Jesus Is The Door.
You Are The
Welcome Mat
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. I
would like to ask you to think about the front door to your house. Is it
inviting and
welcoming? Perhaps you have a door mat or a
sign that says “welcome friends.” I
saw a sign on one door that read, “Two nice
people and one old grouch live here.”
1. Ilene Bauer wrote a poem entitled,
“Front Door.”
Visit a place where you’ve not been before
And the first thing you face is the sturdy front door.
Of fiberglass, oak, tempered glass, even steel,
The entryway should have a certain appeal.
My country home door, though, was streaky with rust.
The paint was all puckered, the cracks filled with dust.
The glass in the windows no longer got clean;
My husband was tired of changing the screen.
So I finally gave in and we got a new door,
A portal to spiff up the entry décor.
It isn’t embellished, just simple and plain
But it’s neat, a condition I hope to maintain.
When visitors come, they may notice or not
For most likely, the old one was one they forgot
But I’ll welcome them all with the door opened wide
And embrace every one that I usher inside.
2. Do you view your door as a means of welcoming
people into your home or as a
means of keeping others outside?
B. In
John 10:7 Jesus gives one of the most beautiful word pictures in the
Bible when he says, ““Truly, truly, I say
to you, I am the door of the sheep.” There
are two essential truths we need to
understand from Jesus’ statement.
I. JESUS IS THE DOOR
A. John 9 and 10 are contrasting
chapters. In chapter 10 Jesus begins
with these
words, “Truly, Truly,” sometimes
translated, “Verily, Verily" or “Amen, Amen.”
Jesus is the only one in the Bible
to begin statements this way. It always
indicates two things.
1. A contrast with something that
has happened.
2. A significant truth is about to
be revealed.
B. John 9 is a chapter of exclusion.
1. It is the story of a man, blind from birth,
who is given sight by Jesus.
2. You would think everyone would
have been happy about such an astounding
event. This was not the case. The
“religious” leaders were infuriated by this
display of Jesus’ power. They interrogated
the man and his parents. Ultimately
they put him out of the synagogoe.
3. When Jesus saw the behavior of these
Jewish leaders He was compelled to
contrast Himself with them. This
contrast is seen in John 10 where we find one of
the most beautiful word pictures in
the Bible. In verses 1 – 7 Jesus said:
Truly, truly, 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. 2 But he who enters by
the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper
opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out. 4 When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead
of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 A
stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do
not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus
spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had
been saying to them. 7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I
say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
C. What a contrast this was to the leaders
of Israel who Jesus compared to thieves
and robbers (vs. 1). In verse 10 He
said, “The thief comes but to kill and to steal
and destroy but I have come that they
might have life and have it abundantly.”
1. The religious leaders of Israel were
the thieves who were killing and destroying
people’s lives with their traditions and harsh spirit. They were more interested in
people’s lives with their traditions and harsh spirit. They were more interested in
preserving their own positions and
enhancing their status and power.
2. By contrast, Jesus is the “shepherd
of the sheep.” Later in verse 11 he says, “I
am the good shepherd; the good
shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
There is nothing more tender in the
Bible than the relationship of the shepherd
with the sheep.
a. Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my
shepherd.”
b. Psalm 77:20 – “You led your
people like a flock by the hand of Moses and
Aaron.”
c. Psalm 79:13 – “So we are your
people and the sheep of Your pasture.”
d. In early Christian art one of the
most frequent pictures is of a shepherd.
f. Peter said in 1 Peter 5:4 – “And
when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
receive the unfading crown of
glory.”
g. Hebrews 13:20 – refers to Jesus as, “the
great shepherd.”
h. What a wonderful, glorious
thought! How comforting it is to
understand that
God knows me by name as a
shepherd knows his sheep. As the song says,
“My Jesus knows when I am lonely.
He knows each pain, He sees each care.
He understands each lonely heartache.
He understands because He cares.”
(Words and music by Mosie
Lister, September 8, 1921 – February 12, 2015).
3. The religious leaders of the Jews
were sucking the life out of the people through
their burdensome traditions. This is
what cold, ritualistic, legalistic, demanding
religion always does. Jesus came to
give life abundantly.
