I AM. Part 4

Jesus couldn't attend a funeral.
Week 4 - Jesus called Himself the Resurrection and the Life.
I have something to share with you guys – if I can be serious with you for just a minute….. I have recently been diagnosed with a fatal disease called Senescence…. Actually, I've had this disease for all my life and just didn't know it. It is………………………. the advancing of age… and it's fatal! And sadly –worst of all is – even though I hate to be the one to break it to all of you…. you also have it. In fact all of us from the time we are born are on a crash course with death. Our cells from the time we are born until the day we die…continually break down; and if we don't die from senescence then we will die from something else… This fatal disease of death is still at 100%. There is no cure for it.

Death is not a fun topic though – is it?

It's a subject that we tend to avoid talking about; kind of like hiding our heads in the sand thinking that IF we don't think about it and talk about it – then it won't happen. We live our lives as though death is something that happens to other people and only when they've reached the ripe old age of ……..30?

(Maybe to all you young ones at least) However it doesn't take but a quick look at the obituary column of a paper to see that people die of ALL AGES die ; babies, kids, youth, adults and senior citizens – they all die. Death is kind of like the ultimate survivor…you can't outwit, outplay or outlast it. It will beat us every time.

There is a saying that goes…there are two things that you have to do in life…and that's to:

1. Die

2. Pay taxes.

People hate to talk about either; because both cost us something.

So, about this death thing…. What does Jesus have to say about it?

The fifth I am saying that Jesus spoke is:

John 11:25, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

This is the story of Jesus and a man named Lazarus.

In JOHN 11 the bible gives an account of the situation. It is about the same two women that you may have heard about before… the same Martha and Mary who had Jesus over and Martha was upset because she was doing all the work while Mary sat at Jesus' feet. The bible also tells us in this scripture that this is also the same Mary who poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. So, these sisters sent word to Jesus telling him… "Lord, the one you love is sick."

Jesus when He first hears this says, the really important thing to notice… "This sickness will not end in death; no it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it."

It goes on to say that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard this news he stayed where he was for two more days. Then after that time he told the disciples…let's go back to Judea; telling them that our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.

The disciples replied to him, Lord if he sleeps he will get better. Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So, then and there He told them…"Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him."

This is an amazing truthful statement… and most people tend to miss it…

That the resurrection power of Jesus is so strong; because He is God… that a person simply CANNOT die in His presence; this is proven not once but twice. There's this story of Lazarus and then there's this story also about the ruler's 12 year old daughter that died too.

In fact Jesus broke up every funeral that people were trying to have. When HE walked into one - the person came back to life and was resurrected… and it would instead turn into a celebration.

Death cannot exist where He is. When the dead heard Jesus' voice they all sprang to life. He is life and He is the resurrection, just like He said.

This is the same great hope that all of us need to recognize and grasp.

Like I said earlier… there is a reality to death. It is going to happen… but if you have faith and He truly lives inside of you - death does not exist… our bodies may die – but we will spring to life again. For a true believer in Christ the fear of death is diminished more and more as we grow in Him.

People who love this world CANNOT imagine not living in it; to them death is the end.

So they don't want to talk about it.

They avoid it in conversation…

How many people have you spoken to that when you talked about death have told you – "let's not talk about it?"

People even do drastic things to avoid death….

Right now, there are about 50 people who have been frozen in hopes of someday being brought back to life when there is technology to do so:

The cost of this process and then storage: $120,000

The price for freezing and storing just the head of the client: $41,000 –

Health, 1-2/93. "To Verify," Leadership.

All that and all that $$ and all they would have had to do is receive the free gift of Christ; who is the resurrection and the life!

The facts are staggering, 100% of everyone who is born will one day die! None of us are exempt….Even Jesus' best friends experienced sickness and death! Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus about Lazarus being very sick and we can see that when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick and in trouble, He purposefully stayed away insuring Lazarus' death!! And Mary and Martha even though they had faith in Jesus lost hope a bit…. Until Jesus reminded them again how IN CONTROL OF THINGS – HE WAS.

