Matthew 7:13-14; John 10:1-10
 
A few weeks ago, we launched a new sermon series on the self-descriptions of Jesus found in the gospel of John known as the “I am” discourses or statements.  Eight times in the gospel of John, Jesus said “I Am.”  Seven of those times He added a divine attribute and then explained what He meant.  Through the “I am” Statements, Jesus is opening up a new understanding of who He is so our faith and trust in Him are deepened.  In the “I am” Statements, Jesus, uses a language and images that were so familiar to the His audience especially the Jews.  Jesus claims divinity.  He claims to be God’s equal.  He claims to be part of the eternal Godhead.  He is the great “I am” of the Old Testament.
 
We’ve already covered the first two “I am” statements, “I am the Bread of Life” and “I am the Light of the World.”  This morning we will be looking at the third “I am” statement, “I am the gate for the sheep.”  Please notice that Jesus does not say that He is a gate but that He is the gate.  In John 10:7 we read, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”  In other words, if we are to get to God, we must deal with Jesus.  Access to God comes no other way.
 
The Setting of the Third “I am” Statement
In order to understand this statement, we must first understand a Middle Eastern sheepfold.  Today we may picture a corral or a barn but that’s not an accurate comparison to an ancient sheepfold.  The well-known Old Testament Scottish scholar Sir George Adam Smith (1856-1942) once related a story of an incident that happened to him as he travelled through the Middle East.  As he travelled, he came across a shepherd with his sheep.  After talking with the shepherd for a while the man took him to the place where he kept his sheep at night; a place with four low walls and a narrow opening.  Smith asked, “This is where they go at night?”  The shepherd replied, “Yes, and when they are in there, they are perfectly safe.”  Smith replied, “But there is no door.”  With a twinkle in his eye, the shepherd responded, “I am the door.”
 
Of course, the shepherd was not a Christian; he was simply speaking from a shepherd’s point of view.  Smith asked, “What do you mean you are the door?”  The shepherd replied, “When the light has gone, and all the sheep are inside, I lie in the open space, and no sheep ever goes out but across my body, and no wolf, no lion, no bear, no thief can enter by the sheepfold unless they cross my body; I am the door.  I am a good shepherd: I give my life for the sheep.”  To prove his point, the shepherd draws back his eastern robe, and sure enough, there are scars on his arms and body.  He explains that these are wounds which he has suffered as he has fought off animals while defending his flock.
 
The Blessings of Entering Through the Gate
With that as our background, let’s take a closer look at these few verses of John 10.  As the gate, Jesus gives us some wonderful blessings.  In John 10, Jesus mentions at least three benefits for those who come through Him; three benefits for those who enter through the gate: salvation, safety, and satisfaction.
 
First: Salvation
Salvation is the gift of all gifts.  In John 10: 9 we read, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”  Those who enter through Christ will be saved.  We are saved from sin’s penalty, the anger of God that separates us from Him and makes us His enemies instead of His sheep.  Throughout our lives as Christians, we are increasingly delivered from sin’s power.  And someday, when we pass into God’s holy presence through death, we will be saved from the actual presence of sin.  Those who enter through the gate will be saved.
 
Second: Safety
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”  Those who enter through Christ will be safe.  That’s what Jesus meant by “going in and out.”  It’s the thought of being at peace, being so secure, so well protected, that there is no fear in coming and going.  The Good Shepherd has placed His body across the entrance in order to make us safe.  At the cost of His life, we are secure.  
 
Nothing in all creation can shake the sense of security we have in the Lord; no cancer, no stroke, no job loss, no financial distress, no broken relationship, nothing.  Psalm 121 says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
 
Third: Satisfaction
That leads us to the third benefit, satisfaction, finding good pasture.  “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”  And that was a challenging feat in Palestine.  The skills of a good shepherd were needed to find fresh grass for the sheep to graze.  In Psalm 23:2, the Scriptures tell us that our Good Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside quiet waters.”  It is an abundant life.  I love the words of Psalm 37:19-20, “They are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.  But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.”
 
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”  As Matthew 7:13-14 instruct us, though that gate may not seem very appealing to many today because it is narrow and small, it leads to life.  Salvation, safety, and fulfilment, are three important blessings of being in Christ.  Jesus is the entryway of God’s blessings.  He is the gate to salvation.  In Him, we are protected and provided for, we are nurtured and satisfied.  “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”  In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen!
​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, July 14th, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

Exodus 13:20-21; John 8:12-20
 
As a boy, the Scottish novelist and poet, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was intrigued by the work of the old lamplighter who went about with a ladder and a torch, setting the street lights ablaze for the night.  One evening in Edinburgh, Scotland, as young Robert stood watching with childish fascination, his parents heard him exclaim, “Look, look!  There is a man out there punching holes in the darkness!”  With one statement of childish wonder, Robert Louis Stevenson summed up the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus came into this world and accomplished many great and miraculous wonders, yet His primary mission was to punch great gaping holes in the spiritual darkness that shrouded this world.  He came to be “The Light of the World.”
 
