I AM #7 -- He is Power over All.

 Jesus said to them, “I AM” John 18:5

In the 3rd I AM statement, we see His judgment in relation to a lack of faith, but in this final, 7th I AM, we see His power in judgment relation to the literal presence of evil. Judas, as he led the soldiers, was not demon-possessed, he was devil-possessed.

In the 4th I AM statement, we see Jesus's power in salvation. But in this 7th I AM statement, we see His power over the saved and unsaved alike, power over all.

When we think of the PURE EVIL that is going on in our world, (Watch Tucker Carlson on September 19 for one of the most vile things I have seen going on today), we must remember that one day, Jesus will demonstrate His power over all unbelievers.

The final “I AM” declarative statement shows that Jesus is more powerful than man’s armies or soldiers, more powerful than betrayal and that through it all, the great “I AM” can cast any opposition onto their backs. That is power over all.

Oliver B. Greene wrote "It is not hard to believe that when Jesus declared, 'I AM," the power of the Word flattened a multitude of armed men. For the last time before His crucifixion, Jesus exercised the divine power He had used on so many other occasions...If Jesus demonstrated such power when He was about to be judged, what power will He demonstrate when He comes to judge?" That is power over all.

God is sovereign and no one who opposes Him and be victorious. He could have called more than twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53). and yet He chose to go to the cross. He could have escaped when they were knocked to the ground, but He did not. That is power all.

At the mere utterance of His “I AM” caused soldiers to fall. One day, just as Judas and the soldiers fell, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess He is Lord. That is power over all.

Two of the pictures shown are from on Isle of Patmos, where John received his revelation, or unveiling, of Jesus Christ. In the apocalyptic book, John included seven "I AM" statements. The third picture is from my bookshelf of Oliver Greene's books mentioned above, the wonderful book on the High Priestly Prayer of John 17, "Our Lord Prays for His Own" by the 19th Century Irish pastor, Marcus Rainsford, which was given to me by my wonderful friend Joyce Tuggle, and the two icons of John the Revelator, purchased on the Island of Patmos. The small Gospel of John book shown was a nice gift from Pastor Bud Olmstead, and you don't need to wonder about the orange book!

I AM # 6 Prophecy fulfilled

    What encouragement is there for Christians in dark days? Two forces are on a collision course. 1) “Unstoppable” force: A majority of Americans will vote against those in power (mid-terms go in favor of the party not of the Presidency, especially in times of economic turmoil) 2) Immovable object: The party in power has demonstrated it will go to any lengths to keep themselves in power.

   Encouragement is in the sixth Intransitive I AM statement. I AM #6: Jesus is Prophecy fulfilled.

   When we think of who Jesus said that He is, this "I AM" statement regarding prophecy reminds us that God is in charge. Jesus was prophecy fulfilled. In John 13:18-20, the context is faith in times of doubt. The disciples were about to go through what would undoubtedly be the darkest time in their lives—those hours between the betrayal and the resurrection.

   When Judas Iscariot revealed himself as the traitor he was, the disciples needed to know that this too was a part of God’s plan. They trusted Jesus and what’s more, no one suspected Judas to be the betrayer.

   John 13 says this:

18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I AM. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

   Judas was not an obvious betrayer. He was entrusted with the money of the disciples. He seemed genuinely interested in the poor (John 12:4–7; 13:29). When Jesus said a disciple would betray Him, no one pointed to Judas (Matthew 26:22). Even when Jesus clearly indicated Judas, by giving him a sop of bread, the disciples did not suspect him. Read John 13:25-29 to see how blind-sided the disciples were by Judas.

25 Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, John said to Jesus, “Lord, who is it that will betray you?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 BUT NO ONE AT THE TABLE KNEW FOR WHAT REASON HE SAID THIS TO HIM. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 

   The disciples had NO CLUE of the betrayal that was about to take place. And neither do you know that something or someone at some point in your future will truly shake your faith.

