Salvation: The Gate - 10-5-25
Overview
"I Am the Gate": Jesus and the Way of Access to God
When Jesus declared, "I am the gate for the sheep" John 10:7, He spoke in His signature "I AM" pattern—pointing to something already known and claiming to be its fulfillment. Some hear an echo of the shepherd who would lay his body across the opening of the sheepfold to guard the flock through the night. But there is a more striking referent close at hand. The temple complex contained a series of courts, each more restricted than the last: the Court of the Gentiles, then the Court of the Women (entered through the ornate Beautiful Gate of Acts 3:2), and beyond that the Nicanor Gate—a massive bronze door at the top of fifteen steps that opened to the altar of sacrifice. Only the ceremonially clean could pass through it. The Nicanor Gate meant access to God.
That setting illuminates Jesus's words. During the Feast of Booths, the king would stand at those fifteen steps and call out the words of Psalm 118:19: "Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord." The gate would swing open, and the procession would ascend while singers chanted Psalms 120–134, the Songs of Ascent. When Jesus says, "I am the gate," He is claiming to be the true Nicanor Gate—the way through which sinners gain access to the altar, to forgiveness, to the Father Himself.
Why do we need such a gate? Because the law reveals that, left to ourselves, we are lost, unclean, condemned, and under God's wrath. Paul's anguished cry, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:21-24, is our cry too. 1 John 1:8 and Romans 3:23 confirm that none of us can stand on our own righteousness, and Ephesians 2:3 names us "children of wrath." Yet the same Scripture reveals Jesus, who went to the cross and bore our sin, was raised from the tomb, and now grants us His own righteousness. As Hebrews 10:11-14 declares, the priests offered sacrifices that could never take away sins, but Christ offered one sacrifice for all time and sat down at the right hand of God. No more sacrifices are needed. The gate stands open.
This is the heart of the gospel and the comfort of the Christian life: the relationship severed by sin has been healed, and we have access to the Father through Christ alone. "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture… I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" John 10:9-10. So we do not fear the day of His return—we long for it. Enter by Him. Walk in and out as His sheep. Find pasture. And give thanks, for "his steadfast love endures forever" Psalm 118:1.
Transcript
Job in your Bible's please with me this morning to the gospel of John the 10th chapter. 3s
If you're using a few edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that the New Testament 9s
on page 90, the gospel of John the 10th chapter. 13s
Scripture tells us of a host of people that were shepherds. 20s
For example, we hear of Abel and Abraham, Isaac and Moses, Lot in Leaven, David, Amos in 25s
Rachel. 37s
All of them were shepherds. 38s
We hear the account, of course, that we recount as we read on Christmas Eve from Luke 41s
the 2nd chapter of the shepherds that were tending their flock by night in the multitude 48s
of the heavenly chorus, saying about the birth of the Messiah and remember they were absolutely 53s
terrified. 60s
Shepherds were a busy lot. 63s
They were a busy lot. 66s
For example, they would have to protect their sheep from predators. 68s
They would have to be very careful when the sheep were around water because if sheep their 74s
wool became saturated they would drown like that. 80s
It had to guide the sheep because if there was a pool of polluted water right here and a pool 86s
of good water right here and if one sheep chooses the polluted water and they all follow, 94s
they'll drink out of the polluted water when the good water is right here. 103s
Shepherds would have to groom the sheep and shear the sheep. 111s
And sometimes they would sleep in front of the sheep fold. 118s
They would just plop themselves down right by the opening of the fold and they would 125s
sleep there. 132s
Look at verse 7, please. 136s
So again Jesus said to them, very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 140s
When the shepherd would lay down at the opening of the sheep fold they were functioning 148s
like a gate. 152s
So when the Lord Jesus says, I am the gate, is that what he has in mind? 154s
Is that what he is referring to? 163s
The image of the shepherd's laying in front of the sheep, laying in front of the opening 166s
of the sheep fold, being a gate. 172s
So to speak. 176s
Is that what he's talking about? 177s
In these I am statements, Jesus you'll notice refers back to something that exists. 183s
He refers back to something that is known. 195s
So he makes the comparison, he calls himself I am, then you fill in the blank in his I am 200s
statements. 207s
But what Jesus does in his I am statements is he's referring to things that were known. 209s
So what door, what gate was Jesus referring to? 220s
Let me put it more specifically. 230s
What gate in the temple had Jesus become? 234s
What gate in the temple had Jesus become? 246s
The temple complex was humongous. 257s
The length on the western side of the temple complex was four and one half football fields 261s
in length. 267s
It was huge. 268s
And when one looked at then the insides then of that complex you see a series of courts. 272s
