Would you turn to John 10? It's just delightful to be here,
like I already said, and I've enjoyed so much being with your
pastor and his family. And I don't have a better friend
than your pastor. And I think one of the reasons I like him
so much is because he's not my favorite preacher. I mean that,
Lynn and I talk about it, so I do, but it's a blessing to
be here with you. Would you turn to John 10, verse
7, Then said Jesus unto them again,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Everybody knows what a door is.
We pass through a door to enter into this room. What would a
home be without a door? What would a room be without
a door? There are many doors in this
building, and a door, our Lord mercifully says to us, I am the
door. Now, a door, it means something.
You know he doesn't mean literally, I'm a door of wood, but it tells
us what he is to his people through telling us that he is the door. Now, a door has basically four
purposes. A door lets people in. And a
door lets people out. And a door keeps people in. And a door keeps people out.
Christ is the door. He's the door who lets people
in. Christ is the door into the sheepfold. He is the door of access into
the kingdom of heaven. I enter in to the very presence
of God. I enter in to the very favor
of God. I enter into the grace of God
by Him. He is the door. He's the door of entrance, and
He is the door of freedom. He lets people out. He lets people
out of the cage. He's the door into liberty. He's the door into freedom. And He is the door that keeps
people out. He's a closed and locked door that prevents people
from entering by their works. If I try to come into God's presence
by my works, I'm going to find Christ a shut door. I cannot enter. And he's also
a door who keeps people in, down there in your nursery. Why do
you have the doors that keep the little ones in? You don't
want them out, do you? You want them to stay in there. Christ
is the door that keeps and shuts his people in so they cannot
get out. Now, what a beautiful and simple
illustration of what Christ is to each of his sheep, an open
door of interest, a door of liberty, a door that preserves us and
keeps us and won't let us out. And notice the Lord says, I am
the door. He doesn't say I'm a door, but
he says I am the door, not one of many, but the only door. How many doors were there into
the ark? One. Not two, only one. He is the only door into the
kingdom of heaven. Christ himself is the door of
the sheep. He says I'm the door of the sheep.
Now who are the sheep? I'm the door of the sheep. He
doesn't say I'm the door for everybody. He says I'm the door of the sheep.
Who are the sheep? Is everybody a sheep? Look in this passage
of scripture in John chapter 10 verse 24. Then came the Jews
round about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make
us to doubt? As if he did. If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered, I told you. And
you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not because you
are not of my sheep. And not everybody's a sheep.
He says to this crowd, you're not my sheep. And he doesn't
say you're not my sheep because you don't believe. He says you
don't believe because you're not my sheep. Big difference. Who are the sheep? Not everybody's
a sheep. Well, I know this, the sheep
are those Christ died for. to those the Father gave him.
Look down in verse 26. He says, But you believe not,
because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep.
There's a people Christ calls my sheep. Remember, he's the
door of the sheep. My sheep. I want to be one of them, don't
you? I desperately want to be one of them. I want to be one
of his sheep. I want to be able to sing, Savior, like a shepherd
needs me. Much I need thy tender care. In thy pleasant pastures feed
me. For thy use, God loves me. We want that. Well, he says, My sheep hear
my voice, I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand, my Father which gave them me.
They're the elect. They're those the Father gave
him. He says in verse 11, I'm the good shepherd, the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep. They are they who Christ died
for. That's who the sheep are. I am the door of the sheep. And I find in my soul a desperate
desire to be one of these sheep, don't you? I want that. Now look what he says in verse,
let's read verses seven and eight together. Verily, verily, I say
unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before
me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not What does that
mean? All that ever came before me. Does that mean that John the
Baptist was a thief and robber? He came before the Lord Jesus
Christ. Does it mean that Moses or David or Isaiah or Jeremiah
or Malachi or any of the prophets? Does he mean all those fellows
were thieves and robbers? Of course he doesn't mean that.
You know that. Here's what he means. All that ever came before me
as an influence are thieves and robbers. Some may say, before you can
come this door, you must first change your life. Before you can come through this
door, you must first repent of all your sins and get that straightened
out. Before you can come through this
door, you must first make a decision to believe. as an act of your
will. Before you can come through this
door, you must first be baptized and join the church. Before you
can enter this door, you must blank, whatever you want to put
in it. Before you can enter into this
door, you must do this, that, or the other. Now, everybody
that comes like that is a thief and a robber. The one who comes
preaching that or practicing that is a thief and a robber. You see, Christ comes first in
everything. Nothing begins with man. All that ever came before me
are thieves and robbers. Now, you take this to the nth
degree. Election. Christ comes first. God didn't choose us and then
give us to Christ. We were chosen in the Beloved, and we were never
viewed independently of Him. Christ comes first. In the forgiveness
of sins, Christ comes first. God doesn't forgive us because
we did anything. God forgives us for Christ's
sake. He forgives us because Christ died, not because we asked
for forgiveness, not because we were sorry for our sins. That's
not why God forgives us. God forgives for Christ's sake. In the new birth, nothing comes
before Christ. I didn't believe and then become
born again. In faith and repentance, nothing
comes before Christ. I don't believe and then get
Christ. Christ gave me faith. It begins with Him. Christ gave
me the repentance. It begins with Him. In holiness,
nothing comes before Christ. You don't do anything to become
holy. Holiness is a state of being
that Christ first gave you. Nothing comes before Christ.
