Behold: The 'I Am' Statements of Jesus

0:00 Jesus is still revealing Himself in our day, and so really we're without excuse. Welcome to the iRefresh podcast, where every conversation points to the life-changing power of God's living Word. Let's pursue God together, one conversation at a time. Welcome to another episode of iRefresh, and I have with me Keri Kittinger. Welcome. Thanks for having me. I love having you because I love how we study and teach together the Word. Like I was at one of your Bible studies at a church. It was phenomenal. Thank you so much. And so we are going to talk about one of the things that you've written about of the different I Am statements of Christ.

0:41 You know, a couple years ago, I just, as I was reading through the book of John, which the book of John, all of the gospels, I mean, there's so many similar stories, of course, but each gospel has something that helps them stand out. And, or a different view of how their relationship with Jesus while he walked on the earth. And the gospel of John is the gospel that contains all of the I am statements of Jesus. No other gospel does. And so, it really just intrigued me. And I thought, I want to take a deeper look at each one of those I am statements. Because truly, if I say something like, I am a mother. Now I am a GG.

1:23 Those are things that define me. And so for Jesus to, with authority, declare who he was, and some of those I am statements he declared to the crowds, and some he declared one-on-one. So I just love that he wanted to reveal his character and who he was. And you know, I think what's important... Who he is. Right. Well, and I think, what does that matter to the listener of why do you need to know who Christ is? Because we can have a cultural view of who Christ is or like, oh, in America with how I've been raised.

2:03 But really, Jesus has been the same from the beginning of time. From the beginning of time until we see him face to face. His character remains the same. He does not change. There's that quote, he's the God who changes everything, yet he himself does not change. If he knows all and contains all, created all, there's so much for us to glean of his character. So, those I am statements really help us know him and know who he is. Like when he says, I am the light of the world. You know, we can see later in scripture, there is no darkness in him.

2:46 Like his word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. But for him to say, I am the light of the world. Without him, it's all darkness. Well, and the thing is we're going to go through, I want us to highlight it because you did it in a format that is like a Bible study or use it for yourself as a workbook. You can do it by yourself. And what's great about this, too, is you have videos to go with it, right? Yes. So I got so excited about this that I actually taught it at a couple of local churches. And then my church said, let's make this a Bible study for our gals. And then they filmed it. So this then became like, I'm going to go ahead and make this available on Amazon because I knew there would be other women who would want to just dig deeper into the I Am Statements of Jesus.

3:34 It was so, really, it was so transforming for me. And it was also transforming to the women that I taught. And one little thing to just talk about the title of the Bible study of the book, Cheryl, of Behold. You know, when you go to title something, it's like, okay, how do I title and encapsulate all of the I am statements of Jesus? And because he was declaring who he was, it's like, behold. Behold who I am. See who I am. Well, I didn't know when I started this that the day that my dad beheld Jesus face-to-face for the first time was the day before I taught live this Bible study.

4:19 So my dad passed away on a Monday, and on Tuesday morning, I was able to go and teach, and it really, I thought, well... My dad is beholding Jesus. He is the I am. All of those statements of Jesus, my dad was beholding for the first time face to face. And here I was teaching just a fraction of what my dad now already sees fully and experiencing fully. So it was a really... full circle moment for me. That's such an awe and wonder though, when you think about it. And when you use the word behold, it seems so profound.

4:59 And you know, what I would like us to do is go through each of the weeks of what he is identified for. So if we look at the first week, I love how you talk about it's an invitation to encounter Jesus. And one of the things that you said is, I love it how it's the task of a normal day that can turn into a holy moment. Yes. That's so profound. Well, really that story of Moses with the burning bush and how this normal day, he's out herding the sheep, shepherding the sheep, and he sees this... burning bush that's not burning up. And that's when Jesus said, you know, take off your shoes where you're standing is holy ground.

5:42 That normal moment of a day became a holy moment. And when we choose to allow Jesus to reveal himself to us in fresh and new ways each day, a holy moment can be vacuuming your house. A holy moment can be sitting on your back porch. So just encountering Jesus in our everydayness of life can just transform and make something ordinary extraordinary. Well, you do mention that in detail, too, in the day four of that week, where it's what is the evidence of Jesus' presence in your life?

