The Clarification - Introduction to Jesus' "I Am" Statements

well good morning you know when Daniel had you turn to somebody and say you made it that felt a little weak okay because if you made it you ought to be celebrated so would you turn to the person next to you going and high five them and tell them you made it okay I don't know if this is theologically correct but I really believe one day we're going to get to heaven and on daylight savings time in the spring those who came to the early service has extra rewards in heaven okay at least that's what what I'm trying to to put up for so congratulations for being here today um you know I was reading a story this past week about a husband and wife and they were having a little disagreement their marriage and here's what the disagreement was about they could not decide or Choose Or Draw those the Short Straw on who would get up early in the morning to put the coffee on so when they got out of bed it was ready for them and finally one day as they're trying to figure this out and bring some clarity to it the husband looked at the wife and or actually the wife looked at the husband and said I think you should be the one to put the coffee on because you get up early earlier you can go downstairs you can put the coffee on by the time we both get up it's ready to go and we have the coffee so you should be the one to do it and the husband looked back at the wife and said no I think you should and here's why because you're the wife you're in charge of the kitchen you do all the prepairing of all of our food so this kind of Falls in that category so I think you should be the one to get up and put the coffee on and she turned back and looked at him and said well I'll give you another reason why I think you should because it's biblical and he looked at her and thought you know you just kind of pulled the wrong shop out he goes biblical where in the world in the Bible does it say that the man should have to get up and put the coffee on the morning so it's ready for both of us she pulled out her Bible she flipped past the Old Testament she flipped over the New Testament to the book of Hebrews and at the very top she goes look Hebrews Hebrews Hebrews Hebrews the Bible says you should have to do it now this couple need a little bit of clarity in their in their in their U marriage and I'm not sure that was exactly theologically correct biblically correct but every woman in here says Hebrews Hebrews Hebrews we will vouch that it is correct but there are times in all of our lives that we need a little bit of clarity that things aren't as clear as we want them to be and so we need that Clarity and that also happens to us spiritually and I want to take us to a scripture today we're beginning this brand new series called I am and I want to take us to a scripture today where there's a woman in the story a very familiar story that maybe if you've been in church very long or grew up in Sunday school or Vacation Bible School you've heard this story but the the woman needed some clarity and so if you've got your Bibles or we're going to have the scripture up on the screen or if you received a handout when you came in it's going to be on the handout but we're going to be in John chapter 4 John chapter 4 and if you have time today go home and read this entire chapter because the whole chapter the whole chapter of chapter 4 really gives a complete story that you can read it and probably find some details that we can't really look at today but we're going to pick it up this morning in verse 5 and here's what it says it says event he and where it says he there it's talking about Jesus eventually Jesus came to the Samaritan Village of sikar near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph and Jacob's Well was there and Jesus tired from his long walk sat wearily beside the well about noon time and soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her he said please give me a drink and he was alone at the time because the his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food and if you keep reading the story here's what you're going to discover he looked at her and said would you give me some water and she turns back and looks at him and says why are you asking me for water like it's not appropriate for you to ask me for water and here's what she was talking about and just the appropriateness of it first of all you have to understand back in those days Jewish people and Samaritans did not interact together that Jewish people looked at Samaritans and thought they they were very unclean and impure in fact most people most Jewish people if they were walking the same Journey that Jesus was walking they would have taken longer in their journey and walk completely around sitar in the Samaritan Villages because the people there they might interact with them and that would make them impure and so this woman who was a Samaritan had grown up her whole life knowing that the Jewish people looked down on her and the Jewish people looked down on on the Samaritans because they were kind of a a mixed bag of people they were Jewish people hundreds of years earlier but they began to intermar with other nationalities other countries and so therefore according to the Jewish people they were tainted in their pure background their Heritage and so she had grown up her whole life knowing that's how Jewish people looked at her and so for Jesus who was Jewish sitting at this well the only two at this particular well talking she was really like taken back that how in the world why in the world would you even talk to me but it wasn't just because she was a Samaritan um she was surprised that he would talk to her because she was a woman now in today's time we wouldn't think twice about it if you're standing in line to get something McDonald's and a man and woman start talking with one another we don't think twice about it but back in those days it was not just unusual it was almost illegal for a man to have a conversation with a woman one thing she was Samaritan look down on her but back in those days men were held way up here and women were looked at more as a piece of property in fact he should have never according to the custom of the day he should have never even asked her for a cup because he would have to drink out of the same cup she was drinking out of and so you can imagine they're having this interaction and here's Jesus a Jewish person here's the woman she's a Samaritan and she's just kind of taken back by it but there was another just interesting fact about their interaction the Bible lets us know that this interaction action took place around noon and one of the reasons that they were the only two people at the well at that time because noon was one of the hottest points of the day and so all the women when they would go to draw water they would go early in the morning where it was cooler and it actually became a social hour for them all the women got up at the same time they went and Drew the water early in the morning when it was cool and they just had a good time talking but we're going to find out as we continue the story that this particular woman wasn't a part of the In Crowd she was part of the outcrowd and I'm not sure if the other women ever looked at her and said don't come the same time we come to drink to draw water but it was her reputation it was what people thought about her that brought her to this point that it was just easier for her to go by herself and sweat a little bit at noon than going with those who kind of pushed her away in their Social Circles and so Jesus and this woman begin having this interaction this unusual interaction for the day and it continues on because Jesus said would you give me some water and she looks at him and said why are you asking me for water this is not appropriate this is not what I'm used to and then he turns to her and says oh woman and he says woman not as a demeaning woman but as a as a just a a friendly encounter he said woman if you only knew who I was if you only knew the gift that God was wanting to give you and all people you would ask me for a drink of water now imagine if you're in this encounter and it's all happening in real time it's not all making sense and she looks at him and says I would ask you for a drink of water like you don't even have a cup you don't even have a bucket how how how would how would I ask you for water because if I ask for you for water it's very obvious that you have nothing to draw the water with so so why and how could I be asking you for water and he goes oh but the water I would offer you is living water now living water that's an unusual expression isn't it like we might say running water because we can go turn on the faucet and water comes in from the hose and the outside and so we're used to running water all around us but back in those days they had no running water the only water they could access to was going to the well and lowering the bucket and bring it up so even the idea of running water wouldn't make sense to them but Jesus wasn't even talking about running water he was talking about living water and at this point really I want you to go home and read all of chapter 4 because it gets really interesting this is the point the story when you read it you wish you had the real emotions behind the story because when you read it at least when I read it it looks like she gets a little sarcastic like really really Living Water like you're going to bring Living Water what's so special about your water like this well is special because it goes back to our forefathers but living water so you sense this little sarcastic almost like like they're not getting along they're not fighting but you're feeling the tension in in in the relationship and so finally she says well why don't you give me some of this living water again she's like probably trying to put him in his place a little bit and when she says that he said great go bring bring your husband and I'll give you some living water and the Bible says she dropped her head and she goes I have no husband he goes oh you're right you've had five husbands and the man you're living with now is not even your husband all of a sudden the woman's going whoa who am I talking to here because she knew that was a true story she knew there was no internet back then that he could Google quick and find some history about her and she looks at him says oh you must be a prophet you must be a holy man you must be some kind of spiritual man you need to understand at this point remember I said like Samaritans versus Jewish people like the Jewish people had their Jewish faith they had the tour they had all the scripture all the stories that heard up heard of their whole entire life as a Samaritan she probably knew some of the stories because she did come from a heart Jewish faith but yet because her families over the years her father and her grandfather they had intermarried with other countries other nations they had in intermingled their own religion into the Samaritan Faith so the Samaritan Faith kind of had some Jewish faith but had a whole lot of this and that and that Faith as well but ouly this woman knew enough about the Jewish faith and had that peace she's like ohoo you must be somebody special she goes you must be prophet and then she posed a question she said well well help me out here because I know Jewish people you guys worship over here but us Samaritans we worship over here and like I know at some point this Jesus dude is going to show back up and he's going to show us where we're supposed to worship so at this point she had no idea this was Jesus she was talking to the savior of the world the Messiah the Son of God she just thought he was a PO special holy person kind of like a

prophet and he looks at her and says there there will be a day that we all Worship in spirit in truth and then in verse 25 look with me what it says she goes the woman said I know the Messiah is coming the one who is called Christ and when he comes he will explain everything to us so at this point she just thinks she's having this bantering this conversation with a relig ious person a prophet a holy person she still doesn't know who she's talking to but she goes I've read and I believe at some point the Messiah will come Jesus will come and he's going to make it all all clear to us now you and I read this story and we're going duh I mean like Jesus is sitting there right in front of you you're the only one having a conversation with him how can you not know this is the Son of God but remember when we think and we recog ize that we have post-resurrection experience you and I have 2,000 plus years of life after Jesus resurrected from the grave we have the New Testament that we've read the stories we've been to Sunday school