The Great I AM

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!”
John 18:4-6 NLT
 
Jesus’ use of the two words “I Am” were very significant because they were the name of God. To the Jews this name was so sacred that they would not use it in conversation or any other time, instead referring to Him as HaShem or Yahweh. These were sacred names to them, names that would be used with care, if at all. Back in Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, and God commissioned him to go and lead the Israelite people out of Egypt. A daunting task for a mere shepherd looking after his father-in-law’s sheep. As we read the account, we find that initially Moses wasn’t too keen on the idea – after all he was about eighty years old at the time. In the ensuing conversation, where Moses tried to present reasons as to why God had chosen the wrong man, he asked for God’s name. We read in Exodus 3:13-14, “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you””. In the following verse, it says, “God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations“.
 
In relationship to Himself, Jesus used the name “I AM” several times in the Bible. We find it in John 8:24, “That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins”. And in a previous blog we considered the seven “I Am” statements that Jesus made. But we know of course, as it is a fundamental part of our faith, that Jesus had every right to use the name that associated Himself with God, because we know Him as being the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. The name “Jesus” has become synonymous with “I AM” because that is who He is. Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father“.

We see in our verses today from John 18 that Jesus, in His use of the name “I AM”, had a dramatic effect on the soldiers and their companions. They stepped back and fell over each other. Such is the power of Jesus’ name. Peter used the name of Jesus to good effect when he and John were brought before the Sanhedrin. We read in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved“. Jesus’ name, “I AM”, is so powerful that it can save men and women from their sins. This is true power, and power without limit.

Jesus is the great “I AM”. There is none greater and there never will be. And the amazing thing is that the greatest will welcome the lowest – you and me – into His home one day. So we refocus our earthly minds on the things above, elevating our thoughts into Heavenly places. Only Jesus has the words of eternal life.

Dear Lord Jesus. Humbly before You this morning we bow in worship of the only Name that really matters. Thank You. Amen.

Jesus, the Great I Am

Posted on by korgrocker

In John’s Gospel, Jesus made seven “I am” statements, all true statements declaring who He was. To recap, here is the list.

In John 6:35 we read, “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.””
John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””
John 10:7, “so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.”“
John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
John 11:25, “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.””
John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.””
John 15:1, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.”

There are also a couple of occasions where Jesus referred to Himself with God’s name “I AM”.
John 4:26, “Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!””
John 18:5a, ““Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am He,” Jesus said. …””

Jesus used ordinary objects and situations that the people would relate to. Things like bread, light, sheep, a gate or door, death, and a grapevine. And He wove the ordinary into spiritual statements that pointed to Himself, and statements that described life in God’s Kingdom. There could be no doubt as to who Jesus was and what His mission was all about. The problem for most of the Jews was that they seemed to have little appreciation or understanding that they could enjoy being part of God’s Kingdom during their natural lives by believing in Jesus. They also had to contend with the hostility of the Jewish leaders, who considered that Jesus was a blasphemer and a fraud. With all the miracles and signs that Jesus performed, that underpinned His teaching, it is a wonder that the people of His day, including the leaders, didn’t all wholeheartedly embrace Him and all He taught. But that is a sign of sin, because people generally love to sin is all its guises. And sin is incompatible with the Kingdom of God because there will be no sinners in Heaven. Various passages of Scripture in the Bible make it clear who will not be suitable candidates for living with God. For example, we have Revelation 21:8a, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars …”. Altogether, theologians believe that there are 120 separate sins listed in Scripture. To believe in Jesus and follow Him demands a life of repentance, as God’s people pursue holiness to be like Him. Our Holy Spirit inspired consciences will guide us into the truth Jesus taught about.

But the opportunity to believe in Jesus didn’t end with His death. In fact that was when the opportunity really started. The Bible is a legacy of spiritual truth that has continued Jesus’ ministry for the last two thousand years.  The life contained within its pages propagates the work and power of the Holy Spirit, as He lives within us. 

Dear God. We thank You for Your Word, the Bible, and for all it contains, the words of truth and life, Amen.

Personal Testimony

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.” Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.””
John 8:12-18 NLT

The Pharisees seem to have been abandoned by the other Jewish religious leaders because John stopped mentioning them. But regardless, the Pharisaical attacks on Jesus continued, and they now start another approach. The Pharisees decided that Jesus was making claims about Himself that could not be substantiated by independent witnesses, so how could they be proven? Where was the testimony of others? Without it, the Pharisees said, Jesus had no right to make the claims He did. Claims like we read in John 6:35, “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. And in our verses today we read another claim that Jesus made – “I am the light of the world”. Of course, to the Jews, the use of the two words “I am” was highly contentious because they were the name of God and many Jews wouldn’t even mention it. Exodus 3:14, “God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you””. 

