I Am Statements Of Jesus - Jesus Is The Door To Abundant Life

God Centered Theology

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:02

John MacArthur, in his commentary on John chapter 10, talks about the situation in which we find ourselves.

00:09

He says, This is the third

00:59

I am statement that we are dealing with in looking at the life of not only the life of Jesus Christ, but understanding who

01:07

He is, and reintroducing ourselves to Him. I really enjoy some of the hymns that we sing when it talks about the fact that He rules and He reigns.

01:16

There is no other authority in this universe but God Himself. And so many people think about the

01:24

Resurrection as Him somehow proving or gaining some type of authority, but the Resurrection did not prove nor gain

01:31

Him any authority. He has eternally had this authority. Jesus Christ is eternally existent and is eternally

01:37

God. He is co -equal with God, and co -eternal with God. Therefore He is the door to the sheep.

01:45

It is Jesus Christ alone who has the authority to determine which sheep can enter His fold and which cannot.

01:52

He alone is also the only authority that can determine which shepherds can access His sheep, because they are

01:58

His sheep. Because He is not only the door, but He is the good and only true shepherd.

02:05

And we will look at the fact that He is the true shepherd at another time. We're looking primarily at the fact that He is the door today.

02:13

And Jesus Christ is determined by His own authority that only the sheep, only the people that enter through repentance and faith and trust in Jesus Christ shed blood will enter that door.

02:25

So we want to look today at three facets of the fact that Jesus is the door. We're going to dive right in this morning.

02:31

Number one, there is only one true door. Notice again in John 10 it says, "'So

02:37

Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.'" Verse 9

02:43

He says, "'I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'"

02:50

Jesus is the door. For the sheep there was only one door that would lead them to safety and protection.

02:59

In these places where they would put sheep at night, usually with a rock or some sort of wall, and there would not be multiple doors.

03:10

The wall would be tall enough so the sheep obviously could not get over it.

03:15

But you would have thieves and robbers that would attempt to climb over and steal sheep. But in these pens there would only be one door.

03:24

One way in, one way out. No other way to get in correctly.

03:33

And it is through this door that sheep would find safety, protection. And for the one that seeks to find eternal life and salvation, there is only one door to find it, and that's through Jesus Christ, the shed blood of Christ on Calvary.

03:51

We're going to spend some time this morning also in Ezekiel 34, so if you want to be turning there with me in your

03:56

Bibles, we're going to take a look at this understanding of Jesus being the door, but also utilizing some

04:02

Old Testament Scripture. Ezekiel 34, verse 11, it says, "'For thus says the

04:08

Lord God, Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.

04:18

Everyone who is saved is one of God's sheep.'" We noticed this and talked about this last week.

04:25

One of the things we commonly talk about or say, and it's usually well -intentioned so it's not anything we need to necessarily throw a book at anybody over, but we would commonly say everyone is a child of God.

04:35

Well, in the sense that everyone is created by God, you would be correct. But it's not biblically correct to say that everyone is a child of God.

04:43

For John chapter 1 makes it abundantly clear that it is those that have received Him, placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it is to them and them alone that He gives the right and the authority to become a child of God.

04:57

Hence is the Christian doctrine of adoption. You are adopted into the family of God. Meaning at one time you were not a part of it, you were adopted into it, therefore now you are a part of the family of God.

05:09

And it is not born of the flesh or the will of man, but you are born of God. Because we see here in Ezekiel 34 it says, "'I myself,' meaning

05:20

I won't leave it to anyone else. No one else is qualified to do this task. I alone as God, and be the only one qualified to do this,

05:28

I will search for my sheep, and I will seek them out, because I know who they are.

05:35

I know whom I elect people are, and I will seek them out, and I will find them, and they will be regenerated, and they will place their faith and trust in me.

05:42

They will be the believing ones of John 3, 16, and they will come in through the door of my

05:48

Son, Jesus Christ, and be saved and find life. It is through this door that the saved ones go in, and they find the pasture that we read of in John 10 when it says, "'I am the door.

