Council Community Church

Pastor's Corner

I AM! 9-23-05

When I was in second grade (back when the earth’s crust was still forming), I pulled off quite a whopping tale for awhile. I had all of my classmates convinced that I spoke German. Not a bad accomplishment for a kid who had absolutely no exposure to ANY foreign language, with the exception of a few choice – and unutterable – terms picked up from my Spanish-speaking comrades. Yup, I had ‘em buffaloed for a few weeks.

The funny thing is that if you’re not what you say you are, it always seems to find you out before too long. Sure enough, one of my classmates (a gal named Jan Harris, as I recall) had a family of German ancestry. Not only that, but she had the unmitigated gall to check up on my German usage. There’s always a know-it-all in the group! Turned out that her name was pronounced: “Yon,” not “Grassia” like I had told her. So I was caught “red-handed” (pronounced: “busted”), and my name was “Mud”! I wasn’t what I had claimed.

On the other hand, if a person’s claims about himself are accurate and true, that is borne out with equal clarity. “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.” (John 6:35) “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep…I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:7, 9-10)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:11, 14-15)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1-2, 5)

“I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7)

Do you feel the force of Jesus’ words? Read through them again and allow yourself to hear His claims in their offensive, unvarnished glory. Hear His claims as to Who He is! In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes: “Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time…And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.”

Shocking? Absolutely. True? Absolutely! Had Jesus not been who He said that He was, it would have been exposed in an incredibly short time. But He wasn’t exposed - He was revealed - because His claims were true: He is Master; God; Savior; Friend. The real question is: Have you taken Him at His word, and trusted in Him?