[On March 11, Edward Vaughns, I’John Gatewood, and Wil Hester will prepare us for the Lord’s Supper by speaking on three of Jesus’ “I Am” statements from the Gospel of John. Prepare yourself for that service by reading through and meditating on all of those statements, listed below together with some context. I have included here not only the images Jesus applies to Himself – such as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the door of the sheep, and the vine – but also some other key statements He makes about His identity. So ponder these Scriptures – and worship Jesus as the only source of true satisfaction, true joy, and abundant life. You can download a pdf of these verses for printing or easier reading at this link – Coty]

6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

6:47-58  “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.  ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  ⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

8:23-24 [Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

8:28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”

8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

9:4-5 “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

10:7-16  So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,  ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  ¹⁶ And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

10:36-38  “Do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  ³⁷ If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸ but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

11:23-27 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”  ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

13:13 “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.”

14:6 Jesus said to [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 14:10-11 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

15:1-11  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”