I AM the Gate

John 10:7-10

Last week we observed Jesus statement, “I am the bread of life, he who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

Today, we want to look at the statement, “I am the gate, I am the door.”

John 10:1–10 (NIV)

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by 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 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.

But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the 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.

The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 10:1–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Jesus did not leave any room for confusion as to who He was. He didn’t say that He was a gate or that there were many gates, but He made it very clear that He was the gate into the sheep pen.

Next week, we are going to look at the Good Shepherd, so I am going to try not to overlap too much. We’ll be looking at the sheep hearing and following the Shepherd, but this week, I want us to look at the gate and the pen as well as the thief and his purpose and Jesus’ purpose and plan for us.

The Gate and the Sheep pen

Jesus paints a picture of a very common scene in ancient Israel. There were structures built so that the shepherds could take their sheep to a stone enclosure. There was only one gate in and there was a doorkeeper or gatekeeper to guard the sheep from predators and from rustlers that would try to steel the sheep.

a. The Sheep pen - protection

The sheep pen represents protection. Proverbs 18:10 states, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe”. The New International Version. (2011). (Pr 18:10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Psalm 91:1–16 (NIV)

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

God is your shield. He is your rampart. Romans 8:38-39 says

Romans 8:38–39 (NIV)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The New International Version. (2011). (Ro 8:38–39). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

When we commit our lives to Christ, we are placed under His care.

1 John 5:18 (NLT)

We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

b. The Gate - entry & access

We have doors on our houses so that we know where the entry and the exit is. For three years, Donna and I lived in a house that only had one entrance. It didn’t matter how many times, you tried to enter the house, there was only one entrance.

It’s the same in the kingdom of God. Jesus is the only entrance to get to God the Father.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the 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.

There is only one way to enter into relationship with God the Father and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He is the Gate. He is the only entry point into eternal life.

John 3:16–17 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 3:16–17). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

This might sound too inclusive, but the creator of the universe and the One who came to save humankind has the right to make the rules.

But what about those that have never heard about Jesus?

Romans 1:18–20 (NIV)

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

The New International Version. (2011). (Ro 1:18–20). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

God is not a vindictive God. Look at the beauty of nature. We can travel all over the globe and see the creativity of God that we enjoy. He wants each person to come to Him in faith believing that His sacrifice was enough.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Not only do we have entry, but we have access into the presence of God.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

2. The thief and his purpose

When God created everything, it was good. The timeline of when the angels were created is a little unclear, but one of the Arch Angels was Lucifer. Lucifer fell because he became prideful and wanted to be like God. Evil entered his heart, and evil entered the world.

The devil is a liar and he will do whatever he can do to deceive people and make them think that he has their best interest in mind.

John 8:44 (NIV)

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

We know many words in other languages. “Bonjour, Comment ca va?” “Hola!” “Arrivederci!” “Bitte” “Danke” Jesus said this about the devil, “he speaks his native language.

John 8:44b (ESV) When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 8:44). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

He wants people to believe that you can get to heaven by keeping a bunch of rules and regulations. To others he tells the that there is no God and that there will not be a day that we will have to give an account to Him, knowing full well that one day, he will face judgment himself

To the next, he will tell that there are many ways to God and that if you do what you think is best, God will not refuse you entry into heaven.

John 10:1 (NIV)

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

John 10:8 (NIV)

All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.

In this passage Jesus isn’t just talking about Satan, but He was alluding to religious leaders that were teaching people to try to make it to heaven by works.

Matthew 23:13 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

We need to stay true to the word of God. God’s word is truth. Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s word will remain forever.

There are so many examples of people that have had good intentions and have led people away from God. One clue is when a man or woman are elevated to a position that God never intended. Some examples are Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the charismatic movement, there was a man that God used mightily, but in his later years he started teaching doctrines that were not biblical. After William Branham died, his followers elevated him to an unhealthy place. They say, “God thought it. Branham said it. I believe it, and that settles it.” I don’t want to run anybody down this morning, but God will not share His glory with anyone.

We need to test all things to see if they are of God. There are so many different teachers and teachings that we can follow. With social media, with access to the internet, we just can’t take everything that we hear as gospel, It needs to line up with the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:17 (NIV)

so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The devil’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. It’s simple: steal, kill, and destroy.

1 Peter 5:8–9 (NIV)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

The New International Version. (2011). (1 Pe 5:8–9). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

3. I have come...

John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

You will never regret having a relationship with Jesus Christ. As we grow in our intimacy with Jesus Christ, we will know that abundant life. God isn’t trying to prevent us from enjoying life. He is protecting us from going down a path that leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that appears to be right,

but in the end it leads to death.

The New International Version. (2011). (Pr 14:12). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

This is my prayer for you from:

Ephesians 3:16–19 (NIV)

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

To close, I want to use an example that all parents will understand. As parents, we see pitfalls that our children are getting into and we want to do anything that we can to prevent it.

Sometimes we see because we’ve been through the school of hard knocks, and other times we see because we have been warned. In the same way, Jesus who is our Pioneer and Perfector of our faith has already been there. He has experienced much and He longs to protect us from snares and traps that we can get into. Sometimes, we are headstrong, but God is patient with us.

As we press into Jesus, He will keep us safe.

Psalm 121 (NIV)

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.