SERMON: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

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Preached by Gregory W. Lee

9 September 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 11:25
25. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26. and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

-- in May of 1940, the people of Britain were facing their darkest hour -- their former prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, had sought to appease Hitler and the German army by offering them the right to attack a province of Czechoslovakia, thinking that would be the end of Germany's advance
-- but, Hitler continued to march through Europe, taking over all of Czechoslovakia and then sending his army to Poland -- because of this, the British declared war on Germany and promptly voted Chamberlain out of office
-- he was replaced by Winston Churchill, but it seemed to be too little, too late, to stop the advance of Hitler in Europe
-- on May 26, 1940, less than one month after Churchill took office, the British army suffered an astounding defeat -- British troops in Dunkirk on the Belgian coast were forced to retreat and flee Europe in the face of a large-scale German offensive
-- by this time, Hitler had taken over all of mainland Europe -- including Belgium and France -- and now he was turning the full force and fury of the German military against England itself
-- the people huddled in their homes, shuddering at the thought of the Germans coming against their home land -- their army stood in defeat, massing on the shores of Britain in a last-ditch effort to stop Hitler's approach
-- but in the midst of the approaching darkness -- in the moment hope had been abandoned and it looked like all was lost -- just when the people needed a savior to promise hope and life and a future, Winston Churchill stood up in the House of Commons and delivered a message to the people of England
-- he said, "What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over -- I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin -- Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization -- Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire
-- the whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us -- Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war -- if we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands
-- but, if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science
-- let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties -- and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour.""
-- with that speech, Churchill spoke light into the gathering darkness -- with that speech, he resurrected hope and the will of the British people to stand against the evil of Hitler and the German military -- and with that speech, he turned the war around and brough forth the determination and the courage that was needed to defeat Germany and her allies

-- in life, we face many different types of battles -- usually, we are not facing battles against military foes like the British were facing in 1940 -- our battles are the trials and storms of life -- sickness and death -- financial problems -- relationship problems -- temptations and sin coming our way -- just the everyday stuff of life
-- some of the battles we face are minor -- just bumps in the road of life that don't cause any real heartache or concern
-- but other battles are more difficult -- lingering sicknesses -- wayward children -- unfaithful spouses -- the death of a loved one -- battles with sin and temptation that we seem powerless to defeat
-- it is in these battles of life that we find our backs up against the wall -- fighting against something that we really can't understand -- and finding ourselves living from day to day without any hope of victory -- some days it seems like the darkness is just going to overcome us and consume us
-- but, as the old adage says, it is always darkest before the dawn -- and just when it seems that life can't get any darker -- just when it seems that the battle can't get any worse -- just when it seems that we are facing sure and certain defeat at the hand of our enemy -- God shows up
-- the Bible has been called a love letter from God -- but it is more than that -- it is a manual of war -- in its pages, it tells of battles fought and battles won -- it tells of valiant heroes who stood against a tide of rising darkness -- but it also tells the story of those who fell in the midst of the struggle
-- however, throughout scripture, one theme remains constant -- a Savior is coming -- one who will take the battle to the very gates of hell and who will stand victorious at the last day