   Not only did Jesus prophesy that he would be betrayed, but 1,000 years earlier, the Bible even predicted it.

   In Psalm 41:9, God foreshadowed that a close friend who ate bread with the Messiah would lift up his heel against Him. The act of betrayal by a friend was especially bad if it was done after eating together. “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” 

   Have you have been hurt by a close friend? By a Christian friend? Have you ever been blind-sided? Have you heard of major Christian leaders whom you trusted, falling into sin or doing things you would never have thought? If not, be forewarned: If it happened to Jesus, if it happened to the disciples, it will and does happen today and may happen to you.

   How do you respond when those closest to you, even believers, hurt you and betray your trust?

   When we have times that test our faith, in God, in church, in our family, and yes even in our country, God wants us to know He knows the future, He is in charge of the future, and He prepares us for it.

   Later on in the Apostle John’s life, he once again had to be reminded of this lesson. He forgot that the focus of his faith should solely be on God.  He forgot that he should only worship God. John fell at the feet of one of the 24 elders, someone who was his brother in Christ and had a testimony of salvation in Jesus. So overwhelmed by the majesty of this event, he fell at the feet of someone to worship him.

   “And I (John) fell at his feet to worship him (one of the 24 elders). But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 

Revelation 19:10.

    The testimony, that is, the witness, of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  The essence of Jesus is that He fulfilled what was to happen, and also that He knows what will happen.

    If God can use the greatest betrayal in history, Judas Iscariot, and turn it into the greatest victory, OUR SALVATION, then seek God to grant healing and strength in your hurt and pain. Those dark days you have experienced, and these dark days ahead, are a part of God’s plan.

   There is a deceiver in the world. He was behind 9/11. He is behind this recession. He is behind the approaching Great Reset (Rapture?). He is behind all that is evil in the world. The lies that say, “The Border is Secure”, “We are not in a Recession”, “Men can give birth to babies”, "Children in the womb are not human persons", are all part of the lies that stem from the first questioning of God, "Did God really say ...?" and the first lie, "You will not certainly die." (Genesis 3:1, 4)

   No, the deceiver was not and is not Osama nor Obama. It is neither George Soros nor George Bush. It is not Donald Trump nor Joe Biden. It is not Xi Jinping nor Vladimir Putin. It is not the Deep State nor the semi-fascists, whatever that is.

   He who was a deceiver from the beginning is deceiving still. And all is allowed by God and part of His plan. We are privileged to watch Biblical prophecy unfold.

   If you have been hurt, if you are confused by the world’s confusion, if you have been lied to, trust that God will take your grief, your despair, your worries, and ask Him to use it to bring glory to Himself; in spite of it all.

 

I AM #5 Perpetual in existence

 The clouds looked amazing the other night. It reminded me of the verse, "Look up for your redemption draws near." Luke 21:28.

"He was taken up in the clouds...This same Jesus will return in like manner," Acts 1:11.

"Behold He is coming with clouds," Rev. 1:7.

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds," Mark 13:26.

As we see signs of the end times in a world that makes very little sense, we need to "occupy, (or 'do business' as most translate it), until He comes," Luke 19:13.

When the disciples were concerned about His COMING in His glory, He was more concerned about them GOING with the gospel!

When we see the clouds, it should remind us of the cloud of witnesses, encouraging us to be a witness of our faith (Heb. 12:1).

That ties into John 8:58 in which Jesus gave the fifth Intransitive I AM statement, “Before Abraham was, I AM”, which signifies that He is Perpetual in existence.

Who is Jesus? He is who He says that He is. He is. He is omnipresent, in every place and has been here for all time and will be here for all eternity.

Us? Not so much. We are here for a moment, then pass.

This was the clearest Intransitive “I AM” statement of them all, as Jesus boldly stated that He existed before Abraham. 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.'" (Exodus 3:14).

