Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
things you’ve done a long time ago that
you think we miss passed over ignored on
God’s clock he knows how to bring that
thing back up at the right time to
accomplish his bigger purposes you don’t
know who you dealing with so you can
praise the Lord today that Goliath does
not have to let’s say over your life
over your circumstance over your family
over your feelings over your world cuz
you know somebody up there that’s bigger
than the somebody you’re facing down
here and if he will not remove himself
from ruining your life
he’s got enough forces to remove them
from you
bless the name of the Lord he can turn
your Goliath around cuz he’s a game
changer my closing question this morning
is does anybody need a reversal
does anybody here today who’s has
anybody else at a crisis and you can’t
fix it it’s too big as to deal
you can’t get your arms around it and
you are literally it’s killing God knows
the right time to turn your situation
away I’m trying to tell you you don’t
know who you’re dealing with
that’s what you’re doing communion do
this in remembrance of me
that I’ve defeated upon cow breaks and
I’m still whipping them today I want to
challenge you to live under the
providential hand of God even when it
looks like it’s not working out the
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context is Jesus declaring that those
who believed in him would never die and
they can’t believe Jesus is talking like
this the religious leaders and say well
whose authority can you say that I mean
they say look at Abraham he lived 2,000
years ago he died all the prophets died
who do you think you are you’re a demon
you you’re right from the devil talking
crazy like that Jesus tells him no I
ain’t ain’t the crazy one no it’s not me
I know the father and if I said that
he’s not gonna die who believes in me
he’s not gonna die they said but wait a
minute
abraham our father died you’re not even
50 years old he died 2,000 years ago
on what basis can you make such a crazy
statement such a demonic statement about
death and you’re not even 50 years old
and that’s when Jesus gives us our name
for today and it is a doozy Jesus looks
at them and says
he says to them in verse 58 truly truly
show enough show enough I say to you
before Abraham was born so we can skip
the death part I’m gonna start off at
the birth before Abraham was born I am
the neighbor go talk about the day is
the name I am before Abraham was born I
am it says when they heard him say that
in verse 59 they picked up stones to
kill him why would you kill him for such
a statement because they knew what he
was saying if he just wanted to talk
about predating Abraham then he would
have said before Abraham was I was but
he doesn’t say before Abraham was I was
he says before Abraham was I am that
sent them into the ionosphere of anger
so that they sought to kill him because
they knew what he was saying
you see Jesus in identifying his name
bypasses Abraham and jumps to Moses so
the reason they were throwing rocks at
Jesus when he declared his name to be
i.m was because they knew that he was
using the term God used to define
himself to Moses at the burning bush in
Exodus chapter 3 so they knew Jesus was
declaring himself to be the God who
actually talked to Moses what does I am
me I am is made up of four letters all
four letters are consonants with no
vowels which made it unpronounceable
you couldn’t pronounce it because it was
all continents with no vowels it was
God’s use and identifying himself with
four consonants that you could never say
so therefore his name was viewed by
Israel as the unspeakable name because
there was no way to recite the four
continents in order to talk about God
what they did was they took vowels from
the Hebrew word Adonai which means boss
or supervisor or manager and they took
the valves and they put it with the four
consonants so that you can now say the
word Yahweh so Yahweh are the four
consonants with the values from adenine
so they could speak the name when the
name Yahweh got translated in english it
is jehovah so Jehovah God is Yahweh
Hebrew which is the Tetragrammaton four
letters with some borrowed vowels the
question is what does I am me first of
all I am is personal I so when you get a
personal pronoun that tells you that
this is a person talking so when God
uses this name he is saying to you I
want to relate to you person to person
not only is he personal but he’s
personal in the present tense I am not
our world nor I will be I am so let me
tell you something about God’s name God
has no past and he has no future
he has no yesterday and he has no
tomorrow everything about God is now
it’s in the present tense you and I
can’t relate to that because we live
like literally that is we go from 1 to
10 a to Z beginning to end first to last
that’s how we live life because we live
life in time and space but God lives
outside of time and space so the first
thing is he’s a person
second thing is he’s present tense so
everything is now now the reason wild
throw this in the reason why this is
important is that means whatever God has
prophesied in the future we’re waiting
on he’s not waiting on that’s why you
can bank on anything that God says that
has not happened yet that he declares
will happen because as far as he’s
concerned it’s now
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[Laughter]
I studied the Bible in college for four
years and studied the Bible before you
as different as master’s degree another
four years working with dr. Drake then
I’ve been preaching all of these years
and I’m still learning new things from
this awesome
inexhaustibility world of games that’s
why I’m so excited about the Tony Evans
Study Bible and its accompanying works
the Tony Evans Bible commentary it will
take all of this training and this
teaching and make it available to you to
understand utilize and apply God’s most
powerful
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so he’s not waiting like we are waiting
we are waiting for fulfillment of what
is now in his reality okay because they
talk about another reality of course
Jesus is saying I am well he doesn’t
just say I am he says I am that I am
okay he tell he talks about himself
twice in the IMO signature why is he
saying I am that I am
