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The emphasis of these seven statements:

Jesus uses the “I AM” phrase, which identifies Himself as God! The significance of the words “I am” can be found in the book of Exodus when God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush encounter. The Lord gave Moses his assignment to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, and Moses protested at first because he looked at his own insignificance. It is then the Lord promised that he would be with Moses and that the Israelites would believe that God sent Moses. Exodus 3:14, “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” When the Lord said, “I Am,” He was saying, “I am” the ever-existent one, meaning the Lord has no beginning and no end. So, when Jesus used the “I AM” format, He was indicating that He was the Christ or Messiah. The Son of God!

“I AM the true Vine!”

The seventh “I AM” statement in the book of John is, “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5) In this statement by Jesus, He gives us clear instruction on how to live the Christian life successfully. Also, remember that in the previous chapter, John 14, Jesus speaks about the Helper or the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. We are to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit of God, and being led by the Holy Spirit means we must be in a relationship with Him. That is the sense of the word abide or abiding; it is a relational term as we will see in a moment.

Jesus begins His discourse by describing His relationship with the Father. This can sound confusing until we remember that the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a mystery we accept by faith, and the three are one!

John 15:

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Jesus clearly reveals His deity in this verse. We can also see that Jesus uses the metaphor of a vineyard and vineyard owner to illustrate the relationship that every Believer must have with the Lord.

2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” The fruit represents our words and deeds as we live our everyday lives representing our God. The Apostle Paul describes the fruit of Christian living in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This is not just a good memory verse, but the actual working out of a Spirit-led Christian. Notice that the word Spirit in the verse is a capital “S” spirit. This means these traits and characteristics belong to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will always operate this way. So, when faced with a decision on how to react or respond to a situation in life, do it as the Holy Spirit would want you to, with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Here Jesus is speaking to His followers and their acceptance of who He is, the Savior, Messiah, or Christ. They believed His words and signs; we are blessed in that we have His words, and we have the witness of His Holy Spirit living in us. They had not received the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit would not be released until Jesus was resurrected and returned to heaven.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Here, we see the importance of “abiding” or being in relationship with the Lord. We can’t be just Sunday morning Christians; we must act out our faith every day in all circumstances of life. We must be aware that we belong to Jesus and that we represent the Lord every moment of the day. The only way to be successful in Christ is to have these three elements as part of our lifestyle: prayer, fellowship with Believers, and of course, reading and meditating upon the Word of God, the Bible. 

Prayer must be seen as a dialogue. A dialogue means having a conversation with the Lord. You speak, and He hears, then you wait to hear Him speak, and you listen. Too many simply pray to the Lord and never wait to hear what He has to say. Communication is the heart of relationship. 

Fellowship means that your trusted friends are other proven Christians who will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. The Bible tells us that we are in the world, but we are not of the world. This means that our worldview must change from a humanistic mindset to a biblical mindset. It is essential to be in a Bible-believing, Christ-centered, Spirit-led church and involved in your local church. Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” All of this means that we must learn to choose our friends and not let our friends choose us. You may have to break unhealthy relationships with people in the world as well as with so called “Christians” who are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15)! The Bible warns us about making friends with the world, 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”This verse is often used in the context of marriage, but actually applies to all kinds of relationships.

Bible study, reading, and meditation must become a way of life. The Word of God is essential to learning about the character and nature of our Lord. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is God-breathed; what a powerful statement. Some have described the Bible as God’s Love letter to us! I encourage you to make the study of His Word a priority in your life. The object is not to become a theologian but a lover of Jesus! It is not about how much you know about the Bible but how much of the Bible you have applied to your life. Start in the New Testament, for that is our covenant; even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing.

