The Enormous Need for Believing Jesus Is The I AM

D.L. Moody said the following about the I AM’s uttered by Jesus. He said, “A favorite way to study the Bible with me is first to take up one expression and run through the different places where they are found. Take the “I AMs” of John; “I am the bread of life;” “I am the water of life;” “I am the way, the truth, and the life;” “I am the resurrection;” “I am all, and in all.” God gives to His children a blank, and on it, they can write whatever they most want, and He will fill the bill. And then the promises. A Scotchman found out thirty-one thousand distinct promises in the Word of God. There is not a despondent soul, but God has a promise just to suit him.¹ In today’s podcast, we take a further look at some of the I AM’s of Jesus and how they help us live our everyday lives.

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Just Who Is Jesus to You?

[Tweet “You will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he” – Jesus.”]

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Do you believe Jesus is the I AM? Unless you do, Jesus said, you will die in your sins.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

What is your valuable personal testimony of how Jesus, the I AM, changed your life? Share your story of commitment in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

You can find additional information on the subject of John’s Gospel in the resources listed below.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic, you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

The Testimony of Jesus in John Eight

John 8:21–30 (ESV) — 21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 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.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.

26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 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. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

“Where I Am Going, You Cannot Come.”

Jesus announces once again to the religious leaders that He is going away.
The Messiah has come, and now He is going.
He came by birth, and He is leaving by death.
That’s what the Greek words ‘going away’ means.
It means to die in this context.

Mark 14:21 (ESV) — 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

‘For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him,’ do you see the word ‘goes’?
It’s the same word as ‘going’ in John 8:21.
So, Jesus is going.
Where is He going?
He is going to die; going to the cross.
Jesus is going as your substitute.
He is going to the grave; going to hell itself.
Jesus is then going to be raised again on the third day.
He is going back to heaven to be with His Father.
Jesus told these religious leaders, where I am going, you cannot come.
Now, this whole line of discourse cramps the brains of these rulers.
They can’t figure out what Jesus means.
So, then Jesus helps them out.
He tells them exactly what He means.
Jesus says to them:

You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. You will die in your sins, unless you believe that I am he. – Jesus

What did Jesus mean exactly, when He said you would die in your sins?
Well, realize that right at this particular moment in time, these religious leaders are standing in front of the Messiah.
They are talking to Him, the one the scriptures foretold, face to face, mono on mono.
For hundred’s of years, they have looked for Him.
Decades upon starry decades Jews have spoken of Him to their children.
Throughout the countless wars in which Israel was on the wrong end, armies on end marching, through and trampling Jerusalem, the people prayed and silently hoped that Messiah would come.
After Alexander the Great died, four of his generals divided up his territory.
Two of them, Ptolemy and Seleucis, had territory on either side of Israel.
Their nations went to war with each other, and Israel was caught smack dab in the middle.
From 323 BC until 198 BC—a 125-year period of time they fought five times.
- The First War (274–271)
- The Second War (c. 260–255)
- The Third, or Laodicean, War (245–241)
- The Fourth War (219–217)
- The Fifth War (202–200)
Think about it, five wars that have nothing to do with you really but they are crisscrossing your land because you’re geographical in the middle of these two warring kingdoms.
While they are crisscrossing your land, they are helping themselves to your fields, your food, your water, and all the rest of your stuff.
Don’t you think Israel was longing to get out of this mess?
Can you see why they were hoping for Messiah?
Now, all of a sudden, BANG – there He is.
The Promised One, the Mighty King, the Mighty God, the Wonderful Counselor, they are talking right to Him.
But, here’s the sad truth.
They don’t recognize Him, there hopes and the fulfillment is standing right there, and they don’t have a clue.

John 1:11 (ESV) — 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Jesus is the Messiah, He is the Christ, but they don’t believe that He is.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

But it doesn’t matter, whether they believe He is or not, He still is.
Jesus is who He says He is.
And, what did He say that He is?

