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September 2021

Seven I AM Statements of Jesus – I AM the Way the Truth and the Life (Part I)

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Jesus begins His final discourse or speech to his disciples in John 14.1-6.  He is preparing His disciples for His impending capture and death.  He is attempting to comfort them and so begins, “‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 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.’  Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  Jesus makes three claims as He begins this final talk with His disciples.  He claims to be “the Way,” “the Truth,” and “the Life.”

In Jesus’ claim to be “the Way” He is the ONLY way, not A way.  It is interesting that when God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, he placed “Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep THE WAY (emphasis mine-DJM) of the tree of life.”  God has always had only one way, His way.  In fact, in Genesis 6.12, “God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted HIS WAY (emphasis mine—DJM) upon the earth.”  Because man had corrupted God’s way, “God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”  God further stated in Genesis 18.19 the reason He chose Abraham to be a mighty and great nation was because He knew Abraham would “command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep THE WAY (emphasis mine—DJM) of the Lord.”   There is a way that God wants us to go, He will lead us in that way if we let Him.  The two ways are somewhat compared in Exodus 13.17,18, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea. and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.”  God will never lead us in a way that would lead to destruction (the land of the Philistines), rather if we allow he will lead us through the “wilderness” into the promised Land.  Jesus Christ is that way.  It is a narrow way that leads to life and we are told that there will only be a few to find it.  There are other “ways,” but only ONE WAY, THE WAY that leads to eternal life.  The broad way through the land of the Philistines leads to destruction (Matthew 7.13-14).

September 29, 2021
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The Seven I AM Statements of Jesus – I AM the Resurrection

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Last week as we explored Jesus’ declaration of, “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11.25) we saw both physical and spiritual death enter into the world because of sin.  All of this death was brought about because of Satan’s introduction of lies and sin into the world.

Until Jesus entered the scene the devil was claiming seeming victory after seeming victory.  Jesus’ perfect life served as the perfect sacrifice for all who had lived before and all who would live after (Zech 13.1; 14.8-9).   His sacrifice of blood flowed both ways to forgive all of their sins.  When Jesus Christ came forth from that grave on the third day God overcame death and Satan with an amazing victory.  Because God gave us the victory through Jesus Christ death had lost its sting.  Satan had lost the war (1 Cor 15. 55-57).  Satan may win battles; in fact, he does win battles on a daily basis (Eph 6.11-13).  But, God has won a resounding victory in the War.  Moreover, God promises us that Satan cannot win over us unless we choose to let him.  God promises we will always have a way of escape from every temptation (1 Cor 10.13).  That escape may not always be pleasant, may not always be the most fun, and may not always be easy, but the escape is promised. 

Jesus provides us a way of escaping the second death, that spiritual death, because He and He alone is “The resurrection, and the life.”  Jesus further states that the way to take advantage of, “The resurrection, and the life” is to believe on Him.  We must die to sin (Rom 6.7-11) so that we might live and be free.  

Jesus further states in John 11.25, “though he were dead, yet shall he live.”  Belief is not something we can turn on and off.  We must continue to believe and work because of that belief.  The belief that Jesus demands is an obedient faith, a faith that works (Jam 2.17).  By being dead to sin and obedient to the Word of God we become alive in Jesus Christ.  We are alive in Jesus Christ because He is the “resurrection and the life.”   We are alive in Jesus Christ because he died once and for all of us and was raised from the dead on the third day, thus becoming the “resurrection and the life.”

September 18, 2021
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The Excellence of Our LORD

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O Yahweh, my Adonai, how excellent, how majestic, how splendid, how glorious, how noble, how chief, how mighty, how beautiful is your name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory, thy splendor, thy vigor, thy majesty, thy divinity above the heavens.  O Lord (Yahweh), the self-existent, covenant God of His people, my Lord (Adonai) the all-powerful Master, Sovereign Ruler, Authoritative Ruler.

To most of us in the 21st century a name is just a name we call someone, but to the ancient Hebrew a name most often meant so much more.  A name symbolized something, meant something.  We see God changing people’s names to mean something greater i.e., Abram to Abraham, Sari to Sarah, Jacob to Israel etc.

In Psalm 8.1, our memory verse this week, such is surely the case, but it is missed in the English Translations we use.  The word LORD is really two different names for God.  YHWH, the covenant name of God and Adonai signifying his Sovereign Lordship and Master.  The Psalmist in this short Psalm shows God is Supreme in His creation, in His concern for man and His Rule for men.  

Have you noticed where God placed man in HIS order — “a littler lower than God” and it was God who crowned man with “glory and majesty” (Vs 5).  The Psalm is not about man, it is about God, but in looking at the excellence of God, we as man must realize yes God made us, not as insignificant beings, but in His own image and likeness (Gen 1.26-27).  He gave us (mankind) dominion over all the earth.  Our Savior Jesus Christ has been given dominion over all things (Col 1.15-18).  

We truly have the opportunity to serve and worship a Great God, our creator.  He wants us to love Him, knowing full well how much he loves us.  “O LORD our LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!  Who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8.1)?

September 11, 2021
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There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

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Things for God’s chosen people in Babylon were seemingly dismal.  The Southern Kingdom, Judah and Jerusalem had been taken into what would be a seventy-year captivity by a cruel enemy.  It was an enemy the Sovereign Ruler of the universe had chosen to chastise His people for their rebellion against him in their idolatrous worship.  The Jews as they would become to be known after the Babylonian Captivity were at the time of Ezekiel’s writings experiencing the highest level of punishment, short of complete obliteration which God had warned. 

By the time the Southern Kingdom was taken captive into a faraway land, they experienced each one of the levels of punishments God described in Leviticus 26 and Moses repeated in Deuteronomy 28.  Each level of punishment was to be more severe than the previous to try to get the people to remember their covenant to follow him and worship him only.  God warned their cities would become desolate with wild beasts roaming their streets killing their children and destroying their livestock.  They had suffered through famines of the worst sort and had been afflicted with disease.  

Those who remained left alive would stand afraid of even a leaf shaking in the wind (Lev. 28.14-29).  Their beloved city Jerusalem and land became desolate because of their refusal to hearken unto God and do His will (Jer 6.17).  They had been told early on (Lev 28.40-42), and many times later, that if they would but confess their iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers, humble themselves accepting the consequences they would be remembered by God. 

Ezekiel states centuries later they could have peace from the now realized devastation, “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34.26).   

We too, today can be surrounded by the love of God and His great blessing by following the “one true shepherd,” “God’s servant David”—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through whom all spiritual blessings come (Ephesians 1.4) and by whom we can have a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4.7).

September 11, 2021
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Judge or Savior? He is the Potter!

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“But now, O LORD, thou art our father we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Isaiah 64.8).  Similar words to these are found in Isaiah 45.9; Jeremiah 18.1-6 and finally in Romans 9.20-21.  There is further commentary on this thought in 2 Timothy 20-21).  Interestingly enough these words, though stated on four different occasions by three different people (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the Apostle Paul), each carry the same idea—We serve an almighty God who is the sovereign ruler of the universe.  He made us, therefore, we are His.  

God made we as human beings with a powerful option, the option of choice.  The choices we make in this life will determine our eternal destiny.  If we choose to obey and follow God, then by the blood of His precious Son Jesus Christ (Jn 3.16), we have the hope, the earnest expectation, of an eternal home in glory.  That is not what we deserve (Rom 6.23), but thanks be to God He has made us conquerors and given us the victory through His Son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Rom 8.31; 1 Cor 15.57).  The other option for us is to not follow and obey God with the consequence of eternal damnation.  (2 Thess 1.8).  

God as our maker, and sovereign ruler has the absolute right to do what He so desires.  That means for mankind, that no matter how many bad choices we make in this life, the promise is made that if we will repent of that evil lifestyle, confess Jesus Christ is the Son of God, be baptized, and live a faithful life after that we will be rewarded.  Though we deserved death, God gets to make that call as the potter.  

However, as the potter He also serves as judge, and know that God has never been slack concerning his promises (2 Pet 3.9).   There will be an everlasting punishment for those who do not know, or choose not to follow. As the potter, he will be a judge, or a savior, depending on our choice of who we will follow in this life.  He has that right.  Want you let Him be your Savior?

September 11, 2021
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