John 1:14

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.”

Verse Expounded:

“And the Word - Logos (preexistent), God Himself, Emmanuel (God with us), Son of the Highest, Son of God – God the Son, Christ the Lord, JESUS

was made flesh - incarnated/incarnation, assumed human nature, identified Himself with the race of man having a human soul and human spirit,

and dwelt - literally “tabernacled, pitched His tent,” among us having a dwelling among us-His people

among us – His people,

and we – Peter, James, and John

beheld his glory - beheld Jesus’ transfiguration, Jesus as the Shekinah glory, His Divine glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father - Jesus’ deity, the Son of God’s very real glory,

full - refers to “Word made flesh”

of grace - favors, gifts, acts of beneficence

and truth - Jesus Himself is Truth and represents things just as they are.”

Verse Commentary:

The Everlasting and Eternal One, the Son of God, clothed Himself in flesh, taking on human nature consisting of both a true body and a true soul, becoming both God and man (100% God and 100% man at the same time). He walked and lived among His creations (people) and was real to touch, see, and hear. He allowed Peter, James, and John to witness the manifestation of His majesty when His appearance was changed into a glorified form before their eyes being clothed in raiment whiter that white and brilliantly glowing with Moses and Elijah in His presence. They beheld the only begotten Son of God, the Lord and King over all things (the world included) in His glorified state; He, the One Who is brimming with grace and truth (John 1:17); and the very substance of grace and truth.

Profound Statement:

“There was (or will be) no generation like that in which he lived, until the generation in which the King Messiah comes, which shall “behold the glory” of the holy, blessed God, as he.” (Author unavailable)

Psalm 104

"Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds (thick clouds) his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy under they hasted (hurried) away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which you hast founded for them.

Thou has set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses (donkeys) quench their thirst.

By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

He caught the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

Thous makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

O LORD, how manifold (many) are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great.

There go ships: there is that leviathan (whale), whom thou hast made (formed) to play therein.

These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth (is shaken): he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Le the sinners be consumed (destroyed) out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

"Bread of Life"

The Seven “I AM” Declarations of Jesus Christ

Spiritual Metaphor:    Jesus Christ is…

I. The Bread of Life – John 6:35, 41, 48, 51

Briefly, consider physical “bread.” Fact: we need food (often referred to as bread) to live physically. It is essential and must be desired, accepted, and received into the body to nourish it.

Scripture Readings:

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

This verse conveys the Trinity, as Jesus is the Son of God, and God the Son. Jesus is the Eternal Logos (Word). He, as God, had no beginning and no end. The “beginning” refers to the time of Creation. Jesus is the “Word” – Logos.

John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

The Eternal Logos (Jesus Christ) is the source of Life and Light. Light is truth and its knowledge combined with spiritual maturity, moral and spiritual truth.

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (Jesus speaking)

The Holy Spirit is He who “quickens” (causes to live, makes alive). Our efforts apart from Jesus Christ and the Cross (finished work of Christ) will gain us nothing spiritually. He, the Holy Spirit, provides life by and through the Cross.

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Jesus speaking)

We are humans, physical beings; however, it doesn’t stop there for we are spiritual beings who are dependent on God. Physical bread will sustain us for a short time; however, the Word of God (Bread of God) will sustain us for all eternity – if we accept it as truth. The bread that nourishes is the Word of God.

Spiritually, we must have Jesus Christ to survive. He is the essential for life eternal. He and He alone can completely satisfy the spiritual hunger all men have. He must be desired, accepted, and received into the heart for His spiritual food to nourish spiritually and for us to live eternally.

Man must personally accept the “Bread of Life” (See: Salvation above) and allow Him to do that which only He can do – keep him alive - eternally.

When Jesus says He is “the Bread of Life” He teaches us He alone is the Only One who can satisfy a spiritually hungry and thirsty soul.

Preparing Spiritually for the Metaphors

The seven metaphors are currently being studied and prepared to share.