When Jesus said before Abraham was, "I AM", He was identifying Himself with Yahweh, existing before and was greater than the Jewish spiritual father Abraham.

As a result, the Jewish people picked up stones to hurl at this blasphemous “prophet” as they presumed Jesus to be. But that is not who He Is. He Is the I AM. All-Knowing. All-Powerful. All-Present. Before your problems and after their solutions, He IS. He orchestrates the times and the seasons for His purposes. Others may mean it for evil, but He uses it for good. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," Romans 8:28.

British Professor and Writer C.S. Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia and numerous Christian classic books, put it perhaps the most succinctly:

Jesus was either

a liar,

a lunatic,

or the Lord He claimed to be.

I AM #4. Provider of Salvation

   On my 45-minute drive in to work this morning, I saw a beautiful sunrise. Instead of complaining about the traffic or the drive or the work, I thought of how blessed I was to have been raised in a country that was imperfect but could be trusted to do what was right. To have a church that I knew could be trusted. To have a faith in God that I knew could be trusted. To have a family that I knew could be trusted.

Not everyone had that and fewer have it today than when I was growing up.

If you did or do not have that, or even if you do have a trust in people and in God, read the following passage below from John 8 and know that if all else fail you, your country, your church, your family, friends, and even your trust in yourself, just know that God is there for you. That God is. That Jesus said, “I AM”. That the Father said, “I AM”.

28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

In the Old Testament, Jehovah God revealed Himself and distinguish Himself from the other “so-called” gods by saying “I AM who I AM”. That Hebrew verb tense of I AM was like the name Jehovah or Yahweh.

In speaking to the religious leaders in John 8, Jesus gives a series of three “I AM” statements, and today’s “then you will know that I am,” means that when He was lifted up on the cross, it was proof positive that God Is, that Jesus Is, the Provider of salvation.

The fourth “I AM” statement is a reference to the cross. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, He was fulfilling the true Passover, bearing the sins of the world. Jesus said that on that day that He would be lifted up, all of the world would know in that day and will know for all eternity that He is who He said He is.

A previous "I AM" statement reminded us that He is omniscient and knows all and that includes all our thoughts. The next "I AM" statement will remind us that He is omnipresent, in every place and every time of our lives and the history of all of creation.

But today, the I AM reminds us that in all of His omnipotence and power, in all that He could do, He gave all He could give. On that day that He died, He left it all, He gave it all, and He gave all power and might.

For you.

For me.

He did nothing for Himself.

He IS Someone, the Only One, in whom we can trust.

Some may have come to salvation on that day, while others in full knowledge, rejected Him still. In this passage, Jesus was asked who He was, and as a result of this “I AM” statement, many placed their faith in Him (see John 8:30–31).

Jesus gave parables that said that that a king’s own son would come to receive a kingdom and people would reject him. Jesus is that Son. There is a song that says,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me.

He Gave His Life, What More Could He Give;

Oh, How He Loves You,

Oh, How He Loves Me,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me.

Jesus To Calvary Did Go,

His Love For Mankind To Show.

What He Did There, Brought Hope From Despair.

Oh, How He Loves You,

Oh, How He Loves Me,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me.

Oh, How He Loves You And Me,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me.

He Gave His Life, What More Could He Give;

Oh, How He Loves You,

Oh, How He Loves Me,

Oh, How He Loves You And Me.

I AM #3 Preeminent in Judgment

In John 8 we see three intransitive I AM Statements in a singular chapter. Chapters 6 through 8 are some of the weightiest portions of the gospel and even the Bible. The chapters of John’s gospel average 42 verses each but John 6-8 average 61 verses.

The third Intransitive I AM statement is a negative one statement

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do NOT believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

It’s not that a holy God will send someone to hell, but rather if Christ did not come or if we do not believe, we will die in our sins. The fact that Jesus is Personal and the Jesus is Perfect in love are great and wonderful, but what if we do NOT believe that? Then we reject His Preeminence in everything that He is and are only left with His preeminence in Judgment of our sins. No redemption. No forgiveness.

