ThanksLIVING

November 22, 2015 (110313)

Thanksliving

Psalm 116:12-19    NOTES NOT EDITED

SIS – Showing gratitude to God requires much more than saying grace at a meal.

¹² How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? ¹³ I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh. ¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. ¹⁵ The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight. ¹⁶ Lord, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant. You have loosened my bonds. ¹⁷ I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh. ¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people, ¹⁹ in the courts of the Lord’s house—within you, Jerusalem. ^•Hallelujah!

"repay" (shuwb).  Used over 1000 times in the OT.  Here it is in a form that describes "causation, and action."  The word, "render, or repay (NIV)" means to "cause something to return," in this case return to God.

The word is also in a form that denotes a continuous action.  In other words, "gratitude is on an on-going lifestyle."  Or as I like to say, it is "thanksLIVING."

The word is a much stronger form than the English, "repay, or give back."  The word, "repay," is a weak translation because it suggests that we can "pay God back in kind" for what He has done for us through Christ.  Of course, we have nothing God needs, and nothing that could even approach the worth of our salvation.

Giving thanks to God literally means, "turning our lives completely back to him,” -- as our Jewish friends would say, "lox, stocks, and bagels."  It is an absolutely complete surrender of our will.  Mere “lip service” will not accomplish “thanksliving”—this requires, “on-going activity of holy living.”

So, what exactly do we "turn back, or give back, to God?"  Certainly as I said, we have nothing God needs.  But, we do have some things God wants.  ThanksLIVING has several important components.

1.  ThanksLiving requires total TRUST (13)

¹³ I will take the cup of salvation

and call on the name of Yahweh.

The Book of Psalms was the "hymnbook" of Israel.  Each psalm has a specific event or situation in mind.  In this particular time the occasion is a "celebration of thanksgiving for deliverance from a major crisis."

The most representative crisis in the OT (which typifies all the crises God's people may face) was the "deliverance from bondage in Egypt."  This event is the pivotal event in the life of Israel.  Israel's bondage in Egypt typifies, or illustrates, every person's bondage to sin.  God’s deliverance from Egypt through Moses in the Exodus foreshadowed Christ’s deliverance from sin on the cross.

The most important principle uncovered in this verse is that "salvation," or deliverance from sin and trouble, involves an act of the WILL.  God provides the "cup of salvation," but it takes an act of one's will to make that salvation effective for saving one's soul.  It is not a matter of "knowing" in our head that God has provided a "cup of salvation," it is a matter of the heart, to "receive the free gift that is offered."

I could deposit a million dollars in your bank account but if you never take action by making a withdrawal you’ll live in poverty and want.

Salvation, or deliverance, from sin and strife in our lives is a matter of "trust."  The most significant gift we can give God in response to His great benefit of salvation, is our complete and childlike trust in him.

One day, a father and his young son were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs.  Suddenly, the Dad heard a voice from above him yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" He turned around to see his boy joyfully jumping off a rock and hurdling straight towards him.  The little boy jumped first and then yelled.  The Dad became an instant circus act, catching his young son at the last minute. They both fell to the ground. The hurdling little boy briefly knocked the wind out of his Dad.  When Dad found his voice again he gasped in exasperation: "Son! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???" The little boy smiled from ear to ear and responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. Dad had at first been a little "perturbed" at the son's impetuous actions, but the little boy's unmitigated trust brought joy to Dad's heart and a smile to Dad's face.

¹³ I will take the cup of salvation

and call on the name of Yahweh.

When we act with complete trust by willfully and enthusiastically accepting the free gift of salvation that God has provided through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son, it brings joy to God's heart.

Regardless of what circumstance we might find ourselves engaged in or assaulted by, we can jump into the arms of our Heavenly Father with complete trust, knowing He is both able and willing to catch us.

Giving God our childlike trust is one way to say, "Thank You!" for the gift of salvation.

2.  ThanksLiving requires absolute OBEDIENCE (v 14)

¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all His people.