II. Scripture Lesson
-- if you would, look with me now at John 11, and let's read about one of these battles
1. Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
3. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4. When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."
5. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
-- for Mary and Martha -- the two sisters from Bethany -- no day had ever seemed darker than the one they now faced -- no battle had ever seemed so great -- no enemy so overwhelming
-- their beloved brother, Lazarus -- their provider and benefactor and the head of their household -- was sick and nigh unto death -- what would happen if Lazarus was to die? -- how would they live? -- where would they get food? -- who would protect them and watch over them?
-- Palestine in the first century was not an easy place to live -- especially if you were Jewish and living in an occupied land -- and especially if you were unmarried women
-- their battle loomed large -- their future looked dark -- and so they turned to the one person they knew who could come to their aid
-- at this time, Jesus was in the midst of His ministry -- He had been going throughout Israel -- preaching and teaching and healing -- He had fed the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish -- He had walked on water across the Sea of Galillee -- and He had healed the blind, the lame, and the crippled
-- now, I want you to understand what was going on -- this was a time of darkness on earth -- ever since Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden -- ever since they gave into temptation and disobeyed God -- Satan and the powers of darkness had controlled the earth -- Satan held in his hand the power of sin and death -- and all mankind was under his control and his authority
-- but now Jesus has come -- proclaiming that He was the Messiah -- proclaiming that He was the light of the world -- the gate through which men and women might come to heaven -- the bread of life that brought healing and restoration -- the Good Shepherd who would lead His flock to fields of safety
-- everything that Jesus said -- everything that Jesus did -- was a blow against satan -- it was a strike against the darkness -- it was a military advance in the battle for the souls of humans -- bringing light and hope and courage to fallen men
-- and so satan struck back by attacking Lazarus, someone that Jesus loved and cared about deeply -- this was not a battle to see if Jesus could heal -- He had already proven that -- this was a battle of life and death

-- skip down to verse 11
11. After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12. His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better."
13. Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14. So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
15. and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
-- by tempting Adam and Eve to sin, satan had brought death into the world -- and now he has caused Lazarus to die -- not simply to just prove that he could do it -- but to issue a direct challenge to Jesus -- "you claim to be the Son of God -- you claim to be the Messiah -- now what are you going to do about Lazarus"

-- verse 20
20. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24. Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
-- Martha -- the sister that we like to use as an example because she chose being busy in service to the Lord instead of choosing to sit at Jesus' feet like her sister Mary -- Martha shows a depth of faith in her response to the coming of Jesus
-- she knew that Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He had come in time -- but even now she trusted that in the end -- when Jesus established His kingdom and when the resurrection of the dead occurred -- that Jesus would raise her brother from the dead and she would see him again
-- in answer to her faith, Jesus responded with His most powerful "I Am" statement -- verse 25
25. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26. and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
-- in this statement, Jesus does several things -- first, He points out that the resurrection is not just something that happens at the last day -- it is something that He is bringing about Himself -- Jesus is the resurrection -- He is the gate to eternal life -- it is only through Him that the resurrection occurs
-- secondly, Jesus points out that the battle has shifted -- no longer does satan control the power of death on earth -- no longer does satan have the power to take lives forever -- Jesus is life -- and not only does He have the power to bring life through His preaching and teaching and healing -- but He has the power to raise the dead to life now -- at this very moment -- and not just on the last day
-- when satan killed Lazarus, he was daring Jesus to do something -- and Jesus was pronouncing that He was about to do just that -- He was going to demonstrate His power and His authority over all life -- even life beyond the grave

-- verse 28
28. And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."
29. When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
31. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
-- verse 33 is interesting -- the NIV tells us that when Jesus saw Mary and the other Jews weeping with grief at the death of Lazarus that He was deeply moved in His spirit and troubled -- other translations say that the sight of Mary and the Jews weeping stirred Jesus to anger
-- what caused such extreme emotions in Jesus? -- was it just the loss of a friend -- of someone He loved? -- no, I don't think so -- I think it was related to the whole battle that had been going on since the fall of Adam and Eve
-- Jesus was moved in His spirit -- He became troubled and angry -- not just at the loss of His friend Lazarus -- but at the power of death itself
-- it was not God's original intent for death and sin to stalk mankind -- it was not God's original intent for us to live in fear of death -- this was brought about by an attack from the enemy, and it made Jesus angry

-- so Jesus asked to be taken to the place where Lazarus lay -- verse 34
34. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35. Jesus wept.
36. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
37. But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
-- once again, the Bible tells us that Jesus was deeply moved -- He became visibly emotional and angry when He stood before the tomb of Lazarus and was face to face with the sign of the enemy in the life of someone He loved

