Who is Jesus?

 Who is Jesus?

August 10, 2026

Mark 8:27,29 (NKJV) 

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

…

29  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

The question of the ages is “Who is Jesus?” He asked his disciples “Who do men say that I am?” And then more pointedly “Who do you say that I am?” Both are important questions, but the answer lies in what Jesus said about himself. So who did Jesus say that He is? The Apostle John records many instances where Jesus clearly spoke about himself and His relationship with the Father God. Let us look at some of them:

Messiah

John 4:25-26 (NKJV) 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am [He.]”

Bread of life

John 6:35 (NKJV)

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:41 (NKJV)

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

John 6:48 (NKJV)

“I am the bread of life.

John 6:51 (NKJV)

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

I Am

John 7:29 (NKJV)

“But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

John 8:24 (NKJV)

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am [He,] you will die in your sins.”

John 8:58 (NKJV)

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 13:19 (NKJV)

“Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am [He.]

Light of the World

John 8:12 (NKJV)

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 9:5 (NKJV)

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

I am with the Father

John 8:16 (NKJV)“And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I [am] with the Father who sent Me.

Witness

John 8:18 (NKJV)

“I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

Not of this world

John 8:23 (NKJV)

And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 17:14 (NKJV)

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

The door

John 10:7 (NKJV)

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:9 (NKJV)

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

The good shepherd 

John 10:11 (NKJV)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 10:14 (NKJV)

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My [sheep,] and am known by My own.

Son of God

John 10:36 (NKJV)

“do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Resurrection and Life

John 11:25 (NKJV)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Teacher and Lord

John 13:13 (NKJV)

“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for [so] I am.

The way, truth and life

John 14:6 (NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

In the Father

John 14:10 (NKJV)

“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.

John 14:11 (NKJV)

“Believe Me that I [am] in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

John 14:20 (NKJV)

“At that day you will know that I [am] in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Vine

John 15:1 (NKJV)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

John 15:5 (NKJV)

“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.

King

John 18:37 (NKJV)

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say [rightly] that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

John 19:21 (NKJV)

Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”

The Good Shepherd

 John 10:7-11 (NKJV) 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who [ever] came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear 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 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. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 11:25-26 (NKJV) 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

I Am the Light of the World

 I Am the Light of the World

Aug 7, 2026

John 9:3-5 (NKJV) 

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it isday; [the] night is coming when no one can work. 5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 9:39-41 (NKJV) 

39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do notsee may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” 40 Then [some] of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

In this passage, Jesus heals a blind man and gets into a discussion about sin and judgement, and what it truly means to see. Healing the blind man so that he could see was a simple thing for Jesus, but opening the spiritual eyes of the Pharisees so that they could see the truth was much more difficult. There are many today who also refuse to see the truth. Jesus is still the light of the world, but those who refuse to believe in Him continue to walk in darkness. In this time, we see an increase of evil and darkness all around, and seeing that is the first step in seeing the truth. We need a revival of light, a revival of Jesus. It is time that the men born blind begin to see and come to know who Jesus is. So pray that many will see the light. The world needs Jesus, the light of the world.

Though the Fig Tree

 Though the Fig Tree

August 6, 2026

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) 

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-- 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s [feet,] And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

This verse reminds me of the orchestra leader we had back in the early days of Covenant Church of Mobile (or probably Gulf Coast Covenant Church back then). Frank Longeno was a great musician who played trombone and piano and taught me a great deal about worship music. Oftentimes, while we were waiting for practice to begin, Frank would sit at the piano and play “Though the Fig Tree Doesn’t Blossom”. It was one of his favorite tunes and he played it in a folksy, blues, jazz style. I still remember how it was a calming melody that set a laid back atmosphere for the practice session. You just couldn’t help but relax while singing about how all your troubles just didn’t matter. In the end, the only important thing is rejoicing in the Lord. When you think about it, these lyrics are a lot like our modern blues and country music; the crops failed, my dog died and my wife ran off with my truck, but I’m ok and can sing about it! 

The following verse was made famous by the inspirational book, “Hinds Feet in High Places”. That also talked about spending time with the Lord and rejoicing in Him in the midst of your daily struggles. All this reminds us that this life is short and is just a training ground for our eternal life with Jesus in His kingdom. One day, we won’t have to worry about about laboring to earn a living and all the things that can go wrong. In this world, lots of things can threaten our sustenance. Thus, Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”. In Him, we have sustenance and life, and we can cast all our burdens on Him, and rejoice in the Lord.

 

Bread of Life

 Bread of Life

August 4, 2026

John 6:35 (NKJV) 

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger , and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Matthew 6:11 (NKJV) 

Give us this day our daily bread.

Bread is life. Bread is sustenance. We need to eat every day so that we can live. So then, what are we to make of Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life”? Taken literally, this saying was a great offense to the Jews who heard it as it sounded like  canabalism and also was a claim of divinity. Both Interpretations were offensive to their understanding of the law of Moses. But what did Jesus really mean? First of all, it was a claim to divinity as He went on to say that He was sent from heaven:

John 6:38 (NKJV) 

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sentMe.

It was also a proclamation that belief in Him was essential for spiritual life. Only by accepting Jesus as the bread of life can we enter into eternal life:

John 6:40 (NKJV) 

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son andbelieves in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The Jews were thinking in the physical and legal realms, but Jesus was speaking in the spiritual realm. Our physical bodies need to eat bread every day but our spiritual bodies need to abide in Jesus every day to enter into eternal life. Therefore, “give us this day our daily bread”. Give us our portion of Jesus today that we may live in him and with Him forever. 

Do You Want to be Made Well?

 Do You Want to be Made Well?

August 3, 2026

John 5:5-6 (NKJV) 

5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesussaw him lying there, and knew that he already had been [in that condition] a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

 

James 4:2b (NKJV) 

Yet you do not havebecause you do not ask.

John 14:13-14 (NKJV) 

13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified inthe Son. 14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do [it.]

In John 5, we have one of the more unusual statements from Jesus. We would think it obvious that a man, crippled for 38 years, and waiting in a place of healing, would want to be healed. But Jesus first question to him is “Do you want to be made well?” This sounds insensitive, at first, but what is Jesus really asking? Jesus is a gentleman and never overrides our free will. He is ready, willing and able to heal us, but He needs our permission to act. James expands on this by saying that do not have because we do not ask. Jesus is not going to force anything on us, even healing,  without our request and permission. Now who would not want to be healed, you may ask? In praying for healing for people over many years, we have observed that there are a surprising number of people who don’t want to be healed. Especially, when praying for people with addictions, you need to be aware that the person needs to love Jesus more than they love what they are addicted to in order be be healed. That’s a step too far for  people who have defined themselves by their addiction. AA groups even tend to reinforce this idea as everyone in the groups introduces themselves as, “Hello, my name is xxx and I’m an addict.” Jesus can heal anything, but you need to be willing to let go of anything that you love more than Jesus.

There are others, such as the man at the pool, who not only define themselves by their infirmity, but make their living off of it. This man, laying by the pool for 38 years undoubtedly made his living as a beggar. If he was suddenly healed, how would he make his living? In our modern age, we see this with people on disability. When you ask them if they want to be healed, thy may think a bit and then say, “But if I get healed, I’ll lose my check!” It’s sad, but there are many who trust their government check more that they trust Jesus to provided for them.

So, asking “Do you want to be made well?” Is a fair questions. Jesus promises to do for us whatever we ask in His name, but we need to ask. And we need to trust in Him and His promise of a better life more than we love the life of squalor and pain that we have gotten used to. So ask and believe, and Jesus will heal you.

True Worship

 True Worship

August 2, 2026

John 4:23-24 (NKJV) 

23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship theFather 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.”

Revelation 5:11-14 (NKJV) 

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power [Be] to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Today is the day to worship Him in spirit and in truth.