6:23 I love that you express that for us to consider that. I mean, he shows up every day. But I don't think we're always aware of it, especially if we're in a pouty mode or it was a slow start or a hard start of our day. I love how you really refocus our attention to see where his presence resides. Yeah. Well, and one thing I have been noticing now, I mean, as what do they say, as you get older, you like to watch for birds, you know, you become a bird watcher, you know, when you're younger, you don't have time for it. But one of those things is just taking notice of him even in nature. And I mean, I'll sit on my back porch, and I might be in a bad mood.

7:03 And all of a sudden, I hear the wind going through the leaves and the trees. And it's just like, Lord. You created the beauty of this nature, the wind that is just, I just get in awe of what he has done, of things that I cannot make the wind blow. I cannot make the leaves grow. I cannot create a tree. But I can look in awe of the creator. And so just even seeing in a normal moment how Jesus can reveal the wind. parts of who he is to me is beautiful. Well, and I've done gardening now, and I find I learn so much by the exploring, because I'm just learning as I go. And I've had good seasons and I've not had some greatest seasons.

7:46 But even in all of that, I'm still learning. And it really does focus my attention on the masterful pieces, like between the different vegetations, the different ways where all the little bugs come along. Like, okay, I gotta figure out what kind of bug do I, what do I need to spray on that with essential oils to get rid of that bug? But you're right, you're always learning. But the other part you also talk about, even in this week, is distractions. And speak to that. Yes. Well, I mean, my goodness, it's so easy to get distracted in our day and age. But listen, there have been distractions since the beginning of time. You know, sin entered from the beginning almost.

8:28 And so just the distractions of life. And I think as we're looking at the beauty of the Lord and we can get distracted, if we just get off a little bit, like a pilot getting off just a little bit, and we're off course, a ship getting off, So we're so easily distracted, but it's like, Lord, return my vision to what you have for me to do today. Return my vision to the goodness of the Lord in the midst of the storm. I think for me, the things that distract are the to-do list, the busyness of life, and those things need to be done. But we can look for him even in the daily moments, or we can be distracted with the stress of the daily moments, if that makes sense.

9:11 Oh, okay. I think it's all in our perspective. Yes. There's times when I just feel like I have a heaviness. You know, my dear friend, Dina, behind the scenes here, she's always talking about like, oh, I just I wish. And I'm like, she's so good to remind me as is like, OK, you're going to have the same day. But if you can be reminded is where you can bring in the joy of the Lord. Where can you bring in the goodness that God has? Like, I'm still breathing. I'm still pretty healthy. You know, and when you start realizing it, you're like, okay, this is a better day. It's a different perspective. Or I can be moping around because something didn't happen the way I wanted it to.

9:52 And I love how we can change that whole viewpoint because of who he is. Mm-hmm. Well, and when we read through the Gospels, when Jesus showed up with a woman at the well, I mean, her life was changed. And so, you know... knowing that Jesus is with me, that he is that ever-present help in time of need, it should change my attitude. It should change the course of my thoughts and my actions. And so I think it's that constant just rerouting our thoughts and our focus to include the Lord in our days. So good. Okay, week two.

10:33 I love this. It's the invitation to partake of Jesus. Explain that. Well, week two is all about Jesus saying, I am the bread of life. You cannot force a toddler to eat, can you? No. You can put the food before them, but you can't force them to eat. You know, we can get the airplane. We can make it, you know, oh, look, I'm tasting it too. And there's a scripture that says, taste and see that the Lord is good. I can fill up, Cheryl, and partake all day of empty calories. And boy, I have no energy. I'm grumpy. I've got a headache. Or I can choose to partake in things that are life-giving for me.

11:14 And I feel like it's that way in the spirit realm, too. Like, I can choose to partake of complaint, disappointment, the cares of this world. I can choose to fill up on just the empty calories of what this world has to offer. Or I can partake of the living bread. I can partake of Jesus. And boy, when I partake of him and when I feast at his table, it fuels me in a way that nothing else can. Yeah. So what I'm hearing from you, Carrie, is then it really sounds like what we have to do is we have to fix our eyes on those things that are good and pure. And so that means when something is distracting me, but it's making me feel emotionally maybe distraught, we can do that on social media.

