SERMON: I AM THE GATE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to John 10:7-10

 

John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They 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.

 

            -- Some doors, like the front gate of the White House, are tough to walk through -- The White House has one phalanx of security after another, and you simply don't get in unless you are wanted -- unless you have clearance -- or unless you have an appointment.

            -- Some people do get into the White House based on who they are -- and some get in based on who they know.

-- On Sunday July 26, 2009, one of the biggest and most famous men in the world—NBA star Shaquille O'Neil—tried to get into the White House without an appointment, but it did not go well for him

-- As an international celebrity -- 7 ft and 1 inch tall and 325 pounds -- multiple NBA championships from years of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers -- and with his characteristic smile and good personality, Shaq was accustomed to being welcomed wherever he went -- he could walk up to any restaurant or business or home and be welcomed in with open arms -- doors open for Shaq

            -- and so Shaq decided to put his ability to open doors to a test -- he knew that President Obama loved basketball -- and the two had spoken before -- so he wanted to see if he could just go into the White House without an invitation

            -- He was on a D.C. sports radio show on Friday July 24th, and he put this question to the listeners: "Check this out, I got on a nice suit, I'm in D.C. paying a visit, I jump out of a cab in front of the White House, I don't use none of my political or law enforcement connections. If I go to the gate and say, 'Hey, I'm in town, I would like to see the President,' do I get in, or do I not get in?"

            -- so, two days later, Shaq gave it a try -- he pulled up at the gate of the White House -- told them who he was -- and said, “I want to go the White House and see President Obama” -- but even with his winsome personality and celebrity status, the guards refused entry -- only those on the list -- only those who had been given permission to pass through those gates -- were allowed in -- and Shaq wasn’t on the list¹

           

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on knowing God -- on learning how to answer the question that Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say I am?” correctly by studying the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus from the Book of John

            -- last week we looked at Jesus as our Good Shepherd -- our guide and our leader -- the One who directs our paths

            -- this week we are looking at Jesus as our protector as we examine His declaration, "I Am the Gate"

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (John 10:7-10)

            -- look back at verse 7

 

John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  

 

            -- as we begin our study of this passage, I want to remind you of the two things I told you to look for in each of these "I Am" passages

            -- the very first thing we should see if Jesus' use of the phrase, "I Am" -- ego eimi -- here in verse 7

            -- like we talked about last week, to us this is just a normal way of talking -- for instance, I might say: “I am a wildlife biologist -- I am a father -- I am preaching to you this morning”

            -- but that's not the way this term was used in the Bible -- in this passage, when Jesus uses the phrase "I Am," it has a completely different meaning than the one we normally give it

            -- in the Greek, the phrase "I Am" -- ego eimi -- is emphasized -- it echoes the name of God given to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush -- this was the name by which God revealed Himself to the nation of Israel -- and ego eimi was only used in reference to God's holy name

-- and that is exactly the way Jesus uses this phrase here in verse 7 -- so when Jesus pronounces "I Am the Gate" here in verse 7, Jesus is declaring to the world, "I Am God"

            -- and that's really important to get -- because if He wasn't God, then what He tells us next is meaningless -- He would not be able to live up to who He says He is -- for instance, last week Jesus said "I Am the Good Shepherd" -- if He was not God -- if He was not ego eimi -- then He could not be good and would have no authority to lead us or guide us in our daily lives -- but because He is God, He is both good and our guide who can be trusted

 

            -- so, what is Jesus asking us to trust Him with in this passage? -- this is the second thing I told you we need to look for -- what aspect of Jesus' nature and character is being revealed to us in this "I Am" statement?