4. Abundant living is what people are
looking for. What does “abundant life” mean
to you?
a. Does it consist of a lot of money
or possessions? A bumper sticker said, “The
one with the most toys wins.”
b. Does it consist of political
power? There are many who would concur.
D. Jesus offers life that is satisfied, full
and content as a sheep following a day of
grazing in a fertile pasture.
1. A life that is secure because it is
protected by the shepherd.
2. A life that is significant because of
its relationship to the shepherd.
3. A life that is stable because it is
grounded in the shepherd.
E. Jesus is the door to that type of life.
1. He uses imagery with which the people
were familiar. Each village would have a
sheep fold – a pen. A place where
the sheep would be brought at night for
safety. All of the sheep of the village
were brought into the fold.
2. As a shepherd placed his sheep in the
fold he would look at each one to check
on its condition. No sheep could go into or out of the fold
without the shepherd.
The shepherd was the door.
3. In the morning the shepherd would
stand at the entrance to the fold and give his
distinctive call. His sheep knew his
voice and would follow him.
F. Jesus is the door to the sheep. He is
the means
by which we come to God. He is
the door. He is the way, the truth and
the life. He is the means of access to the
Father.
1. There is no other way but Jesus. This
does not fit the trend of political
correctness, tolerance or
multi-culturalism that has swept over our society. I
didn’t say it – Jesus did. “God said
it, I believe it, that settles it!”
2.
Many people approach God and religion as if they were playing “Let’s Make a
Deal,” where you choose between
doors 1, 2 or 3. Many say, “it does not matter
what a person believes as long as
you believe something.” This is not what
Jesus said. “I am the door.” “I am
the way, truth and life” (John 14:6).
II. WE ARE THE WELCOME MAT
A. You and I must show people to the door.
We are not the door but we welcome
people to the door and invite them to
come in. We are the “welcome mat.”
1. Do you ever need directions? A while back Tami and I went to Verizon arena
for
the first time. We didn’t have a
clue where to go. Fortunately we were
with Todd
and Cindy Hunter who knew where the
door was and showed us the way.
2. You have friends who need to know
where the door is. You are the one to
show
them.
B. Jesus is the door. We are the welcome mats. We
send a message to others of
inclusion or exclusion. We reach out or
we reject. What would Jesus do? What do
you do?
C. J. David Eschelman in his book, Now
Go Forward, says, “Loving unbelievers the
way Jesus did is the most overlooked key
to growing a church. The command to
love is the most repeated command in the
New Testament appearing at least 55
times.”
Eschelman goes on to list a number of
ways in which we can be welcoming to
others.
1. Every member is a host. The people
who come are our guests. Making people
feel welcome is done primarily from
the pews and not the pulpit. The preacher
can welcome people profusely but if
visitors do not feel welcomed by the
congregation they will not return.
2. Smile. You can never give a smile
away because it keeps coming right back to
you. Nothing communicates warmth and
friendship as much as a smile.
3. Take the initiative. You never know
how much a simple greeting can mean to
another person.
4. Learn something about another person.
Ask them about job, where they are
from, about their family. People
will respond when they feel you are interested in
them.
5. Pay attention to children! Pay
attention to children on their level. Love the
children! Bless the children!
6. Help people find their way. We have a
large building. It can be intimidating to
know where classes meet and where
different things are located. Help people
find their way. If you do not know
take them to the Welcome Center.
7. Put yourself in their shoes. How do
you feel when you are visiting an unfamiliar
church? How do you want the members
of that church to treat you?
CONCLUSION:
A. There
is an organization called, “Dependent Order Of Really Meek and Timid Souls.”
The first letter to those words spells,
“Doormats.” Their motto is, “The meek shall
inherit the earth... if that’s ok with
you.”
1. This is not the type of doormat Jesus
wants us to be.
2. He wants us to be proactive and
courageous as we lead people to the door where
they encounter the good shepherd who
gives abundant life.
B.
Have you come to the door? Have you met the good shepherd? Are you
experiencing abundant life? If we may help
you today we invite you to come as we
encourage one another in song.