Now back to our main scripture in John 15.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. The key idea is that we must stay connected to Jesus in order to fulfill His plans and purposes in our lives. Many Christians do things for the Lord when the Lord wants you to work with Him, not for Him. Many do good deeds of Christian work and ministry, which is a good thing as long as you don’t neglect the God deeds Jesus has called you to. The spiritual work God has called you to cannot be done apart from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Several years ago, I had several very tall trees on my property that were being strangled by heavy growths of vines. At first, I wondered how to get the vines that were near the top of the trees off. I didn’t have a ladder high enough. I am sure you have guessed what I did, to kill off the vines. I had to sever where they were attached on the ground. Once I cut the vines off at the root, the viny growth on the trees began to wither and die, and in short order, I got rid of the vine problem.

Now my trees are happy, and I’m happy! The point of the story is that if you cut the vines off from the source the vine withers and dies. The opposite is also true if the vines are connected to the source, the vines will live. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “I am the true vine.” We must be connected to the “True Vine,” Jesus, to live. When I use the term live in this sense, I don’t mean just to get by, but to thrive because we are spiritually empowered! (The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree – Mark 11:20)

7 If you abide in Me, and My words (rhema) abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” In this verse the phrase “My words” is from the Greek “My rhema” and a rhema word is the spoken word which is confirmed by the scriptures. This means that the Lord will speak to us through the Holy Spirit, and you will know its truthfulness because it is supported by scripture, again reinforcing the importance of knowing the Bible. Listen to what Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Jesus’ purpose was to honor the Father; therefore, if we are in Jesus, we only do those things that honor the Father. We enable His life to flow in and through us by attaching ourselves to Christ. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father. 

Conclusion

The Lord only wants the best for you, but you must do things His way. Remember Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The meaning is clear; you cannot fool God; He is able to determine the motives of your heart. The writer Samuel Smiles wrote, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny!” The Lord has a destiny for you, but you must do it His way! He loves you and wants you to experience the fullness of His love.

When Jesus said, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus was revealing several important things about Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. This statement came with deep and powerful significance; Jesus was describing a new and vital relationship between humankind and the creator of the universe.

Among Christians, this verse is probably well known; however, it is more than a slogan or memory verse. Jesus’ statement, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.“, is a profound theological declaration of the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Trinity, three persons in one, is impossible for the human mind to comprehend and therefore is a matter of faith. When we cannot understand, we must trust God and walk by faith, not by sight or our natural understanding.

The priesthood of all Believers

Keep in mind, up until this time in human history, no one could see Yahweh or Jehovah and live. (Exodus 33:20, John 1:18, 1Timothy 6:14-16, and 1John 4:12). Now Jesus, God incarnate, came to live among us, and now to see Him is to see life everlasting. Jesus changes everything!

When Jesus gave up His Spirit on the Cross in Matthew 27:51, the scriptures say, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” When the veil was split in two, traditions and rituals gave way to relationships.

In the Temple behind the veil was the “Holy of Holies,” which could only be accessed by the High Priest. The Holy of Holies was the place where the presence of God was! Now because the veil was torn in two, every Believer is a priest and has full access to God.

• 1Peter 2:4, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
• 1Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

John 14, The Way, the Truth, The Life

In John 14, the Apostle John describes the turmoil that the Disciples felt when they heard that Jesus would be leaving them in John 13:31-38. Jesus makes a promise in John 14:1-4, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

There are three important and encouraging points to make. First, Jesus promises that He has prepared a place for all believers, and second, He will return for all those who believe in Him. That should be very encouraging for every Believer of Christ. The third point is that Jesus says that we should know the way!

The disciples Thomas and Philip state that everyone, at some time or another, considers what “must I do to get to heaven!” Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Now, we arrive at the central point of this message, John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Jesus makes it clear that there is a way, a truth, and a life. Let’s look at each one of these three realities.

Jesus is the Way

Within the same verse, Jesus proclaims that He is the way! Jesus then says that He and the Father are one, and Jesus is God the Father in the flesh.

John 14:7, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

Jesus then goes on to say to Philip, if you can’t believe that the Father and I are one, then believe for the sake of the signs and wonders I performed, and you have witnessed. For only God could do these things. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

Jesus is the only way. There are those who believe that “all roads lead to God,” but the scriptures say that there is only one way, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It can’t be any clearer than that. You may wish there was another way for the sake of those who are on the wrong path; nevertheless, Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Jesus is the Truth

In the natural, it is almost impossible for us to know the truth, but as born-again Believers of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God lives in us, and He is the Spirit of Truth. This means that we have the capacity to know the truth. The next step is to do the truth. It is only then that the truth sets us free! You can’t do it without the Holy Spirit, who is the Helper. 