Let me say clearly:  there is absolutely nothing you can do to deserve or earn God's "cup of salvation."  This is wholly an act of God's grace and no works nor anything of human worth can achieve it or acquire it.

However, once a person has truly received God's miracle of salvation by grace, then through faith, that person will work tirelessly and endlessly to fulfill our vows to "love, cherish, and obey" God as the Bride of Christ, the church.

There is an eternity of difference between saying "I can do nothing to earn God's love and salvation," and saying, "I need do nothing once I have received God's gift of salvation.

Paul states the matter succinctly:

^{Phil 2:12 12} So then, my dear friends,  just as you have always obeyed,  not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³ For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.

Notice Paul's use of prepositions in these verses.  A preposition is a small word used to amplify or clarify the meaning of another word, such as the verb of a sentence.  In this passage in Philippians, Paul distinquishes "working OUT" our salvation, which is an act of human effort, from "working IN" our salvation which is wholly an act of Divine Grace.  The word play between “out” and “in” do not occur as neatly in the Greek, but the result is the same.  The word, “work out,” comes from the Greek meaning, to “bring to the ultimate conclusion.” 

The issue of "fulfilling one's vows" is simply a matter of being obedient to God's Word, which will “bring our salvation to the ultimate conclusion” God intends.  As we take in God's Word, by faith, we work OUT our faith through obedient actions.

The Apostle James adds to what Paul is saying:

^{Jam 2:18 18} But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”  Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.  ^{d 19} You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.

Both Paul and James, along with the writer of this Psalm, indicate that someone who says they "know God," but have no on-going Godly works to prove it are no better than the "demons of hell."

That ought to get our attention.

If we go back to our Psalm (116) we will note that the word, "fulfill," is in a special stem in the Hebrew that indicates, "intensity."  It is called the piel stem.  Actually, though two words can share the same root meaning, changing the stem creates a completely different word for those that speak the language.  For example, in the regular stem one might say, "I broke the vase."  By changing a few letters to make the piel stem you would say, "I smashed the vase."  The meaning is much more intense.  Add to the special stem the fact that it is in a special "tense" (imperfect) that denotes "continuous" action.  Thanking God should be an "intense, on-going" activity in our lives.

Fulfilling one's vows to God as a believer should be a matter of "intense effort." 

There is even more to "shalēm" than the intense action.  This word is in a family of words related to "peace and well-being."  Shalēm is the basis for the common Jewish greeting, shalōm, which means "to be well and prosperous."  Fulfilling one's vows through ThanksLIVING is absolutely essential to gaining well-being in life.  No amount of head knowledge will ever substitute for intense, enthusiastic, on-going steadfast obedience.

I read the most incredible story of obedience not long ago. It involved a dog.  How we admire the obedience a dog shows to its master! Archibald Rutledge wrote that one day he met a man whose dog had just been killed in a forest fire. Heartbroken, the man explained to Rutledge how it happened. Because he worked out-of-doors, he often took his dog with him. That morning, he left the animal in a clearing and gave him a command to stay and watch his lunch bucket while he went into the forest. His faithful friend understood, for that's exactly what he did. Then a fire started in the woods, and soon the blaze spread to the spot where the dog had been left. But he didn't move. He stayed right where he was, in perfect obedience to his master's word. With tearful eyes, the dog's owner said, "I always had to be careful what I told him to do, because I knew he would do it."

When we give thanks to God, one important aspect is absolute obedience

3. ThanksLiving requires continuing SACRIFICE ( 17)

¹⁷ I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of Yahweh.

ThanksLIVING involves complete and total trust.  ThanksLIVING involves complete and total obedience.  It only follows that ThanksLIVING involves complete and total "sacrifice."

The word "sacrifice" was packed with meaning for those to whom this Psalm was first written.  For centuries the sacrificial system had been the heartbeat of the nation.  Rivers of blood had flowed from the altars of the tabernacle, and later the temple.  The smell of blood was a pungent daily reminder to the Israelites of the penalty of sin. 