And our Lord says, all that ever came before me are thieves and
robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. You see, God's people
will not be deceived by the message of the false prophet. That's
so comforting to me. They won't. The sheep did not hear them. Listen to this scripture from
Matthew chapter 24 verses 23 and 24. For there shall arise
false christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and
wonders in so much that if it were possible they would deceive
the very man. But is it possible? You see, God's sheep cannot be
deceived. They have a mark in their ear. They hear the shepherd's voice.
They have a mark in their foot. They follow the shepherd. And
another voice they will not hear. Look what he said in John chapter
10. But you believe not, because you're not of my sheep. As I
said unto you, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they
follow me. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than
all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I am my Father alone." Now that's the security of God's sheep.
They will not hear another voice. Now he says once again in verse
9. Let's read verses 7, 8, and 9
together. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 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 entereth, he
shall be saved. and shall go in and out and find
pasture. Now this is one of those I am's
of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, you find
seven of them in the book of John. I am the light. I am the good
shepherd. I am the resurrection. I am the
way. I am the truth. I am the life.
And I am the door. And I love this precious word.
He says, I am the door. But here he doesn't simply say,
I'm the door to the sheep. He just says, I am the door.
By me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved. He doesn't
say, by me if the sheep enters in. He says, by me, if any man
enters in, he shall be saved. I'm an any man, sometimes I hate
sometimes you hope you're a sheep, you hope you're a sheep, but
you're always an any man aren't you? While Christ didn't die
for everybody, he didn't die for anybody. Anybody who comes
to Him, I don't care how sinful, how far away you may feel, you're
a mini-man. I'm thankful for this. This is
such an encouraging thing by me. It's a mini-man. It's kind
of like whosoever. I love that. Romans chapter 10,
verse 13 says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. I'm a whosoever. I always am
one of those. And it's better than if it said, if Todd Norbert
calls upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved, because there
might be another Todd Norbert. It might not mean me, but I'm
always a whosoever. By me, if any man, I don't care
who he is, good or bad, smart or dumb, rich or poor, black
or white, no distinctions. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved. And I love to think of this door,
our Lord Jesus Christ. In one sense, And he points this
out, he's a very narrow man. Straight is the gates. Narrow is the way that leads
to life. And he's so narrow, he's so straight,
he's such a narrow opener, that if you carry anything in with
you, you can't get through. You can only get through this
door. If He had anything on you at all, it belonged to you. But
He's also prepared you to find Him. I don't care how sinful
you are, you can get through this door. What is glorious about
this door is you may be, you can't be too small. You can't be too little. You
can't be too insignificant. You might in your own eyes be
too big. Do you want to. Do you think about this statement
by me. If you mean. What do you mean by that by me
if you mean. You didn't say beside me. You
didn't say behind me. He says by me. If any man entering he should
be safe now. You'll have a lot of babies here.
You had women with children. When a woman is with a child
the child is in. And that child is completely
dependent upon that woman even more so than when the child is
outside the room. When she's in the womb, she's
in the womb, whoever that kid is, they are completely and utterly
dependent upon her. And when that woman enters a
room, that child enters by her. When the woman enters, the child
enters. Truly, that child actually enters,
but that child enters by her, not beside her. Not behind her,
but by her. Now here is how I enter when
he enters, as I'm united with him, when he enters I enter by
him. No other way. Being united to
Him. This is the very hope of the
believer. I'm in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Entering by Him doesn't just... Yes, I plead only His name. Lord,
hear me for Christ's sake. I come only in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's true, but that's not what
it is to enter by Him. That's pleading His name. I enter
by Him when I enter in Him. When He enters, I enter. You
see, when He lives, if I'm united to Him, and this is the very
hope of the believer, union with Christ. Who he is, I am. What he did, I did. Where he
is, I am. That's my hope. You knew Christ.
He became what I am. He became sin upon the cross. Now, he never committed sin,
you know that. But on Calvary's tree, he felt
the guilt and the shame of my sin. Well, he was actually ashamed
before his father because my sin literally actually became
And he died because he was guilty. He became what I am. This is
his union with me. He became what I am, and I become
what he is, who he is. I made the very righteousness
of God in him. And this is our hope, union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. What he did, he did as a representative.
