SPEAKER_00: There's a moment in today's gospel where everything shifts.
SPEAKER_00: Up until that point, it's a debate, back and forth, questions, arguments, resistance.
SPEAKER_00: But then Jesus says that one line, before Abraham came to be, I am.
SPEAKER_00: And that's it.
SPEAKER_00: No more discussion.
SPEAKER_00: No more dialogue.
SPEAKER_00: They pick up stones because they understand exactly what he's saying.
SPEAKER_00: This is not poetry.
SPEAKER_00: This is not symbolism.
SPEAKER_00: This is a claim.
SPEAKER_00: He is God.
SPEAKER_00: And they knew what he was claiming.
SPEAKER_00: But here's the problem.
SPEAKER_00: We've heard that so many times that we no longer feel the weight of it.
SPEAKER_00: Because if Jesus is just a teacher, a good man, an itinerant preacher, someone who inspires you, went around doing nice things, then we need to move on from that.
SPEAKER_00: But if he really truly is the I am, then everything changes.
SPEAKER_00: Now go back to the first reading.
SPEAKER_00: God speaks to Abram, and he doesn't just give him a blessing, he gives him a covenant, a relationship, a promise.
SPEAKER_00: And then he does something very important.
SPEAKER_00: He changes his name.
SPEAKER_00: Abram becomes Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Well, because when God enters your life, your identity changes.
SPEAKER_00: You're no longer just who you were, you are now who God is calling you to be.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the condition.
SPEAKER_00: On your part, you must keep my commandment.
SPEAKER_00: That's not one-sided.
SPEAKER_00: God gives everything.
SPEAKER_00: We must respond.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if we go back to the gospel, Jesus says, Whoever keeps my word will never see death.
SPEAKER_00: That's a huge statement.
SPEAKER_00: Not you'll feel better or you'll have a good life, but we'll never see death.
SPEAKER_00: And they reject it.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Well, because they are stuck in the surface.
SPEAKER_00: They're thinking biologically, Abraham died, the prophets died, they can't see beyond the vision.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the teaching.
SPEAKER_00: Don't miss this.
SPEAKER_00: Faith is not just believing that God exists, faith is trusting that his word is true, even when you don't fully understand it.
SPEAKER_00: Abraham lived that.
SPEAKER_00: He trusted, he obeyed, he moved forward without seeing the full picture.
SPEAKER_00: That's why Jesus says, Abraham rejoiced to see my day.
SPEAKER_00: Abraham didn't have everything figured out, but he had enough.
SPEAKER_00: He had enough trust, he had enough surrender, enough faith.
SPEAKER_00: Now here's where it gets real.
SPEAKER_00: Because the same tensions is in your own life.
SPEAKER_00: You hear the words of Christ, you know the teachings, you've heard them over and over.
SPEAKER_00: But the question is this do you keep his word?
SPEAKER_00: Not do you agree with it?
SPEAKER_00: Does it sound good to you?
SPEAKER_00: Do you understand it?
SPEAKER_00: Do you like it?
SPEAKER_00: Do you live it?
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus is clear, whoever keeps my word, he says, not hears it, not admires it, keeps it.
SPEAKER_00: And that's where most people stop.
SPEAKER_00: Because keeping his word means letting go of control, changing your habits, confronting your sins, making real decisions, placing God at the very center of your life.
SPEAKER_00: And all of that may be difficult or uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: So what do people do?
SPEAKER_00: Well, the same thing they did in the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: They resist, they question, they reinterpret, they soften, and eventually they pick up stones.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe not physically, but internally, rejecting the authority of Christ over their life.
SPEAKER_00: Because here's the truth.
SPEAKER_00: You cannot accept Jesus as God and live however you want.
SPEAKER_00: If he truly is the I am, then he is not optional.
SPEAKER_00: And so here's how we can bring it home.
SPEAKER_00: Where are you resisting his word?
SPEAKER_00: Where have you heard it but not kept it?
SPEAKER_00: What part of your life is still operating outside of the covenant?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're good in some parts of your life, but what about the other parts?
SPEAKER_00: Because God has already spoken, he's already revealed, he's already given himself.
SPEAKER_00: The question is not, is God faithful?
SPEAKER_00: The question is, are you faithful?
SPEAKER_00: Because Abraham became who he was, not because he was perfect, but because he trusted.
SPEAKER_00: And you will become who you're meant to be, not by knowing more, but by surrendering more.
SPEAKER_00: So today don't reduce Jesus to a voice you listen to.
SPEAKER_00: Recognize him for who he is.
SPEAKER_00: I am.
SPEAKER_00: And if that's true, then stop negotiating.
SPEAKER_00: Stop delaying.
SPEAKER_00: Stop holding back.
SPEAKER_00: Make today the day where you start living like it matters.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because it does.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is inviting you to the fullness of life.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.