HOPE FM

Key Text: “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV).

In the Gospel of John, when asked who He was, Jesus answered with the term that designates deity. “I AM” was an unmistakable reference to the Lord Himself, who had appeared to Moses in the burning bush. “ ‘I AM WHO I AM,’ ” He said to Moses (Exodus 3:14). And this same God, the “I AM,” then “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, NKJV).

The theme “I AM” threads throughout John. This week’s memory verse reflects that theme: “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV). The “I AM” is the Light of the world, the Bread of Life, the Gate or the Door of the sheep, the Good Shepherd, and the True Vine.

This week continues with the revelation of God as given us in John. We will also more fully explore the flip side of things, in which, despite the powerful evidence for Jesus as the Messiah, some rejected Him. We will study this idea for two reasons: to avoid the same mistake, but also to consider how we might be able to reach out to those in danger of making that mistake, as well.

Thought questions: How do such things as logic and reason fit with understanding the Word of God? What logical and rational reasons do we have for coming to faith? How do such things as the fulfillment of prophecy or the astonishing beauty and complexity of the created world point us logically and rationally to the existence of God and to the truth of the plan of salvation?