The Door To Life

John 10:7-10 | Jesus is the only Door who saves you, protects you, and gives you life.

1. Jesus saves you
2. Jesus protects you
3. Jesus gives you life

Connect with us!

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Good morning. Our scripture reading for today is John chapter ten, verses seven through ten. My name is Kelsey Meyer, and I serve in Harbor Kids in the zero to eighteen months, and it is my joy and privilege to read today's word with you. Again, the scripture is John chapter ten, verses seven through ten. So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. This is the word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Amen. That's my beautiful wife. It's not every day I get to read and preach after her, so I have to follow her. So you can pray for me. Good morning. My name is Ryan. I'm one of our pastors here. It's my joy to be with you this morning. And I'm thankful that I'm a big guy because I would have got knocked uh over if I wasn't a big guy walking in this morning. And uh I am thankful that we have this space. Trevor even just uh prayed on our behalf that we have been given this space, and it is a gift to gather in a lunchroom. Uh that's literally what this place is. But we are actually a people uh that are becoming and before being formed into a deeper people just by God's grace. I'm thankful you're here. I'm excited. We're gonna jump right in. Uh we're gonna be in John 10. And so if you don't have a Bible, I want to encourage you uh to grab a Bible or to be in your app. And I also want to just say this word uh to you. If you're new, I just want to say thanks for uh checking us out. Uh if it's been a while since you've stepped into a local church and this is uh fresh and new territory for you, man, just personally glad that you're here. And uh it's a lot for you just to step into a church plant. God has been writing an amazing story here at Harbor, and uh not because of anything that we have done, but all because of what he is doing. And I'm just like eager for you to get in on it. And you're kind of finding yourself in a middle of a series that we're in uh titled The I Am Statements. We're preaching through the I am statements of Jesus, and that God reveals himself as the great I am in the book of Exodus, and he says this in Exodus 3.14. God says uh to Moses, he says, I am who I am. And he said, and he said this to the people of Israel, he said, I am has sent it, sent uh you to uh this people. And this is how I've revealed myself. I am self-existent, I am all powerful, I am all knowing. He is literally self-sufficient. And then Jesus, he picks up these phrases and adds them on to the great I am statement. And then you hear all of these religious leaders kind of going back and forth with him because he says, I am who I am. And then he adds things like the bread of life, the good shepherd, and this morning, the door. Uh the last few weeks uh we've been talking about the bread of life, which is uh essentially meaning that we can only be satisfied in Christ. We talked about that he is the light of the world. Apart from Jesus, we literally are blind and living in spiritual darkness. And again, this morning, I am the door. We only have four verses this morning, and they are loaded. So uh I want to invite you. Would you just pray? Again, we can never pray too much. Uh, I just feel prompted just to ask the Spirit to go before us. So I'll ask that you pray for me and I'll pray for you, all right? Heavenly Father, you are kind and you are generous. You give us your word. So thanks for the freedom that we have to gather this morning uh to hear your truth and to have hearts stirred for you. Would you prepare the soil of every heart in this room right now? Uh would you get us here in this moment to listen, whether young or old? And uh, would you make us hungry to receive? And uh, Spirit of God, would you actually go before me? Would you empower me? Would you restrain my flesh? And would you help me faithfully proclaim the beauty and the truth and the invitation of Jesus? And so we come home humble and we come hopeful before you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Everyone has walked through a door that has changed their life. Think about it. Doors matter. You have walked through a door that actually has changed your life. Uh that's because doors mark transitions. They carry weight, they give access. And this week I was thinking about uh a particular door that has actually changed my life forever. This is a picture of uh Kelsey's uh parents, my now in-laws front door, and I can remember vividly actually standing outside of that door years ago, 11, 12 years ago, trying to gather enough courage to actually summon up to ask Kelsey's dad for her hand in marriage. And I knew in that moment that once I walked through those doors, like things were different. Like it was weight feeling, like I was feeling the weight on the bar. And my life would never be the same. And this wasn't just a casual visit. I was stepping into something defining. And that door marked a transition for me as being just a young boy dating a girl in college to actually stepping in to being a man pursuing the covenant of marriage. Doors do that. They are never just doors. Like, think about it: the door to the hospital room where you actually get to see and welcome your first child, the door to your first college class, the door to a job that you've been praying for, the door you stand out on the back end of after or before a hard conversation. Doors always represent what's on the other side. They protect, they give access, and they often require decision. But if we're also honest, there's many doors that we've opened that we regret, right? A relationship we shouldn't have entered, a decision we rushed into, a path that promised life that actually just gave us pain. And sometimes the hardest part is there's actually a lot of voices in our culture actually yelling or screaming at us saying like, this is the door to life, this is the door to fulfillment, this is the door to security. And I can remember vividly, even as a kid, I think I was like eight years old in a small town not too far from here, Louisville, playing at a family friend's house and uh and they're kind of their farm, and they had a detached garage. And me and my brother would play uh late into the night with uh some of their uh kids, and I can remember the garage is probably like 70, 80 yards away from the house. And so they had lights by the shop in the house, but not in that 80-yard corridor. And out in Louisville, every now and then you would actually start to hear the coyotes howl. And for an eight-year-old man, that sounded like wolves closing in. And I remember when we had hear those particular howls, like me and my brother wouldn't have to say anything. We would just lock eyes with each other and bolt for the back door of our buddy's house. Because we knew that the door brought safety. That door brought relief and protection. That door meant life. And guys, that's the imagery that uh Jesus is picking up here in John 10. Uh, he's tapping into something. He says, I am the door, not a door, the door. Which means he's saying there's one entrance to life, there's one entrance to salvation, and one entrance to the life we were actually made for. So here's our big idea this morning. Jesus is the only door who saves you, protects you, and gives you life. Jesus is the only door who saves you, protects you, and gives you life. And we're just gonna break it down that way. Really simple. Jesus saves you, Jesus protects you, and Jesus gives you life. Now, before we jump into verse 7, we actually need to understand where we're at in this story, what's actually uh happening. Because Jesus doesn't just speak right now in these few verses in a vacuum. Uh chapters and verses uh are not inspired, just so you know, if you've got your new Bible or you've been given a Bible, uh, they were added later for navigation, and John 10 is actually uh part of a larger conversation, and so we actually need to look at John 9. In John 9, Jesus actually heals a blind man. This guy was born blind. And you've got these religious leaders that know this guy and see that he's been healed, and instead of celebrate him, they actually like start to question him and berate him. They don't believe the miracle, they don't believe Jesus. And he essentially tells them, the religious leaders, he says, You think you can see, but you're the one that's actually blind. So when we get to John 10, Jesus is doing something very intentional. He is confronting the false spiritual leaders. And he's exposing that they're actually not leading people to life or to God. They're actually leading people away from God. And Jesus exclaims that He is the way, He is the door, or uh in another version it says He is the gate. And this idea of door or gate is all throughout the scriptures. It's just background information that when they would hear this, they would ultimately and very quickly recognize and be able to interpret that this is a big deal. Okay, so just a little bit of Bible history for you. I hope this is actually like fun and redemptive and actually uh helps you not only enjoy your Bible, but actually appreciate even parts of your Bible in a new way. Genesis 3, right? The fall of humanity. God creates a wonderful world with wonderful people and a wonderful way to live in light of uh this world with God, dependent on God. And what do we do? We actually choose independence. And we choose to actually break away from God's plan. And sin enters the world, and God, in his kindness, actually removes us from the garden so that we actually don't eat from the other tree and actually just live in that endless state. And so he actually puts a gate, he puts angelic beings to stand as a barrier for them. Genesis 3. Fast forward, Noah's Ark, right? This beautiful kid's story. Uh, it's actually a traumatic story, right? Like a lot of people actually are swallowed up in the flood, but there's one family, one boat that actually rescues those people. And God actually says in Genesis 7, He shuts them in through one door into this boat. And then you've got the Exodus story, right? You've got God's people in captivity under Egyptian rule. And God actually, in one of the last plagues, promises that actually all uh of the people in Israel will be spared if they put blood over the doorposts of their homes, anticipating actually a greater door that would come of a perfect lamb. Just a little bit more in the tabernacle and in the temple, right? Access to God is limited. We do have different types of churches today. I don't know if they had middle schools back then, but like we have multiple forms of entry into this place, right? Entrances and egress, even most churches. But back then, even in the tabernacle, even in the courts, they had one entrance, one giant door to come in, signifying one way. And then if you really just get even more granular, the holy of holies, right? There was this curtain, this temple we read about in the Old Testament that keeps the people of God from actually entering into the presence, the most intimate union with God. And all of this is actually just building a picture for us of this. Humanity is outside, and we need a way back in. Like uh it is Sarpee County, we are growing, but for uh most of you and myself, just to give us a little bit of background information on sheep, that's what you're coming to church this morning for, right? Uh, on and in sheepfolds, shepherds uh in the community would actually gather all of their sheep at night and put them in this stone enclosure together. And so they were there was one opening for protection, for entrance, and the shepherd himself would actually lay across the entrance to this door. There wasn't an actual wooden door, the shepherd became the door, meaning nothing gets in without going through him, and nothing gets out without going through him. He protects the sheep, he guards the sheep, and he gives access to the sheep. And Jesus is gonna take this really familial image and he's gonna actually just map it and apply it to himself. And so he's looking at all these religious leaders and all these people that actually are on the outside and hearing, and he says, You think you're leading people to God, but you're not the door. I am. You're misleading people, having them believe in like performance or cleaning themselves up or false practices, or maybe even uh that they need to be in good terms with the religious leaders to smooze their way into access as the guards to the door. And Jesus says, I am the door, which means one way, one way to safety, one way in to salvation. So a lot of buildup. Let's dive into verse seven. Jesus saves you. Verse 7 of John 10. So Jesus said again, so Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. Notice not a door, but the door. It's exclusive. There is one entrance, not several. And and Jesus says, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved. I hope you kind of sense this though. There's tension here this morning. Saved from what? Like we live in a time, let's just be honest, like where many people don't believe they actually need saving. Like, I don't know about you, but like most people don't wake up and be like, first thought in my head is I'm lost. We we actually think we're doing okay. We might just need a little bit of an enhancement or an improvement or some good news or good advice. But something's not right. Like just pause and look around the world. Things are broken, bodies break down, systems fracture, relationships fracture, anxiety is high, loneliness is real. And if we're even more honest, it's not just out there, is it? Sin here. And the Bible calls this sin. See, sin is not just breaking God's rules, it's actually running away from God, trying to build a life apart from God's design and way. And it's it's looking for peace, security, joy, rest, meaning, and all other things that were actually never meant to hold that kind of weight. And this goes all the way back to the beginning. Again, in the garden, humanity had life with God, but we chose independence. We stepped away from God. And ever since then, we've just been living outside the garden, trying to make our way back, wandering, trying to find our way in. And left to ourselves, we're not just wandering, we're lost. And you will never walk through a door to safety until you actually just admit or know or realize that you're lost. Man, but if you're like me, we can be slow to uh admit that we're lost, right? Especially in navigating uh a car full of kids. Like husbands, particularly, like we never want to admit that we miss the turn. It's always somebody else's fault. But think about it this way: if you're lost in the woods, you don't usually casually stroll your way out of a forest. No, you need rescue. But if you don't actually think you're lost, you'll never actually call for help. And this is why Jesus' words are so good. He doesn't just say, figure it out. He says, I am the door. If anyone enters through me, they will be safe. Saved from sin, saved from judgment, saved from yourself, saved into a relationship with God. Notice here, if you keep reading, it says, if anyone. So there's only one door, but anyone can enter. It doesn't matter what family you were raised in, it doesn't matter if you were raised in church or if this is actually just completely brand new for you. Uh it doesn't matter what your family is like. Now it doesn't matter the income you make or the intellect you have, anyone. Some of you are close to the door. Some of you have lived near the door. Some of you have grown up around church. You know the language. Man, you would actually even just click on a multiple choice question, you would circle in. Jesus is the door, and you've seen others walk through. But you've never trusted personally in Jesus as the door. You're near the door, but you're not through it. And Jesus, I want you to hear this. He doesn't say admire the door, study the door, affirm the door, he says enter. Well, how? By repentance and faith. See, you can admit something and not practice something. You can know intellectually that Jesus died on the cross, that he rose from the grave, that he's the only door, and yet you can also never walk through the door through personal repentance and faith. Which means actually like turning from all other false doors and options, realizing and seeing and acknowledging and owning that you're a sinner, and that you actually just need to say, Jesus, like, man, I believe you're the only way. I don't really fully understand it all, but I just believe that you are the way. And tell him that. Turn to him, surrender to him, enter with him. And so Jesus is pressing in close here. And he's saying to these people, like, like, this is important. He says, like, it's not your church attendance, it's not your Bible acumen, it's not your tithe, it's not your obedience, it's not your family that can save you. Only I that can save you. And he invites you to actually just stop knocking on all of the false doors that you either run to or keep going to. And he just wants you to embrace him as the savior and true Lord of your life. So I believe that there's several of you today that like you just need to hear that invitation from the Holy Spirit, that he's actually knocking on the door of your heart. I would I would just invite that you would listen and that you would respond by entering through the door this morning. Entering the door of Jesus saves you, but that's not it. He also protects you. Let's pick up in verse 8. Verse 8. All who came before me are thieves and robbers. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Man, Jesus protects his listeners here by first actually exposing the counterfeit leaders. He is contrasting himself with false shepherds, false doors, false paths, false leaders. And I love Jesus because like he just used, like, he uses offensive and strong language. That's not a uh, I'm not condoning offensive and strong language, but he doesn't pull any punches here because he wants his people to get it. He calls them thieves and robbers. Why does he call them that? Because they steal honor from God and they steal security from the sheep. Let me show you this. Look at verse one in chapter 10. It says, He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. In other words, they don't come through God's door. They're like hopping walls. They don't come through the truth. They come around it, they manipulate it, they cheat their way in, they distort, they take, they rob. This idea actually, this Greek word, uh, it actually condones or uh kind of just helps us with the idea of. Rip-off artists or con men. Like they're selling something that kind of looks like the truth. It's like fake Oakleys in Mexico, right? Is that still a thing? I don't know. Ray-Bans? Is that better? But it's not the real deal. It's not the truth. And Jesus isn't saying anything new here. What he's doing is actually picking up Ezekiel 34, an Old Testament promise and invitation that says, man, God is going to rebuke the shepherds of Israel, the leaders, because actually instead of caring for the sheep, they're taking advantage of the sheep. They're building platforms for themselves. They're feeding themselves. They were profiting off of God's people. It actually says this in Ezekiel 34, 2. Look with me. It says, ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves. Should not shepherds feed the sheep? I love the pronunciation and the marks here, like a question mark, the exclamation point. Jesus is saying, thieves and robbers. He's not exaggerating, he's exposing. And you can actually start to see it right here in the middle of John 9. Jesus actually sees and heals this blind man. And the religious leaders respond by actually discrediting Jesus. John 9 24 says, Give glory to God. This is what they say. They say, We know that Jesus, that man, is a sinner. You see what they're doing here? They're trying to steal Jesus' honor. Rather than believing and bowing the knee to Jesus and bestowing on him the honor that he deserves, they call him a sinner. And then they look at what they at what he did to the man who is healed. They look at this man, and this is what they say to the man, verses 34, verse 34 in John 9. They answered him and they tell the man, You were born in utter sin, and you would teach us, and they cast him out. They cast him out. The man that was healed. They remove him from his community, they strip him of security. So don't miss this. False shepherds don't just misinterpret the truth. They damage people, they steal honor from God and they rob security from others. And Jesus makes this crystal clear for us in verse 10. He says their motive here. He shows us. He says, the thief, they come only to destroy, to steal, and kill. It's not neutral. It's destructive. And to destroy, always taking, never giving life. I know it sounds kind of heavy, but guys, like we have to just name it. Like we still have thieves today. We might not necessarily use that same language, but we still have them. There's many religions around us that actually probably adopt or say the ways of Jesus or even use the name of Jesus that actually aren't bringing people to the gate of Jesus as the only way, the true way to salvation. But also it's not just like religious leaders either. Sometimes it's like cultural voices or internal voices speaking false promises like success will satisfy you. Money will secure you. Just follow your truth. Whatever your truth is, whatever works for you, great. Or there are multiple accesses to God. See, those sound great. Those sound appealing, don't they? But they do not lead to life. They lead to exhaustion, anxiety, emptiness. Because they promise something that they actually can't deliver. Now here's what's beautiful. Jesus doesn't just expose the danger, he provides protection. Because when he says he is the door, he's not just saying, like, this is how you get in. He's also saying, I'm what keeps you safe. See, in a sheepfold, the door works two ways. It keeps predators out, and it also keeps sheep from wandering off. And both matter. See, Jesus protects us from what actually uh externally harm us, right? False teaching, false pasts, false saviors. Nothing ultimately gets to his sheep apart from him. But here's where this gets really personal. Jesus doesn't just protect you from what's out there. He protects you from what's in here. See, if we're honest, we are not the uh most alert people. That's why Jesus calls us sheep. We drift, we doubt, we wander, we chase things that we think will actually satisfy us. And we start to believe these lies. And left to ourselves, we don't just get attacked, we wander. And so this is important to understand. Jesus doesn't just get you through the door and then say, like, hey, now it's on you to stay. No. He is the door, which means your safety is not based on your grip on him. It's based on his grip on you. Let me say that again. Your safety is not based on your grip on him, but his grip on you. Jesus says later in the same chapter, if you just keep reading, John 10, verse 28 says, I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Harbor, see that. That's protection. That's not partial, that's complete. His protection, his protection doesn't mean like a lack of harm. It actually means like freedom. Look again at verse 9. I love verse 9. It says, they will go in and out to find pasture. Man, that's like freedom with safety, security without fear. That means completely safe, not mostly safe, not conditionally safe, completely safe. So let me ask you. What are you trusting to protect you? What doors are you leaning your life against? Because some of you are building your life upon something that cannot hold you: a relationship, a bank account, your perfect family, your health. And instead of being real doors, you know what they are? They're trap doors. They look like they'll hold you, but the moment you put all of your weight on them, they drop and you collapse. They give way, they promise stability, but they will drop you. And it's only a matter of time before they fail again. And deep down, let's just have a sober moment. We know it. We know it. And Jesus is so kind and gentle here. He's saying, like, man, there's thieves and robbers out there, and they're not harmless. See, every door will eventually take from you what it promised to give. I have the privilege of meeting with countless people every single week, both Trevor and I do, through connections meeting, pastoral care and counseling meetings, uh, just connecting with other leaders and even just uh folks in Sarpee County. And uh one of the most honest, like just common false doors I see and get to help people walk through, and if I'm just really honest, I struggle with is approval. Is approval. We come to believe if we can just be accepted, if we can just be approved, if we can just fit in, then I'll finally feel safe. We spend our lives actually then managing our image, wearing the right thing, saying the right thing, looking or performing in a certain way, building the resume, always adjusting, always striving, trying to earn something that was never meant to hold you. And here's the hard truth. The approval you're actually chasing will never secure you. The approval that you are chasing will never secure you. And the more you chase it, the more fragile you become. The more fragile you feel. Because people and you were never meant to be the door. Only Jesus is. Next. Because he's not just the door who actually saves you, he's the door that protects you, but he's also the door that gives you and promises life. Look with me now at verse 10. Verse 10. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Jesus is not just about rescue here. Don't misunderstand Jesus. Jesus is about real life, like full life, the abundant life. And now this is where a lot of people are just honestly like they misunderstand Jesus. And there's always two ditches for us to fall into. You've got prosperity preachers who they hear this and they're like, man, name it and claim it. Jesus wants to drive, wants you to drive a Land Rover. He wants you to have your best life now. If you drive a Land Rover, respect, nothing else. I'm just saying, like, that's not necessarily everybody's plan for you, right? And then the other ditch, right, is on the other side. Some assume following Jesus means like a dull, lifeless, fundamental, literally zero fun and stoic existence. Both miss it. So we have to ask, what is abundant life? What is Jesus saying here? What does it mean? Is it perfect circumstances? Is it no suffering? Is it no sickness? Success, comfort, ease? No. Jesus is not promising an easy life, but he is promising a full life. He's calling you into a deep, joyful, meaningful life with him. Jesus is not calling you into a shallow pleasure or a lifeless existence. He wants you to have abundant life rooted with him, knowing him, rooted in his truth, a life that actually satisfies your soul. And you need to see here that Jesus isn't inventing a new idea. Like when he actually says abundant life, he's just picking up what all of the Old Testament has been saying, all throughout Scripture. Abundant life has actually just meant one thing: life with God. I love Psalm 1611. It's one of my favorite Psalms. It says, In your presence there is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. That's abundance. That's not the absence of hardship, but the presence of God in your hardship. Not a pain-free life, but a life where Christ is with you in every single moment. The highs and the lows. It is, it means that Jesus is your life. Deuteronomy 30 says, like, and God will give you life. I will give you myself. God gives you life when he gives you himself. Man, if you just keep reading in John. John 17, 3 says this. This is eternal life. That they know God. So listen. Abundant life is not found in what you have. It's found in who you have. Let me show you what I mean. And you will not know where I'm going at first. I just promise you, okay? I love good steak. Like if you know me, you know that I just love good steak. You're like, where's she going? Okay. I I love moments where Kelsey and I actually are just able to steal away for a great dinner at a great steakhouse for an unhurried dinner. And you know that kind of dinner where like everything's just like perfect and set right? Like the the they actually address you and know you as name when you put in the little reservation on Google or whatever. The atmosphere's right, the lighting's right, they spru they scrape your breadcrumbs. There's even bread on the table before you get there, and it's free somehow. What a grace, right? And then the appetizer comes first and it gets you kind of ready, your palate warmed. And then actually the steak comes out. And it's medium rare, there's nowhere else, there's nowhere uh uh other way to eat it, so I'm not judging you, but there's nowhere uh nowhere there are there. Okay? I don't know what I said there, but there's no other way. You can tell I'm literally thinking about steak right now. I'm trying to stay focused on Jesus, all right? Stay focused. Not lamb, Jesus, okay? Uh but there's something about the first bite of a perfectly cooked steak. It's so good. It's so good. But listen, you do not have to be a Christian to enjoy that moment. That's actually just what theologians call common grace. Uh, but here's the difference. When you've actually entered through the door and you know God personally, that moment becomes more than just enjoyment. It becomes worship. It actually becomes abundance. Because now you're not just tasting a steak in and of itself. You're actually receiving it as a gift from the Almighty Father who you know intimately, from a good father who's actually present with you in the moment. It moves you from a good moment to an abundant moment. And suddenly, you know what happens? Gratitude actually starts to take over, and it actually deepens the joy. Worship experience, it like deepens your experience, and presence actually multiplies the delight. So don't miss this. Abundance is not the absence of something, it's the presence of someone. Abundant life is not the absence of something, it's the presence of someone. It's the presence of Christ in the trial, in the blessing, in the ordinary, in the extraordinary. Like just think about sheep. Like, they don't always understand where the shepherd's leading them, do they? But he does. They don't always see the danger. They don't always know what's up next, they don't know the plan, but they learn to trust his voice. Why? Because he's kept them this far. So when he leads, they follow. That's what abundant life looks like. It's not having everything figured out, but trusting the one who does. Harbor, don't miss this little side note here either. I hope you notice that this whole image here is plural. Flock, sheep, pasture. Abundant life is not experienced in isolation. It's experienced primarily through the flock. You cannot fully experience abundance or life with God while rejecting life with his people. You cannot. Can you be saved? Yes. Can you experience the fullness of life? No. And so I just want to encourage you. I want to press you in two ways. Pastorally, I want to encourage you. For the non-Christian this morning, or maybe the nominal Christian, where like maybe you would check yes on Facebook to being a Christian, but you're not really fully surrendered to Jesus. That's a great place to be, by the way. You're welcome here. But I want you to see that Jesus is inviting you into something more. You're searching for life. You need an abundant life. That's not wrong. Don't repent of that. But hear that. There's an invitation here. You're looking for something that will actually fully and finally satisfy you. And maybe you've tried success, you've tried relationships, you've tried your resume, you've tried independence, you've tried another religion. But it's not holding. Because those things were