John reveals in the third, fourth, and fifth “I AM” statements an interrelationship of Jesus’s omniscience, His omnipotence and His omnipresence. He is the discerner of our thoughts and intentions (see Hebrews 4:12, which is rightly thought of as the “word of God”, that is, the Bible, but in the Greek it is “logos theos” is used there which does refer also to the “Word of God” that is, Jesus. See Revelation 2:23 also for the "I AM" Statement there of "I am He who searches the minds and hearts.")

His preeminence in judgment is in the context of a lack of faith or unbelief that God through Jesus would forgive, that God through Jesus would redeem. Jesus’s statement in verse 24 made them respond with, “Who are You?” And that is the weightiest of all questions and the entire reason for the “I AM” Statements and the study of Christology in the context of systematic theology!

Who Is Jesus? He is who He has been saying He was from the beginning (verse 25- 26).

25 “Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’

And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ “

The doubters in John 8 were mocking Christ because they knew His mother became pregnant when she was not married. They did not know who His physical father was, not realizing that it was more important who His Heavenly Father was. The lack of faith that Jesus is the “I AM” is what causes God’s judgment of unbelievers.

By faith alone in Christ and His sacrifice, they could avoid the punishment. Jesus declares in their presence three times (8:24, 28, 58) in this one chapter that He is “I AM,” that is, “Yahweh God.” He declares that lack of faith will cause them to miss eternal life.

In this I AM statement, He declares His Preeminence in Judgment, because He is All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Wise God that without faith, they would die in their sins. The next two related I AM statements (#4 and #5) will deal with Jesus being Omnipotent and Omnipresent.

We've been watching some "I AM" songs, but since this I AM statement is actually about Not Believing in the I AM, I wanted to show one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite groups, about "Who am I?"

I AM #2 Perfect in Love

¹⁶ And when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ and having entered into the boat, they were going over the sea to Capernaum, and darkness had already come, and Jesus had not come to them, ¹⁸ the sea also—a great wind blowing—was being raised, ¹⁹ having pushed onward, therefore, about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and coming near to the boat, and they were afraid; ²⁰ and He says to them, “I AM; do not be afraid”; ²¹ they were willing then to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land to which they were going.

John 6:16-21 (Literal Standard Version)

It's getting dark. We are going down to get away from it all. The people, the work, the crowds, the fame, it was all going so good. We thought this is what God wanted.

And then, it wasn't.

In fact, it seems that Jesus left us. Alone. We're sailing to "The Village of Comfort," Capernaum, but we feel like we're in the sea of confusion. Didn't Jesus tell us to go to Bethsaida? What does God want?

Now we're heading off without the Lord, rowing against the wind, and it looks like a spring-time storm is brewing.

Did we miss something?

I’m looking ahead but someone at the front of the boat is looking back and his terrified face looks like he's seen a ghost! I turn around and there is something, someone, walking on water. I know we are three, no four, miles away from shore, the waves are pounding, rolling, but with every flash of lightning, with every beam of moonlight between the clouds, there is an unmistakable figure of a man walking on the waves, drawing closer and coming directly towards us.

Disappointment, confusion, sadness, loneliness, all now melt into a horrifying scream of fear, louder than the wind, echoed only by the pounding of the heartbeats from my chest.

All that I have given up, all the acts of love and kindness we’ve all shown have only been returned with hatred, plots of murder against the man we’ve given our life for. They just killed The Baptizer, the prophet I loved and once followed. Now some want to place my new rabbi to be king and others want to place him on a cross, tearing him in two between a crown and crucifixion.

He is close enough now to recognize clearly that it is He! He who went to a mountain to pray. He who told us to leave him. He who went to mourn for his friend, his cousin, his baptizer.