Death and blood are common themes in the Word. "The wages of sin is death.  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Jesus said, this is my blood shed for many for the remission of sin."

Adam and Eve could not have imagined the "bloody mess" that would result from taking one small bite from a forbidden fruit.

Unfortunately, the word, “sacrifice,” (and the idea) carries much less significance in our world today -- including in our churches.  We don't want a sacrificial religion, we want a comfortable religion. We want a Christianity without a Crucified Christ. 

Mahatma Gandhi said that six things will destroy us. Notice that all of them have to do with social and political conditions. Note also that the antidote of each of these "deadly sins" is an explicit external standard or something that is based on natural principles and laws, not on social values. Even a Hindu got this part right.  Ghandhi got the problem correct, but what erred on was the solution.

Wealth Without Work, Pleasure Without Conscience

Knowledge Without Character, Commerce (Business) Without Morality (Ethics), Science Without Humanity

Politics Without Principle

These six "deadly social sins" are evident throughout our world, and especially our nation.  But, I believe it is this last "deadly sin" that lies at the root of all other social maladies:  "Religion without Sacrifice."

Certainly, there is no Christianity without a Crucified Christ.  There is not effective churchmanship without on-going sacrifice.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer calls religion without sacrifice, "Cheap Grace."  Salvation is not free because it is cheap, it is free because Jesus Christ paid for it with His own blood.  There can be no ThanksLIVING without sacrifice.

While our sacrifice--even should we pay the ultimate price of a martyr's death--could never repay God for the sacrifice of HIS Son on the cross in our place. That being said, however, it is a great gift to God when we joyfully embrace suffering for the cause of Christ.

James says,   ^{James 1:2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Paul reminds us,   ^{Rom. 8:18} “For I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Paul and James both speak matter of factly about suffering in the lives of believers.  It is going to come.  You cannot have Christianity with a Crucified Christ.

Are you willing to give God the gift of joyful sacrifice?

Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, “The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master”.  Have you found the Master of Your Soul?

It is said that on his retreat from Greece after his great military expedition there, King Xerxes boarded a Phoenician ship along with a number of his Persian troops. But a fearful storm came up, and the captain told Xerxes there was no hope unless the ship’s load was substantially lightened. The king turned to his fellow Persians on deck and said, “It is on you that my safety depends. Now let some of you show your regard for your king.” A number of the men bowed to Xerxes and threw themselves overboard! Lightened of its load, the ship made it safely to harbor. Xerxes immediately ordered that a golden crown be given to the pilot for preserving the king’s life – then ordered the man beheaded for causing the loss of so many Persian lives!

Getting saved will cost you nothing.  Staying saved will cost you nothing.  But, “thanksLIVING,” will cost you daily in your sacrifice to God.

¹⁷ I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

ThanksLiving means we give our complete and total trust to God.  We give God our unqualified, enthusiastic obedience.  ThanksLiving means we give God whatever sacrifice of our time, treasure, and talent may be asked of us.

4.  ThanksLiving requires our         unthrottled PRAISE! (19)

Psalm 116 (like so many psalms) ends with the simple imperative:

Hallelujah!

This English phrase translates two Hebrew words:  hallelu (hal'lu) yah!  These combine to give us one English word, "hallelujah." 

What does it mean "to give God praise?"  First and foremost what the Psalmist is depicting is something "corporate and public."  Notice verses

14:  "in the presence of all His people."

18:  "in the presence of all His people."

19a:  "in the courts of the Lord's house."

19b:  "in the midst of Jerusalem."

Praise is a gift we give God corporately and publicly.  God has many agents, but none of us are "secret agents."  We cannot truly render, or pay back to God, our praise by doing it privately.

The word, "hal'lu," goes back to an ancient Middle Eastern root mean "to be clear" (as with a sound or more often a color).  In this sense you might say "to praise means to show your true colors."

