I AM
CONVENTION NOVEMBER 2023
By Ty Robinson
JOHN 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
There are 732 “I am” verses in scripture and a lot of them have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said when He made a personal appearance to someone. Additionally there are 219 “the Lord said” verses of scripture, and many of these are one-on-one conversations the Lord had with someone. 68 times in scripture we read the phrase “angel of the Lord,” and often times these reference more one-on-one appearances, and/or conversations the Lord had with someone. There are twenty-one “the Lord appeared” verses of scripture, and often these again point out one-on-one appearances the Lord made unto some one, or some group of people. Years ago I made an attempt to count the number of times our risen Saviour appeared unto the Apostle Paul, for Paul wrote in GALATIANS 1:11 & 12 that his gospel message was taught to him by the revelation of Jesus Christ, and in ACTS 26:16 at His first appearance to him, Jesus told Paul that He in the future would again appear unto him. How many times Jesus made a personal appearance unto or beloved Apostle Paul is unknown.
There is a common theme in all of the Lord’s appearances to man in scripture from the days of Adam going forward. Do you know what that common theme is? I will give you my answer to this question later in this lesson.
In JOHN 1:1-3 we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ...14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. We know that the Apostle John is here talking about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In REVELATION 19:13 we read that His ...name is called The Word of God. In COLOSSIANS 1:14-17 we find this said about Christ Jesus: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. We find in 1 JOHN 4:9 that God the Father ...sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Again in REVELATION 1:5 we read that He, Christ Jesus, The Word of God ...loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
Before He was sent into the world that He created, before he was born, pre-incarnate Christ Jesus made several appearances to men, and women, just like after His death and resurrection our same risen Saviour Christ Jesus showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs. Before the foundation of the world that He Himself created, He loved us, so no wonder then that He revealed Himself in conversation, and in person to so many since the time of Adam and Eve. He has been showing His love to us ever since man was created. He wants us to have His best.
The examples of His personal appearances to man in the Old Testament are many. In GENESIS chapter 1, 2 and 3 we find conversations that the Lord had with Adam, and Eve, and spoke to them things of their future. In GENESIS 4 the Lord spoke unto Cain, and also told him of his future. In GENESIS 5 we find that Enoch walked with God, and he was one of two men in the Old Testament that was translated. In his 365 years here on earth, what did the Lord say unto Enoch? The Lord revealed unto Enoch that “...Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him...” ...JUDE 1:14 & 15. These things the Lord told Enoch are still yet future. Thus we find that the Lord spoke the word of the Lord to Enoch, and the word of the Lord is Jesus, as we noted above.
In GENESIS 6:8 We find that ...Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,... and in verse 9 we read that Noah also walked with the Lord. The Lord spake unto Noah, and told Noah what the future held, and saved Noah, and his house from the flood that destroyed every living substance upon the face of the ground, and only Noah and those in his ark were saved alive. {GENESIS 7:23 and 1 PETER 3:20.}
In GENESIS 12:1 we read that Abram, before he was called Abraham, was told by the Lord to get out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees, and go to a land that the Lord would show him. {Also see NEHEMIAH 9:7.} In GENESIS 12:2 & 3 we read the Lord told Abram: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. In GENESIS 12:7 we read that the Lord appeared unto Abram, and further told Abram what the future held, saying ...Unto thy seed will I give this land. This was said twenty-five years before Isaac was born! Some time later in GENESIS 15:1 we read: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. This is the first of 258 times where we read the phrase “the word of the Lord” in scripture. The second time is in GENESIS 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. Again the word of the Lord is another name for Jesus. Also in GENESIS 15:1 we read the first of several hundred times the statement “I am” in scripture, which often is another reference to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Look at what we find said in GENESIS 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. The Lord appeared unto Abram again in GENESIS 17:1, and in that chapter changed his name to Abraham, made a covenant with him, and promised a son to his wife Sarah, who would be named Isaac, and that He would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac, in whom the line of Christ runs. In GENESIS 17:20-27 the Lord told Abraham the future of his son Ishmael, and how he too would become a great nation! The Lord in GENESIS 18:1 appeared unto Abraham, and again told him of the future. Abraham becomes the father of the faithful, and is noted in HEBREWS 11:10 to have looked far into the future for that heavenly city, whose builder and makers is God.
Back up for a moment to GENESIS 16 where we find the story of the angel of the Lord appearing unto Hagar. Often times when we read of the angel of the Lord in scripture, we find that it is really pre-incarnate Jesus Christ Himself who is making the appearance. To Hagar the angel of the Lord revealed the future to Hagar of Ishmael, and how her seed shall not be numbered for multitude!
In GENESIS 25:23 the Lord spoke to Rebekah and told her the future of her yet unborn twin boys. In GENESIS 26:2 the Lord appeared unto Isaac, and told him to dwell in the land, which I will tell thee of. In GENESIS 26:3-5 the Lord also told Isaac: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. In short, the Lord here revealed future things to Isaac. At a later date in GENESIS 26:24 we read again of the Lord appearing unto Isaac: ...and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
In GENESIS 28:12-15 we read the story of Jacob’s ladder that he saw in a dream. GENESIS 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. The Lord told Jacob of things future. In GENESIS 31:11-13 we find “the angel of God” spake to Jacob, and told him in verse 13: I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. In GENESIS 32:24-30 we find the story of when Jacob “wrestled with a man” until daybreak. That man was the Lord who changed Jacob’s name to Israel. In GENESIS 35:9-12 we read: And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. Here again the Lord told Jacob, now also know as Israel, things future.
In EXODUS 3 we read about Moses. EXODUS 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. ...6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. ...8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ...11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. The Lord here revealed to Moses some things future. We find in seventeen verses of EXODUS “I am the Lord.” Seventeen is the number that is associated with VICTORY IN CHRIST JESUS, and certainly there was great victory over Pharaoh, and his chariots, and his horsemen, when the Lord overthrew them in the midst of the Red Sea, and saved Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians. We find 105 verses of scripture where “the Lord spake unto Moses.”
The Lord spake unto Joshua in JOSHUA 1:1-9 explaining his future, and also spoke to Joshua again in JOSHUA 4. The Lord Jesus also appeared, and spoke to Joshua again as the captain of the Lord in JOSHUA 5:13-15. Pre-incarnate Jesus Christ as “the angel of the Lord” appeared unto Gideon in JUDGES 6, and addressed Gideon as “thou mighty man of valour” before Gideon had any idea he would be used of the Lord to deliver Israel from the hand of the Midianites.
MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, and JOHN record ninety “I am” statements made by Jesus. REVELATION has nine more “I am” declarations made by Jesus telling who He is. REVELATION 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. REVELATION 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:... . REVELATION 1:17 ...I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. REVELATION 21:6 ...I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. REVELATION 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. REVELATION 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
163 times in scripture we find the phrase “I am the Lord,” a statement that points to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as do all of the “I am” declarations we just read in REVELATION. One of these 163 “I am the Lord” scriptures is HOSEA 13:4 -- Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
Also 163 times in scripture we find the word “Paul” written. Paul, when he was still called Saul of Tarsus, was the last man recorded in scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ made a personal appearance unto. Paul even records this fact in 1 CORINTHIANS 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Our gracious, and loving Saviour appeared unto Saul of Tarsus around noon as a light brighter than the noonday sun, and He asked this question: Saul, Saul why persecutes thou me? We read this story in ACTS 9, 22, and 26. Saul of Tarsus answered this question from the Lord with a question of his own: Who art thou, Lord? The same “I AM” who was in the beginning, who revealed Himself as “I AM” to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the many others we pointed out earlier; the same “I AM” who said in REVELATION 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty,... He answered Saul of Tarsus’ question: I am Jesus of Nazareth... ACTS 22:8. It took our Apostle Paul about twenty-five more years before he could state the rest of what Jesus told him that day, which we find recorded in ACTS 26:16-18 as Paul gives his testimony before king Agrippa. ACTS 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Jesus the great “I AM” in this ninety-nine-word sentence had revealed Saul of Tarsus’ future! Saul of Tarsus goes on to become our Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles (ROMANS 11:13). Saul of Tarsus knew nothing at that time about the ...inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me... Jesus told him about that day on the road to Damascus, but great “I AM” took him to the same region of Arabia where centuries before he had revealed to Moses his future, and taught Saul of Tarsus the gospel message he was to preach, and the facts of the ...inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Simply stated Jesus taught Saul of Tarsus the high calling message of Christ, which our Apostle Paul then taught us in his 100 chapters of scripture.
A couple of years before Paul appeared before king Agrippa in ACTS 26, Paul made one final speech unto the Ephesian elders, whom he had taught for three years, and he gave them this encouragement that is recorded in ACTS 20:32. ACTS 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. The Word of His grace is another name for The Word of God, who is Jesus, the same “I am” we have been discussing. He is the same I AM who told the woman at the well in JOHN 4:26 ...I that speak unto thee am he. Does The Word of God speak to you? It is to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified,... which inheritance Paul first heard about on the road to Damascus as Jesus of Nazareth explained his future. The ultimate inheritance among all them, which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus is to be His Bride, His joint-heir! Has He spoken to your heart “I AM coming?” He said in REVELATION 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Earlier we mentioned that there is a common theme in all of the Lord’s appearances to man in scripture from the days of Adam going forward. Do you know what that common theme is? The common theme of all of the Lord’s appearances was to bless; to give direction; to reveal the future; to heal; to assure; to teach; to give life more abundantly; to give a foretaste of glory divine; and to encourage be a faithful overcomer!
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Sermon Topics: I AM