PLAIN, SIMPLE, POWERFUL — FIRST JESUS
“I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
“I AM” CHANGES WHO I AM
“The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” Exodus 3:2–3 (NIV)
“Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go?” Exodus 3:11 (NIV)
“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” Exodus 3:13 (NIV)
“The essential qualifications for encountering God are unshod feet and a hidden face.” — THEODORE EPP
“I AM” THE BREAD OF LIFE
“‘I AM’ the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NLT)
”Yes, I am the Bread of Life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the Bread from heaven, however, will never die. John 6:48–50 (NLT)
“I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is My flesh.” John 6:51 (NLT)
A NEW EXODUS — OUT OF CHAOS AND DARKNESS
“If our age is marked by the cross, it is because the cross is shorthand for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the centrepiece of redemptive history. But before the cross, there was the Exodus.” — DON CARSON
1. THE FICKLE CROWD — PROVISION WITHOUT PRESENCE
“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John 6:26 (NIV)
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” John 6:27 (NIV)
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” — C. S. LEWIS
AM I PURSUING JESUS FOR WHAT HE CAN DO FOR ME, FOR TEMPORARY BENEFITS, OR FOR WHO HE IS?
2. THE MIGHTY DELIVERER — THE “I AM” IN THE STORM
“I am the LORD… I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6 (NIV)
“They saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” John 6:19–20 (NIV)
“He who made the sea can certainly walk upon it. There is no water so deep that it can drown the ‘I AM,’ and no storm so fierce that it does not provide a pavement for His feet.” — CHARLES H. SPURGEON
WHAT STORM ARE YOU EXPERIENCING? LISTEN FOR THE EGŌ EIMI. YOU'RE NOT AWAITING RESCUE, BUT A PERSON.
3. THE ETERNAL PROVIDER — I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
“Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NIV)
AUDIT YOUR APPETITE: WHAT KIND OF ‘BREAD' ARE YOU PURSUING THAT LEAVES YOU HUNGRY A FEW HOURS LATER?
THE GRACE-FILLED INVITATION
“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each person which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” — BLAISE PASCAL
“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” John 6:66 (NIV)
”Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68–69 (NIV)