The word, "hal'lu," also means to "shine or burst forth," sort of like light and heat from an explosion.  In this sense, "praise," refers to something loud and unmistakable.

The word, "hal'lu," also can mean, "act foolishly,"  You could even expand the word without doing it injustice to mean, "act raving mad about something."

The closest way, perhaps, to understand the Hebrew idea of praise in a modern vernacular is to look at a typical NFL fan.

The paint their faces, dress in crazy costumes and cheer for their team at the top of their voices.  They travel great distances, brave inclement weather, and pay ridiculously high prices to watch a 2 hour contest.

I don't see anything wrong with being a sports fanatic.  It is good to have a favorite team to root for.  Some people go further than others, but as long as it's done in good taste, there's no harm in showing a little enthusiasm or even acting a little foolish.

So, why not be just as "fanatic" about God in church as we are sports when we are in the stadium.  Praise should be "explosive."  Praise should show our true colors as a believer.  Praise should even make us feel a little foolish from time to time, perhaps--like raising our hands in complete surrender during a song. 

ThanksLiving requires we give God praise.

I don't think there is a more appropriate holiday in our Western calendar than Thanksgiving Day.  But, we should not limit Thanksgiving to a day, but should give God thanks everyday.  We should practice THANKSLIVING:  giving God our full trust, our absolute obedience, continuing sacrifice, and unreserved praise.  That's true thanksgiving – that’s thanks LIVING!

Giving thanks to God must be more than a one-day celebration of the "god of our belly."  Thanksgiving should really "ThanksLIVING."  We should mark every day of our lives by "giving thanks to God."

The Psalmist poses the question:

"What shall I render (or repay) to the

Lord for all His benefits?"

Our answer should be:  I will give God my complete and total trust, my absolute obedience, and the continuing sacrifice of all I have and all I am. 

I will show my gratitude through THANKSLIVING.

The Gatekeeper

November 8, 2015  NOTES NOT EDITED

The Gatekeeper

John 10:1-21

SIS— We owe a great deal of gratitude to those who stand guard at the gates of our freedom modeling the character of the Lord Jesus Christ Who stands guard at the gate of our soul.

War is an ugly thing.  I’m not talking about the sanitized version of war that crosses your screen for a few seconds of “nightly news.”  For most people, the only contact we have had with Iraq or Afghanistan are in political debates.  Modern wars come and go without even the least disruption of American life. 

World War II played out much differently.  Our entire nation sprang to action from Rosie the Riveter to the rationing of food, metal, tires, clothing and nearly everything else.  The whole country mustered to fight that war.  Some of you may remember the “ration books.”  Every American felt the bitter bite of World War II, not just those in combat.

We have become accustomed to having our wars without any attending inconvenience.  We did not go to bed last night worried that a mortar may tear through our tents and end our lives.  Yet, many Americans did go to bed last night in that very situation. We slept peacefully in our beds because the “gatekeepers” in our military stood watch, some in very hostile environments.  In a quote often attributed to George Orwell we read this reminder of the “gatekeepers” who provide the peace we enjoy, and often take for granted.  That quote reminds us why we can go to sleep at night without fear:   “We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”

That’s the essence of our military.  They are the gatekeepers.  They lay their lives on the line at the gates to our freedom to assure that our freedom will never be taken away.  In ancient Israel, as we will see, the shepherd was a gatekeeper.  He literally placed his body across the gateway into the sheep fold-there was only one--so that no wolf or predator could attack the sheep.  This is the essence of the verse that says, “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13).  Over six thousand members of our military have given their lives lying across the gate in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Hundreds of thousands have served as gatekeepers in these wars, and other wars before.  Our plague in the back honors those related to our congregation who have served or are serving.  One of those named—Marine Lance Corporal, Anthony C. Melia—gave his life in Iraq.  President Reagan once said that a service member who dies in action gives two lives.  He gives up the life he was living, and the life he would have lived had he or she come home.  Being a gatekeeper poses tremendous risks to life and limb. 