number one he is who he declares himself
to be he is not who you may want him to
be and a lot of misconceptions about God
because men want to define him in man’s
terms and he says no I am Who I am
now because he is who he is and he’s
defined by himself and everything is now
that means he is who he is eternally
because he always lives in the same
state state of being so he is an eternal
being it’s built into the nature of God
to be who he is and to forever be that
way because he changes not now somebody
may say but doesn’t the Bible say God
repented that God changed his mind even
though James 1:17 says every good and
perfect gift comes from above it comes
from the father of light in whom there
is no shifting shadow he does not change
that the Bible talks about him changing
his mind or changing this or changing
that let me help you with that God does
not change in his essence but he will
change in his methods so when people are
just to God it may look like God is
changing but God has not changed he’s
just responded to the fact that you have
turned
that’s why repentance is so important to
experience God it means you got a turn
if you want to experience
of God because of you not turning right
then you’re not experiencing the side of
God that you want to experience he says
I am Who I am I am defined by myself I
am self defined I do not have to go
outside of myself for anything he says I
am that I am that it is my view of me
that you should be dealing with so God
is the I am totally self-contained
self-sufficient personal in the present
being who wants to communicate with you
and Jesus says before Abraham was I am
so when you are talking about Jesus
you’re talking about the God who speaks
in the Old Testament you talking about
the eternally created God who became a
man and his name is I am
the eternally present one now having
established that that God lives in the
eternal now and Jesus claims to be that
God there are seven I am in the book of
John so let’s look at the the seven
concepts of I am in the book of John and
see why they matter and then talk about
you and me today John chapter 6 verse 35
is the first of the seven I am and Jesus
says in John 6 verse 35 jesus said to
them I am the bread of life he who comes
to me will not hunger and he who
believes in Me will never thirst he’s
talking about the Old Testament in the
wilderness when the bread of life came
down from heaven called manna manna in
Hebrew is a question it means what is it
or depending on where you from what it
is but it was a question what is it
why would God send cornflakes from above
they were little wafers that floated
down from heaven
literally angel food and it floated down
from heaven and they ate it six days of
the week and they called it what is it
manna the reason they called it what is
it question is because they had to
answer the question and the answer to
the question of what is it it was the
supernatural provision of God for his
people from heaven verse 41 says I am
the bread of life come down from heaven
so what Jesus is saying is what God fed
you physically in the wilderness my job
is the feed you spiritually in your
day-to-day life my name is I am and I am
the bread of life
it is me who’s designed to fill you
spiritually and nothing else you do can
do that no place you can go no person
you can talk to can be spiritual bread
for your soul which is the essence of
yourself I am the bread of life and he
brings in the Incarnation because he
says and I’ve come down from heaven
which means I was already existing in
heaven before I came down to you as
bread so I pre-existed up there I came
down here and one of the reasons I came
is to feed somebody step 8 verse 12 then
Jesus spoke to them again saying I am
the light of the world he who follows me
will not walk in darkness but but will
have the light of Life oh I love this
Jesus says I’m the bread I feed you but
I’m also the light I’ll illuminate you
ok when the Sun rises in the morning
that’s illumination because you can see
the darkness goes away and now you can
see straight because now you have light
jesus says if you will follow me I’ll
let you see where you’re going because a
lot of us don’t know where we’re going
and the reason the proof that a lot of
us don’t know where we’re going is we
keep going down the wrong streets wrong
alleys and making bad to see
he says but if you let me be the
illumination of your life then you will
find the way to go so if you are here
today and you don’t have direction or
clarity but you definitely want it and
you want it from God he said you got to
follow me you got to find out what I say
what I think and you got to do that
regardless of what your peeps say
regardless of what your posse says and
here’s the big one regardless of what
you think chapter 10 verse 7
truly truly showing up showing up I say
to you I am the door of the Sheep
Shepherd’s had a gate the door whether
sheep could enter and he says if you
come through me verse 9 if anyone
somebody say anyone because that means
that Cleaves you if anyone enters
through me he will be saved okay
you’ll go to heaven but that’s not all
he will go in and out he’ll find freedom
and he’ll find pasture I’ll satisfy him
abundant life means fully realizing what
God wants done in your life but he says
you’ve got to come through this door
because I’m the door okay
the next I am he says in chapter 10
verses 11 and 14 I am The Good Shepherd
the Good Shepherd lays down his life for
his sheep that’s the cross 14 I am The
Good Shepherd and I know my own and my
own know me he says I’m the Good
Shepherd a shepherd he opens the door
for the Sheep but a shepherd does
something else he watches over the she
see a shepherd is responsible for the
Sheep let’s keep going chapter 11 verse
25 it’s good stuff he says in chapter 7
verse 25 to Martha I am the resurrection
and the life he who believes in Me will
live even if
dies and everyone who lives and believes
in Me will never die do you believe this
Lazarus has just died
Jesus is the incarnation of the word and
so he says if you let the word drive you
to me then the reason you gonna get up
out that grave when everybody else says
you’re dead is because of me not just
some theology about me it will be that
relationship that will make the
difference okay let’s keep going
he says now in chapter 14 verse 6 got
