Before Abraham Was: I Am

Doubt and faith often sit side by side, and that tension becomes a doorway to deeper hope when Jesus says, “If anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death.” We explore what He meant—not denial of physical death, but the promise that those who believe will never be cut off from the life of God. From there, we travel through Abraham’s story to see how the gospel was already taking shape: Melchizedek’s bread and wine, a priest-king of righteousness and peace; Sarah’s laugh turning into Isaac’s name and a promise kept; and the knife lifted on Moriah before God provides a ram, signaling the greater sacrifice to come.

Pastor Carl walks through Jesus’ conversation with Martha—“I am the resurrection and the life”—to clear the fog around spiritual death and the hope of resurrection bodies built for eternity. We talk candidly about the ache of sin, the weariness of waiting, and the blessed hope of Christ’s return that reframes our present struggles. Along the way, we revisit the moments when belief faltered—Peter sinking, David failing, Sarah denying her laugh—and we trace how grace kept moving, not because our faith was flawless, but because God is faithful. That’s the ground we stand on when we pray, “I believe; help my unbelief.”

The heart of the message rises when Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This is more than a bold claim; it’s the unveiling of God’s name in the voice of the Son. If He truly is I AM, then eternal life is not a distant wish—it’s anchored in a Person who preexists Abraham, defeats death, and provides Himself as the Lamb. By the end, you’ll have a clearer grasp of spiritual life and death, richer context for Melchizedek and Moriah, and a steadier confidence to walk through uncertainty with the One who cannot be shaken.

If this encouraged your faith, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s wrestling with doubt, and leave a review so more people can find the message of hope and life in Jesus.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Abraham saw the day of the Lord and he rejoiced in it. God is still so good, even though my faith was so weak. And of course, Abraham is one of those that ended up in the Great Hall of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11, I believe. Exalted for their faith. But then when you look at the people, they had faith, but they didn't have faith. Can you relate to that?