John 14;16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Jesus promises that He will not leave us alone. When Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus, came down to live in us. 

When we think of the word Truth from God’s perspective, it means that whatever God says will never change. I heard somewhere three things that God can’t do, God can not lie, He cannot change, and He cannot let a sinner into Heaven. The following verse speaks to those ideas:

• Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I do not change….”
• James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
• Additional verses: Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18

The importance of the spiritual nature of the born-again Believer cannot be overstated because worshipping God is done in spirit and truth. When Jesus was speaking to the woman at the Well, He said to her in John 4;23, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our Helper, our Comforter, our Advocate, and our Guide. We need to learn how to hear the Spirit of God to fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives. John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Jesus is the Life

John 14:19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Because Jesus rose from the dead and lives, you are promised a resurrection too.

Life in this context means life in the Spirit, new life in Jesus Christ. Spiritually speaking, you died and rose with Christ, and the Spirit of God lives in you. There are two kinds of people in the world: people living in the flesh and people living in the Spirit. All of us are in one of these two categories. With Jesus, you have life on this earth and one day in Heaven, and it will be forever. However, without Jesus, you may have life on earth, but there is no life in Hell separated from God, and that is also forever.

The Meaning of Life

All of us are looking for meaning in life, and it is one of the fundamental questions mankind has wrestled with since the beginning of time. Here are the questions we struggle with, that is, until we come to Jesus.

1. Where Do I Come From? You are God’s creation; God knew you before you were “knitted” in your mother’s womb. Listen to what the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you….” Where do you come from? You come from God!
2. What Is My Purpose? For the righteous Believer, the meaning (or purpose) of life is to bring glory to God our creator and enjoy him forever through Jesus Christ.
3. Where Am I Going? You are going home to your eternal reward; remember the earth is not your true home. Regardless of the life, you have lived on earth, whether difficult or easy, this is what Jesus promises in Heaven, Revelation 21:4, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Conclusion

Let me close with what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The meaning here is clear, Paul was saying, no matter what I face in this life, I will survive, and I will thrive because of Christ in me. 

The next time you read John 14:6, be thankful that you know the way, Jesus is the way, Jesus is the truth, and Jesus is the life. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus. Be strengthened and encouraged by that knowledge.

The Good News

The Gospel is the “Good News” provided by God; He has provided free spiritual gifts to restore or reconcile us into a personal relationship with Him. God’s plan is “good news” because God has done all the work. God provided the perfect sacrifice for our sin and sinful life in the person of Jesus Christ! God demonstrated His love for us by sending the “Lamb of God,” Jesus, in our place, to the Cross of Calvary. That one act by Jesus accomplished the following:

1. Forgiveness of our sins, thus eliminating the guilt and shame.
2. Restoration of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
3. Granting Believers eternal life. When we die, that is not the end; we will experience a resurrection and the beginning of a glorious life in Heaven with the Lord.
4. God has given us His Holy Spirit to be a comforter, helper, and teacher to be successful Christians in this life. 

The New Birth

When a person comes to a place where they believe the above statements, then they are experiencing faith in Jesus. This faith in Jesus is what makes a person born again! Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Now, as a born-again Believer, a miraculous thing happens the Holy Spirit comes to live in them, and they become a child of God, a member of God’s family.

The Church

All people past, present, and future who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior belong to something Jesus called the Church, the Greek word for Church is “ekklesia” which means “called out ones.” Believers have been called out of the world and are now a part of the Kingdom of God. Being called out means that you now have a purpose in God, and He sees you as righteous and holy.

The Spiritual Church

There is a spiritual church and a physical church. The difference between the two is that the spiritual Church is made up of individuals around the world, who are born-again, they have had an encounter with Jesus. The physical Church is made up of people who go to Church and identify as Christians but have not made Jesus Lord and Savior of their lives.

