Who are you? Jesus answered "I AM..."

Saturday 8-6-2016   Home in Modesto

Scripture Reading:  Hab 1 - 3    John 8

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

Vs 57-58 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." NKJV

O.  Imagine that you are a devout person that believes in the true God. Now a preacher shows up in your meeting place. He doesn’t have a halo around his head or look like anyone special. And he cries out to the public, “I am the light of the world!  Follow me and you will never walk in darkness again.”  “Before Abraham, the founder of your religion ever lived, 1800 years ago, I AM!” The Jews recognized that He was claiming that He was God in the flesh standing right before them. They picked up stones to throw at Him, but he escaped through the crowd.

A.  Would you… would I… have believed Him? John records eight times when Jesus identifies Himself as “I am…”:

  John 6:35, 48 I am the bread of life

    John 8:12, 9:5 I am the light of the world

      John 8:58 Before Abraham was, I AM

        John 10:9 I am the door

          John 10:11 I am the good shepherd

            John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life

              John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life

                John 15:1 I am the true vine

Anyone that thinks Jesus was just a nice teacher guy, must face the fact that He claimed to be God, the Son. I might have been as skeptical as the Jews, but I have more information than they had at that time. I know of His death and proven resurrection. I know that his closest friends went to their deaths because they insisted that they saw him, ate with Him, heard His charge and lived it out until their dying day. And I have tried Him and found Him to be my Friend, my Model, the Lover of my soul.

P.  Lord Jesus, I am so fortunate to know Who You really are and why You came to this earth. You revealed Your Father to me. You gave me the privilege of becoming a son so that I can address the Creator God as my Father, too. Someday I will understand more clearly all that is included in that relationship. But for now I am satisfied to walk and talk with You… and to fall at Your feet like doubting Thomas and cry, “My Lord and My God!”  Amen.

Ralph