Remember what we talked about last week. 280s
You had the first court which was the court of the Gentiles. 283s
That's where the Gentiles could go and absolutely no further. 287s
Gentiles of course meaning non-Jews. 292s
So you had the first court, the court of the Gentiles, where they had to stay. 295s
Then the next court in you had what was called the court of women. 302s
Could men be in the court of women? 306s
Yes. 308s
But women were confined to that area. 310s
They could go no further unless they had brought an offering a sacrifice. 314s
Then they could go into the next court. 321s
But they were really outside of that giving of that offering. 325s
They were confined to the court of the women. 329s
Court of the women was two hundred and thirty-three feet on every side of it. 334s
And at the entrance to the court of women was a gate. 344s
And it was called the beautiful gate in Acts 3rd chapter. 353s
We read one day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer at three o'clock at the afternoon. 363s
And a man, lame from birth, was being carried in. 373s
People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the beautiful gate. 377s
So that he could ask for arms for those entering the temple. 387s
That beautiful gate, that beautiful door was very, very ornamental. 394s
It was made of Corinthian brass. 404s
And it weighed so much that literally it took twenty men to open it and to close it. 410s
So do you have that in your mind's eye here? 426s
It's not the court of the Gentiles. 429s
It's the next court in. 431s
It's the court of the women and there before you enter into that 233 feet around square of the court of the women. 432s
There is the beautiful gate. 441s
Corinthian brass heavy. 445s
So when Jesus says, I am the gate of the sheep. 450s
And remember in the I am statements, you see Jesus referring to something existing and something that is known. 459s
So what gate then in the temple had he become, is it the beautiful gate entering into the second court, the court of the women? 468s
No. 489s
On the western side of the court of the women, there was another gate. 497s
That was called Naitino's gate. 507s
It had been donated gate. 512s
It was given by a very wealthy, Alexandrian Jew by the name of my canar. 515s
And that gate, that gate made of bronze opened up to the inner court, not the holy of Holies, but an inner court where there was an altar. 524s
And on the altar, there would be sacrifices that were made. 539s
And you could only pass through my canars gate if you were clean according to the liturgical laws. 546s
My canars gate on the western side of the court of the women, on that western side of that 233 foot stretch that gate of bronze, it had 15 steps that led up to the gate. 561s
I hope sometime this week that you will read Psalm 120 through Psalm 134, Psalm 120 through Psalm 134. 582s
That's 15 songs, right? 594s
Guess what that course wanted to do? 597s
The 15 steps going up to the gate of my canar that led into the altar area. 601s
And there, there would be singing as those steps would be ascended. 613s
In fact, on the other side of the door was a singer's platform. 622s
And guess what they'd sing? 629s
The singers would sing Psalm 120 through Psalm 134. 631s
And you'll notice most likely in your version of the scripture that it says, a Psalm of a scent. 639s
That's those 15 steps up to the door, the gate of my canar. 649s
So you got it now? 658s
Quarter the women, beautiful gate. 660s
Nope, it's not that one. 661s
Western side, there's my canars gate, 15 steps up to it. 663s
You open up the door and there's the altar in which sacrifices would be made. 667s
And there would be the singing of Psalms 120 to Psalm 134. 672s
There's the singers' platform. 677s
So when Jesus said, I am the gate for the sheep. 680s
And remember Jesus always pointed to a reference, something that was known. 686s
You see that time and time again in those I am statements. 695s
So is the gate of my canar is that the gate that he has become? 699s
The Psalm chosen for today is Psalm 118. 720s
It's such a beautiful, beautiful Psalm. 727s
The fact you heard echoes of it in the opening call to worship, it was embedded in that call to worship. 731s
There are some very, very familiar verses in Psalm 118. 743s
For example, in verse 1 we read, 750s
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love, 756s
indoors forever. 761s
Or in verse 22 of Psalm 118 we read. 765s
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 771s
That sounds familiar. 779s
That's in the New Testament, isn't it? 781s
Referring to Jesus. 783s
Or verse 24, this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. 785s
And it's a glorious Psalm filled with verses that are familiar. 794s
That Psalm, Psalm 118, was utilized. 801s
Here comes another clue in the festival of the Boots. 809s
Remember we talked about that last week. 816s
There were three elements of the festival of Boots. 819s
One was light. 822s
Where was Jesus standing last week as we studied? 827s
He was in the court of the women, right? 830s
And it was during the festival of the Boots. 832s
And he was amidst the four candelobras that would have been a flame at that time, 837s
because it was the time of the festival. 842s
And remember what the Jewish sources tell us that there was so much light that came off of those candelobras 844s
