Uses of the Phrase "I AM" By Jesus and Others.

“I Am” John 1:20-21 "And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." John gives an acknowledgement of existence or not claiming to be that person. It is quite obvious that John was not Elijah. And most likely the prophet in the question is Jeremiah. John 1:23 He said, "I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said." John must have known his scriptures quite well because he knew he was chosen to prepare the way for Messiah.

“I Am” John 1:27 "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.“ John 3:28 "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' People must have been questioning John all the time. The people were ready for the Messiah and the times indicated that He was soon to come. They thought that one who preached so boldly had to be their new leader.

“I Am” John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Jesus is the bread of life. Bread always seems to indicate food of a physical nature. Jesus was tempted to turn the stones to bread. The ravens brought to Elisha bread on a daily basis. Bread was a part of Jewish tradition and law. The food that Jesus offered was of a spiritual nature. This bread is the gospel that if received would bring about the proper nourishment and results (salvation).

“I Am” John 6:41 The Jews therefore were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." If we are to be like Jesus, how can we be the bread-----by offering spiritual food and nourishment to anyone who needs it, whether they ask for it or not. John 6:48 "I am the bread of life. John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh." Jesus is living even today. He lives in Heaven and rules the worlds kingdoms and domains from there. Jesus did come from Heaven. Jesus also said that the word of God will live (remain) forever. By obedience and faithfulness to this word, we shall live forever with Him in Heaven.

“I Am” John 7:29"I know Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me." Jesus says that He is from God, because God sent Him. John 7:33-34 Jesus therefore said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. Indications of things to come. 34"You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." This talks about a location or existence in a place.

“I Am” John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." Jesus was the true light that came to enlighten and reveal the Gospel of God. We are also commanded to be like Jesus. We must be a light to the world. In Matthew 5:16......Ye are the light of the world. John 8:16 "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me. Jesus seems to say, He is not alone. We must remember that we are never alone. God (and Jesus) are always with us. Their Spirit is also with us (or should be on a regular daily basis) providing we remain faithful.

“I Am” John 8:18 "I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Since no man will declare Jesus to be deity (up to this point in time). Jesus has to make the claim Himself. He offers the proof of His deeds and power, and also the power of God. John 8:23-24 And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24"I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." Jesus is Deity. His true place was in heaven, not in the world. If we cannot accept His Deity, and submit to His rightful authority, we shall die in our sins.

“I Am” John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. A prophetic statement. But mustn't we also lift Him up. We must lift Jesus up in our lives and our speech. We must live our lives as if Jesus dying on the cross is the most important event in our lives. Because it is really the most important thing that has ever happened to mankind. John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." A statement of His eternal nature. He was in the beginning and all things that were made were made by Him.

“I Am” John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Once again, we must also be this light to the world to show them the way and give them guidance and show them the way. By removing ignorance we enlighten the hearts of men everywhere. John 9:9 Others were saying, "This is he," still others were saying, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the one." Even in Jesus' day, there were skeptics. The proof speaks and testifies of His real character and nature.

“I Am” John 10:7 Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. A door is a gate or entrance-way. Jesus said that only through Himself could anyone enter in. The sheep are the followers. Sheep by nature will not go anywhere unless someone or something leads or directs them. John 10:9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Since we are to be like Jesus, we should also help people find the door to salvation. The instructions for finding which door to go through are written in the Bible.

“I Am” John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, Many prophets described the Messiah as being some sort of shepherd, but not just any kind of shepherd, but a good shepherd. We also must make ourselves shepherds of men’s souls. We must lead souls to the truth of green pastures. We must provide the spiritual food and drink necessary for life. We must guard against dangers, and we must understand that every soul is important. See the parable of the lost sheep.

“I Am” John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, The resurrection is the fulfillment of prophecy. The life is that which He offers to you and me. We will live regardless of our faith or obedience, but when we follow Jesus, we will live with Him eternally. John 13:13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. Jesus said in Matthew 23:8 to call no man "teacher" or "Rabbi", but Jesus was teaching that man could not impart effective knowledge, except he be from God. Jesus also states that He is Lord. He deserves the position, and is. But is He the Lord of your life?

“I Am” John 13:19 "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. "I am the Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy, the Christ, the one in whom God has chosen to save the world". Sounds pretty convincing to me. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. Jesus is the only way. Jesus speaks the truth, and the truth is about Him, and Jesus only can bring about salvation of an eternal nature.

“I Am” John 14:10-11 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. We also can be in the Father according to 2 John 9 by obedience to the doctrine of Christ. 11"Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. John 14:20 "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

“I Am” John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Not just any vine, but a true one. One that has no defect or fault, and produces good fruit. John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. Christ speaking to His disciples and their part in promoting the Gospel.

“I Am” John 16:32 "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. Is anyone of us alone? No! God is with us always, When we are in Christ, we can enjoy His fellowship. John 18:5-6 They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them. Jesus knew that by acknowledging His person, that He was to soon die. 6When therefore He said to them, "I am He," they drew back, and fell to the ground. Anyone who recognizes Jesus, should bow down in humility and worship Him.

“I Am” John 18:8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way," He being the messiah. John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Jesus is the most High King of His kingdom.

“I Am” John 19:21 And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.' " As man tries to reject Jesus, they are still impressed by His teachings and His words.

Conclusion What are you going to do about Jesus. When Jesus said that "I AM", we should also be ready to say I am the same thing. Though we cannot be deity in this life, we are promised by John that we will be like Him. We can and must be the light to the world, we must give the world the true bread, We must exist in the only true vine. We must be like Him. Will you come and start to be like our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ?