seeking once again the help of
God. I'd like us to turn to the chapter that we read together,
the Gospel according to John and chapter 10. And the text you'll find 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. Those of you who have been here
over the last few weeks will remember that we have been looking
at the I Ams of God, the I Ams of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we saw right early in the scriptures that God appeared unto Moses
and revealed to him himself as the God who is. the great I am,
I am that I am. And we saw that the Lord Jesus
Christ takes the I am sayings of God and uses them for himself. He says, I am the bread which
came down from heaven. He is the true and living bread.
He says, your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead.
Remember that the children of Israel as they passed through
the wilderness were fed by God daily by the manna that came
down from heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ says that he is
the true living manna that came down from heaven. If anyone eats
from him, if anyone has faith in him then they will receive
that spiritual nourishment, that spiritual life, that eternal
life that is given only to those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we saw last week that he
says, I am the light, the light of the world, the true light.
As the children of Israel walked through the wilderness they were
led by the cloud during the day and that pillar of fire by night
to give them light on the pathway. And the Lord Jesus says, I am
the light, the true light, the light that came into the world,
the light that comes to people who are in the darkness. darkness
of ignorance and darkness of unbelief, blindness and lack
of faith. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
light and we saw that the gospel is described as the glorious
light of the gospel. The preaching of salvation to
people is seen as a light going forth into a dark place, showing
people the way. The people who are groping in
the darkness, trying to find happiness and contentment and
satisfaction in a world that cannot provide it. The gospel is that light that
points people to that true satisfaction, that true bread of the Lord Jesus
Christ and he guides them and directs them then in their lives. And so we saw that light also
gives life. Without any light in this world
there would be death. things need light to grow. And so Christ is the light of
the world. He's that light that shines,
that brings life to a dead and a barren soul. That seed of the
word is planted into a heart and the light of the glorious
gospel shines upon that, warms that heart and that seed germinates
and grows and is seen and is manifested in the fruit of the
Holy Spirit. And so Christ is the bread. He is the light and he is the
door, the door the sheepfold. In the Old Testament there's
not really much about a door. As we saw there is a lot about
the bread, there is a lot about light, but there's not a lot
about a door. Christ is the door to the sheepfold. The sheepfold is the church or
the sheepfold is the way to God. That doorway which we enter into
is into the kingdom of God. And we see in the Old Testament
that there was much restriction placed upon the people through
the ordinances and rules and laws that were given by God. And we saw in the temple, in
the holy place, that was surrounded by a thick curtain. There was
no access granted except once per year by the high priest. He was to make that sacrifice
on the Day of Atonement for himself, offering up a sacrifice for himself
and then offering up a sacrifice for the sins of the people. He
was able to enter into that holy place and to present that blood
before a holy God. And so there was that limited
access to God. There was no specific doorway
as it were. As we come into the New Testament
we find Christ as he died upon the cross that curtain was torn
from the top to the bottom and that new and living way was made,
that access made freely to God through the sacrifice and blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer do we have to travel
to Jerusalem to pay our offerings and our sacrifices. No longer
do we have to make those trips to present ourselves there at
the holy city of God. Now there is that free access
through the Lord Jesus Christ because the temple curtain has
been rent and Christ has made himself the door of the sheepfold. Throughout the Old Testament
there is those illustrations of shepherding. The Jews were
many of them farmers. Remember when Jesus was born
the angels appeared to the shepherds. There were those abiding in the
fields. And so there was much shepherding
and husbandry or farming done by the ancient people. Also God
refers to the Jews as his sheep. They are the sheep of his fold
in Psalm 80. We read there concerning the shepherd of Israel that God
calls himself a shepherd We saw the children of Israel were led
out of Egypt through the Red Sea through the wilderness into
the promised land. God treated them as though he
was their shepherd and they were his sheep. In Psalm 8 it says,
give ear, O shepherd of Israel. So it's a prayer to the shepherd
of Israel. Thou that leadest Jacob like
a flock, that thou dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth before
Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up thyself and come and
save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. O Lord, God of hosts,
how long will thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou
feedest them with the bread of tears, thou givest them tears
to drink in great measure, thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours,
and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God of hosts,
and cause thy face to shine on us, and we shall be saved and
so his prayer goes up to the shepherd of Israel. He understands
that he is a sheep of God and he looks to his shepherd for
direction and guidance and help and to be led into another pathway. We read in Psalm 23 it says that
he leads me beside the still waters and by the green pastures
but here in their pathway they are being led down paths of tears
and they're giving them the bread of tears to drink and giving
them tears to drink in great measure. So the pathway that
they are being led on was a pathway of sadness and difficulty and
he was saying please turn, change the pathway, alter the course
that you are leading us in O shepherd of Israel. And so throughout
whole of the scripture we have this picture set before us of
a shepherd and his sheep and here the Lord Jesus Christ takes
that imagery and says that he is the door of the sheepfold. If we look into the into history
and the way in which they did things in those days and in some
cases still today. The sheep were out with their
shepherd on the hillside or in the valleys and then in the evening
time they would come either to the town or somewhere on the
hill and there would be a place for the sheep to go, a fold,
a place of protection, four walls and a door. So it was a place
for protection where they would take the sheep in the night to
stop them from wandering off, to stop them from being eaten
by any wild animals, to stop them from being taken by thieves,
to keep them really from themselves. sheep are not very sensible and
they desire to wander off and so at the night it is good that
they are brought together and to be kept safely and they are
placed into the sheepfold so that they are safe. Jesus says that he enters in by the door
of the sheep is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter
openeth and the sheep hear his voice and he calleth his own
sheep by name and leadeth them out. And so Jesus takes this
illustration of the sheep being in a fold. And then in the morning
the shepherd comes and he calls his own sheep. Sometimes in the
bigger towns there was a mixed group, mixed flocks. And as the
shepherd called his sheep his own sheep would separate themselves
from the others and he would lead them to the place where
they were going to graze. And so Jesus shows that in those
days or even in today's a day there were those shepherds that
had true love for their sheep, true concern for their sheep. They wanted to protect them,
to keep them from harm and danger, to keep them from being stolen,
to keep them from being eaten. They loved their sheep with compassion
and tenderness. They were able to identify which
one was theirs and the sheep also were able to identify the
voice of the shepherd. But Jesus says there are some
people who desire to climb over the wall. They don't come by
the door. They're not the shepherd of the
sheep. They're not a true laborer, but they are thieves and robbers
and they come to abuse the sheep. They come to gain from the sheep. And he uses this illustration
because of the Pharisees. chapter 9 the Lord Jesus Christ
healed somebody that was blind and as he went to the Pharisees
instead of being happy with what had taken place they were angry. They said that this man healed
on the Sabbath day And they go on to accuse Jesus of being a
devil, that he healed by the power of the devil. And so the
Lord Jesus takes this parable and he points it at them. He
says that they are nothing but thieves and robbers. They are
only interested in themselves. They climb up over the wall and
they're obsessed with getting something from the sheep rather
than leading the sheep and directing the sheep and guiding the sheep
and protecting the sheep. They're only after themselves. And today it is the same. There is still today only one
door. There is still today only one
way into the sheepfold. And there are many false teachers
about to seek to climb over the wall and to gain and to benefit
from the sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ. The sheepfold was a place
of protection. The sheep picture the church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have come in through the
doorway. They have the protection of the Lord Jesus yet there are
those who infiltrate within and they want to cause disruption.
The apostle tells us there are those who come as wolves in sheep's
clothing. On the outside they look like
a sheep. On the outside they look like
they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ but inside they are ravaging
wolves. Instead of wanting to fellowship
with the sheep they have come to cause a disruption and turmoil
and to feed from the sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus
says they haven't come through the door have climbed up some
other way. This could be also spoken of
those who seek to earn their own salvation. As Jesus speaks
of those who climb up over the wall, they've not been appointed
by him as a labourer. They've not been appointed by
him as a minister of the gospel. They've climbed up some other
way. So there may be those sheep also have tried to climb up some
other way. Instead of going through the
Lord Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation they've climbed
up and they've got in. They're not
truly saved. They are working a righteousness
for themselves. As the scripture tells us it's
not off work lest anybody should boast but it's only through the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that someone may enter
into the sheepfold, enter into the church, enter into the kingdom
of God. And so in the Old Testament there
was that one way. On the Day of Atonement that
high priest slaughtered those animals and entered into the
Holy of Holies, into the presence of God. There was only one way.
If he did it on any other day, if he entered rashly or quickly
into the presence of God, he would have been killed by God
himself. If he entered in without blood,
he would have been killed by God himself. There was only one
way. And today there is still only one way. There is only one
door to the sheepfold. And Jesus says, I am that door. It is Jesus's definition of himself. He says, I am the bread. It's
part of my work. This is what I have come to do.
I am to sustain. I am the light. To shine forth
the glorious gospel, to reveal the truth of the holy word of
God, the truth of God. But now he says, I am the door. A door. If we think of a door, really
all it is is a hole in a wall. take out the door and block it
up then there is no access given. When you put a door in a wall
it is a hole in the wall a way has been made through a barrier
something that separates If you think of the sheep pen with its
four sides, if it had no door it would be impenetrable. You'd not be able to get in.
Outside the sheep would be unsafe. They would be able to be attacked.
The thieves and the robbers could come at night and steal them
away. The wolves and the lions could come and take the sheep.
The lambs could be separated from their mothers. And so it
is essential that the sheepfold has a door by which the sheep
may be able to enter in. And so a wall illustrates a barrier,
an impenetrable obstacle that you cannot get through unless
you put a door there. A wall divides, separates, Today
we are inside a building because there are walls that make this
a secure place. There are those that are on the
outside of the building. Those of you who remember the
Berlin Wall. It was a wall that separated, divided. And there were doors and it was
knocked down. There was a way made. A wall hides. behind a wall. Could be things that go on which
are unknown. In the Holy of Holies there were
those curtains acted like a wall and people were unable to see
inside into the holy place of God where the Ark of the Covenant
was in the darkness. But when the curtain was ripped
there was a way made. Light shone in. And Jesus is a hole in the wall. The wall that you and I have
by our nature is our sin. There is an impenetrable barrier
that separates us from God. It is a wall of sin. Ephesians chapter 2. Although
here it is speaking about the relationship between the Jews
and the Gentiles and it's speaking of a wall, yet it can be also
an illustration regarding us and God. Ephesians 2 verse 13
or from verse 12 it says, At that time, ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye
who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace who has made
both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition
between us. That is the wall between Jew and Gentile but also
it's the wall between us and God. There now is only one sheepfold. There's no distinction between
Jew and Gentile. Christ has removed that barrier. There's only one way of salvation,
having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of the
commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain
or of two one new man and so making peace that he may that
he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross
having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to
you which were afar off and to them that were nigh for through
him We both have access by one spirit unto the Father. Now therefore you're no more
strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints
and the household of God. And so the barrier between Jew
and Gentile was taken away. the barrier also between sinful
men and a holy God was taken away by the sacrifice of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He blew a hole in the wall and
made a door by which sinners are able to approach a holy God
by himself being that door, by being that way. Broke down the wall. that sin, what stands between
us and God, that dividing wall, a way has been made for the sheep
of Christ to come in to safety through the Lord Jesus Christ. And so even today we are either
inside that sheepfold or we are outside of that sheepfold. We've
either had our sin removed, the barrier between us and God gone
or it is still there. We're either outside of the door
or we are inside of the door. Christ himself has removed all
the obstacles that sinners might have to come
to a holy God. He has removed sin itself by
dealing with it upon the cross at Calvary when Christ punished
his son for the sins of his people. He cried out, My God, my God,
why has thou forsaken me? It is finished. And so upon the
cross at Calvary Christ made a door in the wall that was stopping
true fellowship with God and so he comes and he says, I am
the door. By me, if any man enters in,
he shall be saved. So it's a door to be entered. And those who enter into or through
that door will be saved. They will be saved from the punishment,
the just punishment for their sin, the consequences of their
sin. Left outside, they are outside
in the darkness. Left outside, they are vulnerable
to attack. But inside, it is a door to be
entered into and a door to provide safety and salvation for all
who enter in. So I was thinking about this.