-- verse 39
39. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
40. Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41. So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43. When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
--how amazing would it have been to hear Jesus cry out, "Lazarus, come forth" -- think about it -- the same voice that spoke life into being at the start of time now spoke life into the dead
-- "take off the grave clothes," Jesus said, "and let Lazarus go" -- with these words, Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Resurrection and the Life -- freeing Lazarus, not only from the cold grip of death in the tomb -- but from the power of Satan that had held this world in bondage for thousands of years

III. Closing
-- so what does this story of Lazarus mean to us? -- I think C.S. Lewis captured the importance of this event in his story, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" -- if you remember this story, the world of Narnia has been held under the cruel grip of the white witch for thousands of years -- darkness and cold had gripped the land -- and it was always winter -- never spring
-- the inhabitants of Narnia had begun to lose hope that anything could be done -- that Narnia could be freed from the white witch
-- but then whispers of a savior began to be heard in the land -- Aslan -- the lion king -- the savior of Narnia -- is on the move -- bringing with him hope and encouragement
-- and when he comes, he will take the battle straight to the evil queen -- and will shatter her power over Narnia -- restoring the land to goodness and ushering in a time of peace and righteousness
-- in the midst of the battles in our lives -- when it seems that the darkness is closing in on us -- when it seems as if all hope is lost -- a whisper can still be heard -- the voice of Jesus crying out, "I am the Resurrection and the Life"
-- in the midst of the battle, it might seem like the darkness is winning -- it might seem like our very life is in the balance -- but Jesus says otherwise -- His words bring hope and encouragement and tell us that He is on the move -- the battle has already been won -- and He has released us from our grave clothes and from the power of Satan and death and sin
-- no longer do we need to live in fear of death or the things of this world -- Jesus has overcome the world -- and we have overcome through Him
-- if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- if you have asked Him to come into your life and to forgive you of your sins -- then He has shattered the chains of satan and given you the power to stand against the storms of life
-- as Christians, we know that the struggles of life are not the end of the story -- as Christians we know that death is not the final answer -- as Christians, we put our hope in the One who tells us, "I am the Resurrection -- I am the Life -- He who believes in me will live, even though he dies -- and whoever lives and believes in me will never die"
-- do you have that faith today? -- can you trust in those words today? -- if not, then I invite you to receive Jesus and the power of Resurrection and Life by asking Him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior today
-- let us pray

SERMON: I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

(Photo Source: springsfel.tripod.com)

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
26 August 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 10
11. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--
15. just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
17. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again.
18. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

-- this morning, we're continuing in our series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus -- so far, we have looked at two of them -- "I am the light of the world" and "I am the gate" or "I am the door" -- in each of these statements, Jesus has done two things for us
-- first, He has declared Himself to be divine by using the reserved phrase, "I Am" -- ego eimi -- the same Greek phrase used in the Septaguint -- the Greek translation of the Old Testament in use in Jesus' day -- to describe the God of the Old Testament -- so, in using the phrase "ego eimi" -- "I Am", Jesus is stating definitively, "I Am God"
-- and, secondly, Jesus is using these "I Am" statements to tell us a little of His nature or character or intrinsic qualities to help us better understand and relate to Him as our Lord and Savior

-- this morning, as we turn our attention to Jesus' third "I Am" statement in the Book of John, "I am the Good Shepherd" -- we see Jesus sharing with us the same things -- verse 11 tells us what Jesus wants us to understand from this metaphor
-- He tells us who He is -- He is God
-- He tells us what He is -- He is the Good Shepherd
-- and finally, He tells us what He's going to do -- He is the Savior
-- so, let's look back now at verse 11 and let's study together this remarkable declaration from Christ

II. Jesus is Good -- Jesus is God (Jn 10:11-13)

-- verse 11
11. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

--Jesus is God
-- in this verse, Jesus gives us two declarations of divinity -- the first, of course, is "I Am" -- "ego eimi"
-- the second, is a little less obvious to our 21st century ears -- notice what Jesus says here in this verse -- "I am the good shepherd" -- not "a" shepherd -- not just "I am the shepherd" -- but "I am the GOOD shepherd"
-- by using this term, Jesus was claiming for Himself divinity once again -- hold your place here and flip back over to Mark 10 and look at verses 17-18

17. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18. "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.