How many times in our lives have we wondered why God permitted such a terrible thing to happen? We have to understand:God's ways are not our ways and we cannot always judge the goodness of God by today's experiences and how we are feeling. Christ had a plan, that sickness and pain, and even death is not the final word on the subject for those who love Christ. And not even the disciples understood what Jesus was doing and saying here! They thought that Jesus was saying that Lazarus had "fallen asleep" as meaning the fever had broken and he was on the road to recovery! So, Jesus finally has to spell it out to them, saying… hello…."He's dead!" The purpose of letting Lazarus die was to show them and others during that time and even now as we read this chapter….that Christ has power over death. When Jesus finally arrives back in Judea - he finds exactly what He expected to have happened; Lazarus had been dead for 4 days! And He of course finds a grieving family and friends; everyone there having already accepted the fact of death, and also knowing that they were thinking about the fact that Jesus could have made all the difference if He had come sooner! And it's Martha who first approaches Jesus just before He actually arrives; meeting Him some ways from the tomb. She was if you remember again….the practical one in the family who was making the meal while her sister Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and she asks Jesus why he had not come earlier while there was still a chance to save her brother. And then Mary comes, and asks the very same question…."if you had been here our brother would not have died." It is interesting to note that BOTH the practical Martha and the devotional Mary were both thinking the exact same thing: We are more alike than different. In times of great anguish and pain…we can get our eyes off the solution and think only about the problem. And then we come across the shortest verse in the bible. John 11:35 Jesus wept. This statement shows us the deep sympathy that God feels for His people. And this points to the truth of who Jesus is: that He is the resurrection which shows that He is 100% God but in His weeping shows us His humanity…. that He is also 100% human. Death is not the victor, Christ is! Right after this Jesus asks those who are standing by to remove the stone barrier, and open up the tomb. And it's the practical Martha again that tells him how unpractical this move is…because her brother Lazarus had been dead for 4 days, and that his rotting body would smell badly; thinking again in terms of human limitation instead of Christ's power. Jesus reminds her and all those who were standing by that by faith anything can happen, and so they roll away the stone. And Jesus looks up and says…"Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." And then He yells out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"….. And the bible says… not that Lazarus came out …. But that THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT, WITH HIS HANDS AND FEET WRAPPED WITH STRIPS OF LINEN AND A CLOTH AROUND HIS FACE. This of course was meant to raise the level of faith in the disciples for the coming weeks' events, because He was going willingly to die for each one of us very shortly. If Jesus can raise a man who had been dead 4 days, surely he can raise Himself after 3! In Revelation 1:18 He states it like this…. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. When Christ commanded Lazarus to come to life, there was no power in Hell that could have prevented it, because the RESURRECTION AND LIFE had spoken it! He holds the keys; and what He says… goes!

I AM. Part 3

Are you a sheep or a goat? Pastor Deb's third message on the I AM statements of Jesus.

Continuing on with the seven I am's of Jesus in the book of John in chapter 9; right after Jesus spoke of Himself being the light of the world and then healed the man who had been blind since birth - Jesus seeks out this man who was thrown out in the street and asks him, "do you believe in the Son of Man?" The man says, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him." Jesus tells him, "you're looking at him; don't you recognize my voice?"

The man then says to Jesus, "master I do believe," and then worships him.

Jesus goes on from there to make the point, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

The Pharisees who overheard him saying all this asked Jesus – "does that mean you're calling us blind?" To which Jesus responds, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure."

 It's right after this, while Jesus is still with those Pharisees and blind man that He says the next two I am statements; I am the gate and I am the shepherd. In chapter 10 of John – He says…

Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate – you know he is up to no good. He is a sheep rustler!

The shepherd walks right up to the gate and the gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice.

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it.

Jesus told this very simple story but they had no idea what he was talking about, so he tried again.

I am the gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for, will go freely in and out and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal, kill and destroy; I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better than they ever dreamed of.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd put the sheep before himself and sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and he runs for it – leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf, He's only in it for the money. The sheep don't matter to him.

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father; I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.

You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one shepherd.

