I AM: The Door

Please be seated.

This morning we're going to continue our series, or the series that I've been doing every time you've seen me during Matthew's sabbatical, through the I Am statements of Jesus.

And this morning we come to John 10. It's a familiar one, but we're going to be talking about a kind of unfamiliar statement of Jesus.

So if you have a Bible, you can turn with me to John 10. If you have a bulletin, you can turn there as well. The text is printed before you.

John 10, verses 1 through 10.

John 10:1–10

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow.

But they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them,

Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the door, and if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.

He will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word.

We ask for your spirit.

Give it more and more measure, even now.

May we see the glory of Jesus through this text.

And may we worship you through Christ, your son, because of it.

And we pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

I don't know if you've heard this.

I've become recently fascinated with this idea, this part of Colorado culture,

that we have castles in Colorado.

It's kind of bizarre.

But they're not just any castles.

We have one here in the Springs, up by Garden of the Gods,

and there's one that's south of Fort Carson, down towards Pueblo.

Now, I don't want to insult anyone, and chances are there's somebody in this congregation

that knows one of the owners of these castles,

and I don't mean this with any malintent.

But they're not castles.

They're lacking one really important feature,

because none of these castles, either the one north of us,

or the one down towards Pueblo, or the other ones all around the state,

none of them have walls.

So they're not castles.

They're missing the critical components.

And if you have watched a documentary,

I think there was a castle documentary,

or you've visited around Europe, or even been to Asia,

you will see castles that have walls.

If you watch Frozen, Elsa's house has a wall.

If you visit Disney World, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Castles have walls.

They're fortified.

They have moats.

Some even have a drawbridge.

And that's the genius of them,

because they're fortified in a way,

they're made and structured in such a way

that there's one way in and one way out.

It keeps the people inside safe.

That's the purpose of the castle.

It's to keep intruders out,

and keep the people safe inside.

And there's one way in and one way out.

Whether it's a castle,

or Robert Frost, who reminds us,

the only way out is through it,

or a gate to your backyard,

or a bridge across that,

the one bridge across the river,

or a tunnel through the mountainside.

There's one way in.

One way.

It might be a castle.

It might be a bridge.

It might be in architecture.

It might be in literature.

It might be in nature.

We see that idea that there's one way in

in this text this morning.

The only way into the sheepfold is through the door.

Jesus is telling them,

and he's telling us,

there's one way into the sheepfold.

There's one way,

and it's through that door.

There are no side doors.

There's no cracks.

There's no alternate plans to get inside.

There is one way,

and he's really clear about it.

Now, whenever we hear something like that,

some of you,

and I might be one of you too,

I think in my mind,

because I'm maybe an outside-the-box thinker,

or I'm a contrarian,

you tell me the sky's blue,

I tell you,

no, it's pale blue.

If you're one of those,

let me be really clear to you.

This morning,

Jesus says,

in the realm of eternal life,

in the spiritual realm,

there is one way.

There is one way in.

And as we look at that this morning,

we're going to contrast two big themes.

One big theme is that

there are thieves and robbers,

and the other big theme

is there is one door.

One door.

Now, this morning,

we read a larger chunk of John 10,

and if we did so,

we're going to focus really on verses 7 through 10.

Verses 7 through 10.

And we're doing that

because we're walking through

the I am statements of Jesus.

It's really important

to look at somebody's life's work,

or what other people have said about them,

but it's even more so important

when we come to the figure of Jesus

to figure out

what has he said about himself.

And that's why we're looking at the I am statements.

And in verses 7 through 10,

he says very clearly,

very plainly,

I am the door.

Now,

what's confusing about this

is often overshadowed

by this more dominant theme of John 10.

We have this idea of the shepherd,

the sheep,

the thieves,

the robbers,

but he says here

that I am the door.

And we're familiar

with that theme of shepherds.

It's idyllic.

We see it

even on the walls of nurseries.

We see it in pictures,

in modern pictures,

of what the good life looks like.

It's pastoral.

It has those warm, fluffy sheep.

Who doesn't love warm, fluffy sheep?

Right?

But Jesus is focusing our attention here

on the fact that he is the door.

Now, if you've been around Christianity

for any amount of time,

this is something that we're familiar with.

