The Great I AM
Journey Through The Gospels • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
There are numerous times recorded in the book of John where Jesus declares, “I am”
This was the 2nd one of these affirmations of His deity by equating Himself with things that emanate only from the one true God.
The first was in Chapter 6, the Bread of Life, or the Living Bread that came down from heaven. This assertion revealed that the manna that the Israelites ate for forty years in the wilderness came only by the word of God and that this Word of the Lord was Jesus. Jesus wasn’t just saying “I Am the bread of life - spiritual food - for you today, but also, I Am the Bread of life that sustained your forefathers (not I was - because I have not changed - I am as I was and I was as I am and I am as I evermore shall be). Those who were obedient and partook of the manna lived. He also made it clear that the manna did not come from Moses, but from God. Jesus is the I AM from before Moses - on into eternity past. He always is, always was, and evermore shall be!
This 2nd “I AM” statement reveals that Jesus is the light of the world. He is not just the spiritual light of wisdom and revelation for today, but always has been and evermore shall be. He is the light of Genesis 1:3
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
He is the light emanating from the Father now. He is the light that will shine through eternity!
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
There are a number of other word pictures that Jesus gives through “I Am” statements that we will read in John, but here in John 8 we read the 3 most powerful and direct of His statements that assert Jesus and God the Father are one - not one and the same, but one in essence, and purpose, while different in role and function and personhood.
John 8:24 (ESV)
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Belief in Jesus in absolutely 100% necessary to enter eternal life. There is no way around it. This isn’t just an agreement that Jesus was a real historical person. This is a constant complete reliance and trust on the eternal existence of Jesus as the all powerful creator God.
We’ll get into that more, but it is a current belief, a right now belief that is consistent. It is a belief that recognizes Jesus is presently your Lord and savior.
John 8:28 (ESV)
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Here, Jesus gives a future statement. When you have… then you will know… In the immediate interpretation we understand that Jesus is talking about those of the Jews who will come to believe in Him when He is crucified. He doesn’t talk about belief here though, He says they will KNOW.
There are those who will acknowledge Jesus is God, the LORD, the Messiah, and never repent to know Him as their savior and they will be lost.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There is coming a day when everyone who has ever lived, everyone who lives now, and everyone who shall ever live will stand before Jesus to be judged and we will all at once recognize and know and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!
Jesus will be lifted up - not again on a cross - but elevated and exalted far above all others and we will know then that He is! That Jesus is the I am!
Now this catches us up to the current passage, and I want us to read here Jn 8:48-59 but first a short recap of what’s happening. There is an ongoing conversation (argument) about who Jesus is and whether or not He’s the Messiah and the Jews are trying to discredit Him because they do not recognize that He truly is from God. He has stated it a couple of times but here He brings it into very clear language for them to understand:
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus is the I Am of eternity past. Before Abraham was, “I Am.”
Genesis 2:4 gives the first occurence of God (Elohim) being referred to as Yahweh or Jehovah
It’s a difficult word the transliterates to English simply as YHWH
The pronunciation was lost thousands of years ago due to honoring and revering the Name so highly and fearing God so greatly that it was rarely uttered.
This is one way that “Jehovah’s Witnesses” contradict themselves. They take Jesus words that those who worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth to mean there’s only one true way to worship Him and there’s only one true name to call him, “Jehovah”
If they are right that we can only truly worship God by calling Him by the correct name, then they contradict themselves and condemn themselves because one thing we do know is that the language of the Jews, Hebrew, does not have, andnever has had a “J’ sound, it was more of a “Y’ sound.
So Yehovah or Yahweh are more likely.
Jews were ‘Ioudaioi
Jesus was ‘Insous
But this Name of God - Yahweh - is translated in your Bibles as LORD with capital letters.
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
Here God isn’t introducing Himself with a new name, but an old name that they would have recognized.
Jesus is clearly identifying Himself as the God who was, and is, and is to come. But He doesn’t say I was or I will be, because time is subject to Him.
Before Abraham was, He Is.
Before the foundations of the earth, He is.
From eterinty to eternity at infitiy He is unchanging, He is who He is.
Time is His creation to bring order to man.
This is far beyond what the human mind is capable of grasping.
Man cannot reason or even invent this.
YOU CAN”T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!
It was revealed by God to man and recorded through the ages in the Bible!
As it is written in Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.