Before Abraham Was, I AM (recorded version)

Devotional

Day 1: Unbelief’s Insult: “You’re a Samaritan with a Demon”

When confronted with truth, unbelief deflects with contempt. The religious leaders dismissed Jesus as demon-possessed and racially inferior, revealing their refusal to see Him as God’s Son. Their insults exposed hearts hardened against divine revelation. Unbelief distorts reality, reducing glory to shame and truth to lies. Yet Jesus remained anchored in the Father’s honor, refusing to retaliate. His calm reply reveals the cost of rejecting God’s self-disclosure. [34:28]

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.” (John 8:48–50, ESV)

Reflection: When have you faced mockery or dismissal for holding to Christ’s truth? How does Jesus’ steady focus on the Father’s glory strengthen your resolve to honor Him?

Day 2: Eternal Life Beyond the Grave’s Sting

Jesus’ promise of eternal life transcends physical death. The Jews fixated on Abraham’s tomb, missing the resurrection hope Jesus offered. Eternal life isn’t avoidance of death but triumph over its finality. True disciples abide in Christ’s words, which pierce temporal limits and anchor souls in God’s timeless presence. The offer remains: receive His word and live beyond death’s reach. [44:24]

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’” (John 8:51–52, ESV)

Reflection: Do you view eternal life as a distant reality or a present hope? How does abiding in Christ’s words reshape your perspective on mortality?

Day 3: Before Abraham Was, I AM

Jesus’ divine identity shattered religious assumptions. By declaring “I AM,” He claimed the eternal name God revealed to Moses. The Jews clutched stones, unable to reconcile the man before them with the God of Abraham. Christ’s timelessness transcends human categories—He is both ancestor and Author of faith. To know Him is to worship the God who was, is, and will be. [54:27]

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:58–59, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ eternal nature comfort you in temporary struggles? What areas of your life require surrendering to His “I AM” sovereignty?

Day 4: Abraham’s Joy at the Dawn of Redemption

Abraham glimpsed Messiah’s day and rejoiced. His faith stretched beyond earthly promises to embrace Christ’s redemptive work. The patriarch’s joy indicts those who inherited his bloodline but rejected his hope. True children of Abraham share his faith, not just his DNA. They celebrate the fulfillment he anticipated—the Lamb who takes away sin. [52:17]

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56, ESV)

Reflection: Does your joy align with Abraham’s—rooted in Christ’s redemption? How can you cultivate anticipation for God’s promises yet fulfilled?

Day 5: Stones in Hand or Knees Bowed

Revelation demands response. The Jews chose stones; the faithful choose surrender. Christ’s identity as eternal God permits no neutrality—we glorify Him now by faith or confess Him later under judgment. His hiddenness from the hardhearted magnifies His mercy to the humble. The question remains: will you receive the I AM or reject Him? [56:29]

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10–11, ESV)

Reflection: Are there areas where you still clutch “stones” of resistance? How does the certainty of universal worship shape your daily allegiance to Christ?

Sermon Summary

John presses the same question again in the temple: who is Jesus? Surrounded by those who have Abraham, the Law, and the Prophets, the crowd should recognize him, yet unbelief blinds them. Unbelief rejects Jesus. It mislabels him to dismiss him, calling him a Samaritan and demon-possessed, a calculated shame to push him beneath them. Jesus answers plainly: he honors the Father, does not seek his own glory, and the One who judges seeks that glory. The point is identity. When God is rejected, identity drifts to lesser anchors like ancestry, status, or anything that can be controlled. But the Son keeps pointing back to the Father, because glory and sonship live there.

Jesus offers eternal life. He lays it down with a promise: if anyone keeps his word, that person will never see death. That promise ties back to abiding in his word as the mark of a true disciple. Discipleship is not an insurance policy to avoid hell; it is receiving Jesus as he truly is. When Christ is received, a new desire grows that grieves sin and clings to his word. The crowd only hears this in a flat, physical register: Abraham died and so did the prophets. Jesus is speaking of a life that outlasts the grave, a life held by the resurrection hope the Spirit creates. Unbelief refuses even that gift because it refuses his word.

Jesus is the eternal I AM. He draws the line unmistakably. The Father whom they claim as “our God” is the very One who glorifies the Son. They say they know God; Jesus says they do not. He knows the Father and keeps his word, and Abraham himself “rejoiced to see my day.” Then comes the name: “Before Abraham was, I am.” The words echo the burning bush. Jesus claims full deity, and the stones come up in their hands. Yet he is hidden from them, both in the moment and in their hearts. That is how unbelief works: it tries to silence the Son because it cannot see the Son. Still, the revelation stands. Jesus reveals himself as the eternal Son of God, and every person stands at the same fork in the road: receive him in faith or harden in unbelief. One path leads to life with God. The other leads to eternal separation. One day every knee will bow. The question is whether that bow springs from faith now or from judgment then.

