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Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Red door on an old factory building in Columbia, PA
I like the way they painted the handle!
"I Am The Door"
Message summary: We encourage you all to enter this door of Christ which is the only way to salvation.
"So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:7,9).
Doors are something most of us take for granted. Anytime we have a dwelling we almost always have at least one door, although I vaguely recall visiting a home in Guatamala in a very poor barrio that had a doorway but no door. There were no doors between the two rooms where this family with two children lived. They used a community sink and latrine.
Our house has twenty-four doors. It never occurred to me, before preparing this message, to count each door. This includes closet doors and a shower door. You would probably be surprised how many doors you have in your house, should you choose to count them!
In Scripture the first reference to a door before the flood is the warning God gave to Cain before he killed his brother Abel, "Sin is crouching at the door" (Genesis 4:7). God speaks of Cain's sinful thoughts lying at his door similar to a crouching tiger ready to spring, and if it does spring the consequences are irreversible. "Door" is also used figuratively in a well-known verse in Revelation, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).
Among the most famous of Christ's teachings are His seven "I Am" statements. We were required to memorize these statements while in Bible College but at this point in life we need to look them up!
In my study of the "I Am" statements I have given the least consideration to today's verses where Christ speaks of Himself as "I am the door". Some versions use "gate" which of course has the same function as a door. (We have three gates on our backyard fence.)
In this context, Jesus is telling us that He is not only the shepherd of the sheep, but also the door of the sheep. In doing so, He is vividly contrasting Himself with that of the religious leaders of His time whom He describes as “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). When Jesus says, “I am the door,” He is reiterating the fact that only through Him is salvation possible. This is far removed from the ecumenical teachings popular in today’s liberal religious circles. Jesus makes it clear that any religious leader who offers salvation through any other means than the teachings of Christ is a “thief” and a “robber.” (from GotQuestions.org)
We encourage you all to enter this door of Christ which is the only way to salvation.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
the majority of people avoid walking through the door of salvation that
You provide through Christ Jesus, the Shepherd of our souls. They rely
on good works, generous giving, religion, and other means by which they
might attain eternal life. But You have made it abundantly clear in the
Scriptures and through the teachings of Christ, that the only way we
can be
reconciled to You, Father, is through Christ Jesus, who is the door to
salvation. We thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ to be the Lamb who was slain for sinners such as I. Amen.The "I Am" statements of Christ in John's Gospel:
1. I am the bread of life 6:35, 48, 51
2. I am the light of the world 8:12; 9:5
3. I am the door of the sheep 10:7, 9
4. I am the good shepherd 10:11, 14
5. I am the resurrection and the life 11:25
6. I am the way, the truth, and the life 14:6
7. I am the true vine 15:1
1. I am the bread of life 6:35, 48, 51
2. I am the light of the world 8:12; 9:5
3. I am the door of the sheep 10:7, 9
4. I am the good shepherd 10:11, 14
5. I am the resurrection and the life 11:25
6. I am the way, the truth, and the life 14:6
7. I am the true vine 15:1
In addition to these metaphorical "I am" statements there are absolute “I am” statements in these verses.
Sunday we passed this Lancaster County farm on Butter Road.
(Click to enlarge)
The long Hunsicker Covered Bridge
Yesterday I mistakenly misidentified a covered bridge we had passed through on Sunday. The covered bridge photos posted yesterday were actually not the Pinetown Covered Bridge but the Hunsicker Mill Covered Bridge. It was built in 1848, which is the longest single-span covered bridge in the County at 180 feet. It was rebuilt in 1973 after rising waters from Hurricane Agnes lifted it from the abutments and carried it downstream.
Here's a photo Ester took of the Pinetown Covered Bridge over the Conestoga River
Donkey in snow
Today's
Suggested Music and
Supplemental Resources
"I Am The Door" Video Children's song
"He Won't Leave You There" Video Jason Crabb
"He Knows What He's Doing" Video Jason Crabb
Commentary on daily text from GotQuestions.org
Finally today: In our home we also have 52 more doors counting refrigerator, coal stove, kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors! We also have five more doors in our utility barn and garden shed. We also have three gates on our backyard fence. You'd probably be surprised at how many doors you have! OK, Brooksyne calls me crazy, but once I got to counting I decided to do a thorough job of it.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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