Jesus, The Door
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
3/3/2013 PM
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Text:
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John 10:7-9
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Psalters: |
387, 101, 194, 221 |
- The meaning.
- The figure is of a sheepfold, i.e., where all the sheep are gathered together, especially during the night.
- The thieves and robbers are those religious leaders of the church who carry out their responsibilities in very wrong ways.
- They do their job either as an identification of who they are or as a means of income.
- They do not enter the sheepfold through the gate, nor do they teach the sheep to go through the door.
- Why and how can Jesus identify Himself as ?the door of the sheep.?
- He is this because He is the ?I am,? i.e., divine, very God of very God, the great Jehovah.
- As God, He entered into our flesh: God became man to save.
- The significance of being the door is the ability actually to save and sustain (nurture, shepherd) the sheep (9).
- The ?if? is not a condition, but ?since? and is an expression the viewpoint of the sinner (sheep).
- That the elect are seen as sheep emphasizes their need of salvation, their natural, sinful state.
- They are wandering sheep, sinners who do not naturally belong to the sheepfold.
- For such sinful sheep Jesus is the door, who sees to it that His sheep are brought to salvation!
- As the door, Jesus is the complete Savior, seeing to every aspect of their salvation from sin.
- With this door comes the responsibility to ?enter in? (9).
- Our text speaks of the conscious activity of the sheep when God?s grace is working them.
- Further, the activity of entering the sheepfold via the door is a repeated activity.
- Are you entering by the door, i.e., confessing your need for Jesus Christ only?
- Then we shall know we are saved, and that we are certainly and eternally secure!