The Setting For More of Jesus I AM Announcements

Jesus has just declared that “I AM the Light of the World” – John 8:12.
That’s who He said He is, the Light of the World.
You remember that the backdrop for that is the same Feast of Tabernacles noted in John seven.
This scene frames chapter seven through nine of John’s gospel.
What we have in the passage we read at the outset, our main text for today’s podcast, is more ‘I AM’ confessions.
Jesus is going to tell us more of who He is.
In verse 24, of John eight, Jesus says, ‘unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.’
Verse 28, has Jesus saying, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he…’
This set of ‘I AM’ proclamations have a difference about them from what we heard in Jesus I am the Light of the World declaration in John 8:12.
Let’s look at the difference.
There are seven ‘I AM’ annunciations which contain a descriptor.
In other words, Jesus says I AM, and then He goes ahead and tells you what He AM.

Seven ‘I AM’ Statements

So there are seven of these I AM, and then Jesus tells you what He AM.
Here they are.
I am the bread of life – John 6:35, 48.
I am the light of the world – John 8:12.
I am the door for the sheep – John 10:7, 9.
I am the good shepherd – John 10:11, 14.
I am the resurrection and the life – John 11:25.
I am the way, the truth, and the life – John 14:6.
I am the true vine – John 15:1, 5.
Let’s take a quick look at a couple of these.

I AM the Bread of Life

In John six, Jesus tells you that He is the Bread of Life.
He doesn’t just say that He is the Bread of Life, He first acts the part.

John 6:5–6 (ESV) — 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

Jesus knew what He was going to do.
What’s the reaction of the crowd after witnessing this miracle sign?

John 6:14 (ESV) — 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

They exclaim that He is the Promised Messiah.
With that thought here’s the Historical Background of the day.

Historical Background: Manna and the Messiah

Look at Exodus 16:4.

Exodus 16:4 (ESV) — 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

An early Jewish commentary on Exodus 16:4 says, “As the first redeemer caused manna to descend … so will the latter redeemer cause manna to descend” (Midrash Rabbah; Eccles. 1:9).²

That’s what the Jews believed that this ‘manna from heaven’, which occurred during the Exodus, would take place once again when the Messiah came.
Here’s another quote from Jewish literature.

“The treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat of it in those years” (2 Bar. 29:8). This would be a messianic second exodus, in which blessedness would rain down from on high.

Judaism understood that there was a storehouse or “treasury” of manna in heaven that had been opened to feed the people during the era of Moses. The Israelites had been fed with “Bread from heaven.” This treasury would be reopened with the coming of Messiah:

So you see Israel’s expectation for the Messiah was that He would do this sign again.
So this feeding of the 5000, was proof to this crowd that Jesus was this Messiah.
That’s why they tried to make Him King because that was one of the roles of the Messiah that He would rule and reign over the nations.

John 6:15 (ESV) — 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Becoming King is part of being the Messiah, and so the next day, the multitudes come looking for the Messiah to feed them again.
After all, that’s what happened in the wilderness per Exodus 16.
This Old Testament God account of ‘raining bread from heaven upon the people’ is several places in scripture, for example, Nehemiah chapter nine.

Nehemiah 9:15 (ESV) — 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

Jesus then takes that Old Testament connected with the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 and putting those two things together states: “I AM the Bread of Life.”
What are you saying?
I’m saying that Jesus didn’t just pull this ‘I AM’ declaration out of His seamless garment.
He didn’t pull it out of thin air.
The ‘I AM’ decrees have their roots in the Old Testament.
Look at Jesus famous ‘I AM the Good Shepherd’ decree.

I AM the Good Shepherd

In John 10:11, Jesus declares that he is the Good Shepherd.
Here are a few of Old Testament roots to that theme.

Psalm 78:52–53 (ESV) — 52 Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Psalm 80:1 (ESV) — 1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

One role of the Shepherd is leader and guide.
Did you notice that in these passages: He guided them in the wilderness, He led them in safety, you lead Joseph like a flock.
The most famous Shepherd Psalm 23 says that the Shepherd leads me beside the still waters.
Listen to it now in John’s gospel.

