Is He Past or Is He Present - Part 1

On the ninth of someone else to describe Jesus. How would you once we find it easy your children to value improving point to the general principles of civil different descriptions of Jesus provided by Christ himself and tell us about the Savior and his love for from the Jesus you may not know is David to introduce today's message is possible is a price today were going to look at some of the statements that the Lord Jesus made about himself recalling the IM state and in seeing these statements we get a perspective as to the eternal existence of the Lord Jesus Christ our question today is as a pastor is a present and of course the answer. He's both. He's past, but is also present at his future to and today were going to take part one.

A busy pastor is a present tomorrow.

Part two of that message and then will finish up the actual questions on Wednesday and Thursday with the message called is he King of the Jews are King of Kings and on Friday were going to wrap it all up with how to really love Jesus. So today we began this two-part message on the eternal presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we open our Bibles in our hearts together. Let's begin. Like me. Perhaps you have seen pictures of the colossal Christ the Redeemer sculpture in Rio de Janeiro is you fly into that city.

This culture of Jesus rises 124 feet from a mountaintop that overlooks the city the arms of Jesus are out like this blessing the city below. This is one of the new seven wonders of the world and awestruck visitors have been marveling at this since 1931 but it's not the world's tallest statue by any means. It's not even the second largest Christ of peace stands atop San Pedro Hill in central Bolivia. It towers 132.7 feet up into the heavens and boasts an arm span of 107 feet a dramatic sky left with six visitors to the statutes base. But wait, there's an even larger statue of Christ which was completed in 2010 in Poland. This is Christ the King is a staggering 172 feet tall tallest statue of Jesus on the earth, but not for long.

There is a taller one under construction right now. It's interesting, is it not only the town fathers had realized that a lifeless statue of Jesus on a hill can't make the difference in anybody's life. It's the reality of the living Jesus sitting on the throne of heaven and living in our lives that makes the difference.

There's no statue, no matter how tall you make it that can change your life.

It may cause you to have a sense of all and may make you remember that there is such a person is Jesus. But statues don't change lives crosses don't change lives. Crucifixes no change lives.

Only Jesus can do that. Someone said once give me Jesus just give me himself that Jesus is Scripture the Jesus of history the Son of Man from heaven. Just give me Jesus. Most of us have that feeling in our hearts will be here today if we went out that way. We have come to hear a talk about the Jesus we may not know we have trouble describing him because he's indescribable. But Jesus had no trouble at all. He described himself in two little words that comprise three letters. Jesus says you want to know me. Here's my name.

I am I am.

This is an Old Testament title for God, and it finds its history and Exodus chapters 3 and four near remember how Moses was on the backside of the desert tending the sheep for his father-in-law and that one day when he was out in the wilderness. He looked over on the horizon and he saw Bush that was on fire and as he drew near to the Bush he was filled with curiosity, because while the bush was burning it wasn't burning out that was not being consumed and is a got near to the bush. He heard the words of the Lord God, the Lord was in the burning bush and the Lord was using this moment to try to recruit Moses for a particularly important job. The children of Israel had been in bondage to the Egyptians for 400 years.

It was time for them to be released and that God needed an agent to go to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh about letting his people go. I've always been intrigued by the little interchange that goes on in that passage because here's God asking Moses to do something in his Moses giving God every excuse he can think of as to why he's the wrong person. And the reason that I enjoy.

That is because I watch it happen almost every week in my ministry. When you mean I can. Well, God had this conversation with Moses and finally Moses is coming down to his last strategy. He says this to God, he says.

Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel, I say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they say to me what is his name what shall I say to them, and God said to Moses say to them. I am who I am.

Thus you shall say to the children of Israel. I am has sent me to you now that title. I am speaks of the self existence of Jesus speaks to the fact that he is the ever present one.

His name is not I was. His name is I am. His name is not I will be his name is I am the Lord Jesus lives now in the eternal present in many respects.

There is no pastoral future for Jesus, everything is in the present. He doesn't live in time. He lives outside of time and so it is true of the Lord Jesus to say that his name is I am.

He assumed this name for himself.

In fact, on one occasion in the New Testament. He got himself in trouble with his name John 858.

He said most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I don't know any theology. This notice is Jesus and he's a famous person, but they do know Abraham and they know that Abraham's been dead and gone for a lot of years and here's Jesus saying before Abraham was I in other words, Jesus is claiming to predate Abraham and the people who heard him say that I thought it was blaspheming Jesus meant it as a blessing and so when you hear him say I am that I am Jesus is claiming to be a person unlike any other person has ever been.

