Sermon #64                                                                                      John’s Gospel

      Title:                                 “I Am the Door”

      Text:                                 John 10:1-10

      Subject:               Christ the Door

      Date:                                Sunday Morning — 2009

      Tape:                                John #64

      Reading: Isaiah 55:1-13

      Introduction:

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great “I AM,” the one true and living God who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and revealed himself by that name, saying, — “I AM that I am.” He is the eternal, self-existent God. In the New Testament he reveals himself with profound simplicity as the “I AM.”

(John 6:35) “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

(John 8:12) “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

(John 9:5) “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

(John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

(John 11:25) “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

(John 14:6) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

(John 15:1) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”

In all those places, our Master showed himself to be the Master of simplicity. That means he was also the Master Preacher. He seldom used words with more than two or three syllables. He never once appeared scholastic. He never attempted to impress his hearers with what he knew. His intent was to be heard and understood. So he always spoke with great plainness and simplicity. He had no use for rhetoric or eloquence. He did not attempt to prove or enforce his doctrine with complex arguments. He simply declared it. And he declared it with utter simplicity. Our Savior took the most profound truths and put them in pictures that any child could see. None is more profoundly simple than the picture he gives us of himself as the way, the only way of salvation, in John 10:1-10. In these verses, our Savior declares that the only way we can enter into heaven is by the door. Then, he says twice— “I Am the Door.”

(John 10:1-10) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (6) This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. (7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

I want to follow my Lord’s example and show you just one thing in this message.

Proposition: Christ is the Door, the only door, by which we can and must enter the kingdom of God.

Of all the comparisons made use of by our Lord Jesus to illustrate and set forth what he is appointed of God to be to his people, none is more simple, and yet none more profound, than this — “I am the Door.”

How merciful, how gracious, how kind! Our Savior compares himself to a door, so that every time we enter or leave any building or room we may be reminded of him. Everyone knows what a door is and how it is used. A door lets people in who want in and shuts people out you want to keep out. And a door lets people out who want out and shuts people in you want to keep in. Our Savior says, in verse 9 — “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

“In” and “Out”

It is easy enough to understand what he means by the words           — “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in.” But what does he mean by the last part of that sentence?— “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If we enter into the kingdom of God, if we enter into salvation by Christ the Door, we must and shall go out of something else, and going out of that into the sheepfold of grace we find pasture for our souls.

1^st The Door Out

Christ Jesus is the only door out of death and into life. He is the Door, the only door, out of our house of bondage. There are many houses of bondage in this world, from which the there is no way out but Christ.

Condemnation — We are all by nature condemned prisoners, shut up under the lock and key of God’s holy law (Galatians 3:22).

(Galatians 3:22) “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”

We are guilty, without excuse, debtors, criminals, under the wrath of God, condemned by conscience, condemned by the words of our own mouths and condemned by God’s holy law. There is a worse prison to come, but this is the way to it, the beginning of sorrows. Is there no door out of this prison, no way to pay the debt, no way to make satisfaction to divine justice, that we may be discharged from this prison?

Bless God, there is, and Christ is that Door; whosoever believes in him, shall not come into condemnation, (Romans 8:1; Isaiah 61:1).

(Romans 8:1) “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

(Isaiah 61:1) “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”

The Lord Jesus has set many captives free (Psalm 116:16; 1 Tim. 1:13-15).

(Psalm 116:16) “O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.”

(1 Timothy 1:13-15) “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (14) And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (15) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

As he sent his angel to set Peter and John free from prison, he has sent me to you this day to proclaim the opening of the prison, to proclaim liberty to all who believe, to all who will go out by him.

·      Righteously earned Liberty!

·      Blood bought Liberty!

·      Liberty by the Cancellation of Debt!

·      Liberty by the Power of His Spirit!

As Israel came out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, by the blood of the lamb and by the power of God, passing through the Red Sea, so Christ is the Door out of our house of slavery, darkness and bondage.

Legalism — As we are all condemned prisoners by nature, we are all by nature bondmen to the law. — Condemnation we fear and despise, but this bondage we love. It is the bondage of legalism, the bondage of self-righteous, works religion. Oh, how men love the shackles of duty, the leg irons of ceremony, the stocks of piety, and the prison of legality! Serving the law, we were the servants of sin; and we loved that slavery.

The Lord Jesus is the Door, the only Door, out of legal bondage (Matthew 11:28-29). He is the Door out of Babylon.

(Matthew 11:28-29) “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

(John 8:36) “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Yet there are many who not only will not be free themselves, but are enraged at those who are. As Ishmael the son of the bond-woman hated and persecuted Isaac the son of the free-woman, religious legalists hate and constantly oppose those who walk at liberty.

Affliction — Who among the saints in the household of faith has never been in the bondage of affliction? — Some of you have endured great afflictions. I know many who seem to spend much of their lives in trouble and sorrow, in days of woe and nights of weeping.

·      Sickness

·      Pain

·      Domestic Trouble

·      Financial Trials

·      Spiritual Trouble

Hear me, my brother. Hear me, my sister. — “unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). — And Christ himself is the Door, the only Door out of your trouble. There is no other (1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalms 27:8-10; 73:21-28).