John 10:11 (ESV) — 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Did you hear this leadership piece as Jesus proclaims it?
“I have other sheep in this fold; they will listen to my voice.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
He will not lead you into wrong places.
With His own disciples, Jesus fulfilled the role of Shepherd and Guide by not losing any of the sheep except for a sheep who chose to be lost, Judas Iscariot.

John 17:12 (ESV) — 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might Gbe fulfilled.

So you see, there is an Old Testament fulfillment in many of these ‘I AM’ statements.
Now, in our text for this podcast, we are in John eight, we have a little different nuance for these ‘I AM’ declarations.
There is no descriptor; there is no ‘fill-in-the-blank.’
Listen to verse twenty-four again.

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM he you will die in your sins.”

Now go down four verses to verse twenty-eight.

“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.”

Unless you believe that I AM; then you will know I AM.
Jesus said I AM, but we have to ask the question and excuse the English here, HE AM WHAT?
There is nothing in these two verses that tells what He AM!
Jesus told us specifically, no doubt about it what He AM.
He told us seven times what He AM: I AM the Bread of life, I AM the Light of the world, I AM the Good Shepherd.
But, here there is no descriptor.
Why?
This ‘I AM’ without a descriptor invokes a different set of images in the Old Testament.
Yes, there is a tie back to the Old Testament for these non-descriptive I AM’s.
What images do this non-descriptor I AM’s invoke?

Names of God: I Am Who I Am

Exodus 3:13–15 (ESV) — 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.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God’s Name is I AM.
It’s not God.
God is not God’s Name.
I AM is His Name or at least one of His sacred Names.
Listen to it in Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:10–13 (ESV) — 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. 12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God. 13 Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”

God’s Name is I AM, and Jesus said in John eight, ‘unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.

‘I AM’ Is a Blank Check

If you drop down now to verse fifty-eight of John eight, you have another have Jesus making another I AM assertion without saying what He AM.

John 8:58 (ESV) — 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Jesus is claiming divinity when He says ‘I AM.’
This is the gospel.

Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) — 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus is declaring His equality with God.
He is the ‘I AM.’
What does that mean?
Jesus said, ‘I am that I am’ – which means that He is what He is in and of Himself.
His being does not derive from anyone excepts Himself.
He is the self-existent One.
God did not create Him.
But if you are in Him, He did create you.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) — 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Now, I am made in His image and likeness.
So if He is ‘I am that I am’ – then I am that He is!
For in we live and move and have our being – Acts 17:28.
What I derive from is in Him.

#S5-005: Who Makes It Out of the Tribulation? [Podcast]

References:

D. L. Moody, Anecdotes and Illustrations of D. L. Moody Related by Him in His Revival Work, ed. J. B. McClure (Chicago: Rhodes & McClure, 1878), 38. ↩
John C. Hutchison, “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements,” Bibliotheca Sacra 168 (2011): 75. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

The Enormous Need for Believing Jesus Is The I AM

Podcast: Light on Life Season 6 Episode 39

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

What is your valuable personal testimony of how Jesus, the I AM, changed your life? Share your story of commitment in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Stitcher Radio Google Play

iTunes

The Testimony of Jesus in John Eight

“Where I Am Going, You Cannot Come.”

The Setting For More of Jesus I AM Announcements

Seven ‘I AM’ Statements

I AM the Bread of Life

Historical Background: Manna and the Messiah

I AM the Good Shepherd

Names of God: I Am Who I Am

‘I AM’ Is a Blank Check

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

What is your valuable personal testimony of how Jesus, the I AM, changed your life? Share your story of commitment in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Stitcher Radio Google Play

iTunes

The Testimony of Jesus in John Eight

“Where I Am Going, You Cannot Come.”

The Setting For More of Jesus I AM Announcements

Seven ‘I AM’ Statements

I AM the Bread of Life

Historical Background: Manna and the Messiah

I AM the Good Shepherd

Names of God: I Am Who I Am

‘I AM’ Is a Blank Check

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