How can I find God’s will? Paul said, 1 Corinthians 16:9, For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. Here is Paul, taking the Gospel to people devoted to the worship of idols. God gave Paul a wide open door at heathen Ephesus, yet faced the makers of idols who were opposed to the message. Acts 19:24-35. The door is open wide for us. God has given us an opening – a harvest field of ripened grain. May we, like ready labourers, help bring in the harvest of souls. Many souls are lost in heathen darkness in the concrete jungle we call home. Our city is filled with worshippers of false gods. Yet there is an opening here. The door of salvation offered is still open. Don’t miss the open doors God gives you through life. The door was open on the ark - but it was for a limited time only. Ultimately as Noah and his company entered the door of the ark, it says, Genesis 7:16 …the LORD shut him in. The Lord Jesus is the Ark. There is a time when God will shut the door of salvation. He will shut in the saved, and shut out the lost, in judgment. The Lord opens the door of faith... It tells of how, Acts 14:27 God opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. The Lord opens the door of the Word of God… As Paul tells, 2 Corinthians 2:12 …when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel… a door was opened unto me of the Lord. Let us pray for the Lord to open doors for us - as Paul, in Colossians 4:3, Pray for us, that God would open unto us a door for the Word. The Lord opens the door of the Power of God. As the Lord tells the church of Philadelphia: Revelations 3:7-8 …he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (8) I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. God will open the door - He is sovereign over our work and lives. The Lord is the One who opens doors, and He is the One who closes them... The open door is great and effectual. It represents an opportunity to serve. We have opportunity to receive God's blessing and providence. May we be alert to opportunities our Lord brings our way. Let's seize the opportunity to serve. When you step out for God you may face opposition to the work of the Gospel. Paul tells of many adversaries – yet he counted opposition as a reason to stay - not to leave. Many resist the gospel still. They fight God. People can be hostile to this message and its messenger. When God provides opportunity - setting open a great and effectual door - we can also see an increased opposition to the gospel. Opposition can actually be an evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work. Don’t be deterred by opposition. Let it galv ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0cKf5woc1I

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Isaiah 6:1-10  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.  4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.  6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.  9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.  10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTCQLOZgK14

The yoke is a symbol of service - and of bondage. Whose yoke you are wearing? The Unequal Yoke. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? It matters, who we yoke up with. A yoke is a wooden beam joins a pair of oxen to pull a load. The animals yoked together are of similar size and ability. The two yoked animals must work in equal cooperation to be effective. “Unequal yoking” is disastrous on the farm. It’s also a disaster in a marriage, or business partnership, or in ministry. We have to get the right match. Who are we joined up with - connected with? The Yoke of Sin. Sin is like a yoke that binds and enslaves. Lamentations 1:14 talks about “the yoke of my transgressions”. Sin is the heaviest yoke we can bear. Sin weighs down our souls, with guilt and shame. The Yoke of Legalism. The religious leaders burdened people with rules - but they neglected the weightier matters, of justice, mercy, and faith. Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. True freedom comes from grace, not from a checklist of laws. Instead of the yoke of legalism, we can know the liberating truth of the gospel. The Yoke of Bondage. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Some tried to impose laws and requirements, even though it was done away under grace… Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples... The “Lordship salvation” crowd would try and measure people by subjective standards as to whether they are saved or not. It’s actually offensive to God, let alone to the people we try and do that to. The Yoke of Oppression. The Word of God refers to the yoke of oppression that God's people knew as slaves in Egypt. Yet God delivered them from this yoke, with His mighty hand. The prophet Isaiah proclaims, Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? God wants to break every yoke. Let the oppressed go free. The Yoke can be Broken. Thank God, another truth about such yokes, is that they can be destroyed: Isaiah 10:27 ...the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Are you under satan’s yoke? The Lord Jesus can set people free from these heavy yokes. There is a wonderful freedom in Christ. Fundamentally, it’s grace. Now, let’s turn to a yoke that we want to wear: The Yoke of Service. Instead of the yoke of sin - that enslaves us - the yoke of service and obedience to God liberates us and empowers us - to fulfill our divine calling. Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. As a carpenter, our Lord Jesus likely made yokes and knew how an ill-fitting yoke made the oxen’s neck sore. He would custom fit the yoke to each ox. Pairing up animals not only doubles their strength, but triples and quadruples it! A horse-pulling contest was held. One horse could pull 4,500 pounds and the other horse pulled 4,000. When teamed up, the horses could pull 12,000 pounds together (or a third more total weight)! Imagine what power you will have, if you are so joined, to Christ. Will YOU be yoked together with Christ? He says, take my yoke upon you. Serving Christ is a joy. There’s a direct appeal to young men, here: Lamentations 3:27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. So, young men, this is a call to you, to not slacken. Take your yoke and wear it. That means serve. Serve in your local church. Roll up your sleeves. Get your work boots on. When we carry His yoke, it means that we yield ourselves to His will. We can find purpose and fulfillment in Christ. His yoke we gladly and freely bear. Yoke Fellows. Paul talked about that… Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life. Paul says help these others. The idea is of labouring together in the service of God. The yoke is a universal symbol of Christian ministry. It is good to find, and to be, true yokefellows. As yoke fellows, we are “all in this together”. It’s about having a united effort. 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. It’s a joint effort. A common mission. God is yoked together in this. With you and me. He is the driving force. He sets the pace. Sets the direction. And He carries the heaviness. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Tt8OLR_FA