-- in these verses, we see a man coming up to Jesus and wanting to know how to inherit eternal life -- He cries out to Jesus, "Good teacher" -- and notice what Jesus' response is, "Why do you call me good? -- no one is good, except God alone" -- Jesus gets to the heart of the matter -- to be good is to be God -- and if the young man wanted to inherit eternal life -- if he wanted to enter into God's kingdom, then he had to recognize Jesus as being more than just an upstanding moral teacher -- a man who knew God -- he had to recognize that Jesus was good -- that Jesus was God

-- turn back over to John 10 -- in the same way, here in verse 11, Jesus is saying He is more than just a shepherd -- the word "shepherd" can also be translated as "pastor" -- the Pharisees could say they were shepherds -- they were the pastors -- the leaders --of the church and the temple in Jesus' day
-- but, the difference was, they were not and could not be "the good shepherd" -- only God is good -- and only Jesus was the good shepherd

-- Jesus makes that point very clear in verses 12-13 -- look back at verse 12
12. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
-- the Pharisees and the other shepherds in the church were not "the good shepherd" -- they were merely hired hands -- and, as a result, they failed to take care of the sheep as they should have -- when trouble came their way, they turned and ran, leaving the people of Israel to their fate
-- in Ezekiel 34, God pronounces judgement on these false shepherds -- these leaders who don't take care of His people -- in verses 1-4, Ezekiel writes, "1. The word of the LORD came to me:
2. "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?
3. You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.
4. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally."
-- God says that because they have refused to take care of the sheep, God is going to remove the flock from their care -- and in verses 15-16 God says:
15. "I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD.
16. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice."
-- in other words, I am the Good Shepherd

III. Jesus is Shepherd
-- verse 14
14. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--
15. just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

-- Jesus is Shepherd
-- in Isaiah 40:11, we see a touching picture of Jehovah Roeh -- Jehovah the Shepherd -- Isaiah writes, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."
-- Jesus tells us that He is a good who relates to us in this way -- He cares for us as a shepherd cares for his flock -- as a shepherd takes care of the health and well-being of the sheep in his care
-- last week Jesus told us that He was the gate to the sheepfold -- once you have entered in through that gate -- once you have entered in through Jesus, you are of His flock
-- He knows you and you know Him

-- this word, "know" -- doesn't mean just to know with head knowledge -- you can read about someone and know all the facts, but still not know them
-- college football season is just around the corner, and I have been reading everything I can on Georgia's starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford -- I know where he was born -- I know where he went to high school -- I know how many yards he threw in high school -- I know why Georgia recruited him so highly -- and I know what he did last year -- but I don't really know him -- I just know about him

-- Jesus says that He knows His sheep and they know Him -- the Greek word here means more than just factual knowledge -- it means knowledge gained by experience -- it means knowing with the head and the heart -- it means knowing intimately -- knowing as a husband knows a wife and a wife knows her husband -- or as a Father knows His Son
-- notice that Jesus says that all who go through that gate -- all who come through Him -- belong to His flock -- it doesn't matter if you are Jew or Gentile -- male or female -- as it says in the familiar children's song, "black and yellow, red and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" -- once you go through the gate, you are in His flock -- and there is only one flock and one shepherd

-- just as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4-6 -- "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
-- all of us who have entered in through the gate of Christ are in His flock -- part of His body and filled with His Spirit

IV. Jesus is Savior
-- look back at the second part of verse 15 again
I lay down my life for the sheep.
-- now look down at verse 17
17. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again.
18. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

-- Jesus is Savior -- as the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays down His life for the sheep -- it is a choice -- it is something that He willingly does
-- it is not something that was forced on Him -- the crowd may have said "Crucify" -- Pilate may have pronounced the judgement and sent Him to Golgotha -- but it was not their choice or their decision that put Jesus on the cross -- it was His own free will

