How would Jesus introduce Himself? Most folks have heard of him, at least as a historical figure, but who does He say He is? How would He describe who He is to people don’t necessarily know or understand Him? Have you met Jesus? Meet Him! He’s pretty amazing. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements introducing Himself in various ways to us, each starting with “I am…” Each of these statements involves a different way He relates Himself to you and me. All of them are quite tangible for us to have a better picture and understanding of who He is and who He claims to be. Of course Jesus says many other things about Himself through Scripture, but these seven word pictures are quite intriguing. 1. I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35-51)"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." (John 6:35) Why do we eat bread? Because we’re hungry! Our physical bodies need food to live. Our souls are hungry too, and Jesus says He is the bread that fills that hunger and gives life to our spirit. 2. I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’” We need light to see, to live life effectively, and to appreciate the beauty of the world around us. Without it, we stumble around in the darkness. While we can manage to get through this life blind (some people don’t have a choice in the matter), when you can see, it opens up a whole new dimension to life! Light shines on things in the darkness – if you have to crawl into a dark attic or crawlspace, you definitely want to have a flashlight to avoid obstacles and creepy crawlies. Jesus not only shines light on the world around us, but He shines light on our own hearts. That’s why some people hate Him – they don’t want the sin in their hearts to be revealed, and Jesus infringes upon their comfort zones. But that’s what He does – He exposes what’s in the darkness with His light. 3. I am the Door (John 10:7-9) “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’” In this chapter, Jesus is speaking metaphorically about entering through Him, the “door,” to find abundant life. He is not just “a” door, but “the” door. We have to come through Him to find life in God, just as He says later in John 14:6, “no one comes to the Father but through Me.” 4. I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” The full context of the chapter talks about how hired hands run from the wolf that would do harm to the sheep, but Jesus as the Shepherd is willing to lay down His life for us, because we are His, and He loves us as His own. A shepherd’s job is to protect the sheep, guide them to safety, feed them, pasture them, and find them when they wander off. That’s what Jesus does for us. 5. I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)When Jesus was talking with Martha after her brother Lazarus died, He made this statement to her: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Later, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, as proof that He had power over life and death! We will all die a physical death, but the kind of life Jesus is talking about is an eternal spiritual life. He gives us that life – He is that life. Most of us understand eternal life to be heaven (as opposed to eternal death in hell), but it is more than that. According to Jesus in John 17:30, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life does mean spending eternity in heaven with God, but it starts earlier than that when you begin a relationship with Him now and experience a new life within yourself that He gives you! 6. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)“Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'” This statement, more than any other, renders false the idea that “all paths lead to God.” Jesus didn’t say that He is “a way” or “a truth,” but “the way” and “the truth.” He claims to be the only way to God. Either He is right and all other religions are wrong, or other religions are right, and Jesus was wrong. But they can’t both be true; it just doesn’t work. Jesus made Christianity different from any other religion, because He didn’t just teach us to follow a way or a set of teachings; rather He said He “is” the way. The only way. 7. I am the Vine (John 15:5)“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus is saying that He is our source. Our nourishment, strength, and very life come from Him, just as a branch draws those things from the main vine. If we are not connected to Christ, we cannot survive, particularly in a spiritual sense, but since He created us and gives us breath, also in a physical sense. One more “I am"All of these seven statements start with “I am.” Jesus also makes an eighth statement in John 8:58 about Himself that is simply “I am.” What does this mean? This one is less tangible, but it’s huge. With this statement, Jesus is making a claim to his eternal nature, and more importantly, He’s making a claim to divinity, a claim to be God Almighty! How do we know this? Read this heated little dialogue that Jesus had with a group of Jews in John 8:39-58: Jews: Abraham is our father. Jesus: If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father. Jews: We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God. Jesus: If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. Jews: Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus: I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death. Jews: Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be? Jesus: If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. Jews: You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Jesus: Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am. And then it says, “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” The Jews whom Jesus was talking with tried to stone Him because they understood Jesus’s reference when He said, “before Abraham was born, I am.” He was referring to a passage in Exodus 3:13-15, when God speaking to Moses announced that His name was “I AM.” Jesus in that statement was making Himself out to be God, and the Jews wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. So that's Jesus!Jesus makes some pretty radical claims about Himself, and He also makes it very apparent that He loves us and wants to be our everything. Most of these statements equate Jesus with life itself, and Jesus claims to be the unique and only way to God. In fact, He claims to be God Himself.
Early in the book of John, it is written that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," (John 1:1) and a few verses later it says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Jesus was God in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary, who came to be the bridge between God and man. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) God made Himself reachable and tangible in the person of Jesus. Want to know God? Meet Jesus. He already knows you, loves you, and came to give His life for you!
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Most of us want to go to Heaven. I have to think that even people who don’t believe there is a Heaven and Hell must at times wonder in the back of their minds if they might be wrong and hope they’ll make the cut.
Fortunately, God doesn’t want us to have to wonder and worry about whether we’ll make it. He lays it out pretty clearly for us in the Bible! You can know your eternal destiny. Below is a list of truths you can examine within your heart in light of God’s Word to be confident that you belong to Him and will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. 1. Understand that you don't deserve to go to Heaven. You can't BE good enough or DO good enough. God demands perfection, and no one meets that requirement. You can try really hard, but ultimately, you will fall short. God doesn’t grade on a curve, nor does He weigh your good deeds against your bad deeds. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Perfection. Perfect actions. Perfect thoughts. Perfect attitudes. Perfect motives. God also says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23 and 6:23) All of humanity has failed to meet God’s requirements to go to Heaven and deserves death. This all sounds really depressing, and it is. But this understanding is crucial to having a right relationship with God. God wants you to come to Him with an attitude of humility; He is the Creator and you are His creation. He is perfect; you are not. “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10) 2. Understand that God loves you and wants a relationship with you. Even though you have fallen short of the perfection He demands, God still loves you anyway and wants you to go to Heaven. He loves you not because of anything good you’ve done, but because you are His creation. He came to earth as a man to pay the penalty of death He requires for our sin. He did that for you. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 3. Understand that Jesus is enough and did enough. God’s love for you was demonstrated through His Son Jesus, who took the sins of the world, including yours, upon Himself and died the death that you deserved. Going to heaven is not a result of who you are and what you can do, but rather who Jesus is and what Jesus did. As Jesus died, He announced, “It is finished.” He paid the debt that you and I owed, and made it possible to have a restored relationship with God. Jesus rose from the grave after three days, proving His power over death and the ability to grant new life to those to put their faith in Him. 5. Understand that Jesus is the only Way. All roads do not lead to the same place. All religions do not lead to God. Regular church attendance does not even guarantee that you will go to Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) If there were any other way, why would Jesus have laid down His life? God wants a personal relationship with each of us through Jesus Christ. 5. Understand that Salvation from Hell is a free gift. While there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God does want to give it to us! He offers it to us freely. We simply accept His gift of forgiveness, accept His grace, accept His mercy. That’s it. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) “For by grace you have been saved by faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 If you acknowledge your sins and inadequacy to God, believe that Jesus died in your place and rose again, and believe His promise for eternal life, you will go to Heaven. 5. Understand that when you belong to Jesus, He'll never let you go. You are secure with Him. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28) Paul also wrote in Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:38-39) Since there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation, there is also nothing you can do to lose your salvation. It’s not dependant on what you do, good or bad. Once you have eternal life, it’s just that: eternal life. Forever. Anything short of this diminishes what Jesus did for us on the cross. What is Eternal Life? Contrary to what some people may think, the point of Heaven is not to satisfy all our wants and pleasures. Neither is Heaven about sitting on a cloud strumming a harp for all eternity. Yes, there is a heaven, and yes, it’s a great place, and yes, it’s forever. But all that isn’t the point. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) Eternal life is about knowing God in a personal way. Heaven is about being with God. It’s about going home to our Savior Jesus and spending eternity with Him in a place free from the pains and consequences of evil on this earth. It’s about being with the One we love, and living among others who share a love of Jesus and our Heavenly Father. That being said, if you don’t love Jesus and and don’t care about being with Him, God won’t force you into His home and into a place where you don’t want to be. You’re invited, but you have to come on God’s terms. Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What if I’m Not Sure I Believe These Things? If you are concerned about going to heaven, God is likely already at work in your heart. We don’t have to understand everything about Him, and it’s normal to have questions and doubts. Below are some steps you can take to increase your understanding of God and how to go to Heaven.
Resources I love my God. He is my Creator, my Father, and my Redeemer. He is my strength when I am weak. He is my constant in a world of change. He has a way of lifting my spirits when I’m down, and casting light on a dark situation. He gives me a purpose and value as His child. He is gentle, yet firm. Forgiving, yet just. Brilliantly creative, astoundingly incomprehensible. He knows the perfect time to be angry, but graciously draws those in who have regrettably done Him wrong. He doesn’t put up with disorder, and makes clear His ways. What is the point of this life but to know Him? Not to better ourselves, but to be made complete by His touch. He has breathed life into our lungs, fashioned the shape of our flesh, and continues to mold and shape our spirit and our character into the likeness of His Image. Friends, it saddens me that so many think of religion as a means to be good, or a set of morals and beliefs. Perhaps that is religion, but it’s not Jesus. Knowing your Creator in an intimate way is life-giving. He knows your deepest hurts, your ugliest scars, your guiltiest moments. And He loves you. He loves you in spite of what He knows of you, and loves you enough to walk with you through a journey of change and growth, setbacks and failures, joys and triumphs. Clichés and formulas and rules to follow are not what Jesus intended for us. He is real, and though many of us claim to believe in Him, I think sometimes we forget that He is real. I do. To talk the talk and say the right words is easy. To know deep in your soul the amazing Truth and the Life of Christ is overwhelmingly powerful and you can’t help but radiate His light from your being. The world needs to see that, but it’s scary to be passionate about Someone whom so many can’t see and don’t understand. Does anyone know they need forgiveness anymore? Has anyone done that of which they are truly ashamed? Jesus forgives those who ask Him. And He covers you with so much love and grace that you don’t want to do whatever bad thing you did ever again. You don’t want to disappoint Him. It’s not easy to admit my failures. Sometimes I don’t even recognize them until my loving God points them out to me. Sometimes He uses the words of my husband to show me my selfishness. Sometimes He uses a pastor’s sermon, or words on a page, or a comment by a coworker. And sometimes it’s a gentle whisper to my heart to show me where I went wrong. It’s out of love that He does this. He wants to heal me and make me better, but first I need to know my weaknesses, so that I can ask for His forgiveness and strength. Many say that they don’t need to be religious to be a good person. In a sense that’s true. Many non-religious people put me to shame in the areas of generosity and kindness and other good things. But the truth is that none of us, religious or non-religious, are good enough by God’s standards. Only God is truly one hundred percent good. It doesn’t do me any good to compare myself to others, because God demands perfection, and of that we all fall terribly short. Comparing myself to Jesus is a surefire way to a humble heart. The point of “God” and “religion” isn’t to be a good person; it’s to be a forgiven person. And no list of rules and commandments can offer forgiveness—only a Person can. Only Jesus can. So if you don’t know Jesus, no religion in the world can save you. It’s just not how it works. I love Jesus. I love that He cares about the details of my life. I love that He’s always there for me. I love that He forgave me, and I love that because of Him I don’t need to fear death, or what comes after death, because I know with certainty I will be eternally with my God who created me and loves me. Jesus died for my sins, and rose again conquering death. That’s a God worth loving! The Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:14-18 sum up my heart on this: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. |
AuthorFull time office worker, full time wife, and full time lover of Jesus. I'm kind of a Bible nerd, and I have a passion for finding ways to introduce Jesus in a practical way to everyday people doing everyday things. Archives
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