Jesus is the Door of the Sheep, by John.

JESUS IS THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP
John 10:7-10

1. The title for this message is, “Jesus is the door of the sheep.”
(1) If you are reading the NIV, vv 7,9 say Jesus is the gate for the sheep.
(2) The Greek word for “gate” here is, thura, usually translated door, but gate is also an acceptable translation.
(3) The word usually translated gate is pule. It generally refers to something large and strong like the gates of the city. It is not used at all in the
Gospel of John.
2. I like “door” here because of the connotation.
(1) Gates are generally opened and closed at certain times on a regular basis, and closed and locked when enemies are attacking.
(2) A “door” is something we generally travel through at will, opening and closing it as we please, but only those can pass through to whom God gives the right.
(3) I think Jesus may have had that idea in mind when He said, “I am the door of the sheep!” (KJV)
3. Bill Gates developed Microsoft Windows and became the world’s richest man. He popularized the use of “windows.” That seems to have replaced “door” in much of our thinking. i.e. “Windows of opportunity.”
4. I think there is a close correlation between the NT use of door, and our present use of window.
(1) Barnabas and Paul told the people in Antioch how God had “opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, “ (Acts 14:27)
(2) Paul told the Corinthians (1Co 16:9) “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me.”
(3) 2 Co 2:12) “I...found that the Lord had opened a door for me.”
(4) Don’t these sound more like the “windows of opportunity” we speak of today?
5. But we are interested this morning with Jesus saying “I am the door of the sheep.”

I. JESUS IS THE DOOR BY WHICH WE ACCESS HEAVEN

1. What would you expect to find if I opened this door? (to the hall).
(1) One of the oldest tricks of comedy is to have someone open a door with a solid wall on the other side.
(2) That seems funny to us because doors are made to pass through, and a door to nowhere is absurd!
(3) If we’ve seen it before, it loses a lot of its punch, and it should: It’s absurd!
2. BUT, Jesus is the Door to Somewhere!
(1) W.A.Criswell’s Bible has a note on v. 7. It says Jesus didn’t say He was the door of the sheepfold because that would mean he was in charge of an organization. He is in charge of sheep and their lives!
(2) We have access to the heavenly Father through Jesus.
(3) The awesome power of God delivered in the person of His Holy Spirit comes through Jesus!
(4) Our hoped for destination is heaven with God, and Jesus is the entrance through which we must pass to get there!
3. Oh yes! He’s the Door to Somewhere, never a door to nowhere!

II. GAINING HEAVEN BY THE DOOR IS THE ONLY WAY.

1. A leader becomes a thief and a robber when he tries to provide heaven any other way. Look at vv 1,2. Only the Good Shepherd can use the door to the sheepfold!
2. God has provided all that we need in Jesus, and we have no right to try to take heaven any way except as His gift of love!
3. Even so, the world is full of people who offer all sorts of manmade, surefire plans to insure heaven, but Jesus tells us explicitly, He is the only Door to heaven. You come by Him or not at all!
4. This may be offensive to Jews. If it is, I’m sorry, but I have to tell the truth as I see it in the Bible. (This shouldn’t be any more offensive than their doctrine which rejects Jesus. They say Jesus is not the only born Son of God. If Paul believed that, he would never have been in trouble with the leaders of Israel! And he never would have spread the Good News!)
5. When we drove to Florida, we took the Florida Turnpike. In 200 miles, we paid about $15.00. A nice thing about the door to heaven is there is no turnstile where you have to pay your way! Access is free!
6. Speaking of freedom, when Jesus said “I am the door” He was saying:

III. PASSING THROUGH THE DOOR SETS YOU FREE.

1. When a preacher says that, he usually adds “from the law of sin and death!” That’s true, but did you notice His sheep go in an out to find pasture, and they find it!
2. The doorkeeper recognizes the Shepherd’s voice, and He opens the door for the sheep. (We seem to have mixed metaphors here, but not really. Let’s explain it this way. The doorkeeper opens for Jesus, and then He becomes our Door! We are one with Him. We can go in and out at will!
3. All your life somebody has told you what you have to do. You’re probably willing to admit most of the time its for your own good, but wouldn’t it be nice to move about unfettered? Wouldn’t you like to be so grown up, so adult, that nobody ever had to tell you what to do? That’s coming for the people who pass through the Jesus Door! Count on it!

Conclusion:

1. Jesus is our Door to Somewhere! Heaven is a final place, but in Jesus, we go in and out and find pasture. That’s real freedom.
2. Don’t be fooled by so-called religions and philosophies. They can not give you life! Jesus is the only One Who is in charge of Life!
3. The most marvelous thing about our Lord Jesus is He is really instant! We have instant puddings, instant frozen dinners, instant milk, but none of them are instant! They can only be considered instant when you compare them with the normal slowly prepared product! The moment you trust Jesus, you pass from death through the Door into Life! Now, that is instant, and you can do that right now! Trust Jesus!


ECC 8/28/2005