Even if you didn't grow up on a farm

or around any kind of sheep

or any kind of livestock,

we know,

because we've heard at some point,

that sheep are not very smart

and they're smelly

and they need a shepherd.

And if they don't have the shepherd,

they're going to run

and go kill themselves.

Now, we all know that.

But why is that such a perpetual,

persistent theme throughout Scripture?

Because it's not just here that we see it.

We see it in all the Old Testament.

Remember, Moses is the great shepherd of Israel.

And what happens when Moses isn't there?

The sheep scatter.

They're like sheep without a shepherd.

This idea of a shepherd

is not anything new to us

and it's not anything new to them.

So Jesus begins in John chapter 10

John 10 · chapter mention

with this idea of sheep and a shepherd,

thieves and robbers.

They know the voice of the shepherd.

But then he figures out really quickly

in verse six.

Look at it with me.

The figure of speech

that Jesus was using with them,

they did not understand

what he was saying to them.

It's the great peril of any preacher, right?

We're talking, we're talking,

and all of a sudden you realize

blank faces

and nobody knows what you're talking about.

Or if you're a parent

or you present at work,

you realize at that point,

I have to reattack.

I have to figure out some other way

to explain this

to these people so they understand.

And Jesus is no different.

So in the midst of this big,

grand idea of him being the great shepherd,

he says,

instead,

I am the door.

He says in verse seven,

truly, truly,

I say to you,

I am the door of the sheep.

Now before we get to that door,

let's look at that other big theme,

the one of thieves and robbers.

We're going to look at who they are

and what they do for each of them,

who they are and what they do.

If the robbers are supposed to be there,

how did they get there?

Well, they're not supposed to be there at all.

They kind of enter in like mice.

They find any crack or way to get through,

but they don't come through the front door.

You don't invite mice through your front door.

They get into your house through another way.

Same with a robber.

You don't invite him through the front door.

Keep that in mind

because often we think about thieves and robbers

in contrast to Jesus.

We'd think they're misguided or misinformed.

If they just knew better,

it would be a little bit different.

But you don't think about that

when a robber's in your home

and grabbing all your stuff.

You don't think that he's misguided or misunderstood.

You just say,

I want my stuff.

Don't take my stuff.

It doesn't matter what their intentions are

because the effects are devastating.

Who are they?

Verse eight tells us really clearly who they are.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not listen to them.

All became before me.

Does that mean every person before Jesus' time

was a thief and a robber?

Was it all those faithful men of scripture?

Was it all the judges,

all the prophets,

all the kings?

Was it John the Baptist?

Is he a thief?

Is he a robber?

No, he doesn't mean that.

He means something a little different.

How do we know that though?

How do we know he's not talking

about all those Old Testament saints?

Because he talks very positively

about someone that we just talked about earlier,

Abraham.

When those opponents of Jesus came to him,

he said,

Abraham,

they asked him,

is he greater than you?

Are you greater than Abraham?

Are you confused?

And Jesus answers very clearly

to what they asked him.

Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

And then they get even more confused

and say,

how do you know that?

Like,

you guys didn't cross paths.

You're young.

He's old.

And he answers with the scandalous,

I am.

And then they get really angry

and they try to kill Jesus.

The thieves,

the robbers,

are not the ones

who came before in scripture.

They're the ones he's talking to now.

They're the ones who should have been

the shepherds of Israel.

They're the ones

right there,

right now.

Think about this.

Who are the Sadducees?

What are they doing

during Jesus' time?

They're profiting off of God's people

and their worship.

Who are the Pharisees?

Mark reminds us

that they do this.

They walk around in long robes.

They liked greetings in the street.

They want the best seats in the synagogue.

They want the places of honor at feast.

All the while,

they're devouring the widow's houses.

Luke reminds us

the Pharisees were lovers of money.

Those are the thieves and the robbers.

They should have been shepherds,

but instead,

they're preying on the very sheep

they were supposed to protect,

supposed to feed,

just like Ezekiel reminds us.

The opponents that John's speaking about,

the thieves and robbers,

are those people that in John 9,

immediately before this,

if you have a Bible,

got angry that Jesus healed a blind man.

And Jesus responds

and reminds them that they are blind.

They can't see the true picture,

the true beauty of the gospel.

They don't know as much as they think.

They are the thieves and robbers.

The emphasis is on are.

