Jesus is the Gate for the Sheep

Introduction:

Let’s get into the Word in this morning.

There is an idea in the world today called Religious Pluralism that essentially means that all religions have some truth in them even if they contradict each other. This is the view point of Oprah Winfrey who believes that there cannot possibly be only one way to heaven. A popular illustration given by those of this view point is that heaven or God is at the top of a mountain and it doesn’t matter how you climb the mountain as long as you get to the top.

Let’s get into the Word in this morning.

Jesus gives them a Figure of Speech (v.1-6)

Let’s get into the Word in this morning.

Jesus continues his discussion from chapter 9 with a figure of speech that he later expounds upon in detail in the rest of chapter 10. In this section Jesus introduces two characters, The Thief and the Shepherd. Jesus is contrasting the two by stating that the thief will brutalize the sheep, as we will see in v.10, because he doesn’t know them personally, but the Shepherd knows his sheep by name and leads them to safety.

We are continuing our series entitled “Who is Jesus?” this morning as we look at Jesus being the Gate for the Sheep. tells us:

Matthew 7:13–14 CSB

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Look at what Jesus says in verse 3, “He calls his own sheep by name and calls them out.” This is important because sheep are dumb animals and yet they know the voice of the one who calls them and tends to them. They know who takes care of them therefore they follow his voice when he calls. In this illustration, we are the sheep and Jesus is the shepherd. Jesus expounds on this in depth starting in verse 11, which we will cover next week, but this shows us that if we truly belong to Jesus then we will know his voice and follow him.

If you are a Believer then Jesus knows you by name. It is not as though he knows of you, but he intimately knows you and loves you. This is seen in that not only does Jesus call us, but he leads us. This would cause those Jesus is conversing with to recall which states:

Jesus is explaining that there is both a wide gate and a narrow gate, a gate that leads to eternal life and a gate that leads to destruction. One leads to salvation and the other seals the deal on our condemnation. The choice we have to make is which gate will we enter? Will we continue to live in our trespasses and sins () or will we repent of our sin and turn to Christ ()?

Psalm 23:1–3 CSB

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

This would also cause them to think of which states:

This is the choice every single one of us faces today and it’s the only decision that has eternal repercussions. The reality is that many people want to enter through the narrow gate, but don’t want to do what it takes to enter through it. If you’ve seen the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? you’re familiar with the “lifelines” each contestant may use when they are uncertain about the answer to a question. They symbolize the way many people think about life’s ultimate questions.

Numbers 27:15–17 CSB

So Moses appealed to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus is the Shepherd mentioned in and he is the greater Shepherd than Moses in . He knows us, he leads us, and he does this because he loves us. If we are truly his then we follow him and not those who would be classified as strangers. Jesus tells them all this, but as verse 6 tells us they did not understand. This leads to Jesus expounding more in depth over his two titles and the first title shows us that…

Jesus gives his sheep Salvation and Security. (v.7-10)

In life we make choices. For example you chose to wake up this morning and come to Church. We make choices every single day and every choice we make has a consequence. These consequences are either good or bad. If you choose to disobey your parents then you will face the consequence and it will not be good. If you choose to study for a test then the consequence is that you will probably pass the test. Consequences aren’t always bad as we think they are but can be good depending on the choice we make.

Jesus provides for us salvation. (v.7-9)

If you’ve seen the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? you’re familiar with the “lifelines” each contestant may use when they are uncertain about the answer to a question. They symbolize the way many people think about life’s ultimate questions.

50/50: Some people hope they will make it to heaven. They think they have at least a 50/50 chance. They’re trying to do enough good things to get in.

Phone a friend: Some people do what their friends do, think what their friends think, and are counting on their friends to be right about ultimate truth.

Jesus begins in verse 7 by giving his third “I am” statement by saying “I am the gate for the sheep.”

Ask the audience: Others accept the majority view. If New Age is in, they follow it. If 60 percent of the country rejects the Bible, they reject the Bible.

None of these lifelines lead us to eternal life, but keep us on the wide path that leads to destruction. The way to eternal life is only through the gate for is Jesus Christ. In this passage Jesus delivers his third “I am” statement and it reveals to us what it means for Jesus to be the gate and how we can be assured that being in him leads to eternal life.

