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JESUS—THE GREAT I AM
A. Introduction: We’re working on a series about knowing who Jesus is, according to the Bible, especially the
New Testament, which was written by eyewitnesses of Jesus, men who heard Jesus teach, witnessed Him do
miracles, saw Him die and then saw Him alive again. We have more to say about who Jesus is in this lesson.
1. We’re talking about this in part because we live in a time of increasing religious deception, and much of
that deception centers on who Jesus is—just as Jesus predicted would happen. Matt 24:4-5; 11
a. But we’re also talking about it because Almighty God wants to be known by the people He created,
and Jesus is God’s clearest revelation of Himself to mankind.
b. Consider this eyewitness statement about who Jesus is. The following lines are from a creed (a
statement of beliefs) that goes back to the very first followers of Jesus.
1. Col 1:15-18—[Now] He (Jesus) is the exact likeness of the unseen God—the visible
representation of the invisible; He is the Firstborn (premiere, chief)—of all creation (Amp).
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things and in him all things hold together…He is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent (ESV).
2. Preeminent means supreme in rank, dignity, importance. Jesus has priority (preeminence)
over all creation because He is God the Creator, and He has sovereignty or power over all things
because He is the Omnipotent God, the upholder and sustainer of all.
2. Jesus is God become fully man without ceasing to be fully God. He is God Incarnate, God in human
flesh—a Divine Person with two natures (human and Divine). Jesus is God with a human nature.
a. God is One Being who simultaneously manifests as three distinct, but not separate Persons—God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This teaching is known as the doctrine of the
Trinity. God’s Triune nature (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is beyond our comprehension.
1. Two thousand years ago the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, incarnated (took on a
full human) and was born into this world. Matt 1:20-21; Luke 1:31-35
2. God the Son took on a full human nature in the womb of a virgin named Mary, so that He could
die as the perfect sacrifice for sin and open the way for sinful men and women to be restored to
God through faith in Him. Phil 2:6-7; Heb 2:14-15
b. The eyewitnesses wrote the New Testament documents to tell the world what they witnessed. They
made no attempt to explain either the Trinity or the Incarnation. They simply accepted what they
saw and heard. Matt 3:16-17; John 14:16-26; I Tim 3:16; etc.
1. Jesus’ first followers were all good Jews. They knew and believed that there is only one God,
and that He alone is to be worshipped (Ex 20:1-5). Every morning, faithful Jews recited this
prayer: Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord (Deut 6:4, KJV). The Hebrew word that
is translated one means united one (Gen 2:24; Num 13:23).
2. These men also knew that there is only one Savior—Jehovah (Yahweh), God Almighty (Isa
45:21-22). Yet they became convinced that Jesus is Savior and Lord—not a new God, but God
Incarnate, God in human flesh. Note what these apostles (eyewitnesses) believed about Jesus.
A. Peter wrote: I am writing to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith
given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Savior (II Pet 1:1, NLT).
B. John wrote: We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so
that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son, Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life (I John 5:20, ESV).
C. Paul wrote: We look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed (when He returns to earth). (Titus 2:13, NLT).
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B. Even before Jesus’ original twelve apostles (eyewitnesses) died off, challenges to the message that they
proclaimed about Jesus began to appear. False teachers denied either the Deity of Jesus (saying that He
wasn’t truly God) or denied the humanity of Jesus (saying He wasn’t truly human).
1. John the apostle wrote the gospel that bears his name. It is an ancient biography of Jesus, specifically
written to emphasize the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, God become man without ceasing to be God.
a. John 20:30-31—And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are
not written in this book; But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that through believing ye might have life through his name (KJV).
b. In the culture Jesus was born into (1st century Israel) the term son of was used to mean the offspring
of someone. But is also meant on the order of or possessing the qualities of. That’s why religious
leaders got upset when Jesus called Himself the Son of God. It was a claim of deity. John 5:18
2. To make his case, John opened his gospel with a prologue or introduction (John 1:1-18) in which he
clearly states that Jesus (whom John calls the Word) became fully man without ceasing to be fully God.
a. The Greek word that John used for the Word is Logos. It was used among classical Greek writers
of that day to mean the principle that holds the world together, and was a common way of referring
to God’s revelation of Himself. John identified Jesus (the Word) as the Eternal Creator.
1. John 1:1-3—In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without
him was not anything made that was made (KJV).