During this summer, we are looking at seven statements that Jesus makes about Himself in the gospel of John.  Bible scholars call those seven statements the “I am” statements of Jesus.  These are seven live changing truths.  Here are the seven “I am” statements: I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48); I am the Light of the World (8:12, 9:5); I am the Gate for the Sheep (10:7); I am the Good Shepherd (10:11); I am the Resurrection and the Life (11:25); I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (14:6); and I am the True Vine (15:1).  Last Sunday, we spent some time with the first statement in John 6:35 where we see Jesus being the Bread of Life.  Today, we will be looking at the second statement found in John 8.
 
In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  This is the second statement and it is quite a powerful statement, rich with all sorts of symbolism and meaning.  Before I share a couple observations from John 8:12-20, let me very briefly give you the setting of Jesus’ second “I am” statement.
 
The Setting of the Second “I am” Statement
The gospel of John gives us both the location and the occasion of the second statement.  In John 8:20 we read, “He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple.”  The temple of Jesus’ day was Herod’s temple—an extravagant complex that was said to shine so brilliantly in the sun that it could be seen miles away from Jerusalem.  The treasury of the temple was a Jews-designated area, so Jesus is speaking to the Jews who have come into the temple to worship.
 
But the location and audience of Jesus’ teaching aren’t all that John tells us.  Back in John 7:2, John tells us “Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near.”  So Jesus preached the words of John 8 during the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.  What is the Feast of Tabernacles is all about?  The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated by the Jews once a year to remember God’s care for them during their 40 years of wanderings through the Sinai Desert after leaving Egypt. 
 
Each night of the celebration, after the sun went down, two gigantic lamps were lit in the courts of the Temple.  These lamps would cast their light over every part of the city of Jerusalem.  Not a single quarter in the city escaped their light.  These gigantic lamps were meant to recall the pillar of cloud that guided the Israelites on their way and the pillar of fire that gave them light night time, so they could travel by day or night (Exodus 13:21).  It gave them shade by day, and light and warmth at night.  When Jesus said to the Jews, “I am the light of the world”, He was affirming His Divinity.  Those who heard Jesus speak that day in the Treasury of the Temple would have thought immediately of the pillar of cloud and fire that led Israel during their journey to the Promised Land. Jesus affirms here that He is God incarnate.  He is God’s equal.  In Him, the presence of God, the protection of God, and the guidance of God came to full fulfillment.  A couple observations for this morning:
 
First: The World Walks in Darkness
“I am the light of the world.”  Jesus made this statement in a rather dark time in Israel’s history.  The Romans occupy Israel.  An army of occupation was encamped in Jerusalem.  God’s people were oppressed and persecuted in their own land.  Roman symbols and gods were seen all over the place.  Taxes were forcibly collected for a heathen emperor thousands of miles away.  Yes, it was a dark and dismal time.  In the midst of Israel’s darkness and despair, Jesus announces that God’s new and glorious age has dawned.
 
Friends, as we look around us today, we see how terrible our world has become.  Our culture continues to push Jesus to the sides more and more every day.  Less people do care about God and the things of God in our society everyday.  Today we can resonate with the nation of Israel that we live in dark times.  Our world has nothing to do with the Light.  In John 1:5 John says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”  In John 3:19 the Bible says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
 
Second: Jesus is Our Light
In the darkness of our world, let’s remember that Jesus is our Light.  Listen to those great words of Psalm 27:1-3, “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.  Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
 
“I am the light of the world.”  Jesus declares He is the light that shines in the darkness.  When it gets dark around you, you need Jesus.  When we face life’s tragedies and difficult situations, we need Jesus.  Often times, it seems that a heavy fog of indecision, confusion, and uncertainty surrounds us.  Our minds are darkened and we need the Light.  As the years go by we remember foolish choices and wrong decisions.  If only we had the Light.  Jesus does for us what light does to the darkness: He shines.  He guides.  He enables us to see things as they are. 
 
In Christ’s light we see God as He is.  Indeed God makes Himself known in the world He has created, in the commands He has given, but most importantly, in Jesus – the exact representation of God.  So when we look at Jesus, we are looking at God – His love, His mercy, His goodness.  In fact, without Jesus it is impossible to know God.  Listen to these great words from John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God, but the One and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.”
 
In Christ’s light we also see ourselves as we are.  “In your light, we see light” says Psalm 36:9.  Jesus is “A light of revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” says Simeon in Luke 2:32.  When Jesus shines into our lives, we begin to realize how messed up we really are.  But at the same time, we come to understand God’s love, His grace, and His power to transform us.  In Christ’s light, we see God as He is, we see ourselves as we are, and we see life as it is.
 
Friends, in a few minutes we will close our worship service today as we sing “Shine on Me.”  May the “True Light” that gives light to everyone shine on you and on us today.  May His truth set us free.  In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, June 30th & July 7th, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

Exodus 16:1-21; John 6: 35-40                                   
 
As you know, the gospel of John is highly symbolic and multi-layered.  In John you never really know what’s what.  When Matthew, Mark, or Luke say it’s dark, they mean you can’t see.  When John says it’s dark, he means much more than physical darkness.  Light is more than light.  It is more of an awareness or a transformation.  Water is not really water.  Wind is more than wind.  A door is more than wood and hinges.  Bread is not only bread; it is life.  Blindness is more than losing one’s sight.  Jesus loves to use double-speak in the gospel of John.  His words always meant deeper than what they seemed.  Today’s reading from John chapter 6 is a great example of what I mean by Jesus’ double-speak.
 