They are the robbers.

Not they were the robbers.

They are present.

They are active even now.

But what do the robbers do?

The robbers do this.

Verse 10 tells us,

the thief comes only to steal,

kill, and destroy.

They don't seek out the best interests of the sheep.

They don't care for them.

They don't care about the people of Israel.

They don't feed them.

Their motivation is their own profit

and their own desires.

That's who the thieves and robbers are.

If you've ever had a babysitter

when you were a kid

or you've been a parent,

the babysitter is supposed to put kids down to sleep

at night.

That's what we pay you for, right?

But then,

when you show back up,

the babysitter has invited over her boyfriend.

Another man has entered your home.

They've neglected what they were supposed to do,

put the kids to sleep,

and then you come home

to find a stranger in your house.

The babysitter is probably not going to work for you again.

But their responsibility

is to care for their children.

The responsibility

of these shepherds

is to care for the sheep of Israel,

to care for the people.

And they've actually

only concerned

themselves

with themselves.

They've used the sheep

for their own gain.

It's a tale as old as time.

This issue

is of false shepherds,

Ezekiel reminds us.

They prey on the sheep.

The thief

only comes to kill

and destroy.

All of us know the story

of Little Red Riding Hood.

And so,

anytime that you

talk about a story,

you risk, like,

ruining the story for everyone.

But everyone knows

the grandma

gets eaten

by the wolf.

Okay?

I didn't spoil it for you.

And Little Red Riding Hood

doesn't recognize

that

the wolf

has eaten the grandma

because

with all the gleaming teeth

she's wearing,

or the wolf is wearing

the grandma's clothes.

that's often

what we think of

when we think of

these people

that are thieves

and robbers.

But the picture

is not that.

It's instead

the grandma herself

has turned

on Little Red Riding Hood.

She was supposed

to take care of her.

She was supposed

to protect her.

But instead,

she eats

Little Red Riding Hood

just like the wolf.

That's the picture

that we have in John.

That's the picture

that we have

in Ezekiel.

the grandma

has turned

on the little girl.

These images

are both in view

in John 10

and Ezekiel.

The thieves

and the robbers

are charged

to protect God's people

and they don't do it.

And these people

that now speak

to Jesus

don't recognize

that they are

the ones doing it.

They don't recognize

the great shepherd

of the sheep

stands before them

and they're talking

about how

they're such

great shepherds.

Do they model

the true shepherd?

Or are they like

Little Red Riding Hood's

grandma

that has eaten her?

How does that apply

to all of us?

Well, one,

we have to be aware.

We have to be on guard

and recognize

that there are

thieves and robbers.

We're reminded

in the first part

of John 10

that there are sheep

and they must know

the voice

of the shepherd.

We have to know

the voice

of the shepherd.

We have to know God.

If you want

a tangible,

practical checklist

of how to prevent

thieves and robbers

from coming in

and devouring

and destroying,

I can't give you that.

But I can give you this.

Remember

that whether

it's me

or Matthew

or the elders

of this church,

the thing that we can

give you

that point you to

more than anything

is not a checklist

against thieves

and robbers

to validate

whether we're doing

things or not doing

things.

If we are pointing

you to God

and giving you

more of him

and away from yourself

and away from us,

that is the only

checklist that we need.

We need more

of God

and more of him

and less of ourselves.

That's the test

of thieves

and robbers.

We're also

to know

our own hearts.

Last week

we were reminded

from Galatians

that the law

doesn't bring life

because the law

we could never

perfectly fulfill

but it shows us

our need of Christ.

In this picture

that Jesus has set up

of these walls

and the door

and only going

through the door,

we often think

through the wall

we can climb over

the wall

and we can get

eternal life.

We can do it

ourselves

but Jesus

is reminding us

the only way in

is through himself,

only through

the gate.

Beware of your own heart,

beware of the thieves

and robbers.

That's one theme.

The second theme

is this,

there is a door

and that door

is Jesus Christ.

He tells us that

very clearly

and then he doubles

down on it.

He says it in seven,

truly, truly,

I say to you,

I am the door

of the sheep

and then he says

in nine,

I am the door

if you're confused.

He's the only

entry point

for salvation.

Jesus is speaking

of himself

saying you cannot

have eternal life,

you cannot have

these great

and glorious pastures

unless you come

through me.

