5:00pm Sunday Worship Service

Sun, Jul 19, ‘26 - PM Services

'Seven Absolute "I Am" Sayings' = Dr. Bobby Kelly

1. "I Am" Messiah, Sent by the Father & One with the Father 

 (John 4:26)

2. "I Am" the One with Authority over the Waters; Do Not Be Afraid  

 (John 6:20)

3. "I Am" the One from Above: Do Not Die in Your Sin (8:24)

Following Jesus' declaration in 8:12, "I Am the Light of the World," controversy ensues with the Pharisees because they refuse to accept Jesus' testimony, which they claim lacks multiple witnesses. The result is three absolute "I am" sayings in John 8. If anyone rejects Jesus' claim to be Yahweh in the flesh, they will die in their sins. The first of the three is in 8:24. Jesus, is from

"above" and NOT from this world. Jesus is from heaven, God's realm, and sent from the Father: The origin and identity of Jesus is rooted in the identity of God, whereas the origin of Jesus' Jewish opponents is rooted in the identity of darkness, sin, and death 

(v. 21; cf. 1:5).

Because they are from "below," they reject Jesus as Son of God, Messiah, and because they reject him, they are at grave risk of dying in their sin.

4. "1 Am" the One Lifted Up: Do Not Fail to Recognize Him (8:28)

When Jesus was "lifted up" on the cross it would be a moment of revelation that He is the one sent by God for the redemption of the world (see Num 21; Ps 22; Isa 53; Zech 12:10; Mk 15:39).

The language of Jesus being "lifted up" is a direct match to what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:14. The use of the term "lifted up" conveys a double meaning. In the context of the cross, the verb speaks of death, suffering, and defeat. But in the larger context of John's Gospel and theology, the verb also speaks of exaltation and glorification. The message of the Gospel is captured in this single phrase "lifted up. It is only in his suffering and humiliation that Jesus can be exalted and glorified. This "I Am" is not so much about who Jesus is as when his identity will be known. When they hang him on a cross.

5. Before Abraham Was, I Am: Do Not Dismiss the Divine, Eternal Identity of Jesus

 (8:58)

Jesus does not say "before Abraham was, I was," which would simply assert his priority in time. He says, "I am," collapsing past and present into the eternal present tense that echoes the divine name. The Jewish audience recognizes this immediately, since their response is to pick up stones, the standard penalty for blasphemy under Leviticus 24:16. In light of their rejection of Jesus, Jesus departs from the temple. An ominous picture of "Ichabod!"

6. When Judas Betrays Me, You Will Know "I Am": Do Not Be Shaken by Chaotic Events

(John 13:19)

7. The Great "I Am" Revealed through Self-Sacrifice: Do Not Fail to Worship Him

(John 18:5-6)

--