The Great I AM
“The mountains shake before him, The demons run and flee, At the mention of the name, King of Majesty, There is no power in Hell or any who can stand, Before the power and the presence of the Great I Am. Hallelujah, Holy, Holy, God Almighty, the Great I Am, Who is worthy, None beside Thee!”
Those words from the song Great I Am by Jared Anderson always move me when Ryan leads it in worship. Life on planet earth, with all its complications, all the repercussions of free will, all the consequences of sin, make us wonder at times about what it’s all about. Once we gain a solid picture of God, his creation, and the story of how we’ve sinned against him, yet how he reveals a history encompassing plan to rescue us through Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, the Savior who will lead us to life without these earth bound complications if we trust and obey him; once we have that in front of us, we can embrace in faith this Messiah with all he offers. But what about being the Great I Am?
The term comes when God met with Moses, asking him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asks what he should tell those who ask who sent him. God refers to himself as I Am (Exodus 3:1-14). He has always been, he will always be. “This is what you are to say” he says to Moses, “I Am has sent me.”
So, that term, I Am, is forever linked to God Almighty. That’s why the critics of Jesus took such offense when he used the term for himself. He was claiming to be God! That is blasphemy! Unless it is true. Let’s take a look at the many times Jesus used this term for himself.
“I Am the bread of life” Jesus said to those asking about signs. They had mentioned the manna Moses gave their ancestors. Jesus tells them it was God who provided the manna, and then says, “I Am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).
“I Am the light of the world” Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We only see the path to heaven as we walk in his light.
“I Am the good shepherd” Jesus said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Indeed, Jesus did just that as he died on the cross as our needed sacrifice for sin.
“I Am the way, the truth, and the life” Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). All religions are not the same. Jesus is the Messiah who died for our sins, who was resurrected from death, our only Savior as we seek God’s way to eternal life.
“I Am the true vine” Jesus said, “and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be more fruitful” (John 15:1, 2). When we repent and are baptized into Jesus, we are grafted into the true vine, but our faith must be true faith, meaning it must follow, it must do what Jesus as Lord says.
“I Am the resurrection and the life” Jesus said as he was about to raise Lazarus back from the dead. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). I want that, don’t you?
On another occasion Jesus confronted the critical Jews, saying, “Before Abraham was, I Am” (John 8:58). They knew what that meant, and prepared to stone him, thinking he claimed to be God. In fact, that’s exactly what he was claiming. And he could because he was. Follow him as Lord.
Cross Point: “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).
Those words from the song Great I Am by Jared Anderson always move me when Ryan leads it in worship. Life on planet earth, with all its complications, all the repercussions of free will, all the consequences of sin, make us wonder at times about what it’s all about. Once we gain a solid picture of God, his creation, and the story of how we’ve sinned against him, yet how he reveals a history encompassing plan to rescue us through Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, the Savior who will lead us to life without these earth bound complications if we trust and obey him; once we have that in front of us, we can embrace in faith this Messiah with all he offers. But what about being the Great I Am?
The term comes when God met with Moses, asking him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asks what he should tell those who ask who sent him. God refers to himself as I Am (Exodus 3:1-14). He has always been, he will always be. “This is what you are to say” he says to Moses, “I Am has sent me.”
So, that term, I Am, is forever linked to God Almighty. That’s why the critics of Jesus took such offense when he used the term for himself. He was claiming to be God! That is blasphemy! Unless it is true. Let’s take a look at the many times Jesus used this term for himself.
“I Am the bread of life” Jesus said to those asking about signs. They had mentioned the manna Moses gave their ancestors. Jesus tells them it was God who provided the manna, and then says, “I Am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).
“I Am the light of the world” Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We only see the path to heaven as we walk in his light.
“I Am the good shepherd” Jesus said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Indeed, Jesus did just that as he died on the cross as our needed sacrifice for sin.
“I Am the way, the truth, and the life” Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). All religions are not the same. Jesus is the Messiah who died for our sins, who was resurrected from death, our only Savior as we seek God’s way to eternal life.
“I Am the true vine” Jesus said, “and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be more fruitful” (John 15:1, 2). When we repent and are baptized into Jesus, we are grafted into the true vine, but our faith must be true faith, meaning it must follow, it must do what Jesus as Lord says.
“I Am the resurrection and the life” Jesus said as he was about to raise Lazarus back from the dead. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). I want that, don’t you?
On another occasion Jesus confronted the critical Jews, saying, “Before Abraham was, I Am” (John 8:58). They knew what that meant, and prepared to stone him, thinking he claimed to be God. In fact, that’s exactly what he was claiming. And he could because he was. Follow him as Lord.
Cross Point: “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).