Some time ago, we started a series
on the IMs of the Lord. Now, it started over in the book
of Exodus, when we found Moses spending 40 years in the backside
of the desert, herding sheep for his father-in-law, and he
saw a bush that was not being consumed. And he did what I hope
we would do, turn aside and see this site. What's it all about?
Well, he went over there and he was told to take his shoes
off because he was on holy ground. God Almighty was going to meet
him out of that burning bush. And he revealed himself. God revealed himself. I am that
I am. That was his name. I am that
I am. Well, the Jews in the Old Testament
understood that Jehovah was speaking and that Jehovah is the I am.
And the Lord Jesus Christ, many centuries later, used that same
term. And those Jews understood what
he meant by it because they got hot under the collar when he
said, I am. And there are several times in
the New Testament that he uses that term. I am the bread of
life. I am the bread of life. And we
looked a little bit about what bread is to us. And then we looked
at how God used bread in the Old Testament to share with them
that he is the one that gives life. He had that manna come
down from heaven and feed them. They went out and picked it up.
Manna means what is it? That was the question that they
had. And you know, during the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ,
many of them said about him, who's he? What's he doing? Well, he fed them with manna,
and then he said, Moses gave food to you in the Old Testament,
but I am the true bread that came down. The next that we looked
at is I am the light. Jesus Christ is the light. He's the one that opens up and
gives us understanding with regard to the Bible. When we find Christ
in the Old Testament, we find the true purpose of the Old Testament
is types and shadows and pictures of the one that is coming. And
he came. There's a thumbnail sketch about
the Bible. The Old Testament is just filled
with someone is coming. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
is filled with someone is here. The Lord Jesus Christ is here.
And Acts to Revelation is someone is coming back. and the church,
the believers, are looking forward to him coming back the second
time. I don't look forward to the second coming of Christ because
that means I'm waiting on signs and all kinds of things, but
I want to declare the Christ coming the second time. That's
what he promised. Well, today we'd like to look
at the subject Jesus brought up in the book of John, I am
the door. I am the door. I don't know about you, but I
used the door to get in this building. You probably used the
door to get out of where you are. Now that door might have
been open, but there's a door there. There's a door there.
I want you in your mind, if you can paint a picture of a building
with one door in it. Right in the front. There's no
side door, back door or other side door. But people have come
along and I was I was caused to remember this because we drove
through the Dallas coming up here and there's lots of those
beautiful Oh, what are they called? Murals. Those beautiful murals
downtown. And in some of those murals,
there's pictures of a door. But you and I can't enter that
door. It's a picture of a door. Well, just think about your building
here. There's one door in the front, and along the sides and
the back, people have come along and they've painted a picture
of a door and said, this is my door. This is how I'm going to
enter into this building. Well, we find out that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the only true door. And all of that other stuff
can't be effectual. You can't enter there. You can't
get there. And people use all kinds of doors.
thinking they're going to get to Christ. They use the door
of having a decision. They use the door of baptism.
They use the door of taking the Lord's Supper. They use the door
of joining a church. But those are all fake doors.
There's only one door into the kingdom. And Jesus said, I am
the door. Now no man is going to enter
except through him. I want to read a few verses here found
in the book of John chapter 10. And it says in verse one, verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into
the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way is the same as
a thief or a robber. So he identifies those who have
painted another door with the expectation that somehow they'll
get in that door, but he's called them thieves and robbers. And
then he goes on to say, but he that entereth by the door is
the shepherd of the sheep. Now the shepherd of the sheep
allows sheep to come in that door. A door serves, I know two
purposes, probably many, that door serves a purpose, it's got
glass in it. But if it's just an old common
door, there's usually two purposes of that door. Number one, it
protects us from things outside. And number two, it is closes
off an entrance. We have the entrance or the inside
is taken care of. So we have this door as the only
entrance to eternal life. Jesus said, I am the door. There's
only one way into eternal life, and that is Jesus Christ, and
none of the fake doors that have been painted up there. They may
look really good, and they may even fool people by coming up
and grabbing a fake doorknob, but there's no entrance. There's
one entrance. Jesus goes on to say, to him
the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth
his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth
forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow
him, for they know his voice. Lot said in this chapter about
the sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are his people. Sheep,
he calls them, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep. And a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers." So everybody is advertising, I got this door over here, and
I got this door over here, and I've even painted above the door
what the requirements are to enter in, but there's no entering
in. It's a dead end. You can't get through the door.
There isn't one. A lot of people will go up there
and try and try and try. But we find out in verse seven,
then Jesus said unto them, again, verily, verily, I say unto you,
I am the door of the sheep. One door, only one door, and
protection is handled by that door. It keeps the outside outside,
but it protects those on the inside. The true door is one,
and it is one person. No door is like him. I love going into the courthouse
in the Dalles because the doors are really tall and they're magnificent.
There was a lot of effort went into those. They wanted people
when they walked into the courthouse to be at all, because the ceilings
are real high, the doors are big, and you go in there and
you kind of feel like this is a place where justice takes place.