-- do you remember the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" -- one of the most compelling scenes in this movie was at the crucifixion of Jesus -- Jesus has collapsed on the ground at Golgotha -- on Mount Calvary
-- the cross is laying on the ground where Simon has dropped it at the direction of the Romans -- and as the Romans move to put Jesus on the cross, He stirs Himself up and crawls onto the cross Himself, spreading His arms on the crosspiece and placing his legs on the cross
-- there is no doubt -- it was Jesus' choice to be on the cross

-- as it says here in verse 18, "I lay my life down on my own accord" -- Just as it was Adam and Eve's free will that allowed them to take the forbidden fruit and eat it and bring sin into the world -- it was Jesus' free will that allowed Him to go to the cross and lay His own life down for ours to take sin back out of the world
-- notice, too, in verse 18 that His death was not the end -- it was merely the first step in God's great plan to bring us back into a relationship with Him -- Jesus willingly laid His life down for us -- but Jesus also took up His life again -- He emerged from the cold, darkness of the tomb triumphantly alive
-- and in doing so, Jesus became the reconciler between God and man -- the redeemer of all the sheep of the flock
-- that is what a Shepherd does -- that is what a Savior does -- that is what our God does

V. CLOSING
-- In what is probably the best-known Psalm of all -- Psalm 23 -- King David wrote:
1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

-- as I close this morning, how many of you can truly say this of yourself? -- How many of you can say with all honesty, "The Lord is my Shepherd?" -- Is Jesus your Shepherd? -- Is He your God? -- Is He your Savior?
-- it takes more than just coming to church every Sunday -- it takes more than a bumper sticker or a fish symbol on the back of your car -- it takes more than perfect attendance at Sunday School and Bible study
-- it takes knowing Him -- knowing Him as God and Shepherd and Savior -- knowing Him -- not just with your head -- but with your heart
-- if you want to know where you are with God today, then think about this -- sheep follow where their shepherds lead -- they obey the voice of their Master and they love the One who cares for them -- are you following Jesus today? -- are you living for Him today? -- does He know you and do you know Him?
-- if you can't honestly say today that the Lord is your Shepherd -- if you can't say that you are following Him in obedience and trust and faith -- then I would invite you to respond to God's word -- to come to the cross and meet His there -- to enter in through the gate of the sheepfold so you can become one of His flock
-- let us pray

SERMON: I AM THE GATE

(Photo Credit: craftmonkeys.typepad.com)

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
19 August 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 10

7. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
10. 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 other night, we were flipping through the channels on the t.v. and ran across a new reality show called, "Who wants to be a Superhero?"
-- the premise of this show is that the contestants come up with an original idea for a superhero -- they design a costume -- and they come up with the superpowers and characteristics -- and then they live it out
-- each week, they are tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness -- and whoever fails the test, has to leave the show in disgrace
-- at the end of the season, the superhero who is left will be immortalized in a new comic book created by Stan Lee, the legendary comic-book creator who brought us Spider-man, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, and the X-Men
-- as we watched a few minutes of the show, I had to laugh -- it was all pretty silly -- watching these grown-ups parade around in costumes and pretend to be superheros -- of course, when you grow up in the midst of real superheros, the fake ones just don't hold a candle