06:04

If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.'" Notice that in God's economy, in God's sheepfold, there is going in and going out, meaning there is freedom of movement.

06:18

Galatians, when we eventually get back to it and work our way to chapter 5, we will talk about the fact that it is for freedom that Christ set us free.

06:27

He didn't save us to put us up in some kind of sheep pen somewhere, lock and bar the door, and never let us out or in.

06:35

We are meant to go in and out and go freely and go to the pasture that God has ordained for us to feed.

06:44

Verse 12 it says in Ezekiel 34, "'As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among the scattered sheep, so I, God, will care for my sheep, and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

07:02

I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from among the countries, and bring them to their own land.

07:09

And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, in all the inhabited places of the land, looking forward into eternity future in the eternal state.

07:21

When sin will be eradicated, there will be no more sin, there will be no more darkness, there will only be righteousness.

07:27

There will be the very light of Christ illuminating and shining and being our light. There will be no more need for the sun or the moon, for we will have the very light of Jesus to enlighten us.

07:38

And we will move freely in serving Him and being fed by Him."

07:43

He says, "'I will feed them in a good pasture.'" Everything that's good in life comes from God.

07:51

"'Feed them in a good pasture. Their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground.'"

07:59

Notice that the sheep of God will be able to lie down in safety because they have the right shepherd protecting them, and the right shepherd looking after them and providing safety for them.

08:12

If a sheep doesn't have its shepherd, if a sheep doesn't have protection, it's in trouble.

08:17

It would be subject to whatever it might come across or what might seek it out. But God says, and God being the true shepherd that He is, and with the door of Jesus Christ, He says, "'I will feed my flock in this good grazing ground and feed them in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

08:36

I will feed my flock and I will lead them to rest.'"

08:41

There's only one true door. There's only one truth that leads to eternal life, and it is through the door of Jesus Christ.

08:52

And we are God's sheep. We are His flock. We are His people. We are called out by His name.

08:59

Jeremiah talks about how he, "'I will write my law on their hearts.'" Ezekiel in 36 says, "'I will take out their heart of stone and replace it with the heart of flesh.

09:08

They will be my people called by my name and they will walk in my ways, and walk after my ordinances, and walk in my statues, and walk after my law, because it will be written on the very tablet of their heart.

09:20

And they will love me with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and they will love each other. They will be fed by me.'"

09:27

And He says, "'I will feed, ongoing so, continually feed my flock.'"

09:32

He'll never leave us hungry. He'll never leave us without. And we're going to see, when we wrap up in point number three later, what it is exactly that we will be feeding on, or what we are to feed on.

09:46

He says, "'I will lead them to rest.'" I'm not going to dwell on it much this morning for time purposes, but if we had the time, we could go and spend a lot of time in Hebrews chapter 4, where it talks about somewhere around verses 5 and 6, somewhere thereabouts, where it talks about there is that Sabbath rest for the people of God.

10:04

There is a rest from our works. That's why we should feel very badly for our

10:10

Mormon friends, and for our Catholic friends, and Jehovah's Witnesses friends, and all these other false religions, because there is no rest from their work.

10:18

They are constantly trying to earn, and appease, and work, and make sure they are in right standing, and they can never know if they are.

10:26

But the truth of the Scripture tells us that in Jesus Christ, the only door, you have rest for your souls.

10:32

It is a permanent rest. It is an eternal rest. It is a rest you can lie down in the good pasture, and never have to wonder if you're not safe, or if someone is going to get you, because the very door you walk through, the very door you go out of, that same shepherd that guards that door is the same shepherd that died and saved your souls.

10:52

And you can feed, and you can graze, and you can trust the Word of God, and trust the truth of Scripture, because it's

10:58

God's words Himself. And He's telling us, I will feed my flock, and I will lead them to rest.

11:06

Not to uncertainty, but to rest.

11:12

And ultimately, it is Christ we rest in. God cares for us, because we are

11:23

His sheep, if you place your faith in the true door, Jesus Christ. There's only one door.

