The Great I Am

There are many opinions of who Jesus was and is. Some deny his existence, others see him as a good moral teacher, and others see him as one who came as God in the flesh. Which is true? It is interesting to consider how Jesus saw himself. There is enough external evidence (sources other than the bible) that Jesus did in fact live and die at the hands of a Roman executioner. If he was a good moral teacher, then his claims must be true, verifiable, and reasonable. The fact that his closest companions, members of his own family, and countless followers acclaim him to be God in the flesh, either point to a systematic and purposeful deception or he was/is what his followers claimed. What he said about himself is key to the discussion. Seven times, Jesus, in the gospel of John used a designation about himself that his hearers would immediately identify as a direct claim as to being God in the flesh. They are:

1. John 6:35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
2. John 8:58 “Before Abraham was born, I am!"
3. John 9:5 “I am the light of the world."
4. John 10:9 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
5. John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd.”
6. John 11:25-26 "I am the resurrection and the life… and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."
7. John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

If those claims are a deliberate deception on Jesus’ part, then he could not be a good moral teacher. If these claims are because of self-disillusionment than he would cannot be taken seriously as credible moral teacher. However, if they are true, then we are faced with a huge challenge. The claims shout out to us: Jesus is not just a historical figure of the past, he is not just a teacher to guide our future, He is the great I am. He is the one who is always present. He is always there, never leaving or forsaking us. He is our life, our light, our hope, our guide (shepherd), our governance (gate is symbolic of authority), our eternal hope, and lastly our truth. You may dismiss him, you may ignore him, you may purposely reject him, but you do so at your own peril and loss. Disappointment and pending judgement await all those that reject the Saviour of you and me. Better it be that we follow the injunction of the bible where it says, “call on the name of the Lord and be saved.” (Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21)

This Sunday, Pastor Alex Rispoli will be sharing on The Great I Am, the claim of Jesus and how Jesus can impact our lives. Don’t miss it.

Sunday Celebration

We are meeting in person on Sundays at 10:30am, as well as on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page, for those not feeling comfortable attending a public gathering. We will use best practices and accepted protocols to ensure a safe environment for all worshippers gathering with us. Our service will be short and there will be no coffee or food offered at this time. After service is over, we invite you to socialize outside the building.

We are also on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

Please subscribe to our channel while you are there.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person or on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page. https://www.facebook.com/kootenaychristianfellowshipnelsonbc

Jim Reimer, Pastor

October 1, 2020