THE “I AM”s OF JESUS
Mt. 16:15
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: COWBOY WISDOM: 6 GEMS
1. Never squat with your spurs on.
2. There's two theories to arguing with a woman; neither one works.
3. Don't worry about bitin' off more than you can chew, your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.
4. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
5. There was a mountain lion that ate an entire bull and felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along...and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep...your mouth shut.
6. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.
B. ONE SOLITARY LIFE
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. He never wrote a book, He never held an office, He never went to college, He never visited a big city, He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things usually associated with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty three. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that have ever marched, All the navies that have ever sailed, All the
parliaments that have ever sat, All the kings that ever reigned put together -- have not affected the life of mankind on earth as powerfully as that one solitary life.
C. OPINIONS BY LEADING JEWS
1. Sholem Asch, Yiddish Author, 1880-1957. “Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive. There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him. You can analyze Mohammed and...Buddha, but don't try it with him. You either accept or you reject.”
2. Albert Einstein, Physicist and Professor, Princeton University, 1879-1955. “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.” [George Sylvester Viereck, "What Life Means to Einstein," The Saturday Evening Post, October 26, 1929.]
3. Solomon B. Freehof, Author and Professor at Hebrew Union College, 1892-1990. “The years have not diminished the urgency of the question: "What do you think of Jesus?"...The significant fact is that time has not faded the vividness of his [Jesus'] image. Poetry still sings his praise. He is still the living comrade of countless lives. No Moslem ever sings, "Mohammed, lover of my soul," nor does any Jew say of Moses, the teacher, "I need thee every hour." [In Stormers of Heaven (New York: Harper and Row, 1931).]
D. THESIS: WHO IS JESUS?
1. Just who is Jesus of Nazareth? One time he asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Mt. 16:15). Why is this question important?
a. Because upon your answer to that question hangs your salvation!
b. Another reason is that what God/Christ can do for you depends to some degree on your faith in Him. He wants to forgive you, heal you, deliver you, set you free… but you must believe He is, and will do it.
2. We’re going to look at 7 of “The I AM’s of Jesus.”
I. “I AM!”
A. THE DIVINE NAME OF GOD
1. After 430 years of bitter bondage, the God of Israel manifested Himself; a fire appeared on Mount Horeb to an ex-prince of Egypt named Moses.
2. God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” When God outlined His plan to deliver Israel, Moses asked God’s name. God said, “Tell them, ‘I AM has sent you to them!’” That divine Name, usually translated “Lord,” is used 7,000 times in the O.T.
3. It’s from the Hebrew verb “havah” – “to live” and means God is not a God of the past – Who “WAS;” nor is He a God of just the future – Who “WILL BE,” but God is ETERNAL, living outside of time, living in the past, present, and future – simultaneously! He is the Great “I AM!”
B. JESUS DECLARES HIMSELF THE “I AM!”
1. In the N.T., Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I AM!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” John 8:56-59.
2. Jesus was saying it was He who spoke to Moses! Even further back, it was He who was the God of Abraham! He said the famous words, “Before Abraham was born, ‘I AM!’”, using the divine name of God!
II “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE”
A. JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE
1. Another “I AM of Jesus” occurred on top of a huge hill covered with grass, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. A massive crowd had gathered to hear Jesus.
2. There were no convenience stores or What-A-Burgers around, so most of the people had nothing to eat. A boy volunteered his lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
3. Jesus took it, multiplied it into thousands of loaves and fishes, and fed 5,000 men plus women and children!
4. Later, Jesus told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty….Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me….will live forever.” Jn. 6:35, 57-58.
B. EATING OF THAT BREAD
1. Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929) was distributing Gospels in the Central Province of India and he came to some non-Christians on a train and offered a man a copy of John's Gospel. The man took it, tore it in pieces in anger and threw the pieces out of the window.
2. That seemed the end, but it so happened, in the Providence of God, there was a man anxiously seeking for truth walking along the railroad tracks that very day. He picked up, as he walked along, a little bit of paper and looked at it. In his own language he read 'the Bread of Life' (John 6).
3. He didn’t know what it meant; but he enquired among his friends and one of them said: “I can tell you; it is out of the Christian book. You must not read it or you will be defiled.” The man said to himself, “I want to read the book that contains that beautiful phrase.”
4. He bought a copy of the N. T and read John 6:35 where Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” As he read, light flooded into his heart, he believed on Jesus Christ, and he became a preacher of the Gospel. That little bit of paper became the Bread of life to him! [7,700 Illus. # 3167].
III. “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”
A. HUMOR
1. One time the Royal Rangers were doing a presentation. One was to recite John 8:12, but couldn’t remember how it started. Thankfully, his mother was sitting on the front row.
2. She got his attention and silently began mouthing the words: "I am the Light of the world…." Finally he nodded his head and smiled in understanding. "He's remembered," the mother said to her neighbor.
3. The boy drew himself up, took a deep breath, and loudly proclaimed, "My mother is the light of the world!"
4. Actually, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” John 8:12. Aren’t you glad for His Light?
B. THE LIGHT SHINING FROM JESUS
1. Genesis 1:3 records that the very first act of God’s Creation was to say, “Let there be light!” Before this there had been only darkness and chaos. (see 2 Cor. 4:6)
2. Then there were two opposites; He called the light “Day” and the darkness He called “night” (1:5). This is the prophetic beginning of a great divergence, separation; each opposite has its leadership, its moral position, its spiritual center, and its followers.