The very foundation of our faith turns on the identity of Jesus Christ as THE “gatekeeper.”  He not only is the gatekeeper, but He is the gateway, the door.  Jesus is the model for the gatekeepers in our armed services.  Let’s read together what the Bible says about Jesus as the Gatekeeper.  John 10:1-18.

This metaphor, parable or allegory depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd had an enormous impact upon those to whom the Lord first spoke.  Time and differences in culture have robbed modern readers of much of the meaning of this teaching.  Few of us have seen sheep outside of a petting zoo.  Ancient Israel’s economy hinged on raising sheep to provide wool.  Sheep and shepherds played a very important role in the life of Israel.  The life of a shepherd in Israel was not only extremely hard, it was very dangerous.  The land was rocky and pasture lands were sparse.  Sheep would wander looking for fresh patches to graze on.  The shepherd had to be extremely vigilante. Deep ravines also crisscrossed the landscape and sheep could easily wander over a clift.  Wild animals, especially wolves, constantly threatened the flock.  There were also thieves and robbers willing to kill the shepherd to steal the sheep.  A shepherd’s job was hard and dangerous.  Years ago, a bible scholar visiting Israel described the shepherd of Israel, “On some high moor, across which at night the hyenas howl, when you meet the shepherd, sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, leaning on his staff, and looking out over his scattered sheep . . . you understand why the shepherd of Judea sprang to the front in people’s minds.  Contant vigilance, fearless courage, and patient love for his flock, were the necessary characteristics of the shepherd.” (Barclay, 53).

Constant vigilance, fearless courage, and love for others also describe a soldier, our modern day gatekeepers.  These qualities and more, such as faithfulness, sacrifice, and selflessness are shared by shepherds of old and the modern soldier.  All the virtues that make a great shepherd or a great soldier flow from the virtuous character of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the quintessential “gatekeeper.”  He is the Eternal Gatekeeper.  He “laid down His life as a sacrifice so that you and I could have eternal life—if we turn from our sins and accept the gift the Good Shepherd provides.

Jesus is not only the “Gatekeeper” protecting the flock by laying His life between His flock and the Evil One that would come to “steal and kill” (v 10), but Jesus is the very “gate” of life itself.  Look again in verse 7:   I am  the door of the sheep.  The NIV says, I am the gate for the sheep.  As the “gate, gatekeeper, or door” for the sheep Jesus exhibits three primary qualities.

1.  A STRONG Gate (14-18)

Before I read the verse that speaks of the “absolute power” of Jesus Christ as the Gate, or Gatekeeper, let me remind you of what we have already spoken about the life of a shepherd.  Being a shepherd was a hard, dangerous life with many significant challenges.  As such, the faint of heart need not apply for this position.  In this story the “helplessness and total dependence” of the sheep is contrasted by the “absolute power” of the shepherd.  It takes a “strong, courageous man to risk his life for others.”  As I said earlier, both soldiers and shepherds were positions requiring great courage and strength.

Verses 14 through 18, especially verse 18, describe the “absolute power and strength” of Jesus Christ:

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, ¹⁵ as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father.  I lay down My life  for the sheep. ¹⁶ But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.  ¹⁷ This is why the Father loves Me,  because I am laying down My life  so I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”

This passage alone could easily occupy a whole sermon, or even a series of sermons.  You will quickly note the numerous references to God, the Father.  Jesus asserts His special relationship with the Father.  In short, Jesus is asserting His deity.  The pious Jews in the crowd got the message and reacted negatively as we see in v19:

¹⁹ Again a division  took place among the Jews
because of these words. 

Numerous times Jesus had clashed with the Jews over the words He spoke, particularly when He spoke directly about His identity as God, the Son.  Notice chapter 8, verses 57-59:

⁵⁷ The Jews replied, “You aren’t 50 years old yet, and You’ve seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.”  ⁵⁹ At that, they picked up stones to throw at Him.