we've been to church so our understanding and our Clarity of who Jesus is for many of us is much easier and better than what hers was but she's in real time and she's trying to understand who that one one day this Jesus will come but she's face to face with him and she doesn't get it that he's the one you I made the comment that our Clarity is better but it is it always really better I I wonder in the world and society that we live in and not just the world and the society out there but many times in the world and Society within the walls of the church we miss who Jesus really is that we lack the same Clarity that this woman lacked because we've taken our religion we've taken the stories that we've heard we've taken the Bible stories that we've read and we've got this over here but sometimes we want Jesus to be more different than what he really is so we take our own perceptions we take our own wants we take our own wish he was this and we begin to add it and for so many people it's almost like they're creating who they want God to be in their own life a little bit of that a little bit of this a little bit of that and we form him in our own image rather than what the Bible says that God formed Us in His image somehow we take and we form God in our own image and so here she is face to face with the Messiah face to face with the savior of the world the one who would eventually die on the cross for her sins and offer her and you and all of us eternal life through the Forgiveness of our sins but she's lacking this Clarity she goes but one day one day we're going to have Clarity because Jesus is going to come I believe the Messiah is going to come and one day you and me and him and her and all of us will know where to worship we will worship in spirit and truth and it will all make sense to us and then Jesus responds to her and says this after she says when he comes he'll explain everything to us then Jesus told her I am the Messiah that was kind of a mic drop wasn't it seriously he's having this conversation with this guy and she's going to come one day and he looks at her and says and I am the Messiah as those words are coming out of his mouth I am that would have caught her attention like when somebody walks up you says hey I am and you're waiting for them to fill in the blank that catches your attention because you're sitting on the edge of your seat you're waiting to shake hands going okay tell me who you are I am the teacher I am the pastor I am so and so's father so we want to fill in the blank of who he is but on this moment when she says I am her mind probably paused because in that moment that time she had enough of her Jewish background her Jewish faith that her mind would have went back to those same words that were spoken hundreds and hundreds and here hundreds of years earlier it was that moment that she'd heard the story from her father and he had heard it from his father and he' heard from his father it was the oral tradition because they didn't have all the Old Testament written like we have today but it was the oral tradition it was the story of when God encountered Moses in the desert do you remember that story first few chapters of Exodus and Moses had been living in the desert he had run away from his problems he had run away from his family and he was just out in the desert just like trying to get away from everything and the Bible lets us know in the beginning of Exodus that God appeared to Moses similar think about this Jesus God in the form of Jesus his son appears this woman hundreds of years earlier God Appears to Moses remember the story but he appeared to him in a burning bush and they began having a conversation but in that conversation God tells Moses Moses I want you to go lead my people out of Egypt and Moses like God that's a big request like if I go to all those people and say you got to follow me like who do I tell them sent me and what did God say tell them I am sent you and so when when Jesus is talking to this woman he he goes I am her ears probably kind of perked up she's leaning forward because those are the same words that she had heard her father and grandfather tell about the story of Moses I am and she leans forward and then she he fills in the blank I am the Messiah at that moment he gave her great clarity of who he is he didn't just say I am one and just keep following me you'll F find out I mean he nailed it right there I am the Messiah I am the one that the Father the God has talked about all these years that you've been waiting one the I am the one that you said one day will come and we'll all figure this out together I am he the Messiah here's what I know we all need Clarity sometimes don't we we need Clarity not just who Jesus is and not what we want him to be but we need Clarity of who Jesus really is according to himself we need Clarity when it comes to to I am we need Clarity understanding what that means and so let me just give you three just three thoughts on this whole I am idea as we begin this I am series let me just give you three foundational thoughts over I am to give us all Clarity if you're taking notes you can write these down first of all here's the first P piece of clarity if God is I am then I am not you see we both can't be I am we're not equal peers with God if God is I am that means I am not let's go back to the story of Moses when this whole statement first was appeared and God brought it forth for us to understand the Bible says this that Moses walked up and there's a burning bush and we learn in the story that the Burning Bush was God and as he walks up and begins his conversation with god through the burning bush what does God say take off your shoes Moses you're standing on Holy Ground the ground was not holy because it's a certain type of soil the ground was not holy because there's a burning bush that won't won't burn out right there the ground was holy because the presence of God was there God initiated the conversation God initiated the relationship with Moses but he wasn't saying hey Moses why don't you come be my homeboy and let's hang out together he's not saying hey can we be best buds BFFs forever they were on two different people it was a relationship but God needed Moses to understand that somebody was in charge and somebody wasn't in charge so God was calling Moses to him in relationship to follow him and go go wherever God tells him to but it wasn't an equal partnership it was one in charge and one wasn't take off your shoes because you're standing on Holy Ground around sometimes I wonder that if if we wake up in the morning and maybe you open your bible to read or maybe you having a devotional book or maybe you've got some worship music going on and you're just kind of setting your mind and I'm setting my mind together just going okay God's with me today I wonder if we started the physical practice now Bible doesn't prescribe this but what if as we're doing that it's so easy and I'm going to use this term that a pastor a friend of mine years and years used to say that you would just snuggle up to God he just meant the intimacy but I wonder if we realize we need to take our shoes off before we snuggle up to God because we're not peer Partners one's a boss and one's not and so as we understand as Jesus is sitting with this woman as he is claiming his his godship as he's claiming that he's the Messiah he's inviting her to him but she needed to understand that Jesus I am means I am not here's the second thing if we're trying to get clarity of these I am statements to understand as we move forward what does it really mean for us here's the second one I am not but I know I am so the first one says this God is I am that means I am not so the next step is I recognize I am not but I know I am here's the key word in that whole statement right there it's the no okay you could take this idea well he is and I'm not so I'm just going to drop my head and I can never be around God over here no no no Jesus was inviting the woman to a relationship with him Moses was being invited to a relationship by God God wants us to know him and I love the way the Ephesians writes that when the Apostle Paul is writing the book of Ephesians he goes I pray for all of you that you would have that you would know Christ Beyond a knowledge you see when we know God it is a relational way it is not knowing about God it is not data it is not figure it is not facts all that helps us understand who he is but if that's all that we know about God as data and F figures and facts then we've missed everything God wants for us God wants us to know him in relationship Exodus 33:1 here's a little just understanding of who God and Moses were in their relationship it says this the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as one who speaks to a friend that's more than knowledge right there there's there's a relationship there in the Book of John 1 John 1:14 when Jesus was was being sent to the Earth and John was describing Jesus coming to the Earth here's how John records it and I love how the message says it the word meaning Jesus the word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood when you move into the neighborhood you don't move in there so you don't know anybody you move in the neighborhood and you hope you're getting to know your neighbors in relationship and so as we think about the clarity that Jesus is sitting with this woman and he's declaring who he is the Messiah I am the Messiah he wasn't doing it going so you better step back you better bow down you better not come close to me remember it was Jesus who was walking on a journey and while most Jewish people would have went around Samaria because they were the unclean people Jesus specifically chose to go through Samaria in fact the Bible lets us know that he was there alone with her the disciples went to town to get some food and I guarantee without reading it just knowing the mindset of Jewish people back then their whole conversation while they're going to get food going why is he doing this does he not know he might run into one of those dirty people does he not know that we might run into somebody that we're not supposed to be around but I believe as scripture records that Jesus purposely chose to go through Samaria with intention of running into this woman that he sought her out he could foresee what was going on and he was sitting there just going she's going to come she's going to come it's going to be a great day she's going to come here's here's what I want you to know that Jesus for you and I and every single person he initiates the knowing we don't go seeking him out and like okay I've looked my whole life God you're kind are you under this Stone are you under this Stone God's going no I'm here and I'm going to initiate knowing you I still am and you're still am not but I'm going to initiate because I want a relationship with you so as we're trying to find Clarity of Jesus saying I am that's the second piece here's the third and final piece if you're taking notes you can write this down I am changes who I am I am Jesus being I am changes who I am can you imagine being the woman in this story you're having this kind of weird conversation because you don't usually interact with men like this and he's Jewish and you're Samaritan so it start start off kind of Rocky like we shouldn't even be talking like this and then it kind of turns a little bit antag antagonistic because like really who are you to draw water and then they kind of go back and forth and all of a sudden he goes and let me tell you about your life the part of your life that you try to hide the five husbands and you're living with somebody right

now and he goes I am the Messiah this is the one she's been waiting on her life changed at that moment in fact the Bible if you read the story today the Bible says this that when she heard that I am the Messiah says she ran back to town and told everybody you got to come check this dude out I have just met not a prophet not some Jewish guy that's not supposed to be interacting with us and that's really different she goes I just met the Messiah and brought the whole town to hear him her life was changed and when you and I get greater Clarity and understanding of who Jesus is when we get to fill in the blank I am Messiah it changes our life we were sitting in singing that last worship song and something inside of me just stirred when it talked about Jesus dying on the cross and and all the story of them and then we just get to worship Him Jesus changed my life when I understood and met him as my Messiah and my life has never been the same since then and there's some days I want to throw the towel in and do it my way instead of God's way but I know his ways are greater than my