(1 Peter 5:6-7) “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

(Psalm 27:8-10) “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. (9) Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. (10) When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”

(Psalm 73:21-28) “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. (22) So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. (23) Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. (24) Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. (25) Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. (26) My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. (27) For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. (28) But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”

The Grave — Soon you and I must take our place in the grave, where our bodies will rest, and rest in hope, because Christ is the Door, the only door, by which we shall escape that prison (John 11:25; Revelation 20:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

(John 11:25) “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

(Revelation 20:6) “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

2^nd The Door In

As Christ is the Door out of bondage, so our Lord Jesus Christ is the Door, the only door, into the sheepfold. When our Savior says, — “I am the Door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture,” he is talking about entering into the kingdom of God, the sheepfold of grace.

There are many who enter into the kingdom outwardly, by climbing up some other way into the church of God, refusing to trust Christ. But those who enter in by Christ the Door, believing on him, shall be saved. Being saved, they go out of the house of bondage and walk at liberty. Christ is the way in. He says, — “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”…

·      The Open Door!

·      The Low Door!

·      The Strait Door!

·      The Only Door!

Come on in! Oh, may God the Holy Spirit bring you in by his omnipotent mercy!

Christ is the Door, the only door, by which sinners may come in unto God himself (Ephesians 2:13, 18; 3:12; Hebrews 10:19-22).

(Ephesians 2:13) “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

(Ephesians 2:18) “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

(Ephesians 3:12) “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

(Hebrews 10:19-22) “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (21) And having an high priest over the house of God; (22) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Our Savior died that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

(1 Pet 3:18) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

He alone is the Door of Atonement and Reconciliation (Romans 4:25-5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

(Romans 4:25) “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

(Romans 5:1-11) “Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (11) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

(2 Cor 5:18-21) “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is both the Ark of Salvation and the Door into the Ark.

·      Noah’s Ark

·      The Door in the Ark

The Son of God is both the Treasury of all good things and the Door into the Treasury.

·      All the fulness of God is in Christ.

·      All the fulness of grace is in Christ.

·      All the fulness of glory is in Christ.

·      All the promises of God are in Christ.

·      All things are his and he is ours!

·      All fulness is in Christ!

(Philippians 4:19) “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

3^rd Twofold Promise

In John 10:9 the Lord Jesus makes a twofold promise to all who enter in by the door. He said, — “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Look at verse 9.

(John 10:9) “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Here is the first part of the promise — “They shall be saved.” Christ pledges his word for it, that those who enter in shall be saved. Those who do not enter in shall be damned. If you are not Christ’s, you are without; and — “without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:15). But those who enter in “shall be saved.”

·      Immediately Saved!

·      Fully Pardoned!

·      Completely Justified!

·      Saved from All the Evil Consequences of Sin!

·      Eternally Saved!

Here is the second part of the promise— “and find pasture,” pasture for your soul.

·      In Him.

·      In His Gospel.

·      In His Ordinances.

“I am the door; by me if any man enter in he shall be saved.” —The Word of God makes many sweet promises of grace to sinners. But none is sweeter than this. — “I am the door; by me if any man enter in he shall be saved.”

·      Our Lord called the thirsty in Isaiah. — “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters” (Isaiah 55: l.)

·      In John 7:37 he said, on the last day, that great day of the feast, — “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” (John 7:37).

·      Near the end of the Book of Revelation he says, — “I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (21:6).

·      In Matthew’s gospel he addresses those who labor and are heavy laden — “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (11:28).

·      In Zechariah he calls prisoners of hope. — “Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope” (9:12).

But here he says, “If any man.” That is peculiarly precious. It is not said, if any thirsty man, if any weary man, if any laboring man, if any heavy laden man, but “if any man enter in he shall be saved.” That means “any man!”

·      Rich or Poor

·      Male or Female

·      Bond or Free

·      Jew or Gentile

·      Black or White

·      Learned or Unlearned

·      Upper Crust, Lower Crust, Hard Crust, Soft Crust, or No Crust

·      ME!

·      You!

“I am the door; by me if any man enter in he shall be saved.”

4^th Shuts In

Christ is the Door that shuts us in. When Noah entered into the ark, the Lord shut him in; and once we have entered into the Ark of God, Christ is the Door that shuts us in.

(John 10:28) “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

(Philippians 1:6) “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

(1 Peter 1:5) “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“Jesus is our God and Savior,

Guide, and Counselor, and Friend:

He will never, never leave us,

Nor will let us quite leave Him.”

“The work which God’s goodness began,

The arm of His strength will complete;

His promise is yea and amen,

And never was forfeited yet:

Things future, nor things that are now,

Not all things below nor above,

Can make Him His purpose forego,

Or sever my soul from His love.

My name from the palms of His hands,

Eternity will not erase:

Impressed on His heart it remains

In marks of indelible grace:

Yes, I to the end shall endure,

As sure as the Earnest is given,

More happy, but not more secure,

The glorified spirits in heaven.”

Amen.

Don Fortner

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