SPEAKER_00 0:48

The Bible is full of men and women whose moments of unbelief are recorded. Peter walked on water until he doubted and started to sink. David committed adultery and murder, and yet was known as a man after God's own heart. Abraham and Sarah chuckled together when God said they would bear a son in their old age. And yet, we know these men and women for their faith, not for their shortcomings. Today, Pastor Carl encourages you to be kinder to yourself. Spiritual doubt is part of the journey. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Verse 51 it says, Most assuredly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. If anyone listens, if anyone believes, if anyone takes a hold of, if anyone abides in the words that I am sharing, because it is the word. I am the truth. If you do that, you will not taste of death. Which was confusing to the religious leaders, and we'll see that in the next verse or two. Because, like, well, people are still dying. What do you mean? Well, Jesus clarified this in a few chapters later on, in the story of raising Lazarus from the dead. And he had a little conversation with Martha. Do you remember this one? In John 11, verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life. He is life. He is resurrection, taking us from death and putting us into life. He who believes in me, though he may die physically, he shall live spiritually. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die spiritually. Do you believe this? So he clarified that to Martha. We will never die. We will have eternal life, and yet we die, don't we? It's confusing, but it's it's this death of the old physical person in this body of death as Paul describes it. In fact, without being in the life, we spent our whole lives born dead. We're born separated from God. And although we're living, we're really not alive. We're not alive until the Lord changes us and revives us and gives us life. He is the resurrection. And part of our salvation is realizing that someday we will have new bodies in which no sin dwells, no sickness, no blurry eyes, no heartburn, no desire to reject God. And as believers, don't you yearn for that? I mean, we we all still have this challenge with sin, don't we? We struggle with sin. Paul struggled with sin. But because the Lord has changed us, we realize there's more to life than this. And we yearn that we wouldn't have these feelings, these struggles. And the answer is coming when we have our salvation, our full salvation realized, we will have new bodies. Now, to transition between the old body and a new body requires death. These old bodies have to be done away with. Do you want to trade in your body? It involves death, a physical death. Or a transition in the air as the Lord comes and takes his church home. But that's still a death. This old body will be put away, and we will be given a new resurrected body that's built for eternity. Are you ready for that? I mean, that is part of our salvation. That is part of the great hope. That's why we're one of the reasons we're waiting for Jesus to return. Our blessed hope is the return of Christ to free us from this world, from this body, and give us a new beginning and a new body that's built for eternity. So although we may die physically, if we know him and believe in him, we shall live eternally. And he clarified that to Martha. But the uh religious leaders there didn't quite understand what he was talking about. And the Jews said to him, Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and you say if anyone keeps my word, he shall never taste death. Huh? And in a court of law, in human reasoning, their argument makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? The problem is there are certain evidences that are not considered by them, which the Lord has brought in and made a case for, which is there's more to this life than just this life. Jesus has come from eternity to give us God's perspective on eternal life. And if you don't consider that, of course, it's not going to make any sense. But God in his grace he reveals these things to us. So just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it's not true. If it doesn't make sense to you, maybe you ought to go seek and find the truth because the Lord in his grace reveals it to us. Verse 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham who is dead? And the prophets who are dead? Who do you make yourself out to be? And I could just see Jesus hitting his forehead again. I've been telling you who I am, but you don't believe it. So you don't see it. Anyway, Jesus again, he answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. If it is my Father who honors me, of whom you say that he is your God, it is he that honors me. And of course, if he were really your God, you would honor me too. But obviously you don't know him, and so you don't honor him, and you don't honor me. Verse 55. Yet you have not known him. But I know him. I know God. I'm not lying to you. I am from God. I am God. I am God in the flesh. And if I say I do not know him, I shall be a liar like you. I can't not declare the truth of who he is because I would be lying. And because I am who I am, I cannot lie. And so I declare to you the truth, but you don't want to know it. You don't want to hear it. But if I say I do not know him, I shall be a liar like you. But the problem is I do know him, and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Look, you say Abraham is dead, but I know Abraham. I talked with Abraham, I walked with Abraham. Now, this this phrase, Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad, there are two different ways we can look at it. The author of the Hebrews kind of talks about this fact that Abraham by faith looked ahead and saw what Jesus was going to do, even though he didn't realize it all physically, and someday he would see it. And in fact, because he believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness, he is alive today and seeing what Jesus is doing in the here and now. That's one aspect of it. The other aspect of it was Abraham really did see God in person. He saw the Lord a few times. And let me just share a couple of times that Jesus was seen by Abraham. There was a time when Lot and his family and the whole town of Sodom were taken captive by, I think, seven kings and taken far away. And so Abraham mustered up a group of guys to go after them. And they were able to defeat the kings and bring the people back. And as he came back, this interesting character came onto the scene in Genesis chapter 14. Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Bread and wine. We have that in the Passover meal. That's the angel of the Lord who passed over. But we also have that in the Last Supper, where Jesus said, I, this is my body, this is my blood sacrificed for you. Interesting. He was the priest of the most high God. Jesus is our great high priest, isn't he? And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abraham of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And Abraham gave him a tithe of all. Now, a couple of things here to point out. One, this tithe that Abraham gave was out of an acknowledgement of who he was talking to. The one who tithes ties to the greater, not to the lesser. When you tithe, you are giving to the Lord, not to a church. You're giving to God out of a grateful heart. And this tithe that Abraham did came before the law. So this was something that was in the heart. It wasn't something that was prescribed by the law at this moment. And Melchizedek, he's a priest. A priest before the priesthood was created. He was before Levi. So that's an interesting picture. The writer of the Hebrews kind of defined this Melchizedek a little more in Hebrews chapter 7. First being translated the king of righteousness. Melchizedek is the king of righteousness. Jesus is the righteousness of God, right? He is righteous. And then also to the king of Salem, meaning the king of peace. Melchizedek was described as the king of Salem, the king of peace. Jesus is our prince of peace, isn't he? Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now there's arguments about this, but it's I think it's pretty clear that this is a picture of Jesus. When he he appeared on the scene in human form before he actually became the incarnation when he was born. And he was this Melchizedek. Many believe that this is to be true. At least a picture of Jesus, if not the Jesus that's come in this time. Now, when Jesus was born, he had a mother, of course, and he had a genealogy. We we see that genealogy in Matthew and in Luke. But in his pre-incarnate existence, he's coming as the eternal God. God has no father, God has no mother. He's eternal, he's always existed, right? So there's no genealogy, neither beginning of days nor end of light. He's the ancient of days. And he was. And he is. And he is to come. He has no beginning. He has no end. He's made like the Son of God. He appeared and he looked because he was Jesus. He looked like Jesus here on earth. And he remains a priest continually. There's no set amount of time that he serves as priest. He's always our great high priest who intercedes for us because he understands us, because he was one of us. So that was one time that Abraham came face to face with, I believe, the Lord Jesus. Another time, well, is this also dealing with Sodom and Lot, the angel of the Lord came with two other angels, and they were coming to check out what was going on in Sodom because the cries were coming out, it was just not right. And they stopped and visited Abraham. And Abraham asked him to stay and eat with them. And while they were there, this is something that happened in Genesis 18. And he, the angel of the Lord, we believe Jesus in the flesh before he became a man. I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah, your wife, will have a son. So Jesus, as the angel of the Lord, is telling Abraham that Sarah is going to have that son that he had been promising him for decades. And Sarah was listening in the tent door, which was behind him. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself. Right. It hasn't happened. You know, we've tried different things, and that's okay. But uh in her heart she's saying, After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure? My Lord being old also? I mean, she's just thinking of the process of having a baby, and that includes some actions, and and and they just they frankly were not active anymore. And she kind of laughs about how can this things are not working anymore. And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I surely bear a child since I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? And at the appointed time I will return to you according to that time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. I thank God that his promise was based on his promise and not based on Abraham and Sarah's reaction. They did believe, but they also tripped up a lot. And I could say that of myself. I believe when the Lord is guiding me and directing me in something and revealing things, but then as I go on, I kind of doubt and get messed up. I think about Zechariah and Elizabeth and Zechariah as the priest going before the Lord in the Holy of Holies, and he's visited by the angel. They've been praying for decades that they would have a child. And when the angel finally came and did answer this prayer, he couldn't believe it. Have you been praying something for years and years and years and it happens and you don't believe it actually happened? I'm thankful for God's grace. Even though Sarah is laughing about it, I'm still gonna come and you're still gonna have a baby. But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. Don't we do that too? We fall into the old nature, which is lying about it. Because we want to try to protect ourselves. But but God is the truth. Why do we try to lie to God? It doesn't make any sense, does it? He knows the truth and he wants to set us free with the truth. And the Lord said, No, but you did laugh. Kind of probably with a smile on his face. You did laugh, Sarah. But I tell you what, if you believe me or not, you're still going to be pregnant next year. And you're gonna have that baby that I promised. Well, the next year in chapter 21, the Lord visited Sarah, and as he had said, the Lord did for Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, and at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sarah bore to him Isaac, which means laughter. Now Abraham was one hundred years old, and his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, God has made me laugh, and all those who hear will laugh with me. Abraham saw the day of the Lord, and he rejoiced in it. God is still so good, even though my faith was so weak. And of course, Abraham is one of those that ended up in the great hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, I believe. Exalted for their faith. But then when you look at the people, they had faith, but they didn't have faith. Can you relate to that? I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. There was one other instance where he came face to face with the Lord in a different sort of way. He said, Okay, I've given you this son. Now I want you to sacrifice him. So go up on Mount Moriah and then sacrifice Isaac, your only son. And so Isaac goes along with Abraham up on the mountain. And Isaac asked, I we got the wood, but where's the sacrifice? Abraham by faith says, Son, the Lord is going to provide himself a lamb. In the old King James, it says, the Lord will provide himself a lamb, which is really profound because the Lord Himself became our lamb to take away our sin, because that was what was necessary, wasn't it? And so he gets up there and says, Okay, son, it looks like you're the one that the Lord has provided. And willingly Isaac laid himself down and allowed his father to sacrifice, and as he was taking the knife to kill his son, the Lord said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Sometimes the Lord is going to cause us to do things that don't make any sense whatsoever. And that's where you walk into real faith. Real faith is taking steps into an area you don't see that's ahead of you. But you trust God. And God blesses him for doing it and keeps him from doing something that is abhorrent. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. And that's why the Lord was offered up instead of us. And Abraham called the place the Lord will provide, Jehovah Jirah. And it is said to this day that in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided. And that same mountain is where the Lord was sacrificed for us, crucified on that cross. His provision made us free. So Abraham saw the Lord at work in his life in many different ways. He looked forward to the work of the Lord coming and becoming the Messiah, and he saw it. Abraham lives today because of Jesus, because of his faith in the Lord and looking forward to the coming Messiah. And he experienced firsthand in his life many times the Lord working in his midst. But they didn't understand that. The Jewish leaders again they said to him, You are not yet 50 years old. You've seen Abraham. Yeah. Go read the stories. I'm in there. But they didn't bother to consider that, did they? How can you see Abraham was, you know, hundreds of years ago? And you're not even fifty. Well, he was hinting at these things in different places, kind of using this phrase, but not as powerfully as he does now. He says, Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. I am. The holy name of God. Jehovah, the self-existing one. The one who was, the one who is, the one who is to come. I am. I am who I am. When Moses asked, Who should I say is sending me? God said, Tell him I am sent you. It says so much. And they knew exactly what he was saying because they took up stones to throw it at him, even though it was illegal under Roman law for them to do that. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by because it was not yet his time. And yet, in his compassion and his mercy, he wanted to reveal himself not only to the everyday people, but to the religious leaders. That they would know him, that they would celebrate him, that they would be changed by him. Because he is the one that they've been waiting for, they've been praying for. And now he's here.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

That's Pastor Carl of the Mountain Cross on Come On Up. We're currently going through the book of John. We're so glad you've been with us, and we know there's so much to get out of this gospel book. One of the most powerful moments is in a well-known passage in John chapter 3. Jesus is meeting with Nicodemus and explaining what it means to be born again, not physically, but spiritually. As you might have memorized, Jesus speaks this to Nicodemus, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What a promise from God! It sounds so easy, right? But sometimes the pressures of life can push you further away from wanting a relationship with God. Let me tell you, the most important decision you'll ever make is being in right relationship with God. He wants you with him for eternity. So don't be waiting around for the right moment. The best time to choose Jesus is now. If you'd like to learn more about what all of this means, head over to themountaincross.com and click on How to Know God. The Mountain Cross is a group of believers in Jesus who seek to grow in faith by simply teaching the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter. We meet on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville. We look forward to worshiping with you. Well, that's all for today, but come on up to the mountain with us again as we seek to learn more from the Lord through His Word. Come On Up is sponsored by the Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.