I Am The Gate

There is only one way to get to the safe place of rest that God offers his sheep.

John 10:1-9  "I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!  2  But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  3  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4  After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.  5  They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."

6  Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what He meant,  7  so He explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  8  All who came before Me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.

9  Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through Me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

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There are two people that were very important in taking care of the sheep, there was obviously the shepherd and there was a lesser known person know as the gatekeeper. We all know that the shepherd was the guy that owned the sheep and they spent most of their time with him out in the fields but we don't hear much about the gatekeeper.

Back in those days the shepherds would bring there sheep into a common sheepfold so that the would have a wall of protection around them during the night. Then the shepherds would be able to go home knowing that the sheep were in a pen and the only way into that pen was through the gate.

The gatekeeper was important for the safety of the sheep, he would accept the sheep from all of the local shepherds and then lock the gate or he would become the gate by bedding down in the opening. The thieves and robbers that tried to harm the sheep had to harm the guy that was being the gate or they had to try to climb the wall which was probably decorated with thorns around the top of it.

Since a live sheep would be difficult to get back over the wall it is very likely that they would slaughter the sheep right there in the pen. The reason they wanted the lamb was to have food or to have the fleece so either way the lamb was going to die.

The Gate Is Narrow
Matthew 7:13-14  "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

The sheepfold is Israel and God's children are the sheep. Jesus is the only gate that will give you access to God's kingdom and protection from the thieves and robbers. The leaders of Judaism tried to make it as difficult to gain access to God's sheepfold as they could, their false teaching took advantage of the sheep and caused Jesus to be moved with compassion. (Matthew 9:35-38)

Jesus wants us to know that his children have a place of safety and rest and there is only one narrow opening to get you there. (Matthew 11:28, 1 Timothy 2:5) These concepts are difficult for our world to understand. We want God to let us into the sheepfold by our rules, we don't want there to be one way in that he gets to define, we like to be in charge but we don't get to be the boss.

Thank you Lord for caring enough for such lowly, dirty and dumb creatures that you went to the extreme to give them an eternal dwelling place of safety and rest.

RELATED ARTICLES

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No Horses Required

God is in control.

Psalms 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 "When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! 2 When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. 3 He will say to them, 'Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. 4 For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!'

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There is a strong temptation to turn to God every time that the going gets tough, where else are you going to turn, where else are you going to get so much strength to get you through. But there is an even stronger temptation to look around at all the blessings that we have, all the resources that God has bestowed on us and then we begin to lose our loyalty to God. Because we have so many resources we begin to take our eyes off of God.

We forget that we don't have control of the things that God has given to us, by God's power we received them from him and we are powerless to hold on to them if he wants to take them from us.

God is our strength and our provider, I need to keep that in mind no matter what the circumstances are.

Thank you Lord for your protection and strength, help me to keep the faith and rely on you.

Following God Is Risky

How much risk is too much?

Luke 21:16  “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.”

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Jesus words to his disciples don’t sound very motivational, at the end of his ministry he is letting them know that things are not going to be easy, but God’s people have never been called on to take it easy.

We have always been called on to take risk, a life of ease and luxuries are probably not what the Lord has in mind for your life, and yet most of western civilization lives on the premise of staying comfortable and safe.

Why is there such a thing as risk? Because there is such a thing as ignorance. If there were no ignorance there would be no risk. Risk is possible because we don’t know how things will turn out. This means that God can take no risks. It is right to risk for the cause of Christ, and not to do so is to waste your life. -John Piper

Brave men and women of the Bible have been in sticky situations and have left the outcome of their circumstances in the Lord’s hands.

2 Samuel 10:12 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight.”

Esther 4:15-16 Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Daniel 3:16-18 O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

Acts 21:13 “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done’”

In other parts of the world the church lives just like the people in the verses above, but most of us live in a safe, secure life style that looks nothing like God’s people lived in the Bible.

