BY REV. DORAL PULLEY | Today’s Church Tampa Bay
Read – Matthew 16:13-20
Scripture: “Then Jesus replied, Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 16:17).”
Denial: “My identity is not limited to labels.”
Affirmation: “I know who I AM and whose I AM.”
Jesus, our Wayshower, did not always use the specific words I AM, in manifesting his identity. There are at least four passages of scripture where he implied, I AM through his actions, interactions,
and conversations with others. People understood the power of his I AM presence and were empowered to manifest their own divinity.
Jesus did not specifically say, I AM the Salt of the Earth (Matthew 5:13). He told his disciples that they were the salt of the earth and modeled for them how to be effective and efficient. Jesus did not
state directly, I AM a city set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14). Rather, he told his disciples that they were cities sitting on a hill that cannot be hid. He was only able to see in them that which he already was. Jesus did not tell the Woman at the Well I AM the Living Water (John 4:14). Instead, he gave her living water because he was the living water. You cannot give something that you do not possess.
You cannot give something that you are not. When Jesus asked his disciples who he was, Peter spoke up and said you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus did not say that I AM the son of God, but he affirmed what Peter said and gave him the keys to the Kingdom. Jesus was not the only Son of God. “He was the firstborn of many offspring (Romans 8:29).” Through our belief in his divinity, we gain confidence about our own divinity. “To as many as believed on him to them he gave the power to become the offspring of God (John 1:12).”
Reflection Question: What do you prefer to be called: son of God, daughter of God, child of God, or God’s beloved offspring? Why?
Rev. Doral Pulley is the senior pastor of Today’s Church Tampa Bay, 940 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg (Staybridge Suites) and 5107 North Central Ave., Tampa.
