibility Obey God and take possession of the land He had promised them Israel refused to fulfill their responsibility to God They squandered a great and precious opportunity They were going to answer to God for their failure to fulfill their responsibility to Him

  19. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN ACCOUNTABILITY God held Israel accountable for their refusal to enter the Promised Land (Num 14:36-37) God condemned Israel to wander in the wilderness 38 more years [40 years total] until the death of the men of war 20+ years old 603,548 men [with the exception of Joshua & Caleb] (Num 1:44-46, 14:29-30) Israel failed to enter their promised rest because of the sin of unbelief (disobedience) (Heb 3:16-19)

  20. ISRAELS REFUSAL TO ENTER CAANAN ACCOUNTABILITY Sadly, the account did not end there After hearing God s condemnation against them, Israel acknowledged their sin to Moses They declared they would now enter the land, but Moses told them they would not succeed God was not with them (Num 14:39-45) God had slammed the door shut on Israel s opportunity to enter the Promised Land for another 38 years

  21. THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS See Matt 7:21-23 This text reminds us of a number of things Entering heaven is conditional, based upon individuals doing the will of God [obedience] Jesus will not accept every religious work men claim to have done in His name [by His authority] On the last day [that day], men s works will be examined to determine their true quality

  22. THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS ABILITY God has given all men the ability to determine what constitutes lawful worship and works By appealing to God s word we are able to determine what is authorized (lawful) and what is unauthorized (unlawful) (2 Tim 2:15) Sadly, many fail to respect the boundaries God has established (2 John 9-11, Rev 22:18-19) Like the Jews of Paul s day men are ignorant of God s righteousness and seek to establish their own righteousness (Rom 10:3, Eph 5:17)

  23. THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS OPPORTUNITY All who have access to God s word have been given the opportunity to obey the gospel and the opportunity to worship God in spirit and in truth (Mark 16:15-16, John 4:24) According to the pattern in His word Our text in Matt 7:21-23 clearly demonstrates not all who call Jesus Lord, Lord are availing themselves of the precious opportunity God has provided to accomplish His will

  24. THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS RESPONSIBILITY All who claim to follow Jesus as Lord have a serious responsibility to truly do all in the name of the Lord (Col 3:17, Luke 6:46) That is by His authority V22 in our text declares on that day (the last day) many will claim to have done many works in Your name These claims will be proven false by Jesus Jesus declares they will be held accountable

  25. THOSE PRACTICING RELIGIOUS LAWLESSNESS ACCOUNTABILITY Jesus will renounce and banish the lawless eternally from His presence on the last day I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! (V23) On the last day the door to do God s will accurately will be slammed shut There will be no opportunities available for a do-over Now is the time to accurately do the will of God according to His divine pattern

  26. THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS (LUKE 16:19-26) ABILITY During his lifetime the rich man obviously had a significant amount of material resources at his disposal He was clothed in purple and fine linen He fared sumptuously every day He therefore had the ability to accomplish much good where the poor were concerned He could have easily assisted Lazarus, and perhaps others, if he had chosen to do so

  27. THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS OPPORTUNITY Lazarus (a beggar) was laid at the gate of the rich man with the hope Lazarus would receive aid (alms) from the rich man The text appears to infer an awareness on the part of the rich man Lazarus was at his gate Lazarus didn t desire much, but simply the crumbs that fell from the rich man s table The rich man wasted a golden opportunity to show compassion to needy Lazarus

  28. THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS RESPONSIBILITY Whether he recognized it or not the rich man had a responsibility to help Lazarus, but he refused to do so The law of Moses was very clear in this matter (Deut 15:7-8) The rich man failed miserably in fulfilling his responsibility toward Lazarus In the process he squandered a great and precious opportunity he would later regret

  29. THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS ACCOUNTABILITY In the course of time both Lazarus and the rich man died (V22) The rich man was held accountable by God for his lack of compassion toward Lazarus After death he was condemned to torments in Hades where he sought relief (V23-V26) There was no relief and physical death had robbed the rich man of any additional opportunities to do good in this life

  30. CONCLUSION Hopefully, we have seen in this lesson the Bible contains numerous accounts that relate to the subject of opportunities The greatest of these opportunities God has made available to us is the opportunity to be saved and spend eternity in heaven (John 3:16, Titus 2:11-14, 1 Tim 2:4) Those who have obeyed the gospel have availed themselves of this precious opportunity

  31. CONCLUSION However, like God instructed OT Israel, we must remain faithful to avoid forfeiting this great and golden opportunity (Rev 2:10) A part of remaining faithful as Christians is recognizing and taking advantage of the opportunities God presents us to do good in His service (Eph 2:10, Titus 2:14) We must never forget one day time will cease for each of us, thru death or the Lord s return Then, all opportunities will cease (John 9:4)

  32. CONCLUSION Q: ARE WE STRIVING TO MAXIMIZE THE PRECIOUS OPPORTUNITIES GOD MAKES AVAILABLE TO US?

More Related Content

giItT1WQy@!-/#giItT1WQy@!-/#giItT1WQy@!-/#giItT1WQy@!-/#giItT1WQy@!-/#giItT1WQy@!-/#