God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Friday, October 8, 2021

What Do the Seven I AM Sayings of Jesus Mean to Us Today? (Part Two)

 

What do the seven I am sayings of Jesus mean to us today part two


by Barbara Latta

Last week we explored the deeper meaning of IAM through Jesus. His powerful words knocked His accusers to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Him.

We dug into the application of I AM the Bread of Life, and I AM the Living Water. Now we will discover what the other I AM sayings of Jesus mean to us today in part two.

  •  I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). Sheep are dumb animals. They have no sense of direction or thoughts of danger until it is too late. They can wander away from the pasture where they are provided and cared for because their head is always down grazing on the grass. Once they are out of sight of the flock and the shepherd, they start bleating for help.

Aren't we like this sometimes? We graze in comfort without awareness of where we are going. It’s not that we aren’t thankful, we just may forget to acknowledge our blessings, or we don’t realize we have wandered away into the enemy’s field. Jesus, our good Shepherd, herds these sometimes dumb-acting sheep back to the pasture of safety and provision. He puts the needs of the sheep above His own.

 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

  •  I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Religions all over the world create doctrines that claim a way to God. They all involve performance. But there is only one true way to God. And it is through Jesus.

If there were other ways to reach God, why would Jesus go through all the torture He endured? God could just tell us to choose a way to come to Him and His Son wouldn’t have to suffer for us.

But that is why Christ came and was obedient unto death. Because there is no other way to be saved, no other way to reach God and have eternal life. The other invented religions are not paths to God, but man’s attempts through his own works to reach heaven. And works can’t get us there.

 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)


  •  I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). As humans, we have all experienced the loss of loved ones through death. We grieve because we no longer have the earthly relationship with them we had before. But as believers, we have the hope of the resurrection where we will be reunited with our friends and families and never be apart again. Our separation is temporary.

 Because Jesus rose from the dead, He defeated the power of death over us. Our bodies will perish, but we are merely changing addresses. Our spirits and souls will live forever in a resurrected state because Jesus was the first-born from the dead.

 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)

  •  I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12). My husband and I toured some caverns a few years ago. The stalactites and stalagmites were illuminated with multi-colored lights which reflected off the cave walls. But when the guide turned off all the lights, the inky darkness could be felt. Fear engulfed me until he flipped the lights back on.

Soul darkness does the same thing. It imprisons the victims and paralyzes people with fear. A hurting soul reaches out for anything they think will bring relief. But unless it is Christ’s freedom, the remedy they seek only causes more pain. God’s love through Christ shines on empty hearts and translates us out of the darkness of deceit.

 “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13)

  •  I AM the Vine (John 15:5). A gift of flowers is an appreciated expression of love or friendship. The bouquet soaks up water and the blooms remain fresh for a few days. But over time, the petals wilt and crumble. While the plants appear to be alive, the flowers died the day they were detached from the stems.

 If we do not stay attached to Christ, our Vine, our lives can reflect death. As born- again children, we don’t die again spiritually, but without nourishment from the Vine, the fruits we produce are the brittle petals of dead works, harmful words, and sinful actions.

 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17)

 Christ is our everything. We can hold on to the great I AM and know that we will never be alone or lack any good thing.

Our deeper understanding of who Christ is and why He came helps us as Titus 2 women educate others with the truths we learn. 

 Do you have a favorite I AM illustration? Share your thoughts.

Christ was obedient unto death because His sacrifice is the only way for man to reach God (click to tweet)

Without nourishment from Christ, our vine, the fruits we produce are the brittle petals of dead works, harmful words, and sinful actions. (click to tweet)

 

 

 

14 comments:

  1. You have shared many profound truths with us today by reminding us of who "I AM" is. One of the most meaningful for me is Jesus as "I am the Light of the world." We must have light to survive, grow, and bear fruit. Just as light is essential for life, Jesus is essential for life. Thank you, Barbara, for your message of inspiration and hope.

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    1. Katherine, that is a great observation about light. We cannot survive in darkness. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  2. Amen Ms. Barb. Am so enjoying these posts ma'am. "I AM" is everything we need. Amen! Thank you so much for the blessings ma'am.

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    1. J.D., thanks so much for sharing. I AM is everything we need and He connects us as believers in the body of Christ. Blessings!

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  3. I like all of them, but the one I'm most connected to a this point is I AM the vine. The visual of me being connected to my Vine in order to thrive just as flowers do is concrete and powerful. It's foundational to what Christian living is all about.

    Thanks for the reminder of the seven I AM statements.

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    1. Candi, we do need the Vine of Christ to survive. He is our nourishment and sustenance, and I AM is our foundation. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  4. I love these IAM statements as they reveal so much about our Savior. True bread, True Water, True path, True guidance...and Jesus illustrated each of them so clearly to His followers in terms they could understand--so helpful for us too. Thanks so much for enhancing them, Barb

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    1. Jeanne, those I AM statements do tell us much about our Savior. He is the great and true God. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Blessings!

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  5. I love how these statements help us understand our Lord. He is everything we could ever need. What a Savior!

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    1. He gave us such great word pictures to help us see how He meets our every need. Thanks for sharing, Debbie. Blessings!

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  6. I have always loved the I AM's. Each one speaks to my heart. Thank you for reminding me of them. I AM the Good Shepherd is a favorite right now.

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    1. Sylvia, Jesus used such powerful word pictures to depict His holy character. The I AM's can speak to us in all the ways we need. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  7. Barbara, what an endearing, yet powerful post. I’m thankful our Shepherd protects us and guides us, even when our heads are down and we proceed with sheep-like behavior. This post honors Him.

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    1. Jeannie, I am thankful also for a Shepherd who doesn't tire of rescuing this dumb sheep. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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