Yesterday my mind went to a book or a film, if you're lazy, called
The Secret Garden. In The Secret Garden there is
a little girl who is an orphan and is sent to a big house to
live. During her time there she plays
in the garden And she is led by the birds to search for a
door. And she finds a door. But the
door is locked. She can't get in. Then she is
led again by the birds to find a key. She finds the key and
she takes it to the door and the door opens. And she enters
into the secret garden. The garden was always there.
The door was always there. The key was always there. It's
just that she didn't know about it. And it's like this door. This door has always been there. The key has always been there.
The garden, the sheepfold has always been there. It's just
that you don't know about it. The door is always open. The scripture tells us by our
nature we are blind and full of unbelief. But this door is always there. We have a hymn that says the
door of mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy
who come by the way. It's just that we don't see it
because we're spiritually blind and we're full of unbelief that
we don't turn into it because we feel that we are okay, we're
safe. We don't need to be saved. We
don't need to go in and out. I am free already. This door is a door to be entered
into. In the gospel according to Matthew
the Lord Jesus speaks there of two doors or two ways. Matthew chapter 7. Enter ye in by the straight gate. For wide is the gate, and broad
is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go therein.
But straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads
unto life, and few there be that find it. The word here straight
doesn't it's not signifying a straight line but some difficulty or some
searching is needed to find it. There's a little girl in the
story of the secret garden had to search for the door Then she
had to search for the key. Then she had to enter in. And
so this way to life is a way that is not natural. It's a way
that has to be searched for. Jesus says, those who seek me
shall find me if you seek me with all of your heart. So he
says, enter in at this straight gate. The broad road is easy. But the end of that road, it
is destruction. It is outside of the sheepfold. It is falling under the wrath
of Almighty God. But the gate to be searched for
and to be looked for is the narrow way that leads to life. And it's only unbelief and spiritual
blindness that is keeping people from off this way. The gate is
always there. The sheepfold is always there.
Christ is always there. It's just that we can't see him
or don't feel our need of him until something takes place within
our hearts. And oh, that it might happen
today, that you might search for this doorway that leads to
life. And really, it's just a turn
away. following your Sat Nav tells
you keep going, keep going, keep going, turn left at the next
junction. Well this is what the scripture
says. You're on the broad road keep going, keep going, keep
going and it leads to destruction but turn to the left, turn to
the right and there is a narrow way that leads to life. Few people find that way but
if you search for that way with all of your heart you will find
it. It's a way then to be searched
for and it's just a turn away. As you walk on the broad road
that leads to destruction the narrow way that leads to life
keeps just following you. It's just there. The scripture says, believe upon
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And that believing
turns you to this doorway that leads to life, that takes you
from the place of danger into the place of safety, into the
place of the sheep of the Lord Jesus through the door. And it's
a doorway to freedom. True freedom. The people or the
unbelievers believe that we as Christians are restrained. We
are shackled by law. But the scripture says that the
Christian is no longer a slave. Unbelievers are slaves to sin
and to Satan and to the world. Christ came to make people free. He says they will come in and
they will go out. They will come in and they will
go out. It is a doorway to freedom. Remember
the Pharisees, shackled by the law. They're obsessed. Oh, Jesus
healed on a Sunday. Sorry, a Sabbath day. And they
were fuming. They were shackled by law. But
Christ came to set free, to redeem us from the curse of the law.