11:33

Go ahead, Will. Point number two, there are many false doors. Very interesting point here, going back to John chapter 10.

11:43

Many false doors. Notice in verse 1 of chapter 10, he says, "'Truly, truly, or amen, amen,

11:49

I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.'"

12:02

You ever notice how when there's no sin in your life, you have nothing to hide? You can just come right out in front of everybody and say, examine, examine.

12:13

Nothing to hide. I'm walking in righteousness. Remember John 3 from last week, verses 19 -21?

12:20

Those that love the darkness, those that hide in the darkness, they don't want to come to the light, because if they do, they know their deeds will be shown to be evil, and that they are their evil deeds.

12:31

But those that come to the light, they come not so that they can be prideful, not so that it can be shown that there's something good about them, but so it can be shown that their deeds have been wrought in God, and that everything that they have and everything they are is by the grace of God.

12:47

Everything that they have and everything they are is by the works of Christ. It is in that light that we can stand and confidently boast, not in ourselves, but in the one that is the true door.

13:01

And anyone that tries to come through any other door, not that there is another door, but if they try to come up and over, or come in through some other way, we are not to listen to them, for they are not our shepherd.

13:15

False doors abound. Look at verse 8. Jesus says, all who came before Me are thieves and robbers.

13:21

Now, He's not saying that every priest and every prophet and everyone in Israel that was a leader or an elder in Israel was a thief and robber.

13:30

So, don't misunderstand there. But He is saying, all that came before Me and would claim to be the door, claim to be the shepherd, claim to be the

13:41

Christ. Even in our day, John says in 1 John, behold, antichrists have come, and there are many antichrists in the world.

13:48

And this is how you know if they are antichrists, they will claim to either be Christ, meaning antichrist can mean in the place of, or instead of.

13:56

So, you will either see them, they will say, well, I'm Christ for now. You know, He's busy, or He's otherwise occupied.

14:04

You know, He's in heaven on the throne, right hand of the Father. So, I'll be Christ for you. They're antichrists.

14:10

Or if they're saying, well, Christ is no more. I'm taking His place. Antichrists. They're thieves and robbers.

14:16

They're not the door, and they won't lead you to eternal life. They won't lead you to rich pasture. They'll lead you down the hill to darkness, to hell itself.

14:25

And He says, all that came before Me, if they claim to be the door, claim to be the shepherd, they're thieves, they're robbers.

14:32

But thankfully the sheep did not hear them. Why? Jesus says,

14:37

My sheep hear My voice. They respond to My voice. They know My voice. They know My Word.

14:42

They know My inspired Word. They won't listen to another. Notice the actions of the thief and the robber in verse 10.

14:53

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

15:01

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. False doors abound.

15:10

You don't have to look far. You don't even have to go far on Google to find false doors, false shepherds, false religion, false truth.

15:19

So many thieves and robbers. So many people seeking to kill and destroy and steal.

15:29

So many, if they were allowed under the sovereign care of the Father, would even destroy God's sheep, but they can't because we enter through the door of Christ and we are protected.

15:41

If you're in here and you're a Christian, you've been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear, not even death itself.

15:48

Nothing in this world, nothing created, not even death itself can harm you or take you and pluck you out of the hand of the

15:58

Father because we have had our access directly by the door of Jesus Christ and we are in His sheepfold and nothing can get to us.

16:07

Not a thing. Not a thing. That's why we are to have this life abundant because we are to be progressing and growing and being sanctified and matured and living and walking in obedience to the truth of Scripture.

16:21

And we are to be doing it confidently and boldly. Why? Because the

16:27

Holy Spirit dwells as the very God of the universe that created everything and dwells us and gives us the power of Christ to do so.

16:37

Moving back to Ezekiel 34, now this time we are going to be at the beginning of the chapter. Notice in verse 2 of Ezekiel 34 it says, "'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, saying,

16:49

Woe shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?'

