John 10:1-10 I Am the Door

Scripture Reading

1 Peter 2:24-25 .

Intro

Psalm 100 says Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

We are His people…the sheep of His pasture.

His flock…

Those whom God gathers into His arm and carries with Him in His bosom (Isaiah 40:11).

Who God hides in the shadow of His wings to give them refuge and deliver them from the destruction of the storm (Psalm 57:1).

And in this sheepfold there is joy!…Blessing…steadfast love and faithfulness for the people of God.

How do you enter this sheepfold and what blessings await every sheep under God’s mercy and care?

That is the subject of our sermon from John 10:1-10 where the Big Idea is this:

Jesus is the True Shepherd and Door to Eternal Life who gives life abundantly to every sheep in His fold.

John 10 is a famous passage in Scripture.

In it we get two of Jesus’ famous I AM sayings in the Gospel of John.

I AM the Door to the Sheepfold.

And I AM the Good Shepherd of the Sheep.

As we’ve seen before in the Gospel of John, Jesus saying I Am is Jesus taking the Divine Name of God from the Old Testament and applying it to Himself.

A clear reference that Jesus is the Eternal God Incarnate in human flesh whose come to save His people from their sins.

And then when Jesus ties that Divine Name to a picture or a metaphor saying I Am the…something…not only is He saying He is the God of our salvation but He is giving us a picture of what that salvation is or is like.

As with all of Jesus’ I AM statements, Jesus saying I AM the Door and I AM the Good Shepherd is Jesus revealing His glory as our Great God and Savior and inviting us into deep and abiding faith in Him.

Set Up

But before we get into our passage, I want to take a moment and give you an overview of the passage as a whole because of two things:

Number 1, one of my greatest joys in ministry is teaching you how to read the Bible by asking good questions about the Bible …

Why is this here? Why does the Bible say it this or that way…

And number 2…because the organization of this passage is a little odd and unless you see the Big picture it can get a little confusing.

For example, why does Jesus say I AM the Door and I AM the Good Shepherd in such close succession?

Why not just focus on one?

And how does the Door even fit in because the Passage starts with Jesus talking about Himself as a Shepherd and then it switches to Door only to go back to a Shepherd again?

Why does Jesus do that? What is going on?

As I asked that question, the answer came with verse 6: This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them, and that unlocked, I think, why this passage is written the way it is.

Verses 1-5 describe Jesus as the True and Ultimate Shepherd…the new Shepherd-King David promised in the Old Testament who would save His people and lead them and care for them in pastures of eternal life.

But the Pharisees and those listening did not understand what Jesus was saying to them…

And so Jesus goes back and then explains to them.

So Jesus again said to them…that’s verse 7.

And in this context, the Two I AM statements become Two Lessons breaking down and explaining what it means that Jesus is the True Shepherd promised in the Old Testament.

Lesson 1 is John 10:7-10 I Am the Door.

The only way to become a sheep…to enter God’s Sheepfold…and receive eternal life is through faith in me.

And then Lesson 2…John 10:11-18…I Am the Good Shepherd.

Who am I as a Shepherd?

How do I love and care for my sheep?

What blessings and assurance do they have as a sheep in my fold as the Good Shepherd who sacrificially lays down His life for the sheep?

For our sermon today we are going to be focusing on Lesson Number 1…I Am the Door.

To see Jesus first as the True Shepherd God had promised in the Old Testament in comparison to the thieves and robbers of the Pharisees.

And then…Jesus as the Door to Eternal Life and all the blessings that entails.

Let’s start with point number 1…

I. Jesus is the True Shepherd

John 10:1-

Ezekiel 34 how they were false shepherds - the New Testament church must also deal with false shepherds; True shepherds are undershepards to the chief shepherds serving Christ and the flock for the good of the flock - false shepherds old covenant and new covenant are a danger to God’s people. False shepherds who abuse the sheep (state how) and it is against that backdrop that Christ sets Himself up as the True Shepherd.

II. Jesus is the Door to Eternal Life

III. The True Shepherd Gives Life Abundantly to Every Sheep in His Fold

Conclusion

Let’s Pray