12:00 So often we can see something and it triggers us in a way that's... Definitely not what God's best is. And so I think it's where do we put our eyes or what are we hearing or what are we listening to? I know certain music, I'm like, okay, that's not enjoyable. I really don't like that. Or it's changing the atmosphere. Yes. It's inviting the Lord into those spaces to redirect my – it's easier. Yes. If I have worship music on, then I have some other odd music on because it really helps me to get myself in the right mode, like when I have to study. Yes. I love that. And one of the other things in that second week you have is, what do you fill up on?

12:40 It was one of the questions you had. And I think that was really good that you actually, what do we fill ourselves up with? Well, okay. Truth here. I one time did Weight Watchers and you had to, like, you're putting down what you eat every day. And, you know, you don't realize how much you snack. Until you list all the things that you've partaken of. Yes, rut row. Yes. And I mean, you know, it's kind of comical because you think, oh, I eat very healthy. And then all of a sudden you think, oh, I guess I had that candy. I had this. I put sugar in my coffee. All these things. We have a free will. And so what we choose to fill up on, even in our relationships, what we choose to intake with what we see, with what we hear, it affects us.

13:33 What we choose to come out of our mouths with our words, what we choose to listen to. And so when I say, you know, what are you filling up on? We have time to scroll all we want. We have time to watch TV all we want. We have time. We have, we actually, we make, even as busy as we are, we make, time for the things we really want. And so at the end of the day, do I really want Jesus? Do I really want a vibrant relationship with him? Well, what am I filling up on? Is that distracting me? And actually like empty calories can actually strip calcium from your bones, but healthy ones can add to that. So it's the same way in the spirit. Oh, that's so good. Oh, it's convicting.

14:14 It is. For me, too. Whenever I do a Bible study or teach on something, it's getting through me first. It's not like, hey, let me tell you how good I am. It's like, let me tell you what I'm learning and having to practice myself. Oh, that's so good. Okay, so in week three, I have a highlighted here. It's the invitation to follow Jesus. So on one of the pages here on 54, it says, The Holy Spirit is our oil that fills when we submit to him and we yield. Can you explain that? Yes. The Holy Spirit, I think of it like oil on a squeaky door. When I'm grumbling and squeaking, it's like, oh, I need the oil of the Spirit.

15:02 To me, it's that it's His, the Holy Spirit kind of represented like the oil in the Old Testament, the oil in the lamps, the burning of those lamps. The Holy Spirit, the anointing of the Spirit to me is something that I don't have to earn. I don't have to dance on my feet or go upside down on my head to attract that. But for me to just soak in the presence of the Holy Spirit, it's like him just applying oil to my dry areas, applying oil to my squeaky areas where all of a sudden – And things come out of my mouth that I go, oh, that was encouraging. That was life-giving. And all of a sudden, I have something beyond myself to give to somebody because I've allowed myself to receive from the oil of his spirit.

15:50 That's so good. He fills us up so that we can actually, it's to be released. Yes, yes. Not to hold onto. Yes, exactly. Just like we need, you were talking about eating, we need those calories, well we end up burning them when we move and we walk and we run. And so when we're filling up, it's not just so we can say, look at me, I'm this wonderful person, but that we actually have something to offer a hurting world. I love that. That's so good. We're going to go to the week four where it's the invitation to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Wow. I know we talked about that with your episode with Danny about, you know, Jesus being the Good Shepherd.

16:31 And I, and the Psalms 23 is so powerful. I love how you talk about how he knows you and he wants to be known. I think... I think I love that part even more is he wants us to know who he is, which is part of the reason why you did this Bible study. Absolutely. So thinking about, again, maybe it's lost a little bit in our day. We don't see a lot of shepherds with their sheep. But they would have their flock and this good shepherd would know the way that he was taking the sheep or she was taking the sheep. Know the way to the green pastures and the water and even walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

17:13 You know, like getting even closer with the shepherd. But the sheep knew the shepherd's voice. So the shepherd knew the sheep, but the sheep knew the shepherd. Yeah. So just even with your granddaughter, as she's learning, she knows her mommy and daddy's voice. There's a comfort in that. And so the Lord wants us to know him. He's not this, yes, there is a mystery. to Jesus because we don't see him fully right now, right? But he's not beyond knowing. He wants us to know him. And I think he delights when we're curious and he delights when we're including him in our day.