Before continuing, please prepare your heart and set your mind on the spiritual, not materialistic, aspects of Jesus’ metaphors. We humans can easily focus on that which we can see and touch and be sidelined causing us to miss the spiritual application. Satan would love nothing more than for us to totally miss, misunderstand, or be confused. There are so many distractions thrown at us each and every day to distract and take our minds off of God, the living God, the God of Creation.

Jesus, the Son of God, God the Son, came to earth and became 100% man while remaining 100% God to make a way for all of us to be ready and fit for Heaven. His message is that He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever and He lays it all out within the pages of Scripture for us since He is not physically present with us at this time. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to be present during His earthly ministry and to hear Him teach. That was not God’s plan and here I am this day and time. Yet, I yearn to hear His voice and to see His face!

The last post was about the “I AM” statement Jesus quoted prior to each of the seven metaphors (allegories). Jesus is absolutely a people person and was very much so when He walked this earth. He used metaphors so that people could grasp what He was teaching them. For our understanding, He used an earthly story to reveal the heavenly meaning. These were not for only those who heard His voice when He spoke them. They have been preserved for us until this very day.

Again, let’s prepare our hearts to seek the spiritual aspect of Jesus’ teachings and apply it to our lives in order to grow spiritually, gain wisdom and understanding, to live for Christ, and to prepare our spirits for life eternal with the Living God.

Coming next: The Bread of Life

The Seven "I AM" Declarations of Jesus Christ - "I AM"

God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, "I AM THAT I AM." The proper covenant name of the one true God is "Jehovah" (YHWH/Yahweh (Hebrew noun)). He is the only self-existent, Eternal One, the Living God. Jehovah needs no one or no thing to exist. He is eternal (Isaiah 57:15) without beginning and without end (Jeremiah 10:10).

We, must understand that God is infinite, He is and always has been (Psalm 90:2), and is not limited by time, space, or matter. He is infinitely great and far above us. He is wisdom and knowledge unbounded and limitless (Psalms 147:5; Romans 11:33-34). He is the Almighty (Genesis 17:1) Sovereign (Psalm 147:5) Potentate (1 Timothy 6:15). He is omniscient (1 John 3:20), omnipotent (Revelation 19:6), and omnipresent (Colossians 1:17). He is the Creator of all that is (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1). He is holy (Psalm 145:17) in all His ways and works.

Beginning in Genesis, God tells us He is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4, Galatians 3:20, 1 Timothy 2:5) consisting of three Persons (triune, Genesis 1:1,26, Genesis 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14), God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (His “plural name” is Elohim). Each Person of the Godhead is coexistent and coequal. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Jesus is God (John 10:30), the Son of God (Matthew 27:54, Mark 1:1). God cannot lie, Jesus is God; therefore, Jesus cannot lie. Our finite brains cannot fathom the Godhead (Trinity); however, Almighty God tells us through His Word that He is triune and by faith we must accept His testimony, without question, else we call God a liar (1 John 2:22; 5:10).

When Jesus says, “I am,” He testifies He is Jehovah. He is God.

The Seven "I AM" Declarations of Jesus Christ - Introduction

What is a declaration?

A declaration is an official proclamation, announcement, testimony, or formal statement.

What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to an object or action which it’s not literally applicable to suggest a resemblance to an object or action. It’s an analogy or comparison used in to help one understand more about what another is trying to say to them.

There are seven “I AM” declarations recorded in the Book of John that were made by Jesus and He follows up with profound metaphor for each conveying to us how He Himself works in our personal salvation.

Jesus said, “I AM” the:

1. Bread of Life – John 6:35, 41, 48, and 51

2. Light of the World – John 8:12

3. Door of the Sheep – John 10:7, 9

4. Good Shepherd – John 10:11, 14

5. Resurrection and the Life – John 11:25

6. Way, the Truth, and the Life – John 14:6

7. True Vine – John 15:1. 5

I’m looking forward to studying each one and sharing with you my gleanings!

Study References: King James Bible; Tyndale Life Application Study Bible – King James Version; gotquestions.org

Posted 07.30.2016 to “So Panteth My Soul” and “Scripture Walking” (Blogger)