2. John then wrote that at a specific point in time: The Word (whom John identifies as the Eternal
Creator) was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14, KJV).
b. In these verses John used two different Greek words to emphasize that, at specific point in time, the
Eternal Creator became man (or took on a human nature) and came into this world.
1. When John wrote about the Word in John 1:1-2 he used a Greek word (en) that denotes
continuous action in the past, or no point of origin. When John referred to things created by
the Word (John 1:3) he used a Greek word (egeneto) that refers to a point of origin, a time when
something came into existence.
2. When John wrote that the Word was made flesh, he used egeneto (John 1:14), meaning that at a
specific point in time, the Word (who has always existed (en) because He is God) entered
human existence and became fully man without ceasing to be fully God.
3. In his gospel, John reported that Jesus took to Himself Israel’s most sacred name for God—I AM. In
response, the religious leaders attempted to kill Jesus. Let’s get the context of what Jesus said.
a. In a lengthy interaction with religious leaders in Jerusalem where, among other things, they accused
Jesus of having a demon, Jesus told them that anyone who obeys His teachings will never die.
1. The Pharisees replied: Now we know you have a demon because even Abraham (the head of
the Jewish people) and the prophets all died. Who do you think you are? John 8:49-53
2. Jesus responded: Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He
saw it and was glad (John 8:56, NLT). They said: You’re not even fifty years old. How can
you say that Abraham saw you (John 8:57), to which Jesus answered: I tell you the truth,
before Abraham was born, I AM (John 8:58, NIV).
b. I AM is the name by which God revealed Himself to the great prophet Moses when the Lord
commissioned him to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. At that time, Moses asked
the Lord what name he should give to Israel when he told them that the God of their fathers
(Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) has spoken and sent me to you. Ex 3:13
1. Almighty God “said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel; I AM hath sent me to you” (Ex 3:14, KJV).
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2. I AM comes from a Hebrew verb that means to exist or to be—I AM WHO I AM or I WILL BE
WHO I WILL. I AM the Self-Existent One or Eternal. God is because He is
3. This Hebrew verb word conveys the idea of underived existence—no beginning and no end.
God is beyond the realm of time. The names Yahweh and Jehovah actually come from this
Hebrew verb. I AM is Yahweh, Jehovah, the Eternal God.
A. By taking the name I AM, Jesus was claiming independent, continuous existence before
time began. Jesus contrasted Abraham’s created origin with His own uncreated, Eternal
nature—before Abraham was (created), I AM (uncreated). John 8:58
B. The Jewish leaders recognized that Jesus was identifying Himself as God. The Law of
Moses required death by stoning for this kind of blasphemy (Lev 24:16), so they picked up
rocks to hurl at Him. Jesus hid Himself, and slipped out of the Temple (John 8:59).
c. The Greek term that translated I AM in John 8:58 is ego eimi. This term is found in the Septuagint,
the first Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, translated almost two centuries before Jesus
incarnated. The Jewish translators used the term ego eime for God’s name, I AM, in Ex 3:14.
4. When Jesus made His statement that before Abraham was, I AM (ego eime), He had already used the
term (ego eime) twice in this same encounter with the religious leadership.
a. Jesus told them: For if you believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24, KJV), and,
When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he (John 8:28, KJV).
b. Notice two points. One, I am is ego eime in the original language. Two, in the English translation,
I am is followed by the word he. It is italicized because the word isn’t present in the original Greek.
1. In some English translations the phrase I AM (ego eime) is followed by the word he. The word
he was added by the translators to try to make the phrase less awkward in English. But it loses
some of the impact of Jesus’ words—I AM God Incarnate.
2. John 8:24 and John 8:28 express the same idea as John 8:58. Jesus claimed to be I AM—I AM
who brought Israel out of Egypt. According to Jesus, I AM is the Savior of sinful men and I
AM was crucified for men.
c. Note something else that John recorded about what happened the night before the crucifixion, when
Temple guards and Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus. John 18:1-8
1. When Jesus stepped forward and asked whom they were seeking, the soldiers replied: Jesus of
Nazareth, to which Jesus responded two times, I am He (v 5-8). Once again, he is not in the
original Greek text and the phrase is ego eime.
2. Both times, when Jesus spoke these words, the men went backwards and fell to the ground.
Remember why John (an eyewitness) wrote his gospel—so that men will believe that Jesus is
God. These soldiers and guards were in the presence of I AM (v8).
