Jesus, The Great I Am | John 8:48–59

Opening Remarks: Finishing up John 8 this morning. What a spiritual treasure trove this chapter has been. From the woman caught in adultery to this long discourse about being the Light of the World and truth that makes us free, there is so much doctrine to unpack.

The goal is to finish out the chapter today, but I can’t make any promises.

Read John 8:48-59

The Gospel of John records several “I Am” statements from Jesus during His earthly ministry:

I Am the Bread of Life

I Am The Light of The World

I Am the Door

I Am The Good Shepherd

I Am The Resurrection and the Life

I Am the Way the Truth and the Life

I Am The True Vine

We’ve looked at some and, Lord willing, will look at the others in our series, but the most significant “I Am” statement that confirms all the others might be right here in John 8 when Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

I don’t know if our minds can fully grasp all that this means. We’ll do our best to consider it this morning.

Title “Jesus, The Great I Am”

Pray

Introduction: One thing I love about a church family is how people are so many different phases of life. From the nursery to the seasoned saints, we have all walks and stages of life represented here this morning. That’s the beauty of a family. There’s variety and contrast.

Right now, my wife Erin and I are in the phase of life when our older children either are now or are becoming adults. It’s kind of bittersweet. It’s hard because they’re not little anymore and they don’t need us like they used to (unless they need money…), but it’s sweet because the relationship becomes more and more relational all the time.

Still, I get reminded often that there’s a disconnect between our generations, and by the way, I embrace it. I take pride in my responsibility to gripe about the silly ways of this generation.

One of the ways that the contrast is most obvious is in our jargon.

To the young generation, drip is style. To me, it’s something a sink does.

To them, no cap means telling the truth. To me, no cap is when they forget to put the lid back on something.

I learned a new one in the last few months - “Pick Me.”

A “Pick Me” is someone that constantly seeks attention or validation from others.

They might post a picture with the caption, “I hate my hair today,” just to get a bunch of comments saying, “You look great!” or “Don’t change a thing!”

I would have said “they’re fishing for compliments” but apparently now they’re called a “Pick Me.”

It has a negative implication because attention seeking isn’t a real desirable trait. But it’s also a mindset that’s been around since the beginning.

What struck me this week is how often Jesus dealt with people who had this mindest.

The Pharisees Definitely Had “Pick Me” Tendencies

These religious leaders found much of their validation in what others thought of them.

Jesus called them out often for it. They would pray in the streets to be heard. They would give offerings to be seen. They would live out their religion in front of others for attention. Pick Me’s.

The irony of this is that the Pharisees continuously accused Jesus of the same thing. They said He was all about attention.

They accused Him wanting attention when He healed people, or taught the multitudes. He wasn’t asking for attention. He was getting it because He was doing things no one else had ever done.

It made them so mad, they wanted to kill Him for it, even though it’s exactly what they were guilty of.

Still, they bring up over and over how Jesus was trying to make more of Himself than he really was.

Look at Vs. 53 - “Whom makest thou thyself?” “Why are you trying to make yourself out to be something you’re not?”

And they’re enraged by it, that they blaspheme the Lord.

Vs. 48 - They call Him a Samaritan

Terrible insult. The Samaritans were viewed as vile people. They were considered to be half-bloods (Half Jewish, Half Gentile). The Jews wouldn’t even speak to them.

But the Pharisees take it further by accusing Him of being demon-possessed.

What a blasphemous thing to say. It’s awful.

This is God in the flesh

Who left Heaven for them

Spoke words of love and wisdom

Performed miracles that they benefitted from

Lived a spotless life

And they’re saying, “Thou hast a devil! You are demon-possessed!”

He did everything right and they say this? I would assume that everyone in this room is the exact opposite of these Pharisees. They say, “Thou hast a devil.” But we say, “Thou art the Son of God.”

I can’t be more opposed to what they said about Jesus.

This has been a wild political season. I’m always amazed at the level of vitriol in politics. I’m not loyal to a party. I’m loyal to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. There is no perfect party, but I vote for those who most closely align with biblical truth. And there are some that are so anti-God and His Word that, even if I don’t completely align with those over here, I know for sure I’m against those that publicly promote wickedness or unbiblical practices. I couldn’t be more opposed to some in the political world.

But as much as I disagree with some in politics, I can’t say clearly enough how opposed I am to those who would accuse my Savior of being demon-possessed. It’s blasphemy.

All because they don’t like the attention He’s getting.