Jesus was talking here of the gentiles; not just the Israel people. He is making the point that His message would be for everyone; not just those who were from Israel. Most of us understand what gates are… we see them all the time. Around here we see gates keeping animals in a certain area or keeping out someone who doesn't belong there. Jesus made a point here that He is that gate; speaking about it in terms of a sheep pen. Sheep pens weren't much in ancient Israel, they weren't like they are now with big wooden boards or electric fences. A pen in those days would be made of simple stones, hedges or branches and a lot of times more than one flock of sheep would be kept inside of the pen at the same time to provide even more safety to the sheep. (You know - power and safety in numbers) These sheep would mingle together, graze together and play together, and would only be separated when the shepherd would call out to them with a cry that they recognized. The sheep knew their voices and the shepherds knew their sheep by name also… they knew this one was fluffy…that one was fleecy and that one was flouncy. You spend time with something long enough you know – you name it. And what would happen is – during the night or when the flock was pasturing in the pen the shepherds themselves would lay at the entrance to the pen and be – kind of like a living gate to protect them.

Jesus was making the point that He is our living gate. I'm sure that if you've gone to church in the past you have heard the term flock being used to describe the church and the families there … Jesus was making some very valid points here by using this simple analogy; with Him saying that He is the gate and the shepherd; He was actually saying such things as:

He speaks to His sheep.

He calls them by name.

He leads them.

He protects them.  

These things that He spoke about, most people could wrap their minds around.

He was saying that He was the gate…not a gate. He was saying that He was the only entrance to which people could be saved and He was also calling the people that He came to protect and to save –His sheep. Some interesting things to know about sheep is that:

They have pretty good hearing, they can hear the shepherds call… but they are very sensitive to noise and voices when they are being handled and will take off running from the shepherd when they become afraid.

Sheep have excellent peripheral vision; they can usually see behind themselves without turning their heads; which makes great sense when you think in terms of humans who all have pretty great 20/20 vision when it comes to hindsight. But they have poor depth perception, which is the ability to judge the distance of objects from them. If you think in terms of a lot of Christians… a lot of them don't seem to be able to judge the danger around them either… they always seem to think the things that are out to hurt them are much farther away than they truly are.

In general, sheep are said to have a tendency to move out of the dark and go into well-lit areas; which is what God truly intended for us as His followers to do, right?

What's even more incredible about sheep is that they also have an amazing tolerance for pain. His true followers; His sheep will also have to have an amazing tolerance for pain too.

If you've ever gone to a farm or a fair; it can be difficult to distinguish the sheep from the goats sometimes…and it's because they are so closely related.  This brings up a great point that is discussed in Matthew 25; when it says that "All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

Jesus is indicating that everyone will be subject to judgment someday when He returns for His followers. He is saying that every person will stand before him; and if you've already accepted Him as your shepherd – if you truly are one of His sheep, if you've gone through that gate which is Jesus; then you will be let into His Kingdom. But if you only look like a sheep but are truly a goat – you will not make it in.

Like I said at first glance you may not recognize a sheep from a goat but there are some tell tale signs that we can pick up on if we pay closer attention. (Think Christians in terms of sheep)

Obviously; sheep have fleece and goats have hair. So, they actually do look a bit different.

They actually sound different too…Sheeps say baa, and goats say maa. (Although, maybe only a shepherd or mama goat or sheep would be able to pick it out.)

People often say that goats are "smart" because they are very curious and inquisitive, and sheep are thought to be stupid since they tend to stay put. Goats are always jumping over their fences or finding clever ways to open the gates that hold them in; they are true escape artists. But does that make them smarter or more foolhardy?

Goats are more independent than sheep, who are usually aloof to people.

People often say that sheep are "stupid" because of their strong "flocking mentality."

A sheep will become very agitated if it is separated from the rest of the flock. However, it is this same flocking behavior that provides their best defense against predators.

Sheep are considered stupid animals because they are skittish and are frightened away easily and also because they follow other sheep staying in the flock …sometimes without thinking through the dangers that may be ahead.

Sheep also are much more likely to overeat than goats. (?)

Sheep are paranoid and loyal, goats are open and curious. If a stranger comes around, sheep will normally run away but goats on the other hand; will come up and check out the strangers, say hello, and even eat from their hands.

