John 10:7-10 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come
I am the Gate
before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Have you ever locked yourself out?
There is nothing as precious as getting into your home when you’re locked out. It may start like this. You walk up to the door thinking your spouse is home. You reach for the door, it’s locked. You realize the other car is gone. You jiggle the handle again. No problem, you think, I have a key here somewhere. No luck. Your pockets seem deeper than ever as you practically pull down your pants trying to dig the non-existent key from your pocket. Unfortunately you have always felt keeping a key hidden outside was a security risk, so you don’t have a back up. You have not made friends with your neighbors, so none of them have a key either.
You start to strategize. You think, if I were a burglar, how would I get in. I’m not breaking into my own home. I’ll call my husband. He doesn’t answer. Normally this alone would send you into a rant, but right now you have bigger issues than him not answering the phone. You try all the windows, hoping your husband has not diligently locked them all. But of course, his efficiency has doomed you. You’re desperate to get in.
Have you ever locked yourself out?
Sometimes we lock ourselves out from heaven. We’re desperate to get in. We want eternal life. We want there to be something after death, but we want to be free to do whatever we want. We want to be open-minded. We want to believe that people of all religions go to heaven. Sadly that thinking locks us out of heaven. The only way to heaven is through the gate. Through Jesus Christ. All are welcome, but only those who believe that Jesus died and rose again to save them from their sins and strengthen their faith will be able to walk through that gate.
God doesn’t lock the gate
God is always there. He never locks the gate. He never keeps you from entering heaven. That’s why he sent Jesus, so that no matter what religion you were before, no matter what sins you’ve committed and no matter how pretty you are, you can enter heaven through the gate, Jesus Christ.
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
Whoever. Some people say that Christians are bad because they say their the only ones going to heaven. The truth is we’re the only religion where you going to heaven isn’t somehow reliant on your own actions. Everyone is allowed in, if they come through the gate, Jesus Christ. Whoever enters through Jesus will be saved. We will not be saved by being good, giving away money, going to church or anything else. We go to heaven only because Jesus died for us.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
God wants what’s best for us. When we believe and know where we’re going when we die, we are given freedom in grace that allows us to live fully. We don’t have to worry about tomorrow, because our future is planned out for us. We are going to heaven. In response to His great love, we may very well do the things I listed above, but not to gain entrance to heaven, but as a reflection of the love He has given to us. We are free to do what we want, but if we believe in Christ, our wants will change to match His.
Are you able to live life to the full?
God is... 