16:55

You see that's the problem with all the false doors. That's the problem with all the false shepherds, all the false religion, all the man -made religion.

17:04

It feeds itself. You remember months back, well it probably wasn't months back, it might have been probably 8 -10 weeks ago, we talked about God and man, you can't serve both.

17:14

And I talked about how you're either serving God or you're actually just serving yourself. See because even if you serve man, albeit outwardly or in some capacity and saying, well you know it's not really me,

17:25

I'm just serving. No, if you're not serving God, you're serving yourself. Because anything you would do for man you're going to have yourself in mind.

17:32

You're only doing that which for man was really going to turn out best for you. And he touches on this right here in Ezekiel 34.

17:39

He's saying these shepherds who were claiming to be shepherds of Israel, claiming to speak for God, were no shepherds at all because they weren't feeding the flock.

17:48

They weren't turning them to Jesus. They weren't turning them to God in obedience to His Word. They were turning them away from God and they were feeding themselves.

17:58

You see all false religion, all false things, all things that are not truth, it feeds itself.

18:04

It feeds on itself. You think about your sin and your sinful lust and your desires.

18:09

That's why John goes out of his way to talk about that in 1 John. He says, do not love the world. Don't love the lust of the flesh and the lust of the pride of life and all these things.

18:18

Why? Because it just feeds on you and you end up feeding on yourself. Think about it.

18:26

You think you're feeding on something external or something sinful or something outside of you, but if you're walking in sin and walking in darkness and habitually in sin, you're feeding on yourself.

18:39

Anyone in here that's ever been caught up in the habit of sin or in a lifestyle of sin or in a pattern of sin, you know what that's like.

18:47

It's painful. It's devastating. Your soul feels it. You feel destroyed inside.

18:54

You feel like you're going nothing but downhill. You feel dark and gloomy and you're stressed out and you're depressed.

19:00

Why? Because you're feeding on yourself. You're feeding and dying by your own desires and your own lusts.

19:13

He says in verse 5, they were scattered for lack of a shepherd and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.

19:21

Notice false doors that are not Jesus Christ lead to sheep being scattered.

19:27

You won't have them in the sheep fold. You won't have them together because they'll be scattered. Think about it.

19:34

People do this and rightfully so. We will complain about it seems like every time you turn around there's a new denomination or a new church or a new this or some new thing and Lord knows please as best you can stay away from quote unquote

19:49

Christian television because I'm still looking for something that's actually in line with Scripture that I can recommend to someone.

19:57

It's always some new thing. Listen to me. I have new truth. I have some new thing. I've heard from God and we've got new revelation and we've got this new thing.

20:06

No! Jesus says I change not. The same yesterday, today and forever.

20:12

He changes not. And until his word changes I won't change.

20:19

And he's telling them when you go against God's word, when you go against what God has said, when you're a false door, it scatters.

20:27

You've got people over here, people over there, people up there, people down there, people everywhere wandering around, lack of shepherd, not knowing where to go, not having any direction, not knowing where the true north is.

20:41

That's because we weren't meant to live that way. We were meant to go through the true door with the true shepherd and be fed by him.

20:51

Verse 8 he says, my flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for a lack of a shepherd. That's the end result.

20:59

If you go away from Jesus, if you try to do it on your own, your own way, you'll end up being food for the beasts of the field.

21:06

I'll be it hopefully metaphorically in my mind, although I guess as many people, there's one guy

21:13

I watched one time that for whatever reason he thought he could live with bears. And he didn't make it for a while until one of them ate him.

21:21

And then when asking his family about it, I just didn't think the bear would eat him.

21:27

It's a bear! What did you think it was going to do? Oh, look there's a human.

21:33

Oh, boo -boo look at my picketed basket. Bears eat people!

21:39

What did you think was going to happen? And that's what you'll be.

21:47

And the worst case is man and his pride scattered by a false door, walking up and there comes that beast of the field to terrorize you and destroy you and eat you.

21:58

And you're walking up, what do they know? What does God's Word know? I know better. I'm the judge.