If that doesn't

excite us,

if that doesn't

stir our hearts,

what will?

we can't climb

over the fence.

Christ is calling

each of us

to enter through

that door,

to have this abundance,

to have life,

to have pasture,

to have life

to the full

and if we do not

enter through

that door,

we cannot have it

at all.

That's what he's

speaking to us.

Now,

in our day and age,

we like to think

that there's lots

of ways

that we can have

this good life,

whether it's

pursuit of success,

worldly success,

whether it's

pursuit of the

good life,

of eternal life,

through some

other means,

but those are

all false.

They can only

come through the

door that is

Jesus Christ

and he is really,

really clear

about it.

And so the call

for each of us

this morning

is to come

through Christ,

come to him

because we cannot

have life

or have it

to the full

unless we have

Jesus.

And he invites

all of us.

That might sound

pretty exclusive

to say,

hey,

there's only one

gate into this

sheepfold.

There's only one

gate into this

pen.

There's no other

gate.

And it is

exclusive.

But it's because

it was purchased

with the precious

blood of Jesus

himself.

But it's

inclusive in the

sense that he

has asked all

of us to

come through

Christ and

to come to

him.

The former's

got that right.

They said,

in Christ alone.

But they're just

repeating back

this idea of

scripture,

this idea from

John 10,

that there is

one gate,

there is one

door,

there is no

other.

Some of you

might be

familiar with

the famous

minor league

baseball team,

the Durham

Bulls.

There was a

movie made

about them.

I can't

recommend it.

But the

Durham Bulls

stadium is in

downtown Durham.

Now, it's a

great stadium.

It's built off of

Fenway Park,

which is the

Boston Red Sox.

It's an exact

replica.

But there's one

interesting fact

about this

stadium.

And it's not

anything in the

stadium.

It's what lies

across the street.

Immediately across

the street is the

Durham County

Jail.

people.

And so if you're

a resident,

part-time or

full-time of

the Durham County

Jail, and you

start moving up

the floors, you're

able to watch all

of the Durham Bulls

baseball games.

Now, obviously,

this angered much

of the Durham County

government, but they

didn't do anything

about it for a

really, really long

time.

You see, those

inmates up a couple

floors could watch

all the baseball

games.

They could see the

numbers on the back

of the jerseys, and

they could see the

names.

They could hear the

game.

Didn't matter if it

was night, day game,

they could see all of

it.

And they had a

perfect view, because

it was right out of

center field, and it

was right across the

street.

There wasn't a

better seat in the

house to see all of

the game.

But even though they

could watch,

they're really

different than a fan

who comes and has a

ticket and gets a

hot dog, peanuts, and

can smell the grass,

and is in the stadium.

They can see dimly what

that fan in the game

sees clearly, because

beyond the bars on his

window, he is not at

the game.

He is not in the

stadium.

He is not participating

as a fan.

He cannot see all the

glory.

And when we think of

that prisoner in the

jail looking out onto

the baseball field, we

think of ourselves, or

we should.

Because when we think of

eternal life and what's

promised in John 10, we

think that God gives to

us his greatness.

Not really.

We think so little of

God.

We think that he gives

us something that we

view through the bars of

the jail across the

street.

When he's invited us in

to the glory that's in

the arena.

We see so clearly.

We experience the

abundant life, and we

have it to the full.

But we think so little

of God.

We think so little of

heaven that that's not

attractive.

We esteem it not.

We think that God is

stingy and miserly.

But instead, Paul

reminds us that he has

blessed us with every

spiritual blessing in

Christ Jesus.

All of it is ours in

Christ Jesus.

We all, we experience it

all, and it all turns on

the door that is Jesus

Christ.

We've all been invited to

have life and have it

abundantly.

We've all been invited in

through this door, but

we're called to be on

guard against thieves and

robbers, but we are

promised through the

door of Jesus Christ to

have life and have it to

the full.

He's the only door through

which to enter.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Lord, we thank you for

the clear reminder that

Christ is the only door by

which we might have life

and have it to the full.

We ask that despite the

words and voices in our

day and even in our own

hearts that say we can do

something else, that there

is another way, may we

stand on guard against

robbers and thieves.

And may we find our way

into the pasture through

Christ our Lord.

We ask in his name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.