2021 0725 Jesus Said I Am

Background

Jesus said follow me

he also said on other occasions to forgive

he said we need faith for healing

there are many other sayings and teachings that are recorded in the Scriptures

this leads to a very fundamental assumption - the basic premise behind all these sayings

The Highest Authority

Jesus declared that he had a higher authority tha any other human

this brought him into sharp dispute with the Pharisees and religious types

there was the occasion when the subject of forgiving sin comes up

Mark 2:6–7 NIV

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

only God can forgive sin hence Jesus being not God ...

Jesus was making an implicit claim to be God = blasphemy

Bombshell Moment

Jesus said that he saw Abraham when he was in the midst of a discussion with some Jews

then he said this

John 8:58 NIV

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

this was the final straw for the religious Jews

MONTY PYTHON SKETCH

Jesus used the words of God Himself

Exodus 3:14 NIV

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

I AM has a timeless application, an absolute existence outside of time unlike Abraham

Jesus was identifying as God

and the Jews knew this - hence the outrage and the mindless anger to stone him as a blasphemer

Jesus has made a huge claim, one that reverberates in every generation and in the heart and mind of every human being

have you made a decision that Jesus is Lord?

Revelation 1:8 NIV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

finally in the closing book of our Scriptures,Jesus is clearly identified as Lord and God

his claim to divinity is clearly supported by his exalted status

Our Response to I Am

our faith is based on the divinity of Jesus - he is God

if he is God then he has all the authority

Colossians 2:9–10 NIV

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Jesus must be God in your heart and in your mind, in your whole being

there is no half way position

1 Corinthians 15:17 NIV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Our Pathway

we may be convicted of our sinfulness, being dead in sin so what happens next

for some, we believe and confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord Romans 10:9

Jesus is Lord before he is a Saviour

we may be hurt and broken - declare Jesus is Lord and we are healed

we may be desperate and in turmoil - declared Jesus is Lord and we are rescued

we may be lost in our sin and dead to all - declared Jesus is Lord and we are saved

we may be hopeless yet Jesus brings us the hope of eternal life

Ephesians 2:4–6 NIV

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Heart Felt

it is the matter of the heart

it is a deep spiritual transformation

just knowing Jesus is not enough - he must be Lord of our heart

just feeling Jesus is not good enough - he must be Lord of our heart

allow Jesus to change your heart if Jesus is not Lord in your life

if he is Lord then keep your heart soft to the things of the Spirit