"He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

This provides some very interesting information for us. We see that people will be judged by Jesus himself and be put into one of two categories.
They will either be designated as sheep or as goats. While it may be easy for some people who are not familiar with livestock to confuse sheep and goats; it's very easy for a shepherd to tell the difference between a sheep and goat and always get it right.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me.

There is a sense of security that comes with having Jesus as our good shepherd.

A good shepherd will care enough to sacrifice himself to take care of the sheep that He cares and loves. And that is what Jesus did when He died on the cross for each one of us that He shepherds. He will lead you, speak to you, call you by name and protect you, if you are truly one of his sheep. What say you? Baa or Maa?

I AM. Part 2

Deb speaks on how God is the I AM and Christ is the light of the world.

We have been speaking about the words I am; and how God calls himself, I am. It is no surprise that Jesus who is part of the trinity also calls himself I am, in fact; Jesus speaks seven I AM, statements in the chapter of John driving home this point and fulfilling scripture in the Old Testament.

John 6:35. I am the bread of life.

John 8:12 I am the light of the world.

John 10:9 I am the gate.

John 10:11, 14 I am the good shepherd.

John 11:25 I am the resurrection.

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life.

John 15:1-5 I am the true vine.

Last week we talked about Jesus stating that He is the bread of life, and tonight we will talk about Him being the light of the world.

Many people fear the dark; they think the darkness hides things that are out to get us. Things that might not be considered dangerous to us in the light of day suddenly become much more dangerous when they are swallowed up by the darkness of night. Light gives us clarity.

Obviously, God thought that light was important too since it was the first thing that He did that creation week. It says in Genesis 1:3-5 that God said, "let there be light", and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night". And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.

In fact the very first act that He did – He continues to do still today.

He's still at work separating the darkness from the light.

How many of you were or are afraid of the dark?

From what God's Word has to say – maybe growing out of that fear is something that should never really happen.

Jesus because of His relevant nature spoke to people in ways that they could "wrap their minds around." All human beings can relate to light and darkness…it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get it. God calls Himself light, and tells us that without Him we live in darkness. It's pretty simple; He said it this way that even a child could perceive it… maybe using light and darkness because nearly all children are at some time afraid of the dark.

But could it be that we don't actually lose our fear of the dark as much as we just get much more comfortable with it?

Maybe it's just like when we first step out into darkness - it's blindingly dark… it almost hurts to look because there's nothing that we can focus on, but soon our eyes begin to adjust and we become much more comfortable with it.

We fear the things that are cloaked in darkness, but you need to understand that sin brought about a darkness much more ominous than the one we could ever see at sundown.

Maybe, just maybe… the reason why people have such a fear of the dark is that it's God given. Maybe it's natural from the way that we were created.

Maybe darkness is our kryptonite, Superman.

Light is what lets matter live in this world. If we removed the SUN – this planet would die. A plant will die if you hide it away and not let it be in the light.

This same truth can be used in the spiritual sense – if a human does not get in the light of Jesus; if they don't get in the light of the SON; they too will surely die.

He is the Son/Sun. He is the true light; He removes darkness and deception by showing people the true path to salvation.

Everyone who follows Jesus is delivered from the darkness of sin, the world and Satan, and God's word says that those who continue to walk in darkness DO NOT actually follow Him. 1 John 1:6, 7 this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you; God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

Jesus spoke – I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Remember how I told you a few weeks back that God called Himself the, I am.

I told you by definition it means - Singular, present.

Jesus again makes it clear to us that Singular, present; is what's needed to get out of this darkness. When He spoke the words… I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. The word follows means presently doing, it's a continuing action; it's something you have to do every day. When you follow someone, you cannot stop and sit down and rest and still keep up, because if you do… you'll lose sight of them!

Last week when we spoke of Jesus calling himself the bread of life… He used this visual because He had just fed 5000 people with two small fish and five loaves of barley bread and He knew that people would be able to relate to a story of physical hunger. He also brought it up because of the Old Testament scripture which told of the Israelites being fed manna from Heaven while they were in the desert for those forty years after Moses helped them escape. He was actually telling them that God had provided food for their descendants then and that He who was God, had just done the same thing.

Jesus calling himself the light of the world while He was inside the temple next to the place where the offerings were put has great significance too. In John chapter 7 it says that He was there for the Feast of the Tabernacles; which was actually the celebration of that same time when the Israelites were provided for and traveled those 40 years in the wilderness. During the celebration; a huge candelabra would be lit to remind those people of the time when there was a light that God provided for those people to reach the Promised Land.

Exodus 13:21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Jesus was using this opportunity to remind those people that He was and still is that same light that guides us out of the darkness. Those pillars of cloud and fire were sent as proof of God's presence and His care for the people of Israel and it never left them until they reached the Promised Land those 40 years later.

When it moved – they were to move; when it stayed – they were to stay, and it kept them on the right path so that they didn't have to stumble around in the darkness.

That same promise is here for us today… Jesus is the light of the world.

He promises us to never leave us or forsake us… His light will stay with us until we reach that Promised Land.

But when He moves – we're to move and when He tells us to stay, we're to stay. And we are to follow this light every single day. It cannot be done once a week.

Jesus goes on to heal a man of blindness in the very next chapter; telling His disciples that "while I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

This man, proving the point, doesn't JUST GET HEALED either, he too becomes a follower.

There is a story about a woman named Rose Crawford who had been blind for over 50 years; finally having an operation in an Ontario hospital.

Afterwards, she just kept saying over and over again, "I can't believe it," after the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes.

She cried when she was able to see for the very first time…a dazzling, beautiful world filled with form and color.

But the most amazing thing about her story was that for the last 20 years of her life her blindness was unnecessary. She wasn't aware that surgical techniques had been developed, and that she could have had her vision restored to her at the age of 30.

The doctor said, "She always just figured that there was nothing that could be done for her condition.

Much of her life could have been so different."

The same thing happens spiritually every day; people walk away from Jesus and they don't experience this beautiful, glorious light that lights us the darkness.

Maybe the real question should be… Are you afraid of the light?

Plato –We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

I am the Bread of Life.

I want to talk to you about the great I AM.

The God that we serve has no CONFUSION as to who He is.

The definition of I am: I am is the first person singular present tense form of the main copular verb in English.

God describes himself in the bible as I am, and we serve the ONE TRUE God – with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit making up that one true God; it is first person, singular.

The bible teaches us that God is three persons sharing one essence; the trinity…God is tri- personal.

Also this name signifies the important fact that this God that we serve and love is still very much present. We don’t serve a God who is dead. We serve a God who is involved in our lives on a daily level; who hears our calls, sees our needs, and answers our prayers. He is present. Sadly even though our God is assured of who HE is – we struggle with who He is - to us.  It truly is just like that old standby phrase when a person breaks up with somebody …

"Its not you – its me." It will NEVER be God who pulls away – if we are seeking Him, loving and worshipping Him – He will be as close as a whisper…. But it’s when we quit calling and begin to miss our dates with Him that things start to feel awkward…so we break up. There are countless of people confused about who this God is that they heard about and maybe even thought that they met.

God’s NOT CONFUSED…He knows who He is.

In Exodus 6 when God speaks to Moses preparing him for the work that he was called to do – to go and speak to Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from slavery – God said…

"I am God. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the strong God, but by my name God

(I am present) I was not known to them. I established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the country in which they lived as sojourners. But now I’ve heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians continue to enslave and I’ve remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites: I am God. I will bring you out from under the cruel labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I’ll take you as my own people and I’ll be God to you. You’ll know that I am God, YOUR GOD, who brings you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I’ll bring you into the land that I promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and give it to you as your own country. I am God."

We serve a God who isn’t confused about who He is.

He is confident.

He isn’t vague.

He is assured.

He isn’t ambiguous.

He’s definite

He isn’t confused.

He is ours and Jesus’ heavenly Father.

And He sent His son to die on the cross for our sins.

Because of His assurance, Jesus wasn’t confused about who He is either.

In John 6 right after feeding the 5000 Jesus speaks the first of seven I am statements in John’s gospel, each one emphasizing an important aspect of what Jesus came to do.

This miracle, Jesus taking two small fish and five loaves of barley bread that a young little boy had with him; multiplies it and feeds all those people who were there to be healed….even filling twelve large baskets of leftovers. 

Right after that Jesus slipped away up to the mountains to escape because he could see that the people in their enthusiasm wanted to make him an earthly king. The disciples, themselves saw this miracle performed … along with all the others…they saw that this was no normal man but soon after when they got back into the boat and headed back across the water without Jesus and the winds came and churned up the sea…. They saw Jesus approaching the boat walking on top of the water and they were scared senseless. To calm them he had to tell them… "It’s me, it’s all right, don’t be afraid."

Maybe the reason why God is always telling us who He is – is because we just can’t seem to recognize him????

The next day, all those people who were there that saw Jesus perform the miracle of feeding the 5000 realized that He had left and wasn’t coming back so they hopped into some of the new boats from Tiberias that had brought people there and headed for Capernaum to look again for Jesus.

When they found him they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

They called him teacher…. They didn’t call him Lord. Even though they witnessed a miracle they didn’t recognize him as God. Jesus answered, "You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, I filled your stomachs for free."

Jesus wasn’t afraid of calling out people on the truth… He wasn’t afraid to offend a person if they were headed to hell and he could give them an alternative…. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE MISSING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We should care enough about someone’s final destination that we risk hurting their feelings or that we make them uncomfortable.

Jesus tells them, "don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that, work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what He does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.

To that they said, "Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works?"

Jesus said, "Throw your lot in with the One who God has sent; that kind of commitment gets you in on God’s works."

Isn’t that just how we are still today? Don’t we just seem to look for the quick fix, the patch up – instead of the overhaul that will cost us much more time and energy but will last so much longer?

They waffled; "why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the scriptures, "he gave them bread from Heaven to eat."

It says in Exodus 16 that after about a month and a half the people who were saved from slavery were beginning to complain about their lives; asking Moses and his brother Aaron why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat?

What is wrong with these people… they would rather be slaves, getting beat and working in the hot sun with no freedom than they would go without a meal?

And are we no better?

So, God said to Moses, "I’m going to rain down bread from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day’s ration. I’m going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my teaching or not. "

Going back to the text in John 6 when the people asked Jesus, "why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the scriptures, "he gave them bread from Heaven to eat."

They showed their ignorance…

Moses didn’t give their ancestors manna, God did.

Obviously, these people who were talking about the scriptures didn’t read them themselves and they didn’t hear the real truth from people who knew it because that wasn’t what happened at all.

Jesus at that moment showed them right there the most important thing that they were overlooking, He said,  "the real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from Heaven but that my Father is RIGHT NOW offering you bread from heaven, the REAL BREAD. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world." Their response- "the jumped at that, saying "Master, give us this bread, now and forever."

At that point they began to recognize Jesus… they saw the, I am… NOTICE, they no longer called him teacher but called Him Master instead.

Jesus says "I’m telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died. But now here is the bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this bread will not die, EVER. I am the bread, living bread who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live - and forever! The bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh and blood self."

Let me ask you…Do you know the, I am?

Have you met the bread of life?

Let me explain something to you that you’ve got to know…If change didn’t happen after you say you met Him – then it didn’t happen! You didn’t recognize Him. You didn’t meet the Master!

Last week we wrote down  I am _________.

If you wrote something good – He heard it. If you spoke of hurts, he heard it, and if you spoke of a complaint… he heard it.

Those people walking for 40 years in the desert complaining about the lack of food… every time they said…. I AM HUNGRY. I AM MISERABLE. I AM TIRED…. He didn’t miss it….HE, the Great I am, heard them…

Moses spoke to Aaron in Exodus 16 "tell the Israelites, come near to God, He’s heard your complaints."

Now, take the time, examine your hearts…do you know the true I am? Do you want to call him teacher or do you want to call him Master?

My hope is that you never look at bread in the same way.

Let me remind you again, "Jesus said I am the bread of life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me.

Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go.

 I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

This in a nutshell, is that will, that everything handed over to me by the Father will be completed, not a single detail missed and at the wrap up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole.

This is what my Father wants – that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and aligns with him will enter real, eternal life."

I AM. Part 1

Deb speaks on how God is the I AM and Christ is the bread of life.