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Daniel English
April 26, 2026
Sermon - Easter 3
Acts 2:24-27; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10;

Amen, Amen, Listen Up!

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LISTEN UP! What I am about to tell you is important… what I am about to tell you is reliable… what I am about to tell you is true… and you don’t want to miss it. So listen up! This is what Jesus is saying when He says, “Truly, truly.” … in the Greek text, “αμην, αμην.” But this word isn’t Greek. “Amen” traces all the way back “to the Hebrew word for faith or faithfulness. When used as a verb, [it] means ‘to establish, support, or make certain.’ Amen is one of those unique Hebrew words that has followed the Gospel into every language in which it has been preached.”[1] You know and say this word all the time! When translated into Lutheran, Amen means, “This is most certainly true!”

You’re accustomed to this word at the conclusion of hymns and other prayers, but today, this is how Jesus begins in our Gospel reading: “[Amen, amen], I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”[2] And again in verse 7: “[Amen, amen], I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”[3] Jesus begins many of his lessons with “Amen, amen.” Twenty-five times in the Gospel of John, actually[4]. With a few special exceptions, each time Jesus uses this phrase, “Amen, amen,” He is correcting falsehood, revealing who He is, or making known how one is given entrance into the Kingdom of God.

These three things: one — correcting falsehood: like when Jesus tells the crowds that follow Him after the feeding of the 5,000 that they are there not because of faith, but because of hunger: He says, “[Amen, amen], I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”[5] two — revealing who He is, like when Jesus reveals His divine and eternal nature to the Pharisees: He says, “[Amen, amen], I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”[6] And three — making known how one is given entrance into the Kingdom of God, like when Jesus preaches: “[Amen, amen], I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”[7] When Jesus says, “Amen, amen” you better listen up!

In our Gospel reading from John chapter 10, Jesus is doing all three of these things. Jesus is correcting the errors of the Pharisees. The Pharisees, who should lead their people by example in faithful submission to Christ, but instead, they are strangers to the people of God, and thieves, and robbers… the blind leading the blind. Jesus is also revealing who He is. In two of His famous “I AM” statements, Jesus says, “I am the door”[8] and “I am the good shepherd.”[9] In these “I AM” statements, Jesus Christ claims the divine name as His own. The name that was spoken to Moses by God out of the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM.”[10] We learn that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is God. He is “the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”[11] Finally, Jesus is making known how one is given entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus teaches that it isn’t only the shepherds who must enter in through the Door that is Christ, but also the sheep, when He says: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”[12]

First, correction. If a man is to be a shepherd in Christ’s flock, he must enter by the Door that is Christ. What does this mean? A pastor must know who Jesus is and preach the Gospel of Jesus rightly. He must, in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, pronounce repentant sinners forgiven and set free. He must teach the Gospel purely, and administer the Sacraments rightly. This behavior is precisely how our Lutheran Confessions define the church: “The Church is the congregation of saints [Psalm 149:1] in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered” (AC VII).[13]

What about you? What correction is here for you, one of the sheep? If a man you do not know, with a voice you have not heard, comes to you and says, “Follow me,” how many of you would follow? If a man came into this church through some door other than Jesus and preaches some other gospel, like health, wealth, wellness, or the freedom to continue in sin, Jesus says, “do not follow,” Jesus says, “flee from him.” For you do not know the voice of strangers.[14] How many of you make hearing the preaching of the Word of God a top priority, especially in the summer? How many of you come to Bible study to be more familiar with the Word, or commit to devotions at home so the Word resounds in your home and in the ears of your family? How many of you can hear when the voice of a preacher is coming from something… or someone else… than Jesus Christ? Christians, take heart, the Word of the Lord revives the soul. It makes you wise, and it will illuminate your life and lighten your way.[15] The Gospel is God’s power unto salvation. Hear it and believe.

The rich blessings that come from being in the Word at home, in the services of the Church, and in Bible study is that you will mature in your knowledge of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. These two things: who Jesus is and what He has done for you are so related that often times when Jesus is revealing who He is, He is also making known how the Christian is brought into the Kingdom of God. These last two points work together. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Way. Jesus is the only Way. And how are you brought into the Kingdom of Heaven? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”[16] I encourage you to see today’s Gospel reading quite literally. There is one Door, one Gate that leads to Life, and it is Jesus Christ. Don’t think that the narrow way is a way of good works and merit, repentance that is sorrowful enough, and faith that is strong enough. Everything you need is given to you by Jesus. You gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven by faith through grace in Him. This faith comes to you in the preached Word, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, you believe it. Are you baptized? Christ is your Good Shepherd and you are one of His flock. In Him you have grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father. In Christ, you are already in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen, amen.

[1] Lutheran Study Bible, p 1784

[2] John 1:1-2

[3] John 1:7

[4] John 1:51; 3:3; 3:5; 3:11; 5:19; 5:24; 5:25; 6:26; 6:32; 6:47; 6:53; 8:34; 8:51; 8:58; 10:1; 10:7; 12:24; 13:16; 13:20; 13:21; 13:38; 14:12; 16:20; 16:23; and 21:18

[5] John 6:26

[6] John 8:58

[7] John 6:47

[8] John 10:9

[9] John 10:11

[10] Exodus 3:14

[11] John 14:6

[12] John 10:9

[13] From "Article VII. The Church" in The Augsburg Confession, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, Pocket Edition. © 2005, 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Source: https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_vii/

[14] John 10:5

[15] Psalm 119

[16] Matthew 7:13-14