Generational Christian vs. Encounter Christian

I want to take a moment to distinguish between what I call a generational Christian and an encounter Christian. A generational Christian is one who was raised in a Christian family and came from a long line of Christians. They may have been raised in the Church and identify as Christians because they have not known anything else. However, they have never had a moment in time where they decided to say yes to Jesus and all that He offers and requires. In other words, they have never had an encounter with Jesus.

When I was pastoring, I had a woman about 65 years old join our Church from another church. She came from a long line of Christian families; she had been a churchgoer all her life and even served as a Sunday school teacher. When she came to our Church, she heard the Gospel for the first time and gave her life to Jesus. I remember her saying, through tears, “how could I not have heard what Jesus did for me until now?” You see, she heard the Gospel and decided to follow Jesus; she had an encounter with the Lord! Her life was changed. I say all of this to emphasize the power of the Gospel to change lives forever.

“I AM” statements

Today we will look at two of the seven “I AM” statements found in the Gospel of John. “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7) and “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14). As we know from previous messages, the “I AM” is directly associated with the name of God.

Some believe that entry into eternal life is open to everyone. They take the position that “there are many roads to God,” and they can’t believe that God would ever condemn anyone. Obviously, they have not read God’s Word because it is apparent in the Bible that there is a “Heaven to be gained and a Hell to be shunned.” Everyone has a choice.

Then there are those who believe that entry into Heaven and eternal life is obtained by being “good.” First of all, there is only one who is good. A rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked a question in Luke 18:18, “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” You see, only God is good! This also begs the question, “how good is good enough to get into heaven?”

Recall the scriptures about the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John 8; the pious religious leaders wanted to see what Jesus would say about the adulterous woman, “7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” The point here is that the religious leaders recognized that they were not perfect or good enough” to judge the woman.

In the same way, no one is good enough to deserve or earn salvation and Heaven! You may be able to think of someone so loving, kind, and pious that surely, they must be good enough, but sadly the answer is no. Remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not some have sinned, but all have sinned! However, Jesus, the perfect One, purchased our salvation and offers that salvation as a gift if we will believe in Him, and that He is the only way to the Father.

There is only one way into the Kingdom of God.

In John 10:1-6, Jesus is speaking to the people about the Kingdom of God and the fact that there is only one way into the Kingdom, which is through Him. Only Jesus can enter through the gate of Heaven and those who follow Him. Others may claim to know the way and try to lead the way differently, but the doorkeeper of Heaven will only open the gate to Jesus and His followers. Jesus clarifies this statement by saying In John 10:7, “I am the door of the sheep.” Jesus uses this as a metaphor to show that it is only through Him that the sheep (Believers) can follow and gain entrance into the Kingdom of God. His sheep hear His voice (the encounter) and follow, they will also be able to discern the voice of the thief (Satan) and run away. Jesus warns us that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus is making the promise that if you follow Him, you will experience the abundant life.

I will take care of you!

Then in John 10:11 & 14, “Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Then Jesus says again, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” 

Jesus, the good shepherd, gave His life on the cross of Calvary for our sins and offers us His salvation for those who will trust Him. And if He gave his life, how much more shall He provide for us as it says in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

We rejoice when we say that we know Jesus, but how much more we should rejoice that we are known by Him (Galatians 4:9). As the shepherd of our lives, Jesus is committed to caring and watching over those who are His. He has taken on the responsibility to provide for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of his flock. Think of what an actual shepherd does…

1. He values his flock. Everyone in his flock is important.
2. He is willing to lay down his life to protect the flock. Just a reminder, you do have an enemy that would try to “steal, kill and destroy.” However, you have the victory because Jesus defeated the enemy of our soul.
3. He is involved with the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of his flock- Jesus is the healer and has a solution for all your needs.

Close

John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

You are His, and He is yours; no one can take your salvation away from Jesus. Walk as one who is secure in what Jesus has done and know that nothing can separate you from His love.

Romans 8: 37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

That’s a promise!