Jesus told the Pharisees that what He said about Himself was valid, because there were two witnesses – Himself and His Father in Heaven. Jesus said His claims were true because He knew where He had come from and where He was going. His mandate couldn’t have been any higher. He was on a mission ordained by His Father. Effectively, He was saying to the Pharisees that He was the Son of God, able to make valid claims about Himself, so get over it!

Jesus also pointed out that the Pharisees were using human values to judge Him, something that did not apply in His situation. There was no higher authority than God and His Son, so human jurisdiction did not apply. Jesus then said that He didn’t judge anyone. We remember that He had previously mentioned this in His conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:17, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him”. At the time of His first coming, Jesus was not going to judge anyone – that occasion was still to come, as we read in Revelation 20. 

So, what do we pilgrims think of Jesus and His claims? They are all recorded in the Gospels and elsewhere in the New Testament. The people of His day were divided in their opinions of Him. Many believed in Him because of the miraculous signs that he did, and because of His teaching. But still more, including the Pharisees and the other religious leaders, did not. However, two thousand years on, we are followers of Jesus, disciples of the Son of God, believers in the God-Man who had the words of eternal life. The Messiah who was the bread of life, sustaining those who believed in Him. We don’t stumble around in the darkness of a sinful world, but we have the light of Jesus illuminating our every step. We worship a loving Saviour, who gave His life that we might live.

Dear Lord Jesus. We believe in you, and will follow You all the days of our lives. In Your precious name. Amen.

I AM the Messiah

Posted on by korgrocker

“The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!””
John 4:25-26 NLT

Jesus wasted no more time in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. He came right out with a timeless statement, one that has reverberated down the centuries ever since. “I Am the Messiah”, He said. Of course, although we note the first two words, “I Am”, they would have had a special and much greater significance for the Jews. In the burning bush experience, the Lord engaged Moses in a conversation, as we read in Exodus 3. It started with the Lord saying to Moses from the burning bush, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). Moses appeared reluctant to take on the assignment of negotiating with Pharaoh to obtain the release of the Israelites from their slavery and we read in verse 13, “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?“”. In Exodus 3:14-15 we read, “God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations“. 

God’s name was revered by the Jews to the extent that they would not even say it. It was forbidden for them to say any of God’s names. So when Jesus used the phrase to describe Himself, He immediately brought Himself up against the religious authorities of His day. And then to claim that He was the Messiah as well ….! But the clarity of His statement removed all doubts in the woman’s mind. 

What do we pilgrims think of the Jewish Messiah called Jesus, the One who came to save us from our sins? Of course we have knelt at the foot of His cross, repenting of our sins. We have received His forgiveness, and we continue our lives in the knowledge that the righteousness imputed to us by Jesus makes us acceptable in God’s sight. In Israel two thousand years ago, the coming of the Messiah was expected, but not in the way Jesus came. They were hoping for a Person who would set Israel free. He did, of course, but freedom from sin was not what the people had in mind. Over the centuries, the Israelites had suffered greatly under the jurisdiction and oppression of conquering armies, and longed for the day when they would be a nation in their own right again. 

Jesus, even though He was the expected Messiah, was largely rejected by the people of His day. And that rejection continues even in these present times. People are looking for a “god” who will deal with the issues they are facing. For example, poverty, homelessness, relational breakdowns, illness and disease. And unable to find such a “god”, they sinfully make one for themselves out of their own thoughts and expectations. But they fail to realise that their sin is a much bigger issue than anything they experience in their natural lives. And there is the “I AM” waiting with open arms to welcome them into His presence. That is not to say, however, that God won’t help people with their needs. He is a wonderful God who keeps on giving, time after time. But, sadly, most people today have the same sinful attitudes that the Israelites had, rejecting the One who can save them from the consequences of their rebellion and sin. But we pilgrims echo the words of Jesus, communicate His Good News, and extend His offer of salvation to those around us. “I Am the Messiah” – only four words but probably the most important message anyone will ever hear. Words that will start them on a journey to eternal life.

Dear Father God. You are the great I AM. There is none like You. Amen.