I believe that God is calling us to take risk for him, to step out and do what he calls us to do, something that we could not do on our own without his intervention. Because in risk we can see God’s provision and sustenance, so in leaving the secure safe place and taking risk we are showing God to the rest of the world.

King Xerxes knew more about God and his power after Esther took a risk, King Nebuchadnezzar was sure who the real God is after the Israelites came out of the furnace, if we follow the Lord and go where he leads and take the risk that he calls us to then he gets the glory when we provides.

But what happens when the people of God do not escape from the beguiling enchantment of security? What happens if they try to live their lives in the mirage of safety? The answer is wasted lives. -John Piper

Do you remember the time it happened?

Numbers 13:30-31 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are."

Look at all the wasted lives that wouldn’t trust God and take the risk that they were called to take, thousands of wasted lives and years sitting in the desert instead of the promised land.

This is the promise that empowers us to take risks for the sake of Christ. It is not the impulse of heroism, or the lust for adventure, or the courage of self-reliance, or the need to earn God’s favor. It is simple trust in Christ—that in him God will do everything necessary so that we can enjoy making much of him forever. -John Piper

And now what about you? Are you caught in the enchantment of security, paralyzed from taking any risks for the cause of God?

I must step out by faith and do what the Lord asks me to do, even if it makes me uncomfortable, I must not play it safe.

Help us Lord to prove our faith by following you no matter what the cost.

Was Your God Able To Rescue You?

scripture

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Daniel 6:25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:

“Peace and prosperity to you! 26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. 27 He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

observation

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Two days ago we were looking at Job, he was a righteous man and had a great relationship with God, today we have Daniel who is probably every bit as righteous before God as Job was. Daniel is known for the lion’s den as well as the time that he spent with King Nebuchadnezzar and stood up for his beliefs. Job and Daniel were both great men of God and yet God worked through them both in very different ways and as Job learned neither should argue with God about their circumstances.

Jealousy is a strong motivator and the men that worked in the office with Daniel could not stand that Daniel was doing a better job than they were and he was still taking time off every day to go home and pray on his lunch break, after the law is signed Daniel continues his routine of prayer three times each day and the king is thrown into a situation where he has to find a way to save Daniel.

It is interesting that the king spent the night fasting and he was likely talking to God during that time, Daniel had obviously had an effect on the king already and now after the Lord saves Daniel the king is persuaded that the God of Daniel is the one true God that has everything under control, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in poverty God is working in the life of his people and their circumstances should not cause them to doubt his love.

application

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Being in God’s will may find you working in a hostile environment with jealous coworkers that are out to get you, it may find you being blessed beyond measure, as long as I am in the center of his will for me then I know that he will provide for me in every situation.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for your never ending love and protection for your people.

This Is the Lord's Battle

scripture

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1 Samuel 17: 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

observation

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What great assurance and comfort the king must have felt when David told him:

1 Samuel 17:32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

Oh, okay, well that takes a load off our minds! Thanks for taking care of that for us.

David’s brothers and the rest of the army of Israel were in a showdown and nobody was able to muster the courage to stand up to this huge man. For forty days this guy keeps coming out and taunting the Lord’s army and then at the end of the day they all retreat to their camp and sleep, if they can, and then do it all over again tomorrow, this must be getting really old.

David trusted in God to save him from this moment but did he always trust God for every moment? Nope, there were times in his life when he didn’t trust God and he relied on his own strength instead.

Nobody wants to face the giants but it is when the giants lose that the power of God is displayed then everyone will see that the Lord rescues his people. What a great witness for the Lord.

application

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I will face the difficult times and witness the power of God, when my wife’s health is failing and she continues to praise God through it, I know that it is his power that gets her through the day as she pushes on and on. She is an awesome testimony to anyone that will listen.

prayer

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Thank you Lord, for taking care of your children. We do not understand the suffering and the persecution that your children endure all over the world. Give my wife the strength to get through the day.