-- when I was really young, I became aware of these real superheros in our midst -- brave and courageous -- filled with integrity and self-sacrife -- defining compassion -- modelling resourcefulness -- of course, I am talking about the superheros that we all know and love -- our mothers
-- something happens when a woman becomes a mother -- she develops super-powers -- she gains the ability to see through the back of her head -- and can catch a child stealing cookies from a cookie jar at 20 paces
-- she gains super-hearing ability -- and can hear a lamp break as a result of horseplay from half a mile away
-- she gains super-sensitivity and can sense danger and trouble -- she can be in the middle of a telephone conversation when all of a sudden she stops and just knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that her child is up to something and needs to be stopped
-- she can kiss away hurts and dry tears -- and she knows how to fix everything from a toy car to a flat tire on a bicycle
-- but, more than anything else, she has the superpower of protection -- I remember when I was real little -- we were driving in town and someone cut us off -- my mother had to slam on brakes -- now this was before wearing seatbelts became the thing to do -- I'm sitting in the front seat -- the car abruptly stops -- and before I could move one inch in the seat towards the dash -- whoosh! -- a super-mommy lashes out and holds me firmly against the seat -- protecting me from danger and harm
-- you want to talk about super-protection? -- have you ever seen a mother when her child is threatened? -- she would walk on water and cross a raging sea to keep her baby safe -- and, just let something happen when a group of mothers is together -- they are like a pack of she-lions -- fiercely protecting their children from harm
-- it's a lot like what happens when a wolf tries to get too close to a buffalo calf -- all of the mother buffalo form a circle -- put their calves in the center -- and face out towards the wolf -- with their horns pointed at him and their eyes just daring him to get any closer

-- super-protection from super-moms -- but, truth be told, they are only living out the God-given ability and desire in their hearts -- at their best, they are only imitating the behavior of their God and their Savior

-- lest we forget, God has always been protective over His children -- don't forget -- it might have been Moses and Aaron who actually said the words to Pharoah, but it was God who said, "Let my people go" and poured out His wrath on the Egyptians until they did so
-- lest we forget, it was God who brought down the walls of Jericho and gave His people power to fight back the enemies that attacked from within and without
-- lest we forget, it was God who protected David from the lion and the bear -- and who gave him the ability to slay the giant Goliath
-- and lest we forget, it was Jesus who went to the cross and died for our sins -- who took our punishment on Himself so we didn't have to bear it -- who took our hurt on Himself so we didn't have to suffer
-- God has been and always will be the God who protects
-- we see that right here in this passage as we look at the third "I Am" statement of Jesus -- "I Am the Gate"

-- look back with me now, if you would, at verse 7

7. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

-- now, at first read, this doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to us -- how could Jesus be the gate? -- it would make better sense if He said, "I guard the gate" or "I keep the gate secure" -- but not, "I am the gate"
-- in order to understand this, you have to know two things about sheep and sheepfolds and shepherds in the first century
-- first, you need to understand that the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was entirely different from what we understand in our country -- a lot of people around here have livestock -- granted, we don't have a lot of sheep -- but we do have a lot of cattle and pigs and other animals
-- farmers here gather their livestock up and put them in a pasture with plenty of food and water and basically just leave them alone -- they might check on them every day or so -- but they don't stay with them 24/7

-- it wasn't like that with the shepherds in Jesus' day -- the shepherds in Jesus' day lived with their sheep -- they didn't have fenced in pastures like we had here -- their pastures were poor quality and very sparse -- and it took quite a bit of area to feed a flock of sheep -- the shepherd would stay with the sheep, leading them from one valley of grass to the next -- leading them from the field to a water source in the middle of the day
-- because they were using communal pastures and communal drinking holes, there were times when the sheep from one flock would mix with the sheep from another -- but, because of the amount of time they had spent with the shepherd, they would recognize him -- and when it was time to go, they would see him leave and hear his voice calling to them and they would follow -- just like a bunch of ducklings follow their mother from the nest to the water
-- so, in the first century, sheep were not just livestock to the shepherd -- they were like family

