Good morning, friends! We’re in week 3 of our I AM series in the Gospel of John. This series is based on the most important question Jesus ever asked—and still asks us today which is “Who do you say I am?” As we look to answer that, we can find ourselves in the Gospel According to John. One unique feature of John’s Gospel is the seven ‘I AM’ statements—where Jesus reveals that he is Yahweh and shows us who he is. We’re going to focus on the third I AM statement today.

First, I want to show you a picture of a door. But, not just any door. It’s the door to 10 Downing Street in London. This is the door to the Prime Minister’s residence in the U.K. It’s not open to the public and to get there, you’d have to sneak around secure fencing, 24/7 security, and more. But once you get to the door, there’s actually no keyhole and it’s made of steel. It’s blast proof meaning it should be able to withstand a direct explosion on it. Now, does this door scream “come on in?” No, of course not.

And it got me thinking that this is how people view God often. They view him as closed off, difficult to get to, and indifferent. But is that true? It’s not true.

Today, we’ll be reading John 10:1-10 to see that would be an incorrect view of God. And instead, we’ll see that God is not closed off – instead, he invites us in to his kingdom through the gate.

We will see that in Jesus alone, we find true freedom, unshakeable security, and a joyful life for today.

Would you please stand if you’re able as we read God’s Word?

Jesus Alone

In verse 7, Jesus makes the exclusive claim that he is the gate. He’s not just an option to getting right with God, he is the only option. That sounds harsh, I know. But, do you ever notice how when Jesus says something controversial or difficult, he doubles down? That’s what he does next in verse 9. Jesus expounds upon this idea that the only way to experience the gift of salvation is to enter through the gate of Jesus. It’s almost as if he is saying: in case I wasn’t clear, I AM the gate not just an option for you.

I want to briefly show you how important gates or doors are in the bible. Riveting stuff, I know? First, just what a gate does: a gate marks a boundary between those on the inside and those on the outside. Throughout the Old Testament, gates or doors were often used to separate the heavenly and earthly realms. For instance, the holy of holies in the temple was separated by a gate or veil. On one side, the very presence and fierce holiness of the Lord was there – bringing heaven down to earth. On the other side, the Levitical priests made sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. All of this was separated by a veil, door, or gate. Without those sacrifices and following God’s instructions on one particular day, there was never a way to cross that veil or gate.

And now, Jesus says that he is the gate. He’s the one who controls that now, it’s not about the sacrifices by the priests anymore. It’s about the sacrifice of Christ, once and for all – that’s why the veil tore in two when Jesus died. In effect, that said the barrier is gone – the way to God is open! So, Jesus is the ultimate revelation of heaven coming down to earth. Leslie Newbiggin, in his commentary, put it this way: “Jesus is the ladder by which traffic between heaven and earth is carried.” So, when we enter his gate as his followers, we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

When you start to talk about Jesus being the only gate or entryway to God, people often call that idea closed-minded or arrogant. Ultimately, it’s neither of those things though – it’s not arrogant because Jesus is saying that this is true, it’s just reality. The bigger question folks should be asking is: is Jesus right?  

Imagine with me this scenario. You have a life-threatening sickness, so you go to the doctor. Your doctor tells you: look, I can heal you with this brand-new treatment but it’s the only treatment that’s going to work. All the other treatments won’t give you what you need. You look at your doctor and say: Wow, you’re so arrogant saying there’s only one way to be healed. How do you know those other treatments don’t work? Your doctor looks at you, stunned. Your doctor is the expert, he knows what you truly need.

And it’s the same way with Jesus. Jesus knows exactly what we need. He has the authority to claim he is the only way because he is God in the flesh. To disagree with him on this claim is to disagree with his divinity. But because of that, how should we respond?

We must first understand this truth for ourselves – we must not look within ourselves to see if we are saved or to look at our good deeds. Instead, we must enter through Christ and rest in his free gift of salvation. But if he is truly the gate, our hearts must break for those who haven’t found Jesus. Our hearts must not stop at mere heartbreak for them but be spurred into action for them as well. It’s not on us to save, God does that but it’s our responsibility to spread the message – faith comes by hearing the Gospel, not just by the way you live your life. Yes, live your life as a message but you must also share that message too. I always loved how Charles Spurgeon expressed this thought: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

So if Jesus alone is the gate, then what does life inside the gate actually look like?