That we may go in and out and find pasture. It's a doorway
to safety. In the sheepfold of Christ there
is safety. Outside of this sheepfold you
are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan, the temptations of
the world. To hell itself. But inside of
this sheepfold it is safety, safety in Christ for all eternity. Jesus says, no man can pluck
them out of my hand and no one is able to take them out of my
father's hand. And so it's a doorway to safety
from a broad road that leads to destruction onto a narrow
way that leads to life. It's a doorway to rest. The scripture
says you shall find rest for your souls. The sheep entered in for rest
and there they rested under the protection of the shepherd throughout
the night until the morning when he allowed them to go out and
to feed and to grace. It's a doorway of fellowship. Scripture tells us you know that
you have passed from death to life because you love the brethren. In the sheepfold there is fellowship,
the love of the brethren. It's where people from all walks
of life Doctors and builders can meet together in fellowship
in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. People that would never
have mixed together, naturally speaking, come together because
they've come through the doorway of the Lord Jesus Christ. If
King Charles wants to be saved, he's got to go through the doorway
of the Lord Jesus Christ. If someone who sleeps on the
street wants to be saved, they've got to come through the doorway
of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no other way. And there
they will fellowship, rich and poor together, educated, uneducated
together in the sheepfold of the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's
a place of fellowship. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
the church, those who have been called out from nature's darkness. It's a doorway of purpose, a
life well lived for Christ. the sheep who follow the Lord
Jesus. He leads them out. He leads them
forth by the right way. He leads them in paths of righteousness. He leads them to the still waters
and to the green pastures. He leads them to the eternal
kingdom, the promised land where he will be with them forever. He says my sheep hear my voice
and I know them and they follow me. Have you entered into the
sheepfold this morning? Are you following the Lord Jesus
Christ? Have you heard his voice? As he says in the Old Testament,
oh why will you die oh house of Israel? There is a door, a
door to be searched for. A door that is open to the poor
and to the needy, a place of rest, a place of safety, a place
of freedom is found in the sheepfold of the Lord Jesus Christ. But
it is a door that will one day be shut. It stands open all day
while we are living. But when we die, That door is
shut and it will be shut for all eternity. Matthew 25 we read of the wise
and the foolish virgins. In verse 10 it says, And while
they went to buy, while they were getting themselves ready,
they were unprepared The others went into the marriage
and the door was shut. When we die or when Christ comes
this door that has been made through the wall to God will
be shut. The age of grace will be finished. The scripture says today you
hear his voice. In Revelation he says, he that
hath an ear to hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.
Today if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. I am the door. There is no other
door. There is no other way to God.
There is no other way to heaven. Jesus Christ alone, by his sacrifice,
has painted, as it were, the doorposts and the lintels of
this way by which we may enter in only while it is called today. I am the door. By me, if any
man enter in, he shall be saved. saved from what? Saved from God
himself, saved from the just judgment of our sin. If we enter
in through that doorway, the wrath of God falls upon Christ
for our sin. He shall be saved and he shall
go in and out and find pasture. You will become a sheep of the
Lord Jesus, protected for time and for eternity. I am the door. May the Lord enable
us each to pass through that door this morning. Amen. Let's sing our final hymn from
Hymns for Worship, number 54. There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth. It sounds like music in mine
ear, the sweetest name on earth. Hymns for worship number 54,
tune 124. Him I love to hear, I love to
sing his word. He sells my music in my ear,
the sweetest name on earth. He tells me of the Savior's love, His soul rejoices and drives
each rising tear. He tells me in a still, small
voice, to trust and make ? May lie up to him ? ? Earth saves
all that this world can tell ? ? The heart, both sweet and
ill ? ? His name shall trade its fragrance till ? sweetly serve the God with you
that lives beyond the sea. Almighty God and loving Heavenly Father of Thy
people, we thank Thee for the doorway that has been made through
Thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray that Thou
take Thy Holy Spirit and show us the way that leads to everlasting
life. Turn us, Lord, from the broad
road that leads to destruction and help us to enter through
the narrow way that leads to life. Do dismiss us, we pray,
with Thy blessing. And may the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, with the fellowship
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, do rest and abide with
us each, now and forevermore. Amen.