John 1
Exodus 3:13-15 – And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
When God calls Moses to return to Egypt to bring the people out that land, Moses asks what will the people say the name of the God of our fathers is. God says that His name is I AM, I AM THAT I AM. This is God’s name forever. It is His memorial unto all generations.
As Jesus testified before the Pharisees concerning His Father, He explained His own existence as God. Jesus said that before Abraham was, I AM (John 8:58, read entire chapter for context). Jesus is God who became flesh (John 1:1-14); the image of the invisible God; the firstborn of every creature; He is before all things, and by Him all things consist; He is the head of the body of the church: who is the beginning (Colossians 1:12-18).
I AM is His name forever.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/rejik. Image covered under Creative Commons License.
In the world of business, we are taught that the higher one attains in position, the least ‘hands-on’ or menial work they are to do. The manager no longer runs errands or buys the office lunch. They tell someone else to do it. They no longer have to drive around the parking lot, they have a designated spot of their own. They set deadlines, make decisions that affect policy and personnel, write checks, rate work performance, and gain greater respect among their peers.
However, in the midst of the ‘business’ of life, there are some lessons a disciple of Jesus can never forget:
John 13:1-16 – Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
John 9:1-5 – And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
When the disciples saw the blind man, they asked Jesus who sinned, the man or his parents that he was born blind. Though neither sinned, his blindness was purposed to manifest the works of God (via Jesus healing him). Jesus said that He MUST work the works of Him that sent Him. He said these must be done while it is day, for when the night comes, no man can work.
Now, as Jesus declared, He is the light of the world. The life that is in Him is the light of men (John 1:4-9) and all that follows Him will not walk in darkness (evil, sin), but will have the light of life – righteousness, salvation, eternal life (John 8:12).
There will come a time when the night will come and no man can work. This refers to a future period in history, and for our own lives, it will come upon our death or the Lord’s return. Therefore, we must redeem our time by making the most of each moment we have:
1. Superheroes have a hidden identity. As children, most of us watched superhero cartoons. We would witness people with superhuman strength and abilities entrusted to stop evil and create a safer environment for city. Many of the superheroes had a separate identity among the public. (I never understood why the animators would do this because it would be a lot easier to for the superhero to remain ‘super’ all day, but I guess superheroes have to make a living too.) They could easier conceal their identity and no one could figure out who they were.
As Christians, we should not live in this manner. Jesus is calling us to be a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We must allow our light to shine so that others may see our good works and praise our Father in Heaven.
Unfortunately, many of us hide our identity as Children of the Most High. We hide behind other characteristics that conceal our true identity. We display characteristics of anger, malice, sexual sins, robbery, lying, etc. No one would ever believe you were a Christian – even if you told them!
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