-- secondly, you need to know that the shepherd was the supreme protector of the sheep -- sheep aren't the brightest bulb in the lot, if you know what I mean -- they needed protection and they needed guidance -- and they depended on the shepherd to do that for them
-- so at night, the shepherds wouldn't leave the sheep alone like we do with our livestock -- they'd make a sheep-fold for them -- using rocks or branches or something like that to make a temporary corral -- and they'd make a circle out of it, leaving just a small opening for the sheep to enter for the night
-- but, these sheep-folds didn't have a gate -- the shepherd himself would be the gate -- he would lay down in front of the opening and sleep there at night -- making sure the sheep didn't wander out during the night -- and making sure that nothing would come in and harm the sheep
-- in this passage, Jesus is teaching the people and He's telling them, "I am the gate for the sheep" -- "I am the gate" -- I know who you are -- I gather you in -- I bring you to safety -- I protect you from harm -- nothing is going to bother you when you are in my fold -- nothing is going to harm you when you are in my care -- I am the gate -- and I won't let nothing in at night
-- verse 8

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

-- many people had come before Jesus, claiming to be the Messiah -- claiming to know the secrets of life -- claiming to be able to protect the people and to guard them -- but none of them were the real deal -- none of them were the gate -- they were only thieves and robbers who came to steal the sheep away in the night
-- but Jesus said, "Those who knew my voice -- those who knew the Promise of the real Messiah -- those who knew who I was -- they refused to listen to the stealers of their souls and instead listened only for their Master's voice"

-- verse 9

9. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

-- Jesus is the gate -- He is the only way to safety and security and rest -- He is the only way to eternal life -- as it says in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." and in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

-- the only way to eternal life with the Father -- the only way to Heaven -- is through the gate -- through Jesus -- and none other
-- and Jesus promises that if we enter through Him -- then we will belong to His fold -- we will be part of His flock -- and He will not allow harm to come our way

-- to enter through the gate means that we are in the hand of Jesus -- and nothing can take us out of that hand -- nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus -- not death nor life -- not angels or demons -- not the present or the future -- nor any powers -- not height or depth -- nor anything else in all creation

-- you think Mommy arms are powerful? -- wait until you are safe in the arms of Jesus -- there is nothing that is going to harm you -- there is nothing that is going to hurt you

-- oh, the world might throw all it has at you -- it might throw trials and trouble and storms your way -- it is going to try to steal and kill and destroy you and all you hold dear
-- but once you are safe in the sheep-fold of Christ -- once you have gone through the gate of Christ and salvation and been justified by the blood of the Lamb -- then there's nothing that the world or the thieves or the robbers can really do to you

-- in Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
-- they might take your material possessions -- they might take the temporary things of this world -- they might even take your life -- but they can't take you out of the super-strong arms of Christ -- they can't kill your soul
-- only God has the power of death and life in His hands -- only God has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell -- but Jesus says, "If you come in through the Gate -- I will protect your soul -- I will guard your life -- and I will lead you out to green pastures -- I will make you lie beside the still waters -- I will give you rest -- you have nothing to fear -- I Am the Gate"

III. Closing
-- several years ago, one of the top game shows in America was "Let's Make a Deal" -- if you remember that show, people would dress up and try to get chosen to be the next contestant
-- they'd run down to the stage and Monty Hall would offer them a prize just for coming on the show -- but, they'd always be given the opportunity to trade their prize for something that was hidden in a box or behind a curtain or behind a door
-- at the end of the show, there was always "The Big Deal" -- the top two contestants who had won the prizes with the highest value were shown three doors -- the top contestant was allowed to pick one of the three doors -- and then the second contestant had to choose between the two remaining doors
-- they never knew what was behind the door -- it could be a prize greater in value than what they had won -- or it could be something that was worth a lot less
-- but, the only way to find out, was to choose a door and see what was beyond it
-- we find a similar choice in our lives today -- we confronted with many doors and many gates -- some of them promise wealth beyond imagination -- others lead to nothing but trouble and heartache
-- while the world screams at us -- "Pick us -- pick us -- go through this door -- go through this gate" -- Jesus quietly says, "I am the Gate -- I am the Door -- I am the only path that leads to where you really want to go -- listen to my voice -- trust in Me -- and know that I Am"
-- what gate will you pass through today? -- what door will you choose?
-- one leads to destruction -- the other to life -- abundant and full life
-- what will you do?
-- let us pray