22:05

I'll decide what's right. And there comes the mouth of that beast to devour you. Verse 10, thus says the

22:18

Lord God, behold I am against the shepherds. Tell you what,

22:24

New Testament correlation here. I wouldn't want to be a pastor out there, leading people away from God and from the truth of God's Word.

22:34

Because they will answer for it one day, just like these shepherds of the Old Testament will. And He says,

22:39

I'm against them. And I will demand My sheep from them, and make them cease from feeding sheep, because after all they're not feeding them the correct food anyway.

22:50

He says, so the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.

23:01

Think about it. All false religion. What is that? Oh, man, we love you.

23:07

We care about you. Oh, we'd do anything for you. They're liars.

23:13

They're liars. Don't you ever believe anyone that claims to love or care for you if they're not standing on the living

23:19

Word of God, and they're not standing on Jesus Christ, the true door, because they are a thief and a robber.

23:25

If you claim to be from God, we test all the spirits by what? The truth of God, it says. And He says,

23:31

I'm going to take My flock back from them. There's coming a day of judgment for these people. I would not want to be them in line at the judgment to have to answer for that, because they know what they're doing.

23:42

When you pick up food, as I do very often, and you put it in your mouth, nobody's force feeding you.

23:50

You feed yourself. They'll have no excuse.

23:57

Just as Paul tells us in the book of Romans, man is without excuse. Ultimately, though, and this is the protection of our shepherd and the protection of the truth of God's Word, these false shepherds, these false doors, they have no real power, because they are founded, or excuse me, they are not founded on the blood of Christ and the living

24:21

Word of God. So we have no need to fear them as God's sheep. But remember, there are people in your life.

24:27

There are people in your family. There are people at your workplace. There's people you've come into contact with at Wally World, and all these places we go, and yes, even

24:35

Food Lion. All these places. And when you walk by them, the next time you walk by someone you don't know, stop for a second and ask yourself this question, are they one of God's sheep?

24:48

Or do they need to hear about God and Jesus Christ the door? Because if they aren't in Christ, they're a slave to sin, and they could be scattered and eaten up and devoured.

25:02

Number three. Number one, we notice there's only one true door. Number two, we notice there are many false doors.

25:08

And finally this morning, the true door. The true door, Jesus Christ leads to abundant life.

25:20

Notice back in John chapter 10 in verse 9, he says, I am the door. If anyone literally rendered meaning all those that enter through me, they will be saved and go in and out and find pasture.

25:38

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came. I came.

25:44

Jesus Christ came. He left heaven's throne. He left eternity. He left heaven and descended and condescended himself down, taking on human flesh for a purpose.

25:56

He says, I come to do the will of the Father, and the will of the Father was this, that he die and lay down his life for his sheep.

26:04

And we'll look at that next time when we talk more specifically about him being the shepherd. But notice he says,

26:11

I came that they, meaning the ones who have eternal life in me, may have life, eternal life.

26:19

If he came and died just for us to have better physical life, that might be good for a season, or for even the entirety of your physical life.

26:29

But what does that do about the sin problem? What does that do about your eternal standing? I mean if there was no afterlife and it's just as the naturalists say, we're just a bunch of dust particles and you live and you die and that's it.

26:42

Yeah, even Scripture tells you in the Old Testament, go ahead, live, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die.

26:48

What's the point? The point is that there is an afterlife. There is a

26:53

Heaven, and there is a Hell. And there is eternal life. There is eternal damnation.

26:59

There is eternal life. There is eternal pain, eternally paying for your sins. You're either in Christ or you're not.

27:06

He says, I came that they may have life. Why? Have it abundantly. You remember when we looked at him being the light of the world in John chapter 1, it was talking about the

27:15

Word, the Logos. It says, in Him was life, eternal life. Jesus Christ not only possesses eternal life, it's not that He just possesses it,

27:24

He literally is eternal life, because He's the one that created everything.