Lt. George Dixon was a genteel, well-respected man in the Confederate army. In the early days of the war, his fiancée gave him a $20 gold piece. During the battle of Shiloh, a Union minié ball struck him—actually it struck the gold coin, which saved his life. The coin, soundly dented, was to remain with him wherever he went. It became his good luck piece, and he would often be seen kneading the coin in his hand.

Context:

In verses 1-6 Jesus gave his listeners from chapter 9 a “figure of speech” describing shepherds and thieves. They didn’t understand and so in Jesus begins to elaborate on his figure of speech by saying...

John 10:7–10 CSB

Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

John 10:7-10

In this passage we see three truths concerning Jesus being the gate and the first is that…

PreachingToday.com, Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2002), 242.

Conclusion:

In Jesus speaks of a choice every person will make when he says:

Jesus provides for us salvation. (v.7-9)

This passage begins with Jesus giving this “I am” statement. We know that when Jesus delivers any of the “I am” statements he is not coming up with random declarations of who he is, but he is drawing upon an idea, expectation, or passage that confirms his identity as the Messiah. With this particular statement he is drawing on which states:

Psalm 118:20 CSB

This is the Lord’s gate; the righteous will enter through it.

Jesus is the gate which provides salvation for those who enter in. In order to enter through Christ we have to be in Christ, which may seem odd but it actually is a beautiful truth of the Christian faith.

This idea of being “In Christ” dominates Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. To be “In Christ” means that we are saved and secure. explains this to us:

Ephesians 1:7 CSB

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

Being “in Christ” means that we are saved because in Christ there is redemption and forgiveness through what he accomplished on the cross. So when Jesus says here that he is the gate, that means he has provided salvation for anyone who calls upon his name to be saved as tells us:

Romans 10:13 CSB

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Christ through his death and resurrection has reconciled those who profess faith in him to a Holy God. This would not be possible if it were up to our works to make us right before God. Let me put it to you in this way, On January 26, 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a plasterer working in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan for language studies, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were unable to exit the path of the oncoming train and were killed.

On January 26, 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a plasterer working in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan for language studies, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were unable to exit the path of the oncoming train and were killed.

Let me put it to you in this way,

This selfless act by the Korean student on behalf of the Japanese laborer has caused many people in Japan to reconsider their long-held prejudices directed toward Koreans. Strong feelings of distrust between the two countries go back to World War II atrocities inflicted upon Koreans by the Japanese. Many Japanese people, including the prime minister of Japan, have openly expressed sorrow over their previously held stereotypes of Koreans and have begun to talk about reconciliation. Nobuaki Fujioka, a 62-year-old Japanese, said, “I felt a kind of shame. A young foreigner sacrificed his life for a Japanese. This is not an easy thing to do.”

Reconciliation rarely occurs without sacrifice. By giving his one and only Son, God took the initiative in healing our broken relationship with him. He made the supreme sacrifice for us that we might be reconciled to him. Christ did for us what we can never do for ourselves and now through his we can enter through the Lord’s gate and be saved. We have been reconciled and if you truly are a believer then you are to go into the world and do as states:

2 Corinthians 5:20 CSB

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.”

We are to go into the world and share the Gospel pleading with people to be reconciled to God in Christ alone. Share the news of the Gate that leads to eternal life and provides salvation. Not only does Jesus provide for us salvation, but we also see that…

Jesus protects us from Satan. (v.10a)

The first part of this verse introduces us to one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the Christian faith, Satan. First thing we have to know is who is Satan? Satan is the head of the demons and he is the originator of sin as he was the first of all creation to sin. This is evident from the account in which he tempts Adam and Eve to sin. One of his most famous titles is “the Father of lies” which comes from which states:

John 8:44 CSB

You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Satan is the great deceiver and the enemy of God. His mission as told in this verse is to steal, kill, and destroy and this is actually affirmed in which states:

1 Peter 5:8 CSB

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Satan’s mission is not to merely cause you to stumble or make a mistake, but to kill and destroy you.

