May, 2007
I AM the Door
John 10:1-10
INTRODUCTION: Eastern sheepfolds had only one door which was guarded by a shepherd at night. Most of the sheepfolds were made out of rough stone or mud-brick structures with a partial roof or a cave in the hills. It had a single opening to protect against robbers and wild animals. When the shepherd couldn’t get his flock back to the pen by nightfall, he would search out a spot such as a cave in which to keep his sheep for the night. The shepherd would lie down before the opening and become a living door. Nothing could pass by in or out of the cave without passing over his body. In verse 11 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd and in verse 9 he says, “I am the door (gate).” How could he be a shepherd AND a Door too?
The shepherd BECAME the door--the determiner of who entered and who did not.
Oriental shepherds also named their sheep and called them by name. More than one shepherd would bring his sheep into the pen and the sheep were all mixed together. In the morning the shepherd separated his sheep by calling them, and they recognized his voice. He would go outside and they would follow him as a group. They wouldn’t follow a stranger.
Do animals know their names? I know that cats and dogs sure do.
Jesus again in this chapter makes a claim about His deity when he says, “I AM--”
Today I would like to look at His claim of being the Door or the Gate (NIV).
The people hearing Jesus speak were familiar with sheep and shepherds and sheepfolds. This was something they were used to working with or familiar with in that area of the country. Jesus used ordinary things to explain a truth. And even then sometimes they understood and sometimes they didn’t have the slightest clue as to what He was talking about. He starts out by saying, “The person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but who tries to enter in by another way is a thief and a robber, but he that enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
Jesus was warning his disciples as well as us today about many competing philosophies and false prophets who come and give empty promises about how to find happiness or how to find the way to heaven by some other way. Jesus is not optional.
1. ACCESS: Illustration: I was at a counselor’s meeting and there was a woman at our table who was discussing salvation, and she said, “Jesus is OPTIONAL today. You can get to heaven in a VARIETY of ways.”
This is not scriptural and this is what Jesus was warning his disciples about. In this chapter he is saying, “Anyone who tries to enter by any other way is a thief and a robber.”
Sometimes people will say, “All roads lead to Rome. All roads lead to heaven.” What does the scriptures say about this? Why should we seek or try to customize a different approach to God? Here are a couple of scriptures you should know when people try to persuade you differently.
John 14:6, “I am the WAY the truth and the life; no one cometh to the Father but by me.”
Acts 4:12 “neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
Jeremiah 23:1 talks about how people had come in the past claiming to know the truth or be the truth but really they are the ones who are attempting to enter in another way--thieves and robbers. Some people resent that Jesus is the door--the only way of access. The shepherd entered by the door or gate, the only lawful means of entry. The rightful owner enters by the door as one having authority. It’s just like you walking up to your front door--you have a key--you open the door and walk right in. You don’t do that unless you have been given AUTHORITY to do that. Otherwise you would be sneaking around looking for a window that was open--you would be considered a thief or a robber probably if you got in or arrested for unlawful breaking and entering. You might happen to get locked out of your house and have to try to get in some other way but you would still have the authority to enter your house.
ILLUSTRATION: When I was growing up in Duncan Falls we got home one night from church and couldn’t get into the house. Mom told me she would push the basement window open with a mop handle and I was to climb in the window and go unlock the door. The mop handle slipped and the window came down on my head.
Jesus was once again making His claim to deity here in verse 9 by using an illustration--door or gate. Verse 9 says, “I am the door; by me if any man enters in , he shall be saved.”
Jesus is telling these people, why make it so difficult for yourselves. “I am the door--IF ANY man (person) enters in, he shall be saved.”
Notice here he says ANY person--whoever enters through me will be saved. That means ANYBODY--we can ALL enter in. Jesus is giving plain directions as to how to come into the fold. He is doing that today as well, yet many people say, “I don’t want to do that.” I would rather “save myself,” or “I would rather try some other way.” He is saying--anyone who comes some other route is a thief and a robber.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are you SAVED THROUGH Faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God and not by works lest any man should boast.”
Acts 14:27 tells us “how he had opened THE DOOR of Faith unto the Gentiles.”
A professor at seminary was telling our class, “I don’t know if I’m saved or not. I’ll have to wait and see.” Scripture doesn’t teach WAIT and SEE. If you wait and see and you’re not, then you’re out of luck.
Verse 9 says, “I AM the Door: By me if any man enter in he shall be saved AND shall go in and out and find pasture.”
2. PROMISES: Not only do the sheep have free access to the sheepfold by order of him who owns the sheep but there are a lot of promises that go along with this. We are not just “saved” and that’s it. People think, “I’ve taken care of that. Don’t have to go to church. Don’t have to do anything else. Got my name on the church book, I’ve been baptized. Got other things to do…”
When the sheep come into the sheepfold, the shepherd checks to see if they have any cuts or scratches. Bind up the broken and strengthen the sick. Jesus said that he came to “bind up the brokenhearted and to set the captive free” (Isaiah 61:1). Life is eternal, but it begins when you are saved. Life in Christ is lived on a higher plane because He gives forgiveness, love, and guidance, binds up our wounds and takes care of us on a daily basis.
Verse 9 says the sheep shall GO IN and OUT and find pasture. They go in to a place of safety and rest but they go OUT the next day to find green pasture and fresh water. We, likewise, do not always stay in the security of the sheepfold but go out into challenging life situations. He is there to guide us. Whether we are staying in or going out doesn’t matter because we are FOLLOWING Him.
3. THE DOOR: Jesus is the door through which we not only receive salvation and protection but also to reach pasture and nourishment. Jesus is the door through which all must eventually pass if they are to fully know God who is the great I AM. Jesus came to give a whole new meaning to living because He provided satisfaction and perfect guidance.
Ezekiel 34:12-15 says, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock…so will I seek out my sheep…I will feed them in a good pasture and upon the high mountains shall there fold be…I will feed my flock and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord.”
Verse 16 says, “I will seek that which was lost and bind up that which was broken and strengthen that which was sick…”
CONCLUSION: Jesus is the door to green pastures. There are benefits of entering in at the Door. The door is the beginning of new life. Will you enter in by the door? And once you have received Him into your life, then allow Him to lead and guide you on a daily basis--the going IN as well as the GOING OUT--experiencing the safety from harm as well as the green pastures of growth.
Let us not miss out on the privileges as well as our rightful access into His kingdom. We must seek to be daily followers of His, not just once in a while followers.
Let us pray:
