Daily Encouragement (8/24/20) "The Door"
Published: Mon, 08/24/20
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A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
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"The Door"
Message summary: We encourage you all to enter the door of Christ which is the only way to salvation.
Podcast not prepared for this message.
"So Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep'" (John 10:7).
Doors are not something we normally give a lot of attention to. But we all can appreciate the value of doors; exterior doors which keep our homes secure and the weather out, interior doors which provide privacy. Our house has twenty-four doors. This includes closet doors and a shower door as well as the doors in my barn! You would probably be surprised how many doors you have in your house, should you choose to count them!  Our only door with any real distinction is our front
door but many doors have real character.These are doors that are elaborate and decorative in addition to being functional. Yesterday we visited Jim Thorpe, a small mountain town in eastern Pennsylvania in the Poconos and we saw a wide variety of very colorful doors in the village such as our lead photo today and on the poster to the right. (Click for larger view.)Wherever you live you most likely have doors but we recall having a wonderful meal with a family in Guatemala nearly 30 years ago who lived in a tiny two room house with no interior or exterior doors at all. They shared with other villagers an outdoor latrine, a common faucet and a shower. Doors are referenced all through the Bible with the first reference in Genesis 4. It was a message from God to Cain before he killed Abel, “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Among the last references to the door in Scripture has Jesus standing at the door and knocking in Revelation 3:20. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me".  Today let us examine a reference to the door among the “I am” statements in John’s Gospel. In these statements Jesus asserted His deity in describing Himself. They are known as the ego eimi (ἐγώ
εἰμι) statements from the Greek words for “I am”.In John 10 He uses an illustration that would have been so familiar to them on the basis of observation and experience along with their knowledge of the Scriptures such as Psalm 23. Christ said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep". Just a few verses later He stated, "I am the Good Shepherd". In the Bible period a shepherd would build a temporary sheep pen by building a wall when staying overnight in distant pastureland. He’d leave an opening where the sheep could come and go and be safe. All that remained was the closing for the door, but there was no door. Somehow a door had to be provided in order for the sheep to dwell in security. A good shepherd, in caring for his flock, would simply lie down across the small opening. Thus the shepherd became the door, and in this way the sheep remained safely inside and the wild beasts remained outside. Because the shepherd had become the door, there was nothing for the sheep to fear. Their protector and provider had guaranteed their protection from predators while also preventing them from wandering from the secure sheepfold and entering enemy territory. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). We encourage you to enter this door of Christ which is the only way to salvation. As one of His sheep I am so thankful for this self-revelation of a desperately needed provision. Christ emphasized the statement with the repetition where He “said to them again” and with the dual emphasis, “Truly, truly”. We do well to listen.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Jesus, just like the shepherd willingly lays his life down for his sheep, You also willingly laid down Your life for us. You took on our adversary, the devil, who takes people captive for his own diabolical plans. You struck down the devil’s scheme to enslave and devour us, and
his plan for death and the grave. Instead You became the doorway to the Father when You told the disciples, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” We thank You for being the door to our eternal salvation, when You laid down Your life for us, through Your shed blood. Amen.The "I Am" statements of Christ in John's Gospel: 1. I am the bread of life 6:35, 48, 51 2. I am the light of the world 8:12; 9:5 3. I am the door of the sheep 10:7, 9 4. I am the good shepherd 10:11, 14 5. I am the resurrection and the life 11:25 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life 14:6 7. I am the true vine 15:1 In addition to these metaphorical "I am" statements there are absolute “I am” statements . Among the last words in the Bible is our Lord’s powerful self-declaration, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13). Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The Door" Video Fourtwelve
Can Your grace set me free?
Can it break the chains that always held me And do what no one’s done before Throw the past away and open the door? Sherry, who was my secretary when we served a church in northern Pennsylvania nearly 30 years ago, responded to Friday's message about vitamins: "The Best Vitamin For A Christian Is B1!"
Jim Thorpe and Lehigh River Photos
 Stone row in Jim Thorpe, PA
Asa Packer built these 16 row houses for engineers and foremen of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Click to enlarge
 The Lehigh Gorge rail trail near Jim Thorpe, PA runs along an active rail line.
Ester was with us yesterday and we only rode about 10 miles of the trail.
This September we plan to ride the rail train up the gorge and then ride 25 miles along the Lehigh River back to Jim Thorpe. See here for info.
Click to enlarge
An abandoned railroad tunnel along the Lehigh Gorge rail trail near Jim Thorpe, PA.
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We walked through the abandoned railroad tunnel.
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We walked through the abandoned railroad tunnel and had this beautiful view from the other side.
Click to enlarge
Lehigh River rafting near Jim Thorpe, PA
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Lehigh River rafting near Jim Thorpe, PA
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." © Copyright 2020 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
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