You feel that way. Well, monstrous doors. Just think
about this. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
widest door ever. He invites all his people to
come through him. He is that door. And the rest
of the doors don't work. There is nothing. On the inside,
there is a painted door because the people haven't got in there
to paint it. But on the outside, we have all of these descriptions
of doors, how you're going to get in. He said, all that ever
came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
hear them. I am the door, by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find
pasture. So the only deliverance we ever
will have from the condition that we have by nature is this
one door. What did it say about him? If
by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved and go in and
out and find pasture. By me, people are saved, not
by any other doors. I am that door. God does not
have a door based on our activity. He has a door based on His Son.
He doesn't have a door based on what we do. He has a door
based on His Son. Jesus Christ declared, God the
Father was well pleased with it, said, Jesus said, I am the
door, the only door. There's no other doors. And if
you have Him as the door, you have eternal life, you have salvation. Christ Jesus is the only way.
In another chapter here in the book of John, chapter 14 and
verse six, we read these words. Jesus saith unto them, I am. Now we'll get to this later and
spend more time, but I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto me but by my Father. So the only way to
the Son is through the Father. And you know, without the way,
there is no going. I'm going to take a trip, but
I don't know where it's going to. I don't want to take that trip. Without a way, there is no going. And without the truth, there
is no knowing. We cannot know about God if we
don't hear him in truth. there's going to be a lot said
about him. Jesus said, a lot of people are going to say a
lot about me and they're thieves and robbers because they're not
honest with the word of God. They're not honest with God.
And then without the life, there's no living. We don't have any
eternal life without the life, the Lord Jesus, this door, one
door, single door, even though the outside is painted with multiple
doors, there is nothing there that would allow us an entrant
in. In John, Ten one, verily, verily, I say unto you, he that
entereth in not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth in
is a thief and a robber. And then he says, I am the true
door. That door's big. It's heavy. It can't be opened by us. It
must be opened by him. I don't know how many times when
my kids were little, I had to help them with the door. They
couldn't pull it open by themselves. Well, that is in essence, the
illustration about us. We cannot open this door. It
must be open to us. God is so gracious that he will
open the door. Jesus Christ will welcome his
people in and they will be welcomed to such a great pleasure that
he grants unto them eternal life by going through him. I'm the
door by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. I like that. I like that. I like subject of being saved. I love the subject that the Lord
brings up in his word about how we're saved. We're not saved
by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to
his mercy, he saves us. We're saved by grace and not
by works. We're saved by faith and not
by activity. We're saved by Christ the high
priest and not some other priest He is all and in all he is everything
wrapped up in one person I am the light I am the bread I am
the door and there's no other bread. There's no other light
and there's no other door He is it he is the the whole thing
in the book of Acts chapter 4 We've been studying that in our church
for some time in Acts chapter 4 and verse 12 The disciples
shared with a group of religious people, the 71 members of the
Sanhedrin court, they said there, neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. One door, one person,
one name. One purpose, one God. I like
what it says, there's one God. That just signifies there's one
way. There's not multiple gods, there is one God. There is one
Lord, there's one faith. And so we have the Lord answering
this subject for us. I am that door, I am the only
way. In Acts chapter 10, I'm gonna turn over there before
I misquote it, Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. Acts chapter 10 and verse 43. To him gave all the prophets
witness. You know, from the book of Genesis
to the book of Malachi, all the writers had one arrow pointed
in one direction and that was to Christ. They may have been
talking about a sacrifice, but the arrow was pointing to Christ.
They may have been talking about a tabernacle, but the arrow was
pointing to Christ. All of these were just types
and shadows and pictures. Day before yesterday, I received
a picture from my daughter down in Florida of my father. Now,
my father would be 116 if he was still alive, and he's been
gone for nearly 40 years. That was a nice picture, but
it is not my dad. It can't hug me. It can't tell
me I love you. It's just a picture. It's a nice
reminder. You know, the Old Testament pictures
were so beautiful about the Lord Jesus Christ, but the reality
is Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. I'm
the fulfillment of all those things. So to him gave all the
prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth
in him shall receive remission of sins. There's no better thing
than to have the forgiveness of sin. I didn't do that bad,
I'm not that bad. In fact, I'm better than the
others. Well, that's what we find in the Bible about a Pharisee
saying, thank you, I'm not like other folks, I'm better than
this guy. Well, that's just the traditional way that human beings
think, I'm better than someone else. But in reality, we find
that we are dead in trespasses and sin, and we need to have
life given to us. And that's going to be of the
Lord. She shall bring forth a son, Thou shall call his name Jesus
for he shall save his people from their sins. I am the door. There's one door. It doesn't
matter how many are painted on the outside. There is one entrance. And you know, by nature, we shun
that, we can't find it. It's just not attractive. Over
in the book of Isaiah, chapter 53, there's no thing about God
that attracts us. But after he saves us, we say,
as it's found in the Song of Solomon, he is altogether lovely. No bad part about him. So we're
gonna leave you with this thought today as we close. Jesus said,
I am the door and through him and him alone is their salvation. And now this is a good salvation.
It's not gonna just last us to the end of the day. It will last
us to the end of our life and then throughout eternity. All
right, let's go to the Lord in prayer and then we'll have a
song in closing. Gracious Father in heaven, We thank you for the
many blessings.