never meant to be your life. And Jesus is not offering you improvement. Jesus is offering you life. Not a better version of your current path, but a whole new life together. And so for the Christian, some of you here this morning, like you're saved, but you're not actually experiencing the fullness of life. Or man, if you just walk with Jesus long enough, like you're gonna have seasons of this, right? Like you're a season of spiritual dryness and you're not experiencing life. You're actually exhausted, you're still striving, you're still anxious, you're tired, and you're still trying to actually earn what Jesus actually already gave you. And here's Jesus' invitation to you. He says, I didn't just come to forgive you. I came to give you life. So here's the question he is. This is what he says. He says, What are you functionally believing right now will give you abundant life? What are you functionally believing right now will give you abundant life? If this situation improved, if that relationship changed, if this pressure just lifted, if I was just healed, if I looked different. Or what are you asking God to remove? So you can actually just fully live. Because hear this, people like Jesus is not saying, I want just to remove something to give you life. See, life is not actually found in what is added or removed, but in who is present with you. So here's where it comes all together. All throughout the scripture, there are these doors, there's been this barrier, a closed entry, a separation, a boundary, a gate, a veil, a separation between us and God. But when Jesus went to the cross, something happened. Matthew 27, verses 50 through 51 say this beautifully. Why? How? Because Jesus' body was torn. See, Jesus didn't point to a door, he became the door. And he was broken so that the way could be opened. And on the cross, he was abandoned so that you could actually have abundance. Jesus laid down his life so that you could actually walk into life. He was shut out so that you could actually be brought in. Remember the shepherd? Like who lays down in the doorway? Jesus didn't just lie down in the entrance. He didn't just risk his life for the sheep. Jesus gave his life for the sheep. He laid down his life to save you, to protect you, to give you fullness of life. Man, there's a story about uh Harry Houdini. Uh, if you don't know who that was, he's one of the greatest escape artists who actually ever uh lived. Uh and there's uh he's been told, or we it's been told, that there wasn't a lock that this guy couldn't pick, a straight jacket he couldn't get out of. Uh and there is one trick that he actually couldn't get out of, and not many people know it. Uh, there was one that actually got the best of him. And there's a story about it, and he's actually like locked in a small town jail cell, not of a state of an art like contraption. Small town jail cell. And he he starts working the lock, he's trying every trick, every method he knew, and minutes turn into an hour, and then a sweaty hour turns into a couple hours, and finally, completely exhausted. He takes a break and he leans against the door and it opened. It was never locked. Here's the point some of us are exhausting ourselves trying to open a door that's already been opened. Trying to earn it, trying to fix ourselves, trying to prove ourselves. Jesus is saying, you don't have to force the door. You just you just have to enter. Stop striving, stop earning, stop performing, stop knocking and opening false doors. Stop trying to build your own way in or building your life apart from Jesus. The door is already open. Jesus invites you to walk through it. Because Jesus is not a door, Jesus is the door, the door who saves you. The door who protects you and the door who gives you life. Heavenly Father, how good and gracious and benevolent, thoughtful, honest you are. Forgive us for the ways that we actually uh have chosen to actually be kept out. You don't keep us out. We keep ourselves out, Father. And so, Father, we uh come very humbly before you. I pray none of the words that were mine would stick with people. I pray that the Holy Spirit would go before me and anyone else, and that you would knock on the doors of hearts that have actually not leaned in or actually entered in with you. And so, Holy Spirit, would you prompt them, would you give them courage to actually open the door and walk through? Not in not needing to fully understand everything, but just trusting that you want to do a redemptive work in their life, that you want to save them, that you want to protect them, that you want to give them the fullness of life. And also, Father. There's many of us like we're we're exhausted, we're tired. And we need to be reminded that God, you shut the door behind us. You love us, you delight in us, you care for us, and you are holding us. Your hinges are strong. The weight of this world cannot push us out. And so, Father, would you give us a moment, even during communion, give us a moment as we're with your people, as we're worshiping. Help us enter into your presence. Holy Spirit, we thank you for the gathering. We thank you for so many that have gone before us, that have entered into the door. We thank you for the souls that you are adding into your sheepfold. Would more and more be added in, all for your glory and for our good. In Jesus' name. A name.