You tell me what sounds more devil-like: speaking the truth in love or picking up rocks to crush someone’s head.

That’s what the Pharisees did. They were raging at His words.

Ultimately, They Hated That He Claimed To Be God

Look at Vs. 58. “Verily, Verily” - When we hear this phrase, which means truly, truly, or amen, amen, it means whatever follows is of greatest importance. We can’t afford to miss what Jesus is about to say.

Read Vs. 58. What exactly does He mean by that?

Bro. Sam Davison used a quote from JC Ryle in his book on John, and I had to read it,

“Without a controversy, these remarkable words are a great deep. They contain things which we have no eyes to see through, or mind to fathom. But if language means anything, they teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ existed long before He came into the world. Before the days of Abraham He was. Before man was created He was. In short, they teach us that the Lord Jesus was no mere man, like Moses or David. He was One whose goings forth were from everlasting,–the same yesterday, today, and forever, very and eternal God.”

We may struggle to understand the boldness of Christ’s claim, but make no mistake, those standing there that day knew He was claiming to be God in the flesh.

Of all the the words that Jesus Christ ever spoke, you will find none weightier or more eternally important than these.

Because, if this claim is not true, nothing Jesus said or did matters. Everything we believe about Jesus Christ hinges on Him being the very Son of God.

And saying “Before Abraham was, I am” was Him saying, “I Am God in the flesh.”

“I Am” is the way God identified Himself to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3.

Moses had spent 40 years in the wilderness after fleeing Egypt. But God planned to use Moses to deliver Israel out of bondage, so God appeared to him and spoke out of a burning bush.

God’s message to Moses was, “You are the deliverer. You will go back to Egypt and bring my people out of Egypt into the Promised Land.

If you know the story, then you know that Moses had his doubts. He asked, “If I do this, whom should I tell them sent me?”

And God said, “I Am That I Am.” Tell them, “I Am” has sent you.

“I am” simply means to exist. God’s name “Yahweh” in Hebrew which was Latinized as Jehovah for us means “to be.” To exist. I Am.

Why would God use the name “I Exist” to send Moses to Egypt?

Well, Israel had lived in Egypt for 400 years. For centuries, they had grown used to idols and little “g” gods that claimed to be deity. So God says, “Moses, I AM. I exist. You go tell them that the God who actually exists wants to deliver them. Any other little “g” is not. But I AM.”

Friends, there’s only one God. The God of Heaven. Jehovah is His name.

He is the Great I Am. And no matter what others tell you about their gods or their religion, there is only One Gotd hat exists.

He created the Heavens and the earth and all that there is.

He is all-powerful and all-knowing.

He is everywhere all at the same time.

And yet He knows your name.

Yet about 2,000 years ago He came as the God-man and walked on this earth for 33 years until He was crucified. But He died by His own choice. Because the sins of all mankind needed a sacrifice - Jesus Christ. God in the flesh hung on that cross.

And this morning we must understand that He is God and submit to Him as such. In no uncertain terms, Jesus is claiming to be the everlasting Son of God.

And all the Jews that heard Him say it knew what He was claiming. He was saying, “I Am the God who exists and always has.”

“I AM the eternal One.”

“I AM the only God.”

Jesus was the fulfillment of every prophecy in the OT.

He is who Isaiah wrote about in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

“The everlasting Father.” Jesus is God in the flesh.

We’ve been preaching the book of John for months and it seems like every message is “Jesus is God, here’s the evidence, believe.” And that was John’s purpose. Present Jesus, people believe.

When we preach Jesus over and over, we’re not asking you to trust in some great man. He’s not just some deep theologian. He’s not just a smart teacher. He is the Son of God. And passages like this only give us more boldness and confidence in who He is.

Don’t get tired of hearing about Jesus being the Son of God. If it seems redundant, it’s because we need it to be. We need to be reminded over and over that our faith does not rest in scholars and theologians and other men like us. Our faith rests in the Son of God, the everlasting Father, whose name is the great “I AM.” He’s real, He exists, and He’s the only God there is.

By the way, some religions will tell you Jesus isn’t God. If you hear that, run. Any group that denies the deity of Christ is leading people astray.

Jesus is the Great I Am.

So what does this have to do with us?

We might be tempted to think that Jesus being the Great I Am is such a big concept that it makes no difference in my life. But that’s not true.

Because Jesus’ entire purpose for being here was to offer us something we could never have without Him.

