Wednesday in the Word...John 10:7-10..."the" door

Wednesday in the Word for July 31st, 2019 is John chapter 10 and verses 7 through 10.

v.7 - So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."

This is the third "I am" statements of Jesus.  He has told us "I am the bread of life" in John 6:35 and "I am the Light of the world" in John 8:12.  Jesus alludes to being the good Shepherd in verses 1 through 6 but will formally say it in verse 11.  He gives us the picture of a door to think about here in relationship to Himself.

The sheepfold only had one entrance, only one door.  The way in and out of the sheepfold was through that door.  It was a door where the doorkeeper stood as he inspected the sheep as they came in and out.  It was a narrow space that usually only allow one at a time so they could be counted and looked over individually.  The door was a very important tool used by the shepherd to care for his sheep.

The door is the way into a room.  You enter through a door.  The door to my office is a burgundy color.  It has an old brass knob with a newer installed dead bolt above.  As far as I know, it is the only way into my office called "a door."  I could climb the fire escape and climb in the window but that is a window and not a door.  Jesus is "the" door for His sheep to come through, the only door.

v.8 - "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."

Jesus warns us here that there are those who have come before Him and there will be those who will come after Him who will try to convince us that "they" are the door or another door or even a better door than the door Jesus.  They will call out to the sheep but Jesus' sheep will not hear them nor follow them.  

Find comfort in your relationship with Jesus that if you are one of His sheep, you will know His voice to follow.  You have His word to refer to.  You have brothers and sisters in Christ who are bearing the fruit of the Spirit for you to counsel with.  You have ministers of the gospel that come humbly as under shepherds of "the" Shepherd and give instruction from God's word.  We have much to guide us to know the voice of God and to discern those who have the motive to take rather than to give.

v.9 - "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

What a tremendous verse of invitation.  Jesus states again that He is the door but the door needs to be entered.  It has to be gone through.  You have to go through Jesus.  If you go through Jesus; if you acknowledge Him as "the" Savior of sinners; if you not only confess sin but confess Him as Lord of your life then you will be saved.  You will proceed on with life now justified before God because of Christ's sacrifice imputed onto you and onto a life of sanctification signified by the phrase "go in and out."

As you now live a life continually going through the door of Jesus you will find pasture.  You will find more food to eat, more provision provided by Jesus, to live for His glory each day.  The final pasture will be our glorification of being with Him in heaven.  What has to happen for all of this to happen?  You have to go through that door marked "Jesus."  You knock on that door.  You call out to the person on the other side.  You humbly ask to be let in because that is where you desire to be.  It is not like the automatic opening doors that we have today that senses your presence by an electric eye.  Our response to Jesus' already paid for offer is to acknowledge this as the "only" door that leads to salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification.  

v.10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Verse 10 was the verse on the back of the church sign as people left Gaylord Family Fellowship Church of Gaylord, Michigan.  There is a big difference between Satan, the taker, and Jesus, the giver.  The thief, the taker, comes with one motive and that is to do harm to you.  He will steal life from you.  He will kill life in you.  He will destroy life around you.  

The giver, Jesus, the door, comes with the one motive to supply life and realize it to its fullest as you are following after Him.  He came for this very purpose.  

We need to understand that following Jesus makes life look differently than the way the world looks at life.  The world puts different values on life that need to be surrendered so that we value the life that God wants us to have.  The life God wants us to have might not be the American Dream or the 3 bedroom house, 2 car garage, fenced in yard with a pony, a spouse and 2 1/2 kids, and a six figure income with 3 months vacation time.  

Know that God's life for us is always going to be better than something we or the world can dream up.  God's life for us, when focused as better, will become abundant in our eyes.  Will we see His life for us over the world's picture of life that sure takes a lot from us?  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, thank You for the door!  Thank You for sending Jesus as the door that we need to go through to have a life that glorifies You and can be justified before You.  Without that door we can not stand before You.  May more knock and desire who is on the other side.  Amen."

Pastor Adam