The reality is though is that people either think too little of Satan or think too much of Him. Martin Lloyd-Jones actually said, “I am certain that one of the main causes of the ill state of the Church today is the fact that the devil is being forgotten. All is attributed to us; we have all become so psychological in our attitude and thinking. We are ignorant of this great objective fact, the being, the existence of the devil, the adversary, the accuser, and his “fiery darts.” On the flip side of this, we often think too much of Satan. We think he is equal to God and that him and God are interlocked in this eternal fight where they are equals. However, we must understand that God and Satan are not in some competition because it’s pure and utter domination because God has already won and will claim final victory. God is creator, Satan is creature. God is all-powerful, Satan is limited in Power. God is everywhere, Satan is limited by space and time. God is infinitely more powerful than Satan in fact that’s why there isn’t a whole chapter dedicated to Satan’s rebellion against God because it was over in a flash.

Jesus promises us security. (v.10b)

Do not give Satan more power than he actually has because he is not all-powerful. The Gate doesn’t just provide salvation, but protects us from Satan because Jesus is greater. Satan cannot steal us or take us from Jesus because he protects us from him. Therefore, do not fear the enemy because our Savior is so much greater. This also leads to the next truth we see about what Jesus does as the gate and that is that…

Jesus promises us security. (v.10b)

The last part of this verse provides us with a promise of security that should comfort us as believers. Those who are in Christ, those who come through the gate will not worry about whether they have eternal life because Christ secures us. He made us Alive with him as tells us:

Matthew 7:13–14 CSB

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Ephesians 2:4–5 CSB

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

We are saved by grace through faith and that means that we are secured in this same grace. If you are a believer then you do not have to worry about losing your salvation because Jesus will not lose any of his sheep that he leads into the Gate of the Sheep.

Jesus promises his followers eternal security and we get to live in that everyday as believers. We don’t have to worry everyday where we will spend eternity because if we have entered through the gate and are in Christ then our eternal destiny is secure forever. I remember that when I was a kid I was afraid of thunderstorms and I was especially was afraid of being on the road while is was storming. However, while I had this fear I never felt it whenever I was with my Dad. If he was driving then even in the midst of the worst storm I never worried because I knew I was secure as long as I was with my Dad. In the same manner, we do not need to fear this life because our Heavenly Father has secured us in Christ.

So, if you are a believer in here then rest in the gate that has led you to safe pasture. You are secure and you do not need to worry about your eternal destiny because it is forever secure in Christ. Cling to Christ and desire him more than the world, repent when needed, and know that grace and mercy is new every morning.

Conclusion:

As we have walked through the Word this morning we all have a choice to make. Will we take the next step in our walk with the Lord? If you are lost will you take the next step and be saved? If you are a believer then will you take the next step and grow in you walk with him? Let’s pray.

And where did Lt. Dixon take the coin? Onto the CSS Hunley, the confederate submarine he staunchly believed could break the Union blockade. After sinking the USS Housatonic, the Hunley herself sank, taking Lt. Dixon and his crew to their deaths. Ultimately, his golden good luck piece could not save him. Recently the coin was found when the submarine was raised.

People will choose to either enter through the narrow gate and the consequence of that is eternal life in Chr

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The reality is that many people will enter and have entered through the wide gate because it’s easy. The wide gate presents itself in a variety of ways, but it boils down to people choosing their sin over their creator. In fact C.S. Lewis, the guy who wrote the Narnia series, said in his book The Great Divorce, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”

This guy placed his security in a gold coin that ultimately failed him and the reality is that you and I as believers often put our security in things that can never truly provide that for us. This is why many believers struggle with their salvation and aren’t secure in it. For example, we might place our security in people which leads to heartbreak because people will fail us. We might place it in the things we do thinking that our works will secure us but the one person who will always let you down is yourself. Our security cannot be found from things in the world, but can only be found in Christ.

However, there is hope because there is a gate that leads to eternal life and it is found in Christ alone. In Jesus delivers his third “I am” statement which gives us hope that we don’t have to go through the wide gate, but can come into a relationship with Christ and enter through the true gate. This morning I want us to study this passage to truly understand what it means for Christ to be the gate and how if we are believers we can be confident that we are not only saved, but secure as well.

