I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Sunday, February 22, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank you for another Lord’s Day, when I may gather with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus, to worship and praise You. I pray that You will use the gathering of believers for worship not only at New Life, but also around our community, nation and around the world! I pray that you will pour out Your Holy Spirit upon every person who bears the name of Jesus today! May we worship You in Spirit and in truth, and may we recognize Jesus as, “I am”—as co-equal with You, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Increase our ability to know You, to follow You and to glorify You through our lives. All this I pray in the strong name of Jesus! Amen.
God's Word Today
John 6:35-37
35Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. 36But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
Exodus 3:13-15
13But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘the God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they won’t believe me. They will ask, ‘Which god are you talking about? What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14God replied, “I am the one who always is. Just tell them, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15God also said, “Tell them, ‘the LORD, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This will be my name forever; it has always been my name, and it will be used throughout all generations.
Reflecting on God's Word
When you think of “bread” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
What is the relationship between Jesus’ “I Am” statements, and your understanding of who He is?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
To what does Jesus compare himself in today’s first reading? (6:35-37)
What does Jesus say will be the result for those who believe this truth? (6:35-37)
According to the second reading, what is God’s name? (3:13-15)
Understanding God's Purpose for Us
What was Jesus’ purpose in making the “I Am” statements we find in the gospel of John?
What do you think Jesus meant when He said that those who come to Him will never be hungry again?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What is the most important point from today’s reading for you to apply to your life right now?
Thoughts..."I AM!"
The “I Am” passages in the gospel of John, which we will be studying over the next seven weeks, all have one thing in common: through them Jesus proclaims that He is God! We see from today’s reading from Exodus that when Moses wanted to know God’s name, God told Moses, “I Am.” The name is actually all-encompassing since it can not only mean – “I Am,” but also, “I will be who I will be” or “I cause to exist what is.” God wanted Moses to know that He was, indeed, the one true God. When Jesus made the seven I Am statements in John’s gospel, He was equating Himself with God. As I mentioned in the message at worship today, when someone says, “I am God,” then we know one of three things about the person: He is a liar, a lunatic, or Lord! Jesus is no liar, and He’s not a lunatic (although His own family wondered whether He was at certain points in His ministry!). For us, the key is that Jesus’ testimony as it is found in the gospels makes it clear that we are dealing with the Lord of all things. Thus, knowing Jesus as Lord, means we are called to follow Him as servants. While not the most popular view in our day, it is the only accurate view. So, let’s put our allegiance fully behind our Lord, Jesus, today, that all may know His great love, goodness, and power!
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