When he lived, I lived. When he died, I died. When he
was raised from the dead, I was raised from the dead. As he ascended
back to the Father, I did too. As he enters into the very presence
of the Father, I enter by him. That's the way I get there. By
him. Not behind him. Not beside him.
Not even holding on to him. But in him. By me. Any man enter in, he shall
be. Wherefore, he is able to save
them to the uttermost that come to God by him. Is that the way you come? By
him. I tell you, that's the only way
of coming I know. By him. What's it mean to come
by him? By me? What's he say? I am the
door by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. By me, if any man enter in. Now here we have faith. Faith. You enter in. Now you might be,
somebody say, I can tell you all about that door. I can tell
you the dimensions of the door. I can tell you how big it is.
I can tell you how thick it is. I can tell you what it's made
of. I can tell you what kind of hinges it's on. I know all
about that door. Well, it's one thing to know all about the door.
That's good. That's good knowledge. It's a
good thing to know all you can about the door. But it's another
thing to enter in by the door. Now this is what faith is. It's
actually entering in by the door. Faith. Here's the best illustration
I can think of. An airplane. I know I cannot
fly. I'm convinced of it. I'm persuaded
of it. I have no doubt that I cannot
fly. And I believe that airplane. I believe it. I trust the airplane
to get me someplace. But the only time I prove I really
believe that that airplane will get me to where I want to go
is when I enter in. I board the plane, I sit down,
and I trust that plane to get me there. And once it starts,
I still know I can't fly. Try to help it off the ground.
Not at all. I know the only way I'll get there is if that plane
gets me there. And I trust the airplane to get me there. That's
what is called faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I enter in the
door, I sit down, and I trust the airplane. Anything else?
What else would you want? We enter in by the door, and
there are three great blessings he mentions. He says in verse
nine, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, that's
faith in Christ. He says he shall be saved. He shall go in and out and he
shall find pasture. There are three great blessings.
First, he shall be saved. Now, this is what I want. I want
to be saved, don't you? I don't want to get saved, I
want to be saved. I want to be saved by the Lord
Jesus Christ. And this passage of Scripture
says, all who enter in by the door, they shall be saved. Now, what does salvation mean?
I know you already know this, but it's always a blessing to
me to repeat it and think about it. That's what I need to be
saved. Matthew 1.21 says, I shall call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin.
That's what I need to be saved from. What's it mean to be saved
from my sin? First of all, it means to be
saved from the penalty of sin. I will never have to be punished
for my sin. Jesus Christ the Lord took my
punishment. And there is no condemnation
to the inviter in Christ Jesus. I'm justified. You know what
justified means? It means not guilty. Absolutely, positively not guilty. I have nothing to feel guilty
for if I'm justified. It doesn't simply mean forgiven.
Now, that's some kind of salvation, isn't it, where God actually
does something like that. I'm saved from the penalty of
sin. That's justification. I'm saved
from the power of sin. That's sanctification. That's
the new birth. That's regeneration. That's God's
work in you. There was a time when I could
not believe. I didn't understand what it meant
to believe. I hear the preacher say, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. And I think, what does that mean? There's a time when
I could not repent. I didn't know what it meant.
There's a time when I couldn't. I tried. I tried to believe,
but I couldn't. I tried to repent. I couldn't.
I came back. Because I've been saved from
the power of sin. He gave me a new nature. He gave
me a rebirth. I've been saved from the power
of sin. I can do what I couldn't do. I can believe now. There
was a time when I didn't love God. As a matter of fact, I was
in it. I didn't love him. I do now. Why? I've been saved
from the power of sin. And I've been saved from the
very presence of sin. We talked about this in Sunday school.
I might not see I'm saved by the presence. You don't look
very holy to me. Well, I know, but the Lord said
I've been saved from the presence of sin. I'm already glorified.
Already glorified in the person of my Redeemer. I am glorified. And I believe that by faith. Saved by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. And next he says he shall go
in and out. I'm always welcomed. I'm always received. There's
never a time when I'm not welcomed into the very presence of God. Isn't that amazing? I'm welcomed.