He is the incomparable Christ is the indescribable Christ and one of the challenges you have when you teach on the life of Christ is, how do you help people to know Christ because in order to learn something we have to have something we already know from which to start the process and there are no precedents for Jesus there's never been anybody like him, nor will there ever be, there's no one to you can compare him so Almighty God in his wisdom, and through his word has given us a number of metaphors to help us understand who Jesus is and those metaphors are in the Gospel of John. It was written to prove that Jesus is God and these seven. I am statements kinda go along with the seven sign miracles that are in John's Gospel and the statements are given to us to help us understand about Jesus. The pictures of Jesus were going to go through them quickly, and the goal is when we get done we will have added to our understanding of who Jesus is and why he came. First of all, in the sixth chapter of John Jesus said I am the bread of life.

Interestingly enough, this statement comes in the midst of the context of the feeding of the 5000. It is in the context of that story when that little boy brought his lunch to Jesus and Jesus somehow miraculously broke up at lunch so that it fed 5000 men and we've already talked about this in the past, at least 15,000 people a lunch that day because of the miracle of the bread which Jesus multiplied in the midst of that whole story. When Jesus did that those who watched thought they had finally found the gravy train this guy can do lunch in a moment. Nobody has to cook and prepare deliberately just doesn't and in the back of their mind was the story in the Old Testament where the children of Israel lived off manna from heaven every day.

Remember that every day they would walk outside of their tent while they were in the wilderness and here was their lunch and it was called manna, and I've always loved to tell our friends that manna is a word that means what is it every morning. They had some what is it and it sustained them through the day without watch this, the people who Jesus that day sat on the bread of life have these two thoughts in mind. They think that Jesus is the new Moses who is, to provide manna for them every day and that he's going to be the miracle worker bread line for them.

So Jesus goes back to the synagogue and he straightens them out, and this is what he said. He said most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. It wasn't Moses who gave them bread from heaven. Jesus explained it was God and that man that they got didn't last very long. Remember, it had a one day capacity, except for the weekends and then it was to get spoiled and it was unbelievable. Jesus came and he is far greater. He is the eternal bread of God.

There are no limitations on the bread of life. Who is Jesus Christ and Jesus got done explaining that and I love the humor of the Bible and the people are still living in the physical realm.

They are getting the message and they say Jesus Lord give us this bread always so when we show up tomorrow. Lord, they didn't understand. He was talking about physical bread was talking about the spiritual bread and he was claiming to be that bread in John 635. He said I am the bread of life and he will comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. The is the core sustenance for your spiritual being.

Jesus is your bread and in the genius of John's unfolding gospel, the one who said I am the bread of life. Nick says I am the light of the world and once again there is a story, you remember the story of the woman who was taken in adultery at the Pharisees go and get the woman and bring her to Jesus. The Bible says they did it because they wanted to see what Jesus would do little if they were testing him. They wanted to hear what he would say in the Bible since he didn't say anything. He stooped down any road in the dirt on the ground in the Bible doesn't tell us what he wrote.

This is not just frustrate you to death. Billy Graham said I think Jesus wrote the 10 Commandments I it's a pretty good idea.

He wrote the 10 Commandments in the dirt milligrams, not the Bible but milligrams pretty close, so he said he said he wrote the Commandments in the dirt. And then Jesus stepped back and he said all of them, but those of you who have no sin throw the first stone at this woman and in my mind I can see this picture, the Bible says one by one they peeled off from the crowd and walked away. Maybe they stood there and will replaying the 10 Commandments in their mind. I'm okay with this one. I'm okay… And they leave is interesting that when that's all done. Jesus says to everyone, I am the light of the world. I am the light of the world.

Why would he say that he says I am the light of the world and he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. He had just told us women go and sin no more. And now he says let me tell you how you can stay out of the darkness. I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't get caught in the darkness. The next chapter he said it again. That's the chapter where you have the story of the boy born blind never had seen any light at all in his life and Jesus once again spoke those words he said I am the light of the world as long as I am in the world.

He said I am the light of the world and there is one other person that Jesus says is the light of the world you may be surprised at this, you may not know this about Jesus. There is somebody else beside Jesus who is the light of the world.

Here it is. Matthew 514 through 16. You are the light of the world.

I am the light of the world you live in a world Jesus said a city that is on a hill cannot be hidden.

Let your light so shine before men, that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven every year.

On Christmas Eve we have this big light ceremony and I always think of this verse where it says a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. If we held that service outdoors and all of us lit our candles and held them up high as we do that night you would be able to see this for a long way. The purpose is not the physical life, but the purpose is that God wants us to be spiritual light to a dark world and he says, as I am in this world I am the light but I'm going back to heaven and now you are the light promissory you say I don't feel like a white FICA is one of darkness in my life faster. Let me help you.

This Jesus is still alive. He's the son were the moon, we can generate light. We can just reflected. We have no light in ourselves, we can just push a button it is brighter. We are reflectors.

I had a bike when I was growing up and probably you all have bikes like this.