17:56 He delights when we're asking of him or we're just praising him or we're just, we're enjoying his creation, enjoying the provision that he's given us. Even in the times We can see his fingerprints on things, and we know that he's with us. And he delights in us looking for him and following him, and he doesn't make it hard for us to follow him. So powerful. And we do need that for sure. Well, this is an interesting one in week five. where it talks about the invitation to live in the resurrection. What does that mean? Yeah, so for Jesus, this story of when Jesus shows up with his friends, Mary and Martha, and Lazarus has died.

18:42 And he shows up on the scene a couple days late, and they're like, Jesus, if you'd only been here. And Jesus knew that he was going to raise Lazarus to life. He knew what was in store for Lazarus, but he still entered into that moment and he wept with the sisters. He entered into that human moment of weeping, knowing that there was life ahead. And so for us to grasp that Jesus has not only died for us, but... but that he rose again. And because he rose, we now have life because of him. And there is a resurrection life for us at the end of our days that we will be with him fully.

19:29 But in this in-between time, for us to know that Jesus wants to meet us in our need, he wants to sometimes weep with us and be with us in the messy middle, even though he knows what's ahead, he still enters in, even though he is the resurrection and the life, he still enters into this earthly life that we're living and doesn't just say, oh, suck it up, Cheryl. It's going to get better tomorrow. But he enters in that moment. But he also reminds us that without him, there is no life. He is the resurrection and the life. You know, I think that's what's so good, too, when you talk about that, because he went through sorrow and he also, he warned his disciples that you would also go through the suffering and sorrows.

20:17 Yes. And I think it's what's the beauty of knowing that he walked through things ahead of us. that we know that we will come through the other side because he did. Yes. So the grief and the sorrow that he experienced on the other side is joy because of the resurrection. We know that even when we have loss, you know, we've both experienced loss. Yes. But we know that we know where they're at. We know that they gain eternal life and we will be with them someday. I think that that's what's great too is, you know, we've talked in the past about what happens to a seed, you know, because explain more too is... is the death of the seed why is it so important that the seed has to die well the seed has to die so that there is just there is a you know quote unquote a resurrection of life that appears and so that there can be fruit there can be something that that's not so this little seed becomes something to nourish others, something to bring beauty to others, something that is this seed that dies so that there can be life, there's a multiplication of that.

21:26 It's not just this tiny seed anymore. It is just this beautiful planting. And so for the Lord, that resurrection life that is within us is, again, it's meant to It's meant for us to bear much fruit so that we can share the life of Jesus with others. It's too small to be contained within us. It has to come out and be life-giving to others as well. That's so good. All right, in week six, it talks about the invitation to believe Jesus. And so on one of the pages, you talk about trusting Jesus because he's the way, the truth, and life. How do you do that?

22:08 A lot of times we, especially in our culture today, we don't wanna leave anybody out. We don't wanna say, oh, this is the only way that you can take. But Jesus was very clear in saying, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. But he was also clear that he invited everybody. to be a part of. So his way is open for everyone, but he truly is the only way to life. And so it's like this, it's an exclusive club that everybody's invited to, but they have to choose to enter in.

22:49 So there's this invitation, this gracious grand invitation, and it seems limiting, but it's the only way that brings life. All other roads lead to death. And it can seem like it's too exclusive. It's leaving people out where Jesus is like, no, I died so that everyone can come to me. But you have to choose me. You have to choose my way. And that's such a simple thing. I think so many times people kind of have an attitude towards it. Well, why can't just good people go to heaven? Because there's only one way.