Those words of Jesus, “I am,” [ἐγώ (I) εἰμί (I am)] stung the hearts of the Jewish leaders like a bee.  Jesus spoke the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name for God, “Yaweh” – and used an emphatic form for, well, emphasis.  So, they were going to stone Him for blasphemy.

The Gospel of John is different from the other three.  It has a much narrower purpose:  to declare that Jesus is completely human and at the same time completely divine.  Jesus gets into conflict with the Jews over His assertion of deity.  Keep that in mind and go back to verse 18:   No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again.

Bible translators are faced with a difficult task as to how to translate the word, translated in the HCSB, as “right.”  Most modern translations render the word as “right” or “authority.”  The KJV renders the word, exousia (ἐξουσία), as “power.” Both translations are technically correct, and both are technically incomplete.  The more commonly expected word if the translation were to be “power,” would be dunamis, which refers to an “innate ability” to accomplish a task.  For example, a weight lifter would have the “power” to lift several hundreds of pounds and a canary would have the “power” to fly.  Exousia more technically refers to the “right or authority” to perform an action—like the right of a king to declare a new law.  However, most scholars understand that one who possesses the authority to do something, also possesses the power to carry out the action.  Exousia  can be viewed as “absolute power,” or “divine power.”  One scholarly authority describes it as, Jesus’ “divinely given power and authority to act” (TDNT).

Jesus is a STRONG gate.  His power extends even to the power of life and death—that’s the key principle to understanding this entire allegory.

2.  He is an OPEN Gate (vv 9-11)

One always has to be careful not to read into a text more than the text will support.  In an allegorical passage like this one--or perhaps better to call it an “extended parable” (paroimia, παροιμία)—there is always a greater danger to “over-spiritualize” the story.  In this case, I think the idea that as the “Gate to the Sheepfold,” Jesus is an OPEN gate.  That is, as the Good Shepherd (this story mixes the metaphors of Jesus being the Gate, the Good Shepherd, and the Gatekeeper), Jesus cares meticulously for the needs of the sheep He loves.  Verses 9-11 say,

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ A thief comes only to steal  and to kill and to destroy.  I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus contrasts Himself as the Good Shepherd with those of a “hired hand” who only cares about what he can get out of sheep, and thieves (steal without violence) and robbers (steal with violence) who want to misuse and abuse the sheep.  As with most of the passages in John, I will leave out sufficient information for a series of sermons. 

The point I want to make is the loving, abundant care that Jesus provides for us as His sheep.  We have free access to God the Father through Jesus the Son and everything that belongs to the Son is shared by those who follow the Son.  Romans 8:14-17:

All those led by God’s Spirit  are God’s sons.  ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption,  by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”  ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that  we suffer with Him  so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Jesus provides full and unrestricted access to all that God, the Father, has to give.  We are not slaves consigned to simply till the soil outside the palace to provide for the care and comfort of the king.  We are “joint-heirs, sons and daughters” of God Almighty that have OPEN access to the Father through the Son.  I love what Hebrews 4:16 teaches:  Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

Jesus, as the Gatekeeper and Shepherd, leads us out into rich pastures to gorge ourselves on the goodness of God.  The Shepherd’s Psalm declares:  ¹ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. ² He lets me lie down in green pastures;  He leads me beside quiet waters.

After leading us “out” into green pastures, as the Good Shepherd, Jesus leads us back into the safety of the fold; and then, as the Gatekeeper, He lies across the only entry into the fold and protects us with His might and power.

Jesus is an OPEN gate to God’s blessings.  He gives us free, unrestricted access to the Father.  I don’t think most Christians really comprehend what it means that Jesus is an “open door to the Father.”  Life is hard, but without access to God Jesus, it is downright impossible.  Makes me think of an ad in a paper for a lost dog:

      “Lost—One dog.  Brown hair with several bald spots.  Right leg
        broken in car accident.  Left hip injured.  Right eye missing.  Left
        ear bitten off in a dog fight.  Answers to the name, “Lucky.”

