The Door Series

“The Door”

The I AM Statements of Jesus

FCC - August 22, 2007

Text: John 10: 7-10

Introduction: This morning we are continuing a new sermon series, The I AM statements of Jesus from the Gospel of John. Jesus made an incredible statement to the Jews in response to a discussion about the greatness of Abraham. This is what Jesus said:

John 8:58 (NIV) "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Wow. What a claim. Jesus pre-existed before Abraham! At that point the Scripture says that the Jews began to pick up stones to stone Jesus. They knew that He was claiming to be God and that was blasphemy to them. It reminded me of a time in the OT when God gave His name to Moses at the burning bush:

Exodus 3:14-15 (NIV) God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ’I am has sent me to you.’ " God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ’The Lord, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

Throughout the book of John, Jesus makes claims about Himself. There are seven I AM statements that we will be looking at these next few weeks. Two weeks ago we looked at the statement: “I AM the Bread of Life” and last week we focused on Jesus’ statement found “I AM the Light of the World.” This week we will look at His third statement: “I AM the Door.”

A Door is a metaphor for a variety of things in Scripture…

• Open doors are metaphors for hospitality to strangers. Job 31:32 (NIV) but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler—

• A Door is an expression for even what we let in and out of our lives. Psalm 141:3 (NIV) Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

• A door also represents opportunities. Rev. 3:8 (NIV) I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

• During the first OT Passover, blood was used to mark the doors of the Jesus people, so they would escape death. Exodus 12:22 (NIV) Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.

Jesus comes into the world and teaches that He is the Door. John 10:7-10 (NIV) There-fore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

There were two ways that sheep were kept in Jesus day. In town, the sheep were kept in a large, communal pen where shepherds would often bring their flocks at night. So several flocks would be mixed together under the care of a watchman, or the KJV calls the watchman a porter. In the morning, the shepherds would walk up to the pen and call their sheep and the sheep would respond to the voice of the shepherd. That is why John writes this in John 10:2-4 (NIV)

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

The second way that sheep were kept in Jesus’ day was when the flock was in the field or the countryside. The shepherd would make a makeshift pen without a door—just an opening. The shepherd would literally become the door to keep the sheep in and the wild animals out. This brings us to this morning’s passage and Jesus’ claim to be the door.

This look this morning at what kind of door that Jesus is…First we see that Jesus is…