23:30 And he made provision. Yes. And Jesus is still revealing himself in our day. And so really we're without excuse. You hear stories of people, Jesus showing up in dreams. Like they've never heard of Jesus before. And he is going out of his way to make sure we know his way. And he is so lavish in his invitation. And he wants us to be excited to share the good news with others so that others will hear. And then they'll get excited. Isn't that what the woman at the well did? It's like, come and see you. Come and meet someone who told me everything I've ever done.

24:10 And there wasn't shame because she encountered this Jesus who loved her in the midst of her sin and her shame and set her free. And then it was so joyful to her that she had to go and share it with everybody. She shared the way of Jesus with others. You know what's so powerful about that even episode two is that Jesus literally broke the barriers. Yes. He spoke to a culture that for his culture, it was not acceptable to talk to Samaritans. And that's the thing that's great about Jesus. He will talk to anyone who will just receive his message. Amen. And he spoke to, at that time, it was improper for him to speak to a woman being alone.

24:52 And so he did. He broke through every barrier with her and he still breaks through every barrier with us as well. There's nothing too difficult. There's nobody too far gone and there's nothing too difficult for Jesus. So good. And then our last is number seven is the invitation to remain in Jesus. And I love that, too, because you're talking about the vine and the branches, about abiding and not abiding. Can you explain that? Again, it's choice, right? That we can choose whether or not we are... we are making our home in Jesus. That word abide, it means to be attached to him.

25:36 It means to make our home with him. It could even mean to tabernacle with him. You know, in the Old Testament with a tabernacle, that was the picture of him being able to abide with the Israelites. And so, now that tabernacle is within us, right? Jesus now abides within us. And so, So for us to not fight that and not try to do things our own way, but to say, oh, I can do nothing great outside. I cannot bear any fruit that lasts for eternity outside of being attached to Jesus. and abiding with him. Now I can do a lot of good things, Cheryl, but heavenly treasure, things that will remain forever, fruit that will last forever can only come when I'm choosing to do things with Jesus, when I'm choosing to abide and make my place and keep my home in him.

26:34 And I don't, the only way that I have to keep that is just by still leaning in to him. I don't I don't have to work to maintain it. I have to just say, Jesus, have your way in me today. It's so important that we do that. Those simple things that, you know, as you've really highlighted, the amazing characteristics of who Christ is, each one of those are such, like, it's freedom. The freedom that he gives, and I think if we complicate it and we think that we're not worthy, there's shame or guilt or I've done too much, I'm too far gone, like you mentioned.

27:17 That's not the message. So one is your closing, too, is... speak to our audience of just encouraging them, of inviting them to have conversations with Christ. Yes. Amen. Well, again, thinking about Cheryl and I are both newer grandmothers right now. And the fact that I want... I want to have a relationship with my granddaughter. I want her to know me and I want to know her as she's growing and changing and moving and I want her to know me. And so Jesus, he has revealed himself. He will continue to reveal himself. He is so beyond us figuring him out, but he wants us looking to him, seeking him, having a relationship with him.

28:05 You can tell I get excited about the word. I get excited about who he is. But these I am statements really will be transformational to you because Jesus reveals who he is in such a powerful way that it's life-changing for us. And it makes us hunger to want to know him more. So good, Carrie. Thank you so much. And so for you to get your copy of Behold, go to CarrieKittinger.com. Yes, CarrieKittinger.com. And that way you can find out where you can purchase those, whether it's directly through them or the couple of avenues that they have available. It's a great way for you to pick one up for yourself and always get another one because you want a friend to do it with you.

28:46 You'll also find the information on how to link up. to watch the videos that complement this seven-week course. And I've gone through it. There's a wonderful format that you will enjoy and really discover Christ maybe from a whole new perspective. And I really trust that the Lord will help you just to draw closer to Him. It's all about him wanting us to be known. Amen. And that we will know him more than he will. We will recognize how much he knows us. Yes. It's so good. And how much he loves us. And he desires us to have fullness of life in him. Amen. Thank you, Carrie. Thank you for having me, Cheryl. If this episode encouraged you, don't let it end here. Open your Bible, seek God's heart, and discover the life-changing power of His promises for yourself.

29:31 Until next time, keep pursuing the God who changes everything.