Jesus "i Am" The Door Series

Video transition: “The Work” from Skit Guys!

“I am the Door/Gate!”

Thesis: Jesus is the door or the gate to heaven. It is only through Him that we are able to find eternal life and a relationship with Abba Father. There is no other gateway into eternity than this doorway.

Introduction:

The visual -- A door on the stage to make this point! As most of you know I was a carpenter before I was a Pastor, so I have hung and installed a lot of doors in houses, in offices, and many other places. Doors are a good thing to have on your building. Many of us also have gates on our back yard fences as well. A lot of buildings place gates around its boundaries for specific reasons.

These doors and gates have two primary purposes:

1. To let people in or out.

2. To keep people and unwanted things out.

Personal illustration: The door and the witch’s curse!

Illustration:

There is a small metal door painted white in the side of a tiny mission church in Johannesburg South Africa. This door is changing lives. On it are painted the words “door of hope.” That is exactly what it is for various babies within the city. On average some forty to fifty babies were being abandoned on the streets to die of exposure or starvation a month. That was before the mission installed their door to a baby bin allowing mothers to anonymously deposit their unwanted babies and have someone love them and care for them. Now the mission is saving over 100 babies a year. What an incredible door.

I know of another incredible door that takes in the unwanted, saves lives and brings hope. That door can be found in John 10:7-10. From a sermon by Joe Bertone, He Is The Door of Mystery (“I Am The Door”) 8/27/2012

Scriptures: John 10:7, John 10:7-10

Illustration: TV Show “Let’s Make a Deal.” With Monty Hall - You get to choose from 3 doors:

• Door #1 – Religion “You do it!”

• Door #2 – Idol worship – like Materialism “You deserve it and it will make you happy”

• Door #3 – Jesus “He does it.”

Other famous doors with a Christian Meaning!

Video Illustration transition: Wingclips.com Narnia movie clip “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” Trailer! The following from Wingclips.com:

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.

Based on the beloved classic novel by ‘CS Lewis’, Four London children are sent to a professor’s country home in order for protection during World War II. There they find a magic wardrobe that leads to a mystical land called Narnia, which is being ruled by an evil witch. To defeat the witch, they must join forces with Aslan, the lion God of Narnia. He is a type of Christ and to get from this world to the next they must enter the door of the wardrobe. This is the only gateway to the other world. No other path leads to Narnia only this door.

Scene Setup: The Germans have begun their blitzkrieg of London. In order to keep

them safe, parents all over the city are sending their children to stay with friends and

relatives in rural areas of the country. Four siblings are sent to a great old mansion

where only an aged professor and his uptight housekeeper live peacefully tucked

away. The children, growing bored of sitting quietly, decide to play a game of hide

and seek. Lucy, the youngest, opens a door that hasn't been opened in a long time.

Application: As the story unfolds we learn about a prophecy...that once Aslan is on

the move again, four human children will come to Narnia and help set the nation free

from evil. Yet, at the beginning of the story, it's hard to see God at work…. It seems

that a little child has simply found a good hiding place. Nevertheless, in hindsight, we

can see God directing the children to choose a game where she would be forced to go

into strange places; then, gently prompt her to open the door; then, help her risk

taking off the wardrobe cover; and finally, give her the courage to step into a place

that she would never have discovered otherwise…. So subtle, yet certainly something a great God could arrange.

Scripture Text:

John 10: 1-10 (NIV)

The Shepherd and His Flock

1“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.

3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.