Life is hard and “being lucky” isn’t enough to provide you with the “abundant life.”  Jesus said, “I am the door . . . I have come that you may have life, and have it in abundance” (verse 10).

Jesus is a STRONG gate with both the authority and power to protect you and to give you the assurance that if you accept Him as the Lord, you WILL have eternal life.  Jesus is and OPEN gate.  He loves you and He wants to give you complete and unrestricted access to the very “treasure chest of heaven.”  Jesus is also the

3.  ONLY Gate (v 1)

I assure you: Anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the door but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Linger a moment on those words, “Some other way.”  . . . . . . . . . .

This is the same Apostle John who would record the words of Jesus Christ just a few chapters later saying,  “I am THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. No one comes to the Father except through me!” (14:6).  

Luke would declare:  ^{Acts 4:12} There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.

Perhaps no doctrine in the Bible gets more maligned by critics, or mismanaged by well-meaning but errant Christian teachers than the fact that Jesus Christ is the Only Way of Salvation and Christianity is, indeed, an “exclusive” religion.

Many Muslims are “good” people (as we use that term colloquially in our common language); but, Muslims who do not “exclusively” declare allegiance to Jesus Christ as the Only Way, will go straight to hell when they die.  Islam is “some other way.”  I’ve know more than a few Hindus who were “good” people; but if a Hindu does not forsake the esoteric ways of the gurus and embrace Jesus Christ as the Only Way to salvation, they will go straight to hell when they die.  The same can be said for Buddhists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, and yes, even some Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists and Pentacostals.   Anyone who does not forsake in hope in “religion” or “some other way” other than complete and exclusive trust in Jesus Christ, that person will go straight to hell when they die.

People in our pluralistic, everything-is-relative, universalistic culture recoil at strong preaching that declares Jesus is the Only Way to salvation.  The truth remains, however, being good won’t save you (in fact, being good is impossible without being saved), and being religious, not matter how sincere one might be, WILL NOT SAVE YOU!  Jesus is the ONLY gate through which one can pass into eternal life.

Few people listening to Frank Sinatra imagined that the philosophy in one of his songs almost four decades ago would become the prevailing religion of our culture today.  That song, adapted from a French song and written by Paul Anka became Sinatra’s signature song, “My Way.”  This has become the theme of American religion, everybody is pursuing salvation or fulfillment their “own way.”  People are nearly as “anti-religious” as they are “overly religious,” seeking to “cover all the bases” so to speak.

A decade or so, maybe a little more, a woman by the name of Ema Drouillard in San Francisco began over “baptism-style ceremonies” in which God is never mentioned.  The intent is to “initiate” one’s children into a world of “all faiths.”  She has expanded into weddings offering several special packages such as, “The I Love You Package,” or the “Loves Sonnet Package,” or the “Simple Happiness Package.”  One couple using her “baptism services” remarked, “We just wanted a larger spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn’t want to get specific.  I wanted all her bases covered . . . for our baby who believes in angels, and fairies, leprechauns and Santa Claus.”

I admit that is a little funny to me, but I restrain myself from poking fun or laughing because the consequences of “some other way” are devastating—eternally devastating.  There is not “some other way, or ways,” but there is only One Way, that is through Jesus Christ, the Door or the Gate.

Perhaps it seems a little contrived to weave a message on Jesus Christ as the Gate, the Door, or the Good Shepherd with the idea of a person serving in the military.  The common denominator is that both the soldier and Our Savior stand guard at the door of our lives protecting and preserving our freedom.  The soldier does it for our physical freedom and physical way of life.  The Savior serves as the Gatekeeper over our spiritual freedom and eternal life.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to those who stand guard at the gates of our freedom modeling the character of the Lord Jesus Christ Who stands guard at the gate of our soul. 

This is a lesson we would do well to think deeply about.