Jesus, the Gate of His Sheep- Taman Midah Lutheran Church

15 May 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-

On 11th of May, Rev Ezra Yew of Taman Midah Lutheran Church shared how Jesus is the door of his sheep (John 10:7).

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7)

Why did Jesus liken Himself to the gate of a sheep?

If we were to look at a sheep pen, it has a narrow opening whereby the shepherd would either sit or stand in the opening, acting like a gate to the sheep.

What Jesus meant is only He can carry the sheep into the sheep pen and save people from their sins. That is why Jesus also said in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)

Rev Ezra shared how we need to walk closely with God by examining and reading the Bible, because there are many deceivers out there who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John 1:7)

We need to be vigilant with the teachings out there, that is not of Christ. Jesus warned that, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:8-10)

Apostle John also warned that those who runs ahead of Christ and do not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God (2 John 1:9). Such teachings from these people we ought to keep away from.

Rev Ezra shared a few belief groups who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as claimed in the Bible.

For example, Jehovah Witness does not believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. The Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is not sufficient for their salvation, but they would need to ‘pay service’ to God to seal their salvation in Heaven. The Seventh – day Adventist believed that keeping the Sabbath day would make their Christian faith complete. And in China, a group of people believed in the Lady Messiah or Eastern Lightning. They believed that the Messiah will come from China in the form of a woman. This group denies the Messiah as their Savior and uses coercive and even violent tactics, targetting on church pastors, elders, and workers.

Beware of the fake tares.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Another parable He (Jesus) put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’

The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’

But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

(Matt 13:24-30)

But the Bible says that Christ is the God of all, Ezra shared. (Romans 9:5)

Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (Romans 9:5)

Hence, Rev Ezra stressed, to avoid deception or confusion, we need to study and examine the Word of God. That is why the Apostles’ Creed is written, so that we are not deceived by other belief groups:

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of the body, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

Rev Ezra shared that Jesus calls Himself as a door because a door always separates two situations. In the spiritual sense; the door separates the saved and the unsaved, where Jesus Christ is the only door of salvation (John 14:6).

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Besides, Jesus is also the door of life.

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:9-10)

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39-40)

In the Bible, it is said that the Jesus Christ is the bread of life as well.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

Lastly, Jesus offers the door of protection, whereby He is the guarding door from the enemy. (John 10:27-29)

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

Rev Ezra shared that if we continue to communicate with God, we will personally know and recognize Him. We need to be more focused and attentive in our walk with God every day. Do not be double-minded because they are unstable in all their ways. (James 1:8) If we are not focused in our walk with God, we will be confused. Know and recognize Jesus Christ from the Bible.