Christ’s Preciousness Ours Through Faith

From T. Austin-Sparks' message Features of Zion: 

"'For you that believe is the preciousness.' Here is all this that is true of Christ. Go through John’s Gospel again in this way. Here are all the things that He says He is. 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35). 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12). 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:14). 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1). 'I am the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). Here is the great I AM saying what He is. And then you notice how frequently He links with that a ‘shall’.

"The ‘shalls’ of the ‘I am's’ in John’s Gospel are tremendously impressive--not always using the exact word, but in the context you will find the same conclusion. But here are some of the ‘shalls’. 'I am the bread of life'; 'he that eats this bread shall live for ever' (John 6:58). 'I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness' (John 8:12). The link between what He is and ourselves is this, 'he that believeth on me'. What I AM shall become true of him.

"'He that believeth on me shall never die' (John 11:26). '. . . shall not hunger' (John 6:35), shall never wander like sheep without a shepherd, he shall have a governing, controlling reality like a shepherd in his life. 'Shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life'. What I AM shall become true. 'I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and believes on Me shall never die.' What I AM is made good when you believe.

"Now it is not what we are. I am dead; He is alive. I can never be other than dead, but He as the life can become life in me in my death, if only I believe.

"I am hungry, spiritually starved; He is bread, and I need never hunger; although I shall always hunger in myself, yet He will become the bread to supply me. Think of it! I need never hunger, I am down there in the country, isolated, getting no fellowship, no food; I am away in some place where there is no spiritual bread, and He says, 'He that eats Me shall never hunger.'

"Is that dependent upon where I am, what my situation and circumstances are as to available spiritual meat? No, it is Himself, not place; it is Himself, not circumstances. But how can it be? - 'He that believes'.

"Lord, I am hungry; You said that if I feed on You, I need not be hungry; now I take You at Your word, feed me with Yourself. Be very practical. I do not suggest experimenting with the Lord, but try it. You see the link between the preciousness: I am so unholy, I shall never be anything else; but He is holy, He satisfies God in the matter of righteousness and holiness."