Teaching Series: I Am-I Am the Door

Announcements:

This Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The sign team will have a presentation, Soul’s Harbor Praise and Worship will be leading us into the presence of the Lord, Kid’s Point will be having their own celebration, and I will be bringing a special Resurrection sermon.

April 7th, Evangelist Jerry Holland will be ministering for us.

Please place your prayer requests into the comments and we will pray together at the end over all the needs.

Week 5: I Am the Door

John 10:1–10 KJV 1900

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the door (another word for door is gate) for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They 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.”

Introduction

We’re half way through our series “I Am” in which we are looking at the “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

They each tell us something about Jesus’ understanding of himself.

But beginning each statement with the phrase “I Am” tells us even more: it’s an echo of the ancient name of God given to Moses at the burning bush—"Yahweh, I am who I am.”

Today, Jesus’ statement from John 10, “I am the door, or gate as some translations quote.”

Jesus’ statement “I am the gate” must be set against the backdrop of the events of chapter 9.

The religious leaders have taken issue with Jesus’ healing of a man born blind.

Why? Because it happened on a Sabbath.

Jesus has violated one of their rules.

Result: The man is thrown out of the Synagogue.

To fully appreciate just how offensive Jesus’ claims were, we need to get a better understanding of his context; the world of first-century Israel.

Yes, Jesus’ life and message holds universal significance for all people at all times in all places, but we will understand that significance better if we first see what he was saying within his own cultural and historical framework.

Jesus’ challenge to the dominant religion of his historical context becomes for us a kind of case study, from which we can draw transferable principles into our own context.

In the first century, Israel suffered from what some have called “Classificationitis.”

The religious leaders of first-century Israel considered certain characteristics of their faith to be central to their spiritual lives.

These became identity markers of unique status and calling.

They can be divided into five categories, all beginning with the letter “T”:

1. Torah: The Law of Moses was to be obeyed to the letter, especially Sabbath regulations and dietary restrictions.

2. Tradition: Keeping the “tradition of the elders” (or oral Torah) handed down from their ancestors was held on almost equal status as Scripture (the written Torah).

Example: The Law simply says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” Tradition tells you how to do that, in minute detail.

3. Tribalism: Ethnic, national, and cultural purity were bound together with religious identity.

4. Territory: A theology of holy geography meant certain land, cities, and places were more sacred than others, and that war was a religious duty whenever this holy land was threatened.

5. Temple: God’s presence was believed to dwell in one holy location in a unique way where worshipers could offer the required sacrifices and receive forgiveness.

Notice two things: First, each of these identity-markers speak of exclusivity.

Together they helped prop up a strong “us-and-them” mentality between Israel and the rest of the world.

Second, Jesus challenged all of these identity markers in some way.

He exposed the ways they had replaced their calling to bring light to the world with high religious walls that kept all “sinners” away.

The purpose of any religious system: to control the “forgiveness market.”

The religious leaders wanted to maintain their position as “gatekeepers” of access to God.

Their system allowed them to dictate who is in and who is out; who is acceptable and who is not; who is one of “us” and who is one of “them;” who is worthy and who is not.

But Jesus rejected the whole system, and replaced it with himself, saying, “I Am the Gate!”

Main Teaching:

There are three functions of a door:

1.The first is Protection, or Safety.

In the first century world of Jesus and his hearers, common sheep pens were not elaborate structures.

Usually they were just simple enclosures with an opening on one side, not an actual door.

Once all the sheep were safely in the fold, it was customary for the shepherd to build a fire at the entrance and sleep there through the night.

The shepherd literally became the door, keeping any would-be predators outside.

Jesus said thieves and robbers will try to climb in some other way, but they won’t get in through the door.

Inside there is safety and rest because the door offers protection.

2.The second function is Entrance, or Opportunity.

The sheep not only go into find safety, they also go out to find pasture.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Each morning, the shepherd led the sheep out through the gate so they could find life-sustaining pasture and water for the day.

So the gate was an opportunity to come in to find safety, but also to go out to find nourishment.

We still use the image of a door opening to speak of exciting new opportunities.

So Jesus is both the door of security and the door of abundant life.

3.The third function of a door is more symbolic; it’s the sign of Home, or Belonging.

Illustration: The Beatles said it well in their best song, “The Long and Winding Road.”

The long and winding road, that leads to your door,

Will never disappear, I’ve seen that road before.

It always leads me here, leads me to your door.

The entire Bible is one long story of going away and coming back again.

Leaving and coming home.

Our lives are like that too; leaving the garden of childhood innocence to follow the road of life wherever it takes us, but in the end we find ourselves longing for home again.

We’re “knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door,” as Bob Dylan put it.

So Jesus’ statement, “I am the door,” resonates on a deep level with the primal story of what it means to be human.

What is Heaven like?

Devotional writer Ken Gire (Moments with the Savior) shares one image that touches the deepest longings of our hearts: Home.

Whatever else Heaven might be, it will feel like coming home at last.

Because life’s journey is a journey home.

What thoughts or feelings does the word “home” stir in you?

The crackle of a fireplace in winter.

The scent of lilacs in the spring.

The creak of a porch swing in the lazy days of summer.

Falling leaves in Autumn.

The laughter of friends. Gifts of love given and received.

Home is a place to belong—a place where I am missed when I’m not there.

You say, “But not all homes are like that.”

True, but even in bad situations, the longingf or home survives.

Maybe it’s a longing for the home we never had.

Or the one we only partially had.

Or the one we once had but left.

Or once had but was taken from us.

Those longings are what pull us toward a home called Heaven like a sort of primal memory.

They lead us to a lot of places…geographical places, vocational places, relational places.

Comfortable places, many of them.

But we always find ourselves longing for something more.

Because Heaven is our true home—the place we belong—the place we were meant to live.

It’s a coming together of my soul—my space, where God is welcome—with heaven—God’s space, where I am welcome.

It can’t happen fully in this life because of the limitations of our physical bodies.

But the process has begun, and will one day be completed with what Paul calls “the redemption of our bodies.”

In the meantime, there are aspects of the heavenly kind of life that we can begin enjoying now:

- Unbroken fellowship with God. “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”

- Newness of life in Christ. “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation…”

- Power to do amazing things—in this world—that God wants done. “Ask anything in my name and it will be done for you.”

- Even a taste of what is to come: “We are now seated in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

The Promise: We left a Garden Paradise but we’re headed for a Garden City, New Jerusalem:

- With the river of the water of life flowing right down the middle of it.

- With the tree of life on each side of it (two trees?)

- And the gates of the city will never be shut. (Revelation 21:25)

Conclusion:

Jesus fits the image of a door, or gate, on so many levels.

It’s one of my favorite descriptions of him and what he has done for us.

Jesus is our safety, our protection from all harm and danger.

He is our opening into the abundant life that God wants for us.

And he is the fulfillment of our deepest longing, the longing for home.

Enter through the gate today, and experience the abundant life of Christ.

Let’s pray together.