5. Although the other gospels writers don’t include these particular exchanges with the religious leaders,
Matthew and Mark both record an incident where Jesus called Himself I AM. Matt 14:27; Mark 6:50
a. In that incident, Jesus’ apostles were in a boat that was caught in great wind storm on the Sea of
Galilee. Jesus came to their rescue, walking on the water to get to the boat. As Jesus approached
them, He cried out: Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid (KJV),
b. Although many translations quote Jesus as saying: It is I, the Greek reads ego eime, I AM. Note
these translations: Take courage! I AM; stop being afraid (Matt 14:27, Amp); But immediately, he
talked with them and said, Take heart! I AM! Stop being alarmed and afraid (Mark 6:50, Amp).
c. Note their response: They worshipped Jesus, saying: You really are the Son of God (Matt 14:33,
NLT). Remember what Son of God meant in their culture: You are God. Remember also, that
everyone in the boat was Jewish, and they knew that to worship anyone but God is idolatry.
C. Not only did Jesus take the name of God (I AM) for Himself, He also demonstrated and claimed traits and
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rights which God (I AM) displayed in the Old Testament.
1. John recorded that, on the Sabbath Day, Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years (John
5:1-15). The Pharisees considered healing someone to be work and rebuked Jesus for working on the
Sabbath. Jesus answered them: My Father never stops working, so why should I (John 5:16, NLT).
a. With His reply, Jesus made two claims of Deity. One, He made Himself equal with God by calling
God His Father. Two, Jesus claimed the right to work on the Sabbath. The Jews believed that
only God has the right to work on the Sabbath—Almighty God works by upholding the universe.
b. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in their gospels, all record another incident where Jesus and His disciples
angered the Pharisees by working on the Sabbath.
1. Jesus and His followers were hungry and picked ears of grain to eat on the Sabbath Day. Once
again, the Pharisees rebuked Jesus for working on the Sabbath, to which Jesus responded: The
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8; Mark2:28; Luke 6:5). The Greek word
that is translated Lord is kurios. It means supreme in authority.
2. Kurios is the New Testament equivalent to the term Yahweh (which comes from the Hebrew I
AM). Kurios is the Greek word scholars used for Yahweh when they scholars translated the
Septuagint. When kurios is used for Jesus in the New Testament it parallels the name Yahweh.
2. John recorded that the night before Jesus was arrested, He told His apostles that one of them was going to
betray Him, just as the Scriptures predicted (Ps 41:9). Jesus said: I am telling you this now, before it
takes place, that when it does take place, you may believe that I am he (John 13:19, ESV).
a. The word he is not in the original Greek: I am telling you before it comes to pass, in order that you
might be believing whenever it comes to pass, that I AM (ego eime) (John 13:19, Wuest).
b. Centuries earlier, Isaiah the prophet quoted Yahweh as saying: Ye are my witnesses, saith the
Lord, and my servants whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that
that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me (Isa 43:10, KJV).
1. This statement comes in the middle of a section known as the trial of the false gods. Israel was
deep in idolatry, and the Lord, through Isaiah, was making it clear that He (I AM) the only God.
2. The translators of the Septuagint translate this Hebrew term as ego eime. John reports that
Jesus quoted the Lord’s statement in Isaiah almost word for word (John 13:19)—another claim
of Deity. Only God Who is All knowing (Omniscient) can accurately predict future events.
c. Isa 6:1-8—Isaiah reported that he saw the Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah). John recorded in his gospel
that Isaiah saw Jesus, the Word, before He incarnated, Preincarnate Jesus.
1. John 12:37-41—John stated that despite the many miracles that Jesus did, many did not believe
on Him, and that this was a fulfillment of what Isaiah wrote. John quoted Isaiah’s words.
2. Lord, who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power…Isaiah
was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction (NLT) because he saw his glory and spoke
of him (John 12:41, ESV).
3. Note one more statement from the prophets that indicates that Jesus is God—the Great I AM. The
prophet Zechariah was given much information about what we now know as the second coming Jesus.
a. Zechariah quotes the Lord (Yahweh), speaking prophetically, as saying: And they shall look upon
me whom they have pierced (Zech 12:10, KJV).
b. This is clearly a reference to the crucifixion. John says as much in John 19:37. But John also
made this statement, regarding Jesus’ second coming: Look! He comes with the clouds of
heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him (Rev 1:17, NLT).
D. Conclusion: Jesus is God become man without ceasing to be God. The eyewitnesses didn’t accept a new or
different God. They believed that Jesus is God, the visible manifestation of God, Old Testament and New
(Col 1:15)—the great I AM. More next week!