True Freedom

In these verses, Jesus is helping us to see that there are real thieves and robbers who are out to deceive us. He is talking about the Pharisees and you can see that in verse 1. Why is he calling the Pharisees thieves and robbers? They’re leading people astray. Rather than encouraging faith in a God who interacts with humanity, they encouraged strict adherence to the rules or traditions that they established. They placed obedience through effort instead of obedience through reliance on the holy spirit. They placed God’s love as something they need to earn rather than a free gift to receive. They placed their good rituals or commands as a formula to follow instead of a way to serve their neighbor and experience God’s presence. Obedience to God is extremely necessary but it flows from God’s love.

But, here’s what happens to people in those situations: you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You feel the weight of your own sin and it’s only amplified by more and more law without grace. You begin to actually resent God because he has a standard that you’ll never measure up to. You end up becoming enslaved to the mantra of try harder, try harder, try harder. If you’ve been there, does that ever work? No, it doesn’t – you’re a slave to spiritual burdens.

There are also thieves and robbers who will try to convince you that true freedom is being able to do what you want when you want. Scripture tells us though that this too will fail: why? Because, you’re a slave to sin and we’ll start to choose things that are genuinely destructive to ourselves and others. Those are things that are thieves and robbers. But, Jesus is the one who gives you freedom.

How do you break out of spiritual prison? Jesus tells us in chapter 8: he says that if we know the truth, the truth will set you free. Jesus is the truth and we enter the gate. Then, we are free from being a slave to spiritual burdens and free from being a slave to sin. So, does that mean we can do what we want once we know Jesus? No, we don’t define freedom – Jesus does.

Some of you may be thinking or may know people who would think this way…Jesus doesn’t give true freedom, he just gives us more rules to follow like we need to pray, we need to love, we need to forgive, etc. He doesn’t bring true freedom. Let me show you a picture. G.K. Chesterton, the famous British author, wrote about this. He tells the story of a bunch of boys who would often play alongside these cliffs in the U.K. At that time, there were these sturdy fences on the edge of the cliffs to prevent anyone from tumbling down. Those fences were there for safety and gave the boys the opportunity to truly live and have fun. But, some enlightened people believed the fences weren’t allowing the boys to experience true freedom so they removed the fences. Now, the boys were too afraid to play because they could easily tumble down and hurt themselves. Which boys experienced more freedom? Well, the boys who could play within the safe boundaries of the fence.

In the same way, that’s how Jesus offers us true freedom. It’s better than legalism and doing whatever we feel is best. But true freedom is embracing our God-given limits, taking God at his word and obeying, and trusting in his free love then we will be filled with joy. When Jesus commands us to do something, it’s for our ultimate good – he is, after all, the author of life. He knows how life should work and his commands are for the best.

So, I would ask you: are you experiencing the freedom that Jesus offers us? What thieves and robbers have come into your life? Do they still have a residence in you or have you given them to Jesus? Have you experienced Jesus as the gate?

When you enter through the gate that is Jesus, you’re not entering something weak or temporary. You’re entering something strong and steadfast which is why Jesus also brings: 

Unshakeable Security

Take a look at verse 9: Jesus says that we come in and come out. What’s that mean? It means that Jesus is with us in the comings and goings of life. Jesus is like a security guard as we go about our day. Because his presence is with us, there isn’t a time where we are ever truly alone – this gives us comfort on our sad days, strength in our moments of weakness or temptation, and peace when we’re feeling anxious.

When life does get hard, scary, or difficult, this text also should help us remember that we are secure in Jesus’ sheepfold. Let me show you another picture. In ancient Israel and still present day, shepherds are actually the gates for their sheep. Let me show you a picture of a sheepfold. In that tiny gap, that’s where the Shepherd would sleep. So, few things worth noting: there was no way a wolf or someone could crawl over a Shepherd without them noticing. Also, there was no a way a person could crawl in on the side, lift a sheep over the wall, and steal them without the shepherd noticing.

