A thought I did not have time to include in our online video Bible Class entitled “John 6:14-21 … Jesus Walking on the Sea!”

The Lord, in John 6:20, uses the great Phrase … “I AM!” It’s true that in English those two words are translated “It is I.” But the Greek Text our King James translators followed reads … “EGO EIMI.” No doubt meaning … “I AM.” (Please note … this is in no way a criticism of the beautiful King James Bible!)

John uses these Words of our Lord again and again in His Gospel. Reporting Jesus’ Speech verbatim. “I AM,” claims our Lord! “I AM” is our Lord! (Our King James Bible included … John 6:35 and 8:12 and 10:7 and 10:14 and 11:25 and 14:6 and 15:1, for starters!)

But in John 6 here Jesus adds another Clause … “It is I; be not afraid.”

Since Jesus was (still is) so seeped in the Word of God, the Old Testament included … I thought a search for that “coupling” would be profitable. “I AM” … along with … “FEAR NOT!”

I was amazed at the results of that endeavor …

Here they are … the “I AM” and “FEAR NOT” Couplets of Scripture …

Genesis 26:24 … And the LORD appeared unto him (Isaac) the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Genesis 46:3 … And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee (Jacob) a great nation …

Jeremiah 1:8 … Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee (the Prophet Jeremiah) to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 1:17-19 … Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee (Jeremiah again) before them. 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Jeremiah 42:11 … Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

Jeremiah 46:28 … Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

The very practical point being … if the “I AM” is with you … the “FEAR NOT” is automatic!

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

With the help of some good commentaries and concordances!

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This is another example (in the Gospel of John) of Jesus working a miracle, then following that great deed with a sermon! Some commentators call this great message “Jesus’ Bread Sermon.”

There are two Old Testament Texts serving as background for Jesus feeding the 5,000 men. First, the Exodus 16 account of the miracle of the “manna.” (Jesus IS that Bread from Heaven.) Second, the feeding of Elisha feeding a hundred men with very little food, 2 Kings 4:42-44. (However, Jesus’ miracle far supersedes Elisha’s miracle. A greater than Elisha is here!)

Look … in John chapter 4 we were told that Jesus is Living Water! Now in John 6 we are told that Jesus is also Living Bread! The two necessities of life!

Here in John 6 Jesus “creates” food! (From five little loaves and two fishes!) Back in John chapter 2 Jesus “created” wine (from water)! His only two “creation” miracles … wine and bread … symbolic of His Blood and His Body! (Think of the Lord’s Supper here!)

Yes, occasionally in our video Bible Studies I forget (or lack the time) to share further little bits of Truth. One more thought today …

Jesus starts John 6 with lots of “followers.” By chapter’s end, not so many! The crowds could not handle the Truth about our Lord. Look at the chapter’s final conclusion, Peter’s words … “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” Verse 69, to which I add AMEN!

Folks, keep studying the Word with us!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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In John chapter 5 Jesus enacts a Miracle (healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda) then preaches a Sermon, a lengthy One too! The Message here is clearly detailing Jesus’ Relationship with His Father! Thus … a study of our Lord’s Essence in Its deepest Sense, as One with the Father! As I earlier said, “Christology!”

But … and this is fundamental to the Chapter, actually to the entire New Testament …. Christology leads to Theology!  (Which is to say that Learning of Jesus demands also learning of His Father!)

In Verse 17, defending His Action in healing the impotent man of the sabbath day, our Lord proclaims … “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

See already the intertwining of the two Disciplines, the two Studies? Christology and Theology! (The first being the study of Christ, the second of the Father, God, the noun “theos” in Greek. Hence “theology.”)

Jesus again in Verse 19 … “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Verse 20 … “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.”

Verse 21 … “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”

Here’s a Mammoth Truth … “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” John 5:22-23, which I call amazing!

Look on down to Verse 26 … “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.”

Verse 30 nearly repeats, emphasizing the gravity of the Point … “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”

See the Relationship, the Intimacy, the Reciprocity? Father and Son! Son and Father!