Did he stumble and fall to his death, or even worse throw himself off and now this is his ghost, coming to take us with him?

Now so close I can hear him call.

...."I AM. Do not be afraid."....

Jesus next uses the “I AM” phrase (in Greek, Ego eime) in the context of fear. The disciples saw Jesus as He walked on the storm. His response to their fear was “I AM, do not be afraid” (Hebrew Names Version).

From the beginning, sinful humanity's response to a holy God is fear. Adam in Genesis hid himself from God because he was naked and afraid.

Abram was afraid that he would have no heir.

Sarai was afraid when she laughed at God.

Hagar was afraid that her crying son would starve?

Jacob was afraid to go to Egypt even though his long-lost son was there, along with his grandchildren he had never seen.

Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Elijah, even David had times of fear, and each were told "Fear not."

When life throws us in a storm, when God seems distant and even absent from our lives, when confusion seems to be our destination when we once thought we knew for sure where we were heading...

Jesus will walk on the storms of life, and He will provide deliverance.

Years, decades, after the storm had passed, John would write these words, undoubtedly having faced down more fears than the younger version of himself had faced that dark and stormy night.

17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us.

His perfect love drives out all fear (1 John 4).

Great I am (Lyrics) - YouTube

I AM #1 He is personal in our relationship.

Have you asked Jesus to be your PERSONAL Lord and Savior?

That question used to be used a lot more than it is now, or perhaps I heard it so often that I almost became immune to its significance. That the God of the universe would come to us personally, in the form of a human in the Gospels and in the form of the Holy Spirit to us today, is unique from all of the other religions.

In the Gospel of John, there is never a mention of systematic theology or a study of God, neither is there a study of Christ in the educational sense. And yet the master teacher produces an exquisite way of teaching that reveals characteristics of Christ.

For instance, in the first Intransitive I Am Statement, Jesus said, “Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”is speaking to the woman at the well. In my book,

The Gospel of John One Day at a Time, I described the encounter as follows

In the Old Testament, Jehovah God would reveal Himself and distinguish Himself from the other “so-called” gods who were made out of wood and did not speak or do anything. When Jesus came to the woman at the well, she was surprised that a Jewish man would speak to her, a woman with a questionable reputation. Today, many are surprised that the God of the universe would speak to them. As I write this, I am in awe that God forgave my sins and puts up with me. I love Him and He “walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own” (In the Garden, hymn published 1912). The idolatrous images made in the Biblical days did not have a personal relationship with those who worshipped them. We, on the other hand, have a God whose presence is with us always, who invites us to pray to Him, and responds when we do.

In the Old Testament, another woman, Hagar calls God “The God Who Sees”. “So she named Yahweh (I AM) who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?” (Gen. 16:13)

God saw her and Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman in a personal encounter. The first stand-alone I AM Statement in John also precedes the first Transitive I AM Statement, showing that God not only sees, not only comes, but God through Jesus and now through His written word, the Bible, speaks to us. Several times in the Old Testament, God mocks the false idols for, “They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see.” Psalm 115:5, 135:16.

Instead of His presence and his voice, we often forsake Him, the one true God, for idols that we have made and as we have made gods in our own image and likeness, they have mouths but cannot speak, ears but do not hear. Like them, we have no knowledge to speak of and no discernment with which to hear. We need to see God and His presence and His speaking to us.

There is an entire book in the Bible called “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” God wants to reveal, unveil, take away the hiddenness of Christ and become personal. I wrote a four-part study on the one word of “Revelation” you can read (see the link below).

Yes, I believe God will speak to us in a personal relationship with us, primarily through the Bible, through prayer, through discernment of His spirit, through other believers, through nature, through studies with others, through sermons, through experiences. In fact, there are very few things that we experience in life that is not a revealing of God’s desire to be in relationship with us.

So, I ask again, "Have you asked Jesus to be your PERSONAL Lord and Savior?"