"I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE"
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Significance: As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life. The nourishment and satisfaction He offers are permanent.
Bread Background: Bread was the most important part of a meal. In Jesus' day, meat was a side dish, and bread represented the major part of the meal. When Jesus says that He is the bread of life, He is saying to us that He is the most important part of life.
When you broke bread with someone, you were friends for life. Likewise, Jesus offers a friendship with us that will never end. Bread symbolizes God's presence. Bethlehem means the "House of Bread". Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Study Scriptures:
Matthew 26:26
John 6:35, 41, 48, 51
I Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-26
Points of Power:
Eat this bread and though you die one day, and your body is buried in the ground, the life in this bread will raise you from the grave.
Nothing delights the Father more than we should use Jesus as our daily bread and that we should be hungry for the forgiveness that comes through Jesus' death and resurrection.
It is not enough to know that Jesus is the Living Bread, you must eat of this bread. You must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
"I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying. "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Significance: To a world stumbling about in the darkness of sin, Christ offers Himself as a constant guide. Light is also symbolic of holiness.
Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God. One sun enlightens the whole world; so, does one Christ, and there needs no more. -Matthew Henry Commentary, Concise
Light Background:
In the Bible, light signifies God and the good things that come from him. "God is light," says John, "and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). He is also called "the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). The Psalmist declares: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1). God's first act of creation was to say, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). In John 1, the apostle begins to develop a theme of the eternally existent Jesus as the light that he will continue to return to throughout his Gospel and other writings:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world." (John 1:1-9) - Reference: Crosswalk
Study Scriptures:
Isaiah 9:2
Luke 1:78-79
John 1:1-5 & 6-13
John 12:46
Points of Power:
As the light of the world, Jesus is our guide. God loves us, and He has our best interests at heart. There is no better place to live than in the center of God's will.
Jesus also tells us to be light. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 4:14. The light we have isn't from ourselves, but from God. Think of the sun and the moon. The moon has no light of its own; it simply reflects the radiant light of the sun. If anything is standing in the way between us and God, we will not reflect His light. We should purpose in our hearts to rid ourselves of anything that stands between us and Christ.
"I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP"
"I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD"
John 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
Significance: Shepherds guided their flocks into stone enclosures each night to protect them. These structures had no doors. The shepherd would sit or lie in the opening to prevent predators from attacking. Thus, Jesus was describing His care and constant devotion to those who are His. Unlike hirelings who might run away and leave the flock unprotected, Jesus is committed to caring for and keeping watch over His people.
Shepherd Background:
Shepherds are the watchers and caretakers of livestock such as sheep and goats. Shepherding is about feeding the lambs and sheep, bringing them to good pasture lands and water, grooming and clipping them, leading them and teaching them to stay together, going off to find the wandering lost ones, and protecting the sheep in the field and in the fold.
When a shepherd would bring the sheep home to the fold at night, he would lay down in the gate physically to protect the sheep from wolves coming into the sheepfold. He would literally put his life on the line for the sheep.
Study Scriptures:
John 10:7-10
John 10:11-13
John 10:14-16
John 10:17-18
Points of Power:
You don't have to be a perfect sheep for God to love you. You can be lost and He still loves you and longs for you.
You can be a wandering sheep and He still wants you back in the fold. The Shepherd does not reject the wandering sheep or hope he gets what he deserves. The Shepherd seeks to save and bring back the lost sheep.
Sheep are easily distracted and led astray. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way." Isaiah 53:6
There are good things about sheep also. Sheep can learn to follow the trued Shepherd. They learn to recognize His voice. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27
"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE"
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Significance: Jesus is the Lord of all life and possesses the power to raise the dead. Death is not the final word, for all who are in Christ will live forever.
Resurrection Background:
Resurrection is a return to life. Christ is the author of that return, and of that life to which it is a return. He that lives and believes is he that by faith is born again to a heavenly and divine life. He that liveth and believeth shall never die. That spiritual life shall never be extinguished but perfected in eternal life. The crosses and comforts of this present time would not make such an impression upon us as they do if we did but believe the things of eternity as we ought.
Study Scriptures:
John 2:19-22
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9-10
Ephesians 1:19-20
Philippians 3:10
Points of Power:
When Christ was crucified on Calvary, Satan thought he had finally accomplished his life-long purpose - to destroy God's plan of salvation. But early on the third morning, Christ rose from the dead, and Satan was defeated. Satan is a defeated enemy - he cannot have control over us, as long as we are controlled by the living Christ!
We as followers of Jesus Christ have no need to fear physical death because we know that we cannot die spiritually. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, physical death to us is but an entrance into glory! Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."
"I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE"
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Significance: Jesus is the one and only way to the Father. He is the source of all knowledge about God. He offers spiritually dead people the very life of God.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life Background:
The disciples were completely bewildered and discouraged. Jesus had said He was going away (John 7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; John 13:33), that He would die (John 12:32-33), that one of the twelve was a traitor (John 13:21), that Peter would disown Him three times (John 13:38), that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32), and that all the disciples would fall away (Matt 26:31). The cumulative weight of these revelations must have greatly depressed them. John 14 is filled with promises addressed directly to the community of faith. If we take hold of these promises our anxious perspective will be changed and our faith will be increased. For here Jesus calls His disciples to look beyond the trouble life holds for them and assures them that He not only will take them to heaven, He is the way to heaven.
Study Scriptures:
John 3:16-17
John 14:1-6
Hebrews 10:19-23
I John 5:6-13
Points of Power:
Believe in Jesus: John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." The Lord Jesus is acquainted with all our secret undiscovered sorrows, with the wounds that bleed inwardly. He takes cognizance of all the trouble which His people are at any time in danger of being overwhelmed. Today, we can focus on the victory we have in Christ because His death was followed by His resurrection. This wonderful fact gives new meaning to His words, believe in Me.
Being with Jesus: Jesus is preparing eternity for us, and He is preparing us for eternity. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. Not only does Jesus want us to trust that what He is presently doing is for us, He wants us to be confident of being there with Him. John 14:3-4 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.
Belong to Jesus: Because Jesus has life within Himself, He is both the source of life and the giver of life to man. He is the light of life, the word of life, and He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. By uniting our lives with His we are united with God. Since Jesus is life we are united with life. Those who follow Jesus, who come to the Father through His "way" following His truth, will be the ones who gain eternal "life".
"I AM THE TRUE VINE"
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
Significance: By attaching ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.
The Vine Background:
A vinedresser, or husbandman, is more than a mere farmer. Grapes are more than an annual crop. The vinedresser's grape vines remain with him for decades. He comes to know each one in a personal way, much like a shepherd with his sheep. He knows how the vine is faring from year to year and which ones are more productive or vigorous than others. He knows what they respond to and what special care certain ones need. Every vine has its own personality. The vinedresser cares for each vine and nurtures it, pruning it the appropriate amount at the appropriate times, fertilizing it, lifting its branches from the ground and propping them or tying them to the trellis, and taking measures to protect them from insects and disease.
Study Scriptures:
John 15:1-8
Colossians 1:10
Titus 3:14
Hebrews 12:5-11
Points of Power:
Jesus is the Vine: The vine is the source of life, and the vine is the source of fruit. The vine bears the nourishment for the branches to live and thrive. Cut off from the vine, the branch will die. A branch cannot survive on its own. It has no root. It is unconnected to a source of life. Since an unconnected branch has no life, it can of course bear no fruit. It is the vine, attached to the roots which draws in the nourishment for the plant, which provides life to each branch, and which brings to the branches the nutrients necessary to produce fruit. And Jesus comes to us and says, "I am the True Vine." There is thus no life and no fruit apart from Jesus!
God is the Vinedresser: A vine produces certain shoots called "sucker shoots", which start to grow where a branch joins the stem. If they're allowed to grow, they would dissipate the life of the vine through so many branches that the vine would produce little or no fruit and would produce mainly leaves instead. It is important to prune away those sucker shoots to ensure plentiful fruit. God the Father prunes us from time to time, in order that we might grow better. Sometimes that pruning is painful, but God is working in you to produce real fruit in your life. He demonstrates His care by clearing away the obstacles to your growth.
These are the Seven I Am Statements of Jesus Christ. If you want to get to know Him as your personal Savior, say the following prayer:
Prayer for Eternal Life
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross and died for my sins and I now want to turn from my sin. I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. I invite Jesus Christ to come into my life as my personal Savior. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. Amen.
Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If you said this prayer and meant it with all your heart, you are saved and are now born again. PRAISE THE LORD! As a new believer, it is important to attend a Bible-based church and study God's word daily. Attend a church where Christ is Lord and the Bible is preached and taught, where you can serve Christ and have fellowship with other believers. May God bless you in your new walk with the Lord!
Do You Know Jesus as Your Savior?
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Please share your personal testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior! Share your response below. God bless - Rev. Yvonne Pettiford.
JESUS IS THE ANSWER!
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