The Gate Is a Person

Did any other religious figure do this? No. No other religious leader or teacher bore on themselves our sin. They might be able to point the way or teach a truth, and that truth might even be true truth. But no other leader bore on themselves our sin. That is exclusive to Jesus that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed. If there's healing available to you, it's not because you found a good path. It is by his wounds that true healing and freedom actually come. It's by his wounds that real forgiveness and salvation actually come. There is no other way. It's him. [00:23:06] (49 seconds)  #JesusBoreOurSin

I'm that gate. I'm the one that stands in that. In first century Palestine, a sheepfold, it's just it's like this. It's a simple stone enclosure. And at night, when the when the flock was safely inside, the shepherd would lie down across that opening. He would put his body in place as the gate. Nothing is going to get in. Nothing is going to get out. Quite literally, the claim of the good shepherd is over my dead body. Over my dead body, you will get in there and get my sheep. I put myself there. I put myself in the way of danger. I take the heat. I take the brunt. I am the gate. [00:15:42] (44 seconds)  #ShepherdIsTheGate

I'm the gate, Jesus says. There's danger out there. There's danger, and we need security from it. More than that, we need saving from all of that danger. And if you're here today and you've never actually walked through that gate, hear this verse again. I'm the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, And he'll go in and out and find pasture. This is an open invitation, sheep. Come on in. Come on in to find the place of safety, the place of rescue, the place of shelter, the place of salvation. Come on in. I'm the gate, Jesus says. You'll be able to rest. Your soul your restless soul will find rest in me. [00:17:17] (46 seconds)  #EnterFindRest

Do you hear my voice right now? Because I'm calling you back. I'm calling you safety. I'm calling you to rescue. I'm calling you to salvation, and I'm calling you to follow me into fullness of life. So that's the invitation today. This is the invitation. Alright? Come on. Walk through the gates. Not when you finally get your life together today. Not when you sorted out all of your theology. It's the starting. Just come through because on the other side, there's a shepherd that knows your name, who loves you, who gave who already laid down his life to open up the way and he's calling you right now. [00:39:49] (35 seconds)  #ComeAsYouAreToJesus

It's full, free life. You're not trapped. You're safe. You're free. You're fed. Jesus is the way. He keeps the danger out. He protects. He love he lays down his life and Jesus leads us out into life. There are other shepherds that lead us astray, but Jesus, the gate of Jesus is not a constraint. The gate is what makes the full life actually possible. It says, if you follow me, I'll lead you to life. Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Other translations say, I have everything I need. [00:37:35] (35 seconds)  #FullLifeInJesus

The claim that all spiritual paths are equally valid is not actually humble either. It's not loving and it's not humble because we think that we're saying, I don't wanna tell anybody that they're wrong. Maybe all paths are actually okay. Do you know who specifically you are telling that they are wrong when you say every path is equal? Generally speaking, you're saying all followers of Jesus are wrong, number one. Number two, specifically, and very few people are willing to specifically do this, you are saying, Jesus, you are wrong. I know that you said that you are the way, but I actually think that there's many ways and only one of us can actually be right. So sorry, great moral teacher Jesus, you're a little misguided. That's what we're saying. That's what we're saying. It's not humble. [00:29:15] (52 seconds)  #AllPathsIsNotHumble

There's an outside world of danger, and there's an inside world of security and rest and love that you were invited into, that you were made for. And the only but in between is the door, the gate, and anyone can enter through him. Anyone can enter into him. Now this is different though because when I say and anyone can, what many of us will hear is that everyone does. No. Just because anyone can doesn't mean that everyone actually does, which is the claim of saying all paths lead to the same place. Very, very not the same thing. Anyone can, but not everyone does. And this is where it rubs a little bit because we think that exclusive truth is not inclusive. [00:18:03] (52 seconds)  #AnyoneCanNotEveryoneDoes

The sheep don't just tolerate this. It's like, man, that shepherd, he's kinda controlling. Don't you think? They don't just tolerate. They rest secure because of it. They know the shepherd's here. He's the gate. He's got this. I am safe. I can rest. He's the reason. He's saying, I'm the threshold. I'm the only way in. If you wanna get in, you have to go through me. That is an exclusive claim, but it is far from an arrogant claim. It may be the most humble claim that you could possibly make, the most loving claim that anyone could possibly make. I'm the way in. And if anyone wants to hurt or steal or kill or destroy those that are inside, they'll have to go through me. [00:16:32] (45 seconds)  #ExclusiveButHumble