One Way to Study the Bible.

"A favorite way to study the Bible with me is, first, to

take up one expression, and run through the different

places where they are found. Take the ‘‘I ams” of

Johns 4 - I am “the-bread-of-life" “l am the way of

life”; I am the way, the truth and the life”; ‘*I am

the resurrection”; :“I am all, and in all’? God gives to

His children a blank, and on it they can write whatever

they most want, and He will fill the bill according to His 

will and riches in glory. And then the promises. A Scotchman

found out thirty-one thousand distinct promises in the 

Word of God. There is not a despondent soul but God has 

a promise just to suit him."

—D.L. Moody.

THE GREAT I AM - by Bishop Jerry Ogles

 

THE GREAT I AM - by Bishop Jerry Ogles

 

A

ND 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? ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ 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.   (Exodus 3:13-15)

 

            I have written and preached on this subject many times, but never enough to give a full explanation of its meaning. When God confronted Moses from the Burning Bush and told him to go into Egypt and bring His people out of bondage, Moses inquired as to what name he should reference as authority. 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.In the world of human science and reason, we have no such name or term. It is different from every other name under Heaven – and rightly so! It is all encompassing in both time and space, and represents an infinity of dimensions. 

 

            God revealed Himself in a more revealing manner to Moses. He had introduced Himself to Abraham as God Almighty (El Shaddai), but here an enlarging term is used. The more we learn of God, the greater our understanding of Him grows. His is God Almighty from Eternity Past to Eternity Future – three dimensional in time, space, and matter. He is at once the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of all His faithful. He is One with the Father, and One with the Holy Ghost.

 

            Our Lord identified Himself as the ‘I AM’ in a number of passages of the Gospels. In summary, He is our All-in-All! Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11) His salvation was never meant for the racial blood in our veins, but the spiritual DNA of the soul. As much as I prefer Israel to every other nation of the Middle East, it was never a physical people of God that He blesses, but those who believed the Promise of a Redeemer made to Abraham.

 

            The Great I AM.   (not the I WAS, or the I SHALL BE, but I AM)– a constant Presence:

 

1.         I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. (John 11:25-26)

 

2.         I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6)

 

3.         I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

 

4.         I am the bread of life (John 6:35)

 

5.         I am the bread which came down from heaven. (John 6:41)

 

6.         Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:7-10)

 

7.     I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (John 10:14)

 

Jesus was the pictured in the white Manna that came down in the Wilderness, and by the Rock of Horeb. He is the Shepherd of the 23^rd Psalm, the the Good Shepherd of all who trust in Him. Jesus Christ is our Constant Presence. He is always with those who trust and believe. In Hebrews 13:5, He has said: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

If the LORD is our Shepherd, we shall lack nothing of our needs.

 

In Philippians 4:19, we read – But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ  (our Shepherd). He is right beside as I write and of your own soul as you read this devotion. Praised be His Name – I AM!

THE FAMILY ALTAR - F.W. Herzberger (1922)

March 26.

"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the

writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

This title then read many of the Jews; for the place where Jesus

was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew

and Greek and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to

Pilate, "Write not, The King of the Jews, but that He said, I am

King of the Jews." Pilate answered, "What I have written,

I have written." John 19:19— 22.

The Jews feel the implied scornful charge in the title which

Pilate affixed to the cross of our Savior. They ask the Governor

to change the writing, but he curtly replies: "What I have writ-

ten, I have written." God from heaven Himself guided Pilate's

hand when he wrote that title; and He has seen to it that the

blessed message it contains has not perished from the earth. It

was written in letters of Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin, — the

three most important languages of the then civilized world.

Hebrew was the language of the Old Testament, the language

of religion. Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, is the

Alpha and Omega of our holy religion. In Him we have the

covenant of saving grace which Almighty God made with us chil-

dren of sin and death. Greek was the language of science and art.

All true science and art must tend to glorify Jesus, the Son of

God, made manifest in the flesh. Latin was the language of the

state. No state, no political commonwealth, can survive which

opposes or suppresses Jesus of Nazareth and His saving Gospel.

Napoleon, while in captivity on St. Helena, speaking of the Savior,

declared : "Jesus Christ was more than man. Alexander, Caesar,

Charlemagne, and myself founded great empires; but upon what

did the creation of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone

founded His empire on love, and to this day millions would die

for Him." The thrones and empires of earthly kings all pass

away. Jesus, the King of the Jews, the King of kings and Lord

of lords, shall reign forevermore.

O Jesus, we adore Thee,

Upon the cross, our King:

We bow onr hearts before Thee;

Thy gracious name we sing:

That name hath brought salvation,

That name, in life our stay;

Our peace, our consolation

When life shall fade away.

Ah, Lord, our sins arraigned Thee,

And nailed Thee to the tree:

Our pride, 0 Lord, disdained Thee;

Yet deign our hope to be.

0 glorious King, we bless Thee,

No longer pass Thee by;

O Jesus, we confess Thee

Our Lord enthroned on high.