Verse 37 … “The Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me.” (As in “This is My Beloved Son!”)

Verse 43 … “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not.” Pretty bold indeed, yet Truthful to the Core!

Surely by now my thought has been proved.

The study of Jesus Life (Christology) invariably leads to a study of God (Theology) … because Jesus is God, God the Son!

Amen!

I just failed to emphasize this in our last “Evening Meditation.” But I have now! Thank you for watching … YouTube, every other night.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Jesus in John chapter 5 (after healing a man at the Pool of Bethesda) is mentioning various Witnesses to the Fact that He is the Son of God!

But He will not here accept any witness from a human! John 5:34 … “I receive not testimony from man.” (And that even includes John the Baptist!)

The First Witness Jesus claims is simply identified as “Another!” John 5:32, an undoubtable Reference to the Holy Spirit of God! Jesus later here in John’s Gospel names Him (the Holy Spirit) so … “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you ANOTHER COMFORTER, that He may abide with you for ever.” John 14:16, from Jesus’ great Upper Room Sermon! Soon John 14:26 (only ten verses later) specially identifies this Comforter, this Another … “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.”

I can personally testify now. The great “Another,” the great Comforter, the great Holy Spirit WITNESSES (CONFIRMS, ASSURES, TESTIFIES) to me that Jesus is God! Amen!

As I taught this grand fact in our Evening Meditation Class (posted yesterday afternoon, “John 5:31-40”) I realized that the Holy Spirit of God is mentioned in John (our fourth Gospel) numerous times, even prior to our current Text.

Way back in John 1:32, at Jesus’ Baptism … “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.”

Soon after (John 1:33) the Holy Spirit remains on Jesus, Who subsequently “baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

In John 3:5 Nicodemus learns about salvation … “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Notice that the proper noun “Spirit” is capitalized, here indicating Deity!

In John 3:34 we learn that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit to a measureless degree! “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”

Again in John 4 (verses 23 and 24) we are pointed to the Holy Spirit! Jesus to the Samaritan woman … “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” No true worship apart from the Holy Ghost!

So by the time we have studied our way to John 5:32 we should have no reservations about seeing another “Holy Spirit” Verse, Allusion!

No telling how often He will resurface in the rest of John’s Gospel!

I thank God for the great “ANOTHER” He has sent us!

Enjoy Him, the Holy Spirit, today! He will consistently point you to Jesus, to His (our Lord’s) honor and Glory!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Powerful Words of Jesus in John 5:24.

One author (correctly in my estimation) says of our Verse … “The strongest affirmation on HOW TO BE SAVED in all the New Testament!”

What God the Holy Spirit sweetly does in our hearts, birthing us into the Family of God!

Look … “Hear” God’s Word!

Look … “Believe” on God as Father and Provider of Salvation, Jesus being God of course. (“I and my Father are one.” John 10:30)

“Believe” as in Acts 16:31 … “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house..”

And resultantly, immediately in fact … that nascent Believer “hath everlasting life!”

The verb “hath” is “echo” in Greek, meaning (in the present tense, as here) “to possess!”

Yes … that’s God’s Plan of Salvation, as taught by Jesus!

Plain and simple, as God meant it to be!

I noticed one commentator (well known, widely read) said of John 5:24 … “Hearing the Word and believing in God are NOT steps to salvation, but the results of salvation, evidences thereof!”

This view (interpretation) has God saving me before I believe, before I even hear!

This man’s theology is skewed!

Back to our Verse …

Hearing?

Believing?

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17, Paul agreeing with Jesus.

“For whosoever shall call (that’s belief speaking) upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13, Paul yet again agreeing with Jesus!

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10, Paul most fully echoing Jesus!

Years ago as a young preacher I memorized John 5:24. I recommend each of you doing so as well.

This great Verse is our lead-in Sentence in yesterday’s video Bible Study. “Click” below and you can watch …

Are YOU saved?

If not, you now know how!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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