He Is the Great I Am

In one paragraph

Pastor Rich opened with a story about speed and then pointed it somewhere unexpected: the Sea of Galilee, two thousand years ago, where Jesus compressed at least five miracles into a single night. The sermon worked through Matthew 14 and John 6 to show what those miracles, taken together, reveal about who Jesus is and whether he can be trusted. Pastor Rich set up the message by noting how...

Read together

1. Matthew 14:21-33 primary text for the sermon, read aloud and exposited throughout
2. Matthew 11:3-5 John the Baptist in jail asking if Jesus is the one, and Jesus pointing to miracles as validation
3. Acts 2 Peter on the day of Pentecost saying God approved Jesus with miracles, wonders and signs
4. Exodus 3 Moses commissioned to go to Egypt, God gives the name I Am That I Am
5. John 6:14-15 crowd wanting to take Jesus by force and make him king, explaining his urgency to withdraw
6. John 6:21 the boat was immediately at the shore
7. John 6:26 Jesus telling the crowd they only wanted him because he filled their bellies
8. Deuteronomy 18 the prophet Moses predicted, whom the crowd recognized Jesus to be
9. Mark 4 referenced as a parallel miracle where waves likely stopped along with the wind
10. 1 Timothy 5 Paul writing about an elder worthy of double honor who labors in the word and doctrine
11. Jude 24-25 benediction: to him who is able to keep you from falling, to the only God our savior, be glory

Talk about it

1. Pastor Rich described God's faithfulness as 'absolutely unswerving and reliable.' Where in your own life have you found it hardest to hold onto that truth, and what helped you remember it?
2. Pastor Rich pointed out that the disciples had walked with Jesus for a long time and still did not fully understand who He was. Why do you think familiarity with Jesus does not automatically deepen our trust in Him?
3. When Jesus said 'I am' to the disciples on the water, Pastor Rich connected that name all the way back to Moses at the burning bush. How does knowing that Jesus is the same 'I am' of the Old Testament change the way you read those two parts of the Bible together?
4. Pastor Rich said that when Peter began to sink, it may have been out of remorse for his 'impertinence' in commanding the Lord rather than simply out of fear of the storm. Do you think that reading changes how you understand Peter's doubt, and does it remind you of any way doubt shows up in your own walk with God?
5. The sermon described the crowd that had been fed as people who 'understood correctly' that Jesus was the prophet Moses predicted, yet whose hearts were far from faith because they only wanted Him to fill their bellies. What do you think it looks like today when someone is close to Jesus in that same way, and how do we guard against that in ourselves?