Key Takeaways

1. Unbelief mislabels and shames Jesus [41:48] Unbelief reaches for insults when it cannot answer truth. Calling Jesus a Samaritan and demon-possessed is not argument but evasion, an attempt to lower him so his claims can be ignored. The pattern repeats whenever Jesus is reduced to something manageable. If the Son is smaller, sin feels safer. [41:48]
2. Eternal life rests on his word [44:24] Jesus ties never seeing death to keeping his word. The promise is not a denial of physical death but a pledge that death will not have the last word over those who receive him. Keeping his word is not perfection but a Spirit-born allegiance that holds to Jesus when every rival voice calls louder. [44:24]
3. Identity must be in the Father [43:02] The crowd roots identity in Abraham, but Jesus redirects it to the Father who seeks glory. Identity borrowed from ancestry, achievement, or tribe eventually demands worship and withholds rest. Sonship before the Father reorders every other label, placing glory back where it belongs. [43:02]
4. Jesus speaks the divine Name [53:58] “Before Abraham was, I am” is not mere chronology but revelation. The Name from the bush is now on the lips of the Son, and the only faithful responses are worship or stoning. To treat this claim as optional spirituality is to miss its edge: Jesus is either Lord or blasphemer. [53:58]
5. The world cannot silence the Son [55:41] Stones rise, but Jesus is hidden. Opposition can restrain mouths and meetings, yet it cannot smother the One whom the Father glorifies. Wherever the Son reveals himself, faith springs up, because his voice is not bound by hostile hands or hard hearts. [55:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:09] - Last week’s marks of discipleship
[33:13] - Who is Jesus?
[33:28] - Mistaken identity analogy
[34:48] - Main point: the eternal Son
[35:33] - Reading John 8:48-59
[37:37] - In the temple among the Jews
[38:21] - Truth 1: Unbelief rejects Jesus
[39:35] - Samaritan and demon insult
[42:11] - Glory sought by the Father
[44:24] - Truth 2: Keep his word, live
[46:12] - Abraham, prophets, and death
[49:41] - Truth 3: The Father glorifies the Son
[51:54] - Abraham rejoiced to see his day
[53:58] - Before Abraham was, I am
[54:48] - Stones, hiddenness, and blindness
[56:06] - Call to respond in faith

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 8:48-59 (ESV)
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Observation Questions

What two accusations did the Jewish leaders use to dismiss Jesus, and how did He respond to them (vv. 48-50)?
What promise does Jesus link to “keeping his word” in verse 51, and how did the crowd misunderstand it (vv. 52-53)?
How does Jesus contrast His knowledge of the Father with the crowd’s claim to know God (vv. 54-55)?
Why did the crowd attempt to stone Jesus after He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am” (v. 59)?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think the Jewish leaders resorted to calling Jesus a “Samaritan” and “demon-possessed” instead of engaging with His teachings? What does this reveal about how unbelief operates?
Jesus says those who keep His word “will never see death.” How does this statement point to a reality beyond physical death, and what does it mean to “keep his word” in practice?
Jesus claims Abraham “rejoiced to see my day” (v. 56). How might Abraham’s faith in God’s promises (e.g., Genesis 12:1-3) connect to Jesus’ identity as the eternal Son?
When Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am,” He uses the divine name from Exodus 3:14. Why is this claim so radical, and what does it force people to decide about Him?

Application Questions

Unbelief often tries to “mislabel” Jesus to avoid His claims (e.g., calling Him merely a teacher or myth). What modern labels or dismissals have you encountered (or used) to avoid confronting His true identity? How can we guard against this? [41:48]
Jesus ties eternal life to “keeping his word,” which the sermon described as “Spirit-born allegiance” rather than perfection. What practical step can you take this week to prioritize holding onto His word when distractions or temptations arise? [44:24]
The crowd rooted their identity in ancestry (Abraham) rather than the Father. Where are you most tempted to anchor your identity (achievements, relationships, status)? How might shifting that focus to being a “child of God” change your daily choices? [43:02]
Jesus’ claim “I am” demands a response. If someone asked you, “Who is Jesus to you?” how would you answer based on His self-revelation in this passage? What doubts or fears make this declaration difficult to fully embrace? [53:58]
The crowd tried to silence Jesus with stones, but He remained unhidden to those with faith. When have you faced opposition or ridicule for believing Christ’s claims? How can His victory over rejection encourage you in those moments? [55:41]

Sermon Clips

``The other leads to eternal separation from God, eternal suffering. In Philippians chapter two, the verses prior to working out our salvation with fear and trembling tells us that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Both those who have received him and those who have rejected him. The eternity for those who receive him will look very different from that of those that have rejected him, But everyone will bow to the glory of Christ. [00:56:48] (38 seconds)

Will you receive Jesus or reject him? Jesus reveals himself as the eternal son of God, and people either respond in faith or hardened unbelief. Would you stand with me? These are the choices before you. Respond in faith to Jesus or reject him through hardened unbelief. One leads to the truth about Jesus, about who he is, about eternal life. [00:56:06] (42 seconds)

And the world has been trying to silence Jesus for over two thousand years, but he will not be silenced. The truth about Jesus is that he is the eternal son of God and you must respond to his revelation. The question then is this, is Jesus who he says that he is or not? [00:55:41] (25 seconds)

People are going to reject him because they don't know him. It goes back to you cannot know Jesus if you don't know the father that we see repeatedly throughout the book of John. Apart from the father drawing or awakening them to come to Jesus, they're gonna reject Jesus. You can't receive Jesus on your own terms. You can only receive him on his terms. [00:41:10] (22 seconds)

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Before Abraham Was, I AM (recorded version)

Devotional

Day 1: Unbelief’s Insult: “You’re a Samaritan with a Demon”

Day 2: Eternal Life Beyond the Grave’s Sting

Day 3: Before Abraham Was, I AM

Day 4: Abraham’s Joy at the Dawn of Redemption

Day 5: Stones in Hand or Knees Bowed

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Before Abraham Was, I AM (recorded version)

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