two more chapter 14 verse 6 he says
jesus said to them I am the way and the
truth and the life no one comes to the
Father but through me I am the way I am
the truth and I am the light ok number 1
I am the way I know where I’m going
ok most of us hope we know where we
going
we desire to go somewhere with our life
with like a real with our plan Jesus
says I know the way ok you don’t have to
guess I’m GPS all over all up in here
all up in here I know where I am going I
know the way the way to eternity first
and then the way for living your life
that’s when he concludes with I am the
truth okay
I’m not a truth okay I’m not one among
many truths okay it goes back to I think
stuff okay
I’m not a truth I am the truth Jesus
says I am the truth I am the absolute
standard by which reality is measured so
save yourself some time find out what I
say and adjust your thinking to it
because if you’re a Christian you have
the mind of Christ I am the truth and
then he says and I am the life you want
to live go my way go my way and then you
will live you won’t exist
you’ll just be trying to make it trying
to get over doing the best you can
you’ll have life that is my life finally
he says in John 15 verses 1 in verse 5
these words I am The True Vine my father
is the vine dresser verse 5 I am the
vine and you are the branches he will
abides in me and I in him he bears much
fruit for apart from me you can do
nothing he says I am the true vine that
means I am the real deal ok abide in me
stay with me you got a you got a run
with me you got you want running buddies
run with me
and if you run with me you’ll be fruity
now the last time I checked fruit exists
for the benefit of somebody else so
when’s the last time somebody wanted to
take a bite out of your life
because they see Jesus doing so much in
you that they want they want to get a
piece of that they want to get a piece
of that everybody like to say come on
you want a piece of me ok people should
want a piece of you because you’re the
only fruit that eats itself is rotten
rotten fruit is the only fruit that eats
itself so if you all about you only
about you it’s about me myself and I
that’s because you were rotting
Christian you’re rotting through because
the only fruit that eats itself is right
the reason Jesus wants us to be fruitful
is he wants us to be impacting the lives
of others while he abides in us and
gives and impacts us so that it goes to
us through us and from us so that others
are taking a bite out of our lives
because of what Christ is doing in us he
wants you to be fruity sense when God
told Moses my name is I am it was in the
midst of a contradiction the best time
to experience the IM nosov jesus is when
things aren’t making sense in your life
the best time to experience the IMS of
Almighty God in the person of Christ is
when things have gone haywire and they
don’t make sense when you throw up the
question why and you’re trying to live
for God you’re trying to please God I’m
at the mall somebody rebelling tell my
slave Jillian to please God and it’s all
contradictory and you can’t make sense
of it you’re in the perfect position to
hear him call your name that is to
reveal himself to you and what did he
reveal he revealed to him his purpose he
says I want you to go to Pharaoh and
tell him to let my people go
he gave him a reason for living he gave
him his purpose and let me tell you
something about his purpose his purpose
was bigger than anything he could do on
his own because if this was this was a
big deal to tell Pharaoh let my people
go and to lead the children of Israel
Psalm chapter nine verse 10 says that
when you know God’s name you trust him
you don’t have to see it yet because you
know his name and you know i”m means
he’s already been there and he’s come
back and I like the fact I like the fact
in John chapter 18 verses 4 to 9 and
John 18 they were getting ready to
arrest Jesus all the Roman soldiers they
come in to arrest Jesus they come in to
arrest Jesus gonna lock him up and they
said and they said are you he are you
are you this Jesus that we’re looking
for and Jesus stood there and said I am
and the Bible says and when Jesus said I
am all the soldiers fell back and
collapsed on the ground because the I am
this was overwhelming I don’t know
what’s after you I don’t know what
situation is threatening you
I don’t know what difficulty is facing
you but when they run until the great I
am
oh then they got to back up they got to
back up cuz I am only gets taken when
he’s ready to be taken so what I’m
challenging us today in this name that I
am this of God that he is the God and
speaks in the Old Testament but he is
the personal guard for you right now
if you’ve received him as your Savior
and you are following him as your Lord
then you have access to the IMS
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[Laughter]
one of the all-encompassing names for
God in Scripture is I am God told Moses
when Moses asked his name who should I
say sent me and God said you tell him I
am that I am sent you that spoke of gods
eternally that he lives in the ever
present tense his self-sufficiency that
is I am takes care of I am he takes care
of himself doesn’t need anything outside
of himself to be himself and his
self-existence just like the son doesn’t
have to be made hot that’s just the way
it is God then had to be made God all of
his attributes that’s just who he is so
it shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus’s
enemies got real upset when he use the
name of God in the Old Testament to name
himself to say before Abraham was I am
and it was crystal clear what he meant
that he was the same God who spoke to
Moses in the Old Testament oh that
brought a little iron that’s because
Jesus Christ is not just some superstar
human being in history he’s actually the
superstar of the universe being God our
very God become man
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what’s in the name when it comes to
Jesus Christ all of deity is in the name
because all that makes God God is
resident in the person of Jesus Christ
and that’s why you can’t treat him
casually you can’t treat him just as a
another great teacher or example you got
to recognize when you’re dealing with
Jesus you’re dealing with all that God
yes
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you
you