from the court of the women in the festival of the Boots that there wasn't a courtyard that didn't reflect the light 851s
of those four candelobras. 860s
And remember what is it that Jesus said? 862s
And he was in the court of the women around the four candelobras that were a flame during the festival of Boots. 866s
He said, I am the light of the world. 874s
I am the light of the world. 883s
That was one element of the festival. 888s
Here's the second element. 890s
There's the pouring of water. 893s
That reminded the people of the waters of creation. 897s
It reminded the people of Exodus 17th chapter, 900s
where the water comes from the rock. 905s
Reminds the people of God's provision in life and the pouring out of the spirit. 909s
So you had light. 915s
You had the pouring of water. 916s
Then there's a third element. 917s
And the third element involved plants. 920s
And what we've done is the people would bring plants. 927s
And they would place them by the altar on the other side of the door of my canar. 933s
In fact, the king would use someone 18. 946s
In Psalm 118, verse 19, 951s
open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 955s
And so during the festival of the Boots, the king would come. 965s
And he would stand by those steps. 970s
Remember how many? 975s
And he'd call out, open to me the gates of righteousness. 980s
And the gate, then of an Icanor, would open. 988s
And the king and the procession to the Psalms of 120 to 134 would enter. 993s
Up the 15 steps to the altar of sacrifice. 1003s
That gate of Nakeda, that gate meant access to God. 1019s
The gate of Nakeda meant access to God. 1037s
The law reveals to us that we are lost. 1057s
Left to ourselves were done for. 1064s
Paul writes, I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 1071s
I delight in the law of God and my inmost self. 1078s
But I see in my members another law at work with the law of my mind making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 1084s
Richard, man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death? 1094s
Law reveals that left to ourselves were lost. 1101s
The law reveals that left to ourselves were not clean. 1103s
We are unrighteous. 1108s
First John the first chapter says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1111s
The law of God reveals to us that we stand condemned before him because of our sins. 1120s
Romans 3 chapters says, there is no distinction since all have sinned and falls short of the glory of God. 1127s
The law reveals to us God's wrath over sin. 1137s
Ephesians 2 says, all of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses. 1142s
And we were by nature children of wrath like everyone else. 1152s
The Bible reveals that left to ourselves we are lost and unrighteous. 1162s
We are condemned and that we are under the wrath of God. 1166s
And what is also revealed to us is Jesus. 1174s
Jesus who goes to the cross and dies in our place. 1185s
Jesus who takes our sin upon him. 1189s
Jesus who is raised out of the tomb, what is revealed to us is the good news of Jesus Christ. 1191s
The one who has found us, the one who has made us clean and righteous. 1201s
Jesus through his shed blood, his perfect life that is credited to us. 1209s
The one who forgives us, the one who has taken the wrath of God upon himself. 1217s
The one who calls us his. 1226s
She. 1233s
When the Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the gate. 1242s
I am the gate. 1253s
He referenced what was known. 1256s
He referenced the gate in the court of women. 1262s
He referenced the gate at the top of the 15 steps. 1268s
He referenced the gate that opened up to the altar of sacrifice. 1276s
He referenced the gate that meant access to God. 1282s
When Jesus said, I am the gate. 1296s
He was referencing that he had become an iconor's gate. 1303s
He was the tenth chapter records and every priest stands day after day. 1317s
He had his service offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 1325s
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 1335s
And since then has been waiting until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet. 1345s
For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 1353s
As no more sacrifices because the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ has been made. 1365s
We have been made clean through the actions of the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness that is given to us. 1374s
And through the Lord Jesus Christ, the relationship that had been severed by sin is healed. 1385s
And we have access to the Father. 1395s
So we call out for the Lord to come again because we are people not afraid of that day, but who long for it. 1405s
Because Jesus Christ has given us access to the embrace of the Father. 1419s
Jesus said, I'm the gate for the sheep. 1438s
All who come before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 1446s
I'm the gate. 1453s
Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 1455s
The sheep, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 1463s
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 1467s
Jesus is the Savior and He is the Lord. 1473s
He is the Redeemer and the Christ and the Messiah. 1477s
He is the second member of the Trinity. 1480s
He is God in the flesh. 1483s
He is wonderful counselor, mighty Lord, Prince of peace. 1486s
And the Lord Jesus Christ is the gate. 1491s
The gate. 1501s
That glorious gate. 1505s
For He is the gate of my canor. 1511s
The gate. 1533s