3. In the spiritual realm there is warfare between the angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and the angels of darkness; and on earth, the Children of Light are in contention with the “children of disobedience” Eph. 2:2, KJV.
4. 1 John 1:5 states that “God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.” Process of PHOTOSYNTHESIS: how sunshine is turned into nutrient energy. Same in spiritual as we behold His face: as Mary at the feet of Jesus.
IV. “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE”
A. IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?
1. We’ve all heard the politically correct talking points: “Any religion that says their faith is superior to others is guilty of spiritual racism. All religions serve the same God. All people are basically good and going to heaven.”
2. All of that is false. ALL religions claim theirs alone is right. Nor do they serve the same God: Buddhists don’t even claim there IS a God; Hindus claim that everything is God, etc. Muslims serve an austere God; Christians serve a triune God.
3. All the world’s religions, except Christianity, are “DO-IT-YOURSELF” systems. The adherents have to be good enough to earn their salvation. That’s why they can NEVER tell you for sure they’re going to heaven because they can never know if they’ve laid up enough merit.
B. IS YOUR SALVATION A “DONE DEAL?”
1. Christianity alone is based upon grace and not works. It teaches that God reached down to us because we are INCAPABLE of reaching up to Him.
2. What were Jesus’ last words as He hung on that cross? He said, “IT IS FINISHED!” Through Jesus’ death and resurrection love’s redeeming work was DONE!
3. With all the world’s religions, their adherents still have to DO something; with Christianity, the work is already DONE! Jesus paid the price for our salvation and opened the Way to God.
4. That’s why Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.
5. There is no other Savior or Redeemer; only Jesus paid the price for humanity's sin. Only through Him may we be saved (Acts 4:12) and gain access to God the Father.
V. “I AM THE DOOR”
A. ONLY ONE PORTAL TO SALVATION
1. This “I AM” is similar to the last one, but with an important difference. There was only one door into the O.T. Temple; there was no other access.
2. There was only one door into Noah’s Ark. Unless you entered by that door, you perished in the flood waters.
3. Jesus said in John 10, “I am the Door to the sheepfold…If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (7,9).
B. SHEPHERDS IN SYRIA
1. A tourist in Syria observed with interest how a shepherd drove all his sheep into a sheepfold one evening. The fold was an enclosing wall with only one opening.
2. At that opening he noticed that there was neither door nor gate. He remarked to the shepherd, “Can’t wild animals get in there?”
3. “No,” answered the shepherd, “because I am the door. When the sheep are in for the night, I lie down across that doorway. No sheep can get out except over my body, and no wolf or thief can get in except over me.” [7,700 Illus., #1956].
4. I’m glad that Jesus is the Door, protecting you and keeping watch over you by day and night!
VI. “I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD”
A. THE SHEPHERD’S PSALM
1. All of us can appreciate this ascription because of David’s Psalm 23: “THE LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul…”
2. David was grateful, and so are we, that THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD! He’s watching over us and carefully protecting and providing for our needs. We couldn’t have a better shepherd than God Himself!
B. JESUS AS OUR SHEPHERD
1. Jesus adds to this picture the incredible sacrifice that He, as our Shepherd, was willing to make for our safety.
2. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” Jn. 10:11. Just as earthly shepherds hazarded their lives for their sheep, all the more did the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4; 2:25).
3. Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to give up His life so that we might be saved. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” Jn. 15:13-14.
4. Jesus was willing to become the Man of Sorrows and suffer and die on the cross to atone for our sins.
5. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” John 10:27-28.
VII. “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE”
1. When Lazarus of Bethany died, Jesus 4-days later stood before his tomb and told them to remove the stone. They tried to disway Him, pointing out the body was already decomposed and couldn’t rise.
2. He declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). Jesus has power, not only over heaven and earth, but over the underworld/ afterlife.
3. After His crucifixion, Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb. But on the third day He triumphed over death!
4. The same resurrection power that was “exerted” to raise up Jesus (Eph. 1:20) will be exerted in resurrecting the billions of believers (John 5:24-25). We ourselves will be raised to eternal with all of our loved ones at the last day!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS. OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
1. Shepherds have found that if a mother ewe dies, another ewe who lost her lamb will not nurse or accept the orphaned lamb, but will kick and butt at it.
2. But shepherds have learned a way to get the bereaved ewe to accept an orphaned lamb. They skin the lamb that died and place its woolly cape on the orphaned lamb.
3. When the mother ewe smells the cape of her own dead lamb placed on the orphaned lamb, she will allow the substitute lamb to nurse.
4. How similar this is with us and God. When we put on Christ, God sees on us the blood of His Son and accepts us as His own sons and daughters. Jesus makes us acceptable!
B. ALTAR CALL: THE CRUCIAL QUESTION
1. Jesus … asked his disciples, "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Mt. 16:15.
2. Is Jesus just a great EXAMPLE? A great TEACHER? A great PROPHET? Or would you say with Thomas, when he saw Christ resurrected, “My Lord and my God!”
Some of you need the Great Shepherd; others need Light on their lives. Some, spiritually hungry, may need the Bread of Life. He’s available to you this morning!
3. I’m going to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer.” If you would like to be included, please raise your hand. Prayer.