This morning I want to talk to you about having true security from which states:

John 10:1–10 CSB

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

PreachingToday.com, More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2003), 254.

John 10:1–10 CSB

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

In this passage we see two truths about Jesus as the gate for the sheep that would lead to us as believers having security in him alone and the first truth is…

Jesus leads his sheep. (v.1-6)

Jesus leads his sheep. (v.1-6)

In this first section Jesus gives his listeners from chapter 9 a “figure of speech” summarizing what he will expound upon for the rest of the chapter. We see that there are two people Jesus is comparing, the thief who represents the religious leaders and the shepherd who represents Jesus. The religious leaders don’t care about the sheep, but rather brutalize them by adding to the law of God. In contrast, Jesus knows his sheep and actually calls them by name! This shows that Jesus is not some distant shepherd who merely knows of the sheep, but he knows his sheep intimately.

Jesus leads his sheep and those who are his sheep hear his voice and follow him. With that in mind then we understand that the sheep represents believers. Those of us in here who claim to be Christians are to follow the voice of Christ because he is the one who leads us not to destruction, but to life. This language Christ is using would cause his audience to recall which states:

Psalm 23:1–3 CSB

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Numbers 27:16–18 CSB

“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.” The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

Jesus, as we will see next week in depth, is the true shepherd who leads his sheep and because he leads us we know he will not lead us to destruction, but will lead us on the path’s of righteousness. Why? Because Jesus loves his sheep and the intimacy between the shepherd and his sheep here show us the trust, familiarity, and bond Jesus has with his followers.

The question must be asked though, where is Jesus leading his followers? We know he is leading us down the paths of righteousness, but where is the final destination? The answer is to the gate for the sheep that leads into the sheep pen where we are secure. As he is leading us there we can have security in that he will never lead us where his grace cannot sustain us. This means for us that we can trust Jesus to lead us. We don’t have to worry, but we can be secure in him because he doesn’t just know of us, he knows us and cares for us. Not only does Jesus lead us as this figure of speech shows us, but we see that…

Jesus protects his sheep. (v.7-10)

Verse 7

In verse 6 we see that the crowd did not understand the figure of speech that Jesus used so in verses 7-21 he expounds it further. Verse 7 begins this explanation with the third “I am” statement which states, “I am the gate for the sheep.” This once again is fulfillment of Messianic passages in the OT and the one this statement fulfills is found in :

Psalm 118:20 CSB

This is the Lord’s gate; the righteous will enter through it.

Matthew 7:13–14 CSB

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Jesus is the narrow gate that leads to eternal life and salvation which is available to us by his death on the cross that forgives us of our sin and his resurrection which defeated death and makes us alive with him.

Verse 8

Jesus continues to expound upon this idea by contrasting himself to those who are thieves and robbers. Those who are true believers do not follow the voices of the enemy or false teachers. The problem of False Teachers wasn’t a first century problem only, but is actually a problem that we encounter today. There are blatant false teachers such as those who promote other religions, the idea that being good gets us to heaven, and those who oppose Christianity. When it comes to these blatant false teachers, believers typically don’t have a problem staying away from them. However, our problem as the false teachers who are technically under the umbrella of Christianity.

There are those who claim to be Christians, but they teach things contrary to what the Bible teaches. Jesus actually warned of these people in which states:

Matthew 7:15 CSB

“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.

The problem with this is that Jesus never promised that he would bless us with the riches of the world and health. In fact Jesus said that if we want to follow him we must be willing to die ()! This isn’t a promise of perfect health. Jesus told us that we cannot serve God and money in and if we are only being faithful to God for the blessing of wealth are we serving God or money? The Prosperity Gospel also leaves people insecure in their faith. Why? Because they say that we have to have enough faith for these things to happen. What happens when we have faith that God will heal us or a loved one and then he doesn’t? What happens to the person in Africa who has faith, but the Lord doesn’t bless them with riches? This false gospel tells us that the problem is our faith and this doesn’t lead to security but damages believers.

Verse 9