Sermon Tone Analysis

Imagine a broken world, people walking by the doors of the church on Sunday morning, evening Wednesday nights hearing the gospel preached.

As everyone scurries about their business outside the congregants and preachers inside hail for them to stop and listen to the greatest story ever told.

This hurting and broken world, these hurting and needy people, hungry for something that is more than the world can give, and we preach to them about the “Great I Was”.

How cool it would have been to know him when HE WAS, and when HE WAS he could have healed them, when HE WAS he could have provided for them, when HE WAS he could have made them whole.

The world is not going to be saved by a great I was, but what they need is the Great I AM.

Seven times Jesus used the phrase I AM.

Question: Why are the I Am statements so important?

#1 The world is broken and needs the Great I AM not the Great I was.

Moses did not walk up to Pharoah or his fellow Jews and say “The great I was has sent me to you.

His hame is I Was because he used to do some pretty cool stuff, but he spent all his power creating the earth and the heavens and all things in them.

So, he moved away far off from us and does not do any of that cool stuff like miraculous manifestation since we are all created and do not need that anymore.

He may not do amazing works today but please come and follow the great I was because once upon a time he was pretty cool and powerful.”

NO Moses said “I AM Hath Sent Me” and he did so with confidence and boldness because the solid rock was under his feet.

His God was a living God—a miracle working God.

Moses knew his business was to preach and deliver the message God had given him.

The Great I AM assured Moses he would back up the message with signs following--”I AM I AM I AM” rang in Moses ears every step he took

HIs servant, Moses, must have felt good to know that his God I AM had sent him.

No apologizing, no head hanging, no resorting to earthly means, no trembling in fear and failure, no dread that the people would not follow him.

NO he stood head high, back straight, each footstep full of assurance and firmly planted, his earthly temple of a body clad with robe and majesty of the Father, hands pointing without hesitation as to the way, his voice clear and full of authority—I AM I AM has sent me unto you!”

This is the same I AM that lives today, this is the same I AM that we worship and commune with here today, this is the same I AM that will deliver us form our enemies, the same I AM that fed the Jews with the bread from heavens and give them water from a rock in the desert, the same I AM that delivered the Jews from the diseases and plaques that struck the Egyptians.

Even Peter, whose faith was tested and had his own issues, declared that Jesus was the Christ, the son of Yahweh, the Messiah

#2 So we can know the personhood of Jesus.

STRANGER IN TOWN Personal vs Impersonal Knowledge

John 6:25-27 (NIV)

Exodus 16, the manna from heaven for 40 years, everyday God sent the manna but on the 6th day he would send two days worth, for the sabbath

A couple thousand years later prophesies are being spoken about the Messiah will be accompanied by the this manna returning

A couple hundred years later here we are and Jesus multiplies the loaves; what He just did was fulfill the prophesy and yet the Jews recognize this and they come to Him not because He is the messiah, they do not ask Him about fulfillment of prophecy or who He is, instead they ask “You got any more bread?”

The completely miss the personhood of Jesus, they miss the Messiah standing before them, because they are focused on what they saw Him do and what it can do for them rather than Who HE Is, the Great I AM

Bios or Zoe, the people are looking for Bios and Jesus responds with no, look for zoe

As human beings we are constantly seeking to fill that Zoe need we have, drugs, alcohol, social media acceptance, sexual relationships, etc. etc. etc. but all of those things are fleeting and the good feeling constantly wears off.

The I AM that sent Manna from heaven is the Great I AM standing before them that day and they fail to see it.

They expect a better version of Manna, Manna XP or Manna 2.0, they see themselves being fed for the next forty years like their ancestors but Jesus is offering a better manna, eat of this flesh and drink of this blood, take this bread and drink this wine and you can receive eternal life.

STOP for a minute and think about that, daily bread for 40 years or the Messiah offering eternal life.

The Jews that have been following him reply with “You got any more of that bread?”

Most scholars would agree that about this point in John is somewhere into the 2nd year towards the 3d year of Jesus’s ministry and so a lot of these disciples were with him for a long time already.

They had been following him, seen the miracles, listened to the sermons, seen the 5,000 fed with a couple fish and loaves, and yet they walked away from him here.

His disciples responded with “this is a hard teaching, who can accept it?” in John 6:60.

There is another key fact here though, not just the fulfillment of the manna that we see here and Jews missing the big picture.

Jesus is telling them His name, I AM.

Can you have relationship if you never know the persons name?

Would you hear His Words today, would you seek to know the Lord Jesus Christ?

What a wonderful name, what a glorious savior, what an amazing friend we have in Jesus.

Even in this late hour the church then surely the Great I AM has not changed.

He is the I AM that called Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Peter, and army of others who boldly declared “The Great I AM has sent me!”

Even as they were ridiculed by those they loved even, those they came to save, the stood firm in the fact that I AM was with them.

Even if it means being despised today will you seek to know Jesus, get alone in the wilderness of quiet and stillness before God.

Seek His face until your soul is afire like the burning bush before Moses.

Get your authority from God, the I AM, ask him “Who shall I say sent me when they ask me?” and hear His mighty reply “You shall say to them, I AM has sent me.”

Let it ring in your soul forever, louder, clearer, more wonderful in revelation of the ever-living Christ with each step of you journey.

We are guaranteed victory, the only answer for the broken world wandering around outside our doors is to lift up, not the dead, but the Living Jesus Christ, not the great I was but the Great “I AM”

I AM is His name today and forever more

I AM the Lord, I change not

I AM the Lord that has chosen you and called you by name

I AM come down to deliver you and bring you up into a good land

I AM (not I WAS but I AM) the Lord that heals you

I AM He who was dead but am alive forevermore

I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last

The question there for us is why are we here then?

Is it because we seek to know Jesus or are you satisfied with knowing of Him.

Question: Do you want to know Jesus or know of Jesus?

Action: To truly know Jesus is to know that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Great I AM was with Moses and is with us here today.

Believe in the Great I AM not the great I was.