Come and welcome. I'm. Never tedious to the Lord
for me to come into his presence. Every part of me. No, I'm always
welcome. I'm one of those children. I
have access. Turn with me in Ephesians chapter
3 for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 3. Verse 12. In whom, that's the same thing
as by whom. By whom, in whom, in whom we
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of you. Now there's our access. Access into the presence of God
with confidence. I can come boldly into his presence
because I really believe I'm coming by the presence. I'm coming
in. I have to. I'm always welcome. I go in and I go out. That's
freedom. That's liberty. Oh, the liberty
of the believer. You know, most people's religion
is such an unhappy thing. It's people doing things that
they really don't want to do and they don't get to do what
they really want to do what they don't want to do is an unhappy
thing, but that's not the religion of the believer. It's a religion
of liberty and freedom. What is liberty? Well, if I have
liberty, that means I get to do what I want to do, and it
means I don't owe anything. That's a pleasant place to be,
isn't it? I don't owe anything. I am without debt before God. Debt is a horrible thing. Oh,
it just presses on you. But all your bills are paid and
you owe nothing. That's a liberating thought,
isn't it? I don't know if any of us know what it means in real
life, but one of these days we will. Totally liberated. And you get to do what you want
to do. That's what freedom is. He goes in and out and he finds
pasture. You feed on the gospel, don't
you? You find it as nourishment to your soul. Good news. It really is good news. It does
something for me. I find pasture. I feed on this. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved. He'll go in and out and he will
find pasture. Verse 10. The thief cometh. Not but for
to steal. And to kill. And to destroy the
thief, the devil, the servants of the devil, the false prophets,
all who seek to come before Christ in some way. That's who that
thief is. He seeks to come before Christ. Remember, nobody comes
before Christ. Nothing comes before Christ.
Christ said, by me, give me an amen. Nothing comes. There's no preparatory work.
It's just by him. By him. And anybody who comes
with any other message, he's a thief. He comes to kill, to
steal, and destroy. There's no good... You see, someone
who preaches a false gospel, it's not that he just doesn't
have a proper understanding, although he does. There's an
evil, sinister motive behind it. All false doctrine. is of the devil and there's an
evil sinister motive behind it. He comes to kill, to steal and
destroy. That's it. That's what our Lord
says. He says, I am come that they
might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. They were dead in trespasses
and sins. But I am come that they might
have life. And when he says that they might
have life, he's not talking about life. I hope they might end up
having it. You know that. I came for this purpose so that
they'll have life and they'll have it. That's what he means
by that. You see, what our Lord did, he
did as a representative man. When he lived, that's my life
before God. That's my life before God. As he lived before God, I live
before God. I am come that they might have
life, spiritual life, eternal life, and that they might have
it more abundantly. A superior life, more abundantly. Now, abundant life, what's that? Say anything about Bill Gates,
for instance. We think of Bill Gates. We think
of a man who has a lot of money. He can enjoy life. He can do
anything he wants. I mean, he's got a lot of money. And to the wall of that, some
rich, rich, oh boy, what kind of life do they have? Nothing
compared to the believer. You see, I'm enjoying it with
the Lord Jesus Christ. That means all that he has, I
have. I'm a saint of God. You can call
me Saint God. That's me. Everybody that's a
believer in this room is a saint of God. I have fellowship with
the living God. I have the life of God in my
soul. I have Christ in me. I have the
very righteousness of God. I am the righteousness of God.
Heck, that's hard to say that, isn't it? No, not really, if
you believe that Christ is your righteousness before God. Do
you believe that Jesus Christ, the Lord, is your righteousness
before God? Then you are the righteousness
of God. We're the righteousness of God
in the New Testament. I have the promise of Romans
8, 28. that everything is working together for my good and for
his good. Now what? Is that more abundant
life? I am come that they might have
life and they have it, might have it more abundantly. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor that you, through his poverty, might be rich. I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd gives his life. David was a shepherd, but he
wasn't a good shepherd. He was a powerful shepherd. He
flew a lion and a bear to save his sheep, but he never gave
his life for the sheep, and it wouldn't have done him any good
if he did. Jacob, Joseph was a shepherd. You could name all
kinds of shepherds, but there's only one good shepherd. That's
the Lord Jesus Christ, and he actually gave his life for the
sheep. Now, are the sheep secure? Are
the sheep saved? Well, you know they are. What a shepherd we have. Now,
believer, would you trade what you have for all this world has
to offer? You really wouldn't, would you? You don't only think things are good, you think they couldn't
be better. In the Lord Jesus Christ. What a door. Amen. Lord answer your prayer, Brother
Wesley. Made us to lie down in the green
pasture this morning. I appreciate that. By me. I like that. That's worth it
all. OK, AJ. Let's sing hymn number 163 and
stand together. Let's sing all three verses.
Number 163. Open my eyes that I may see Glimpses
of truth Thou hast for me Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall enclasp and set me free Silently now I wait for
Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine
me, Spirit divine. Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth thou sendest clear And while the wave notes
fall on my ear Everything false will disappear Silently now I
wait for thee Ready, my God, I will to see Open my ears, illumine
me Spirit divine Open my mouth and let me bear Gladly the warm
truth everywhere Open my heart and let me prepare Love with
thy children thus to share Silently now I wait for thee Ready, my
gods, I will to see Open my heart, illumine me Spirit divine