27:33

In John chapter 5, in verse 21 it says,

27:38

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, focusing on the physical aspect of resurrection, even so the

27:45

Son also gives life to whom He wishes. The Son gives eternal life, and we will be resurrected one day and have a glorified body.

27:55

Notice, and I know I say this for everything, so once again, just overlook me and laugh if you want to.

28:03

But I think this is my favorite chapter in all the Bible, Romans chapter 6. But look at a couple of verses here.

28:08

Romans 6, 4, Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the

28:14

Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Verse 8,

28:20

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also what? Live with Him.

28:26

Verse 11, Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

28:35

Remember Ephesians 5 from last week? You were formerly darkness, but now you are light, not in and of yourselves, but in the

28:42

Lord. Being dead to sin requires nothing. We are born dead to sin.

28:49

We are born in our trespasses. Left to ourselves, we choose our sin. We love our sin. We die in our sin.

28:55

It takes the very work of Christ on the cross and making us alive in Christ to raise us to spiritual life.

29:03

Hebrews 4, verse 9, I referenced this earlier, So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

29:09

For the one who has entered His rest, Jesus Christ has Himself also rested from His works as God did from His.

29:20

And lastly, this morning we're going to talk briefly, what is the abundant life?

29:26

What is it? What is it that God feeds us with? What is it that we're going to be feeding on?

29:34

Well, in a very real sense, it's Jesus Himself. Remember, I am the bread of life. I am the living bread which came down out from Heaven.

29:40

Not that we're literally talking about eating His flesh, but in the metaphorical sense, we eat of Christ. We partake of Christ, everything that He is.

29:48

And He is the living, eternal Word of God. So we feed on His Word. Notice in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 2 it says,

29:55

Like newborn babes, newborn babies, which is everyone that is new in Christ. The moment you are saved, that's the beginning of your

30:03

Christianity, but it's not the end of your Christianity. We're not meant to be saved, although you could have a situation,

30:09

I suppose, where someone could repent and place faith in Christ and never really grow, never really progress from that.

30:15

And their eternal standing surely would be secure, but they'd miss out on so many of the blessings and so much of the richness of the

30:22

Christian life. Why? Because like newborn babies, they would not long for, long for meaning to crave.

30:32

I am one who often, although let me just set the record straight, I don't crave

30:37

Bojangles as much as I let on. I know I say it a lot. I don't eat it every day, okay? I probably want to, but I really don't.

30:47

It doesn't mean I would if I could now. But it's the same thing. You think about it. Whatever it is that you like, think about that one meal in your mind.

30:55

That one, I don't know if your grandma made it, or if your mama made it, or if you made it, I don't know. That one thing that if you could eat that meal the rest of your life, every single day, every meal of the day, every meal during the day, that'd be that one meal.

31:08

That thing you crave and you're like, oh man, I can't wait to get a first bite of that. Oh, is it gone already?

31:14

Can we make some more? Just that you crave it. You're to crave the Word of God the same way.

31:21

You're to crave the Word of God even more so than you would crave physical food. Because physical food may fill you for a season, for a couple of hours, but the eternal truth of God's Word will feed you for eternity.

31:36

And that is what we will feed on in this pasture. Notice we are to long for it, strain after it, desire it greatly, have an affection for it.

31:45

Long for the pure milk of the Word so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.

31:53

Not that it changes your eternal standing when you grow, but the eternal standing, the justification, the starting point for your salvation is the beginning point for which you are sanctified and grow by the

32:05

Word of God. None of that can even start unless you have first gone through the true door of Jesus Christ.

32:22

I urge you this morning, if you've never done that, or maybe you've been holding onto or standing on something other than the truth of Scripture and the truth of Jesus Christ in your life, don't let your pride suck you down.

32:36

Don't go to your death bed in your pride thinking you've got it all together.

32:43

Be saved. Be made alive in Christ Jesus. And while we didn't spend much time on it, we could say much more about it, but we won't.

32:53

Then from that point, rest in the abundant life that is found in your

32:59

Savior and in studying His Word and craving it and walking in it.