August 9, 2025 • 8 mins
Today’s episode explores one of the most powerful truths in all scripture: Jesus is God. From His bold statement, “Before Abraham was even born, I AM,” to His declaration that “The Father and I are one,” we dive deep into the divinity of Christ and what it means for your faith, your worship, and your daily walk. If you’ve ever wondered whether Jesus really claimed to be God, this episode will show you the truth and draw you closer to the One who made you, loves you, and calls you by name.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Hey, Lawrence here.
Welcome back to the Wooden Cricket Podcast, a daily space
where scripture, faith and real life meet.
I'm glad you're here. Today's a special episode.
(00:24):
I had a video sent to me the other day from my friend Alex.
Just a short little video on Facebook, and it was this fellow
really kind of explaining the difference between Christianity
and religion, if that makes sense.
I'm going too much into it, and the video is really good, he
said. Just a lot of awesome stuff
about just loving on people and things of this nature.
(00:46):
And you've got one thing kind ofwrong and it just, it got me
kind of going. And he just said something along
the lines of something to the effect of you don't need to
worship Jesus. And that kind of threw me off.
And so I recorded this little like, I think it's like 3 minute
audio clip. And I sent it to Alex.
And I was just kind of like, hey, blah, blah, this, this,
(01:08):
this, this, this, this. And it totally inspired today's
podcast episode. I was going to talk about
something else, but I'll save that for another day.
So Alex, I hope you're listening.
This one's for you, brother. And today's episode is called
Jesus and God are one the great I am.
So we're going to walk through the powerful words of Jesus
where he reveals something so bold, so divine, and so clear
(01:32):
that it changed everything. So let's open our hearts to this
truth and let's begin. So we're going to start in John
chapter 10, verse 30. And I use the NLT version of the
Bible. Sometimes when I'm studying at
home on my own, I do use the King James version that I got
from my grandpa. There's some really awesome
highlighted stuff in there, but there's the NLT version.
(01:52):
So John chapter 10 verse 30 and Jesus says here the Father and I
are one podcast over. No, no, no, this is not just
poetic language. This is Jesus making a radical
divine claim that he and God areunited in essence, will and
(02:13):
identity. The crowd didn't misunderstand
him. They knew exactly what he meant.
That's why they tried to stone him.
We don't worship a prophet alone.
We worship God in the flesh, Jesus.
To know Jesus is to know the Father.
To follow Jesus is to walk with God himself.
(02:38):
So pause for a moment and just take in that truth.
The same hands that healed the sick and washed the disciples
feet or the hands of God. That's who Jesus is.
John chapter 8 verse 58. Jesus answered, I tell you the
(02:58):
truth, before Abraham was even born.
I am. Jesus doesn't say I was.
He says I am. That's the very name God used in
Exodus chapter 3 when he speaks to Moses from the burning Bush.
I am who I am. Jesus is saying that was me, the
(03:24):
external, self existent God stepping into human form.
This isn't just theology, this is reality.
The one who made the stars came to walk among us and he's still
calling your name today. Let that stir something deep in
your spirit. The God of creation came close
(03:46):
enough to touch and he still does.
John chapter 14 verse 9. Jesus replied.
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
We don't need to look past Jesusto understand who God is.
(04:07):
His compassion, His justice, Hismercy, His power, His love.
It's all God's heart made visible.
Jesus didn't come just to show us the way to the Father.
He is the way to the Father. When life gets confusing or
dark, go back to Jesus. Look how He spoke to the broken,
(04:33):
how he challenged the proud, howhe gave his life for us.
That's what God looks like. Colossians chapter one verse 15.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all
(04:54):
creation. For through him God created
everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see and the things we can't see,
such as Thrones, kingdoms, rulers and authorities in the
unseen world. Everything was created through
(05:16):
him and for Him. He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
That's breathtaking. Jesus didn't just show up in
Bethlehem. Think about this.
He created Bethlehem. He made the atoms in the wood of
(05:36):
the Manger. He shaped the stars that led the
wise men and to day He holds youtogether.
That's why when you worship Jesus, you're not just
worshipping a piece of history. You're worshipping the Creator,
the sustainer, the King of kings.
Matthew chapter 4, verse 10. You must worship the Lord your
(05:58):
God and serve only Him. This was Jesus quoting the
command from Deuteronomy while resisting Satan.
Only God is to be worshipped. Yet all throughout the Gospels
we see Jesus receiving worship from the healed, the desperate,
(06:19):
the grateful, the disciples. None were rebuked.
And why? Because he is worthy.
He is God. Your worship belongs to Jesus,
not just your songs, but your heart, your decisions, your
mournings, your future. He is the great I am.
(06:44):
If Jesus is not God, none of this matters.
But if he is God, then everything changes.
It means the cross was not just the sacrifice, it was God
himself stepping into our punishment out of love.
It means the resurrection wasn'tjust a miracle, it was the
(07:05):
author of life defeating death. And it means that when Jesus
says, come to me, all who are weary, it is God inviting you
into rest, into grace, and into forever.
You don't have to wonder who Godis anymore.
(07:26):
You don't have to question his heart.
Look at Jesus and you will see it all.
Holiness, mercy, truth, love, power, humility, hope.
Jesus and the Father are one, and He came for you.
Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
(07:46):
If this message stirred your heart, I encourage you to talk
to Jesus like he's sitting rightbeside you, because he is.
And if you've never fully given your life to him, maybe today's
the day He's not far off. He's God, and he's here.
Alex, thank you for the inspiration for the podcast.
I hope you made it to the end brother.
