Leader Packet
THE I AM STATEMENTS OF JESUS: “I AM”
Selected Scriptures
Getting Started
1. Choose a person – famous, familiar, past, present… anyone – and describe them in three statements. Who are/were they? What are/were they like? What do/did they do? This first sermon was an overview of the coming series, and really takes a broad look at how Jesus is described in His own words and the words of others. The drive of this question and the next is to realize what goes into capturing the essence of someone in words. It also goes to what aspects of a person comprise their identity.
2. Who are you? How would you describe yourself? You may be discovering this is harder than you’d think, or you may have an easy time putting together a list of physical descriptors, key relationships, activities, and preferences that summarize yourself. If you’re stuck, pick a person who knows you well and write how they would describe you.
Digging Deeper
1. Jesus’ “I Am” statements are the ways He describes who He is. Read the following verses and list the “I Am” statement in each:
John 6:35-48
John 8:12
John 10:9
John 10:14
John 11:25
John 14:6
John 15:5
2. Jesus’ many miracles are how He shows us who He is by what He does. For each of the following passages, write what miracle was performed and what it tells us about who Jesus is. The miracles of Jesus always point to His divinity and tell us something about His character.
John 2:1-11 - Turns water into wine. How does this story show His attentiveness? His compassion?
John 4:46-54 - Heals the nobleman’s son. What do we learn here about His power?
John 5:1-16 – Heals a lame man. Did this man have “enough” faith for Jesus’ power to heal him? (Trick question, find the answer in verse 13)
John 6:1-14 - Feeds the 5,000. Did He need the boy’s lunch? The help from the disciples? How is this significant?
John 6:15-21 - Walks on water. And, when challenged, He calls Peter to do the same. Did He have to? What does it mean to you that He did?
John 9:1-12 - Heals the man born blind. Jump back to Isaiah 35:5 as well. Healing the blind was a miracle reserved for one person only.
John 11:1-44 - Raises Lazarus from the dead. In Jesus’ sureness and power, He is still compassionate to grief and our feeble understanding. Bonus: He healed the nobleman’s son immediately and from a great distance. Why not do that here (vv. 4, 11, 14)?
3. Read Exodus 3:13-14 and John 8:58. Discuss how God described himself to Moses and then connect those attributes to how Jesus spoke and lived. What does the “I AM” statement say about both God and Jesus? What makes this simple phrase important or powerful to you and your understanding of Jesus? This title speaks of God’s self-existence and of His eternal being. No one created God, and He depends on no one. All creation derives from Him, but He derives from no one. He was and is and always will be—the same through all the ages, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of the children of Israel; the God of today; the unchanging God of tomorrow—Jehovah, Yahweh. That’s the sacred phrase Jesus assumed for Himself.
4. Read the following verses. What’s so special about knowing Jesus as He really is/ What
blessings can be found in the study of Jesus’ nature?
John 17:3 - To know Jesus is to experience eternal life.
Philippians 3:8 - There is nothing better than having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
John 10:10 - Abundant life is given by Jesus.
John 15:13 - Jesus brings joy that remains and is full.
5. What about you? What is your experience of the man Jesus? Who is He to you? In what way has He challenged you? How has He changed you? In what way does He continue to move you forward toward an abundant life? Jesus didn’t call Himself “I Was.” The past is filled with mistakes and regrets. That is not where Jesus is. He also didn’t describe Himself as “I Will Be.” Looking forward can feel difficult, challenging, and even fear-filled. Jesus instead called Himself, “I Am.”Living in the present with Jesus is not hard. It is where He is, and it is a safe place to be.
Applying the Message
1. In your own words, describe Jesus. Think of His words, attributes, and actions. Which ones are you most drawn to?
2. What do you hope to gain and learn from the I Am series we are embarking on?