What's In A Name? Who is Jesus?

What are the seven statements?
▪I am the bread of life.
▪I am the light of the world.
▪I am the door…
▪I am the good shepherd.
▪I am the resurrection and the life.
▪I am the way, the truth, and the life.
▪I am the true vine.

“Ego eimi”—I Am

Synoptic Gospels
▪Matthew
▪Mark
▪Luke

John

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”John 11:25-26

“I am the gate,” he says. “Whoever enters by me will be saved.” John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd,” John 10:14

“the light of the world,” John 8:12

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

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

Synoptic Gospels - Introducing us to Jesus
John - Showing us the Christ.

I. Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58)
Vs. 21-30 A dispute over who Jesus is.
Vs. 31-47 A dispute over whose children Jesus’ opponents are.
Vs. 48-59 Jesus’ claims about himself.

The crux of each issue involves claims about identity:
Who is Jesus, and who are we?

“Before Abraham was, I am.” (v. 58)

II. The woman at the well (John 4:1-42)

First: Why would God be interested in me?
–John 4:9 “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

1. You don’t know who I am.
2. You don’t know what I’ve done.
3. You don’t know what I’ve been through.
4. I’m damaged goods; I’ve failed too many times; I’m too far gone; I’m not worthy.

Second: My problems are physical, not spiritual.
–John 4:11-15 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Third: I’m not interested in religion—it’s just a bunch of rules.

–John 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.

– John 4:21-24 Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

Fourth: Of course, I believe in God, but how does that help me today?

–John 4:25 I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.

“I who speak to you am he.”
“I Am speaks to you.” Ego eimi.

1) God knows me better than I know myself.
2) The One who knows me best loves me the most.
3) Jesus is the only reliable diagnostician of our real needs.
4) As much as we need forgiveness for our past, we also need hope for our future.
5) We need to know our true self, a transformed self that can actually be a new creation going forward.