(08:07):
This is Ben Lawrence with the Wooden Cricket podcast.
Until next time, walk in faith, walk in truth, and walk with
Jesus. He is the I am.
I'm Lawrence Peace.
The wooden cricket. Hey, Lawrence here.
Welcome back to the Wooden Cricket Podcast, a daily space
where scripture, faith and real life meet.
I'm glad you're here. Today's a special episode.
(00:24):
I had a video sent to me the other day from my friend Alex.
Just a short little video on Facebook, and it was this fellow
really kind of explaining the difference between Christianity
and religion, if that makes sense.
I'm going too much into it, and the video is really good, he
said. Just a lot of awesome stuff
about just loving on people and things of this nature.
(00:46):
And you've got one thing kind ofwrong and it just, it got me
kind of going. And he just said something along
the lines of something to the effect of you don't need to
worship Jesus. And that kind of threw me off.
And so I recorded this little like, I think it's like 3 minute
audio clip. And I sent it to Alex.
And I was just kind of like, hey, blah, blah, this, this,
(01:08):
this, this, this, this. And it totally inspired today's
podcast episode. I was going to talk about
something else, but I'll save that for another day.
So Alex, I hope you're listening.
This one's for you, brother. And today's episode is called
Jesus and God are one the great I am.
So we're going to walk through the powerful words of Jesus
where he reveals something so bold, so divine, and so clear
(01:32):
that it changed everything. So let's open our hearts to this
truth and let's begin. So we're going to start in John
chapter 10, verse 30. And I use the NLT version of the
Bible. Sometimes when I'm studying at
home on my own, I do use the King James version that I got
from my grandpa. There's some really awesome
highlighted stuff in there, but there's the NLT version.
(01:52):
So John chapter 10 verse 30 and Jesus says here the Father and I
are one podcast over. No, no, no, this is not just
poetic language. This is Jesus making a radical
divine claim that he and God areunited in essence, will and
(02:13):
identity. The crowd didn't misunderstand
him. They knew exactly what he meant.
That's why they tried to stone him.
We don't worship a prophet alone.
We worship God in the flesh, Jesus.
To know Jesus is to know the Father.
To follow Jesus is to walk with God himself.
(02:38):
So pause for a moment and just take in that truth.
The same hands that healed the sick and washed the disciples
feet or the hands of God. That's who Jesus is.
John chapter 8 verse 58. Jesus answered, I tell you the
(02:58):
truth, before Abraham was even born.
I am. Jesus doesn't say I was.
He says I am. That's the very name God used in
Exodus chapter 3 when he speaks to Moses from the burning Bush.
I am who I am. Jesus is saying that was me, the
(03:24):
external, self existent God stepping into human form.
This isn't just theology, this is reality.
The one who made the stars came to walk among us and he's still
calling your name today. Let that stir something deep in
your spirit. The God of creation came close
(03:46):
enough to touch and he still does.
John chapter 14 verse 9. Jesus replied.
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
We don't need to look past Jesusto understand who God is.
(04:07):
His compassion, His justice, Hismercy, His power, His love.
It's all God's heart made visible.
Jesus didn't come just to show us the way to the Father.
He is the way to the Father. When life gets confusing or
dark, go back to Jesus. Look how He spoke to the broken,
(04:33):
how he challenged the proud, howhe gave his life for us.
That's what God looks like. Colossians chapter one verse 15.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all
(04:54):
creation. For through him God created
everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see and the things we can't see,
such as Thrones, kingdoms, rulers and authorities in the
unseen world. Everything was created through
(05:16):
him and for Him. He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
That's breathtaking. Jesus didn't just show up in
Bethlehem. Think about this.
He created Bethlehem. He made the atoms in the wood of
(05:36):
the Manger. He shaped the stars that led the
wise men and to day He holds youtogether.
That's why when you worship Jesus, you're not just
worshipping a piece of history. You're worshipping the Creator,
the sustainer, the King of kings.
Matthew chapter 4, verse 10. You must worship the Lord your
(05:58):
God and serve only Him. This was Jesus quoting the
command from Deuteronomy while resisting Satan.
Only God is to be worshipped. Yet all throughout the Gospels
we see Jesus receiving worship from the healed, the desperate,
(06:19):
the grateful, the disciples. None were rebuked.
And why? Because he is worthy.
He is God. Your worship belongs to Jesus,
not just your songs, but your heart, your decisions, your
mournings, your future. He is the great I am.
(06:44):
If Jesus is not God, none of this matters.
But if he is God, then everything changes.
It means the cross was not just the sacrifice, it was God
himself stepping into our punishment out of love.
It means the resurrection wasn'tjust a miracle, it was the
(07:05):
author of life defeating death. And it means that when Jesus
says, come to me, all who are weary, it is God inviting you
into rest, into grace, and into forever.
You don't have to wonder who Godis anymore.
(07:26):
You don't have to question his heart.
Look at Jesus and you will see it all.
Holiness, mercy, truth, love, power, humility, hope.
Jesus and the Father are one, and He came for you.
Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
(07:46):
If this message stirred your heart, I encourage you to talk
to Jesus like he's sitting rightbeside you, because he is.
And if you've never fully given your life to him, maybe today's
the day He's not far off. He's God, and he's here.
Alex, thank you for the inspiration for the podcast.
I hope you made it to the end brother.
(08:07):
This is Ben Lawrence with the Wooden Cricket podcast.
Until next time, walk in faith, walk in truth, and walk with
Jesus. He is the I am.
I'm Lawrence Peace.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com