            -- in this case, Jesus says "I Am the Gate" -- because I am God, you can trust Me to be the gate -- in other words, Jesus is offering us His protection

 

            -- now, at first read, this idea of Jesus being our gate 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"

            -- 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 cultivated, fenced-in pastures like we have here -- they used natural areas to pasture their sheep -- and because they weren't cultivated or fertilized, their pastures were often poor quality and had very sparse grass

            -- so, 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 and 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 separate themselves out from the other sheep and follow their shepherd -- just like a bunch of ducklings following 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 -- like we talked about last week, they knew the shepherd and the shepherd knew them

 

            -- 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 -- sheep need protection and they need guidance -- they need someone to lead them and show them where to go and what to do -- 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 the shepherds would make a temporary corral with just a small opening for the sheep to enter for the night -- very similar to what the nomads still do today in parts of the Middle East and Africa

            -- 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

 

            -- George Adam Smith, the 19th century biblical scholar tells about traveling one day in the holy land and coming across a shepherd and his sheep -- He fell into conversation with the shepherd and the man showed him the fold into which the sheep were led at night -- It consisted of four walls, with an opening for the sheep to get in --  Smith asked him, "This is where the sheep go at night?" 

            -- "Yes," said the shepherd, "and when they are in there, they are perfectly safe." 

            -- "But there is no door," said Smith.

            -- "I am the door," said the shepherd.

            -- He was not a Christian man and wasn’t speaking in the language of the New Testament -- he wasn't saying ego eimi -- he was speaking from an Arab shepherd’s viewpoint -- Smith looked at him and asked, "What do you mean you are the door?" 

            -- "When the light has gone," said the shepherd, "and all the sheep are inside, I lie in that open space -- and no sheep ever goes out but across my body -- and no wolf comes in unless he crosses my body -- I am the door."

 

            -- that's what Jesus is saying in this passage about His 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 anything in at night

 

            -- verse 8

 

John 10:8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened 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 or to steal from the sheep

            -- we still have a lot of that going on today with a lot of people on TV and the radio and in our churches claiming to be the shepherd but fleecing the flock for all they're worth

            -- we have a lot of that going on with our politicians and elected officials -- who claim to be the protector of the people but who are getting rich and powerful on the backs of those who voted for them

            -- not everyone who claims to be your friend is your friend -- and not everyone who claims to be looking out for your best interest really is -- Jesus warns us to watch out for those who claim to be one thing but are not, for they are nothing more than thieves and robbers

            -- but Jesus said, "Those who know my voice -- those who know the Promise of the real Messiah -- those who know who I am -- they refuse to listen to the stealers of their souls and instead listen only for their Master's voice and trust Him to keep them safe"

 

            -- verse 9-10

 

John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They 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 gate -- there is no other gate

            -- Jesus 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 -- there is no other way to salvation

            -- 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 His 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

            -- when 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 -- if you trust the gate to protect you -- then 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

            -- let me close by sharing with you a true story from World War II -- During World War II, a US marine got separated from his unit on a Pacific island -- the fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his unit

            -- Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction -- scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock -- Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves -- but he knew that this would only be a temporary refuge -- when the enemy soldiers climbed up that ridge, they would surely search all of the caves for any U.S. soldiers who might be hiding there

            -- he crawled back as far as he could and tried to hide himself in the shadows and just sat there, waiting for the enemies to come -- while he was waiting, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

            -- After praying, he sat there quietly listening as the enemy soldiers climbed up the ridge and began searching for any American survivors -- He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one --they'll be here in just a moment and then they'll find me"

            -- Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave -- even while the enemy was searching for him, he watched as that spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

            -- the Marine laughed -- "What I really need is a brick wall and here the Lord has just sent a spider -- God does have a sense of humor."

            -- As the enemy drew closer, he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another -- as they came to his cave, he got ready to make his last stand. -- To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.

            -- Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that with You a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall."

 

            -- this is a hard world -- and all of us face times of trouble and uncertainty in our lives -- we need a place to go where we will be safe -- we need to know someone has our back -- that's what Jesus is telling us in this passage -- Jesus is saying, "I've got your back -- I Am the Gate -- I will keep you safe -- I will protect you through the night -- I will see you safely home"

            -- we need to remember that in this declaration of His deity and power, Jesus offers us a great promise of protection -- Just speak the name of Jesus -- trust in His power -- and He will keep you safe from all harm

            -- let us pray

 

1 Source: J. E. Skeets, "Shaq rejected at White House," Yahoo Sports Blog (7-27-09)

2 modified from an anonymous illustration at SermonCentral.com