Jesus, the Door
Doors are everywhere. They are on our houses, businesses, schools, factories—they’re everywhere. And doors have a purpose – they’re designed to keep good stuff in and bad stuff out. In fact, just to be sure the doors do what they’re designed to do we put locks on them.
Jesus said “I AM THE DOOR. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). Jesus He is there to protect the flock - that’s us – and He is there to keep the good stuff in (that’s us) and bad stuff out (thieves, robbers, wolves and other bad things).
In John 10, Jesus is talking about the sheep pen. Now the shepherd would stand guard and even sleep there if he felt it was necessary so he is literally THE DOOR. He lays down across the opening of the pen so that the sheep don’t wander off and to keep watch.
Now, what’s interesting here is that Jesus stresses: “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
For the sheep who hear Jesus’ voice and follow Him, the door is open. But, for the thieves and robbers, the door’s locked. Not everybody who wants to get into the sheep pen is going to get in. Some folks apparently want to get in on their terms as they want to steal. In short, there will be those who want to steal us away from Jesus. Those who teach and preach doctrines that are not found in Scripture are the thieves and robbers.
Paul told the Elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:28-30 about this and said: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
John warned about the same problem, saying: “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
So we must be careful of anyone who ...