Sure, He’s the Great I Am. But all that He is, He is to you and I.

Consider what Jesus says about Himself just in our text:

I. “I Am The One Who Points To The Father”

Vs. 49-50 - They accused Him of wanting all the attention, but He came pointing to His Father.

He came honoring the Father. And at the same time, His Father sought His glory.

Everything Jesus did was to draw attention to His Father. He came seeking the Father’s glory and speaking the Father’s words.

So think about it, how would we know what God is like without Jesus?

He came to put on full display the love and mercy of the Father. At the same time He came revealing God’s judgment and righteousness.

We wouldn’t know how much God hates sin if Jesus hadn’t come. But we also wouldn’t know how much God loves us if Jesus hadn’t come.

Jesus Christ allowed us to see God in the flesh on display.

The Great I Am made God knowable. That’s who the Great I Am is to you and I.

Vs. 54-55 - The Jews should have received Jesus with open arms, because He knows the Father like no one else. He showed them the Father and could have helped them know the Father like he does. But they rejected His claim and missed it all.

The I Am came pointing to the Father.

II. “I Am The One Who Offers Eternal Life”

Vs. 51 - Jesus is not talking about physical death. He’s talking about spiritual death.

There are two deaths:

The first death is physical death, which could happen to any of us at any moment. We don’t know when that will become reality for us.

The second death is spiritual death, which takes place in the life of anyone who has never placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Revelation 20 talks about a great white throne and the dead standing before God. And the book of life is opened and those whose names are not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:14 says, “This is the second death.”

Unless Jesus returns first, every one of us will face one death. And those who reject Jesus Christ as the Great I Am will experience a second death. Eternal separation from God in a place called hell.

Do not put the Great I Am off this morning. Listen to His words, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never death.” Spiritual death.

So many people have lost loved ones.

Spouses…parents…siblings…children

It’s heartbreaking. Difficult to get past. But because of the Great I Am, we have hope is sorrow.

If our loved ones knew Jesus, they may have tasted physical death, but they’ll never know spiritual death. Which means we’ll see them again if we have trusted Christ and we have eternal life.

So Jesus says,

“I Am the one who points to the Father”

“I Am the one who offers eternal life”

III. “I Am the Fulfillment of the Father’s Promises”

Vs. 56 - That confuses them. They say, “How did Abraham see you, you’re not even 50 years old!”

First, I believe that Abraham did see pre-incarnate Jesus Christ in his time. But that’s not what Jesus says. He says, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.”

Vs. 57 - The Jews ask “How have you seen Abraham?” But that’s not what Jesus says either.

He says “Abraham saw my day,” not “I saw Abraham.”

And we might be confused about what this means, but think about Abraham.

When God called Him as a 75 year old man to leave his home and go to the Promised Land, He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations.

And for 25 years, Abraham and Sarah waited for the promised son.

When Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90, Isaac was born, and Abraham saw the evidence of the faith he’d waited on God to see for 25 years.

But about 20 years later, God told Abraham, “Take they son, thy only son Isaac, and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah.”

So they head up the mountain, Isaac says, “Dad, where’s the ram?”

And Abraham says, “God will provide one.”

And before Abraham has to do the unthinkable, knife in hand, ready to slay Isaac, he looks in the bushes and there’s a ram. God did provide a sacrifice.

That moment was a picture of Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain for the sins of mankind.

So Abraham did see Jesus’ day by faith on that mountain. And he rejoiced when that ram showed because it was a substitute for his son Isaac. A perfect picture of Jesus dying in our place on the cross.

Why? Just so He could say, “Look at me! I’m the Great I Am!”

No, it wasn’t for show. He’s no Pick Me.

It was because we are destitute in our sins and we needed a Savior to die for us.

Jesus is the Great I Am in that He fulfills the most important promise God has ever made to us - salvation.

That’s the difference the Great I Am makes to us:

He reveals the Father

He offers eternal life

He fulfills the promises of God

Jesus is the Great I Am.

The very and eternal God.

If He’s the Great I Am:

You can know God

You can trust Him with your greatest needs

You can have confidence in your future

There’s no problem too great for the Great I Am.

Health? If He’s the very and eternal God, He has grace and He can heal.

Finances? If He’s the very and eternal God, there’s no need He can’t provide for.

Sin? If He’s the very and eternal God, He has the power and knowledge to help you overcome it.

Jesus brought the Great I Am into our lives so that we can trust Him to meet our greatest needs.