For us, Romans 8 tells us that: “³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “ We are secure in his fold, nothing can separate us from the love of God just like a sheep couldn’t be separated from his shepherd in the fold.

Imagine the enormity of Jesus as the gate: he tells his friends that the gates of hell will not prevail against him. He wasn’t held down by the powers of sin and darkness. He has the power to reach down into death itself and rescue people like Jairus’ daughter, Lazarus, others, and all of us here. He has the power to restore sight to the blind and walking to the lame. If that’s who is covering the gate, why should we have cause for worry in our lives? We are secure in the sheepfold of Jesus. Will there be tough times and times of suffering? Yes. But God uses the tough times in our lives to shape us and make us look more like his son. And when we feel overwhelmed like we can’t go on, we don’t have to go far for help – he’s right there.

But, what’s even more beautiful is how accessible Jesus is in this statement. It says “whoever enters through me.” Other translations say “if anyone enters.” That tells us Jesus is available to every single human being on the face of the planet.

There’s no condition on this. It doesn’t say: only the poor or only the wealthy can enter. It doesn’t say only those who know a lot of the bible. It says whoever enters through me. Jesus is available for every single one of us. I love the way that Dane Ortlund describes Jesus: “Jesus is the most accessible person in the universe. You don't have to go through security to get to him. He doesn't say, Take a ticket and get in line. He doesn't put you on hold. He is supremely accessible. There's no minimum bar you need to get over to get to him. All you have to do, actually, is collapse in order to get into the heart of Christ. You have to humble yourself enough—something that most of us have a very difficult time doing—to fall into his arms because he is lowly.”

But, do we look to Jesus for our security? Do we view him as accessible to us? Perhaps we settle for lesser things: Jesus seems too abstract so I’ll place my security in my job, savings account, or perfect relationship. Prayer seems too hard so I’ll watch Youtube shorts for a few hours instead.

My friends, let us seriously consider the breathtaking invitation of Jesus as the gate. Let yourself experience his grace anew!

If we are secure in his accessible arms, that means we can experience abundant life like he describes in verse 10 which is our final point for today.

Joyful Life Today

When you think of the phrase, life to the full: what do you think? It really means life that is over the top. That’s what Jesus promises us in this passage of Scripture. Now, let’s be clear: he’s not promising that you’re going to live this crazy life where you never run out of money, you never have any worries, or you never have troubles today.

But, he is saying that you will have him. And Jesus is enough. Those other thieves and robbers are going to leave you disappointed and alone. Jesus promises to give you life not built on happiness but one that is built on joy. Jesus brings you joy. Because of Jesus, death has been defeated. Because of Jesus, your worst moments in life can be redeemed. Because of Jesus, you have a God who is on your side and who is working for your good in your life right now even if you can’t see it. When you step through the gate and experience more and more of Jesus, I promise you’ll find joy in following him. But, you need to step through.

Worship team, please come on up.

So, you’ve heard what Jesus says about Himself today. He doesn’t say he’s a gate. He says he is the gate. That means this isn’t just information to consider—it’s a decision to make. Because every single one of us is already building our life around something. But Jesus is clear: If it’s not him… it won’t deliver.

What promises freedom becomes slavery. What feels secure can vanish. What claims to give life leaves us empty.

He said: “I am the gate.” Not just to keep people out… but to bring people in. To bring you in. Into salvation you can’t earn, freedom you don’t chase, and security you don’t maintain. Into a life that is full—not because it’s easy, but because He is with you in it.

So the question isn’t: Do you agree with Jesus? The question is: Have you entered through Him?

Or are you still standing outside the gate? Because the invitation is open—but it won’t always be.

Jesus stands as the gate, and He says: “Come in.”  Come in…and find life. Not later. Not someday. But now.

And for those of you who have already entered through the gate— this is your reminder: Stop living like you’re still outside. Walk in the freedom He’s given you. Rest in the security He’s secured for you. And go out into the world with urgency and compassion—Because there are still people standing outside the gate.

They need an invitation to come through. Let’s be the kind of people who don’t just admire the gate…but who walk through it, live in it, and lovingly call others to come in too.

Because Jesus alone is the gate to life.