Topic: Jesus Christ
Have we imagined what would Jesus look like? Sure, many people tried to picture Jesus as one of us and make some movies about Him. Some people painted Him as America-Africa person or one of Jews. Is paining a picture of Jesus important than believe His Words in our hearts? Although His disciples and others saw Him in their time, we can picture Him as we read through Scriptures.
As we begin the new series, the Bible has all the information about Jesus. The first part of this message series is He is the “I Am.” Gospel of John has many Scriptures that Jesus said “I Am.” There are at least twenty-three verses in the Gospel of John that we find our Lord’s meaningful “I Am.” In Greek, it translates ego eimi. Throughout the Bible, God called Himself “I Am”—“I Am the Lord,” “I Am God,” “I Am the Shepherd.” God is telling us who He is. In Catholic version of Jesus is the Son of Virgin Mary, which is true in physical sense (He was born from Mary), but it’s not totally true. If we read in Luke 1, the Angel of the Lord announced to Mary that God will bring His Son through her. The Catholic version of Mother of Jesus comes from the pagan religion in Jeremiah 44 as the “queen of heaven.”
Let’s turn our text to John 14:6 and read: Jesus said to him [Apostle Thomas], “I am the way, the true, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
In this verse, Jesus explained to Thomas that He is the example of His Father. In the first four verses in John 14, Jesus gave some comfort to His disciples that He is going away from them to prepare a place for them. He didn’t say that He would go away for good. Read verse 3. He indicated that He will come back to take them home. Of course, John 14:1-4 is talking about the rapture of the Church that Jesus promised to every believer. But it’s more than the future rapture of the Church or only for His disciples. Revelation 3:20 says that Jesus is knocking the door of our hearts to live with you and me. The only He can come in each of us, we invite Him. If you like to receive the gift of peace from Him, let Him to come to your life and live with you.
Then in John 14:5, Thomas asked Jesus about where He is going. Do you hate if your friend would not tell you where he would be going? You might. But as we read John 14, Thomas missed what Jesus told him. “Lord! Where are you going? How can we know the way to reach You?” we might ask.
Then He might answer, “You know the place where I’m going. I already told you. Do you listen to Me?” Are we listening to Jesus when He would talk to each of us softly? We might think it is impossible, because of noise. Don’t blame noise to excuse yourself from the words of Jesus. There is no excuse if you are a child of God. Listen to what He said. You have the material that you need to grow in His family. You have been trained well to communicate with God.
But..
Jesus said again clearly to Thomas’ question: “I am the way, the true, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He is the way to looking where God is going. He is the way to find the absolute truth to our questions. He is the way to find life. And there is no other ways to go to God, except through Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 indicates that there is no other names under heaven to give us the salvation. Not Allah, nor Buddha, nor Toa.
Jesus says, “I am the answer to all your needs.” There is nothing He cannot do. Some Christian movies may show that Jesus failed down many times to get approve His embarrassment. But we have the approval that He is not a failure to get job done—the Bible. He is working on us and with us each day to go through many challenges. Even though many people are stuck in Gulf Coast by Katrina, Jesus is still doing miracles in each of them.
Even though you are in situation where you cannot free from alcohol, cigarette, material possession, etc., I would like to tell you that there is the way that you can set free from all these junks in your life. That is through only one Person, Jesus Christ. He is the “I Am.”
If you want to know the way to get to success, call Jesus and let Him show the path. If you want to find happiness in your life, go to Jesus and begin to celebrate your life with Him. If you want to find healer to your illness, go to Dr. Jesus by asking Him through prayer. There is no such person who has all the answers to our needs than through Jesus Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 3:20 (KJV), “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…”
I know many of us watched and heard about a commercial ad on the Psychic Network. Even though this service would provide people services to resolve their issues, it’s all about money and provide fake service to the community. A founder of CBN, Pat Robertson, indicated that only one percent of thousands people received the answer from Psychic Network Reading. Why? First, this service comes from the religion of witchcraft and from the false prophet (Deuteronomy 13). Second, it’s forbidden by God’s Word. If we want to interpret our dreams or desires, then go to Jesus Christ who has all the answers. Psychic Network Reading or reading a horoscope message from the fortune cookie or newspaper does not help us to reach our destiny.
Jesus is our daily Bread of life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). The Bread represents as the body. When Jesus gave bread to His disciples before His crucifixion, He told them the bread symbolized for His body (Matthew 26:26). He gave His life at the cross to give us life from the darkness. Yet, we might forget why we have communion with other believers sometime. Maybe we are too busy to remember what kind of the message behind the bread as we have the Holy Communion with the church members. It’s more than Jesus gave His life for us. He gave us a new life spiritually as He died for our sins. Paul says in I Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Do you like to change your life around as whole 360 degree? Winning your life for Jesus Christ is not easy to pass through alone. But we need to give up our wills and willing to exchange wills with God. God says in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” The heart of stone is really like icicle that we cannot feel to love, how to cry, and knowing which way is doing right or wrong. But having a heart of flesh means that we can feel all of the feelings that God gave us.
Even though I don’t know all your circumstances, this message may speak to you or someone who needs Jesus Christ. There is a hope, not in this world, but in God. If you like Jesus to come in your life, just accept Him as just as you are, and surrender your life to Him by confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. You do not have to know the repentance prayer formula, because there is none.
Jesus says, “I am ______________.” Read through the Gospel of John and fill the word in the blank, and see who Jesus is.