ways and so knowing Jesus as the Messiah changes our life in said we're starting this series called I am and interesting there's actually seven more specific specific statements throughout the scripture throughout the Book of John that Jesus says I am and he fills in the blank with something else I am the bread of life I am the way the truth and life but there's seven I am statements and we're going to over the next several weeks be looking each week at a different I am and why to give you and I Clarity Clarity of who who Jesus says he is not the Jesus we want to mold and shape and make him to be but the Jesus who he says he is that's the Jesus because we want to worship and so it's it's kind of perfect timing in this one if if you recognize or knew this some many of you came to our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday that was the kickoff of Lent so for 40 days until Easter can you believe Easter is now less than 40 days April the 20th mark it on your calendar but here's what we're going to do from now as we move towards Easter we're going to focus on Jesus we're going to together try to discover even deeper and better and more who he is and who he wants to be in our lives and so as we hit this 40 days and really if you look back historically the season of Lent was really a time that followers of Jesus would begin to focus not that they don't focus on Jesus prior to lent but it's just kind of that special unique season we're going okay we're going to kind of adjust our life and we're going to be looking to the cross and even more than the cross the resurrection of Jesus so it's really a time of Readiness kind of kind kind of preseason you might call it you know baseball's in preseason right now the Rockies are going to win it this year I just know they're going to win it so they're okay maybe that was not really fitting right here but anyway it's that getting ready time and I can't think of a better way for us to get ready to celebrate the resurrection than to us discovering a Clarity of who the resurrected Jesus says he is and so I hope you'll prioritize coming these next weeks leading up to Easter something else we're going to do starting next week we're going to offer the Gospel of John we've done this a couple of times where we take a book of the Bible we have it published or we found it's published not the whole Bible we just found the Gospel of John and starting next week we'll have those for sale out there for $5 a piece but here's my encouragement take the book Gospel of John over these days getting ready for Easter and let's begin reading together all the I AMS are found in the Gospel of John but here's what we're doing you have the next couple of weeks to pick up your copy of the Gospel I love it because when you get a copy of there one page has the words of the gospel and then there's some just blank page on the flip on the opposite side so you can write some notes on there and feel like you can take notes and just kind of walk along with it but there's 21 day 21 chapters in The Gospel of John and so we're going to all get these gospels of John starting April the 1 we want you to start reading one chapter a day so if you start on April the 1st as we're looking towards Easter by the time you hit chapter 20 guess what chapter 20 is about the resurrection so it's a way to prepare our hearts to get ready for this and then here's the other thing I want you to think about over these next several weeks as we get ready to Easter the question is who are you going to invite if Resurrection or if Easter is like the the Super Bowl of the church like this is the big day wouldn't it make sense to bring somebody with you in fact I told you the woman went and told people look with me at um the last few verses there in John chapter 4 and this is starting in 28 it says the woman left her water jar beside the well so after her conversation with Jesus and she ran back to the village and telling everyone come and see a man who told me everything I ever did could he possibly be the Messiah and so the people came streaming from the village to see him can you imagine if she would have had this conversation with Jesus going oh my gosh you you are the Messiah you know all about me you're more than a prophet you're the Messiah I'm just going to stay here and not tell anybody like she couldn't keep from telling everybody this the part that I wish I was there in the story did she walk back fast and and looking for somebody or did she go screaming waving her hands everybody's going what happened what happened or she screaming the whole way I met the Messiah like you you sense it was so much in her nobody was going to push it down and make her keep it inside of her what if in the next 40 days or 37 days as we get ready for Easter we're like reading going Jesus I'm I'm getting Clarity of who you are I'm getting Clarity of who you are I'm getting Clarity of who you are and I can't keep this Clarity to myself like the woman in her joke when she saw that it was biblical for her husband to make the coffee she didn't keep that to herself did she she pulled that out T sh I won this argument not that we're out trying to win arguments with people who Jesus is but let's not hold it

inside we have found the Messiah come with me and see for yourself and so Church Clarity we all need Clarity and over the next seven eight weeks we're going to find Clarity together as we are studying and discovering who Jesus said he was I'm going to ask the band to come back up now and we're going to wrap up with a song you know sometimes we have a message like this and there's like an like think on this pray on this what are you supposed to do this is more just an introductory like this is where we're going but but here's the cool thing that when Jesus reveals to us who he is then he gets to point us what we should be doing in the days to come join us in the Journey of discovering who Jesus said he was will you pray with me father thank you for your word father thank you for stories hundreds and thousands of years ago but still there are stories

today so thank you for revealing yourself to us thank you that you are our Messiah Our Savior and so Jesus this is my prayer for me and for all of us in this room if in the weeks to come may we get clarity even more clarity than we've ever had before of who you said you are and that will enrich our lives and we're thankful for that and we pray this in your name Jesus