My bike had a little headlight on the front of it, but right underneath the seat in the back was a reflector that was there.

So if anybody was gaining ground on me in. They didn't see me there light would shine and my reflectors may go the other way that if I took that bike in the mud right in the reflector got all dirty. It was useless. So here's the lesson from the light of the world.

We are reflectors and the only way we can shine brighter is by keeping our reflector clean. God wants clean reflectors and the way you do that he's given you a product to keep the reflector clean. It's called the word of God. The Bible is the cleansing agent that keeps us clean when we study the Scripture. When we read the Bible. That's what God uses to help us stay clean. So if you're not in the Bible, or if you don't regularly go to church with the Bible is the subject you reflectors probably not as clean as it should be in my desire. I hope that your desire to is to be the brightest reflector I can be for God to make the best influential impact on our culture as I can make the Bible says when we do that, they will glorify us.

The Bible says let your light so shine, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. When they see the light coming from my reflector. They will say what a great light is shining on David Jeremiah, the great glory of God. Jesus said I am the bread of life and I am the light of the world hears this third statement I am the door. I remember as a little boy we used to sing this course one door and only one, and yet its sides are to I'm on the inside on what side are you I was a course I can hear the rhythm.

I can sing it for but it would be very pretty. Jesus says I am the door. What is that mean well here's what he said in John 10, most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

All who ever come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear that I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. Now to get this in your mind and never to forget it and see the picture that was meant to be created for us have to tell you little bit about what it was like to be a shepherd in Jesus day at night when the shepherd would gather the sheep they put them in the sheep pen the sheep pen was created, kind of, practically, was movable and that it would be up to a height high enough so that the sheep couldn't jump over and usually when we see pictures of that in magazines or dictionaries. It shows a hanging door on one side of this opening usually made out of rope or something in so the picture is when all the sheep are in the door swings closed in the sheep are enclosed in their safe for the night. But Jesus said I am the door. When you do that. Will you go back and you study the history of it is what you find out.

There were no doors on the sheepfold. All that swinging door stuff that's Western we created that shepherd never saw a thing like that is life. Because what the shepherd it was that she would gather the sheep into the fold at night he would know every one of them and faculty to find out in a few moments even have names for his sheep.

And after all the sheep were in the fold, the shepherd would go over to the opening space where they came in and he would lay down in that space.

And there he would sleep that night, he would have his crook and his shepherd's bar with him and no sheep could get out of the fold and lessee crawled over the lightly sleeping shepherd, and no one could get into the folder hurt the sheep because the shepherd was the door when Jesus said I am the door. What he means is just as the shepherd was the door of the sheepfold. I am the door by me. You have to enter in this argument. It is a pretty good save. Can they get unsaved person gets saved in their promise to heaven is a possibly one. And that's not very likely is it you belong to him. He knows your name is the door to the sheepfold and it says thieves and robbers may try to come in over the walls, but you can get it over the wall. You can only get in the door and Jesus said, hey, door no one comes into the fold except through me. Where wonderful picture of the entrance into the presence of the Lord God Jesus Christ himself as the door and once you're in, he is the one who protects the door to make sure you stay safe. What a great message for this particular time in our existence and be sheltering days to know that our shelter is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

He is the door of the sheepfold and I will talk more about this tomorrow when we get together and continue our discussion on this question is a past or is he present friends. There's a magazine that has become very very important during these particular days. Find out yesterday the magazine is now being mailed out to over 350,000 people every month and that magazine, especially now is bringing hope and help and encouragement to people who are sequestered in their homes can go anywhere can't do anything out of the routine of just taking care of themselves and into their home through the mail comes this magazine. This beautiful magazine called Turning Points magazine and devotional friends.

If you haven't been getting that this might be a good time for you to get your name on that list and all you have to do is get in touch with us and let us know you'd like to receive Turning Points magazine and I will send it to you. We also want to make this offer. If you use your email box to find information will send you the devotionals from each month's devotional magazine in electronic form will deposit right into your email box and when you get up every morning to be something fresh there for you to read to get you started in your walk with God just these ways that we have the gods made it possible for us to add value to your life and to encourage you.

We all need to be encourage right now were doing everything we can do our part and I hope that you are being encouraged in the Lord is arresting him during his days tomorrow.

Part two is a pastor is present. Until then, this is David Jeremiah wonderful day will see you next time more information on the Jeremiah series. The Jesus you may not, please visit our website when we offered to freeways to help you stay connected no monthly magazine Turning Points and L daily email. Sign up today. David Jeremiah don't/Pascarella call me of David's new genes. As you may not help weakening Christ, we discover the joy of your salvation in the amount just the Jeremiah study my English standard version and the new international as well as in standard large print filled with helpful blogs and articles by Dr. Jeremiah tells coming with us through this tomorrow as we continue the series. The Jesus you may not point David Jeremiah from