The gospel of John introduces to us what theologians call the seven “I am” statements of Jesus.  These are seven live changing truths.  Here are the seven “I am” statements: I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48); I am the Light of the World (8:12, 9:5); I am the Gate for the Sheep (10:7); I am the Good Shepherd (10:11); I am the Resurrection and the Life (11:25); I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (14:6); and I am the True Vine (15:1).  In our summer sermon series, we will be looking at these seven statements.
 
Why the Seven Statements of Jesus?
When someone says, “I am…,” it reveals something about their identity, about the core of their being, about what is most important to them and about them.  For example, when I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m making a big, bold statement that my identity in Christ is what’s most important to me.  So when Jesus says, “I am…,” we should pay close attention because He is pulling back the curtain on His glorious character.  He is telling us something profoundly important – something we don’t want to miss.  With that in mind, let’s spend some time savoring Jesus’, “I am,” statements.  But before we look at the first statement, let us say something about the word structure.
 
I am Who I am
In these seven sayings of John’s gospel, Jesus uses a special phrase that doesn’t particularly come out in our English translations.  They are the Greek words “Ἐγώ εἰμι” (Ego eimi) and they are used particularly in the Greek Old Testament when God is speaking about Himself.  For example, when the Lord appears to Abraham in Genesis 17:1, He says “I am God Almighty.”  Again, in Exodus 3:14 when the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush and Moses asks what His name is, He says “I am who I am” – which is the root of the name Yahweh or Jehovah.  The point I am trying to make here is simple yet profound: in these seven statements, Jesus isn’t claiming just to be a wise teacher or just a good man.  He is saying He is God Himself.  Jesus is the bread of life. 
 
I Am the Bread of Life!
The first statement is found in John 6:35. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”  The original audience of this first, “I am,” statement of Jesus would have had two things in mind.  First, they had just seen Jesus miraculously feed a massive, teeming, ravenous crowd using nothing but a few loaves and fishes.  Second, it brought to their memories as a nation the incident when God had miraculously provided bread in the desert for the people of Israel.  But here is the thing: Both the feeding of the crowd and the manna in the wilderness were intended to point to a greater reality.  Jesus Christ Himself is the Bread of Life.  What does this mean to us today?
 
First: Jesus is our Greatest Need
Most people today may think they need more stuff.  They think they need more money to feel secure, or happy.  They think they need more money to be satisfied and fulfilled.  You know what happens when we get the money.  We are not happy as we thought.  We are not secure.  We are not satisfied with all the wealth we’ve acquired over the years.  We all have a hunger in our hearts for God — an empty place in our souls that only Christ can fill.  It was Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) who said, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”
 
Friends, let’s not be deceived by the many voices that urge us to take a wrong road, no matter how glamorous or famous those voices seem to be.  Instead, let’s make Christ the center of our life.  God’s Word in Isaiah 55:2-3 is true: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?… Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”
 
Bread nourishes.  This is a simple yet the most profound truth we encounter here in John chapter 6.  Bread nourishes.  It works.  It satisfies.  It eases the pangs of hunger.  It gives us nourishment that we need day in and day out.  Back then, in the days of Jesus, as it is the same today in the Middle East, bread was the staff of life; it formed the basis of every meal.  You can hardly eat a meal without bread.
 
In fact, even today, bread is so central to most tables.  How many of you have eaten bread in the past 24 hours?  Any kind of bread: gluten free, whole grain, bagels, biscuits, tortillas, crackers, injera, baguette, pita, challah, quick bread, English muffin, regular muffin…    Most of us, yes?  Bread is so central to most tables in the world. 
 
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  There is no substitute for Jesus.  If He is in our lives, He is feeding our lives with joy, peace, and love.  But if He’s not in our lives, an unceasing hunger pervades.  There’s an emptiness that can’t be satisfied.  There’s a steady sense of anxiety and unease and confusion. 
 
Friends, Jesus is the “Bread of Life.”  He feeds us.  He fills us.  He satisfies us.  Do you know how this happen? It happens through faith.  It is faith that joins us to Christ.  Faith is the spoon and fork of the Christian life.  Faith is the mouth of the soul.  I would like to encourage you today to come closer and find full nourishment on Christ, the Great I am, the Bread of Life, not for a day or an hour but for eternity. 
 
My hope in the next few Sundays is to help us as individuals and as a congregation to discover or rediscover Jesus in anew.  He is the Bread to feed upon, the Light to follow, the Door to enter, the Shepherd to guide, the Resurrection upon which to wait, the Way of salvation to trust, and the Vine in which to abide.  In 1745 William Williams, the Welsh composer and Calvinist theologian, wrote, “Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more.”  May this line become your cry and mine today.  In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen!


​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, June 23rd, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor