I Am

I Am

Introduction

Jesus has expounded and compared himself to God in a multitude of times through his “I am: statements. In His, I AM statements, Jesus not only tells us who He is, hut He also tells us what He can do for us and what we can become through Him. If we arc spiritually hungry, He offers us the bread of life. To those walking in the darkness, He gives the light of life; and we need not fear death, because He is the resurrection and the life. Can we be sure of going to heaven? Yes, because He is “the way and the truth and the life. Can our lives be fruitful for His glory Yes, if we abide in Him and draw upon His life?

Seven “I am” Statements

Following are the seven “I am” statements of Jesus Christ.

I AM the bread of life.

I AM the light of the world.

I AM the door.

I AM the good shepherd.

I AM the resurrection and the life.

I AM the way, the truth and the life.

I AM the true vine.

The Events that Surround the Statement

In John's record, Jesus reveals His compassion in three ways:

He feeds the hungry crowd (John 6:1-15), He delivers His disciples from danger (6:16-24), and He offers the bread of life to a world of hungry sinners (6:25-71). Jesus did this miracle not only to meet human needs, but also that He might deliver a profound sermon about “the bread of life,” a sermon our lost world needs to hear today.

During the first year of His ministry, offers the official opposition began, Jesus was immensely popular and great crowds followed Him. However, the crowds did not impress Jesus, nor did Etc cater to them, because He knows what is in the human heart (John 2:2 5). Anybody can join a crowd and go with the flow, but it takes courage to stand alone for the truth and obey it. It looked as though that the crowd was seeking spiritual enrichment from Jesus, but the Lord knew better. Most of them wanted to see something sensational, like a miracle, while others were concerned about something to eat (John 6:26).

When John the Baptist appeared on the scene and announced the arrival of the Messiah, “he came as a witness to testify concerning that light [Jesus] (John 1:7). The only people' you must tell that the light is shining are blind people! Many people believed John, repented of their sins, and had their eyes opened to truths, but the religious leaders of the nation remained in darkness. They thought that they could see and that the common people were ignorant, but it was quite the opposite. The common people believed John and 1o1 lowed Jesus, while the “spiritual leaders” resisted God's truth (Macc. 2 1:23-27). Some of them said that Jesus was a drunk, a glutton, and a demon-possessed man.

As in that day, so today: The most dangerous darkness in our “enlightened age” is the dense spiritual darkness ...